Disclaimer: The characters you recognize as J.E. are hers, and I am only borrowing them. There are some original characters that are mine, and I claim them as mine.

Spoilers:Anything from books 1-19 might be used, so if you haven't read them all, you might want to wait to read this story.

This is an AU story, with a mix of characters in canon as well.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of you who review as guest, as well as those of you who don't allow PMs. I love the reviews and want to tell you that I read and appreciate them all. Thank you all. Special thanks to JenRar for coming along as beta on this one. I appreciate all your help. I'd also like to thank Vanessa Loor for translating my English into Spanish. Any mistakes are mine.

A/N: I ask for your patience in allowing me to develop the story. I guarantee the end result will turn out if you can just keep believing.

Chapter 1: A Crashing Introduction

Stephanie's POV:

The alarm went off, and I groaned, wishing for another hour or two of sleep. I sighed, knowing I didn't have that luxury. I needed to get up and make sure Bree got off okay. Sighing, I slipped out of bed and padded over to the bathroom. I answered nature's call and then stepped into the shower where I shampooed and soaped up before stepping out and drying off. It didn't take me long to dress and get ready for the day. I added an extra coat of mascara before walking through the house to Bree's room. I knocked on the door and called, "Bree! Come on, honey. Time to get up. The bus will be here soon."

I heard the groan on the other side of the door and laughed. Bree was a lot like me in that she definitely liked her sleep.

I knocked again and called, "Come on, Bree! Wake up."

The door opened, and I smiled at the young girl who stood there half asleep.

"I'm up already. Geesh, Steph! You're almost as bad as Micha."

I laughed and pulled her into a hug. "Well, I promised Micha I'd make sure you got to school on time, so let's get moving."

Bree groaned and shut her door. When I heard her shower turn on, I knew she was truly up, so I headed for the kitchen, where I was going to find something already made that I could put on a plate for us for breakfast. I lucked out by finding the rest of the egg casserole Micha had made a couple days ago before he'd left for his latest mission. Setting the dish in the microwave, I nuked it for several minutes before taking the two plates to the table and putting in a couple slices of toast for each of us. By the time Bree joined me, breakfast was on the table and ready to eat.

Bree plopped into her chair at the table and dug into the casserole before taking a bite of the toast. "I saw on CNN that a group of hostages was rescued. They said that one member of the American team that rescued them was injured."

I stilled and my gaze went to Bree. "Micha said it might be a few days before we heard from him. I know it's hard to wait, but he's good at what he does."

Bree nodded. "I know."

From her bent head, I knew what the problem was. I laid my hand on top of her small ones and said, "You had another dream, didn't you?"

Bree nodded but said no more.

I squeezed her hands with mine and said, "You want to tell me about it?"

Bree shrugged. "I had a dream that someone came to the house to tell us Micha was hurt and needed us to go to him. We went, but it was a trap, and they held us to get the man Micha works for."

I bit my lip and made a decision. "I'm going to get you excused from school today, and we're going to drive into Trenton. Go pack a bag for a few days, and we'll get going."

Bree looked up and our eyes locked. She nodded. "Don't answer the door, Steph."

I nodded and we both got a move on. I hurried to my own bedroom and threw some clothes into a couple of suitcases. Ten minutes later, Bree and I met back in the kitchen. I took a deep breath and opened the door to the garage as there was a knock on the front door. Bree and I looked at each other and then hurried into the garage. I unlocked the car and told Bree to get in as I started tossing the luggage into the back seat. I was tossing the last suitcase in when there was a shot, and then I felt something hit my ass; it stung like a son of a bitch. I finished tossing the suitcase into the car and shut the door. I felt another sting to my left arm near the shoulder, and then I heard the sound of gunfire. I crawled into the driver's seat and felt myself being tugged. That was my last conscious thought as I lost the battle with darkness.

