Disclaimer: See Chapter 1. Thanks to Janis for all your help and to everyone who reviewed.
Chapter 7: Wednesday
Sydney woke early with a feeling of warm contentment. As she became fully aware of her surroundings, she realized her partner was holding her close with one of his arms curled around her shoulders while the other lay across her waist. Opening her eyes, she was greeted by the sight of Gage's bare chest. He'd put sweat pants on the previous evening before climbing into the bed, but complained it was too hot for a T-shirt. Being that she secretly enjoyed the sight of her partner without a shirt, Syd did nothing but agree before snuggling into his side.
Now that she was awake, Syd took advantage of Gage's continued slumber to study him. Moving gently and lightly, she ran a finger down his strong nose, across one cheek and down his stubbly jaw to his chin. Watching Gage's nose twitch brought a smile to the female Ranger's lips. Her smile faded as her eyes moved to her partner's chest, noticing, not for the first time, his scars from the bear attack at Lake Ebby. Syd traced the most visible, which ran vertically down the center, with her forefinger, a frown marring the smooth line of her brow. Suddenly, her hand was stopped from its slow movement. Capturing her hand, Gage grinned, "Morning Syd." Opening his eyes while speaking, he was met with her still frowning countenance. "What's wrong?"
Avoiding his eyes, Sydney replied, "Nothing Gage. I was just thinking about the case."
"Syd, look at me." Not getting a response from her, Gage crooked a finger under her chin, making her look at him. Searching her eyes closely, he shook his head, "This isn't about the case, Syd. Something else is bothering you, now what is it?"
Releasing a heavy sigh, Syd answered, "Watching you sleep, I remembered what you said last night about us always being there for each other when something happened." At his nod, she continued, "Well, I wasn't there when that bear attacked you," she stated, thinking about Walker's bachelor party while, again, touching the deepest scar on his chest.
"Syd that happened over a year ago and the circumstances didn't allow you to be able to be there. But after you and Alex showed up you took care of me until help arrived; remember? Besides when I lost my hearing you were my moral support through everything."
"What do you mean by that?" Syd asked, resting her chin in her hand to look at her partner's face.
"About being moral support?" As she nodded, Gage explained, "Syd, you were with me every step of the way during that time. You came to the hospital to visit every day, took me home when the doctor released me, cooked for me at home and stayed even though I got mad and yelled at you. Then when I was at the Dallas School for the Deaf, you visited all the time and learned sign language right along with me. What else would you call that but being supportive?"
"I guess. I knew that I want…needed to be able to communicate with you no matter what the outcome of the surgery. When you were attacked at Lake Ebby, I finally admitted how I felt about you to myself, but I was afraid of messing up our partnership by saying anything to you. Then after your surgery, I started wondering why I'd never said anything."
Gage had quietly listened to her explanation. When she came to a stop, he said, "Syd, that day in the hospital when you were talking about my socks…" Gage trailed off, not quite sure how she would take what he was about to tell her. Seeing he had her full attention, he went on, "I heard everything you said before that."
Sydney raised an eyebrow, asking, "And just what would that be, Gage?"
Startled, Gage replied, "What would what be? You wanted to know how long I'd been awake at the time." Noticing his partner was trying to contain a smile, he grinned, reaching out to stroke her cheek, before continuing, "About loving to hear my voice and wishing I was with you when you went to sleep at night. I was thrilled because that's what I've wanted for a long time, too, but didn't want anything to goof up our partnership either."
Smiling with delight at Gage's words, Syd leaned closer kissing his lips. The kiss quickly grew passionate between the partners, until the alarm sounded, breaking them apart since it was 6:30 and they had to be at Company B in an hour and a half, besides running by Sydney's for her to change. After Gage cut off the alarm, Syd said, "Why don't you grab a shower and I'll fix us some breakfast?"
"Sounds great, honey. I'll be done in about fifteen." After catching her close for another quick kiss, Syd smiled and left the room. Gage grabbed some clothes, heading for the bathroom, thinking all the while how great things were working out between them since the previous Saturday.
Walker Ranch
Alex was awake before Walker; turning in her husband's arms, she kissed his jaw, nuzzling his neck under the line of his beard. As Walker came awake, Alex's exploration had almost reached his ear. While she was distracted, Walker stealthily moved his hands to just beside her ribcage under her arms. Just as she reached his ear with her kisses, he began tickling her sides, earning himself a ringing head when his wife let out an ear-piercing shriek of laughter. This was followed immediately by Angela's startled cry over the baby monitor.
Alex pushed out of Walker's arms and a few seconds later he could hear her voice soothing the baby. Rolling over and sitting up, he stopped the alarm before it sounded and got out of bed grabbing some clothes so he could take care of the horses before heading for the shower and the start of a new day.
When Walker came back downstairs later ready for work, Alex had breakfast on the table waiting. Angela was in her carrier on the kitchen table, dozing back off after her breakfast. Alex looked at her husband with a smile as he entered the room, "I was wondering if I'd have to send out a search party for you."
"No need for a search party when you're cooking something that smells this good," he teased back. "Alex, when is Angela's first doctor's appointment?"
"Next week," she answered. "Why, are you planning on missing it, after saying you wanted to go?"
"No, I hope we're done with this case by then, so I don't have to drag my girls to the office first. Although the way our friends are, they'd be thrilled if you two showed up." Walker chuckled thinking about how the other three Rangers acted Monday when Alex and Angela came in the office.
"You're right. I believe all of our friends are smitten with Angela. If they're not careful, she'll be spoiled rotten before she's walking." Alex agreed, smiling at her husband as they sat down to eat.
When they finished, Walker stood. Going around the table to kiss Alex goodbye, he said, "Breakfast was great, honey, I'll see you later. If I don't hurry, either Trivette will call to see where I am or Sydney will call to say they're waiting on me at the office."
"I don't think you have to worry about Sydney, Cowboy. She'd catch up on paperwork or something and not call unless you were really late." Alex teased.
"It's not Sydney I'm worried about, it's Gage not wanting to work on anything else that I was thinking about." Walker replied, with a slight frown at his wife, which changed to a grin when she pulled a disbelieving face.
Slapping him on the arm, Alex told her husband he'd better hurry and leave or she would lie to Jimmy if he called to see where Walker was.
Grabbing Alex around the waist, Walker snatched a quick kiss before telling her he'd see her later and leaving. The blonde stood in the doorway until her husband had pulled out of the lane onto the road heading for town, before turning back into the house.
Trivette apartment
Jimmy woke early in the morning with a warm weight against his side. Opening his eyes, he studied his still-sleeping fiancée.
Erika was lying on her side, with her head on Jimmy's shoulder and one arm thrown across his chest. The Ranger smiled thinking about the Sunday of the barbeque, when they were talking about their relationship from a year ago and him mentioning having been ready to marry her at the time. Thinking about the look on her face after she'd told him 'Marry me then', Jimmy's smile widened. He had been taken aback by the serious challenge on her face; but pulled himself together quickly enough to accept her proposal.
Remembering his friend's reactions to their announcement, Jimmy could recall everyone congratulating them, but that Sydney had been withdrawn afterward. Contemplating the change in Syd's behavior, Jimmy, also, remembered that she kept sneaking glances at Gage until he and Walker carried the leftovers inside.
