Chapter 28 – Fight or Flight (?)

A/N – A note on how old everyone is here. Tony is two years older than Lester, Ranger and Steph are a year older than Lester. So, Les was 18 and Tony was 20 when Adriana and Maritza were killed. Les returned home from doing missions almost 9 years later and was 27 and Anna and Tony had been together about a year and it was right before Tony proposed. Ranger had already met Steph around the time Les came home and they were both 28 but it was 6 months later when she met Les. So, at this point in the story Anna and Tony are 32, Ranger and Steph are 31 and Les is 30. Hope that makes sense.

Wow! Apparently, running the emotional gamut gets a ton of reviews! LOL. Thank you all for reviewing and yes, let's kill the lawyers! LOL.

Thanks as always to my Lou. XxTartLoverxX you are with me through everything. The past couple of days have been hell, but even being offline with your DH you have still checked in. I love you.

Teenagers...that is all I need to say. It may be a bit before I post again. Although this chapter is short compared to recent ones I wanted to get this out there even though I wanted to write more, this is all I have to give right now.

Please keep me and my family lifted up. Hard times are upon us and the support would be appreciated in any form no matter how it is given.

Stephanie and Ella had just finished with dinner, Steph went to freshen up and change while Ella kept an eye on everything. Lester was due home in about half an hour. Stephanie couldn't wait to surprise him with dinner first, and the Sexy Kitty outfit from the pink bag in the closet later.

Tonight was going to be perfect.

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"He's been in there an hour and a half. Steph's expecting him soon, shouldn't we tell her?" Bobby asked.

"It isn't ours to tell, Brown," Ranger said as he ran his hands through his hair. "I'll try to talk to him." He entered the gym and approached his cousin cautiously. Lester was punching and kicking the bag like a man possessed.

"Get out, Carlos, NOW!"

"Lester…"

"I said OUT NOW! You do NOT want to fuck with me right now!" Lester interrupted before standing toe to toe with his cousin just daring him to say another word. He was itching for an excuse to punch someone who would punch back because the bag just wasn't working for him.

Ranger knew what Les needed, "Mats now."

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Stephanie looked at the clock again and it was 18:35. This wasn't like Les, he knew she was expecting him and he was never late. She grabbed the phone, hit speed dial 1 and was shocked that it went straight to voicemail. Something was going on. Her Spidey senses were suddenly on full alert.

She ran up the stairs to 5 and went straight to Ranger's office to find it empty but she saw Les' cell phone on the floor in pieces. Stephanie went to the control room and burst through the door. Hal and Cal were startled when she busted in.

"Where's Lester? What's going on? His phone is in pieces in Ranger's office!" Stephanie demanded. Before the guys could answer, she glanced at one of the monitors and saw Les and Ranger going at it in the ring. "OH HELL NO!" she yelled and stormed down the stairs to 3 as Hal and Cal stared after her with their mouths hanging open. She found Tank and Bobby standing in front of the door watching through the glass pane.

"Get out of my way, Boys. I'm breaking this shit up, NOW!" Stephanie yelled and had to suppress the urge to smile that she'd caught them unaware of their surroundings when they both jumped.

"Steph, it isn't a good idea for you to go in there right now," Bobby stood in front of the door with his arms crossed.

"What isn't a good idea is for the two of you to remain in front of that door. I'm NOT going to put up with those two fighting. I don't know what happened between them, but if it has anything to do with me, neither of them is going to like what happens next."

"Little Girl, it doesn't have anything to do with you. I promise, Les just um…" Tank looked at Bobby uncertain how much to say.

"Les just needs some help working some shit out. Ranger is helping him do that," Bobby helped his friend explain. "Go back upstairs, Steph. I know you have been expecting him. He'll be there soon."

"What the hell is going on? You two are hiding something. Get out of my way, or I'll take you both down."

"Bomber, it really isn't a good idea…."

"MOVE IT, BROWN!"

Tank and Bobby stepped aside as Stephanie stormed into the gym in full rhino mode and then they followed right behind her.

