All familiar characters are Janet's. Thanks again, ShellSueD, for sharing who would inspire Monroe. Thank you, MamaJoyce, for sharing your idea for what Ranger and Tank would consider a fun weekend ... you'll see I decided to save 'the best' for part 2. And thanks to everyone who encouraged a continuation of Monroe's story.

Chapter 2

Tank's POV

"What's with the mood?" I asked.

Today's been planned annually for the last thirty seven years, and Stephanie seemed genuinely excited to be attending this year's competition, but the way her eyebrows, lips, and shoulders, appear to be drooping downwards, led me to believe she isn't particularly happy this morning.

"Our new roommate has taken it upon himself to guard our bedroom door every night," Ranger explained. "Steph finds the sentiment sweet, but his presence intrusive."

Judging from the way Steph's face began turning pink, his answer wasn't appreciated.

"I can literally feel him on the other side of the not-nearly-thick-enough wood. It's distracting."

I glanced down at the mass of canine muscle all but glued to the side of her leg. I tossed him a chunk of jerky I had stashed in my front pocket just so he remembers that I'm not the enemy.

"So we have you to thank if the Boss accidentally kills someone or many ones over the next three days?" I asked Monroe.

"Ranger is going to kick major butt for like the fifteenth-year in a row," Steph answered for her mutt, "but he won't be killing anyone. I promise, he's totally relaxed and feeling very satisfied with his life this morning."

"I'm surprised you'd share that particular information, Babe."

"I wouldn't normally, but Tank feels comfortable discussing my stomach's influence over on you, so it's only fair that I embarrass him by admitting Monroe makes me self-conscious. But put another door and a running shower between him and us ... and I come alive."

Damn if she wasn't telling the truth about embarrassing the shit out of me. Steph's like a sister to me, and while I like her being and staying alive, I sure as fuck don't want any details about 'coming alive'. An uncomfortable shudder racked my body.

"Tank's looking a little sick ... my work here is done. I'm good to go now."

"You're an evil woman," Ranger told her.

"And you love me for it."

"I do."

"Win this competition again ... and I'll let you say those two words again in front of someone in an official capacity."

My gut tightened and apparently my demeanor changed enough to get Monroe off his ass and up on his feet in alarm.

"Better cover the goods quick, Tank," Santos called from the just-opened stairwell door. "You know how quickly dogs go after balls. What'd you do now to piss off Cujo?"

"Monroe's not a psycho dog," Stephanie told him. "He's a hunk of hound with a heart of gold."

"If his heart's so pure, why's he always giving us the stink eye and a reminder of just how many teeth he has?"

"Hmmm, could be because you're always giving me a hard time. If you haven't noticed, he kinda likes me."

"Happens to the best of us," Santos admitted. "At least Tank's currently the only one almost in need of the jaws of life to get Monroe's to release him."

He's only partially kidding. The dog moved from beside Steph to directly in front of her, still standing and still staring at me. I kept my eyes on her to not trigger him, while keeping his body in my periphery. I swear he's still holding a grudge for me telling Steph that we couldn't take an unknown animal his size home.

"What flipped Monroe's switch?" She asked me.

"You did," I informed her.

"I did not!"

I ignored her denial and cut my eyes to Santos, the only one besides myself and Brown who'll understand my reaction.

"Stephanie just told the Boss that she'll marry him if we win again this year," I told Lester.

His sympathy whistled through his teeth before I'd even finished speaking. "You are sooo fucked, Dude. It's been nice knowing you."

"I know."

"You're typically half-dead after sixty straight hours of play, but shit now ..." Lester continued.

"Can you guys stop speaking in code and tell me what I did wrong this time?" Steph interrupted to ask.

"What's going on?" Bobby asked, somewhat surprised to catch us still in the lobby and not already on the road.

"That's what I'm trying to find or figure out," Steph said to him.

"The 'detective' here just told Ranger she'll marry him if we take home the title again," I answered.

He gave me the same whistle and same look of pity Santos did. "We'll miss you, but do yourself a favor and shoot yourself now."

"I suggest you stop being idiots before Stephanie loses the last of her patience and gets curious to see what Monroe can really do to a human body or two," Ranger warned us.

"Marrying me is a bad thing?" Steph asked us, looking confused as well as a bit hurt.

"No, it's a fucking awesome thing ... for the Boss and for us," Bobby told her.

"But Steph, Ranger is scary-intense under normal circumstances, even when he considers this just a contest for fun. If getting you to be his wife is his prize, Ranger won't be interested in just winning, he's going to want to set new records for himself."

"And since Tank is his partner, whatever Ranger does and at whatever warp speed he does them, Tank is going to have to do to keep up," Lester explained. "If one guys goes down, the team is automatically eliminated."

"I'm damn good, but I'm not Ranger Fucking Manoso," I admitted.

