Disclaimer: Okay, I think you know the deal! I don't own anything! Janet Evanovich does, lucky so-and-so!

A/N : Hey! Omigod, look at all the reviews! I think people need more hugs! Lol! Also, someone commented on my spelling of Macys, I'm sorry to you all, I'm not American, I'm Welsh, I'm from Wales.

A thousand 'thank you's to everyone who had anything to say about this story. It's a working progress and I'm pretty sure I know where it's going…well, the outline.

I'm determined to finish this so if I lack an update by a couple of weeks, remind me! Alright…here we go.

Dum dum dum, chapter 3…

Enjoy everyone!

Chapter 3

Last time…

When I'd finished my eyes were drooping and I was yawning next to every minute.

Mary Lou noticed and told me relax and she fetched me a blanket and I spent the night on her couch, exhausted from dragging up all the memories I had left lie.

Now on with the show…

I woke up to the feel of someone waking me up. I blinked and rubbed at my eyes to see a sleepy looking Mary Lou holding out a cup of hot coffee.

I smiled my thanks and took it gratefully, my thoughts focusing on the streaming mug of happiness in my hands. I sipped it and waited for an explanation for her early wakening. I glanced over at the clock on the VCR.

It blinked 6:10 am.

Forget the damn coffee!

I looked at Mary Lou like she was demented and criminally insane but before I could shout at her she opened her mouth and gave me her explanation.

"I've been thinking about what you said, all last night, and I've come up with a theory."

I raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything, just sipped my coffee like a junkie taking a fix.

"The reason you feel unaffected by Joe's touches and advances is because you are conscious that it doesn't feel the same as when Ranger does it to you. You feel that because it doesn't feel as strong or because it's just different it's not right and it's not as good. It's fairly obvious when you analyse your relationship with Ranger and you relationship with Joe who you like more and who you want to be with more. It's also the way you explain it, with one you talk about him like he's god's gift and you point out every single good point whilst with the other you say a few good things then fill in the empty compliments with faults that they have. Steph, you say you love both of these men and I believe you and I agree that I also think you do but with one it's more of a friendship love rather than with the other it's a more i-love-you-i-want-to-grow-old-with-you. Steph, the first step is for you realise which one you love more, I'm not going to tell you because I may be wrong and then I would have spoilt your entire love life for you and that's not something I would want to live with. So, it's your choice Steph…who do you think you love more; Morelli who is a safe, easy going guy that you've known your entire life and loved and become curious after for most of it as well…or Ranger who supports you, is always there for you, never belittles you, understands you, is different from the Burg and doesn't strangle your wildness. You know you need to decide soon because you cannot keep this up, it's going to tear yourself up and it's unfair on them. You need to decide soon." She said seriously, rising to her feet and padding off towards the kitchen.

I sat up, completely awake now.

She was right, I know that, but I still didn't want to have to choose.

I chugged down the rest of my coffee and followed Mary Lou out to the kitchen.

She was leaning back against the counter eating an apple.

"Have you decided?"

I shook my head,

"I am not doing this now; I'm doing it a lot later with a lot more alcohol."

I got home around 7-ish and went straight into the shower.

When I felt a bit more respectable and was dressed in fresh clean clothes and I had given Rex a floret of broccoli, I grabbed my coat, keys, bag and good mood and rushed out of the door to find a one Jerry Lopez.

I got to Jerry's place and raised an eyebrow.

The house was massive and there was metallic blue Mazda MX5 in the drive way.

This guy must be rolling in it.

I walked up the cobblestone path to the door and knocked.

It opened wide open and I was staring into the angry face of Jerry Lopez.

He had two bright, angry shiners on both eyes and his mouth was in a jagged scowl,

"What do you want!" he shouted at me then winced suddenly and clutched at his head.

I was going to take a wild guess that this guy was enduring a hangover.

If you looked closely at his eyes you could see, yes, that they were bloodshot.

"Hi, I'm Stephanie Plum and I represent you Bail Bondsman, Vincent Plum, you've missed your court date and I come to help you reschedule." I said with smile.

Please don't get angry!

He narrowed his eyes at me,

"What!" he sounded confused and angry.

Damn, I hate it when they get angry.

I repeated my little introduction again and waited for a better reply.

He just stood there and sighed, scratching his chest.

"What if I don't wanna go t' court? I don't wanna because it was a lousy offence. I shouldn't 'ave been charged, that crappy bouncer should 'ave." He muttered and went to close the door but I jammed one of my size 8 CAT boots in the way, stopped the door from closing all the way.

"Even if that is the case, it would make my job a whole lot easier if you could just come with me now and argue your case with the cops or get a lawyer." I said, getting a little pissy now.

I didn't need this shit right now, I had my own problems like making one of the biggest decisions in my entire life!