Bree's POV:

I managed to get Stephanie into the passenger seat and slipped into the driver's seat. Good thing Micha was overly cautious and demanded that I know how to fire a gun as well as drive. I think I might have hit at least one of the guys that were after us, but I couldn't be sure. I started the car and hit the remote to open the garage door. I floored the gas pedal and wheeled us around in a one-eighty so we were facing the way I wanted to go. I knew where Stephanie was planning for us to go. Micha had warned us that if anything ever happened to him, we would need to go to his boss in Trenton, New Jersey. With the way Stephanie felt about going back there, only something drastic would make her go.

I fired at the car I knew belonged to the men who were after us, taking time to shoot out their tires so they wouldn't be able to follow us. However, we still had to get to Trenton. I made sure to keep us under the speed limit, but at the same time, I didn't waste any time. Stephanie had taken at least two bullets, if not more, and we needed to get her immediate care. When we reached the outskirts of Trenton, I noticed the extra patrols and remembered the heavy Jersey accent of one of the men as they told us they needed us to come with them so we would be safe. I carefully drove through the city till I reached our destination. Pulling into the entrance of the garage, I bit my lip and floored the gas pedal, ducking down so when we broke through the barrier, I wouldn't get hurt. We managed to go a few extra feet, and then the crunch of metal on metal told me we had run head-on into another car. I just hoped the owner of said car was an understanding kind of guy.

I had no more than turned the car off and pulled out the key when the door was wrenched open and I was hauled out by the most handsome male I had ever seen. He was six feet tall, with a nicely muscled build and a possible Cuban/Latin American heritage. His deep brown eyes were like narrowed shards of glass as his gaze bored into me. He paused when he got a good look at me, and I wiggled to get down, but he held me easily. In desperation, I kicked out at him, only to find myself slammed against the car gently.

He growled, "Who the hell are you and why did you break into my building?"

I opened my mouth to say something, only nothing would come out. Just then, Stephanie moaned in the passenger seat, and I tried to turn to her. He refused to let me go, and I struck out. "Please. She's been shot."

The man holding me moved us away from the car, and one of the men climbed inside, only to back out and tell my captor, "She's got a bullet in the ass and one in the shoulder. We need to get her to the treatment room. My guess is she's lost some blood and is shocky."

My captor nodded and handed me off to another man that had him beat in the height department. This guy had some of the same Latin American characteristics as the one who'd pulled me out of the car, but this guy was a good three inches taller and had "lady killer" written all over him. I got a funny, warm feeling inside just being near him. Although he set me on my feet, he was alert and held my hands in such a way, there would be no way I could attack him. When I saw them take Stephanie out of the car, I started to shake. The man now keeping me captive motioned someone, and suddenly, there was a blanket around me. We entered the elevator and were then taken to a treatment room three floors up. I was taken to another room and allowed to sit down.

The man who pulled me out of the car came into the room and studied me for several moments before saying, "You remind me of someone. What's your name?"

I raised an eyebrow and gave him a blank stare. His eyes narrowed and he leaned down toward me, bringing us closer together. "You'll find things go much easier when I get what I want, sweetheart."

I bit my lip before tilting my chin up and saying, "Micha told Stephanie to come here if there was ever trouble."

Just like that, the tension in the room was palpable.

"What's Micha to you?"

I couldn't control the tears that burned the backs of my eyes, and my voice was barely above a whisper when I answered, "My brother. We were getting into the car to come here, and the men broke in and opened fire."

His eyes narrowed. "And you drove all the way here?"

I nodded. "Will Stephanie be okay?"

He hesitated before saying, "Bobby's doing all he can. You don't look old enough to drive."

I shrugged. "Micha insisted I learn. I used the gun he had in the car to take out their tires, and I might have gotten one of them with a bullet."

Both of them looked surprised at that.

Again, the man before me asked, "What's your name?"

I hesitated but knew he was somehow on my side. "Bree."

He nodded. "Bree, I'm Ranger." He indicated the taller man. "This is Lester Santos."

"You two are related."

He stilled for a moment, and surprise flickered for a moment before he narrowed his eyes. "What makes you say that?"

I shrugged. "There's a family resemblance."

The two men turned and glanced at each other for a couple seconds before smiling.

