I still don't own them, so I'm not making any money… I hope you enjoy!

CHAPTER 20

Yesterday Ranger and I had both had doctors' appointments. It was two and a half weeks since Ranger had been shot, and he'd been cleared for light office work, but the doctor had been very explicit that Ranger was not to over exert himself. Isa, who had appointed herself his nurse, promised that she would make sure he was careful.

After his check up, the three of us went to see Dr. Cooper. I'm 30 weeks pregnant and feel as big as a house, but have been assured by everyone from my mother and Val to Ella that I'm just gonna keep getting bigger, so I've just come to accept it.

During my appointment, I had another ultrasound and Isa loved seeing the baby. Since we'd had our chat, we'd gotten along great and she had become fascinated with my pregnancy. In her nursing of Ranger, she would often send me to rest with him and loved nothing better than to play nurse to both of us. She would bring Ranger glasses of water and his pain killers and me bowls of carrots and peanut butter… what? I'm pregnant!

While running the ultrasound wand over my belly, Dr. Cooper explained that the baby's eyes were developed and it would respond to light. She brought out a small flashlight, handed it to Isa and had her direct it at my abdomen so we could all watch as the baby reacted to the light. It was truly fascinating and Isa was delighted that she got to help. I just looked at Ranger and smiled, it looks like he has a little doctor on his hands.

While Ranger had been cleared to start working, I had been told to start taking it easy. My Braxton-Hicks contractions had been acting up and Dr. Cooper told me that I should try working less. Ranger had taken that to heart and told me I was only allowed to come to the office on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

Today was a Thursday and it was Ranger's first day back to work and my first day off. Isa and I had been lounging around the Batcave when we decided to throw Ranger a little congratulations party when he got home. That meant we had to go shopping. It hadn't taken long for us to realize that Isa loves to shop as much as I do and she had become my adept little fashion pupil… no more nice, neat jump suits for her, I was going to turn her into a Jersey Girl.

"Can you think of anything else?" I asked Isa after two hours of shopping. We had gotten stuff to make dinner for Ranger and had only been slightly distracted by the clothing outlet next to the market. I was really hoping she couldn't think of anything else. This pregnancy thing really cut down on my shopping endurance and my feet were killing me.

"Nope, lets go home and get everything ready for when Daddy get back."

"Alright," I agreed.

As we were heading out of the store, a man and woman were heading in and the man stepped to hold the door for Isa and me. Looking up to thank him, I suddenly caught my breath. I was looking into the chocolate brown eyes of Joe Morelli. The woman, I could only assume to be his wife, Jenn. The fact that she was just about as pregnant as I was, was a big give away.

"Joe!" I gasped surprised.

"Stephanie," he said, equally shocked to see me.

"What are you doing here?"

"Visiting," he answered, not thinking. His eyes were directed at my enlarged stomach. "You are pregnant."

"No shit, Sherlock. With those powers of deduction you should be a detective," I bit out.

"Steph," he said in plaintive voice. "I had no idea."

"I called you and told you, remember?"

"Joe?" spoke up Jenn for the first time.

"Hi," I said, not giving Joe time to respond. "I'm Steph, the ex."

"It's nice to meet you," she said, extending her hand. Huh, perfect Burg manners… She probably really was just right for Joe.

Joe didn't seem to be noticing our little exchange, but was looking between Jenn and my enlarged stomachs. I wasn't sure I liked the look he was giving my belly, so I decided to beat a hasty retreat.

"Well, Joe, it was nice seeing you. Jenn, it was nice to meet you. I'm sure we won't be seeing each other around."

"No, no we won't," said, Joe shaking his head and seeming to wake up.

Thinking that was a good place to leave it, I took Isa's hand and headed for the parking lot. I was still trying to figure out what just happened when I saw Isa giving me a questioning look.

"Who was that?" she asked.

"That was Joe Morelli. He's the baby's father."

"And who was that lady? She was pregnant too."

"That's his wife, Jenn."