Before his thoughts could go any further into her odd behavior, the alarm sounded and he reached out to shut it off feeling Erika stir as she awoke. As she stretched, Erika cracked her eyes open a bit. Smiling when she noticed Jimmy awake and watching her, she murmured, "Good morning."
Returning the smile, Jimmy said, "Good morning to you too, Sunshine." Leaning over, he kissed her feeling her arms wrap around his neck as she returned the kiss.
When they broke apart for air, Erika stated, "I think I could get used to waking up to you every morning."
"I hope so," Jimmy retorted. "You're going to be stuck with me for about the next fifty years or so."
Erika smiled, "I believe I can handle that, James Trivette." Looking at the clock and noticing the time, she grimaced, "Meanwhile, we'd better get up. Walker will be here before you know it and I have to get to work a little early. We're having evaluations today, and they couldn't tell us when it would be our time or how long they would take." With that both got out of bed, Jimmy headed for the shower and Erika went to start breakfast.
When Jimmy came out of the bathroom with a towel around his waist, Erika went around him to take her shower saying, "Coffee should be ready and breakfast is keeping warm. Before you get on to me about just having a plate for you, I'm not very hungry so I'll just make some toast when I come down." Finishing, Erika closed the door before her confused fiancé could say anything in reply.
Jimmy had begun eating his breakfast and reading the paper by the time Erika appeared in the kitchen. Placing two pieces of bread in the toaster, she got herself a cup of coffee. After the toast popped, she buttered it and sat across from Trivette to eat her breakfast.
The Ranger was concerned and pondering the best way to ask her about the lack of appetite. "Honey?" He paused to collect his thoughts. "That's not a lot of breakfast for you, are you feeling all right?"
Erika gave him a blank look, clearly showing that her mind was on other things. "I'm fine Jimmy, why?" After a few seconds, she realized, looking at her plate, what he was getting at and grinned, "Jimmy, I told you when we got up this morning that they were doing evaluations at work, today. I'm just tensed up about that and don't feel like eating. Don't worry, okay?"
Her comments provided great relief to Jimmy, who smiled replying, "Okay. Sorry about that, but you usually have a better appetite in the mornings, so it worried me."
They finished eating around 7:30, and it was less than 10 minutes later that Walker's RAM pulled into the parking lot. Erika was ready to leave at the same time, so the couple walked downstairs together. Once outside, Erika quickly kissed Jimmy then got in her car to leave for work while he climbed in the RAM. Walker waited until Erika was safely ensconced in the car and followed her out of the parking lot and two blocks before turning toward Headquarters.
Ranger Headquarters
Syd and Gage entered the office about 7:50 to find themselves alone. As Sydney started a pot of coffee, Gage said, "I know we're early, but where do you think Walker and Trivette are?"
"They're probably just running on time, today." Seeing Gage's raised eyebrow at her comment, she continued. "One of them may have overslept and put them on schedule instead of early. If it hadn't been for me being at your place, we may not be this early."
"You're right, you dragged me out of my place early enough to run around the block twice after taking you home to change." Gage responded with a grin, reaching his hands toward her sides, which she neatly avoided while replying, "Careful, you may get more than you're bargaining for. Now behave, Walker and Jimmy just got off the elevator."
When Walker and Jimmy exited the elevator and turned toward the Company B office, Walker saw Sydney make a twisting move while saying something to her partner, then Gage's hands drop to his side. Walker grinned, turning his attention to his partner as Jimmy said, "What's up with Gage? This is two days this week that he's been early." Walker didn't say anything to answer Trivette but wondered what he would think if he knew the younger man had been on time all week.
As the senior partners entered the office, Jimmy repeated the question to Gage, who looked slightly flustered until Sydney spoke up, "Jimmy, Gage picked me up again this morning, so when I woke up I called him to be sure he was up. It just worked out that he got around early enough to beat you two here."
Walker excused himself to make a phone call and left Jimmy to tease the junior Rangers to his heart's content. Entering his office, Walker picked up the receiver and dialed Captain Briscoe's office. As the call was answered, he said, "Helen, this is Ranger Walker, is Captain Briscoe in?" Getting a negative reply, he continued, "Would it be possible for me to make an appointment to talk to him, today? Ten o'clock? That'll be fine, thanks."
Hanging up the phone, he left his office noting the baffled look on Trivette's face and a satisfied grin on Gage's. Sydney was pouring the coffee into mugs handing one to Gage and one to the black Ranger saying, "Here Jimmy, I don't know why you keep asking Gage about this, nothing out of the ordinary's going on. He's just trying to keep me off his back. Because we're working undercover, we've been riding in together and he knows he has to deal with me if he makes me late for anything." Seeing Walker rejoining them, she poured another mug of coffee handing it to the senior Ranger.
Walker took the coffee smiling at the younger female, "Are you keeping them in line?" Giving him a mischievous grin in response, Sydney replied, "Just barely, you know how frustrated Jimmy gets when Gage gets the best of him. He's trying to read more into Gage being on time this week, when it's just because we've ridden together."
Looking toward his partner, the senior Ranger said, "Trivette, you might as well give up on Gage for now, with Sydney backing him up you won't win."
Jimmy looked at him a moment before turning toward his desk, muttering, "Yeah, yeah. I know, leave the youngsters alone and get to work."
When he turned back to the other two, Walker intercepted an amused look between the younger partners that included a little something extra before he spoke. Ignoring the meaningful look, he got straight to the business at hand asking, "What did you decide about the case?"
Gage explained what he and Syd had come up with the night before, with Sydney adding a few extra details. When they finished, Walker mulled the plan over for a few minutes, before replying. "Sounds like a good idea, you think they'll buy it?"
"Who knows? Syd came up with it though, and her ideas tend to work." Gage answered.
"Tell you what," Walker began, as Jimmy came over to hear what his partner's thoughts were. "This is what I want you to do. Play it cool with these men. Syd stick close to Gage until you've talked to Willie, Justin, or Carlton about what happened yesterday." At the female Ranger's nod of understanding, Walker continued, "If they are interested in doing business, tell them you've got a buyer waiting that's always been reliable about paying for what he wants. See what they say to that."
"If they want to meet the buyer, you want us to call you and set up a meeting?" Sydney asked after she and Gage exchanged a glance.
The senior Ranger smiled, "That's right. We can meet tonight and, hopefully, get enough to finish this case quickly. Any questions?" Looking at his three friends, Walker continued, "Okay, let's get to work. Sydney, Gage, you two be careful. I had Trivette do background checks on these three and they've worked together two other places, before getting the jobs at RED Manufacturing. We're going to make some phone calls and ask about any suspicious sales records at the other two companies. If they don't want to add you as business associates, call and let us know." Nodding, the junior partners left the office, heading for their car and RED.
After the younger Rangers had left, Jimmy looked at his partner asking, "Do you think there's something going on between them? I mean they've been coming in to work together all week."
"Trivette, how can you be so smart about all of the computer stuff and have no idea about the people you work with?" As the other Ranger opened his mouth to protest, Walker continued. "Just do me a favor and drop the subject, okay? I need you to call Harvest Supply in Austin and I'll call Jones Manufacturing in Houston. Ask the personnel director about their records and if there was any unusual activity, sales or otherwise, occurring during the time of their employment. It's 8:30 now and I have an appointment with Captain Briscoe at ten o'clock, let's see what we can accomplish before that." Walker said, going to his desk and leaving Jimmy staring at him while wondering what was going on that he had to talk to the captain about.
