A/N: Je owns thes characters , I am just a frigging nut. I'm sorry that it's been so long since I have updated. There will be one more chapter and then this my first fan fic will be done. thank you to Jenny for betaing it.

Chapter 52

Now that Marissa and I were off to a new start, I was all for getting to know another one of Carlos' siblings. Seems I was getting to meet them one at a time. First, it was Celia at the bar, who I'd thought was Carlos' date, not his sister. Now, it was Marissa, despite the inauspicious beginning. Were there any other relatives of his here in Miami? As a result, my curiosity revved up. I wondered who I would meet next.

Since I didn't think any other sisters or his brother were in Miami, maybe aunts, uncles, grandparents, or cousins, I would settle for seeing this Rangeman building. I wanted to explore every nook and cranny of the place. I wondered if it was set up anything like Haywood. It certainly looked different from the outside, all glass and gleaming metal. I thought there were a lot of floor- a skyscraper rather than the seven-story office building in Trenton-which meant there were a variety if rooms, offices, conference rooms, even a shooting range and a forensic laboratory, some of which were classified.

Then my imagination got the better of me, and I imagined that there were locked doors, a la Bluebeard, where countless wives were locked up and taken care of, and not in a good way. Rooms I should never go into under any circumstance. My musings were interrupted by a very amused Carlos, while the others looked puzzled.

"No Bluebeard; just Rangeman. I definitely smell something burning, Babe," Ranger said with a smile, desperately trying not to laugh.

To hide my embarrassment and to ease my curiosity, I asked, "Can we have the five cent tour before we go to our rooms?" I asked, curious about the setup.

"You're not too tired?"

"Nah, I'm fine. Just charged up," I said. "I'd really like to know the lay of the land first. Please."

"Then sure. Is that okay with you, Mrs. Mazur?"

"Fine and dandy, Ranger, but isn't it time you called me Edna or Gram?" Grandma said with a wink at Carlos.

"Grandma!" I screeched, not that pleasant to hear. I cringed from both my grandmother's comment and my reaction to it.

"Oh please, Steph, it is obvious that you two are an item, and I want Ranger to feel like he is part of the family."

Grandma paid me no attention and just looked at Carlos; I prayed this wasn't a deal breaker. I knew things were going well for us, but I didn't want to do anything to mess it up.

"It's okay, Steph. Let me think about it. Mrs. Mazur, I'll try to call you Edna, but my upbringing makes that a little difficult," Ranger explained. "When I was growing up, we didn't call our elders by their first names. But I will try to work up to calling you Grandma."

That answer seemed to satisfy Grandma, who I'll be damned, had a hundred watt smile of her own.

We were given the tour, starting with the outside of the building, which was all steel and smoked glass, the Miami skyline proudly reflected on it.

"How many stories are there?"

"There are twenty stories. Each floor holds another division."

Hmm, seems I was right about the floors and rooms. Why on Earth would Carlos work in Trenton? It's hardly the garden spot of the Garden State, when he could work here which is outfitted with all the newest technological features.

"Carlos, why do spend so much time in Trenton when you could work here? It's something else."

"That it is. But don't you know?"

"No? I'm sorry, I don't," I said as I shook my head no.

"I guess I'll have to tell you, then Steph, it is because of you," Carlos said, his hundred watt smile affixed to his handsome face.

"Me?" I squeaked, sounding like Minnie Mouse on crack. "You stay in Trenton because of me."

I started to feel all warm inside as I realized that Carlos remained in Trenton because of me. The Rangeman operations up north were nothing compared to this one. Suddenly, I wanted nothing but to be in his arms; I wished for the tour to be over so I could be all alone with him.

Finally, we got to the living quarters. If I thought that the business part of the building was impressive, the emplyees' apartments were even better. Even the efficiencies boasted the latest appliances. They made my apartment on Hamilton seem that is was a throwback from another century.

On the fourteenth floor, Grandma was shown where she should where she would be staying. She had been given one of the apartments the workers bunked in while they were in Miami. She walked into the apartment and looked around.

"This whole apartment is for me? It's so much bigger than my room with Helen and Frank," Grandma exclaimed in wonder. "I might never leave."

Lester groaned loud enough for Carlos to hear.

