A/N #1: I'm so glad you enjoyed Ranger's POV last chapter. Again, I love writing for him. He's so much fun to play with, mostly because he's a pretty blank canvas. heh We don't have much more than our imaginations to go on, since JE hasn't expanded him much at all in the books. So it's fun to shape and mold him just how we want to.

More of his POV this chapter, so enjoy! :)

~*~OoMH~*~

Chapter 10

Ranger's POV

I held Stephanie the entire way back home. Not once did I enter my "zone," as Steph liked to call it. I was unable to stop touching her: my fingers ran gently through her curls, my hand smoothed up and down her arm, and my lips pressed to her forehead—it was a cycle that lasted the full forty minute drive. Neither of the men in front spoke, other than to check on Stephanie a few times. Otherwise, it was completely silent in the SUV.

When we pulled into the RangeMan garage and Tank turned off the engine, Stephanie stirred, raising her head from my shoulder. "Where are we?" she mumbled before looking around. "Oh..."

Tank and Bobby quietly got out of the SUV, leaving us on our own in the silence.

Feeling uncharacteristically unsure, I asked, "Is this okay, Babe?" I wasn't sure if she'd be okay with being here after... "I can take you home if—"

She shook her head quickly. "No, it's fine. Can we go up to seven?" She dipped her head and sniffed, pulling back and grimacing. "I really need a shower."

I chuckled, feeling it vibrate through my chest and into her, which made her grin. "Yeah, Babe. I need one, too."

Nodding, she reached for the door handle, but I beat her to it, and when the door was open, I climbed out, keeping her in my arms. Tank closed the door behind me, beeping the lock as Steph started to struggle in my arms.

"Ranger, I can walk," she huffed when I refused to let her down. She looked up at me and said, "Please, let me walk."

It was then I realized that she seemed to be struggling for control, and I nodded, immediately setting her on her feet. I knew the need to be the one in charge of your body after you'd had that control taken away.

Holding out my hand, I waited until she took it before I smiled and started toward the elevator.

Tank and Bobby moved to the stairwell door, and before Bobby could leave the garage, he looked back at us. "Call if you start to feel dizzy or you can't catch your breath. I can give you something for the anxiety if you need it."

Stephanie nodded, and the men disappeared into the stairwell just as the elevator door slid open. I guided her into the elevator with a hand on her lower back, clicking the key fob that would take us up to my apartment. Once the door closed, I pulled Stephanie back up against my chest, wrapping my arms gently around her, resting my cheek against her temple, and breathing in her scent once more.

Up on seven, I unlocked the apartment door and held it open for Stephanie. The moment she stepped inside, her shoulders dropped and she took a deep breath, holding it for a second before letting it out slowly, as if in relief.

"Are you hungry, Babe?" I asked, coming in behind her and shutting the door before dropping my keys in the dish on the entry table. "I can call Ella and have her bring up lunch for us after your shower."

She hummed. "Yeah, that would be good. Nothing heavy. I don't think my stomach could take it."

Nodding, I kissed her lips lightly and gave her a gentle shove. "Go shower, Babe."

"'Kay," she murmured, blinking up at me a few times before shaking her head and moving away.

I followed her, stopping in the kitchen when she continued on to my bedroom and bathroom. When I heard the bathroom door close, I braced my arms on the kitchen bar and hung my head, feeling almost weak in the knees. I hadn't had time to give in to my nerves and worry while she was missing. Everything in me had been about finding her before it was too late. Now that she was home, now that I knew she was safe, my stomach felt like it was turning inside out, the worry and fear I'd felt for almost twelve hours bubbling through me. I took a deep breath, repeating to myself that she was okay, that she was just in the other room and that no one could get to her here. I knew at some point, I'd have to deal with the fact that she'd been taken from my building, but for now, it was enough to have her here with me.

Drawing a deep breath in, I let it out, scrubbing a hand over my face before reaching for the intercom button. Two minutes later, our lunch request in to Ella, I headed for the bedroom, pulling my shirt off over my head as I went.

I sat on the edge of the bed in my cargos for nearly twenty minutes. I'd pulled off my boots when I got into the bedroom, intending to be ready when Steph got out of the shower. Ella had come and gone, and I knew lunch would be in the fridge or a low oven, keeping cool or warm, depending on what she'd made. I was starting to worry because Stephanie had been in the shower for a while, but after her ordeal, I knew she was probably just relishing the hot water and letting it clean off the filth—both real and imagined.

When I heard the first quiet sob a few minutes later, I was off the bed before I could take my next breath. Instead of busting in like my body was itching to do, I slowly opened the door, calling out quietly, "Babe?"

For a moment, there was nothing, and then Steph let out a larger sob, although muffled, like she was hiding behind her hand so I wouldn't hear.

I looked through the fog and saw her curled up on the floor of the shower, her knees drawn up and arms wrapped around them as the water beat down on her toes. She was shaking, her sobs muffled because her face was buried in her knees.

