As the week passed, Lester and Bobby grew more and more worried as I slowly withdrew from them and in turn, my mood fell further toward depression territory. By the following Thursday, I couldn't have a single discussion with anyone in the office without feeling as if I was going to cry.

I was working on updating the core team calendars when Steph walked in and shut the door. "Okay, chick. Spill it," she said as she slid into the empty chair across from my desk.

"Spill what?" I asked, not taking my eyes off the screen.

"Sienna," Steph said on a sigh. "You look like you haven't slept in days. You're not eating. You can't seem to have a single conversation without nearly bursting into tears and you have Lester and Bobby worried sick. What is going on with you?"

I closed my eyes, took my hands off the keyboard, and sat back in my chair. My right hand immediately dropped to pet Ruger on the head. He'd been the one thing keeping me somewhat steady.

The one thing I learned early on about Stephanie was that once her attention landed on a subject there was no getting her off it again until she got the answers she was looking for.

"You haven't been yourself since that damn encounter with Morelli at Pinos. Talk to me."

I took another deep breath as I tried to gather my thoughts enough to speak. Ruger shifted to place his head on my leg, looked up at me and whined. I knew he felt my emotions and was worried. I continued to pet him as I spoke. "I-I-um…I don't know if I can do this."

"Do what?" she asked as she leaned forward to rest her arms on the edge of my desk.

"Be a part of a threesome," I finally said.

Her eyes widened as she shifted to lean back in her chair. "Oh hell, Sienna…why?" She paused and I could see the moment she made the connection. "Is this because of what Joe said back at Pinos?"

"That sparked it, but it's not just him," I replied.

"Don't listen to Morelli," Steph urged. "He's an ass who doesn't know the first thing about being in love."

"It's not just Morelli, Steph. It's what he represents. His view of our unique relationship will be what most people see when they look at us."

"So?" Steph said. "Do you honestly think Bobby or Lester care what other's think about them?"

"Yes, I do," I replied. "I felt the way Lester reacted when Morelli outed him. The look on Bobby's face nearly crushed my heart. Ever since, they've been struggling with the knowledge that their secret is out and in the open. I can't in good conscious make that situation worse by moving forward with a relationship with them."

"No. Sienna. I'm telling you that Bobby and Lester don't care."

"They do care," I shot back. My raised voice earned me two paws on my lap and a muzzle against my belly as Ruger whined again. I know boy. "And their egos and self-worth have been damaged enough without me making it worse."

"You're not making it worse," Steph argued. "Yes, being outed was a shock for them and I know that it's going to take some time for them to get used to the idea of others knowing, but they will."

I shook my head. "You said yourself that they keep everything which might even begin to elude to a relationship hidden when they're outside Haywood. Yet, Morelli knew, which means others do too."

"So?" Steph said.

"So, they're going to have to deal with the fall out. Now add me into the mix and watch what happens. They're already wounded souls. What if they decide they can't handle the judgment and they don't want me anymore?"

"That's not going to happen," Steph tried to assure me.

"You don't know that," I replied even as the tears welled yet again. "I've already become so attached to them both. What if I sleep with them and then they decide they made a mistake?"

"Sounds to me like Bobby and Lester aren't the only ones with insecurities," she said. "And I really think you need to be having this conversation with them."

I shook my head. "I can't."

"You can," Steph said as she pushed up from the chair. "And you will." Before I could stop her, she opened my office door and yelled for Lester.

"Steph, no." I pushed Ruger off my lap and leapt to my feet. "I can't do this right now. I'm supposed to be working."

She shook her head. "You can't effectively do your job with all this shit weighing down on you."

Lester appeared in the doorway. "Beautiful, you called?" He glanced my direction and in two steps crossed my office and pulled me into his arms. "Cutie, what's wrong?"

Being in his arms felt so good and before I could stop it, I let out a sob.

"I'm gonna call Bobby to come up," Steph said. "Ruger, come," she said. I caught movement out of the corner of my eye as my loyal pup obediently followed Steph out of my office, then she pulled the door shut.

Bobby arrived a few minutes later and the three of us then spent the next hour locked away in my office as I poured both my heart and my concerns, out to the men I'd come to love. They listened without comment before eventually pulling me between them and assuring me in nearly every way possibly that they were in this for the long haul.

"I'll admit," Lester said as he took me from Bobby's embrace. "I was caught off guard when that jackass said the grapevine had Bobby and I being together. I thought we'd done a better job of keeping our relationship on the down low."

"It upset you," I said as I held him. "I felt the way you stiffened."

"I did," Lester said. "But you know what?" he asked.

I shook my hair out of my face as I looked up at him. "What?"

"After thinking long and hard about it, I realize that I don't care if the world knows about me, Bobby, and you. Hell, I'll go up to the roof and yell into the wind how much I love you both. That way all of Trenton will hear it."

A slow smile claimed my face. "You would too. If for no other reason than to prove your point."

Bobby chuckled as he moved in behind me. "And I'll be right there beside him, sweetheart. How about you?"

Before I could answer a knock on my door had us pulling apart. "Come."

Ram peered from around the corner of the door. "I hate to interrupt, but its time. We need to roll."

Lester winced. "Shit." He looked down at me. "We have three FTA's to pick up this afternoon." He cupped my face in his palms. "We'll finish this tonight." He pressed a soft kiss to my lips, then he was gone.

I turned to look at Bobby. "Why does his statement make me nervous on an entirely different level?"

Bobby crossed to me and mimicked Lester's earlier move. "Because tonight, sweetheart, we're going to show you just how much we love you."

The butterflies in my stomach started again, but this time for a completely different reason. I pressed a hand low on my belly and blew out a nervous breath. "Oh boy."