RED Manufacturing
When Sydney and Gage arrived, Gage pulled into a parking spot and turned off the ignition. Grabbing Syd's arm before she could get out, he asked, "You ready for this?"
Smiling at his concerned look, she answered, "Don't worry Gage, I'll be fine, especially with you beside me. Wonder if Willie will get in trouble for mistiming the bomb?" She quipped trying to ease her partner's mind.
"I don't really care, as long as they don't try going after you again." Gage replied as they exited the car. Entering the building Syd accompanied Gage downstairs after asking the receptionist to let Brandon know where she was.
As they left the elevator, Carlton Powers and Justin Winters were coming out of the room that served as Willie's office. Upon seeing Sydney standing beside Gage, the shock was apparent on both men's faces. Opening the door again, Justin called out, "Willie, can you come here for a second?"
When Willie saw the woman there, he was flustered, "How? Boss, I did what you wanted, you've got to believe me…" He broke off as Gage grabbed the front of his shirt, pushing him back against the wall, while snarling, "What did you do?" Willie looked scared for a moment, then sneering shoved Gage off, replying, "Not a thing, Caldwell. Not a thing, except follow orders."
Gage looked as though he was ready to pummel the man, when Syd put one hand on his arm, saying, "Now Shawn, calm down a bit. Remember what we talked about and decided?"
Her partner backed off, giving Willie and the other men a little space while putting his arm around Syd's shoulder. "You're right, I almost forgot about the deal."
Willie and Justin looked toward Carlton, who gave Gage a disdainful look, asking, "What deal?"
"The reason Carina was checking out your operation yesterday, we wanted to find out how profitable your little side business was before we offered you a partnership." Gage paused just for a second, "Of course, after what you pulled on Carina yesterday, I'm not sure we shouldn't just turn you in to the cops instead."
"Now just a damn minute," Justin Winters exploded, only to be stopped by Powers. "Justin, really, control yourself. Mr. Caldwell, if you and Miss Walters will step in here, we can speak in private." The older man motioned towards Willie's office. The two Rangers went inside, prepared to defend themselves if necessary, followed by the three men.
Once inside, Carlton Powers motioned the couple to sit, while he did the same taking a seat behind the desk. "Now Mr. Caldwell, just what does your little deal entail?" Powers asked Gage ignoring Syd, a fact that didn't go unnoticed by her partner.
"Actually, Carina handles all the details of any deals we get involved in. I'll just let her explain everything to you gentlemen." Looking at Syd, Gage grinned turning the floor over to her and forcing the other men to listen to what she had to say.
Sydney looked at Gage and took a deep breath before beginning, "The last two places we worked were operating drug smuggling rings. The first place we had no idea what was going on, until being approached to work for them bringing in new buyers. We left that place when the heat became unbearable," looking around at the men in the office, she clarified, "the local cops were snooping around too much. Shawn and I left just in time, because the cops raided the place the next day. The last place we were at, we knew something was going on from the beginning, but it took a while to figure out who the lead man was. When we found out who was in charge and joined up with him, their business grew by a third."
Carlton spoke as Syd finished, "Did they get raided by the police too, Ms. Walters?"
The female Ranger smiled, while replying, "No sir, they were still in business when we left. We were looking to move back in the Dallas area, we moved to Waco after the first job, but we weren't happy there. Besides, we have contacts here and the drive to deliver was getting a bit expensive. We got the jobs here, and when Willie changed Shawn's job I decided to snoop a bit and see if your operation was profitable enough to be worth our time."
"Obviously you believed it was. To business, how did the last place you worked grow by a third after you joined?" Carlton Powers asked with a skeptical look.
Exchanging a quirky smile with her partner, Syd, still smiling at the other men, answered, "That's easy, Mr. Powers. When we joined his operation, we brought in our contacts from Dallas, hence, the delivery drive getting expensive."
Steepling two fingers in front of him, Powers thought a moment before requesting, "Ms. Walters, if you and Mr. Caldwell wouldn't mind stepping outside for a moment? I need to discuss a few things with my colleagues."
Nodding the two Rangers stepped into the hall. When the door closed behind them, Gage put one hand on Syd's shoulder, cupping her cheek with the other to tilt her head up, "You were great in there, honey. Tough and cool, but charming all the same, that's my girl."
Smiling, Syd reached up to caress his cheek, before pulling his head down for a quick kiss, "Thanks. I figured you'd want me to talk some, but you threw me a minute when you turned the whole explanation over to me."
Gage's eyes got a flinty light in them, "Those creeps needed a lesson in how to listen to a woman, instead of just men."
"Honey, calm down. Everything's all right." Syd assured her partner with a quick hug. "You don't want them to hear you talking like that."
"You're right, sorry. They haven't even asked about yesterday, either." At that moment, the door opened and Justin asked them to come back inside. As they entered, Carlton said, "We've decided to give you a try, but there are some questions for you to answer first. Sit down." When they were seated, he continued, "I knew after watching the news last night, that you survived the car bomb, which was put there on my orders after we found you snooping around Justin's office, Ms. Walters. Our surprise earlier stemmed from the fact that you actually came back to work after what happened. How did you happen to escape your car?"
"I already figured out that you or Mr. Winters had the bomb planted on my car." Syd said after giving the explanation she and Gage had come up with for her surviving the bomb. She concluded, raising her eyebrows questioningly, with, "We, also, realized you would know I was fine if you saw the news, we just had trouble figuring out how you knew I was in Mr. Winters' office."
"Since we've decided to give you a trial run, I'll tell you." Carlton Powers said, with a less-condescending smile towards Sydney. "We have a security camera set up in Justin's office, as well as, here and in my office to keep track of what happens when we're not in the rooms. I saw you leaving Justin's office yesterday and waited there until he was done in the meeting with Brandon. When he got back in his office, we watched the tape and saw the snooping you did. Being that we had no idea of the nature of your inquisitiveness, I had Justin tell Willie to leave you a little surprise under your car. We were talking this morning about what needed to be done, since you escaped the explosion."
Gage's eyes narrowed dangerously, at the end of the older man's explanation, "You'd better be glad she did escape. If anything had happened to Carina and I found out you were responsible…" He broke off as Syd took his hand, leaving the other men to finish the sentence in their minds.
Powers cleared his throat, "Yes, well, as Ms. Walters is fine and looks to stay that way, let's get down to business. You said you had a reliable buyer, locally I presume?"
Sydney nodded, "Yes, he's quite local. He lives here in Dallas, but distributes in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area, Austin, Houston and San Antonio. He can handle large quantities and moves them out fairly quick."
Carlton shared a look with his cronies; then asked, "Could you possibly arrange a meeting with him tonight?"
With a slight incline of her head, Syd answered, "Sure, but he will probably want to set the time and place for the meeting."
"Call him and we'll see if it's convenient or if we can compromise on an alternate place."