She winced. "Oh shit. I'm so sorry, Tank. I wasn't thinking ... as usual." She looked up at Ranger. "We can table all wedding talk until it's just the two of us around to torture."

"Sorry, Babe. You said it and in front of witnesses. You can't take it back now."

I knew this moment was coming, but I wasn't expecting it to playout seconds before we were set to leave. Though, being who they are, Ranger's proposal and Steph's acceptance were completed in the time it took for him to lift up her left hand and slip a diamond rock of Gibraltar onto her finger. That sums up the differences in us. I had beef jerky stashed in my pocket to bribe the Boerboel, while Ranger had a fucking diamond in his like he was expecting this when there's no way he could've known Steph would add some major incentive for another win.

"So I'm locked into this now?" She asked the Boss.

"Yes."

She smiled and then kissed him. We heard her say "Good to know" into his mouth before he let her go. A round of congratulatory hugs went around between us, Bobby, Lester, plus Gene and Ram who happened to be monitoring the ground floor, and then the group thinned down to just our original four.

"We still have time to stop at Tasty Pastry, right? I'll need to keep up my strength."

"You competing instead of me?" I asked Steph.

"Nope. I'm dumb at times, but I'm not stupid. You need me at my peak to will you guys to win, which means a box of strong coffee and another one full of doughnuts. You know, if you want … I can use the doughnuts on your competition so they'll crash from the sugar all at the same time, keeping you the reigning Best Rangers."

"I appreciate the thought and the sacrifice," Ranger told her, "but these men won't veer from their training routines. I want everyone working at their peak ability so I'll know that I have beat the best of the absolute best. Nothing else will be good enough."

"You do know that you've been good enough from the moment you were born, don't you?" She asked the Boss. "This contest doesn't prove that you're an amazing man, Ranger. What you do for - and bring out in - everybody everyday is what makes you so incredible."

"That's true and shit, but I still wanna win," I told Ranger, in case he needs a solid out instead of coming up with a response to words as heavy as Steph's were.

"We will win again," he promised me, "because we know exactly what we're doing. My opinion of myself is a high one ..."

"No kidding," Steph teased from the seat behind him.

"Funny."

"It was intended to be, but go ahead and finish what you were saying."

"I always intend to excel at everything I do," Ranger continued, "but I've never let that drive define or confine me."

"Spoken like a living legend," I added.

He cut his eyes to me. "Shut up," he ordered.

I was still battling a grin as he pulled into the bakery's parking lot. He shut the engine down and got out easily. Steph had more trouble leaving the vehicle. Her mutt decided he's going with them.

"Sorry, Big Guy. You get to stay here and keep Tank company while I go inside and pick out some food for us."

I'd swear on everything holy that her 'Mufasa' shot me a 'fuck you' look using mostly eyebrow. He turned back to Steph and tried to garner some sympathy by letting loose a pitiful whine while flashing his perfected 'puppy eyes' at her.

"I'd take you inside if I could," Steph reasoned, "but they still make the best doughnuts and I can't risk scaring my supplier beyond letting Ranger escort me in. Remember what I said, Tank probably tastes like bean sprouts, not chicken, so don't get any ideas about nibbling on him while we're gone."

"No matter how many times you make jokes like that, they still aren't amusing," I told her.

"They are to me," she replied before shutting the door.

Ranger stood by the front bumper waiting for her. Her arm was already reaching for him before she cleared the passenger's side door. She wedged her body so tightly under his arm, I could see the tips of her fingers tuck into the front pocket of his cargo pants on the opposite side of his body after she'd circled his waist.

They are a miraculous but disgusting sight. Most days I think their romance should be left in the fiction section of a bookstore. On others … they give me hope. Any hope in me died when I saw Morelli's shitbox roll up while Ranger and Steph were still inside the building.

"I hope you're hungry," I said to the mutt, who had taken Ranger's seat so he could watch for Stephanie's return. "You may get a bitter Italian snack instead of a sweet American pastry."

Monroe glanced briefly over at me, but his stare returned to the door right after. He stood at attention when Ranger pushed the glass door open for Stephanie even with his hands full of things no one else could get away with buying with him on duty.

I could see Steph's body go still when Morelli slithered their way. The indecision that goes into these encounters is tough. Half of me wants to see Ranger do to the asshole everything he's been wanting to do from day one. A quarter of me would love to shoot Joe where he stands from where I'm sitting, though I couldn't put Steph through seeing that. And the other quarter of me would love to publicly humiliate the fucker by scaring the piss out of him.

Since Ranger has more self-control than even I do, I know he won't kill Morelli in front of Steph either, so I decided to tackle a threat using a new angle. Ranger had already put his body between Steph's and the asshole's by the time I released Monroe from the driver's side of the fleet SUV.

Ranger glanced at the dog sidling up to his woman as he shoved the bakery items at me to put in the backseat so he'll have his hands and trigger finger free if he gave into the urge to put both to use.

