A/N: After six years this 'update' might come as a surprise to some - or all. LOL Even to myself, but I had been thinking about this story a lot these past six years. Even when I wasn't writting Babe, this story always felt somewhat unfinished and like it desrved more. So, I sat down and started writting. Not sure how many chapters there will be or how frequent updates are coming, but I will give it a proper ending. A Babe ending nevertheless.


I'm the first to admit that I dodged Ranger for a few days after our last interaction. It wasn't like I was going out of my way to avoid him – but I was maybe changing a few details about my daily routine in order to not run into him. Like visiting the Bond office late in the afternoon, at a time when I was certain that there was no chance he'd be around. Or anyone from RangeMan for that matter.

I knew running into Lester or even Ram they would spot right away that something was off. They might not even have to look at me to know that. News by now in regards to my departure had most likely spread to each Merry Man anyway and I really did not feel like talking about it. Mainly because I didn't know what to say. Yes, I was angry with Ranger but it wasn't like this was any news. Ever since we met in that diner all these years ago we had an off form of tango going on between us. Never moving anywhere really but also not stepping back for whatever it was that was going on between us either.

While I wouldn't let my mind go to places that I deemed unsafe and where there was no coming back from – Ranger and his display of jealousy – it was also hard to ignore to not loose one or two thoughts to the evidence. And get angry at the man himself all over again while doing so.

I hadn't even left the building when Cal had already texted me, asking whether all really was ok, followed by the question of whether I'd like to talk about it. I didn't want to talk about it. No, I would have liked to waltz back into Ranger's office and simply hit him until he got a clue. Since that option however was out of question, I went with my second option – and reliable stand-in for everything I ever did: Denial. Like saying that we would be alright again and things would work themselves out. Truth was… it was hard to work things out when one avoided the other and working things out became just slightly more tricky.

I texted Cal back to not worry about it and that I hoped I hadn't caused a difficult situation for him and went my merry way. I canceled our running appointment for the next day as well. And for the day after that. However, just because I canceled didn't mean I actually got my ass up and went all alone, surprising myself in the process.

While I was not exactly enjoying the exercise as such, I came to realize that it somehow helped me to clear my mind, focus on things and gain a certain perspective. It had a calming effect on me, despite the fact that my pulse and heart rate were anything but.

I had just plugged my headphones in and jogged across the street from my apartment complex, entering the park I used for making my rounds when I saw a familiar figure sitting on the first bench. He got up when spotting me and waited for my make my way over.

"Didn't I cancel for today?" I asked confused, looking for my phone, making sure my message had gone through when Cal just shock his head. "I didn't?" I asked alarmed – though not sure what I was alarmed about. It wasn't like I was actually hiding from him, or like he had stayed back at home waiting for me to write him.

"You did," he finally said with a wide smile. "But somehow, I figured with all the progress we made, it would he hard for you to simply not go and get running. So, I took my chances and assumed you'd be taking this route, seeing that it wasn't far from your place. Guess I was right," he said and smiled a second later. "I gave you a few days by yourself, assuming you might need a little time."

I'm not going to lie, there was a part of me that had wanted to hear these exact words coming from someone else. And maybe I was just being stupid, seeing that Ranger was probably not even wasting a thought about our exchange. Or at least not as many thoughts I seemed to spent on the topic.

"So three days was the maximum?" I asked amused, seeing Cal smile at me and nodded.

"Longer than that and I might have started to worry."

"We don't want that of course," I admitted amused.

"So," he started after a while when we had been running for a few good minutes. "You want to talk about what happened?"

I let out a breath, not certain whether it was from the exercise or the fact that I considered this part of my answer. "I… How much intel have you got? What does the RangeMan grapevine say?"

He laughed at my comment, seeing as it was an open secret that the Merry Man at one point had turned out to be the biggest gossips I ever met. They could teach even the Burg a thing or two.

"I'd rather hear about your version than what a bunch of bored ex-military guys come up with."

"I'm not sure I can really explain what happened, to be honest. A few factors play into what happened in Ranger's office and most of them I don't even know who to blame for. Me and my stupid naïve ideas or Ranger's insensibility."