"Santos," Carlos barked in a low voice so Grandma wouldn't hear.

But there was no danger of that, because she was too engrossed in looking over the rooms that she was oblivious to anything else.

"Sorry, boss," Lester grumbled.

"Are we going to see my room next, or Julie's?" I asked, silently praying that we could be together, but didn't know how he would feel with Julie staying here, too.

"Julie wants to stay with Marissa tonight. You're staying in my apartment with me. No ifs, ands, or buts about it, understand?"

Boy, did I ever understand the situation. I was glad that Carlos was insisting that I stay with him. Believe me; I had no problem with that. I gave my own smile and beamed at him. This was the first time we would spend the night without any excuse or pretense. We would be together because we wanted to be.

It would be a pleasure to live openly with Carlos, doing what any normal couple would do. There was none of the guilt that I'd suffered when Joe and I were together. The only thing better would be was to get medical clearance to be intimate with him. Until then, we would have to be to kiss and cuddle.

The next day, Rachel came to pick up Julie, and we promised to set up a dinner date later that week and that we would come to her soccer game. There were happy tears. We were thankful we'd had this chance to get to know each better, despite all the problems that had come our way.

Before I knew it, a week had passed, and tomorrow, we would be taking Grandma to the airport for her return to Trenton. For her last meal in Miami, she wanted to go to a barbeque joint that the guys raved about. It was a fifteen minute drive from the Rangeman building.

When we got there, of course we got a booth in the back where Carlos could watch the comings and goings. The atmosphere was festive, and we happily trimmings. For dinner we had wings and ribs hot off the grill. The meat was basted with the best barbeque sauce I'd ever tasted. Served with it was homemade potato salad.

After dinner, I was surprised when Carlos took us to see the musical, "Wicked." Ron even dropped Julie off to join us. I was glad, because it wouldn't have been the same without her. It was a very appropriate choice, since it was a variation on the Oz story, this time taking the Wicked Witch's side. We all loved it and had a great time.

The next day, we took Grandma to the airport for her trip back to Jersey. We were allowed to go right to the plane on the tarmac, due to a special governmental license, which eased Grandma's anxiety, since she hadn't flown in a plane since 1957.

Before boarding the airplane, Grandma took me aside and whispered in my ear, "The only reason love is scary is because you don't walk into it, you fall… and when you fall, you fall hard."

Grandma Mazur then said her goodbyes to all of us.

Carlos went to shake her hand, but she pulled him into her scrawny arms and exclaimed, "C'mere. You can do better than that. You two are good for each other, so be good to each other."

Carlos gave her a tentative hug, before releasing her to with a gentle push my way.

"Thanks, Grandma," I said, giving her a hug.

I knew she was always on my side and gave me her unconditional love. With my mother so critical and my father not very vocal or demonstrative, her love was a constant. It gave me the freedom to fight against the restraints of the 'Burg and allowed me to be the person I wanted to be. For all her faults, Grandma was a sharp cookie. Too bad she'd married young and didn't get to do a lot of things on her own. Women repressed their sexuality in her youth, and good girls- especially if they were Catholic- weren't free to experiment.

She walked carefully up the stairs leading into the plane, giving us a finger roll as she did.

Tears filled my eyes after Grandma boarded and her plane flew away. We would not see her again until Spring, when there was no chance of frigid weather. Carlos agreed that we'd had enough cold and snow to last us a lifetime, if not the season, when we were marooned in the mountain. Give me the good old Florida sunshine. I even had a golden cast to my skin tone from repeated but protected with sunblock- exposure to it.

The rhythm of living in Miami and with Carlos started to gel. At first, it was difficult , due to my reputation, not to mention my nickname as "The Bombshell Bounty Hunter." The extra stigma of being the boss' girlfriend didn't help.

Plus, the disastrous first encounter between Marissa and me just put fuel on the fire. The grapevine burned up after the news spread. Yes, Miami had its own gossip hotline. The Oz escapade had also made the staff walk on eggshells around me. It wasn't an overnight change, but eventually I won them over.

Once I regained my stamina. I showed them that I was no pampered hothouse flower, pulled my own weight around here as a hardworking member of Rangeman. Things started to look better, even though Carlos was not happy that I was gossiped about-even that made things awkward for me for a while. In no time flat, the culprits were found. The tension and gossip were eased when certain contract workers were transferred elsewhere- I hoped not to any third world countries.

