This is an AU story. I hope you find the characters still themselves even if their world is different.

Huge thanks to Rach who make the writing better and so much more fun.

Sally

The Good Wife

Chapter 13

When in doubt, I like to stick with what I do best, denial. So I just acted like I hadn't heard him.

I was his type? What type would that be? Unhappily married, neurotic nymphomaniac? I can just see the ad on Craig's List now. Seeking desperate socialite unhappy in her marriage. Must like guns and ex military men. A bonus if she thinks out loud and constantly embarrasses herself. Mentally, I snorted. I didn't know what was funnier, Ranger needing an ad to meet women or me being anyone's type.

He was walking so close to me I could feel his breath on my neck. It gave me goose bumps. I tried to put a little space between us, but Ranger was in bodyguard mode so I didn't get too far. We planned on heading back to his office to go over case files, but with his last comment I didn't think I could be alone in a room with him in my current state. Well, be alone in a room with him and not strip him naked and screw his brains out. Luckily Uncle Mo's Ice Cream and Candy shop was only a few doors down.

"I need chocolate." I announced to Ranger in a voice that sounded a little more desperate than I intended. He looked a little puzzled, but he followed me.

The bell rang announcing our arrival in the candy store, but I don't think anyone noticed. It was chaos. This was a popular place after school. I didn't realize that it had gotten that late, but the store was overrun with kids. Even in all of the bedlam, I heard a little voice yell, "Auntie Feffie!" My nephew Frankie broke out of his big sister's grip and raced to me. I scooped him up and he gave me a big slobbery kiss, flinging his arms around my neck.

I smiled at him, "Hey little man, are you getting ice cream today?" His green eyes twinkled as he bobbed his head up and down. I brushed his blond hair out of his eyes as he pointed over to where Valerie stood at the counter with the girls. Angie stood perfectly still while Mary Alice was pawing at the ground like a horse. Lisa was asleep in a sling. Val waved to us. There was a family ahead of them that looked to be ordering enough for a small army. They were going to have a bit of a wait.

I turned my attention to my nephew as he said, "Un huh. Marwe Awice got a A on her test. We having a party!" Since I only spoke a little bit of toddler, I struggled a bit, but finally figured out the reason for the celebration. I started to carry Frankie to a table by the window to wait for the girls and their ice cream, but Ranger took my arm and steered us to a booth in the back corner. The booth wasn't very big and I was wedged between a wall of stone and a wall of muscle. Ranger's thigh was resting next to mine. Frankie seemed to be studying Ranger quite intently from his perch on my lap.

"Are you a boy?" Frankie asked Ranger skeptically. Was he a boy? The man had more testosterone than a high school boys' football team. I was a little embarrassed. Ranger just nodded, but he had his almost smile on. Frankie looked puzzled. "Boys don't have long hair." He wrinkled up his little brow, "Or have earrings." Ranger didn't answer; he just gave the boy an amused look. He had given me that look before. Ranger nudged my leg; I guess I was supposed to come to his defense.

I answered him quickly, "Frankie, sometimes boys have long hair and they can have earrings if they want to." I was mortified, but in the poor kid's defense he lived in the burg where all boys had short hair and no earrings. God forbid anyone ever went against the norm. I wondered if he was going to press the issue. The kid was smart and asked all sorts of questions, ones that I couldn't believe came from the mind of a three year old.

He just smiled at Ranger and said, "Okay." I sighed in relief.

"Aren't you going to get any ice cream Babe?" Ranger asked in a teasing tone.

I shook my head. "I just had a shake with lunch. But I do plan on buying several pounds of their homemade truffles." My eyes glazed over in anticipation and he chuckled.

Valerie hollered at me to come and help her. After asking Ranger if he was okay with Frankie I headed over to help. She had too many dishes of ice cream and the baby needed a diaper change. Great auntie that I was, I juggled the ice cream and left Val to change the diaper. The girls and I made our way back to the table where Frankie had made himself at home in Ranger's lap and was talking a mile a minute. Ranger just kept nodding his head and smiling. Once the kids had their ice cream the table fell silent, everyone busy enjoying their treats. I was feeling tempted to change my mind on the ice cream, but before I could do anything about it, my sister was back.

