a/n: Yes! It has finally happened. J.E. has surrendered her characters and I am the person now in control of all of them. It has been a struggle, but they are finally mine. That being said, I have some prime alligator infested swamp land and a bridge that are up for sale. If there are any interested parties please let me know.

Not mine except in my dreams. You know the drill.

A Birthday To Remember

Ranger's POV:

I waited impatiently for the all clear sign so I could collect my gear and get off the plane. I was anxious to see Stephanie. I'd gotten a call from Tank as we neared Newark Airport that her latest POS car had gone off the grid. At this moment they were trying to track her using the trackers we had on her person. The only thing wrong with that is the fact that all the trackers were going in different directions. No one had a visual on her yet and I was getting more anxious the longer it took. This wouldn't be the first time she'd gone off the grid. I hated to think of the last time. I'd had to pull a little old lady down to her office at gunpoint. I'd do the same again if that's what it took.

Finally, we were allowed to disembark. I collected my bags and made my way to the entrance where I knew there would be a black vehicle waiting for me. For Tank's sake it better be something with speed. As I walked out the front entrance of the airport I relaxed minutely as I saw the 911 Turbo sitting there. I collected the keys from the man standing beside it and 70 minutes later I was on the outskirts of Trenton. I pulled my cell out and put a call into Tank.

"Yo."

"Any word yet?"

There was a pause, as if he were checking. Then, "Not a word Rangeman. We have no clue where our girl is."

I was pissed and trying hard to rein it in. I knew they were trying their hardest to find her…then I heard a laugh in the background. Or were they trying their hardest to find her? I couldn't picture the guys joking around if Stephanie was in trouble. They loved her as much as I did. I took a deep breath and fought for control before saying, "Is she in trouble? Because if she's in trouble and you guys are joking around, it won't be pretty. If she's not missing and you guys are in on some kind of prank…this one isn't funny and the consequences won't be pretty."

Tank sighed, "She's really missing Rangeman. The problem is that we were helping her with something and then she disappeared for real."

I took a breath and tried to rein in my temper. I didn't explode often, but when I did it was deadly. "Explain."

"She was planning a surprise and so we helped her so it wouldn't show when you looked at the log. It's not gone permanently, but it is time locked. The only problem is that while we were doing that, she disappeared for real and the trackers started going in all different directions. We've tracked them all down but two."

"Meet me in the garage." I paused, "You know the consequences if she's hurt?"

"We know boss man."

I pulled into the garage and Tank, Lester, Bobby, Hector, Ram, Cal, Binkie, Vince, Woody, Hal, Zip, Zero, and Junior were all waiting there. I strode over to them and nailed them with an icy look. Tank gave me the two addresses and we decided to split up and check them out. Tank, Bobby, Lester, Hector and I took Morelli's address and the rest of the guys took the funeral home. I prayed she didn't have another crazy that had her at the funeral home. She already had issues because of what Stiva did to her.

It took us 5 minutes to make Morelli's. I pulled into the curb and had my door open before the car had come to a stop. There was a gun shot in the house and we fanned out. I went in the front door with my gun in my hand. When the figure in front of me turned, aiming an automatic weapon at me I didn't hesitate to shoot. One clear shot between the eyes and the body was falling. I heard the sound of muffled voices and felt the tingling on the back of my neck. Slowly I moved forward and when I got to the doorway leading to the front room, I looked in the mirror across from the entry way to see two more gunmen holding Morelli and Babe at gunpoint. They had masks over their heads so I couldn't see who they were. Both Morelli and Babe had their hands behind their backs and their mouths taped.

I peeked around the door and caught Babe's eye. She moved her head to somewhere out of view and I held up a finger. She shook her head no and I held up two fingers. She shook her head again and I held up three fingers. She nodded and I knew there were three gunmen I couldn't see. I pulled out my phone and texted Tank. I told him on the count of three to move in. I held up three fingers to Babe and she nodded. Her foot moved over and bumped Morelli's three times. He nodded and I started my count. On the count of three, I dove into the room and rolled, shooting at first one gunmen then another. There were other shots fired so I knew the rest of the men were in the action as well.

When the gunfire ended, there were 6 masked bodies on the floor. I quickly checked to make sure none of my men or Babe were hit then I went and released her hands and gently removed the tape from her mouth. She wrapped her arms around me and I felt her tears on my shoulder. She was shaking and I found myself rubbing her back and whispering to her in Spanish. Finally, she quieted and I turned to Morelli and asked, "What the hell happened?"

He sighed, "Stephanie asked me to help her with your surprise and when I met her at Pino's we were jumped by this group and brought here."

"They make any demands?"

"No. They said this was going to be a lesson for both of us. I have no clue what they were talking about."

My eyes narrowed, "You piss anyone off lately?"

Morelli shrugged. "I just got back from an undercover assignment. I was dealing with the Hamston Family."

