A/N: We're almost to the end and I am so appreciative of all the support I've received from you all through reviews, PM's, follows and favorites. There will be an epilogue, so please let me know if I've left any burning questions in your brains.

Anything recognizable belongs to JE.

Chapter 31

I woke the next morning to my cell phone ringing beside my bed. A quick glance at the caller ID told me it was my mother. I wondered why she was calling so early until I looked at the time and saw it was almost 9:30. I vaguely remember Ranger waking me up and kissing me goodbye at 5:00 a.m. when he left, but I think I had already fallen back to sleep by the time he was walking out the front door.

I cleared my throat hoping she would realize I was still in bed. "Hi, Mom."

"Did I wake you?" she asked.

"Um, no. Just a frog in my throat," I lied.

"I just got back from running errands and I heard about Joseph. Everyone is talking about how he is some kind of sex addict and a drug addict, and that he was somehow involved in the murder of those poor women down on Stark Street. He's been suspended from the police force and the rumor is he has been charged with criminal activity. They say Angie Morelli was at the police station trying to post bail for him this morning, but no one in Trenton would write his bond."

My mother continued to recap basically everything I already knew, with a lot of exaggeration and speculation thrown in by the rumor mill. I really didn't have to contribute more than a few "mmm's" and "hmm's" to the conversation until she finally started to run out of steam.

I could tell she was finishing up as she said, "Anyway, I wanted to tell you how glad I am you finally came to your senses about what kind of man Joseph Morelli really is. Why don't you and your Ranger come over on Friday for dinner. I'm making baked chicken breast, cauliflower mashed potatoes and a roasted vegetable medley."

"What? What happened to pot roast?" I was flabbergasted. My mother had prepared pot roast every Friday outside of Lent for my entire life.

"Your father finally had to go to the doctors for a check-up or the insurance company was going to double the cost of his insurance. Turns out he has high cholesterol and high blood pressure, so the doctor put him on medication and told him to change his diet. I called Ranger because I knew he was careful about his diet. He put me in touch with Ella and she helped me find some healthier alternatives that I could make for dinner. She also suggested a few changes to some of your father's favorite dishes to make them healthier. I really enjoyed talking with her. She's such a lovely lady."

I pinched myself to make sure this wasn't some kind of bizarre, really realistic dream. Nope, I'm awake. "That's great, Mom. And yes, Ella is amazing and takes very good care of Ranger and the guys, and me now I suppose. I'm glad you're taking such good care of Daddy."

I told my mom I would let her know about Friday and we said our goodbyes. I pinched myself a second time just to be sure I truly was awake. Not only did my mother just tell me she was happy Joe and I were through, but she accepted my relationship with Ranger, even going so far as contacting him and then taking cooking tips from Ella. My world had become a very strange place.

I took a quick shower and called Connie to make sure she found the body receipts and to let her know I'd wouldn't be by this morning. Something had been brewing in my brain ever since Lula had mentioned the efforts her friend had been making to leave life on the streets. Then yesterday, she had told Aliyah about that place on Stark that helped people and that had given me an idea.

A Way Out was located in an area of Stark that was relatively safe during the day. I found a parking spot on the same block so I was cautiously optimistic that my car would still be there when I returned. The plate glass window had flyers advertising various hotline numbers. I took a quick glance and I saw help offered for victims of domestic violence, rape, human trafficking as well as a number for a suicide prevention hotline. A bell sounded as I opened the door and I entered into a small, bare bones reception area. The walls were painted a cheerful yellow but the only decor consisted of more posters displaying hotline information and a sign indicating someone would be with me shortly. A card table against the back wall held a display rack full of brochures advertising more help services.

A door to the side opened and a woman stepped into the reception area. She smiled a gentle smile, introduced herself as Mykala and asked if she could help me. I introduced myself to her and explained that I was actually hoping I could help her. The money I had earned capturing Marcel Chagall had been instrumental in allowing me to make changes in my life, and now I was hoping to help make a change in someone else's life.

"Do you have a few moments to come back to my office, Ms Plum?" She asked when I told her I wanted to make a donation.

"Please, call me Stephanie. And yes, of course," I replied.

She swiped a security badge through the reader beside the door and I heard the faint click as it unlocked. "As you can imagine, many of our clients are coming from rather dangerous environments. Security is our number one priority. Please follow me."

The area opened up into a bullpen that was divided up by cubicles, similar to Rangeman. Mykala led me to one of two small offices at the side of the room. The office was cluttered but tidy and the term organized chaos came to mind. She indicated to a small table with two chairs that was tucked into the corner.

"First off, I want to thank you for your offer of a donation. We are a non-profit organization that exists solely on public funding, grants and donations," she began. "We also exist due to the generosity of the people who volunteer here. By almost exclusively using volunteers, we are able to operate on a shoestring budget."

"The fact that you are here donating money demonstrates to me your willingness to help. I was wondering if I might interest you in donating some of your time as well? Your reputation precedes you, Stephanie. I've heard from more than a few of our clients how you take care of people, even as you are picking them up for jumping bail. Your empathy and kind heart are well known by the people we work with," Mykala said.

Her words surprised me. My plan was to stop by, drop off a big check and leave. I had never considered helping in a more hands-on capacity. As I thought about it, I realized how much the idea appealed to me. "I had never thought about it," I replied honestly. "What kinds of things would I be doing?"

"Well, mostly what our volunteers do is work one on one or with small groups of clients. You would do things like helping people earn their GED, or maybe help someone prepare for a job interview. It might just be sitting with someone as they try to find the courage to file a restraining order. Our job is to give people the tools they need to build a life with. How they use those tools and what sort of life they build is their decision."

