~ ~ Previously ~ ~

Without another word, Morelli pulled his keys from his pocket and worked her key off his key ring. He set the key on the counter and went to the door.

As his hand touched the door knob, Stephanie said, "Give Cathy my regrets."

Without turning around, he nodded, then left, closing the door behind him.

Stephanie stood where she was for a few moments after that, then burst into tears and collapsed into the nearest chair.

Chapter 5 - Saturday Morning Part 1

Soft warm kisses drifted across the nape of her neck. Lightly calloused fingers first pushed her hair aside, then skimmed down her arm before sliding under it. His hand cupped her breast. Clever fingers deftly plucked her nipple, sending waves of desire straight through her. She clenched her thighs together, putting pressure where she needed it to heighten the sensation. She lay on her side, the heat of his body behind her, the faint scent of Bulgari lingering in the air. It wasn't enough to feel his strong hands on her flesh. She needed to see him, to touch him, to put her lips to his. She rolled toward him.

"Oof!"

Stephanie opened her eyes, not to the glorious sight of Ranger in her bed, but to a closeup view of the carpet next to her couch. She blinked in confusion as she gathered her wits. Well, shoot. Too bad she hadn't finished the dream. She was half inclined to slide her hand down her sweatpants but the tingles from the dream were already fading.

She turned her head from side to side to stretch the muscles in her neck. Huh. She plucked a blue scrunchy from underneath the couch. So that's where it went. She really needed to vacuum. Eventually.

She did a half push-up and clambered awkwardly up off the floor. The coffee table was littered with the remains of last night's comfort food binge. She remembered putting one of the subs in the fridge for later. The wrapper from the other one was crumpled on top of the pizza box. An empty carton of Ben & Jerry's with a spoon sticking out was next to it. One mostly full and three empty bottles of beer were scattered around the table. A small box of tissues was surrounded by the sodden remains of its contents.

Sighing, she opened the pizza box and peeked inside. Two slices left. Yay, breakfast! She checked her watch. Okay, more like late brunch or early lunch. While the pizza heated in the microwave, she cleaned up the living room.

After Joe left, and she finally stopped crying from the intensity of the confrontation, Stephanie meant to take an emotional inventory like the books suggested. Instead, she found herself taking big swallows of Joe's beer in between fresh sobs. That turned into an evening spent sad and depressed which led to crying, eating, and watching Ghostbusters. One or all of those activities had given her a headache. Eventually, she must have fallen asleep on the couch.

Her laptop was already on the table in the kitchen. She set the plate of Brunch à la Pino's next to it and powered it on. Breaking up with Joe was the right call. So why was she so upset about it? It didn't mean she'd cave again and go back, did it? Well, assuming he would want her back which seemed doubtful. And she really didn't want to go back. So what was all the crying about?

There was something on one of the sites that Sharon had recommended to Moira, wasn't there? It only took her a few minutes to find it, even typing with one hand and nibbling pizza with the other. Ah! There it was. She was relieved to read that the grief she was experiencing was common, a natural part of the process.

A breakup represented loss: of a partner, of stability, of familiarity. The loss of any of those would be enough to trigger the grief. No matter how much it was desired, a breakup was stressful because stability and familiarity were replaced with uncertainty. The unknown is a scary thing to face. It was reassuring to learn that her response was normal and not an indicator that she'd end up back where she started.

Besides, if she did find herself starting to backslide, she could always "put on" her best Wonder Woman imitation. Wonder Woman wouldn't backslide. She was strong and bold and her makeup was always just right. Bet she didn't need mascara for courage.

Now that Stephanie wasn't heading off to Atlantic City, maybe she could take Ranger up on his offer to go to Newark. She pulled out her phone. Three times she brought up his number. Three times she didn't even get as far as a dial tone before chickening out. Crap.

What was she going to say now? "I broke up with Joe. Again. And unlike every single other time I've said that, this time I really REALLY mean it. Again." He'd just console her like he did the other day, telling her not to worry, that they'd be back together before long. Again. And he'd say that because that's what she'd done before. Every. Single. Damn. Time.