Hector turned to me at that and started rambling off in Spanish. What he said had my blood running cold. Apparently the Hamston Family was more vindictive than my worst enemy. Hector agreed to take Joe to the police station so he could talk with his Captain about a safe house. Then Hector was going to deliver a message to the Hamston's from me. I had my arm around Babe as we made our way out to the Porsche and I helped her into her seat. We headed back to Haywood. Tank, Lester, and Bobby were right behind us. Tank called to let the other group know we had Stephanie. By the time we pulled into Haywood they were all sitting in the garage waiting for our arrival.

I helped Babe out of the car and she wrapped her arms around me. "I was so scared. I thought they were after you. I thought it was one of your enemies that wanted to use me to ambush you. But they were after Morelli."

"I've got you Babe. No one is going to hurt you on my watch."

"It's partly my fault. I wanted to surprise you so I convinced the guys to help me."

"But you kept them in on it to help keep yourself safe. That's all you could do."

She pulled back, "You're not mad at me?"

"No Babe. You were taking your safety seriously and had even asked the guys to help you so you'd still be safe but could still surprise me."

She clung to me again. "They were really scary. I got the impression they won't quit till Morelli is dead."

I nodded, "Hector said the same thing. He's taking a message to them now. Don't worry Babe. This will be over soon."

Once all the guys were sure she was okay and hadn't been physically harmed, they headed up the stairs to the 5th floor. I called the elevator and rode up with her firmly entrenched in my arms. When we got to the penthouse, we made our way to the bedroom. I asked if she wanted a shower and she nodded but said she didn't want to leave me. We stripped down and showered together. Once we dried we crawled into bed and got as close to each other as possible. When she cried out my name I was with her going over the edge. Over and over we enjoyed the pleasure of each other till finally sleep claimed us.

When I woke in the morning I made my way down to the gym and did my usual workout. When I returned to 7 it was to see Babe sitting up looking around. She relaxed when she saw me. We showered together which led to another round in the bedroom and then another shower. This time we dried off and got dressed. I put on my usual black cargos and black t-shirt, socks and boots. Stephanie dressed in an outfit that matched mine exactly. She pulled her hair back into a ponytail and then added some makeup. My eyebrow rose when she added a utility belt and a gun. She grinned and held the gun out for me to inspect. I was further surprised when I found the gun fully loaded.

She went over to the dresser and picked up a package. She handed it to me and said, "Happy Birthday Ranger."

I opened the gift and saw a framed picture of her and Julie. I looked up at her and raised an eyebrow. She grinned, "That was one of the things the guys helped me with. Julie is in town for your birthday. She and Rachel are staying with your parents. They'll be here this evening for the party and then will leave tomorrow. They have their own security entourage with them."

I leaned in and kissed her with more passion than I'd ever felt. Just as it was getting good, the elevator dinged to announce the arrival of Ella with her food cart. She had all my favorite breakfast foods. We sat down and Babe once again surprised me by joining me in my favorites. She said it was my day and it was only fair that she try the dishes that I liked so well. When we finished breakfast, we headed down to 5 because I wanted to know what news Hector had for us. When we exited the elevator on 5, Tank, Lester, Bobby and Hector were standing together talking. They turned when the elevator sounded and I nodded before saying, "Conference room."

I sat Babe beside me in the conference room. I waited for Hector to tell us what he found out. Apparently the Hamston Family had thought Babe was Morelli's girlfriend. When they found out she was actually my woman, Hector said they nearly went into shock realizing the kind of trouble they had called down onto themselves. They weren't happy with the loss of their men, but considered it wiping the slate clean for them having taken something that belonged to me. The head of the family assured Hector they wouldn't be seeking vengeance for their fallen. Hector in turn assured them that if they left me and mine alone, I would consider us quits. We all took a sigh of relief. Although I would certainly have taken a war to them, it was better we could leave it like this. Hector said they were still gunning for Morelli though because he had seduced an 18 year old granddaughter of the head of the family. She was now pregnant with Morelli's child. Knowing that Babe still looked at Morelli as a friend, Hector asked what they were considering just consequences. The family head said that if Morelli was a man and requested the girls hand in marriage, they would let him live. If he ignored the girl and his child, they wouldn't rest till he was taken out.

Stephanie bit her lip and said, "I'd like to warn Joe. He's been a friend for a long time and I'd hate to see anything bad happen to him."

I nodded, "What do you want us to do Babe?"

"I'd like to get that message to him. That if he accepts responsibility and asks the girl to marry him he will be spared, but if he ignores his responsibility, they intend to take him out."

"Do you want to tell him?"

She shook her head. "No. You've handled the situation so I'm not on their radar. I won't jeopardize what you've done for me. Anyone can get him the message."

I smiled. "I appreciate that Babe."

She smiled at me and said, "There is no price I wouldn't pay for you Carlos."