The man named Ranger turned back to me and said, "Not many people see the resemblance."

At that moment, the other man entered the room. He was about the same height as Lester, but his coloring was definitely African American, and he had dreadlocks in his hair. He was just as muscular as the other two. He spoke to Ranger. "I got the bullets out and have her hooked up to an I.V. Should I call for an ambulance?"

Ranger shook his head. "No. They'll stay here. It seems Micha's last radio message has some merit to it." Ranger turned to me and ordered, "You need to let Bobby check to make sure you didn't get hurt with that crazy stunt you pulled."

"I'm fine."

Ranger gave me a half smile and leaned forward. "I wasn't suggesting, Sweetheart. You will let Bobby check you over."

I rolled my eyes and sighed. "Fine!"

Bobby didn't seem to like the idea any more than I did. He checked me out and declared that I was good to go.

Ranger nodded and then said, "I'm putting them in the apartment down here. That way you can keep an eye on them until we get this all settled."

Bobby's eyes grew wide, but he remained silent.

I didn't say a word, but I was thinking this Ranger guy had a lot to learn once Stephanie came around. I couldn't wait to see the fireworks.

Ranger's POV:

I woke at 0500 and slipped into my workout clothes before heading down to the gym. Pushing myself, I added another mile on the treadmill and increased each of the weight machines by fifty pounds. Although I was feeling the pull to my muscles after my workout, I was secretly pleased that I had managed to do the same workout I had been doing before going on the Fubared mission eight months before. I'd been lucky to get out with just a few bullet wounds. I had worked hard the past eight months, and to finally be able to accomplish the workout I'd been doing before being injured was a sign that I had totally healed. I headed back to the penthouse to shower and change, and even though I was moving slower, I knew I would be able to keep this workout going till it was like second nature. I fobbed my way into my penthouse apartment and noticed my Aunt Ella, who was also my housekeeper, emerging from the kitchen.

Ella smiled and said, "I left your breakfast on the table, Ricardo. How are you doing today?"

I grinned, kissed Tia Ella's cheek, and replied, "I'm back to normal."

She hugged me close and said, "I'm happy for that. Now, if you told me you were done with missions, I would be even happier."

I chuckled. "I'm not ready to declare that just yet."

She pulled back to look at me with a worried frown. "I worry for you, Ricardo. My friend Angelina tells me she sees a dark cloud coming soon. I know it is the missions you go on."

"I promise you I will be careful."

She tightened her arms around me, and I felt like I had been hit with a sledgehammer when I saw the sheen of tears on her cheeks. I enfolded her in my arms and hugged her close as I whispered words of comfort in Spanish. Finally, she nodded and moved from my arms to hurry out the door. I sighed as I watched her go, knowing that although she said she understood, she was still deeply affected by my decision. As much as I loved my aunt, I couldn't stop being who I was, even for her. Moving to the bedroom, I stripped down as I continued on into the bathroom to shower. Once I had washed my hair and soaped my body, I turned off the water and stepped from the shower with a towel wrapped around my hips. I grabbed my usual outfit of black cargos and a black, fitted T-shirt, quickly dressing for the day. I added my utility belt and weapons before I brushed my hair back and fastened it into a ponytail. When lose, my hair reached my shoulder blades, but I liked to keep it back in the ponytail, especially when working.

I made my way into the kitchen and sat down where Ella had set up the plates for my breakfast. I smiled as I removed the lids from all of my favorite dishes: a multigrain bagel with lox, a dish of yogurt with granola and fresh blueberries, and a pureed fruit smoothie. Finishing within the allotted time, I took my dishes to the sink before grabbing my keys and fob. I headed for the stairs and quickly made my way to the fifth floor where my office was located. The fifth floor was actually the hub of activity at Rangeman. Lester and Tank had offices there, and the communication room, break room and the men's cubicles were all located on that floor, as well. We always had two men on monitors in the comm room, where they monitored all the Rangeman accounts. At any given time, there were between four and ten men at their cubicles running searches or working on specifications for the varied security programs we ran for our clients. The only one from my core team that didn't have an office on the fifth floor was Bobby, and his office was adjacent to his treatment rooms for obvious reasons.

