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Standard FF disclaimers apply.

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I Need You. Family affair

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It was getting late, and they still had another flight change and one more frantic race down to the next concourse to board their plane. With just minutes before the door closed, they made it to the check in counter. Whoever had made these reservations must have been crazy, thought Tom. This six hour trip had already taken twice that. He tried to keep a watchful eye on Brian, worried about his ability to keep going.

He did not complain. Brian had not said much of anything since they had left Ecuador. Of course he noticed that Tom had not been all that talkative either, and he seemed to be taking everything in stride. That fact grated on his nerves. Why should Tom be all calm about things when he was nearly falling apart.

Brian slumped down into his seat. This time they were on the very back row and alone. That would have given Brian a good chance to talk to Tom. But he did not know what to say. His mind was stuck on that moment that the metal locker was opened and they looked inside the false back to find the shelves empty. That same empty feeling now dominated Brian, he felt it in his gut and in his heart. How could everything that he had ever worked on be gone. Just like that!

It was not supposed to be this way. He remembered what Tom had said when he insisted that they take "precautions" with their work. They had spent a whole afternoon, alone in the building installing the secret space behind the cabinet. It had seemed all so clandestine to him at the time, but he had appreciated the diligence that Tom seemed to have, to protect their work..

That was what hurt the most. He had trusted Tom. Believed that he knew what he was doing. It felt like he had been betrayed. But he could not direct his anger at anyone. He knew that Tom had done everything that he could to keep things safe. They had been together through the same hell the whole time. No, it was not Tom he was upset with. But somewhere in his mind, he could not separate the two.

Once again, another plane rose high into the clear skies. Tom looked out of the windows. Fatigue was catching up with him. Pretending to be asleep didn't prove to be at all restful, and with their injuries only just healing, neither one of them was in any kind of shape to be racing through the airports the way they had. Tom gazed over at Brian. As he expected, he was pale and his head was drooping. He needed to get him to their destination and under some medical care as soon as he could.

Tank had indicated that he would have arrangements made. If the communication was a little bit vague, Tom was trusting that he would know what they needed. This last leg of the trip was only going to be another couple of hours or so. He would not get any rest, but he could relax until they landed. He turned once more toward Brian. He looked depressed again. All that would go away when he got his work back. But that created a big problem for Tom.

He would need to find an explanation to why Tank had their research materials. And it had better be good. He could not rely on Brian's excitement, to finally have it back, to distract him for long. Brian may be an innocent, but he was not stupid, and he had not gotten to where he was by being clueless. Tom closed his eyes. 'Yeah, it's going to have to be an amazing explanation' he thought, just as he unexpectedly drifted into a disturbed sleep.

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Climbing the stairs slowly, the lightweight box weighed heavy in his hands. He had thought about this since first reading the letters. And looking at the box sitting in his office all morning, Ranger decided that it was time to have this talk with Stephanie. But he also wanted to show her why it was important. He would not want to hurt her, not in a million years.

He reached the apartment without coming up with the words to say yet. As he opened up the door, he heard Stephanie humming, Metallica again. The corner of his mouth curved a little. He really was going to have to teach her some songs. What he saw when he entered the room stopped him at the door. Stephanie was sitting in the rocking chair with Mat asleep in her arms. Her focus, however, was on the baby clothes laid out all over the bed.

"Steph?" Ranger asked her as he walked into the room.

Her face colored in an embarrassed blush. "I was just trying to decided what he was going to wear when he met our families," she tried to explain. "But then he got hungry and I had to stop…" She stopped talking mid sentence and smiled.

"I still haven't figured which outfit would be best," she said. At his confused look, she tried to explain what she meant. "The moment they found out about Mat, our families went completely crazy."

With her head nodding toward the bed, she directed Ranger's attention to the first set of clothes. "My mother came over with baby clothes that she has been saving for her first grandson. Obviously she has not had the chance to use them yet, but that cute little blue outfit there was her favorite one."

"And then your mom showed up with the cutest basket of baby things." A pointed look to the basket on the floor next to the rocking chair was followed by a slight shrug. "I loved the basket and it was just the perfect thing to hold the stuffed animals that have been showing up from everywhere!"

"The little green shirt with the black pants was in the basket, your mom told me that she had fallen love with it and just knew that Mat had to have it."