He laughed, "Yeah, right, lady. Look, honey, I ain't goin' any where."

I sighed, "Oh, honey yes you are." I said firmly.

He raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms across his chest,

"Make me." He said with a glint in his eyes.

He was finding this funny, bastard.

I was practically fuming by this time so I searched in my arm for my stun gun and raised it to Jerry,

"My pleasure." I said with smile before edging towards him with the stun gun.

I touched it to his arm and pressed the button.

Nothing.

Shit.

I looked up to find one pissy Jerry Lopez.

He grabbed me and flung me across the hall into a door.

I slid down it thinking, well this is going to be how I die.

I reached around my bag for my gun then remembered I had left it at home.

Shit.

One day I'm going to really pay attention to what Ranger says to me.

Ranger.

Ranger would be able to get out of this situation with ease.

I struggled to get breath and raised myself to my feet shakily,

"Mr Lopez, I would appreciate if you would just come along cooperatively. I could get your bail bondsman to bond you out straight away."

Or I might forget about it for…a week or so, who knows, maybe longer; my memory can get a mighty weak.

"Darlin' there ain't no way you are going to make me." He said walking closer to me.

I saw something glint in his hand and I felt my eyes widen.

Shit.

He lunged for me as I tried to jump past him towards the door.

I let out a small scream as the knife sliced through the bottom of my sweater and came in contact with my stomach.

I ground my teeth together and rolled onto my back, raising to my feet.

The knife had fallen on the floor in Jerry's haste and wasn't far away.

I grabbed it before he could and narrowed my eyes on him, tearing off the bedraggled bottom of my shirt that was hanging on my a thread.

"This was one of my favourite shirts." I growled at him and he chuckled.

"You're a fiery lass I'll give ya tha'." He said with a small grin.

I visibly relaxed, "So you'll come to the station?"

He looked at me like I was insane, "No?"

I sighed, "Fine. I'll be back, I need to change." I said wiping frantically at the blood on my stomach.

It wasn't a very deep cut, more like a graze but it hurt like a bitch.

I closed the door behind me and walked to my car pulling out the first aid kit I kept in the glove box.

I put a wiped it with an anti septic wipe and put a large band aid over it, gently squeaking every time I touched it.

I drove back to my apartment and changed my shirt into a long jersey and put a ball cap on my head to hide my out of control hair that bouncing out of my ponytail.

I would go after Jerry tomorrow, for sure.

I decided on having an early lunch and went searching in the fridge for food.

I managed to cook up a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and devoured that rather quickly.

Going after Jerry had worked me up an appetite.

I sat in front of the TV channel surfing and settled on Ghostbusters, my all time favourite film.

I tried to concentrate on the film, god did I try, but all I could think about was Joe and Ranger.

Right, I decided, I was going to do this now.

I switched off the TV and grabbed a notepad and a pen.

I did a rough table and put the names Ranger and Joe in two boxes and wrote two columns underneath them saying good points and bad points.

This is the only way I can do this, Mary Lou says I say more good things in one so this has to work.

Once I'd finished it looked something like this…

Ranger's good points

Supports me
Never lies to me
Hot in bed (and outside of it)
Helps me when i ask for it
Doesn't try to change me
No price for what we give each other
Gave me a job when i needed one
Loves me (okay it's 'IN HIS OWN WAY' but so?)

Morelli's good points

Long, long past
 Wants to marry me and loves me
From the Burg
Family approve of him
Comfortable together

Ranger's bad points

Goes out of town often
Not from the Burg
Doesn't want a relationship
Workaholic
Thinks i'm 'entertainment'

Morelli's bad points

Doesn't like job
Doesn't support me in anything
Hates bestfriend, Ranger and ridicules him
No electricity (as of recently...)
Pressures me into wanting more in our relationship
Shouts loud and often
Scary family who don't approve of me
Wants me to become a Burg housewife

I sighed at what I saw.

I loved Ranger.

I could see the answer blatantly staring back at me now.

I crumpled up the piece of paper and chucked in the bin.

What now?

I was pretty sure Joe and me were over as of now but I still needed to talk to him about the relationship and explain that it was over for good.

There was no way I could keep going out with him if I knew consciously I was over in love with another man that wasn't him.

I nearly jumped out of my skin when I heard the phone ring.

I walked over to it and picked it up,

"Hello?"

Maybe it was Ranger phoning from Los Angeles.

"It's payback time, Miss Plum. Keep your friends close to you." A disguised voice said before the line went dead.

I frowned at the phone and put it back in it's cradle.

I sighed, another freak, just what I needed.

TBC

A/N: Your thoughts? Just to confirm, this is babe fic! What can I say, ranger is a god! That bloody list thing took me ages, then i found out it mucked up and now i've had to redo it all AGAIN! Why me? Hope you enjoy the story people!