**ONCE AGAIN, I OWN NONE OF THE CHARACTERS EXEPT FOR TABBY. THE OTHERS BELONG TO JANET EVANOVICH..MY HERO! I HAVE BEEN UPDATING A LITTLE SLOWLY, BUT TRUST ME…AS IT COMES OUT..IT GETS POSTED. PLEASE REVIEW. I HAVE BEEN CONTEMPLATING THE TWO DIFFERENT WAYS THAT THIS CAN GO. **

REMEMBER…REVIEWS MAKE ME WRITE FASTER.

********************* Tabby's POV *****************************

I woke the next morning stiff, but happily snuggled into a warm body. The smell of Christmas confirmed who it was and I sighed and wrapped his arms tighter around me. The next few days were going to be challenging to say the least. Today though, not as much. I had my six-week checkup with a Ranger-approved OB/GYN. I guess that I need to make sure that all my lady-bits will work properly.

I sighed, which caused Diesel to shift slightly and wake.

"Morning, Tabb." He said his voice sleepy and soft. "Did you sleep well?"

"Mmmm." I mumbled, turning over to face him. I stroked the side of his face with my hand, and stared into his eyes. "I'm sorry about last night."

He kissed my forehead, before gently pressing his head to mine. We lay for a few minutes like this, listening to each other breath. Finally, he tilted his head back and spoke.

"Honestly, I would kick my own ass if it wasn't so difficult." He smirked, pulling the pillow out from under my head causing it to smack gently against the headboard.

"Ouch." I smiled. "I could always help you if you needed." I smacked his gently on his shoulder.

Laughing, he swung me up in his arms, and stood. "It's time to get up, Tabb." He swung me around and flipped me onto the bed. I let out a shriek as he catapulted himself on top of me and started tickling me. I was screaming for him to stop when suddenly the door swung open and Ric stood in black silk boxers, holding his gun and sporting bed head.

"What the fuck?" Ric yelled, putting his gun down, and flipping the safety. I peeked out from underneath Diesel's arm and smirked.

"Sorry, man." Diesel barked out laughing.

"Fuck!" Ric spat, rubbing his hands through his hair before stepping towards the bed. "Love, why don't you go hop in the shower. I have to talk to Diesel." I shrugged, climbing out from underneath Diesel. I walked up to the dresser and rooted around for panties, bra, a pair of jeans and a soft pink tank top and then ran out the door to the bathroom attached to Ric's bedroom.

**************DIESEL'S POV*********************

Ranger stared at me intently. His mind was racing with thoughts of ways of stringing me up by various appendages.

"Really Ranger, I can't be that intolerable." I laughed stretching my arms over my head and getting up from the bed.

"I hate that you can fucking read my mind." He grumbled and glared at me with a scowl on his face. Another tirade of cursing and violent threats wafted through his mind.

"Damn, man." I walked up to him, smiling incorrigibly. "You kiss your momma with that mouth?"

"Fuck you." He whispered. "Stay out of my head."

"Alright, but as long as you stop projecting such hostile thoughts." I smirked and grabbed for my t-shirt that I had thrown on the floor last night before my shower. "What did you want to talk to me about, Ranger?"

"I need to really understand what we are up against?" His business face slapped on, and all emotions were voided. "Is this guy really too far out of our league?"

"Yeah." I sighed, running my fingers through my hair. "He's one fucked up dude. He would kill his own grandmother to get a seat on the council."

"What can we do to keep her safe?"

"Let me do what I need to do, and keep her contained here until she can handle my decision." My chest tightened with what the future was going to hold for me. "She's not going to be too happy with life in general, but she won't have her powers so she'll be easier to handle."

"You really gonna do it?" He asked quirking up one eyebrow.

"I have no other choice. The council will find her, and they'll have to give her back to Grady." I shook my head. "He'll kill her slowly, or worse."

"We have to at least try to get him." Ranger rubbed his face with both hands roughly. "What if I called inn some more men got some better weapons, more…"

I interrupted him. "Ranger, it's not going to happen." I put my hand on his shoulder. "I gotta do this. She deserves to be happy, and you know that I don't have anything really going for me. She needs to be given the opportunity to have the family that she wanted, the life that she wanted. Taking her powers will free her of her obligation and let her do just that."

"Shit." He swore quietly. "This is so fucked up." He shook his head and looked into my eyes, finally showing emotion….gratitude and sorrow. "I would take your place if it meant that Tabby would be saved."

"I know, man." I nodded solemnly. "I know." I dropped my hand from his shoulder.

I squeezed his shoulder and smiled. "Well, now that we went over all that shit. Let's get ready and see what the day brings us. Frankly, I'd like to spend the rest of my "free" time enjoying life, if you get my understanding."