Stephanie followed Ranger's gaze to the bed again, as he looked at the other outfits that were there. When he cast a quizzical look her way again, she explained that Celia and Val and Mary Lou and Ella had all brought clothes for Mat too.

Ranger finally understood. He walked over to take Mat from her arms. He gently placed him in the crib and he extended his hand to Stephanie. He wrapped her in his arms and kissed her forehead. "You have the biggest heart," he said softly. He knew that she wanted to include everyone in Mat's life. Having him wearing their gifts would be the first way to do that.

"I have an idea," he said, as he released her, pulling her over to the bed. He picked up his mother's selection and put it on the changing table. "We are going to my parents house first. He can wear this."

Then he put the diaper bag on the bed. He packed the outfit that Helen had chosen. "Chances are Mat might mess up one outfit and need to be put into another one. We can do it before we go see your family." Stephanie nodded. It could work. Relieved she smiled at him.

"Thanks for that," she said, as she wrapped her arms around his waist, and leaned against his chest.

His heart swelled with the love he had for her. And once again he hoped that what he was about to say would not upset her. He led her from the bedroom and Stephanie spotted the box on the table. Before she could ask what it was, he picked it up and pulled her with him to sit on the couch.

"We have something to talk about before we see the families today," he said.

He did not miss her concerned look. This was not going to be easy. Slowly he opened the box and carefully lifted out the stack of papers. He set them on the coffee table and picked up the first page.

"I told you what we found out about Mat's mother, right?" he asked. She silently nodded her head, keeping eye contact with him.

"Maria wrote letters to Matthias. To her son that she knew she would never get to know." Ranger drew in a deep breath. "If I read them to you, you will understand what we have to talk about," he said. His look now was asking her to understand, to give him permission to share these letters with her.

Stephanie was silent for a moment. It seemed to stretch on indefinitely before she finally gave her consent with a single nod. She knew that this was important to him, she wanted to know why he was upset by this and she wanted to know what the letters said.

Ranger translated as he read, the story of Maria and her husband was told in simple and poetic terms. Stephanie was spellbound by the sweet love story that she was telling her son. Maria told of her mother and her sister, and her father. She introduced him to his own father, telling all the things that she loved about him. The whole village came to life through her stories. Traditions and customs and everyday situations. Until, at last, the tragic event that took everything away from her was described simply as a portal to a beautiful new land of enchantment.

From that moment on, Mat was described as the young prince who was searching for something precious. Fanciful stories unfolded of the princes adventures and his heroic deeds, like rescuing a bird he found trapped in a fallen tree, or quieting a horse who had been accidentally spooked by some small children running around his legs. They were all told with a fantastic imagination. The prince continued on with his quest, until at last he found what he had been looking for. But it was not until he was a grown man, with a family of his own that he found his prize.

The ornately carved box with polished leather hinges was finally in his possession. With a trembling hand, he slowly lifted the lid. Nothing could be seen inside the box, as a silver light glowed so intensely that it passed right through the prince's heart. Tears came to his eyes. He had found what was priceless and more precious than any other treasure. The box contained Love. The love from his parents. The King and Queen had left it for him to find.

At first the prince was angry at himself that it had taken so long for him to find it. Nearly a lifetime. But those feeling left as suddenly as they had come. Because he realized that he knew this feeling. It had always been with him. He had had their love all along. It was his, to keep, and to share. He had never been happier in his life.

Stephanie sniffed and wiped a tear from her eye, as Ranger placed the last paper down. It took a few moments before he could look at her. He was still filled with the powerful emotions that he had had the first time he read these letters. The injustice of what happened to Maria and her village was still a sore spot to him. He hoped one day to know that the monsters who had done this had been held responsible and stopped from hurting others.

But his focus right now was on Stephanie. She was staring at the pile of papers. Maria's story.

"Maria knew that she was going to die?" she asked in a whisper before turning her eyes to meet his.

Ranger nodded. That made her so sad, in a way she could not even explain. Ranger told her about the incident in her village. He let her know what Dr. Dutton had said to Tank. Maria knew that she was ill. Her parents and her sister had been killed by the fever that had spread through the village. Maria had not died then, but she had become weakened by it. Her pregnancy, though it was a blessing, had been hard on her body. In the very best of circumstances it would have been difficult. Thanks to the cartel, she had had to deal with the worst conditions possible.

