Hi all, thanks for reading, Long story short ; Due to serious stupidity I lost 9 chapters of this story – and couldn't bring myself to re-write them.

So I copped out and condensed some of the major points into chapter 27.

Now I have the end already written (and saved thankyou very much) so I am a little worried that it doesn't flow and the ending wont make complete sense.

Let me know what you think

thanks

Nine lives

CHAPTER 27

It had been a big, and eventful, very eventful year for me.

Sitting here in the empty church , in the eerie quite that public buildings get when they are empty – like the building itself was use to having hordes of people traipse through it, but now the walls were taking the opportunity to nap. It was a little creepy

But considering the alternatives – I would rather be here.

The sign out the front read: Plum/Morelli Wedding here today

It was actually in less than two hours.

Valerie was at home at my parent's house having her hair and make up done and stressing over all those last minute preparations. Correction Valerie, Angie, Mary-Alice, Valerie's two brides maids, mom, grandma, three cousins, one elderly aunt, the hairdresser, the dressmaker, I lost count after that and snuck out the back. I passed my dad who was hiding in the garage, he smiled at me then turned the other way, so when my mother came looking, and she always did, he could deny seeing me – god I love my dad.

Why didn't I just go home? Good question – because Ric was there. The problem? I was avoiding him. No that's not exactly true either. It wasn't him that I was avoiding it was…no I'm not talking about it I'm avoiding it thankyou very much.

That and all the responsibilities of the maid of honor.

And sitting there in the freaky quite of the church where my sister was about to get married I thought back over my crazy crazy year.

Things went back to normal for a while, well as normal as it ever got. I went back to work for Vinnie, but more and more I found myself working with Rangeman, I suppose it was to be expected when your sleeping with the boss, Dinner with my family once a week. That first dinner that I had talked Ranger into coming to and Valerie had invited Morelli was a new definition of uncomfortable, but we all had survived – barely. Shopping at the mall, donuts from tasty pastry, the odd psycho nutjob stalker – normal.

All was right in the world of Stephanie Plum. I had a job that I enjoyed, I went home to a man I loved every night, my mother was happy, both of her daughters were dating, and no cars had self destructed in my presence in months.

That's not to say that it had all been smooth sailing. Ranger and I had had a few little bumps, nothing major or relationship destroying, just normal couple stuff. It was really impressive actually, considering the emotional minefield that we were negotiating. The first fight that we had, not really a fight – a disagreement. I remember standing in the parking lot behind cluck in a bucket, the dumpster burning in the background, cops, and fireman milling about, a less than happy skip cuffed and swearing sitting by my feet. I saw his new Porsche glide into the lot, purring like a giant kitten. I watched him step from the car and head in my direction, phone to his ear. Nothing unusual there, the man had an empire to run and an information network to stay plugged into – he was always on the phone. When my cell phone started to ring. It was Ranger. He was standing no more that 50 feet from me, but he called to apologise. Neither of us could remember what it was that he was apologising for or what we were arguing about. I subtly kicked the skip by my feet as I stepped over him as I walked towards Ric. We were a breath away from each other when we hung up. He kissed me softly on the lips and whispered "I love you " before slinging his arm across my shoulders and steering me back towards the crime scene.

And ever since then that's the way we have done it. If we ever have a disagreement or don't see eye to eye on something or he has something important to tell me, we do it by phone. There was this one time he called me (on my secure sat phone – I should mention) from the other side of the lounge room to tell me he loves me. It's a little quirky, but fitting – considering this side of our relationship started with a phone call.

The training facility we had been working wasn't quite finished. Primary construction was completed and we had had a few run throughs, got the thumbs up from the boys in camo. What was left was the hiring and training of the full time staff - being on an abandoned military base meant that there wasn't anything else around, which was generally a good thing, but when it came to the day to day running of an operation this size you needed people. Anyhow, it looked like we had at least another month of work ahead of us.

So we packed our bags – again.