"His wife?"

"Yeah, Sweetie, it's complicated," I said. How do you explain this to a nine year old? "Joe and I were sort of together and I got pregnant then he met Jenn. We broke up and Jenn got pregnant. They were getting married before I knew about the baby."

"So if he hadn't picked her, you wouldn't be with Daddy?" asked Isa looking sad.

"Yeah, I'd still be with your Daddy. Even before I knew I was pregnant I knew I didn't want anything to do with Joe any more."

"Okay," she said relaxing. If only the rest of the world were as accepting as kids, I thought.

"Now let's get home and get everything ready for tonight."

"Do you think we're going to surprise him?"

"I don't know, Sweetie, but there has to be a first time for everything," I said, laughing a little. I would bet anything Ranger knew we'd gone out, thanks to the GPS. I was just surprised I hadn't gotten called yet about not resting.

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Later that night, Isa and I were giggling as we finished cleaning up the kitchen. After two hours, we managed to make the Orange-Ginger Salmon from a recipe that claimed it would take about twenty minutes. After our first screw up, we'd brought out the back-up salmon and called Ella to coach us through the cooking. With her on speaker phone, we'd managed to get everything ready. Now we were just waiting for Ranger to get home.

"He's here!" Isa exclaimed suddenly, and sure enough I heard a car door slam moments later.

Bouncing as she waited for me, we made our way to the door to greet him.

"How was your day?" I asked as he entered the foyer.

"Did you have a good day Daddy?" asked Isa at the same time.

"Yes, Isa, I had a good day, but it was exhausting, Babe," he said, answering us both.

"Why don't you come to the kitchen and we can have dinner, then you can go relax," Isa said, almost bursting with our surprise.

"I don't know what I have the energy to cook tonight, girls," Ranger said.

"Don't worry Daddy, Steph and I cooked."

"Babe?" Ranger asked. I didn't cook and Isa had about the same potential in the kitchen as I did.

"Don't worry, it's fine."

"Alright," he said, allowing Isa to take his hand and lead him to the kitchen, smiling when he saw the CONGRATULATIONS banner Isa and I had picked out.

She seated him at the table, then herded me into a chair beside him. I didn't know what she was up to until she got the salmon platter from the oven where it was keeping warm and brought it to the table. Looks like she was going to play waitress. I let her do her thing since I was just happy to be off my feet. She brought the salad then a large pitcher of water to fill our glasses then sat herself on the other side of Ranger.

We all filled our plates, but Isa and I waited for Ranger to take the first bite.

"Delicious," he said, once he'd swallowed. Then he leaned to the left and right, giving both of us a kiss on the cheek. "Thank you, girls. This is a nice surprise."

"We almost did it all by ourselves," Isa told him, beaming.

"Almost?" he asked.

"It took two tries and a little encouragement from Ella," I told him.

"Ella didn't leave the building today," Ranger said, looking confused.

"She just told us what to do," Isa informed him. "We did all the cooking."

After dinner, Isa sent Ranger off to bed and we cleaned up the kitchen. Once we were done, I wasn't ready to go to bed, so I asked Isa if she wanted to watch a movie. She agreed, but only if she could pick the movie, so I sent her into the living room to get it started.

Entering the room to join her, I saw the Disney Castle up on the screen. That girl loves her Disney movies and is determined to have me fully up to date on all of them before the baby is born. Knowing there was nothing I could do about it, I joined her on the couch. Tonight she had chosen Bambi II. It really was a cute movie and several parts had me laughing right along with her.

Once it was over, we both sat up and Isa turned and fixed me with a serious stare. It was the same one Ranger had given me from time to time and I knew she had something important to say.

"Steph?" she started.

"Yeah, Sweetheart," I said, to let her know I was listening.

"Are you and Daddy going to get married?"

Wow. Wasn't ready for that one, I thought. Well, better be honest.

"I don't know. Maybe someday."

"Oh," was all she said, looking a little sad.

"Isa, what's wrong?"