"She knew." he confirmed. Then he took a breath, what he had to say now was what he had been thinking about for days now. He and Stephanie had legally and officially adopted Matthias. It would be within their rights to raise him as their own child. Everyone that they knew was aware of the circumstances surrounding Mat's adoption. They were supportive and eager to welcome him into their lives. He didn't know how to say this. How to express his feelings. Mat would be his son in every way that mattered. Stephanie's son the same way. But he felt he owed it to Mat and to Matthais and to Maria to tell their story. To let Mat know of his own unique heritage. But how do you explain this to an infant, to a child, without confusing him? He knew that this would be something that the families all needed to understand. And that started now with Stephanie. Suddenly he was not sure how to even tell her how he felt.

"Maria is gone. But her love for Mat is forever." he started. But then he paused, still unsure.

Stephanie took his hand in hers. She suddenly understood what this discussion was all about. Mat would be their child. Part of their family. But he also had a legacy of love that was his too. He needed to know that, as much as Maria deserved for him to know of her and her love for him.

"Maria gave us the perfect way to tell Mat about his family," she said softly. "She gave us stories to tell him. Stories about love. That is all he has to know right now." Ranger squeezed her hands, that was exactly what he needed to hear. "When he is old enough to understand, we will tell him all about the events that brought him to us," she continued. "Right now we give him what he needs, and that is to know that he is loved."

She is perfect, his heart told him again. Ranger pulled her into his arms, kissing her temples and hugging her tight. "Thank you." he whispered.

"For what?" she asked. She could feel his relief, he had been so worried about this. Her heart warmed again at the knowledge that he loved her and he loved Mat so much that he wanted things to be perfect. At the same time that she understood that even Ranger could not make everything perfect, she loved that he wanted to.

Ranger was relieved. She understood what he had wanted to say. They could now start sharing the stories with the families, and let them help Mat learn of his heritage in the way that made the most sense right now.

Now all he was worried about was that there was still one person that might want to lay claim to Mat. And he was coming here. Tonight.

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If he ever saw another airport it would be too soon, thought Karl Verner, as he dragged his suitcase off of the luggage carousel and headed out of building. He had been sent to nearly every part of the world over the past few months. His last trip to Washington DC proved to be the most frustrating of all. He was actually shaking his head as he walked briskly away from the airport terminal and to the car waiting for him. They needed to find some answers soon, or they would be in big trouble. As he got into the car, the curious eyes of his associate Max Tarmo begged for some good news. The shaking of Karl's head told him that he had none to give.

They would be meeting again with their small team back at Humelik tonight. Karl had no idea what they would be able to do about the shipment that was promised for delivery in the next month. Time was running out and the doctors had disappeared before they could get any information from them.

This was turning into such a mess. All starting with the lab in Ecuador. Karl had said all along that they should just steal the information and let their own team of scientists develop the serum that they needed. Unfortunately, Ed did not agree and Leo was too squeamish to force the issue. Karl wanted to be angry about that, but even he realized that the scientists at Humelik were unlikely to have been persuaded to work on this project. They were all about the ideals that the company had been founded on.

Of course, they did not have to worry about the economics of everything as they buried themselves in their work. It took money to keep their research going. To keep the company running. To accomplish all of those high and lofty goals that they had. It was up to Karl and Ed and the handful of others on the team to come up with real-world practical things to keep the company from going under. It may not be pretty, but it was going to save all of their hides.

The trip home from the airport was shrouded in silence. There was nothing to say, and Karl was so exhausted all he wanted was a few hours of sleep before he had to face the team. As he climbed the stairs to his apartment, the events of the past two months replayed in his mind. Subconsciously he was still searching for answers.

It had all started when the lab in Tiputini was up and running. All of the specifications that Dunne and Taylor had requested had been granted. Along with a few more that they did not know about. Karl had been responsible for a few of those, and he couldn't help but feel a bit proud of himself for devising such a great plan. Unfortunately, the doctors were not exactly cooperative, a fact that made Karl both angry and more than a bit suspicious.

The computers that had been requested and the internet connection they needed had gone in at a huge expense. The one and only reason they had been granted was because Karl had every intention of using that connection to acquire the information that he wanted from them. The system had been set up to make a digital copy of everything that was saved into the computers. That information was immediately sent to Karls computer in a particularly sophisticated and complicated code. It was brilliant.