The sound of my name on her lips made the blood pool in my groin. I could see on her face she was aware of it too as my eyes darkened with desire, so did hers. I was vaguely aware of Hector saying he would tell Joe of his options. We both nodded. Sometime after that the guys left and closed the door. I heard Lester snicker as the door locked from the other side. I smiled and pulled Babe into my arms where I made sure she spent a very enjoyable couple hours. When we were once again dressed, we made our way back up to 7 and showered once again. Ella brought us all my favorite foods for lunch and we spent a fulfilling afternoon nibbling on food and each other in equal measures.

After our third shower for the day, we dressed for the evening. Babe had laid out my clothes and when I saw her in the blue dress that barely covered the important areas of her frame, I felt myself harden once again. The dress was backless and she looked stunning in it. She wore 3" heels which put her 2" shorter than me. I was dressed in a black tux with a vest that matched the color of her dress. We made our way down to the garage and I helped her into the Turbo. In no time we were pulling up to Sergiano's, a new Cuban restaurant. I helped her out and wrapped my arm around her as we made our way into the building together. We were shown to a back room and when the doors were open there must have been 100 people inside the room, and they all started singing Happy Birthday. I smiled and pulled Babe fully into my arms before dipping her over my arm and kissing her very thoroughly.

It was the best birthday I can ever remember. All my family, including my daughter and Babe-the two most important people in my life, all my core team as well as many of the others from Rangeman, Mary Lou and Kenny, Lula, Connie, as well as Babe's family and our friends from the community were all there. I was no longer letting my enemies have any control of my life. I no longer lived in fear of them finding me here and using Babe against me. I knew if any of them came, I would meet them head on and take them out any way I needed to. Although I loved Stephanie with every part of my soul, neither of us felt we needed to go through a ceremony to make it legal. We were happy as we were. Both committed fully to the other. Steph had no desire to have children and I already had Julie so didn't feel the need to insist on other offspring. Although her mother wasn't pleased, she'd come around to accept we planned to live our lives the way we wanted so she let it go. The fact that I could provide for Babe and wouldn't be moving in with them was good enough for her dad. Babe's grandma was the happiest because Babe was living the life she wanted to live.

When the presents came out I dutifully opened them and thanked the gift-givers. When I opened the last gift I turned to Babe and raised an eyebrow. She blushed and whispered, "You didn't think I was just giving you a picture did you? And just so you know, this present can be recycled so I better see it in my present box in October."

Now I was curious so I opened the box and lifted the homemade card. I opened it and read what it said. I knew the smile on my face was getting wider by the minute. This was the birthday gift that kept on giving. When I finished I turned to Babe and said, "When do we get to start on this gift?"

She winked at me and said it was my birthday and I got to decide. At that moment Julie came over and threw her arms around me and said, "Happy Birthday daddy. I'm so excited I got to come and be here."

I wrapped my arms around my daughter and said, "This is the best birthday I've ever had Chica."

She giggled and said, "Mom says we have to go now because we have a really early flight in the morning."

"Thanks for coming and making my day special Chica."

Rachel joined us and wished me well. As they left, I turned to Babe and said, "Well, since the first of our guests are leaving, I think that's our cue to head out. After all, apparently we have some driving to do ourselves."

Babe grinned, "I like how you think Carlos."

I moaned. "I love when you say my name Babe."

She slowly slipped her tongue out of her mouth and let it run around her lips. My eyes darkened and I could wait no longer. Apparently we had a hotel room to get to and 12 uninterrupted hours with each other to make each other forget anyone else existed. I couldn't wait to get that hotel room door locked. I stood and pulled Babe up with me. Tank, Lester and Bobby stood in front of us at the door and asked where we were going. I growled and told them if they knew what was good for them they would get out of our way. They laughed but moved all the same. With that Stephanie and I were out the door and I had her in the passenger seat of the Turbo in no time. We reached our destination in record time and not only did we spend the next 12 hours ruining each other for all others, we spent the next three weeks in the hotel room before finally surfacing and heading back to our regular life. As I carried Babe up to the 7th floor, I couldn't get the million dollar grin off my face. This was one birthday that would never be forgotten.

The next morning when we were sitting at the breakfast table, I was eating my lox and bagel and Babe was working her way through pineapple upside down pancakes, a new recipe Ella found, when I heard her gasp. I was instantly on alert and asked, "What is it Babe?"

She handed me the paper and there about a third from the bottom was a picture of Joe Morelli and a young girl. It was a wedding picture. The words under the picture read: Trenton's own Detective Joseph Anthony Morelli married Penelope Hamston at Our Lady Of Christ Church yesterday afternoon. The couple is going to spend two weeks in Niagara Falls before making their home in Greece where the bride's family owns a villa. We'd like to take this opportunity to wish the couple well.

Happy Birthday to Ricardo Carlos Manoso.

This story is complete as is. Hope you enjoyed my tribute to Ranger's birthday. Thanks for reading.

Christi