Over the next few hours, with Ruger back at my side, I worked my way through the pile of paperwork on my desk while trying hard not to think about Lester's statement.

Bobby had been called back down to Three to tend to Manny and what appeared to be a bad bout of food poisoning. I was just heading back toward my office, after grabbing another ream of paper for my printer, when the chaos around the monitors caught my interest. Steph stood behind Vince with her cell phone to her ear, her face a mask of concern.

I stopped and waited until she hung up, then she turned to look at me.

"What's going on?" I asked.

"Woody just reported shots fired."

My heart stopped. According to the apprehension schedule for today, Woody and Raphael were with Ram and Lester. "Les?"

She shook her head. "I don't know yet. I just called Ranger. He and Tank are on their way over there right now."

Bobby burst onto the control room floor, spotted me and Steph and rushed over. "Bomber, I got your text."

Vince reached up and tapped Steph on the arm. "Fire scanner reports an ambulance was requested. Police scanners are calling for PD and the medical examiner."

I sucked in a breath and reached for Bobby as he wrapped his arms around me. "Oh God."

Steph shook her head again; a warning look in her eyes. "W-we don't know that its one of our guys. They're the best in the business. It could easily be Santiago who was hit."

Bobby kept his arms wrapped around me as I stood riveted, waiting for any word on what was happening in the field.

Minutes felt like hours as we waited. When Steph's cell phone rang, I jumped. She connected the call and hit the speaker button. "Ranger?"

"Our men are unharmed," he said. "At least physically."

Steph's brow wrinkled. "What does that mean?"

"From the intel we received, as Les and Ram approached, they heard shouting, like that of an argument. Then a woman's scream followed by a gunshot. Ram broke down the door and they found the woman lying on the kitchen floor. He told Raphael to stay with the woman, and Woody to call it in, then he and Les went in search of Santiago."

"Please tell me they killed the bastard," Steph said.

"They did, but not before he pulled the trigger on his six-year-old daughter."

I sucked air before burying my face against Bobby's chest. "Oh, dear God," Steph said.

"It gets worse," Ranger continued. "Les picked up the girl and held her until the paramedics arrived."

"Please tell me she made it," Steph said and as I turned to look at her, I could see the glassiness in her eyes.

"She died in Lester's arms," Ranger said.

The tears came now, both from me and Steph. With one arm around me, Bobby reached for Steph and pulled her against us as she too cried. "Ranger," he said his voice rough with emotion. "How bad are the guys?"

"Ram and Les appeared pretty fucked up right now. As soon as TPD releases us from the scene we'll all be headed back to Haywood."

"We'll be ready," Bobby replied.

Forty-five minutes later, I watched on the monitors as three black SUV's pulled into the Rangeman garage. Ranger and Tank exited the first SUV, Raphael climbed from the driver's side of the second one with Ram from the passenger side a few seconds behind. My heart hurt watching him as he walked with his head lowered and his shoulders hunched, as if the weight of the world pressed down on him. Finally, Woody stepped out from behind the wheel of the third. Lester remained in the passenger seat. The need to go to him, to console him pulled at me. Only, Bobby had been concerned about Lester's mindset and mood and he asked me to stay with Steph on Five where we'd be safe, until he could assess both Ram and Lester.

My eyes remained riveted on the monitors as Bobby and Ranger approached the SUV. It took several minutes before they managed to get Lester to leave the vehicle. He looked so lost, so broken as he walked toward the building. Bobby tried to put a hand on his shoulder, only to have Les shake him off. Once inside, instead of taking the elevator as Ram had done with Tank and Raphael, Les headed for the stairs. The concern on Bobby's face was evident as Lester slowly made his way up the steps one at a time. It appeared, at least from where we stood, that it was taking everything he had in him to push forward.

Instead of heading to Four to their apartment or here to Five, he stopped at Three and walked toward the gym. Bobby and Ranger followed and appeared to attempt to stop him, only for him to shake them both off again. While Ranger hadn't scrambled the cameras, he had turned off the sound, so I couldn't make out the conversation taking place.

After a moment, Ranger nodded, patted Les on the shoulder, then turned and walked away. Lester headed into the locker room, leaving Bobby standing in the doorway.

A few minutes later, Ranger appeared on Five. My attention split between him and the monitor to the gym where Lester was now pounding on a heavy bag.

"Les and Ram?" Steph asked as Ranger pulled her into a hug.

"Ram when up to his apartment. I sent Raphael and Tank with him. One of them will stay with him tonight. Les wanted to pound on a bag in the gym for a while. Considering what he went through out there, I thought maybe it would do him some good."

"H-he, looks so broken. So lost," I said as I watched the screen.

"Right now, he is," Ranger replied. "We've all seen and done a lot of horrible things in our lives but witnessing the death of a child is always the hardest to handle. It's gonna take some time, but we'll get him through this. We'll get them all through it." With Stephanie still in his arms he turned and headed toward his office. "Right now, I'm going to call Dr. Cochran and see if I can get him to come work with the guys tomorrow. All four of them are going to need some therapy."

I stood in place for a few more minutes and watched the monitor for the gym before attempting to head back to my office and return to my work. Bobby was with him, and I'd only be in the way. At least that's what I tried to tell myself even as my feet headed for the elevator. As was typical Ruger was right by my side.

When we stepped off the elevator onto Three, I spotted Bobby standing in the doorway leading to the gym. His face was a mask of worry as he watched Lester beat on the heavy bag. I stepped up next to him and he wrapped an arm around me and pulled me to him. "How long are you going to let him go?" I whispered.

"I'm hoping he'll tire out before I have to resort to sedation, but if he crosses into the point of self-destruction, I have a syringe in my cargo pocket."