Ranger noticed as Stephanie stepped into the gym, but kept his eyes on Santos. "Babe, it isn't a good idea for you to be in here right now," Ranger said in an even tone.

"What is going on? Why is Lester's phone in pieces in your office? Why are the two of you on the mats? From the looks of it you've been at it for awhile," Stephanie's voice was firm but laced with concern. She noticed that Les hadn't even acknowledged her presence; instead his eyes were focused on Ranger as they circled each other. Stephanie didn't even recognize the man in the ring. She'd sparred with and seen Les spar with others and never had she seen the completely cold and deadly stare in his eyes. It scared her because whatever happened must be really bad.

"Babe, please, go back upstairs. You don't need to see this. Les will be there to talk to you once he gets back to himself."

Suddenly, quicker than Stephanie had ever seen him move, Lester struck out with a punch that Ranger blocked as Les swept his legs out from under him and Ranger went down with a resounding thud. Les growled and kept circling.

"Lester! What is going on? Talk to me," Stephanie yelled, imploring him to see her.

Finally, he noticed she was there. Lester cracked his neck to each side and tightened his hands into fists. "Stephanie, you need to leave NOW!"

"Les, Baby, please tell me….."

"NOT NOW! Damnit, Stephanie, leave before I lose it! I mean it!" Lester yelled.

Seeing the cold stare as he looked at her, Stephanie's eyes began to flood with tears as she turned and stomped out of the gym with her head held high.

The tears streaming down his Beautiful's face registered somewhere in Lester's brain, as the beast began to recede back into its confines. Les had just shook his head to clear the fog when he felt a fist connect with his jaw and a kick to his midsection that took him down to the mats.

"You yelled at her and made her cry you stupid fuck!" Ranger roared as he lashed out at Lester.

Tank and Bobby jumped into the ring. Tank grabbed Ranger before he could strike again as Bobby went to check Lester's bleeding hands.

Lester worked his jaw a bit and felt as it popped. He looked up at his cousin with bewilderment, "What the fuck was that for, Carlos?"

"You yelled at Stephanie and made her cry! She tried to find out what was going on and when you finally noticed her, you yelled at her to leave and she started crying and stormed out. You idiot! You'll be lucky if you get upstairs and she's still there!" Ranger growled out trying to control the urge to smack the shit out of his cousin again.

Les looked at Ranger, Tank and then Bobby and saw the truth of what Ranger was saying. "Steph was here? She saw me like that? Fuck," Les hung his head.

Bobby continued to work on his friend's injuries, "Don't worry, Bomber will understand once you explain. It will be OK, Les."

"Brown and I didn't realize the beast was that much in control, Santos. If we had, we wouldn't have let Little Girl in here no matter how much she screamed at us. Sorry, man," Tank apologized realizing just how much the situation could have gotten out of control.

"I gotta get upstairs. I need to explain." Lester suddenly looked around for the clock as realization hit him, "Fuck! What time is it? Steph had a surprise planned tonight! Are you done, Brown?"

"Yeah, I'm done. She'll understand, Les," Bobby tried to reassure his friend.

"Thanks, Bobby, and thanks Carlos for taking me to the mats. I needed it," Les smiled at his cousin.

"If she ran, Les, I'll drive you to her place. Just let me know," Carlos assured his cousin.

Lester left the gym and ran upstairs. He stopped at the door to his apartment and took a deep breath before he opened it and stepped in. He looked around and heard a noise coming from the kitchen. "Baby?"

"If he thinks that's going to get him off the hook, he's dead wrong," he could hear her muttering to herself as he entered the kitchen. She was cleaning her plate and continued muttering, "Cooked dinner for him and everything. Well, he can just eat his cold."

Les looked at the dining table and saw a plate of Ropa Viejo, rice and fried plantains, "Shit, Steph, I'm sorry. Something came up and I, well I kind of lost it. I'm sorry I didn't call and you went to so much trouble, I'm so sorry, Baby."

Les went to Stephanie and tried to take her in his arms but she shrugged away from him and went to the living room. "I'm sorry I yelled at you, Steph, please talk to me. Let me explain."

