Disclaimer: Standard – JE's stuff belongs to her, I'm just playing with it.

A/N: Much love to my readers and reviewers. We're winding down with this one! A special thanks to M&M for helping me with this transitional chapter and pushing me when I was ready to give up.

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Stephanie's POV

Carlos and I had finally come out of our bedroom and eaten the cold French toast that had been left out for us. I was so hungry I didn't care that it was cold and I was pretty sure he didn't, either. After we finished devouring our congealed breakfast, we joined the others in the living room with steaming cups of fresh brewed coffee in hand.

"Paradise restored?" Joe asked, his words dry and flat. I flipped him off and sat on the couch next to Jensen, my gaze followed my husband's ass all the way over to the arm chair he seated himself on. I didn't need to use my ability to read her mind to know she was thoroughly pissed off.

I knew Jensen pretty well since she had been with us for the past month of my pregnancy. The threats on my life and against our family were so frequent that Carlos and I each had a security detail. I had Javi, Jensen, and Batiste with me at all times, especially when Carlos wasn't with me. Carlos had Tank, Lynck, and Aric, whom I was not allowed to spend time with alone. Once Carlos had found out what had transpired between Aric and myself during my training sessions, he laid down the law. I tolerated it for two reasons: one, I loved him and it was a small concession to make; two, I didn't always trust Aric to act honorably toward me.

I leaned closer to Jensen and murmured, "You okay, Jen?"

She turned her face toward me a fraction and whispered out the side of her mouth, "That bastard knocked me out for a night."

I couldn't suppress a grin. "Yeah, us, too."

"Fucker."

"You like him."

"Bitch."

"Love you too, Honey." I made air kisses at her and the whole room of men stopped to look at us. I got the bird from Jen and laughed.

She tried to retain her pissed off look, but lost the battle and dissolved in a fit of laughter, wrapping an arm around my neck and hugging me, placing a kiss on my cheek. "Thanks, Steph. I needed that."

"I'm your go-to girl." We grinned at each other, completely at ease with our friendship and affection. We turned to face the men, who still watched us with interest.

Then Joe made the mistake of saying we could continue where we left off. I quickly retorted that my husband might not like to share me when said husband replied that he wouldn't object. Men!

Joe being Joe, of course, said, "Well... you've certainly got our attention. Care to continue? We're willing to watch, believe me."

I saw Jensen immediately stiffen and her cheeks flush. Sending my eyes heavenward, I groaned and then dropped my head into my hands dramatically. "You stupid, stupid man."

Jensen had her own version of rhino mode. I called it her raging hippo mode because it went about five levels past my rhino mode in less than two seconds where stupid men were concerned. An evening watching a National Geographic Channel special on hippos and their violence could adequately explain my terminology for her.

I could see her gearing up and clamped a hand onto her forearm when she started to rise off the couch. "Jen, he's new at this, he doesn't get it yet."

She turned to face me, her angry eyes relaxing at the sincerity of mine. She relented on a sigh, "Yeah, okay."

I smiled in encouragement and gave her a gentle squeeze before releasing her. "He may not be the brightest crayon in the box at the moment…"

"Hey!" Joe's indignant voice broke in.

She ignored him and gave me a half smile and lazily flopped back onto the couch. "I know it wasn't malicious, it just…"

"I know."

The conversation having ended, I looked up at the men to see confusion on their faces. I waved them off and changed the subject. Jensen's business was her own and not mine to tell. "So where are we? Anyone have ideas?"

"Besides storming in there and going on a killing rampage, you mean?" Tank provided. At my nod, he shrugged. "It's all so delicate because of…Jaci." My son's name came out as a whisper and I felt the remorse rolling off him.

I got up and quickly crossed the room, launching myself into his arms. He clung to me for what seemed like hours, whispering how sorry he was and vowing to make it right. My responses were to assure him that he had done nothing wrong and that all I wanted was him by my side fighting with me.

I saw barely contained tears in his eyes when he set me down and pulled back. "Thanks, Steph. Thank you for still trusting me. It means the world to me."

Carlos came over and clapped a hand onto Tank's shoulder. "No one blames you for what happened. I'm so grateful that you were there for Stephanie and saved her from that landing yesterday. You've always been there for us, no matter the outcome."

Tank nodded, meeting Carlos' eyes and accepting his answer.

Batiste stood then and moved to the center of the room, facing everyone. "Okay, this is what we have so far. Joe and I have determined that Stephanie is the real target. Jaci is a consolation prize."

No one moved at his announcement. I felt as if we were all waiting for him to shout, "Gotcha!" But he never did.

"How sure are you?" Carlos' voice was soft and his eyes were troubled.

"Solid."

"What aren't you telling us?" Carlos narrowed his eyes and pushed himself up from the chair, crossing his arms over his chest. His bulging biceps and muscular forearms twitched with his restraint. My mouth went dry at the thought of what those arms could do to me when they were wrapped around my body.

"Drognan is the patriarch of the Mériot family. Truro and Kelvina were his sons. Alain is one of many grandsons." If I hadn't been so angry at the moment, I would have appreciated the sadness in his eyes at the revelation. As it was, I was feeling betrayed and angry.