It took longer than expected, but it always does, or so Ranger tells me when dealing with the government.

We ended up at the training facility for 3 months.

Don't get me wrong, I loved it out there the wide open spaces, hanging out with the guys, spending time with my very own sex god.

The first time it had taken my lungs some time to adjust to all that fresh air, but now I think I was getting use to it. But all the dust and dry wind and the feeling of isolation was starting to get to me. I was missed the smog and the traffic, the convenience of being to able to buy donuts and chocolate and coffee on almost every corner instead of here where it was almost a full days drive just to get to the local store. The irony of training America's elite military superheros in the skill of urban assault in the middle of nowhere was not lost on me

After three months it was done. The urban assault training facility was now fully staffed and operational. So we packed our bags – again.

But we weren't going home. We were going somewhere much better.

Ranger was taking me to Hawaii

You'd think that I'd be thrilled to be spending a couple of weeks in paradise, but I was a little nervous to say the least,

Our plane touched down in the early hours of the morning, and a limo whisked us away to a 5 star hotel on Waikiki beach. It was glorious; even through my 5 vodka's on the plane haze I could see that. Mila, not short for anything, just Mila was arriving later in the day and we were going to be staying here for a coupe of days before heading over to one of the outer islands where a friend of Ric's had a house.

I don't know what I had been so scared about. Mila was the most amazing kid, who after crash tackling her Dad at the arrivals gate at the airport and wrapped herself around my legs and started talking a mile a minute about her flight how cool it was flying by herself, how happy she was to finally meet me, her best friend Jesse who had a broken arm, how much fun we were all going to have. At this point Ranger had to reminder her to breathe.

He took the opportunity to formerly introduce us

'Babe, meet Mila'

' Mila this is Stephanie'

We both started giggling. And didn't stop for the 2 weeks we spent together.

I thought back over the amazing time we spent in Hawaii with Mila. Especially the day her Dad found her playing with my makeup and they both got worried I would hit the roof, but we all ended up doing each other's makeup. Yep the fearsome Ranger let two girls put make up on him.

The day that we dropped Mila back home in Florida and I got to met Ric's ex wife. The beautiful Ana, the half Russian half American army brat who in an act of teenage defiance married a soldier, but now taught ballet and was happily married to a great guy who worked in human resources for a computer company.

The thought of meeting Ric's family had scared me, but everything had worked out fine.

Mila was a great kid, polite, smart, funny and as cute as hell. Ana, Ric's ex wife was not as scary as I had built her up to be in my mind.

But honest to god meeting his mother - I had been shitting myself.

We pulled up in front of a nice 2-storey house in a nice street; it was nothing flashy, just a nice comfortable family home.

My knees were knocking, Ric held my hand a lead me through the house calling out to his mother. We found her in the garden.

Right. Not what I had expected. What had I expected? Well, a Cuban version of my mother.

Mary Manoso was knee deep in potting mix, hot pink high top converse sneakers, jeans that she had cut off just below her knees and a save the whales green peace t-shirt. She also wasn't Cuban.

Turns out Ric's, dad Carlos was Cuban, but his mom was as American as apple pie. They had met in Florida; Mary had just finished her teaching degree and moved to Miami. She met Carlos her first day, she was teaching English and he was taking a course in the classroom next door. It was love at first sight. And the rest as they say is history.

What had I been so scared of? I have no idea. We spent a fantastic weekend with Ric's mother and grandmother - yep, his grandmother, on his father's side actually, she lives there too.

I know I panicked myself for nothing. What was I really expecting?

With a smile on my face I remembered my birthday.

This year my birthday fell on a Friday, it also happened to be the Friday the week before the biggest wedding of the year. I was feeling old and grumpy. I have always loved my birthday - presents, cake – what's not to love? Besides the getting older part anyway. But this year I felt … and I know I sound like a whiney spoilt teenager when I say this, but I felt like everyone had forgotten, all wrapped up in wedding preparations. Just like Molly Ringwold in sixteen candles.