For the first month, Karl poured over everything that came from the doctor's computers. Unless they were using a code of thier own, nothing that was on these computers was of any help at all. It was mostly internet searches. None of the notes from their research had been saved, no calculations. No clues at all to what they were working on. Only their weekly reports held any answers, but of course they included just basic information. Karl's wonderful idea had backfired.

That made the 'inspection' tour so important. Ed and Leo had been chosen to go for very obvious reasons. They were both officers of the company. Ed was the one who had conducted the negotiations with the doctors, and Leo was the scientist who they could talk to and explain the research and results that they were seeing. Once again, the plan that seemed infallible, exploded in their faces. With the assurance that the government was providing protection, there was never any reason to believe that there would be any problems. Not even with the threats from that little pipsqueak Arquilla. The local drug lord had made some noise about the lab being built there. But they had repeatedly assured him that they were there for research purposes that had nothing at all to do with his operations. One more time, Karl had not seen any danger in their plans. The plans fell apart and this time they had an international incident to have to deal with.

Karl left home at that point to try to influence the governments of both Ecuador, where the incident took place, and the US where the scientist were from, that they needed to get the men back as soon as possible. He even offered to pay any ransom that was demanded.

Since he did not have the luxury of waiting, Karl took matters into his own hands. He went to Ecuador and searched the labs with a fine tooth comb. All he had to show for his efforts were a few pages of notes that had been scattered on the floor, and a few balled up pages that may or may not hold any valid information since they had obviously been discarded. He searched the place three times before bringing in a cleaning crew to put the place to rights again. He could not figure out where the research was. They would not have had any time to hide it when the attack happened and even if they did, he should have been able to find it.

All he could do now was wait. What he had hoped would take two days, took two months, and even then the rescued men were whisked away before he could talk to them. He chased them to the New York offices and then to DC where the Feds had moved them. By the time he saw them, they were sedated and could not tell him anything. Leaving him frustrated and weary.

All he could do was hope that by now the team had been able to find some scrap of data in the small amount of information that he had sent to them that would help them to move forward with their plans.

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A gentle breeze rustled the leaves in the trees that shaded the large back yard. Grandma Rosa was directing the activity in the yard, just as she always did for big family functions. Tables were set up and chairs, coming from all parts of the house, appeared with the help of all the grandkids.

"Camila mijita, ya estamos listos para el churrasco," Rosa called to her daughter. Ranger's mother was running things in the kitchen and she immediately sent out the pan of marinated strips of beef. Then she turned back to check on her black beans and the rice. A glance at the clock on the wall told her that the timing was right on. If they got the BBQ started now, they would have the food ready when Carlos and Stephanie showed up.

She was concerned that her son would be starving after a long flight and she was determined to have the solution to that problem ready and waiting for him. Of course, she might have had another motive too. She fully intended to hold the baby while her son and his new wife sat down to eat.

Suddenly children of all ages came running around the side of the house, "Estan aqui!" they were yelling, "they are here!" the children were jumping and yelling, until Grandma Rosa herded children and adults alike to the front yard to welcome the new little family.

Stephanie had just stepped back from the car with the diaper bag while Ranger removed the carseat with Mat still sleeping in it. They both looked up as they saw the crowd coming at them. Ranger stepped up to put an arm around Stephanie who was staring at everyone with her eyes wide. He had expected this reception, but no matter how many times he had told her about the size of his family and their enthusiasm for visitors, she was still not prepared for this.

"It's okay," he uttered softly as the first of the familia reached them. She tried to smile as she nodded. Suddenly the group split and an older woman rushed forward to take Ranger's face in both of her hands.

"Carlito, ya estan!" she murmured as she kissed his cheek. "So good to see you!" she said as she pulled back. Then she turned to Stephanie and kissed her cheek. "And you mijita, we are so happy to welcome you to the family!" Stephanie blushed at the attention as Rosa patted her cheek.

"Now where is my little nieto?" she said. Ranger held the carrier in his arms and presented Mat with a big smile on his face.

"Abuelita, this is Mat," he said with pride in his voice. He watched as his grandmother gently smoothed her finger over a pink cheek. Tears were in her eyes, and for the first time that he had ever been aware of, his Grandma Rosa could not say a single word. Everyone watched in awe, probably thinking the same thing. At that moment, two other people stepped forward, Ranger's parents stopped a few steps away and took in the scene. Then the moved in and gazed at the sleeping baby.