"How could you keep this from us?" My entire body trembled with anger, I wasn't sure if my legs would hold me when I rose off the couch and stood in front of Batiste, but there was no way I would allow his omission to pass without answers.

"I first suspected it when Drognan appeared in Japan. It was too much of a coincidence, but I needed proof. I got it from Alain. I got a lot from Alain. I also know the exact coordinates of Drognan's home, as well." Now all of us were staring at Batiste.

"Shit." Joe said and started to pace, his arms moved on their own freewill in standard Italian fashion. "You didn't tell me that last night! Why were we sitting around here doing nothing?"

"Because you decided to put our whole party to sleep last night."

Joe immediately stopped moving, a look of horror on his face. "I…damn."

"Relax, Morelli. It was a good idea. They would have been useless as tired as they were." Carlos opened his mouth to refute the claim, but Batiste silenced him with a look. "Even Batman needs to sleep."

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Joe's POV

We approached the house on all sides. Ranger and Stephanie at the back to the south, Tank to the east, Batiste to the west and Jensen and I at the front to the north. We knew they were all inside, but it was too easy. It felt like a trap.

I opened up my silent comms with Batiste to get his feeling. What do you think?

Trap. I don't see that we have any choice but to 'fall' for it. You should take Stephanie and get her as far away from here as possible.

I thought about that for a minute. She wouldn't like it at all, but it was really the best solution. You don't need me?

I can handle this.

What if Drognan shows up? Okay, so part of me wanted in on the action.

I can handle him, but I won't be able to harm him. We need you for that. I'll at least be able to get them out. Take Steph and go, now.

This wasn't going to go over well. Ranger. I waited for one heartbeat to echo through my chest before I turned my concentration in Ranger's direction.

What is it, Morelli?

I need to get Steph out of here. We're sure this is a trap.

Understood. She won't be happy, hope you can deal with her wrath. I could hear the smirk in his tone. The bastard was smirking at me through our heads.

I decided to give him a little dig of my own. I think I can remember how to calm her anger. Ha! Think that one over, Batman!

Taking a deep breath, I zipped to where Stephanie and Jensen stood. "Steph."

She turned to look at me and narrowed her eyes at me. "You're not thinking about taking me away from here, are you?"

"No." I wasn't lying. I wasn't thinking about it. I was doing it.

Jensen turned to look at me and smirked. "Liar."

"I'm not lying. I'm not thinking about taking her away from here." They both looked at me and I turned to Stephanie. "Steph…I'm not thinking about it. I'm going to take you away from here. I'm sorry, but you really don't have a choice." Before she could protest, I willed us back to the cabin and blocked her ability to leave, even to the extent that she couldn't open the door and just walk out.

She glared at me and turned her back on me while trying to pop herself to Ranger. After a few fails, she turned to me, her eyes blazing mad. "Cut it the fuck out!"

"Sorry, Steph. You have to stay here."

She stomped in the direction of the front door, a stream of curses trailing behind her. No matter how hard she beat on the door, it remained closed. I winced when she picked up a dining chair and carried it into the living room and tried to throw it through the picture window. It merely bounced off the glass and landed on the floor with a clutter, one of the legs breaking off in the process. She let out a carnal scream and came at me, fists of fury flying at me.

I was really glad in that moment that I was immortal because I'd seen Stephanie fight and she was more than capable of doing some damage, make that major damage. I simply grabbed her wrists and held her steady in front of me until she lost steam and her anger and fear melted into tears. Her head fell forward and rested on my chest. "Did Carlos put you up to this? Did he do this to me again?"

"It depends on how you look at it, Steph. Didn't he talk to you about staying with me so I could keep you out of trouble?"

Her sniffles began to dry up and then she nodded her head.

"And didn't you agree to stay with me?"

Another nod.

"Okay, then. I take that to mean you'll listen to me when I say we need to leave." I started to release her so that I could set about brewing a pot of coffee when I stopped, shook my head and pulled her back into a hug. "Why do I always do things the hard way?" I looked at the coffee table in front of her and a mug of steaming hot coffee, just the way she liked it, appeared in front of her.

She grabbed the mug and blew on it before taking a tentative sip and collapsed onto the nearest chair. She leaned her head back, enjoying the flavor and muttered, "At least the service here is good."

I conjured up a beer for myself, figuring that it wouldn't affect me if I didn't want it to. And I didn't want it to. I was seeing the benefits of immortality; enjoying my favorite things without consequences being one of them. I sat on the couch and sipped my beer, enjoying our companionable silence when Jensen appeared in the middle of the room.

"Hey," she said and sat in the other armchair. She cocked her head to the side and looked down at the broken chair. "What happened?"

I worked to keep the smile off my face. "Steph got a little angry."

Jensen cocked her eyebrow at me. "Can't you fix it?"

"I wasn't in the mood."

"What are you in the mood for?"

"Don't go there!" Stephanie said, standing. "I'm going to lie down. Let me know if you need me." She scurried out of the room before we could reply.

I stood up and ambled over to Jensen. Smiling, I tugged her to her feet and pulled her gently into my arms. "How about," I kissed the tip of her nose, "a chance to prove," and then kissed her eyelids, "what kind of a guy I really am?" I ended with a soft, sweet kiss on her lips.