A/N: People will probably hate me for this chapter, seeing that everyone wants to know what happens next and I'm giving you... Ranger's POV of the last chapter. BUT,... next next chapter brings you all the answers - maybe :) And we are slowly moving towards the end of this story. Though... the end actually isn't written yet.

I couldn't believe this. Eight months of searching and looking, of turning over almost every stone and now things were supposed to end like this? With Babe dying of a bullet?

Eddy had called earlier and I couldn't believe what he had been telling me.

"Steph just called me," he said when I picked up the phone and at first I thought I had misheard. "She's on her way to Trenton and wants me to meet her. Opposite Rosalyn Park. I figured you wanted to know…"

"What do you mean she wants to meet you? Why?" This didn't make sense. And why was she calling Eddy instead of me? Had she forgotten my number? Or maybe she wasn't trusting me? After all, throughout the course of this mess enough so called friends had decided to turn against her. Maybe she figured I'd be just one of many who believed the initial evidence more than my knowledge that she wouldn't do anything like that.

"She didn't say. Just called to tell me to meet her. She wants to explain things to me."

"We'll meet you there. What time are you supposed to meet?"

"One this afternoon. I figured you wanted to join the party." And then he hung up.

About twenty minutes before the time Tank, Bobby, Lester, Cal and I were waiting at the alley. None of them at first believed really when I told them about Eddy's call. None of us had expected this. After such a long time finally a life sign.

We watched a pick-up turn into the alley and we saw a woman get out. Beach-blonde, tall and fit. She looked nervous for a moment, before she rummaged in the back of the car and I think I spotted her putting a gun in the back of her jeans. Then she went around the car and opened the passenger seat, getting someone else out of the car. At first I wasn't sure what to think of this until I realized the second person was Joyce Barnhardt. She had changed slightly, different hair, a bit slender, but not enough to really fool anyone for long. And that's when it made click and I looked at the blonde again.

"Is that…?" I heard Bobby next to me phrase the question that went through my head at the same time.

"Bomber?" Tank asked what me and Bobby and by the looks Cal and Lester as well, were thinking. Hot damn! Before I could act and walk towards her we saw another car all of a sudden pull into the alley. Several guys got out of the car and I saw Babe stand her ground, looking less than impressed. The guys screamed Russian and I was on high alert. What was going on here?

The guy in charge got out next and looked at Babe for a moment, then at Joyce. I couldn't make out what was being said but I could see surprise on his side. She shoved Joyce slightly in his direction and I had s strange feeling about this.

Next thing I knew Eddy was next to me and a few dozen reporters closed in on the alley and Babe with her party. We moved with them into the alley, trying to get the upper hand in this situation but all was lost. Especially when Stephanie addressed the press around us.

"Ladies and gentleman from the press," I heard her say, seeing her companion turn towards the press and back to her. "Joyce Barnhardt, who is not as dead as everyone thought she is." She made a dramatic pause to say the least before continuing. "And I'm Stephanie Plum."

And after that all hell broke loose. Questions were thrown at her, the flashlights were blinding and I started to understand that this had been a setup she herself initiated. The questions didn't seem to stop and occasionally Babe answered one, before she walked towards us. She looked at Eddy and stopped shortly when she saw me and my men. Somehow this wasn't how I had imagined our reunion.

A few more steps on her end and she stood in front of us. From near she looked even better than from afar. It wasn't as if I didn't find her attractive or beautiful before when she had crazy curls and a few pounds more on her body, but now… she was just stunning. Though it wasn't her looks, it was the confidence with which she presented herself. It was one hell of a turn on and quite honestly I couldn't wait to have her back at Haywood and up on seven. Yes, there were so many thing we needed to talk about, but I felt a bigger urge to fold her into my arms and never let her go. I wasn't big on talking anyway.

She stopped in front of us and looked at Eddy. "I… I trust you know what to do with her," she presented one of the keys to unlock the handcuff which secured Joyce to her. The rest of the keys she just gave Eddy, who looked more than just shocked.

"Is that really you, Steph?" he finally asked and I couldn't blame him. She looked confused for a moment, probably wondering why Eddy would ask this.

"I… yes. This really is me. I guess you somewhat understand my need for changing a few things about me."

"You…. You look amazing," he finally said after a moment's hesitation. "Wherever you have been these past few months it did you well…and you look like you took real good care of yourself." And I could only agree. She looked hot, fierce and good enough to devour to be honest. I was a private man who had no interest in displaying a lot of public affection, but seeing her, I was reconsidering my stand on this. Eight months had been a long time after all.

I saw them hug and a moment later Joyce spoke up.

"So, I'm not going to the Russians?" she asked astonished.

Stephanie looked annoyed to say the least. She let go off Eddy and turned towards Joyce.

"No, Joyce, you are not going to the Russians. I… I didn't just drive three days cross-country so that some Russian guy makes sure you disappear for real this time. As hard as that might be for you to understand, but I have somewhat of a conscience. Something that you clearly don't seem to have."