"He is beautiful Carlos," Camila said, her eyes sparkling with tears. She smiled at her son and then turned her attention to his wife. "Stephanie,welcome to our home" she said as she pulled her new daughter in law into a big hug.

The rest of the afternoon was a blur. Stephanie met the family and she knew that she was never going to remember all their names. She tried to carry on conversations as she sampled the great food that people kept serving to her. Through it all Stephanie kept her eye on Mat, everyone wanted a chance to hold him, at least that was what it seemed like to her. In actuality, only a few people had been able to take him from Ranger. His parents and Grandma Rosa among them. And his sisters, Celia, Olivia and Sofia, who would not be denied the chance to hold their nephew!

By the time she finally started to relax a bit, it was time to pack up and leave. That in and of itself took nearly an hour. Stephanie had taken Mat into one of the bedrooms to change him. Camila walked in and helped her. Pulling the little blue outfit from the diaper bag, she smiled at Stephanie.

"Thank you," she said. Stephanie looked up at her, confused. "He looked adorable in the green outfit," she said. "And I think he will look just as cute in this blue one."

All of her worrying about Mat's clothes had mattered. Her mother in law did notice, and Ranger's suggestion had been the perfect solution. That Camila knew of the effort she had made, and acknowledged it, meant everything to Stephanie. She would have no problem fitting into this family. All of her worries and fears were gone. She really liked them all.

After hugs and promises made that free babysitting would be available whenever they needed it, the family walked them out to their car and waved to them as they drove off.

Ranger stole a glance over at Stephanie, she had a glow about her. How did she do it, he wondered. Her head was leaning back on the headrest and her eyes were closed. She looked peaceful and calm after the circus that his family had just put on for them. He watched as a smile spread across her face.

"You have the most amazing family," she said, turning her head and looking at him. "I was so nervous to meet them all at one time." He nodded, he remembered her trembling when he wrapped an arm around her shoulders after they got out of the car.

"But, they are all so sweet, and I think that Mat will love being part of this huge family."

A pride and deep happiness warmed Ranger's heart, these were things that he had never thought of before. Never expected to have. He was sure that finding Mat was a miracle that was going to change everything about his life! And he was happy about it. He reached over and held her hand in his for the rest of the trip.

It wasn't long before they drove up and parked in front of the Plum's house. Helen and Edna were both standing out on the front porch. It made both Ranger and Stephanie smile. They waited until the little family walked up the front walk before they moved out of the way and ushered them into the front room. Valerie and her family were there, the girls were giggling and straining to see the baby. Frank stood and walked right over to Ranger. He scooped up the baby, carrier and all.

"There's my boy!" he said and he took Mat to sit with him in his chair.

"Oh Frank," Helen started to say, but he stopped her with a look.

"The boy is with me for a while Helen," he said. "It might be the only time I get to see him, once you get your hands on him." He was laughing at her, as he turned his attention back to Mat. Helen looked at him for a moment longer and shrugged. He was probably right. So she turned and grabbed Stephanie to help her in the kitchen.

As they served the pineapple upside down cake, Helen asked all kinds of questions. Stephanie had to laugh, she had never seen her mother so excited about anything. "He looks so cute in that outfit Steph," Helen was saying. Then she winked at her! "I just knew that blue would be his color." "Thank you for letting him wear it today!" she said. For a moment Stephanie was stunned. And then all at once she understood. Somehow she had just been inducted into the club. She was a mother, with all that comes with it! She had never been happier!

Once Frank finally let Helen hold Mat, the girls sat close to her so that they could look at him. They were unusually quiet for a long time before Mary Alice spoke up.

"He looks a lot like Ranger," she said. "But not so much like you Aunt Stephanie."

Stephanie smiled and sat with her niece. "Let me tell you a story," she said.

Later than evening the girls said goodbye to their cousin. "You will like it here Mat," Mary Alice told him. Her face reflected wisdom beyond her years as she kissed his forehead and whispered, "We needed you to come be with us." Stephanie smiled at Valerie over the heads of the girls. They both nodded, thinking the very same thing. "Out of the mouth of babes!"

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