"If you and Daddy got married, you could be my Mommy," she said softly, before adding, "if you wanted to."

"Of course I would want to, but you already have a Mommy, Sweetie."

"No, I have a mother who sends me away to school and dresses me up then ignores me. You're already a way better Mommy than she is."

"Oh, Sweetheart, thank you," I said with tears in my eyes as I pulled her into a hug. I loved this little girl and I hated that in a week and a half Ranger and I would have to send her back to Eva.

"And, if you were my Mommy, the baby could be my little brother or sister," she whispered, feeling the baby kicking from where she was settled against my belly.

"No matter if Daddy and I ever get married, you can still be the baby's big sister. How's that sound?"

"You mean it?" she asked. "Mom said I'd always be an only child 'cause she had an operation so she wouldn't have more kids and no one would be crazy enough to have kids with Daddy."

"I mean it and I think you're going to make a great big sister," I told her, hugging her to me even tighter.

"I wish I could live here with you and Daddy and the baby," she whispered, almost as if she wanted it so badly she was afraid to say it.

"I know, Sweetie," was all I could say as I softly stroked her hair.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

The next thing I knew, it was morning and Ranger was gently shaking me awake. It seems Isa and I had fallen asleep together on the couch. Trying to move, I realized she had me pinned, so I waited for Ranger to gently lift her and resettle her once I was free.

"You going to work today, Babe?" Ranger asked softly.

"Yeah," I answered, stretching up to catch his lips with mine. "How about you?"

"Yeah, me too," he said. "Why don't you go get ready and I'll start getting Isa around. She'll be excited, she hasn't been to Rangeman for awhile."

I wanted to tell him about the talk Isa and I had had the night before, but I wasn't sure how to bring it up. Dismissing it for the moment, I gave Ranger another soft kiss and headed for the bathroom.

While I was buttoning up my Rangeman maternity pants, Ranger came and slipped his arms around me from behind, causing me to jump.

"Make some noise, would you?" I teased. I knew nothing would stop him from sneaking up on me when he could.

"Isa just told me something interesting," he said.

"Yeah?" I asked, wondering what of our talk she'd shared with him.

"Seems she's very excited about being a big sister."

"Probably I should have talked to you about that first," I said, not sure if Ranger was upset. I couldn't tell anything from his voice and he was still wrapped around me from behind.

"Babe," he said. "That was your decision to make. I wanted to thank you for making her so happy."

"Ranger, we're going to be together for awhile, right?" I asked, mentally crossing my fingers and hoping he's say yes.

"I was thinking along the lines of forever," he said, tightening his arms a bit.

"Me too," I agreed. "So she would have been the baby's big sister anyway."

"Yeah, I guess," he said. "But now it's more official to her. She's not just my daughter that will see the baby when she visits."

"I understand," I told him, relaxing against his chest. I had to admit I was a bit relieved Isa hadn't told Ranger about the rest of our conversation. I had no idea if he ever wanted to get married or if he'd even thought about it.

"Thanks, Babe," Ranger said, interrupting my thoughts. "Are you about ready to go?"

"Pretty much."

"Okay, I'll go make sure Isa's ready then," he said, turning me for a surprise bone-melting kiss and exiting the room before it had stopped spinning.

A few minutes later we were on our way to work. Once there, I smiled thinking of how things had changed in the last few weeks. When Isa had first arrived, she'd stayed in Ranger's office as much as possible, or had been with Tank, Lester or Bobby. Now, she flitted from my cubicle to Ranger's office and made side trips to harass all of the guys. They all adored her though…

Right now, I was printing search results and Isa was running back and forth between the printer and my desk to pick them up. She was glad to have a job and I was glad to get to stay in my chair. It was a win-win situation.

After lunch, I was feeling really tired, so I decided to head up to the 7th floor apartment for a nap. I figured since Ranger had had a rough day yesterday, I'd invite him too. He was still supposed to be taking it easy, anyway. I could tell he was tired just by looking at him and he confirmed it by agreeing to nap with me. We headed upstairs and Isa tucked us both in with a kiss to each of our foreheads, then she flitted off to find Tank.