Sydney pulled out her cell and dialed Walker's own cell phone. Hearing her boss answer, she said, "Mr. Carson, this is Carina Walters. I'm fine, how are you today?" Syd smiled at her partner, before continuing, "Shawn's fine, also. We moved back to Dallas, and have another job. I wondered if you would be interested in meeting with a prospective new supplier?"
Listening for a few moments, she answered, "Just a moment and I'll check." Placing her hand over the phone's mouthpiece, she said, "Mr. Carson suggests we meet at Frank's Spot at seven o'clock tonight. It will be he and his partner, Shawn and me, and you with whomever you want to come, he just needs to know now."
"That sounds all right, but you and Shawn are meeting with us why?" Carlton asked with a cool look.
Syd answered with an equally cool smile, "Because Mr. Carson trusts us and we will be the liaisons between you and him, therefore we have a need-to-know status to be there as far as he's concerned."
Powers nodded in agreement, "Fine. Tell Mr. Carson that my two associates and I will be there at seven sharp."
Bringing the phone back to her ear, Syd spoke again with her boss, "Mr. Powers agreed to the arrangements you mentioned, Mr. Carson. He and his two partners will be at the club at seven. All right, we'll see you then."
Ending the call, Syd turned her attention back to the three men, "If that concludes our business gentlemen, I really should get to work before Brandon starts looking for me. That could be tricky to explain."
Waving his hand, Carlton replied, "That will be all for now, Ms. Walters. You and Mr. Caldwell may go to work."
Standing with his partner, Gage looked at Willie asking, "Is it okay if I escort Carina upstairs first?"
With a slight grimace, the other man answered gruffly, "Fine, but hurry back to your station. You can have a nice long chat with your girlfriend at lunch."
Syd and Gage left without another word. Once they were on the elevator, Gage asked, "What's Walker's cover name?"
With a grin, Syd replied, "Randall Carson and Trivette is James Gordon."
"Wonder where Jimmy was when Walker gave him that name." Gage grinned. Sobering he put his arms around Syd's waist saying, "You be careful today, even though, we've gotten past the first hurdle that concerned Walker, okay?"
Placing her hands on his biceps, she softly answered, "Everything's going to be all right. I should be in the office all day, no extra trips sneaking around, and I'll wait for you before going to lunch and maybe leaving for the day if you're not late."
"Good, cause I definitely don't want to lose you now." At that the elevator slid to a stop and the doors opened. The partners walked to Syd's office door and snuck a quick kiss before separating to their own jobs.
Ranger Headquarters
When Walker finished talking to Sydney and put his phone away, Trivette asked, "All set?"
"Yeah," his partner responded, staring at the junior Ranger's desks.
Worried by his partner's fixed gaze and short response, Jimmy called, "Walker! Everything okay?"
Pulling his attention to Jimmy's concerned face, he answered, "Syd and Gage are all right, Trivette. Powers took the bait and we're meeting him, Winters and Brown tonight at Frank's Spot."
Looking at his watch, he stood while finishing, "Remind me later to call Frank and let him know so he won't accidentally blow our covers tonight. I've got to go see the Captain now."
The senior Ranger left the office with Trivette watching, while, again, wondering what his partner's meeting with Captain Briscoe was about. Deciding to corner Walker later, he turned back to his computer.
Connecting to the Internet, Jimmy began finding the two companies he and Walker were checking to see if there was anything about Powers and his two partners that he could access for questions before either of the personnel directors returned their calls.
Captain Briscoe's Office
Helen looked up as the red-haired Ranger entered her office. Smiling the older woman said, "Good morning, Ranger Walker. Captain Briscoe's on the phone with the Ranger Captain in San Antonio right now, if you'd care to take a seat. It will be just a moment."
"Thank you, Helen. How have you been doing?" Walker asked while sitting in the chair opposite her desk.
"I'm just fine. My grandchildren were here over the weekend and my husband and I just got everything straightened back up in the house. Alex came by here Monday with Angela. She's adorable; is she giving you much trouble at night?"
Laughing slightly, he answered, "Not too bad, just being a typical baby from what the books and our friends say. She's not a fussy baby, at least."
"That's always helpful. She may be a handful when she gets sick, though. Hold on a moment Ranger, the captain just disconnected his line." The secretary said after glancing at her phone. Picking up the receiver and pressing the intercom button, she announced, "Captain Briscoe, Ranger Walker is waiting to see you. I'll send him right in. You can go in now Walker. Take good care of Alex and that baby."
"I will. Thanks Helen." Entering the office, Walker was greeted by his superior officer. Shaking the captain's hand, Walker took the chair the other man indicated.
"Walker, what brings you up here. Are you having problems with Mr. O'Malley?"
"No sir, Rangers Cooke and Gage are undercover at RED and have found out who's behind the large sales. The reason is drug smuggling. Ranger Trivette and I are meeting with them and the sellers tonight as prospective buyers. We should have everything wrapped up in the next couple of days."
"Good. You've got the best team of Rangers in the state. I was just talking to Carl Slater in San Antonio and he commented on your team. Said that the Governor's all the time mentioning how your Rangers can nail criminals that some of us can't find a trace of." Captain Briscoe had a smile on his rugged face thinking of how Walker's team was one to be proud of. "Anyway, I'm not telling you anything you don't already know. What did you need to see me about?"
"Well, it's a hypothetical question. I wondered if there was a fraternization rule in the Ranger's rules, I've never heard of any situation coming up." Walker asked retaining his calm exterior while inside he was in turmoil over what repercussions could come of his question.
Briscoe relaxed back in his own chair, studying his Ranger. "There's a code in the police rules covering that. The Rangers haven't had any need to address the issue before, since there are few female Rangers and most of them have female partners. Walker, you've got a specific reason for asking me this. Tell me what's on your mind and we'll see what's needed to resolve the issue."
Walker took a deep breath and released it before starting, "It's got to do with Sydney and Gage. They've been partners since she started with the Rangers in Houston, so they were close friends when they started working here in Dallas. Lately, I've noticed something different about the interaction between them, though." The Ranger paused, noticing his superior's attentive posture, he continued. "They haven't said anything to me, but I believe they're drawing closer to each other."
The captain's rugged face had a thoughtful look, "In other words, they are becoming more than just partners?"
"I think so. Like I said they haven't come to me about it yet, but some of their actions remind me of how Alex and I acted when we started seeing each other before we wanted to tell anyone else."
"So, you want to know if they need to be separated or not, either in companies or just with new partners?" At Walker's agreement, Briscoe thought for a moment before saying, "Well, Walker what do you think? You're around them more than I am, do you feel that they could separate their work and personal lives?"
Walker didn't hesitate to say, "I believe that they're both professional enough to handle working together, regardless of their personal relationship outside of the job. I know they've always done things together outside of the office, because they're best friends and it's never affected their jobs before."
"Okay, let me think about everything and check some things out and I'll get back to you later." Briscoe said. With a nod, Walker stood leaving the captain's office, saying good-bye to the secretary and going back to the Company B office.
Later, early in the afternoon:
The telephone rang in the quiet office, Trivette answered, "Company B Headquarters, James Trivette."
"Ranger Trivette let me speak with Ranger Walker, please." Captain Briscoe's voice came across the line.
"Yes sir. Hold on just a minute please." Jimmy answered quickly. Putting the call on hold, he looked at his partner saying, "Walker, Captain Briscoe's on the line for you."