And was this really a conversation she wanted to have on the phone? Yeah, sure, she had chickened out Wednesday in person but that was before she'd done the hardest part and talked to Joe. she glanced down at the phone in her hand, trying to imagine how the conversation would go. In her head, the talk went way worse, way faster than it had last time.

Okay. To do this right, it wasn't enough to hear Ranger's tone of voice. She needed to see Ranger, see his expression or lack of one. See how he moved, or even if he moved because Ranger had several different kinds of stillness depending on the situation.

There was the zen-like version he used on a stakeout when he was prepared for a couple of hours of not moving. The imminent carnage version was right before he sprang into action against the bad guys who, frankly, were doomed the moment he showed up. She was rather fond of the imminent carnal where his body hovered just barely off hers and the sexual tension between them was off the charts and it was hard to say exactly how the moment would end. There were two kinds of surprised stillness. One was for good surprises like when Stephanie showed up at his apartment. The other was for bad surprises like when the two of them were heading toward imminent carnal and his phone rang with a number that he had to answer.

All of those states of stillness sounded the same over the phone so she really needed to watch his body language.

Mmmmmm … Ranger's body. Her mind went back to the dream that had woken her. That dream might have been a fantasy but it was based in reality. She knew exactly what it felt like to have him touch her, hold her, seduce her. Love her. Their stay in Hawaii filled her thoughts. It was like heaven. Like they were in a world of their own with no bonds office, no Burg, and no interruptions. She could be herself with him.

And Ranger? She'd never seen him so relaxed. His every smile, his every laugh touched her heart. Yeah, he was always alert and there were still two guns and a knife on his person at any given moment, but that was part of who he was and what he did. She was so accustomed to it that it barely registered anymore. It was part of getting dressed or, even better, getting undressed as they made love.

Now that she'd had a taste of what it was like for Ranger and her to be a couple, it was torture to go without him. She'd had a glimpse behind the mask that Ranger showed to the world. He honored her by showing her Carlos, the man. The soft gaze, the gentle smile - those were for her alone. The constant delicate touching - his hand on her back, an arm on her shoulder, a caress to the neck. She sighed with happiness at the memory.

Those days in Hawaii felt so natural and so real that she'd forgotten it wasn't until Morelli blew in like a fart in an elevator and ruined everything.

She found herself comparing the two men as lovers, something she'd never done before. Somehow it seemed … rude? Impolite? Whatever. God knows she never wanted Joe comparing her to Terri or to Joyce, or for Ranger to compare her to, well, anyone else. She was secure enough to admit she was insecure about how she'd measure up. At least with Ranger and Joe, both men were skilled so it was a more even comparison. But there were differences not just in the, ah, activities favored by each but in the techniques and execution.

Joe was a man of experience who was good at satisfying his partner sexually and knew it. Even if she hadn't been aware of his history as a guy who was popular in high school and beyond, Stephanie would have been able to tell just by the confidence he showed in the bedroom. But … it was sex. It was good sex, but it was just sex. Hell, he even called it "sweaty, balls to the wall, gorilla sex" which was about the least appealing thing she'd ever heard. It was an animalistic and functional description which made her think of badly filmed, low-budget, amateur porn.

Ranger, on the other hand … mmmm … Ranger's hands. Wait. Focus, Stephanie. Stop getting distracted by thoughts of naked Ranger. Would Wonder Woman get sidetracked by … you know what? She probably would. Ranger was hot enough to tempt anyone, even a superhero. He was handsome and well-built and exuded the promise of sensual delights. And boy howdy could he make good on those promises.

Ranger was even more skilled than Joe and he had a way of knowing exactly what she needed. Every touch was exquisite. Every kiss, sublime. There was a passion and a reverence that she'd never felt with anyone else. He might not say the words to her, but he made love.

Holy shit. Ranger makes love to her. Frantically, she pulled up the website from earlier. Where is it? Something about languages or signs? There. Love languages. Five different ways of expressing and receiving love. Skimming the page Stephanie realized that he did them all with her.