Ms. Independent was actually a bona fide employee of the company. That hadn't occurred since my years as a lingerie buyer for EE Martin. Each week, I got a paycheck and was able to pay off all my bills, but I was tempted to get rid of my apartment because I didn't ever see myself living anywhere but with Carlos.

One day, I was running countless searches in Silvio's cubicle when I ran across a file with information on Diego. At first, nothing popped out. He'd gotten good grades in school and lettered in a number of sports including being the starting quarterback on the football and a shortstop for baseball team. He then enlisted in the service in his senior year.

His service record was impeccable…until his world went tumbling down. It seemed that he was dishonorably discharged from the service-the Marines, to be specific. What he was accused of didn't go with what I knew about him. He was supposed to have attacked a fellow Marine so brutally that the woman was still in the hospital. The only problem was that the time the woman was attacked was when Diego swore that he was in transit to visit his folks in Florida, not in Fort Bragg. The two eyewitnesses positively identified him at the scene, casting suspicion on Diego's sworn testimony.

I saw the inconstancies and wondered why the powers that be hadn't seen them too. Frankly, there were more holes in the eyewitnesses' accounts than Swiss cheese, and my spidey sense was on high alert. Something was not right, but I couldn't put my finger on it. I read a report that said even though surveillance tapes were submitted into evidence, the military police, and subsequently the Judicial Review, did not view it, since they felt that the case was a slam dunk. Open and shut.

The only problem was for an innocent man, justice was not served. I was all for changing that. Diego was one of the most honorable men I knew. Not to mention that Carlos would never have him on staff or allow him to date his sister if there were any questions about his character. One thing I knew about Carlos was he might be legally gray, but he was always morally right. I believed with all my heart that he set the same standards for all his employees, so that settled it for me about Diego's innocence. Now all that was left was to prove it. That was easier said than done. I needed some leverage for them to reopen the case and view the tape to accomplish that.

I was busy trying to find answers when Carlos stopped by my cubicle.

"Time for lunch, Babe," he said.

"Um in a minute," I replied.

"You don't want food? Are you feeling all right? Do we need to call the doctor?"

"So funny, Carlos. You know that if I was Mary Alice, I would add that I forgot to laugh," I said, sticking out my tongue.

"Good thing for me you're not Mary Alice. But seriously, Babe, don't stick out your tongue unless you are going to use it," Carlos said in a husky growl that made my hormones rev up.

"I do," I answered breathlessly.

Carlos swung my seat around and gathered me in his arm, but I held back.

"I'm sorry, but can't. Something is bothering me."

"Okay…you'll feel better if you tell me."

"Carlos, what's this crap about Diego?" I blurted out in a loud voice. "You know those charges are trumped up."

"Stephanie, why don't you come with me to my office?"

"Why can't we discuss here and now?" I exclaimed, livid with anger.

Carlos escorted me to his office. He seemed to radiating some kind of smoldering frustration and anger with his body language. That just made me angrier than I had been before. Why should he be any of those when it was poor Diego whistling in the wind?

He closed his office door, and I whirled around and exclaimed indigently, "Care to explain why we had to talk here, rather than by my cubicle?"

"We needed privacy for this conversation," Carlos stated in his ever placid manner.

"Okay, we're alone. Fine by me," I began. "So what are we going to do about Diego? You know those charges are bogus. Damn trumped up charges."

"Stephanie, I'm going to have to ask you to please leave this alone."

"Whatcha talking about, Carlos?" I whined, but somehow, using the words please and my full name took the wind out of my sails, so I had to rethink my position.

He just gave me his blank face, but something showed in his eyes. It was a brief glimmer, and damn, I knew that somehow this was a covert operation way out of my league.

"Okay, I'll leave this alone…for now," I responded.

At that, Carlos pulled me out of my seat and into his arms, hugging me. Then I burrowed my nose into the crook of his neck.

"Yum, my favorite scent…Bvlgari.

Carlos 'large and callused hand cupped my chin up, "We can do much better than that."

"Yes, I think so, too!" I agreed.