"Thanks Trivette," the other Ranger said, before picking up the phone, "Captain Briscoe? This is Walker." The senior Ranger listened intently for a few minutes, then with a "Yes sir. I'll be right there. Thank you for getting back to me so quickly on this," he hung up the receiver and stood to leave the office.
Jimmy had been watching his partner during the conversation, not being able to tell anything from the other man's facial expression. After Walker finished the call, Jimmy asked, "Are you going back upstairs?"
"Yes, Trivette. Briscoe needs to see me about something, I'll be back in a few minutes." With that, the other Ranger exited, leaving a baffled Jimmy in his wake.
Trivette went back to his paperwork. About thirty minutes later, Walker reentered the office and returning to his desk began reading over the sales information Jimmy had pulled off the Internet earlier on the companies that Carlton Powers and his buddies worked at before coming to RED Manufacturing. Finally, unable to stand the suspense any longer, Jimmy burst out, "Walker, what'd the Captain want?"
Not looking up, Walker responded, "Nothing Trivette. I had a question for him earlier and he just gave me an answer. It's no big deal and has nothing whatsoever to do with you right now."
With a grimace, Jimmy huffed, "Fine, whatever," before going back to his paperwork. With his head buried in an open file, he didn't notice his partner's amused look. Walker looked at Trivette, grinned and shook his head knowing that the other Ranger's curiosity was getting the better of him and wondering how long before he'd have to tell his partner about either of the meetings with Briscoe.
About an hour later, Jimmy's phone rang again. Answering the colored Ranger became serious, "Yes Mr. Westmoreland, thank you for returning my call." As Trivette continued his conversation with the personnel director of Harvest Supply, Walker's phone rang.
"Company B Texas Rangers, this is Ranger Walker. Yes Mr. Williams, I did call you earlier," the tough Ranger said to the personnel director of Jones Manufacturing. "I called about some former employees of yours, Carlton Powers, Justin Winters and William Brown. Their names came up in regards to a case we're working on and I was trying to get some information about their employee records."
Waiting while the man on the other end accessed his computer files, Walker got a pen and paper ready. Writing down what Mr. Williams was relaying over the phone, he glanced at his partner seeing him doing the same.
When both Rangers finished their conversations, Jimmy stood and walked to his partner's desk. "Walker, that was Fred Westmoreland from Harvest Supply. He said that their sales increased to the three companies that I found on the Internet earlier while Powers, Winters, and Brown worked for them. Then when the three decided to leave for 'personal' reasons, the sales continued for a couple of months before dwindling down to about the same order amount as other companies."
Walker listened to his friend, "Yeah, that's what Cameron Williams from Jones Manufacturing said also. Big increase in sales to a couple of companies that dwindled after their association with our three ended. Did Sydney or Gage ever call back earlier?"
"No. I wasn't expecting them to unless something new came up, since you didn't say anything. Did you want me to call them?"
"I hadn't planned on checking with them until talking to Cameron Williams. He said that Brown always struck him as slightly dangerous, so I started wondering how things have gone so far today. Why don't you go ahead and call Sydney. See how everything went after I talked to her this morning." Noting the worried look on his partner's face, Jimmy wasted no time dialing Syd's cell phone.
RED Manufacturing
After Syd and Gage had eaten lunch, he walked her back to her office before heading back downstairs. Reaching her desk, Syd noticed a sketchy report format and some info sheets. She was still looking them over a few moments later when Brandon entered the office.
"Oh good Carina, you found my note. I need that report done before you leave tonight, please. Do you have any questions about it?"
Looking up, Syd smiled, "It looks pretty self-explanatory. Let me get started on it, and if I have any questions I'll come ask in a bit, okay?"
"Sounds good. I should be in my office the rest of the day, unless I'm called away for an unscheduled meeting." Brandon nodded agreement, before going into his own office and closing the door.
Sydney worked on the report for about half an hour and had gotten the outline format complete when her cell phone rang. Pulling it out of her purse and looking at the screen, she was slightly worried noting the Company B number. "Hello?" she answered with a small frown.
"Hey Sydney. I need to talk to you a minute." Jimmy's voice came across the line. "Walker wanted to check how everything went this morning after he talked to you."
"Everything went smoothly this morning, Jimmy. Walker didn't mention us checking in again earlier, did he?" The puzzled Ranger asked.
"No Syd, he didn't. We both talked with the personnel directors at two places that Powers, Winters and Brown all worked at before starting to work at RED. Walker told me to check with you after both men said that Willie struck them as dangerous. He wanted to make sure nothing had happened."
"Nothing's wrong. Shawn and I just had lunch about half an hour ago and none of them have bothered either of us. Willie's left him alone pretty much this morning, and I saw Winters going down the hall as I left the office for a break and all he did was nod at me. He's stopped making advances, thank goodness." Syd replied in relief.
"Okay, well call if anything happens. I'll let Walker know and we'll see you both later. Hang on a sec, Sydney." Jimmy said, then the female Ranger heard her boss's voice, "Sydney are you and Gage coming by here after you get off?"
"We thought we'd check in to fill you in on the specifics of this morning's meeting. Did you want us to skip it?"
"No, come on by. We'll keep it to 15 minutes so that we have time to get home and changed before the meeting tonight. Talk to you then, bye." With that the senior Ranger hung up the receiver. Noting that Walker sounded more relaxed than he did that morning, Syd wondered if Angela or Alex hadn't been feeling well earlier and were fine now. Realizing that none of those answers would come from further speculation, she began working on the report again, so that she'd be ready to leave around 4:30 that afternoon.
Ranger Headquarters
When Walker hung up with Syd, Jimmy didn't have time to ask any questions of his friend, because Walker immediately picked the phone back up and began dialing. Listening to the phone, the Ranger glanced idly at the computer screen until the other end was picked up, "Frank's Spot."
"This is Ranger Walker, can I speak with Frank Bishop?"
A few minutes later, he heard the other man's voice, "Walker, haven't heard from you in awhile. How are you and Alex doing? And congratulations, we heard she had the baby. What did you name her?"
Smiling, Walker answered, "Thanks Frank. We're fine, we named the baby Angela, but both of us have been calling her 'Angel' since she was born. Frank, I have an important favor to ask of you. We're working on a case right now and are meeting some suspects for drinks tonight at your place. Trivette, Sydney, Gage and I will be there with three men around seven o'clock. I need you to not call us by our names until the other three leave, okay? My cover's Randall Carson, Jimmy is James Gordon, Sydney is Carina and Gage is Shawn."
"Sure Walker, whatever you need. I guess I'm allowed to know you as long as I don't blow your covers?" Frank said, laughing at the other man's agreement. "I'll be careful and I'll have Cindy take care of you since she knows all of you from last time and I can trust her to be careful about names. We'll save one of the tables upstairs for you so you'll have some privacy. Sorry Walker, I need to go. They need me to check an order that just came in. See you later."
"That's okay, Frank. I need to get back to work, too. See you later." With that both the Ranger and nightclub owner hung up their phones. As soon as the senior Ranger let go of the receiver, Jimmy started, "Walker why exactly were you so worried that Syd and Gage hadn't called in earlier? Don't give me that nonsense about what we learned from the directors of those companies or off the Internet, I saw the look on your face and something else was bothering you."