"I'd go with Ranger just by principle," Cal said and I needed to laugh once more.

"You don't even know what happened, so who can you already be convinced that Ranger's at fault?"

"Because it is Ranger we are talking about and you are involved. Ranger lacks good judgement whenever it comes to you."

That comment made me stop in my tracks right away and look at Cal incredulous. It of course was one way to call it, Ranger lacking good judgement when it came to me. I watched Cal jog a few more yards before he must have realized I was no longer next to him.

"What happened?" he asked, looking almost alarmed.

"Nothing," I lied, trying hard to shake the feeling of incompetence off me.

He looked at me for the longest moment, almost like he was studying me and most likely looked right through my lie instantly. What surprised me that he kept looking at me confused and as if in deep thought and then he seemed like he had a breakthrough.

"No, Steph. That wasn't what I meant. Honestly. I didn't mean to say you in general are bad judgement and shouldn't be… around. I meant, Ranger lacks… whenever it comes to you and what should be obvious to him, because it is obvious that everyone around him, he could do better. A lot better. He tries convincing himself that he isn't involved and nothing goes on between the two of you. That you need to be kept at an arms-length of excuses and reasons and conditions when it would do him a whole lot good if he … well…. If he didn't. He tries staying away from you, making up ridiculous arguments but then gets upset and angry when one of us gets a little more involved in your life and – god forbid – actually calls you something along the lines of a friend. I'm not saying that you'd ever get involved romantically with any of us – especially since probably most of us see you as their little sister – but he can't be upset about the possibility when he keeps pushing you away. What exactly does he expect? That you stay single for the rest of your life – or wait for him until you are both old and grey, especially with him telling you all the time to go and fix things with the cop or that maybe someday you two have a shot? If there is one thing all of learned in the military that that: Life's too short for maybe's and someday's."

"So what do you suggest I should do?" I asked, almost a little agitated and with plenty of attitude. He of all people should know that Carlos Manoso and Stephanie Plum was a complicated story. It wasn't like I could just walk into his office and make him see reason. We were both stubborn people and Ranger sure as hell wouldn't just roll over and get with the program. A program I myself wasn't so sure about.

"I've known Ranger for a very long time, serving with him for the last few years of our time with the military and trust me when I say this: there had never been a woman in his life who could do what you do. At best they were one-night-stands or quipped his interested for two, maybe three nights. And that was it. None had the leeway you have or the power you have over the great Manoso. For once he has to actually learn you do not bend over to his will and stigmas."

"I don't want to make things difficult for you. Seeing as he seems to think there might be more between us than just being running mates."

"You worry about me?" he asked amused. "You're adorable."

Usually I wouldn't let anyone get away with calling me adorable, especially when it sounded like pity, but some Cal also seemed to be in actual awe.

"There isn't a thing Ranger can do that I haven't seen before. The worst parts of the job being assigned to me? Fair enough. Being called to the mats every morning for the rest of the month, or even year? Okay, but eventually the other guys might step in and have opinions about me being singled out for something all of us but him see. He can growl and yell and snipe at me at every turn we take, but it isn't like we ever had lengthy and deep conversations before. So whatever it is that he thinks he has to do, it isn't something new or could be any worse than seeing you in so much pain."

"I'm in no pain," I argued and saw him actually throwing a look my way. Who knew the Merry Men were so divers?

"Sure, that's why you stormed out of his office, tried avoiding any of us for the past few days and also don't spend more time thinking about how to make that first step back to how you and the boss were until recently. Pinning never looked less painful, Bomber."

I wasn't sure what pissed me off more, that Cal apparently knew a lot more of what was going on or that he had the audacity to actual laugh at the end of his statement. Probably a little of both.

"You want my advice?" he asked a few moments later, having probably given up on running by now and grabbing my hand after him while he walked ahead of me, coming down from his few moments of running and reaching the cool down phase of our workout.

"If I say no, will you not give it to me?" I asked amused, knowing fully well he would indulge me in his opinion one way or another.

"No," he laughed. "Don'… give up what you do."

"And what am I doing exactly?"