I had worked long and hard to get my business off the ground. The major funding for it had come from those missions my Tia Ella wanted me to give up. Although I had to admit that I currently had more money than I could ever spend in a hundred lifetimes, I still got a rush from doing those missions and wasn't willing to give up my adrenaline rush just yet. Tank, Bobby, and Lester shared that addiction with me. I made sure we were never gone at the same time, and either Tank or I were here to run the company, and we took turns partnering with Bobby and Lester so there would always be a backup for us each if we needed it.

When I left the Ranger's, I vetted several of the men I had been on missions with and offered the best of the best jobs at Rangeman. Of course, I didn't limit myself to just the men who were good at their jobs and on the right side of the law. As long as the men's actions were morally right, I was okay with the gray area of the law. After all…sometimes what was morally right wasn't always exactly legal. I had an ace electronics genius because of such beliefs. Hector had been a major gang figure that I'd lucked upon while dealing with a delicate matter. I'd found him to be a morally upright guy and offered him a job if he ever decided to leave the gang. Lucky for me, he'd taken me up on the job. I wasn't a hundred percent sure exactly what Hector had done in order for the gang to agree to leave him alone, but there had been a rash of deaths of gang leaders within the two weeks before Hector came and accepted the job, assuring me the gang wouldn't be a problem.

My inner circle of guys included the men I most trusted. It wasn't just the Rangers that I pilfered when I was searching for men to place in my company. Hal, Cal, Zip, Zero, and Junior had been Navy Seals, and as soon as I met them, I wanted them for my team. From the Air Force, I'd found Woody, Manny, and Brett. The Marines—or rather, Delta Force—had produced men like Ram, Vince, Binkie, Diaz, Eric, and Bones. Rodriguez had been a Navy Seal before going into Naval Intelligence. In many ways, I had the crème de la crème of all the branches of the service. These men, I trusted with my life. My newest hire had come on board about six months before in the form of Micha Taylor. He was one of the best pilots I had ever seen. As a matter of fact, he'd been the pilot that had saved my team during the last mission I'd been on. He had gotten our crew out of a pretty tight spot, and I'd wanted him on my team. From a professional standpoint, I knew everything there was to know about Micha. As far as his personal life, he was somewhat of a clam and hadn't said much. I knew he was gay, and that made no difference in my opinion. Although, I had to admit that the guys enjoyed the heated arguments Micha and Hector got into as they danced around each other, and there was a bet going to see how long before they were doing the horizontal tango.

I made my way to my office and went to work on the security specs I was working on for a couple of new clients. I had mostly finished when the alarm sounded and there was a flashing red light that warned there had been a breach. I exited my office quickly, and as I headed for the stairs, I heard Brett say the breach was in the garage. I lifted a hand to indicate I'd received the message and hit the stairwell door running. I knew without turning around that Tank, Lester, and Bobby were right behind me, and at a guess, I would say Ram, Vince, Woody, Binkie, Junior, Manny, Cal, Hal, and Hector weren't far behind. I flung open the door leading to the garage and saw a vintage Mustang had hit my Porsche Turbo 911 head-on. Damn! I had just broken that car in the way I wanted, too.

I stalked over to the offending car, ripped the driver's side door open, and reached in and hauled out the driver. Although I let nothing show, I was stunned at the child I had pulled out of the car. Hell! This kid wasn't much older than my own daughter, Julie, who just turned ten this year. Although I didn't show any change in manner, I couldn't help but temper my actions. When I found out she was Micha's sister, I realized the message we had received from Micha when he reached the hospital in Germany was in fact the real deal and I needed to look into sending in a team to get my men out of there before someone got the idea they could use them to force my hand. Although I knew Bobby wouldn't be happy with the task, I put him in charge of keeping an eye on the two females that had crashed into our world.

Thank you for reading and I hope you decide to join me for this new ride. I look forward to hearing your reviews. I welcome constructive criticism.