Our mouths inched closer to one another and then we kissed a long, sensuous kiss until we were rudely interrupted. That damn phone tended to ring at the most inopportune times. If I could, I'd put a bat to it.

I tried to regain my composure as Carlos took the call. After the call ended, he looked at me.

"Stephanie, I have to leave. One of our accounts just got hit. The first responders ran into a gunfight. I need to be there to help coordinate the takedown with the police."

I started to panic, because I'd wanted Carlos to be with me at the doctor's appointment. It seemed ironic for someone who got hurt as often as I did to have white coat syndrome. Just the thought of going to the doctor again gave me the willies. Plus, now that we were a couple, there was more at stake when he participated in dangerous missions.

Black dots floated around my eyes without my knowledge as I started to hyperventilate.

"Breathe Babe, I don't have to go," Carlos' voice soothed as he traced circles up and down my arm. "You do have your doctor's appointment, and if I go out to the scene, I might miss it."

There was no way I was going to pull the plug on Carlos' business. He had a job to do, one that he did extremely well. I wouldn't want him to tell me not to do something, so turnabout was fair play. Our relationship was based on trust and mutual respect.

"No, Carlos, you go. I'll be fine," I said, my voice firming up along with my resolve.

"I am texting Marissa. I want the two of you to go shopping. No use keeping it a secret. I've planned a very special night for us."

"Mr. Manoso, are you thinking of getting lucky tonight?"

"I certainly hope so," Carlos said in all seriousness.

"You," I said with a mock poke to the concrete wall known as his chest. "Me, too."

"So we have a date later tonight. Here, take this," Carlos said, handing me a black Amex card with my name emblazoned on it.

"Holy charge card! I can't accept that," I squealed.

"You can, and Stephanie, it would please me if you did. I want tonight to be special and for you not to worry about how much something costs. I love you, and there is no price for that love."

"Okay, just this one time. But I wish you would just take whatever I spend out of my paycheck. I get a little crazy when shopping. Many have said that it is my favorite hobby."

"Try not to go too crazy."

"Promise," I responded, and we kissed-again, not as long as I would have liked.

"Gotta go," Carlos whispered in my ear, causing goose bumps, before kissing my lips.

"Don't get shot," I said as he walked out door.

He stopped and said, "Babe, not a chance, but can't say that about the other guys." Then he winked and was gone

I ate a tasteless, healthy lunch, which I couldn't finish since the butterflies in my stomach were playing tackle football there. After eating, I tried to do a little more work to distract myself, but I had too much to worry about: Carlos, Diego and the doctor's appointment. I was resting my eyes when Lester poked his head in to say that it was time to head out to the doctor's.

"You didn't go," I asked.

"Nope, I lucked out and got Bomber duty."

"I'm sorry you got saddled with me."

"I'm not sorry-we'll go to the mall, and maybe I'll get a fashion show from you- especially if we get to go to Victoria's Secret. Just don't tell the boss if I do," he said with a wink.

"Les, you're incorrigible," I said with a huff, but I was amused by his antics.

"Not true, Beautiful. Just appreciating your many assets," Lester leered at me teasingly.

"Don't know what to say in response. I guess even if we do go to Victoria's Secret, sorry, no fashion show-even if Marissa wasn't coming. There is only person I would want to model for, and I'm sorry, but it's not you."

"I understand and note that. Ranger is a helluva lucky man. Glad that mi primo and you finally got your heads out of your asses," Lester remarked. His telephone dinged, and he said, "Okay, just got a text. Marissa will meet us at the mall. She had a meeting that she had to go to first."

"It's okay if she can't come. I would understand."

"Believe me; you'll want her with you. She knows all the best and the out of the way shops. Plus she really wants to come. Carlos told her what you wanted to do for Diego. They both really appreciate it; so many people have turned their backs on them."

"That's terrible; I don't understand people like that."

"Neither do I. Okay, are you ready to go?" Lester asked.

"Let me just shut down my computer, and then we can go," I replied.

Lester escorted me to the underground garage, and in no time at all, we made it across town to the doctor's office. I had to be examined by the pulmonologist. He would check to see if my lung function was back to normal and would clear me for all activities. I felt stronger, and I was even walking on the treadmill for thirty minutes a day to increase my endurance. We would now see if all this had paid off.