"Being strong and showing Ranger he actually can't do without you. Stay strong and resist the urge of running to him and amend what isn't broken. It might feel as if your little exchange broke things, but it didn't. It actually might give him something to think about. Things that you pointed out rightly so. Like how it seemed more important to him what you and I did or didn't do rather than the fact that you tried to improve something he kept telling you about. The fact that he was more focused on the fact that there actually might be someone in your life who could take his number one spot rather than you for once following through with one of his suggestions tells a lot about how involved he is. Despite the fact that he likes telling himself otherwise."

"I think you are wrong. He had never been that… hostile towards Morelli."

"We all know that Morelli was never number one in your life. Ever since you and the boss met, that pole position was his. Morelli never stood a chance."

"Stay strong, Stephanie. It might take a while but it will lead to results. Stay on course and follow your heart and you can't go wrong. Running back to him now, trying to mend what you think needs mending will only lead to him thinking he has that sort of power over you."

"But… he has," I admitted grumbling.

"Maybe, but he does not need to know that," Cal smiled. "I'm not saying that you should play hard to get but instead of being the one who goes to him, let him come to you. Make him see that he is in fact not the center of your universe and actually has to put a little effort into staying relevant. He is under the impression that you need him to live your life, show him that it isn't the case, that the status quo actually isn't indefinitely. That things can change and that if he isn't stepping up his game you could easily be gone over time."

"I hate being the one who breaks the news to you while you seem to be on a roll, but… I kind of need him in my life. I sort of rely on him in all kinds of ways. Let's start with the obvious and that he has saved my life way more often than I'd like admit my life actually was in danger. He has jobs for me, and cars and…"

"Stop right there," Cal interrupted me and actually held up a hand, stopping me rather effectively. "Any kind of relationship is defined by a well-balanced giving and taking."

"Yes, and he is definitely giving me a whole lot more than I give him."

"Materialistically, yes, maybe. But a relationship shouldn't be evaluated by who pushed more money towards who – especially since he obviously can afford it. There's also the emotional level and in that department, I only see you giving and investing yourself and him not doing anything – other than directing you towards a list of reasons that holds no significance."

"What makes you actually think that there really is something worth pursuing? It isn't like there have been grand declarations of anything that would give that away. Unless you got Ranger drunk one night and made him spill his guts. Did you?" I asked and saw him looking amused at me again.

"No, I did not. But also… it is palpable for anyone with a working pair of eyes and who knows Ranger. Like… think about you two met and how little he actually gave himself away. How he was clothing himself in mystery and secrets, how you had no full name for the longest of times and how all you actually knew about him could fit on a tiny post-it note and still have space left. The closest personal information you actually had managed to get from him was a vacant lot. And now, he hands over the keys to one of his Porsches to you without even a moment's hesitation, knowing fully well the chances of never seeing that car again are high. And yet, he doesn't care. Neither does he when reports come in that his Porsche in fact really did not survive five minutes after you drove off and yet he is more concerned that you are alive and don't have a scratch on you rather than how a car worth a hundred grand is up in smoke."

"Maybe, but that doesn't mean he harbors a …crush on me."

"No, especially since it isn't a crush but an entire obsession. Trust me, I have known him a lot longer than you and while you don't see it because you don't know him as well before he became a bounty hunter, there is a whole spectrum of personality traits that Ranger tried burying a long-ass time ago and yet you managed to dig up in the impressive course of a few years. Keep digging, it will be worthwhile and the road to your happy ending is paved with success."

"Not entirely sure when you became such a motivational speaker, but fine, I'll follow your lead for a while and see whether that really gets me anywhere," I gave in and saw Cal grin at me.

"Trust me, it will. Just stay strong. Let him come to you and prove to him that he needs you more than you need him."

I was definitely not agreeing, but seeing how many opinions Cal had about this topic and seemed so set on it, I figured arguing with him wouldn't lead to much – other then him starting on another speech. If anything I'd say Ranger and me needed each other equally, but instead of phrasing that opinion, I remained silent, knowing for once which battles to pick, secretly hoping Cal was right and saw something I had obviously been missing. Because I was certain about one thing: I didn't need to get my heart broken once more.