With a sigh, Walker replied, "It did have to do with what they said about Willie. It occurred to me if anything happened after my conversation with Syd that made them suspicious of her and Gage, we wouldn't be aware of it until later. That's why I wanted you to call her."
"What would we have done if she didn't answer?" Trivette asked.
"Tried Gage on his cell, then if he didn't answer we'd call either Thomas O'Malley or Brandon Cox." Walker answered, relaxing back in his chair.
A grin spread across Jimmy's face noting his partner's action, "I get it. So now you can sit back and relax since you've talked to Syd and know she's seen Gage and they're both all right."
Smiling back at the other Ranger, Walker replied, "Well, I have to hand it to you Trivette. You finally figured something out. Let's grab some lunch and get back to work so we can be finished and ready to leave after talking to Syd and Gage."
RED Manufacturing
Around four o'clock, Syd finished the report for Brandon and printed it. Knocking on the connecting door to his office, she heard him call for her to enter. "Here's the report, Brandon. Is there anything else you need?"
"No that'll be all," Brandon replied absently while glancing over the report. As Syd opened the office door to leave, he realized how he'd sounded. Looking up at her, he smiled saying, "Thanks Carina. I'll see you in the morning."
Smiling back, Syd answered, "I'll be here a while longer waiting for Shawn, but I'll see you tomorrow, too."
"Is he keeping a closer watch on you after yesterday?" Brandon asked, curiously.
With a nod, Syd replied, "Yes, that spooked both of us. We've gotten things settled, but he still doesn't want me out of the office too long without him. By the way, thanks for calling Shawn after overhearing that, I probably would have set the bomb off by killing the ignition. Anyway, I'll see you in the morning." With that Syd headed back to the outer office.
Upon reaching her desk, Syd checked the computer for access to personnel files since she still had to wait for Gage. Finding she could access all of the files to a limited extent, Syd pulled up Willie Brown, Carlton Powers and Justin Winters. She read the info on Powers last and had just finished when the office door began to open. Quickly closing the file, Syd looked up. An unrestrained smile lit her face upon seeing her partner in the doorway.
An answering grin spread across Gage's features as he asked, "Ready to go?"
"Yeah, give me just a minute." Gage leaned against the corner of her desk watching while she shut the computer down and gathered her purse. When she was ready to go, he held the door for her then they headed for the elevator to leave.
On the way to headquarters Syd filled Gage in on Walker and Jimmy's phone call then what she found in the computer employee files. By the time she finished talking, Gage was pulling into a parking space in the garage at headquarters.
Entering the office the partners were greeted by a few of the others still working. Walker opened his office door and motioned for them to join him and Trivette there. With the door closed, the senior Ranger asked, "I know everything went smoothly this morning, what about in the afternoon?"
Gage began, "Nothing much with me. Willie avoided me, except for routine questions or comments." A smug grin spread across the younger man's face, "I guess I shook him up with my blowup this morning about him putting the bomb on Syd's car. Syd was telling me something interesting she found though."
At that all three looked at their female counterpart, "After talking to Jimmy, I thought I'd see if I could access any of their employee files. While I was waiting on Gage this afternoon, I checked in the computer. I had limited access but it showed all previous employment information. Seems they started working together about six years ago at a Simmons Manufacturing in Houston. From there they went to Harvest Supply then Jones Manufacturing before moving to RED."
Walker nodded, "We talked to the personnel directors at Harvest and Jones. Their sales increased to a few companies while our three worked there; then a few months after leaving for 'personal' reasons the sales dwindled back to normal."
With a puzzled frown, Sydney asked, "What 'personal' reasons?"
"Don't know, that's what they listed on their interviews when they left both places."
"That's interesting, Walker. When they were hired at RED, I wonder if their former employers were called for reference checks and asked about the reasons for leaving. In their personnel files at RED, all three places were listed on each man as 'left for higher paying job' but Carlton Powers didn't even talk to anyone for a position at RED until three weeks after leaving Jones Manufacturing. He was, also, the one that secured the positions for Justin Powers and Willie Brown, almost a month and a half after they left Jones." As she finished, Syd watched the senior Ranger for his reaction.
Walker seemed to not be paying any attention to her because his gaze was focused on the wall behind her, but the younger woman knew from experience that he'd heard every word and his mind was formulating their next move. "Okay Sydney, that's something we need to keep in mind tonight. We need to get out of here now and get ready for tonight's meeting. Try to be at Frank's around six thirty so we can get set up before our guests arrive. We'll come back here and see where we're going afterwards." With that the four left together, once in the garage, they went their separate ways: Walker and Jimmy to the RAM while Syd and Gage got in Gage's car.
Walker Ranch
When Walker reached the ranch, he entered the house and headed upstairs to shower and dress for their 'business' meeting. As he got to the top of the stairs and turned toward the bedroom, Alex called out from the nursery, "Walker, is that you?"
"Yeah, honey." Leaning against the doorframe, he watched her finish changing the baby. Picking up Angela and turning around she saw her husband in the doorway. "You're home early, aren't you Cowboy?"
Smiling at his wife and child, the tough Ranger disappeared to be replaced by doting husband and father. "Through Syd and Gage, we set up a meeting with Powers and his cohorts tonight. We're meeting at Frank's Spot at seven, but we need to be there by six-thirty."
As Walker took Angela from her, Alex replied, "We meaning you, Jimmy, Syd and Gage?"
"Sorry sweetheart, but yes. Strictly a business meeting, not pleasure this time. I'll probably be at headquarters for a while afterwards, but will be home as soon as possible."
"It's okay, Walker. Do you want something to eat first?"
"No, I'll grab something later, Jimmy and I had a late lunch, we were on the phone then talked to Syd before going to eat."
Taking Angela, Alex said, "All right then. You go take a shower and get ready while I feed Angela. Then if you're not too late, we can have dinner when you get home."
"Sounds great, Alex. I hope to be home by eight-thirty at least." Kissing her on the cheek, he continued on to get ready for the evening, while Alex went downstairs with the baby.
Talking to the infant, she said, "Daddy's in for a surprise tonight when he gets home. I'll fix some spaghetti and make it a romantic dinner by candlelight, even though it can't go any further than just dinner for now. You don't need to hear about that though, sweetie, we'll get your bottle then see if you'll sleep while Mommy and Daddy eat tonight."
As she continued talking to the baby, Alex went about feeding her. Angela was ready to go back in her bed by the time Walker was ready to leave. After kissing him goodbye and watching the RAM disappear down the lane, Alex re-entered the house to prepare for the evening ahead of them when he returned.
Jimmy and Erika's
When Jimmy entered the apartment, he heard the shower running and knew where to find his fiancée. He was gathering clean clothes to get changed into after his shower when he jumped as a pair of arms slipped around his waist. "What are you doing home this early, Jimmy?"
The Ranger turned to fold his arms around Erika and kissed her before replying, "Walker, Syd, Gage and I are meeting Powers, Winters and Brown for drinks tonight. They're the ones we're investigating at RED Manufacturing where Syd and Gage are undercover."
"How long's that going to take," Erika asked with a slight frown.
"Shouldn't take too long, why? Were you planning something?"