We had to wait at the doctor's office in the waiting room crowded with patients. It seemed every woman there, despite her age, ogled Lester as if he was the tastiest eye candy ever made. I was glad that it was Lester and not Carlos, because many of them were hitting on him and he was entering a lot of new numbers into his Blackberry. There would have been no way I would have been tolerant of that, but then again, Carlos wouldn't flirt with those women. I was in agreement with Carlos that I did not share. Finally, it was my turn to see the doctor, and I let out an audible sigh of relief. I took a deep breath and hoped for the best.

Dr. Gillespie came in after the nurse took my vitals. I had taken another blood gas test a couple of days before, and the doctor had the results. The doctor had a somber look on his young face. Despite his youth, Kildare Gillespie was the finest pulmonologist in the southern United States, not just Florida.

I was a little nervous, so I tried to evoke my inner Bugs Bunny and asked, "What's up, doc?"

"Well, it is like this, Ms. Plum. I have good news and bad news."

Shit, why does this always have to happen to me? Ithought to myself. Okay, might as well be mature and face this.

"Okay, doc, give it to me straight- bad news first."

"I know you have developed strong personal attachment to me, but today is our last visit. I'm sorry."

"Huh. If that is bad news, what is the good news?"

I was sort of confused. Dr. Gillespie had never flirted with me before, but then again, I always saw him with Carlos. Carlos intimidates a lot of people, so I wasn't surprised. He'd never joked with me this way before, so I was taken aback.

"The good news is everything checks out perfectly. Ribs are healed and lung function is back to normal levels. So…"

"Does that mean I'm ready for takeoff?" I asked. There was no way I wasn't going to ask him if I cleared for sex. Especially with the creepy way he was acting. He made me feel uneasy. Maybe I was overacting, but can I say eww. I should've taken Lester in with me, but it was too late now.

"Okay, I can see by the look on your face that I am making you uncomfortable. So I am going to just tell you. You are cleared for all activity; what you do is up to you."

I wanted to fist pump. I was so psyched and wanted to share the news with Carlos.

I wasn't paying attention, but the doctor was still talking.

"Guess I should stick with medicine and not comedy. My only excuse is that I have a real handicap in having the name I have. Trying going to med school with a pop culture name; it would warp you, too. It has been very nice having you as a patient, and I'm that I got to meet you. Better?"

"Yes, much. Thanks."

"I wish you the very best of luck."

"Bye, Doctor Gillespie."

"Bye, Ms. Plum."

On the way out, I hummed "Feel Like Making Love" by Bad Company, with a smile on my face that rivaled any of Carlos'.

"Sounds like Rangeman is going to be a happy man tonight."

Damn Lester with his ESP…or did he recognize the song? Maybe I should not have hummed. Now it too late, as my face turned scarlet with embarrassment, since he knew what the doctor said.

"Shut up, Lester," I said oh so eloquently.

The big lummox had the audacity to laugh. "You know, Beautiful, you are damned attractive when you blush. My cousin is a lucky man. If he ever messes up, I'd be happy to take his place."

"Please stop before I have to resort to smacking the back of your head."

"Aw, Beautiful, you're such a sweet talker."

"That is what all the guys say. Just be very glad I didn't go into rhino mode," I said with all seriousness.

"I am. I've seen some of your screaming matches with Morelli. You're very scary."

"Yeah, right… a badass like you is scared of a white girl from the 'Burg? Pleease!"

"You'd be surprised," Lester answered, and we both cracked up with laughter.

We had left the doctor's office and made our way to Adventura Mall, which had each and every one of my favorite stores, including Macy's and Victoria's Secret.

"Wow, this is some mall. It even rivals some of the Jersey ones," I said in awe. It had so many upscale stores that the credit card seemed to pulsate in my jeans pocket. Since my accident, I hadn't carried a purse.

There by a trendy designer shop called Alessandro stood Marissa, looking impeccable and texting on her smartphone. I was astounded at how much she resembled Carlos, even down to her designer clothes. I doubt that I could look as good.

"Yea, you can, and you do," Lester said to me.

"Huh…Do you guys have ESP? I know for a fact I did not blurt anything out."