Words of affirmation, like when Ranger said "Proud of you, Babe" or "You can do it." Quality time, like the way he always answered her call or text unless it was physically impossible for him to do so. Acts of service, like every time he showed up to help her when she needed it, no matter how inconvenient the timing was for him. Gifts, like the many times he gave her cars or brought The Cure. And lastly, physical touch, like his hand on her back as they walked together, or the sweet way he would gently tuck a wayward curl behind her ear.

Gobsmacked, she sat there staring at the screen. Ranger wasn't much for chatting. He was a man of action and he'd been telling her almost every day for years that he loved her. Really loved her. Forget the "not relationship material" or the not a ring but a condom remarks. Clearly what he said and what he felt were too different things. She would go to him today and clear this all up before she lost her nerve.

She powered off the laptop then put her plate in the sink. Rex got a quick hello and some crunchies then Stephanie headed down the hallway. She would go to Haywood for that in-person talk but first she needed to shower and get dressed up. The shower part was easy but it took her awhile to figure out the rest. She wasn't sure how dressy or casual she should be.

Eventually, she decided on dark blue dress slacks, a silvery-blue cap-sleeved blouse, and medium heels. Hopefully, whatever Ranger's family had planned for his birthday would be inside. Anything outside in mid-August would be kind of crazy. Her hair was in a ponytail with the blue scrunchy she'd found under the couch. There was no way she was going without make up but she kept it light except for the mascara. She needed three coats of that for a bit of courage.

When she pulled into the garage at Rangeman, she saw that his Porsche was gone. Crap. She pulled into her parking spot and sat for a moment leaving the engine running. What now? Did that mean he was already on his way to Newark? Or was he out on a call and expected back? Sitting here wouldn't give her any answers. She shut off the car, grabbed her purse, and headed up to the 5th floor control room.

She stepped off the elevator to a chorus of greetings from the weekend day shift. She waved at the fellows in return.

"Definitely living up to your nickname, Beautiful." Lester gave her a big smile from the center of the room where he was standing near the monitors.

He was holding a few pieces of paper in one hand and had a pen in the other. Instead of the usual Rangeman black uniform of boots, polo shirt, and cargo pants, he was in faded blue jeans, a short sleeved olive green shirt, and brown boots. The shirt was untucked and she assumed that, like always, he had at least three weapons stashed around his person.

"Hey, Lester. Do you, um … Is … Do you know …" She approached him intending to ask about Ranger. Now that she was here, in Haywood, her earlier resolve was fading and her nerves were starting to get the better of her.

Lester looked at her appraisingly. Stepping up next to her, he put the hand with the pen against her lower back and guided her into his office. Once there, he closed the door, put the paper and pen on the desk and pulled her in for a hug.

She resisted for a second then melted into it, putting her head on his chest and her arms around his waist.

Lester was tied with Hector when it came to great hugs. Plus, like Ranger, they both murmured softly to her in Spanish which she always found soothing. They shared the number two spot on the List of Great Huggers, right below Ranger.

She exhaled slowly, letting the tension out and feeling calm return as his big hand rubbed circles on her back. She lifted her head up but didn't let go. "Thanks, but what was that for?"

"You looked like you needed that." He gave her a quick kiss to the forehead then released her. "What's my dumbass cousin done now?"

She grimaced and looked away. "It's not him. It's me. I think I hurt his feelings."

"Now you have to tell me everything." He waved a hand at the two guest chairs in front of his desk. "Pick a spot."

Once they were seated, Stephanie filled him in. Haltingly at first, she told him about getting steamrolled by Morelli into attending Cathy's party. Then about bringing Ranger a Batman cupcake on his birthday and his invitation to his parent's place today.

Lester gave her a bright smile. "That's great! You'll really like Tia Reyna and Tio Rico. I don't know if all of the family will be there, but –"

She shook her head. "I'm not going."

Taken aback, Lester said, "What? Why not?"

Stephanie felt like an idiot as she explained the whole speaking out loud debacle.

"Ah. That explains why Carlos has been … preoccupied the last couple of days." Lester slumped in his chair. His expression seemed guarded but at least his blank face wasn't in place. "So, are you headed to Atlantic City once you leave here?"