He smiled, and shook his head. "I'll go call Ella to bring up breakfast, then I have to go down and run for a bit. " He smiled. "A little stress release, you know?"

"Yeah. Understood, man." I watched as he turned and left the bedroom. I owed that man more than he could ever understand. Tabb was going to need him, and I am glad that I could trust him to take care of her. God, I loved her. She was my best friend. I would do anything for her. I just hope that she doesn't hate me too much after all this is done.

***********************Tabb POV*****************************

I stepped out of Ric's bedroom feeling clean and refreshed. I sweet smell of breakfast seduced me into the kitchen where Ella sat setting up enough food to feed an army. Waffles, omelets, fresh fruit, yogurt parfaits with granola, muffins, hash browns, coffee, bagels and orange juice filled the bar.

"Smells amazing." I told her as I reached the food. "It's so much though."

"The boys are coming up to eat too." She smiled and walked over to me wrapping her arms around me. "It's good to see that smile again, Tabitha."

Ella was Ric's aunt. She and her husband had always been around when we had leave, cooking for us, and throwing big BBQs. She was like a second mom to most of us.

"It's good to smile, Auntie Ella." I hugged her back.

As we broke our hug, the front door swung open and Lester, Bobby and Tank strutted in followed by Ranger drenched in sweat and wearing nothing but black ARMY issue PT shorts. He had a brown towel draped across his shoulders and a blank look on his face.

"Princess." Les said noticing my smile before picking me up and swinging me into a bone crushing hug. "How are you feeling this morning?"

"Good." My response was muffled as my face was smashed into his chest. I felt his rumbled laughter before he set me back down onto my feet. Before I could even gain my balance Bobby had swept me up gently into his arms, carrying me bridal style. I wrapped my arms around his neck and hugged him, depositing a loving kiss on his forehead.

"Morning, Bubbies."

"Did you sleep well? Nothing happened, right?" He whispered quietly to me. Bobby's eyes searched mine desperately.

"Nothing happened last night." I shook my head. He still looked concerned. "I promise. I am perfectly untouched…well, as untouched as I can get." He smiled, kissed me on the forehead and set me down.

"LT." Tank said, kissing my cheek. "You look better today." I grabbed his collar, pulled his head down to me and kissed the top of his bald head before rubbing it.

"A lot better Mr. Clean." I laughed as Les' mouth dropped open.

"Haven't heard that in years." He chuckled before smacking my ass playfully. "Just don't let me hear you call me that in front of the men, Stripperella." Les, Bobby, Ric and Ella burst out laughing. I smiled, rolling my eyes.

"OH, you have to tell me about that one." A voice called from my bedroom. Diesel was walking out carrying a gray sweatshirt. He must have popped back to his apartment because he was clean and wearing a pair of clean dark wash jeans, brown leather work boots, and a soft blue Henley. He tossed a leather jacket onto the back of the sofa.

"Old girl here had to go undercover as a stripper. She was really good too." Tank smiled, punching me playfully on my chin. "Until some guy tried to expand her business in happy ending massages." They all started laughing, grabbing their sides.

"Hey!" I cried. "He deserved it! I was a classy stripper. I kept my panties on, and didn't do private dances. He needed to be reminded of the house rules."

"Yeah, but you didn't have to super glue his dick to his leg AFTER you kicked his ass." Ric said around barks of laughter. The boys all cringed, but still laughed.

"Plus, I distinctly remember you doing private dances." Tank gasped through teary laughter, wipeing at his eyes removing tears of laughter.

"Fuck you, Tank." I said launching myself at him, knocking him to the floor. I straddled his chest and poked at his collar bones making him giggle like Ernie from Sesame Street. "You promised not to tell anyone about that." Tank's laugh caused everyone to almost double over in laughter, except Ric who stood open mouthed.

"Shit, Ranger." Les said. "Did you at least tape it?"

Ric's face was perplexed. "It wasn't me." He said quietly. The laughter stopped and everyone stared at Tank and I.

"Damnit!" I continued my assault on Tank's secret tickle spot hoping that he would pee himself. "It was your birthday and you promised you wouldn't tell ANYONE! You said that it would make up for me landing us in that Mexican prison."

"Okay…Okay…" Tank gasped. I let up on my tickling and smacked him on the top of his bald head, leaving a bright red handprint. "Ouch! Fuck T!"

"You SO deserved that." I snarled as I got up and stamped over to the bar grabbing a muffin, taking a big bite.

Tank got up and smiled, getting a high five from Les and a death glare from Ric. "Oh lighten up, Ric." He said, smacking his hand on Ric's shoulder. "It was harmless. It's not like I got a happy ending."