Stephanie sat down in the living room with her arms crossed and her head down, there was no way she was looking at him or talking to him until he groveled. The way he yelled at her was unacceptable!

Les knelt down in front of her and she turned her head. "Stephanie, please, look at me," Lester pleaded.

Finally, she lifted her head and looked into his anguished eyes, "I've been called for a mission. I leave in a week."

"What? I couldn't have heard that right. You don't go on missions anymore, Les. What are you talking about?" Stephanie couldn't quite wrap her mind around what Lester was telling her.

"You're right; I haven't been on a mission in almost 4 years. I didn't re-sign my contract, but I found out today there was loophole."

"Loophole? How could there be a loophole that you didn't know about?" Stephanie was beginning to panic as she realized Les was serious. He was really going to have to go on a mission.

"Baby, calm down, I'm trying to explain everything. I got a call right after I saw you this afternoon from my handler, he said I have to report a week from today for a mission and that there was a loophole in my contract. We got on the phone with the Rangeman lawyers and apparently they slipped an addendum into my exit papers. It said they had 4 years to bring me back for one mission if I already had a cover and I was the only one who could go. They're calling me in," Les explained.

"But, how come you didn't know about this? Why didn't the lawyers find it? I just don't understand, Les," Steph looked at Lester in confusion as the tears started to course down her cheeks.

He reached up, cupped her face and used his thumbs to wipe at the tears flowing down her face. "Apparently, they did know, but they didn't tell me and they didn't tell Ranger. The fuckers thought maybe they'd never call me up. I don't know. Carlos fired them," Lester told her.

"This is ridiculous! How can they get away with this? Not just the lawyers, but the government! How can they make you go? This isn't fair!" Stephanie was reaching rhino mode.

"No, it isn't fair, Baby, but there isn't anything I can do. I have to go. I have no choice. If I don't, I will be AWOL. I don't want to go, I don't want to leave you, Steph," Les laid his head on her lap as the tears started to stream down his face.

"Fucking lawyers! I agree with whoever says all the lawyers should be shot!" she exclaimed as she stroked Les' head in her lap and he laughed.

"Not all lawyers are bad, Baby, but these fuckers we should sue!" Lester smiled. "I'm really sorry. I lost it when I found out and went to the gym. Honestly, Steph, I didn't realize you were there. The beast, the deep dark trained soldier in me, took over. It didn't really register in my head that you were there until after my cousin punched me for yelling at you."

"I'm sorry too, Les. I had no idea what happened. I assumed you and Ranger were fighting about me and I wouldn't listen to Tank, Bobby and even Ranger. You yelling at me really pissed me off, I'm sorry I was so angry with you, Sexy. I should have realized something serious was going on because that was so unlike you. I jumped to conclusions and I shouldn't have," Steph apologized.

"Ranger told me he'd drive me to your apartment if you left, and a part of me was scared that you did leave," he whispered.

"I almost left," Stephanie sighed. "I grabbed my purse and was going to, but then I realized that is Denial Stephanie and I don't want that anymore. So, as pissed as I was at you, I decided to eat dinner. I'm sorry I left your plate out to get cold," she smiled.

"I'm sorry I was late and ruined your surprise," Les nuzzled her nose with his as she smiled wider. "Baby?"

"Yeah?"

"Does this mean we had our first fight?" Lester smirked.

"I think we did," Steph grinned back.

"You know what that means, Baby?" he asked wiggling his eyebrows.

"Make up sex!" they said in unison with huge smiles on their faces.

Lester kissed her passionately. "I think I'm going to like make up sex!" he said huskily as he broke the kiss.

"Me too, but don't we need to talk? The mission…."

Les interrupted her with another kiss. "Not tonight, Baby. Just once I want to pretend tomorrow doesn't exist," he declared while trying to catch his breath.

"Looks like someone needs Denial Land," she smiled sexily at her man. "Good thing I know the territory VERY well there."

"Wanna show me the terrain?" Les waggled his eyebrows at her.

"Sure, thing, Sexy," she grinned as she led him into the bedroom.