Well, everyone except Ric and the boys. Ranger had been dropping little hints about a birthday surprise for about a week now.

And boy what a surprise it was.

We slept late, we had had a takedown the night before that ended up being more complicated than anyone could have predicted. The skip and the skips girlfriend had helped us out; they had brought out the handcuffs and done half of our job for us. They were so pretzeled together that we had to find a blowtorch to cut them apart before we could take them in. Anyhow it was a late night and we had both fallen into bed exhausted. Ric woke me with a kiss to each eyelid, but it was the aroma of chocolate that prompted me to actually open my eyes. Ahh he was so sweet, a boston crème with a candle was being waved in front of me by a very sexy, very naked man." Happy Birthday babe" Oh yeah I don't know what I was being so pissy about. This was turning out to be a very good birthday.

Later after I had devoured my birthday donut, and he had devoured me, we were pretzeled together, not that dissimilar to the couple last night when he asked me when I was going to open my presents

"I thought I already had'

" There's more " he chuckled, a bit of male pride creeping in. he nodded his head to the floor beside the bed, where I saw a pile of presents. I had been so well distracted I hadn't noticed before.

I tore into the wrapping paper like a kid at Christmas.

But the birthday surprises didn't end there.

Ric was tied up with meetings all morning, but he was staking me into New York for dinner that night. I spent the day with Mary Lou at the mall shopping for a new dress.

I was ready and waiting, gorgeous new black dress and all, when Ric came home. After a hello kiss that had me needing to put my gorgeous new black dress back on we were on our way.

In the car I was I got that nervous excited feeling, which I put down to the fact that the man of mystery wouldn't give me any details, just told me to sit back and relax.

I drifted into my own car zone, and berated myself for behaving like a child. My sister was getting married tomorrow my family was very busy with last minute preparations and other wedding stuff, so we didn't have time for the traditional family dinner. I could deal. I had spent the day with my best friend, and the man I love was taking me out. What more could a girl ask for?

McDonalds!

'Why are stopping here, I thought that you were taking me into the city?' not that I usually have a problem with McDonalds – I don't it actually one of my required food groups.

'Oh I am, I just thought you might like to grab something here first.'

'Oh okay' he knew me so well

I was a little distracted by the fact that ranger was nibbling on my ear when we walked through the parking lot and in the door otherwise I may have noticed all the cars parked in lot, and all the faces of the people sitting at the tables.

They sure as hell got my attention when they all yelled 'Surprise!'

I'm not too proud to admit that there were tears –

I turned to Ranger " you did this?'

'Uh huh'

'All of this?'

'Happy birthday Babe'

Normally you can hire the room out back for kids parties, but Ranger not being normal had hired the whole restaurant and invited everyone I knew; Mary Lou Lenny and the boys, Lula, Connie, my parents and grandma, all of rangeman, Eddie, Carl, bigdog, Joe Janek, Dougie and Mooner, Sally – looking more and more like Klinger from mash, friends from college and high school, Vinnie even brought his wife

It was one of the best nights of my life

So what's the problem?

Why am I hiding out in an empty church where my sister is about to get married in less than an hour now?

If you think its because I resent my sister, or still harbour feelings for my future brother in law, you couldn't be further from the truth.

I am deliriously happy that Valerie found someone that loves her a will treat her and her girls right. As for Joe Morelli, turns out we are better as friends than we ever were as lovers, and it looks like he is going to make a very good brother in law.

If you think it's because I'm not happy with my life, I'd call the men with in the white coats and the giant butterfly net to come and take you away. Because never have I been as happy and fulfilled. I am madly in love with an exceptional man, my job is exciting and rewarding, I have wonderful friends and family, my wardrobe is full to exploding and I am in better shape now than I ever have been.

So what's the problem?

Two days ago Ric held my hand as I peed on three different sticks. One turned blue one turned pink and one went a funky purple colour. And now we are waiting on the blood test results. My doctor is supposed to call today.