Ric's eyes glinted, and a smirk spread across his face. I took another bite of muffin and watched as he stalked over to me. My heart raced as he stopped inches from me, and leaned his mouth towards my ear. "I didn't need the private dances; I got all the happy endings?" I giggled as he kissed the tattoo behind my ear. He headed towards his bedroom calling over his shoulder that he was going to hop in the shower.

"You know, my birthday is coming up." Les said as he draped himself over the counter to grab an apple. Looking up at me he smiled and waggled his eyebrows. A loud "smack" echoed off the walls of the room as Tank's hand hit the back of Les' head. "Fuck, man! Y'all are going to give me brain damage."

I laughed, and kissed Les on the cheek leaving my hand to caress it. "Silly, Les."

"This place is a fucking mad house." Diesel said, shaking his head as he began to pile a mountain of food onto a plate before drenching everything in syrup.

"You should be here during the holidays." Les replied, grabbing a plate and loading it up. "Ella makes this Egg nog that will drop Tank to his knees. We usually get shit-faced. It's guaranteed that someone ends up naked, in drag, or duct taped naked to the gym's ceiling." Bobby and Tank giggled, implying an inside joke.

"Alright, boys…and Tabby…dig in before it gets cold." Ella said, pushing Bobby and Tank towards the bar. "Ranger will be out soon, and you know he is going to want to get on with the day." She said her goodbyes and walked out the front door, sending instructions to leave the mess for her later over her shoulder.

As everyone filled their plates and sat down, Ric strode out of his bedroom fresh from his shower. His hair was slicked back, glossy and thick. He was wearing black cargoes, Black CAT boots, and a black wife beater. He was carrying a Rangeman issue black t-shirt in his hand.

I watched as he filled his plate with fruit, some yogurt and granola and a small amount of omelet. I smiled as he looked around before popping a small chunk of a Strawberry cheesecake muffin in his mouth. He saw me looking as he grabbed his coffee and smiled shrugging his shoulder.

Sitting down next to me, we all ate in near silence. I stared out at the men surrounding me. Every one of them would kill for me; they would probably even die for me. In Diesel's case, he is choosing to die for me. A lump began to form in my throat, as I thought about the horrors that he was going to endure in my stead. I looked at Ric. He had changed so much since I walked out of our lives. He had drawn up the walls around him, only letting in a small few and even only for a little of him. My heart ached for him, and missed openly loving him.

I felt a hand on my thigh, and turned to look at Bobby. "Deep thought?" He asked whispering.

"Not so deep." I sighed. I looked again at all their faces. They were shoveling their food, their military habits still strong. Except for Diesel, who didn't have military experience, he was just a bottomless pit. "I am just going to hurt them, Bubbies." I whispered, tightening my mouth so suppress the sob that wanted to sneak through.

Using his finger, he turned my face to his, looking into my eyes. "Tabby. You are the most important thing in the world to me. You are my family, my blood. They feel the same. If we didn't do everything that we could to keep you safe, it would kill us. It almost did the first time."

I felt a rouge tear slip down my cheek defiantly. He brushed it away with his thumb and pulled me into his arms in a loving embrace. Closing my eyes, I focused on the emotions that he was projecting and basked in them. I felt him slide me into his lap and push his chair backwards. He rocked slightly back and forth as my sobs broke through my self-restraint and tears poured soaking his shirt. I knew the room had gone silent, but didn't care. No one in this room was going to pass judgment about me. No one was going to find me weak, or petty. Bobby was right. They are my family and the most important people in the world, and I needed to keep them safe.

When my tears subsided, and I was able to regain some control I sat up from Bobby's lap and kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you Bubbies."

"Anytime, Tabby Catt." He put his forehead to mine. "Anytime."

"Well," I said with a big sigh, finally looking around the room at the men. Their eyes were filled with concern. "I feel a lot better now." I giggled nervously. "I am a woman, guys. I am allowed to have a breakdown every now and then, don't you think?"

Diesel stood up, walked the short distance to me and plucked me up from Bobby's lap into his arms. He held me and kissed my neck before setting me onto my feet.

I turned, my back leaning against Diesel, and looked towards them men again. They were cleaning off the table, bringing the dishes to the sink. I smiled and watched how well they worked together. It was like they were a single unit, moving flawlessly. When one would move the other would follow wordlessly with the next step. As Ric wiped the last of the crumbs off the table, tossing them into the garbage can he put his hands on his hips and spoke.

"It's time." He pointed to Diesel. "I know you don't normally carry, but today you are. You too." He pointed to the both of us and motioned for us to follow as he walked back into his bedroom.