Val and Lisa returned from the ladies' room smelling a whole lot better. I took Lisa from Val so she could eat in peace; it was something she rarely got to do. The girls chattered about their day at school. Mary Alice was proud of her spelling test grade. Angie told us she had been selected for the TAG (talented and gifted) program. No surprises there. Frankie interjected as often as he could, wanting to be just like his big sisters. Ranger just watched the kids. Mary Alice and Frankie started a debate about whose turn it was to sit in the back seat of the van and who had to sit next to the baby. Ranger's eyes flicked back and forth between the two of them like he was watching a tennis match. For a bad ass he seemed perfectly at ease around children.

While I was watching the exchange Lisa got her hands on the remains of Frankie's ice cream and dumped it down the front of her and me.

"Shi...sh..shoot a monkey!" I caught myself from swearing.

"Sorry Steph," Val apologized and tried to clean her up with extra napkins, but it wasn't doing much good. She scooped up a giggling Lisa and headed back to the bathroom for an outfit change.

Frankie's eyes were wide, "Why do you want to shoot a monkey? Not Curious George! I love George." Great job Steph.

Angie's inner mommy came out, "Don't be silly Frankie, it's just an expression. She said it so she didn't say a bad word."

"What's a spression? And what's a bad word? Is bad a bad word?" Frankie fired off the questions in rapid succession.

This could go on all afternoon! I needed a diversion. The girls had finished their ice cream and had been begging to go and look at the candy. I pulled some money out of my wallet and gave each of them enough to buy a mouthful of cavities. What are aunties for? Mary Alice threw her arms around me, "Thank you Aunt Steph, you're my favorite aunt!" Smart kid. Of course I was also her only aunt. Then she disappeared on a mission for chocolate, a girl after my own heart.

After they left, I assessed the damage to my sweater. I wasn't in the habit of ruining my clothes and didn't have the luxury of pulling a spare shirt from my handbag. I tried to clean an errant blob of chocolate ice cream that landed on my right breast, right over my nipple. I heard a low growl come from Ranger and looked up to find his very dark eyes settled on me. Gulp. I put the napkin down and put my leather jacket on to cover the stain.

Not quite ready to meet Ranger's gaze, I scanned the room and saw Angie and Mary Alice drooling over a huge display of gummy bears. Mary Alice already had an impressive amount of choclate in her hands.

When I turned to offer Frankie some candy money I found him talking animatedly to Ranger, explaining why Bumble Bee was way cooler than Optimus Prime. Frankie was talking with his hands and thrilled to have a captive audience. For a third child, an adult's undivided attention was a rare thing and he was enjoying it to the fullest. Ranger's eyes were locked on Frankie. It wasn't so much the story he was paying attention to, he was studying Frankie himself. Uh oh.

"Frankie, aren't you going to get some candy? I've got some money for you." Frankie stopped mid sentence and his head snapped to look at me. In a flash he climbed out of the booth, snatched the money from my hand and disappeared.

Ranger leaned into me, and in a tentative voice said, "Babe." I knew what he was going to ask and I wasn't going to deal with it here and now.

I didn't look at him. I stared off into the direction Frankie had run. My voice was shaky. "Not now." His hand settled on my thigh and he gave it a reassuring squeeze. I needed a moment. "I'm gonna go check on Val, can you watch the kids?" I didn't wait for an answer. The whole way to the restroom I took deep breaths to calm myself.

I found Val trying to wrestle a wiggly baby into a clean outfit. "Need some help?" I smiled at her.

"Oh God, thank you," she gushed. I held onto a newly washed Lisa while Val slipped her clothes on.

"Where are the other kids?" Val asked me with a hint of panic in her voice.

I smiled, "I gave them candy money, and Ranger is keeping an eye on them."

Val gave me a questioning look. "Who is he Steph? I know you said he was an old friend at dinner the other night, but I've never heard you talk about him. And I know I would have remembered seeing him before." Her eyes got that dreamy look the waitress had earlier.

I wondered how much I should tell her. "He's my bodyguard. I didn't want to freak Mom out at dinner. There have been a few threats lately and we hired his company for extra security."

Her eyes got wide, "Omigod. Is everything ok?"

"Everything is fine, we're just being careful." I hoped I sounded more convincing than I felt.