My heart felt like it was breaking for her, and I knew I couldn't stand by and let her cry. I popped the button on my cargos, eased the zipper down, and stepped out of the pants before moving into the shower with her.

The water was a little cool, so I turned the hot up before bending to pick her up. At my touch, she cried harder, and she immediately turned her head, burying her face in the crook of my neck and shoulder. I adjusted the water so it was hitting us farther up and then sat down on the little built-in bench, keeping her on my lap, intent on letting her cry as long as she needed to.

A few minutes later, Steph had finally calmed down enough that her tears were coming almost silently, and her shaking had dropped to the occasional shiver. When she spoke, it was so quiet that I almost didn't hear her.

"I d-don't kn-know why I'm c-crying," she stuttered softly.

Pressing a kiss to her forehead, I spoke just as quietly. "It's still your body's let-down of all the stress, Babe. When I got to you in Philadelphia, your mind shut down, letting your body follow, which is why you were able to sleep like you did. Now that you're back in Trenton, it's all coming to a head, and instead of suppressing it, your body is finally releasing it. It's completely normal."

She nodded against me, but didn't say anything.

After a few more minutes, I asked, "Will you let me take care of you, Stephanie?" Then I threw in the magic word, knowing that even if she'd been about to protest, she wouldn't be able to resist. "Please, Babe..."

"Okay," she answered, pressing a soft kiss to the column of my throat.

I pulled her away, kissing her lips once before helping her stand. As she stepped forward, re-wetting her hair, I reached over and grabbed the shampoo, pouring a dollop into my palm. When she stepped back to me, I began working the shampoo into her long curls. Using the tips of my fingers, I massaged her scalp, working in gentle circles to massage away as much of the tension and pain from her head as I could. She sighed, and I took as that as my cue to move on. Once she was rinsed, I made quick work of the conditioner she'd gotten from Mr. Alexander, the one that was supposed to help curb the frizz in her naturally curly hair, and then grabbed the body wash from the little shelf as she rinsed the conditioner out.

Picking up the loofah, which was an odd combination of soft, yet scratchy, and began lathering it up. Once I had a good foam going, I started at Stephanie's shoulders, working the loofah in gentle circles over her skin. It wasn't sexual when I ran it between her breasts and down the slight curve of her belly. My hands didn't linger like they usually did when I smoothed it over her ass or around to the inside of her thighs. Down her legs to her feet, I worshiped her as she balanced on one foot, using a hand on the top of my bent head to hold herself upright.

When she was completely soaped up, I dropped the loofah back on the bench and guided her under the water. As she was rinsing, I grabbed the body wash and the wash cloth, cleaning myself much more quickly than I'd taken care of Stephanie.

Once free of soap, I stepped out and grabbed a towel, running it roughly over my hair before pulling it around my waist and tucking the end in to keep it in place. Then I pulled a second towel from the rack and offered my hand to Steph, who took it and stepped out onto the bath mat. I dried her quickly and then wrapped it around her before pulling off another towel and using it to get as much of the water from her curls as possible.

"Ella left lunch. Do you wanna get dressed and eat something?" I asked quietly, pulling her into my arms.

She shook her head. "I just want to sleep. Is that okay?"

Tilting her head up, I kissed her lips lightly and then nodded. "That's fine, Babe. Come on. I'll find you a T-shirt."

Nodding, she followed me from the bathroom. I moved to the dresser, where I reached in and pulled out one of the few pairs of boxers I owned, slipping them on before reaching back into another drawer for one of my old, soft T-shirts that Steph loved to steal and wear.

Unsure of myself once again, I handed her the T-shirt and then turned. "I'll be in the living room if you need me, Babe."

"Ranger?" I heard in her soft voice before I could reach the door.

Turning back, I raised an eyebrow.

"Could you...I mean, would you lie down with me?" she asked, biting her lip for a moment. "I-I think I would sleep better if—"

"Of course, Babe."

She nodded as I moved back to the bed, pulling the covers back and sliding in. I watched as she tossed the towels back into the bathroom and pulled the T-shirt over her head. When she'd climbed into the bed beside me, I reached over and turned off the light beside the bed, leaving the room dark, aside from what little light made it through the break in the black-out curtains.

I turned onto my side and reached out for her, situating her so her back was to my chest and her head was resting on my arm. Wrapping my other arm around her waist, I kept her anchored to me.

"Sleep, Babe," I crooned softly before pressing a kiss to the top of her head.

It was only minutes before her breathing evened out, and only moments after that, my own eyes closed.

~*~OoMH~*~

A/N #2: The stress and worry and fear over the kidnapping finally caught up to her, and she broke down. I thought she definitely needed that moment of weakness. She'd been so strong the entire time, and now that she was home, she was able to let her guard down emotionally.

So let me know what you think. Next chapter, I promise, you'll want to get to ASAP. ;)

I'll see you Monday! – Jen