"You didn't think I could handle this?" He asked me when I returned.

"No question you have the situation under control. I let Monroe loose for my own amusement ... and I'm more amused than I thought I'd be."

Steph was NOT pleased to see Morelli here, and Monroe is definitely not pleased that his human is annoyed. It's refreshing not to be the target of the dog's irritation for once.

"What the fuck is that?" Morelli asked, clearly feeling the heat of a Boerboel stare-down and taking a few steps back accordingly.

If the species can confront and discourage a lion, putting an arrogant idiot in his place is nothing to him. A grin appeared on my face as a direct result of Morelli's question, it being similar to my own and also the ones of more than half of the men at Rangeman.

"Why does everyone keep asking that?" Steph said, frustration making her sound even crankier than she had earlier this morning. "He's a dog. Mine and Ranger's dog to be exact. His name's Monroe and he likes hearing how cute he is, not people questioning what creature he is. He doesn't like it."

"Neither does our Steph in case you're so stupid, you missed her 'shut the fuck up' tone," I helpfully added.

"You tried to get rid of Bob the first chance you got, now you're bragging about owning a dog that spends his days in a gym?"

She glanced through him towards his POS. "Bob eats car seats, like he's ignoring you to do right now. Monroe, on the other hand, lets me curl up between him and Ranger on any seat we're snuggled up on. More importantly, I was tricked into taking Bob while I fought dirty to get and keep Monroe. Maybe if you spent less time trying to cause trouble for me or Ranger, or between us, Bob wouldn't need to destroy - and then eat - everything he sees to get your attention."

"So that's why you insisted our dog come with us? For heat so you won't be cold on the sidelines?" Ranger asked, slipping his arm from Steph's shoulders to around her waist to pull her closer to him.

"Yup. He's a portable heater, pillow, and someone to talk to when you're busy kicking butt, all in one sturdy and cuddly package."

"You leaving town?" Morelli asked her.

"Yep, the four of us for a few days. So you can take a break from trying to catch one of us speeding, or sitting, or eating, or just breathing."

I looked at my watch. The fucker may have all the time in the world to waste, but we've got a plane to get our asses on.

"What's the occasion?"

"You don't wanna know, and we've gotta go," I told him.

"Who'd you kill now? Is there a file on my desk that I should just shred now because you've already disposed of the body in a place the police can't access?"

Steph reacted first, but Monroe was the first one lunging at him.

"Oh shit! Monroe, it's okay. Let the jerk go. He'll give you indigestion if you gnaw on him. I forgot that I can't get mad at anyone with my nugget-buddy on guard."

"You were provoked, Babe. The asshole upset you on purpose, so he can deal with the consequences of his actions."

"I don't care about Joe, I'm worried about Monroe. I've seen what has blown out of Bob's hind end, I'm not willing to see what a chunk of Morelli DNA will do to our dog's innards. He could get infected and become a carrier for some unidentified douchebag disease."

Ranger shifted his hand enough to execute a 'let the fucker live for now' gesture. Monroe immediately let Morelli's jacket sleeve, and likely his arm too, go and went back to Steph who wrapped an arm around both of her protectors. I know she'd put herself between me and a bullet if I were unconscious and couldn't stop her, so I didn't feel left out.

She took a deep breath, trying to keep her calm so we wouldn't get hung up on time by having to dismember Morelli before we leave Trenton.

"I know you have no idea what a real man is or how one behaves, and I should invite you along so you can be surrounded by a bunch of them and maybe get some respect beat into you in the process. But only I get to join my guys at a competition to name this year's "Best Ranger" to cheer Ranger and Tank to yet another victory, because you aren't the best and you sure as hell aren't a Ranger. You sit in your undercover cop car eating pizza and doing waitresses, while guys like Ranger and Tank keep their skills and training up-to-date in case they're needed to protect asses as spoiled and ungrateful as yours is. You don't deserve it, and frankly I don't deserve them, but they know I appreciate every single one of them."

If I drank, I'd be holding up a glass saluting her. She made a clicking sound with her tongue and got Monroe up and pointed in the direction of me and our vehicle. But after she took only a step, she stopped and looked back at the asshole to deliver the killshot.

"Oh ... and I forgot the best part of the contest you wouldn't survive let alone win, I'm part of Ranger's prize this year. I told him I'd marry him right after he wins, and he put a ring on me less than a beat later." She held up her left hand to blind him now that the sun is high enough to reflect off the diamond. "You could say Monroe is also coming along to act as my engagement ring's bodyguard."

"And also to make sure no one approaches you who shouldn't while Tank and I are busy," Ranger added. "If you come near Stephanie again, Morelli, Monroe eviscerating you will be the least of your worries or your pain. Your body will be the one the cops won't be able to find."

"My hero," Steph said, giving him an appreciative hug before we left the detective in our dust.

"Not yet, Babe, but it's coming when I cross that finish line again."

To Be Continued ...