We followed, and watched as he came out of his closet with two black holsters, two vests, four guns and two knives with sheaths. He handed Diesel his, and helped me into mine. He slipped the vest over my tank top, and reached to grab a black Rangeman hoodie from his closet. He attached my utility belt, attaching a gun to my left side, and an ankle sheath for the knife before slipping the hoodie over my head.

Diesel didn't look as uncomfortable as I had thought he would has he strapped the knife to his right ankle, one gun to his left ankle, two more at either side by dual holster. He saw me looking at him and winked.

"I am one sexy armed man. Dangerous even." He smiled mischievously. I laughed as he did a tuck and roll before whipping out one of the guns in an overly dramatic TV-show cop move. "Freeze, sucka!" He yelled.

Ric just looked at him and sighed, before turning back to me. "How do you put up with him?" He asked, his eyes filled with the laughter that he refused to express.

"He makes me laugh." I said, pulling on Ric's ear playfully. "I remember a time when you would too."

"Oh, I can make you laugh, Love." He smiled. He snake his arms around me, and I knew exactly what he was going to do.

"You even think about it and I will have to hurt you, Ric." It was an empty threat and he knew it. Raising his eyebrows and shaking his head he began a gentle assault on my ticklish spots. I didn't have many, and the ones that I had were rather unconventional. His fingers dug gently into the spot below my shoulder blades as he tickled me relentlessly. I was almost seizing with laughter, gasping for breath. Diesel just sat on the floor watching, his shoulders shaking with laughter. Ric stopped his attack, and kissed me on the lips gently.

"See I told you I can still make you laugh." He let me go, chuckling softly.

"Oooh..Manoso." I sarcastically spat at him. "I'll get you for that one. When you aren't even expecting it." He motioned his hands in a 'bring it' motion and smiled. I flicked him off and stormed out of the room, shouting over my shoulder. "Come one boys, playtime is over. I need to go get my lady parts checked out." All five of them groaned.

We all crammed into the elevator, which was quite a feat since all of them were bears. Good thing the elevator was quick and the garage was cool. The only vehicle that was big enough was the Expedition, so we all piled in. I was stuck in the middle row with Les on one side and Bobby on the other. Tank was driving and Ric was driving shot gun. Diesel was sprawled out in the back seat looking out the windows.

The drive to the clinic was short, and we got a great parking spot when we arrived. We all crept out of the car, the men all taking in their surroundings and checking for threats before they even let me move from the center seat. I walked into the clinic surrounded by the men in a large circle, Ric in the lead and Diesel and Bobby at my back.

"Tabitha Howell." Ric said to the admin clerk at the front of the clinic. "We'd like to bring her back immediately."

"Yes, Mr. Manoso. The room is already waiting for her. We understand her …"special"…circumstances." The clerk said before grabbing a file and walking around the desk. "Follow me please." We all walked down a small hallway and stopped as the nurse came to a small room. "You aren't all going to fit in here, and I am sure that Ms. Tabitha is not going to want you all in there. It's a rather intimate appointment. You are more than welcome to wait by the door." With that she set the file down on the counter and left.

"So, who's going to stay with her?" Les asked, his eyebrows waggling suggestively.

"Seriously, I don't need supervision for this. It's pretty routine." I sighed, rolling my eyes. "Plus, I don't know if I really want any of you to watch this. It's kind of personal."

"I'll stay with her." Bobby said. Everyone turned and looked at him. "Listen, I am the only one here who doesn't have an ulterior motive in this situation. She is my sister, and I have a medical background."

"Thank you, Bobby." I sighed.

"Excuse me." A muffled voice called from beyond my sea of bodyguards. "Excuse me. Damn." A big sigh. "Mr. Manoso, could you please part the sea of men at the door so I can see my patient."

Ric nodded and all the men slammed back against each side of the wall. An elderly man, with a balding head and a white coat came up to me. He held out his hand and I took it as he introduced himself.

"Ms. Tabitha. My name is Dr. Andrews. I am going to be checking on you today. My nurse will be here in a minute." He shook my hand lightly and gestured to the patient room. "After you."

Bobby and I walked in. He took a stoic position near the door as the Dr assisted me up onto the exam table. The Doctor looked at Bobby and then at me.

"He will be staying with me through the entire appointment Doctor." I explained. "He is Rangeman's medical personnel and my brother. He is more than qualified to be in here."

The doctor just smiled, and shook Bobby's hand. "If you have any questions, please ask. And if you have any information for me, please let me know." The nurse flitted into the room, flushed by the amount of muscle clad men in the hallway, no doubt. She smiled at me and Bobby and introduced herself as Angela.

With that the door closed and the exam begins.