"Not really, I just thought we could spend a little quiet time together. Maybe have a nice dinner and a romantic evening." Erika replied with a slightly disappointed expression on her lovely face.
"I'm sorry, honey." Jimmy said, "Tell you what, why don't I call you when we get through at headquarters and, if it's not too late, we can go out to dinner then have a quiet evening."
A smile lit his girl's face, "That sounds great Jimmy. Do I get to pick where or are you going to surprise me?"
"We'll see later. You seem in a happier mood than this morning. Everything go okay?"
"Yes, everything went fine. The manager was impressed with my work and talked about maybe having me work on some special projects later on." Erika gushed excitedly.
"That's great, Erika. I'll have to make sure Walker doesn't keep us at headquarters too long, so we can definitely go out and celebrate." Jimmy said. Giving her a kiss, he hurried into the bathroom to shower and change.
Gage's apartment
After dropping Syd off at her place, Gage hurried home to get ready for the evening ahead. He hoped they weren't too late getting through with Walker at headquarters, because he wanted to take Syd out to dinner afterwards.
Entering his apartment, he noticed the message light flashing on his answering machine. Hitting the button to play the message, he heard his sister's voice, "Hi Frankie, it's me. Guess you're still at work but just wanted to let you know I'm going out of town for a few days. I'll call you when I get back. I want to hear how your dinner with Sydney went last weekend, since it sounded a little more than just friends. Well I've got to go now. Love you. Bye." A grin crossed his face at Julie's words, as he headed for his bedroom and then the shower.
He wondered what Julie would say if he told her about staying with Syd all weekend and the other nights they had been together. Still thinking about his sister and his partner, he started the shower. Stepping under the spray, he didn't hear the phone ring.
Sydney's
Biting her lip, Syd listened to the phone ring seven times before giving up. She thought she'd call Gage to see if he wanted to grab dinner out after they were done with Walker and Trivette. After not getting an answer, she decided he'd switched his answering machine off. The next thought in the female Ranger's mind was that she should probably wait and see how late they finished. Besides, Gage may have other plans or something else in mind for that evening, "If he even wants to have anything more to do with you," an inner voice commented. "He does," she told herself firmly, to which the smaller voice answered, "Are you sure, Sydney? After all you see him all day at work, what makes you think he wants to spend the evenings with you, too? Even though you had a good time with him this weekend, and you talked about feelings that doesn't mean he'll stick around." "Yes, he will. Gage doesn't play games like that. I've been his partner long enough to know that much, at least. Besides he wouldn't tell me he loved me if it wasn't true." Calming her thoughts somewhat, Syd headed for the bathroom to start getting ready for the evening.
After taking a shower, she put her bathrobe on and perused her clothes to decide what to wear. Soon enough, her fingers touched the red sheath she'd worn after their undercover operation at Frank's. Debating a few moments, she pulled the dress off its hanger. Laying it across the bed, Syd went into the bathroom to take care of her hair and makeup. Walker and Jimmy wouldn't think anything about it, considering the circumstances. With the others, she just wanted to be sure to stick close to Gage's side and as far away from Justin Winters as possible, to prevent his hands from roaming. Grinning at herself in the mirror as she began redoing her makeup, she thought Gage's hands could roam all they wanted.
When Sydney finished her makeup, she brushed her hair leaving it down around her shoulders. Entering the bedroom, she picked up her dress. Just after putting it on, she was looking in the closet for matching shoes when the doorbell rang. Grabbing the shoes, Syd headed for the door to let her partner in.
Crossing the living room, a quick glance at the clock showed Gage was actually early for a change. Opening the door, she said, "Come in Gage. What happened, nothing to distract you at home?"
Showing his famous smile that always made her knees weak, Gage retorted, "Just wanted to show my partner that I could be on time without prompting when needed."
Laughing Syd answered, "Get in here. I just have to put these on and grab a shawl and my purse. I'll only be a minute." As she talked, Syd went back down the hall.
Coming back into the room, she noticed Gage staring at her from the same spot she'd left him. Self-consciously Syd asked, "What's wrong?"
Grinning with a slight shake of his head as his eyes ran over his partner once more, Gage replied, "Not a thing, Syd. You look gorgeous."
With pink cheeks and a smile on her face, Sydney said, "Thanks Gage. You look very handsome yourself." Sobering, she continued, "By the way, make sure that I sit between you and Walker or Trivette tonight."
Quirking an eyebrow, Gage teased, "What, you mean you don't want to sit by Justin?"
Giving him a 'watch it' look, Syd punched him on the arm, "Not really, do you want me to sit by him?"
Catching her in his arms, Gage caught her lips with a gentle kiss. "Syd, you know I don't want Winters near you. I'll be sure you're beside Walker or Jimmy. You ready to go?"
Nodding her agreement, Syd put her wrap around her shoulders with Gage's help. Taking his arm, the partners locked Syd's apartment door and headed for the car to meet up with the senior Rangers.
Frank's Spot
Walker and Jimmy arrived a couple of minutes before time to meet with the junior Rangers. Frank met the partners when they entered; taking them to the private table he had ready upstairs. "How's this Mr. Carson?" The club owner asked.
"Fine, thank you." Walker smiled then lowering his voice continued, "Sydney and Gage should be here in a few minutes. The men we're meeting are Carlton Powers, and two of his associates."
Frank nodded, replying quietly, "I'll keep an eye out and get them here, no problem. Sydney and Gage just came in, be right back."
Walker looked toward the entrance where Syd and Gage were talking and watched as Frank greeted the younger Rangers before bringing them to the table. After the partners were seated, the four Rangers decided how to play the meeting. As they finished, Gage noticed Carlton Powers enter the club followed by Winters and Brown.
The club owner met the men and learning their names and the person they were to meet, showed them upstairs where the Rangers waited. Upon reaching the table, Frank excused himself saying their waitress would be with them shortly. Gage had time to introduce the newcomers to the senior Rangers before Cindy came to the table.
"Good evening. My name's Cindy, what can I get for you tonight?" The waitress asked with a friendly smile.
The Rangers ordered glasses of white wine, having already decided against anything stronger. Carlton Powers ordered a guillotine, Justin asked for a gin and tonic while Willie ordered a beer.
The group kept to general questions from Powers to find out about Walker's background. After the drinks arrived, Walker got down to business. "Carina said you could supply a little operation I have going on the side. What would the cost be to my partner and I?"
"That would depend on the quantity you'd need." Carlton said with a smile at the other man's direct attitude.
"How much could you supply and then we'll discuss quantity." Came the Ranger's cool reply.
Chuckling Powers said, "I like your style Carson. We have a regular buyer, who takes about a hundred pounds per week. It'd be easy enough to fill just about any order you'd make up to that amount."
Nodding Walker answered, "How about fifty pounds this week, then we'll see." As Powers agreed to his suggestion, he continued, "I'd like to come take a look around your factory tomorrow if that's okay?"