A big grin crossed her face, "Is he one of your Latin Lovers?" The grapevine is alive and well in the burg.

I snorted, "Yup, I took him and Lester up to a hotel suite and had my wicked way with them while everyone else was celebrating." Her eyes got wide, not realizing I was joking. I quickly reassured her, "Kidding Val. There was a security issue and he and another bodyguard were protecting me. That's why I had to leave early. Don't tell Mom!"

"Like I'm going to ruin her ridiculous notion of you being pregnant? I sure as hell don't want to burst her bubble. I couldn't believe she said that at dinner the other night. I thought mashed potatoes were going to come out of your nose!" She started to roll her eyes, but stopped mid roll, "Wait, you're not, right? I mean Ranger/Carlos, you two…" She couldn't bring herself to verbalize the accusation.

"No! Geeze, Ranger and I just met right before the party. He's my bodyguard and I'm helping him with the investigation." I was quick to correct her train of thought.

She gave me a disbelieving look, "You just met him?" I nodded. "Huh. It's just that, I don't know. I wondered the other night when you brought him to dinner. You two seem so comfortable with each other, like there's some connection between you. And a couple of times when he was looking at you, there was something there. All I know is neither Steve nor Albert ever looked at me like that." She was talking, but it didn't seem to be directed at me. It was like she was thinking out loud. Must be a family trait.

"So you thought he was my what? Lover? You thought I brought my lover with me to dinner at Mom and Dad's house?" I rolled my eyes at her.

She reached over and took Lisa from my arms, "Sorry, I just thought, I don't know what I thought. It just seemed like there was something between you." She shook her head, "Maybe I was just hoping. I was happy for you Steph. It's been a long time."

Val was in big sister mode now, looking out for me. She was the only one in my family who knew about my sham of a marriage. My Dad suspects, I think, but he would never ask. Val and I fought a lot as kids, but since she moved back to Trenton after her divorce we've become very close. Actually before that, since Frankie was born. He was the secret we shared. I didn't know if I would ever be able to repay my debt to her, although she didn't see it that way. She had four little kids to take care of and I tried to help her anyway I could. I relished my role as an auntie, spoiling them just enough.

"Still looking out for me?" She nodded and smiled, "Thanks, I appreciate it. Believe me, I know exactly how long it's been." I smiled thinking of Ranger, "There is something about him, isn't there? But I don't know if I'm ready, or if I'll ever be ready." I needed to tell her, "I think he knows about Frankie. Not all of it of course, but he suspects something. He was going to ask me about him when I escaped back here. I could see he was studying him, when Frankie was telling him all about Transformers. It was like I could hear his thoughts as he was trying to work it out in his brain." It had been the weirdest feeling.

Val hugged me. "It'll be alright. He seems like the kind of guy that can keep a secret. Come on; let's go before the kids go into a sugar coma."

We found Ranger with all three of the kids, each of them holding a sizeable bag of candy, Ranger included. I gave him a questioning look, but he just shrugged. I knew he didn't eat anything that wasn't healthy, so either he bought himself some tofu candy or the bag was for me. I was hoping for the latter. He handed me the bag and I found a box that appeared to hold nearly 5 lbs of chocolate truffles. I smiled up at him, "My hero."

"Babe," was his only answer. I think it meant you're welcome. Who knew? The man could make one word mean so many different things.

Val had parked in the lot behind Mo's and we helped herd the kids into her minivan. It took close to ten minutes to get everyone buckled and situated. Ranger and I cut through the alley to get back to the cars. As we approached the café I noticed the Turbo was gone. I looked at Ranger.

He smiled at me, "Lester took it back to Haywood for me. He and the guys headed back when you and I were eating. I thought we could take the Boxter. Do you like driving it?"

I set my purse on the café's window sill and searched for the keys while I answered absentmindedly, "Do I like driving it? It's dark and sexy and nearly gave me an orgasm." I found the keys and looked up at him. He gave me the wolf grin. Breathe Steph. I fumbled with the keys and beeped the unlock button as I tried to come up with something witty to say to break the sexual tension. There was no need. All the distraction needed came in the form of a large explosion. Ranger tackled me to the ground and over his shoulder I saw flames coming from what had been his Boxter. The fire danced in front of my eyes, but soon changed to little black dots and then nothing but darkness.