She blew out a breath and gripped the arms of the chair to brace herself for the next part. "Lester, I need to tell you what I've been doing the last couple of weeks and what happened with Joe last night."

Lester sat forward, looking concerned when she said that last bit. "Do I need to kill him? Or just rough him up?"

"I'm okay, Lester," she hurriedly assured him. "Nothing bad happened. I just … wised up. For good. Ranger doesn't know any of this yet. It's what I was coming here to talk to him about."

Keeping it as brief as possible, she told him everything starting with the counselor from the women's shelter to her confrontation last night with Joe. At some point she had started crying again, though not nearly as hard, so Lester got the box of tissues from the credenza behind his desk.

By the time she finished, there was a small pile of damp tissues in her lap and more clutched in her hands. Lester had pulled his chair right next to hers and was treating her to the seated version of his comforting hug, rocking her gently until she regained her composure.

Sitting back, he said, "Here's the plan. I just need a couple of minutes to finish up the paperwork on that high-dollar skip we picked up last night. While I do that, you head to the restroom to freshen up your make-up."

"How do you know I have it with me?" she challenged him. "Maybe I have to go home for that."

He laughed. "Beautiful, that purse is so big you could fit Macy's entire makeup department in there and still have room left over."

Stephanie shrugged, conceding the point. "Okay, then what?"

"Ranger left early. He kept talking about owls for the past couple of days and this morning he said he had to get them off the ground? Something about them crashing the other day?" Lester sounded unsure. "I guess maybe he's working with a wildlife rehab or something. I mean, Tank fosters kittens for a local rescue so why not Ranger and owls?"

He waved a hand in a moving on gesture. "Anyway, we'll hop in my car and head up to Newark together and meet him there. Between my mama and his, you'll have the best Cuban food in the state of New Jersey. And wait until you taste the cake. It's Tia Reyna's famous Tres Leches layer cake."

At first, Stephanie balked, worried that Ranger or his parents would be mad at her for just showing up unexpectedly. Then she worried about a ride back. And not having a gift. Lester smoothed over her objections, hustling her off to the bathroom, saying they needed to get started on Project Reunite True Love.

Sooner than she expected, they were driving through a very nice suburb of Newark. Despite all of the turns, Lester knew the way without checking GPS. After one more left turn, he drove slowly for two blocks then pulled into one of the few open parking spots in this part of the street. As he opened her door, he pointed not to the house they were in front of but to the large house next door. It had a two car garage with the doors down. The driveway had two cars in it and the street in front of it was full of parked cars. One of the cars was Ranger's Porsche.

How many people would be here? Oh my god, she thought, am I going to meet his whole family right now? When I don't even know if he wants me here? What if they hate me for upsetting him?

As they mounted the three steps to the front door, her heart was racing and her breathing was ragged. Lester knocked once then opened the front door. Apparently he realized her nerves were getting the best of her because as they stepped instead, he put an arm around her and whispered "It's okay, you'll be fine" in her ear.

There were at least a dozen people inside the house. Ranger was with a group near the door. He was handsome in dark blue jeans, a short sleeved bronze-colored shirt, and brown waffle stomper boots. This must be Family Ranger. He looked up just as Lester put his lips to Stephanie's ear, his arm still around her waist. Stephanie caught a glimpse of hurt, surprise, and something else before his blank face slammed into place.

Stephanie had hoped to slip in quietly. Instead, an older woman who was facing the door and looked like she could be Ranger's mother glanced at her and Lester, looked back at Ranger and spoke loudly. "I'm so pleased Stephanie has finally come to the house, Carlos. But why is she with Lester?"

Everyone turned to stare. Stephanie squeaked and felt the warmth of a deep blush cover her face. Lester's arm squeezed her once and she knew he meant it as comfort. Judging by his use of his blank face, she wasn't sure Ranger viewed it as the platonic gesture that it was. Once again, it looked as if the only luck she ever had was bad luck.

Might have to bring out Wonder Woman sooner than she'd hoped in order to get through the next couple of hours.

~ ~ To Be Continued ~ ~

Author's Note ~ ~

We're nearly at the end! There should be one more chapter for them to work out their issues and finally come together.