Assuring the new buyer that would be fine, Powers and the senior Ranger arranged a time for the meeting. After their business was concluded, the three men took their leave and left the club. Frank joined the Rangers at the table as soon as the other three exited curious if everything went all right. After letting his friend know all went according to plan, Walker and his fellow Rangers thanked Frank for his help and left. Outside Walker glanced at his watch, noticing it was seven-thirty. When the Rangers reached Walker's truck and Gage's car, the senior Ranger suggested, "Why don't we meet up at the office at seven-thirty in the morning, instead of heading there tonight? We'll decide on a game plan for the meeting at RED then and, hopefully, have things wrapped up by tomorrow afternoon." At the group's agreement, they got into their vehicles and left the parking lot, with Walker turning toward Trivette's apartment and Gage going the other way.
Trivette's apartment
As Walker pulled the RAM to a stop in the parking lot, Jimmy opened the door to alight from the truck. "Thanks, Walker. I'll see you in the morning at headquarters. Erika shouldn't worry too much if I start driving now."
Laughing, his partner replied, "Okay, I'll see you tomorrow Trivette. If something comes up and you do need a ride just call me. Bye." With that the senior Ranger drove off, heading for home and his beautiful wife.
As Jimmy let himself into the apartment, he noticed the lights were off. Entering the living room, he stopped in his tracks seeing flickering candles all around the room. "Erika? I'm home, are you ready to go out?" A little concerned when he didn't receive an answer, he called his fiancée's name again.
Heading for the door to the kitchen, the Ranger stopped short hearing his name, "Jimmy, I'm right here." Swinging around toward her voice the man could only stare, as Erika appeared from the hallway in a black mini dress. Coming closer to her fiancé, she pushed his mouth closed with two fingers under his chin smiling at him. "I take it my attire meets with your approval?"
Nodding, Jimmy pulled her into his arms while replying, "You look fantastic, Honey. Just one, little question, what's with all the candles?"
Giggling, Erika said, "Remember earlier you said we'd go out to celebrate?" At his answering nod, she continued, "Well, I thought we could stay home, have a quiet dinner and celebrate privately." Her words were accompanied by a sultry look, which made the Ranger look forward to what she had planned for the rest of the evening.
Walker Ranch
Alex was coming down the stairs when she heard the RAM in the drive. Going to the door, she waited just inside for her husband. As he came up on the porch, Walker looked toward the door. Seeing his wife waiting just inside the screen, his steps quickened. Pulling open the screen door, his eyes twinkled as he said, "Good evening, Mrs. Walker. Is this a private party or can anyone join?"
Laughing, Alex took his arm, steering him to the kitchen as she answered, "Cowboy, prepare yourself for a treat, because this is a private dinner for two if your daughter cooperates. We had a talk earlier and I just finished feeding her about twenty minutes ago, so hopefully she's settled for a while."
Walking into the kitchen together, Walker noticed the candlelight just as he smelled the rich aroma of pasta, sauce and garlic. "Smells good, Italian for a Texas cowboy?"
Poking his arm, Alex retorted, "Well, it was easy to fix around holding the baby when she fussed and it wouldn't ruin if you were later than you thought." Their dinner conversation at first dealt with catching up on each other's day. About halfway through dinner, she asked, "How'd your meeting go?"
"It went fine. Jimmy and I are going to RED tomorrow morning. I asked Syd, Gage and Trivette to meet early at the office in the morning to plan our day." The Ranger told his wife, "I decided to skip meeting tonight since you were waiting for me and Jimmy had plans with Erika if we weren't late." His next words came as Alex was taking a drink of her iced tea. "Besides the way Sydney and Gage were dressed, they looked as if they had plans tonight. Alex, are you all right?"
Walker's question came immediately after she began coughing, nearly choking on her drink. When she'd caught her breath, she replied, "Fine, Walker. I just swallowed some air with my tea." Clearing her throat, she asked, "What was so special about how Sydney and Gage were dressed?"
Shaking his head Walker said, "Nothing really. Sydney was in her red dress that she wore last time to Frank's and Gage was in a suit, complete with tie. He doesn't like wearing a tie for long any more than I do."
Alex, knowing how the junior Rangers felt about each other, listened to her husband open-mouthed for a moment then catching herself, tried to divert his attention by saying, "Walker, you were meeting undercover with suspects in a trendy club, why wouldn't Sydney and Gage dress up a bit? Just because they looked nice doesn't necessarily mean they have anything planned."
"Alex, Syd and Gage spend quite a bit of time together outside of work. It's not like it would be the strangest thing for them to do after the meeting." Walker glossed over things to his wife, not letting her know of his suspicions from his observations of the junior partners' behavior during the past week. After the dishes were washed, Angela made her presence known with a loud wail. Kissing her husband on the cheek, Alex went to care for her. When the baby was fed, changed and tucked back into her crib, her parents decided to go to bed themselves since Alex would be up several more times that night and Walker needed to be at work earlier in the morning.
Gage and Sydney
After leaving the parking lot, Gage casually asked, "Syd would you like to grab a bite to eat before we head home?"
Hiding a grin by looking out the window, Sydney replied, "Sounds good, where did you want to go?"
"How about that new place you were talking about a couple of weeks ago?"
"Russo's?" At Gage's agreement, Syd smiled, "That sounds great. Walker took Alex there the night I was telling you about it. Alex loved the place; she said the food was delicious."
"Well, the way Alex's appetite would leave her so quickly at times, that's high praise indeed." Gage replied, while making a turn to head for the restaurant. Glancing his partner's way, Gage noticed a frown on her brow and asked, "What's wrong, Syd?"
"Gage," the female started exasperatedly. "It wasn't Alex's fault that she got sick at the oddest times. Morning sickness doesn't always just last the first few months and doesn't always keep to the morning."
"Syd, I didn't mean anything by it; I was just making a comment. But you have to admit that what I said was the truth." Gage finished triumphantly.
"I realize everything you said was true, Gage. Some people would get upset with you over it though." Sydney replied trying to keep a straight face while teasing her partner.
Gage looked at his passenger right as she covered her grin with one hand, "Ah hah! Caught you that time, Syd. If you're not going to behave, I'll take you home without any dinner."
At that the female Ranger sobered, with a mock pout she said, "I'm sorry, Gage. It's not that often that I can actually get one over on you though. It was too much to resist." A grin stole across her face, replacing the pout, as her partner burst into laughter.
"It's all right, Syd. I won't starve you, especially since you didn't make me suffer hunger Sunday." Gage replied, as Syd's grin grew into a genuine smile for him. Their conversation turned to general topics the rest of the way to the restaurant.
When they finished dinner, Gage drove Syd home. Pulling into a parking space in the lot of her apartment building, Gage turned the car off, turning toward Syd at the same time. Before he could say anything, Syd spoke up, "Gage, do you want to come up for coffee?"
Smiling at her, Gage agreed and getting out of the car followed her upstairs. Once inside, Gage caught her arm and pulled her close into a kiss. As the kiss deepened, Syd wrapped her arms around her partner's neck, running her fingers through his thick hair.
Several minutes later, Gage gently broke the kiss leaving both gasping for breath. "Syd, I better go…." He stopped as her fingers pressed on his lips as she spoke, "Gage, I don't want you to go."
"Syd, are you sure?"
Nodding, she answered, "I'm sure. I've, actually, been pretty sure since the weekend after we stopped denying our feelings for each other." She finished with a small grin. Grinning in return, Gage again caught her lips in an increasingly passionate kiss. Just as Syd's knees began to buckle, Gage picked her up in his arms heading for the bedroom.
TBC