"So what happens to Ca-?" Joyce started asking, but Stephanie interrupted her.

"If I were you I'd be glad to get of this easy and just spent the rest of your miserable life in prison being someone's bitch. And for what you did to me, you quite honestly deserve every horrible second of it."

A part of me was proud of her and the fact that Joyce wasn't able to wrap Steph around her pinkie and make a run for it. I admired Babe's stand on things and her conscious while I also fixed my sight on the Russians behind us. I figured they were here for Joyce but wasn't quite sure why or how they knew. From the few fragments of conversation I had heard it sounded almost like Babe had this arranged as well, but… the Russian mob?

Eddy took Joyce from her and the press asked a few more questions, made a few more pictures and off they all went. Well, Eddy with Joyce and the press.

Stephanie looked shortly at us and I wasn't entirely sure what I saw on her face. Mistrust? Fear? Agony? Maybe a mix of all.

She turned around towards the Russians and I only saw them come closer. My hand automatically went for my gun, as did Bobby's, Cal's, Tank's and Lester's.

"This wasn't the deal," we heard the boss of it all say to Babe, but she didn't look impressed. So it had been her to initiate this meeting as well. That took some balls. I knew guys twice as tough as Babe who didn't have that kind of balls to make deals with the Russian Mob. I sure as hell hope Babe knew what she was doing.

"Actually…. I never promised you to give you Joyce. I promised to get her to Trenton and for you to see her," I heard her argue and admitted this was not ideal. These were guys who didn't understand humor very well or being overly into details.

They starred at each other for a moment and I grew nervous. I knew we could easily take them. The bodyguards weren't much of an issue, it was after all the three of them against the five of us.

"Joyce might be gone, but I have someone you might be more interested in anyway…"

She walked slowly towards her car again and a moment later I saw her produce someone else. A guy I hadn't seen before really, but who somehow seemed familiar. He was shackled even worse than Joyce which had me wondering who the hell this guy was. He walked slowly, as much as his shackled feet would allow anyway.

"Who's he?" the Russian mobster asked irritated.

"The mastermind behind Joyce death and her disappearance," Steph explained. That's why he seemed familiar. This was Detective Caffrey. Babe apparently had kept herself very busy.

"And why do you think he is of any more value to me than the woman?"

"From where I'm standing… it shouldn't matter. You have someone you can blame and who is as responsible for this as much as Joyce if not even more so. While Joyce goes to prison you have someone who can work on paying back these debts. And when she gets out of prison eventually, and he hasn't managed to pay it all back…. You have two people working for you…" It was impressive. Here Stephanie Plum, who always had been the joke of everyone's conversation and everybody's favorite Burg screw up, was, facing the Russian mob, making deals to her liking not looking the least intimidated or impressed by anything. Even the best of them could learn a thing or two from her right now.

"You never intended on giving me Joyce, did you?" he asked and Stephanie shock her head no.

"So why him and not her?"

"Joyce I know. And… well, she showed somewhat of remorse. He… didn't. And him I also don't know. He framed me intentionally for her death, build his case around me and wouldn't have cared if I had gone away forever for a crime I didn't commit."

I was so impressed and goddamn proud that I didn't see the shackled Detective reach for Babe and the gun in the back of her jeans. And wait! How exactly had he managed to get out of these handcuffs in which he was a few moments ago.

I started running, towards her, as did the others, but it was too late. He fired a shot and I saw her move – right into the way of the bullet and in front of the mobster, whose bodyguards seemed to have not seen this coming either.

She fell back, crashing onto the concrete floor. I yelled for someone to call an ambulance while Tank, Cal and the two mobster bodyguards were busy bringing down Caffrey. Bobby was next to Babe the same moment I was, looking at the wound. I only saw blood, so much blood, coming from her chest. The stains made it hard for me to see where exactly the entry wound had been. I heard Lester yell into the phone that we needed an ambulance and giving our location.

I pulled her into my arms, hoping Bobby could somehow work a miracle without any medical equipment and just looked at her. I wanted to tell her so many thing but the only thing that left my lips was my nickname for her. I think I saw her smile softly for a second before I heard a mumbled "I'm sorry for everything". Then her eyes closed and my heart stopped. This wasn't it. This couldn't be it, mustn't be it.

Eight long months of fruitless searching, just for her to come back like that in my life and… then be gone forever? I heard the ambulance behind me and people telling me to get out of the way, questions being asked in regards of her and us and what had happened.

A few minutes later they were gone again, with her fastened on a stretcher and Bobby riding with them to the hospital. I was close on their heels, just to be told she had been brought right into surgery a few moments earlier. All I – we really – could do now was wait.

This would be one hell of a long day – or night. And I wasn't sure I was prepared for whatever the doctors would tell me at the end of this. I wasn't sure I ever would.