"I can see it in your eyes and your body language. Part of your charm is that you don't know what a knockout you are. I call you beautiful because you are, inside and out."

"Gee, thanks," I replied sincerely. I'd never taken compliments well. It was ironic that an insult hardly affects me, but a sincere compliment just confuses me.

"Yes, really. You have a different style and beauty than Marissa, but you're just as beautiful."

"Okay, you're going to have to stop, because you make my head big," I answered, but my posture got straighter and there was more sway to my swagger.

With hunks like Carlos and Lester around complimenting me, it was certainly a boost to my self-confidence. My luck had finally changed for the better-or so I thought, until we passed a bar. On the giant screen was a newscast of a shootout. I recognized the place. It was where Carlos had gone. The video made me stop dead in my tracks.

"Wasn't that where Carlos went?" I croaked, breaking out in a cold sweat. It wasn't long before I was hyperventilating and saying, "Do you think Carlos is all right?" My hearting was hammering, and I was trembling.

"Relax, Beautiful. That was an earlier broadcast. Here, talk to the boss yourself," Lester remarked as he punched a number on speed dial and then passed cell to me.

"Yo, Santos, this had better be good. I have a fucking shitload of work here. Still with clients at the crime scene," Ranger barked into his phone.

"Carlos, are you okay?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

"Speak up," Carlos said. "I can't hear you."

"Carlos," I said again, my voice a little louder but shaking and stuttering.

Then stupid Stephanie did a really idiotic thing by crying. Tears welled in my eyes, and I started to sniffle. No wonder, Carlos didn't do relationships, I was crying like a baby. If I going to bawl my eyes out every time there was a crisis, he would see me as a clingy person, which I really wasn't. I was relieved to hear his voice, even if he was angry.

"It'okay, Babe. I'm fine," Carlos reassured me in a gentler voice. "How are you?"

"I am more than fine. The doctor cleared me. We have a green light. But we can postpone it if you have too much work."

Now that I was calm again, my concern was not to be too clingy and demanding of Carlos. He was very much his own man, and I liked him that way. God knows how I felt about people trying to change their significant other to the ideas of who they thought that person should be.

"I know you are not trying to change me, and no, I don't want to postpone tonight. See, I am capable of whole sentence without it being full of monosyllabic words."

"Sheesh, not only are you a badass, but a smartass as well."

"Babe, I know you like my ass," Carlos said confidently.

"How can you be sure?"

"You stare at it a lot," he explained.

"Well, I do among other things."

"Now who is bad?"

"I plead the fifth," I said, grinning to myself.

"Later, Babe."

Then the phone clicked, and the line went dead. A short time later, I heard dead air. It seems that Carlos still has to work on his phone manners and say a proper goodbye. At least he was getting better and told me later before he hung up.

Lester and I went to the food court to get a light bite to eat and Marissa joined us a couple of minutes later after she finished her call.

"I know the perfect place for you to get clothes," she said, pointing to the far side off the mall. Let's go. AS she lead me in that direction and ushered me to small boutique called Fly Girl.

I must have made a face, because Marissa said to me, "I know the name is outdated, but you'll really like the clothes. They have a little of everything-even an in house designer that designs exclusively for them."

"Okay, maybe I should give it a shot before I make a rash decision."

"Steph, about that… just wanted to say that I'm really sorry I made one about you. I just didn't want to see Carlos hurt again-"

"Marissa, believe me, if he were my brother and I'd heard the stories about me, I'd probably have come to the same conclusion."

We were both right about making rash decisions, because the boutique was the best store I'd ever shopped in. Marissa was right. For a small shop, they had almost everything you could need to assemble the perfect outfit for any occasion. I just needed the right undergarments, because I always get my man; this time, it man; this time, it would be Carlos. So we went to Victoria's Secret and bought everything I needed; I also could resist getting some sexy lingerie.

"Steph, you have to see this."

"Okay, Marissa. What is it?"

"See this? It was made for you. Plus, I'd bet that Carlos would like it, too."

It was a black thong with pink writing that said, "Total Babe"

"I think you're right. I've got everything I need. I'm heading for the register."

We made our purchases, and I was ready to prepare for the biggest night in my life. I was going to seduce Carlos-candlelight, wine, and lingerie, oh my!