I thought this sounded a lot like what Ranger and the guys and Rangeman had done for me. They gave me the tools I needed to take charge of my life and become a better bounty hunter, but I was the one responsible for building the new Steph.

"Thank you, Mykala. I do think this is something I would be interested in doing. However I do need to warn you that there is a good chance I will have someone with me if I start coming down here regularly." I knew as soon as I told Ranger and the guys that I was going to be hanging out on Stark Street they would go into protection mode. I figured why fight it when I could get Mykala two volunteers for the price of one. Once I explained the situation, Mykala was more than happy to have members of Rangeman hanging out at the center and interacting with the clients. While a majority of the clientele was made up of women, there were plenty of boys and men who came to the center for help but very few male volunteers.

We decided I would start out two days a week, with the opportunity to add a third day if my schedule allowed. I was excited for the opportunity and couldn't wait to get started. As I was standing up to leave, I remembered why I had come here in the first place. Mykala was momentarily stunned when she saw the check for ten thousand dollars. She pulled me in for a bone crushing hug, thanking me profusely. I explained that the money had been earned helping to bring to justice a human trafficker. I felt it was only right that the money go to help victims of people like him.

I was pleasantly surprised to see my car with all four tires still sitting where I'd left it. A quick check of my watch showed I would have time to get in a workout before my shift at Rangeman. Ranger had told me he would be out most of the day meeting with clients so I'd have to wait until this evening to speak with him about my new venture.

When I finished with my workout, it was encouraging to see I was almost back to my preinjury exercise levels. After a quick shower up on seven and dressed as mini-Ranger, I settled into my cube with a roasted chicken on whole wheat, a bottle of water and a pile of basic employment checks for one of Rangeman's larger clients. The work was mindless so I thought about Mykala and the work she was doing as I clicked through the searches. I had a feeling I was about to get a whole different perspective on the world. Life in the 'Burg was far removed from Stark Street. Even though I had seen my share of the seedier side of Trenton, I couldn't imagine what it would be like to exist in that world permanently.

I screeched and came three inches out of my chair when Lester tapped me on the shoulder. This got me a smirk and a 'you need to be more aware of your surroundings' look.

"Shut up, Les. I'm in a secure building full of armed, ex-military men. If I want to be lost in thought, there's no better place to do it than here." I hated being caught gathering wool.

"You up for a surveillance shift this afternoon? Ram is still out of town so I asked Tank if I could have my trusty sidekick for the rest of the afternoon," Lester said with a grin.

I glanced at the pile of background checks and was surprised to discover I was already three quarters of the way finished. "Sure, as long as the rest of these can wait until tomorrow. Let me check with Tank."

Tank okayed the delay in finishing the employment checks so Lester and I made a quick stop in the break room to grab some bottles of water and granola bars. The days of Tastykakes and candy bars on a surveillance shift were behind me. I found I didn't get nearly as fidgety without all the processed sugar in my system.

As we sat watching Morgan Stanfield's apartment building I told Les about my interview with Mykala and explained what they did at A Way Out. Les agreed that it was a good idea to have someone with me when I started going down to Stark Street regularly.

I sighed, "I really want to do this, but I hate having Ranger bleed money for me again. I was hoping I put that behind me when I got trained."

"Ranger doesn't put a price on your safety, Steph. Besides, this doesn't have to cost Rangeman a thing if we volunteer with you on our own time. It sounds like a good concept and I'd be happy to help. I think a lot of the other guys will, too. Rangeman actually requires all full-time employees to do 200 hours of community service each year as part of our employment contracts. It helps us to be around people who are doing good because our job requires us to deal with shitty people most of the time."

Our shift was quiet and I was ready to go home when Vince and Binkie showed up to take over. I asked Les to drop me off at my townhouse on his way back to Rangeman. Ranger had texted earlier wanting to know if I wanted to have dinner when my shift was over so I knew he would have everything waiting for me once I got home. Soon after I had moved in, I had given Ranger a key and the access code to my alarm. We both knew he didn't need either, but I appreciated the respect he showed me by using both rather than just letting himself in.

Over a delicious and healthy Ella prepared meal, I told Ranger about my day and about my conversation with Lester. Ranger listened as I explained everything and then asked if it would be okay if he sent Hector over to discuss additional security measures for the center. I didn't know what kind of security budget Mykala had, but I suspected the upgrades wouldn't cost her a dime.

The next day, an all employee email went out offering a volunteer opportunity for all Rangeman employees. Anyone interested was asked to contact me to coordinate the schedule. The response was overwhelming and I found most days I was able to take multiple volunteers with me.

Mykala was thrilled with both the volunteers and with the free upgrade to security, courtesy of Rangeman Security. After the first couple of weeks, I also noticed Bobby's name appearing on the volunteer roster more than any other Rangeman. Somehow, I didn't think this was pure altruism on his part. Not only was Mykala a beautiful woman, she was also the most kindhearted, empathetic person I had ever met. The way her face lit up when Bobby walked in made me suspect the attraction was mutual.

Unable to sleep one night, I reflected back on the last few months. It had been a time of not only one of personal growth, but a time of revelation. A time when I not only found the adult Stephanie buried under the immature, irresponsible person I had been, but also a time in which I removed my blinders and rose-tinted glasses and was finally able to see both Ranger and Joe for the men they were. While he wasn't Rambo, Batman or James Bond, Ranger truly deserved the title of superhero in my books. I would never know even a fraction of what he went through while under contract, but I knew everything he did was to protect others. And he did so at God knows what cost to himself. Joe, on the other hand, revealed himself to be a selfish narcissist who looked only after his own interests. How I didn't realize that sooner, I'll never know. I tried not to berate myself too badly for going back to him so many times. Instead, I chose to focus on my future - a future that included loving and being loved by my very own Batman.