We woke up later that afternoon to Isa kneeling by my head and gently shaking both Ranger and I.

"Daddy, Steph, you have to get up. It's almost time to go home," she was saying.

"Mkay," I mumbled, snuggling my head into Ranger's chest.

"Steph!" she said. "Stop going back to sleep."

"There's not much you can do for it," Ranger chuckled, his voice vibrating against my cheek.

"Hey," I protested without moving.

"Come on, Babe. Let's head home," Ranger said, sitting us both up.

"Mmmm, we slept all afternoon didn't we?" I asked, finally prying my eyes open.

"Yeay, Babe," Ranger laughed. "You're a bad influence on me. Before you, I would have just kept on working and slept when I got home."

"But that wouldn't be any fun," stated Isa.

"No. No it wouldn't," Ranger agreed.

With that, we all got off the bed were headed out. We made a quick stop in the control room so Ranger could check that everything was under control, and then we were on our way home. The Batcave was home, I thought to myself, smiling. Who would have ever thought it?

With that, I thought back to my visit to the office the other day. Lula still couldn't believe that I was living in the Batcave and had finally learned where it is. She also couldn't believe that I wouldn't tell her. Oh well, at least she had given up trying to shock me into telling her what it was like to be with Ranger. Now she was trying to get the location of the Batcave.

"Babe, I smell rubber," said Ranger as he put the Bronco in park.

"Probably you should go easy on the brakes then," I teased.

"Babe."

With that, we all headed into the house and before we knew it, Isa was back outside to enjoy the warm April weather. It had just gotten warm enough over the last few days for our little Miami girl to be able to go outside.

We were standing at the window watching her and Ranger had us in his favorite position with my back to his front and out hands tangled under my belly. For the last couple minutes, he had been playing idly with my fingers, so it took me a minute to realize he slipped something on my ring finger. Startled, I tried to lift my hand to look, but he held onto it until I turned my head to look at him.

"Marry me," he whispered, lifting my hand to his mouth.

"What?" I gasped.

"Marry me, Babe."

"Is this because of this morning and the stuff Isa said?"

"Not really. I had the ring, but I was going to wait until the baby was born to ask you. Then this morning, you said forever worked for you too, so I figured there was no point in waiting. But, you are going to agree to marry me, right?" Ranger said, with the last bit coming out slightly nervous.

"Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes," I told him, turning and kissing him with each 'yes.'

"You said yes without looking at the ring, Babe," he told me once I was done kissing him.

"Don't care," I said and started in on the kissing again. Then I figured I probably should take a look at the ring I'd be wearing forever. "Ranger, it's gorgeous!" I gasped. It was a flawless sapphire, emerald cut and set into a thin platinum band. It was beautiful without being flashy or outrageous. It was perfect.

"I'm glad you like it," Ranger said, pulling me in for another kiss.

"You two kiss a lot," we heard from behind us.

"We love each other, Sweetie," said Ranger, wrapping his arms around me.

That caused Isa to give an eyeroll that would have made any Burg girl proud. Obviously she could tell. Thinking back to last night, I crooked a finger of my right hand at her. Once she was about a foot away, I held my left hand in front of her face.

"Really?" she squeeled.

"Really!" I replied.

"I'm missing something," said Ranger.

"I'm just happy, Daddy. You and Steph are getting married and we can be like a real family!" With that, she wrapped her arms as far around the two of us as they would go and squeezed us tight.

We decided to just keep it to the three of us for a few days and we'd go and tell the guys, the girls, my family and Ranger's family on Sunday. Once we told them, they'd spread the news like wildfire. Today and tomorrow we would just enjoy it, and then let the insanity begin.

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A/N: Okay, let me know what you think. I love feedback, so Please Review! Thank you to everyone who's been reading… just a few more chapters to go.