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

Thanks to Rach who make the writing better and so much more fun!

Sally

The Good Wife

Chapter 14

When I came-to I found two very warm, very worried brown eyes looking at me. Ranger. I was still on the ground; his hand was underneath my head, holding it up off of the pavement. His body was half on top of mine, shielding me from the blast. When he saw my eyes open he gave me a relieved smile, "Babe," was all he said. I tried to sit up. He held me in place. "The guys are on their way, don't move." I nodded. "Do you hurt anywhere? You have a knot on the back of your head. Does anything else hurt?" Still unable to find my voice I just shook my head. He kept his eyes on mine, trying to occupy me and keeping me from looking at the fiery spectacle behind him.

I was dimly aware of the fact that I was laying on the street with a man on top of me. A really hot man. Wait until my mother hears about this. I heard sirens in the distance but only a few feet away two sets of tires screeched to a halt. My eyes were drawn to the big black SUVs and the big men in black that poured from them. I could hear Tank barking orders as Bobby materialized in front of me. Ranger backed away a little, but still kept himself between me and the street, where the SUVs were parked in a V shape to minimize our exposure.

"How are you feeling Steph? Can you look at me?" Bobby used a penlight to check my eyes before asking Ranger, "How long was she out?" While he was waiting for Ranger to answer he ran his fingers around the back of my head to check for injuries. I winced when he hit a sore spot.

"Just a minute or two. She wasn't disoriented and her eyes looked fine. We need to move her, she's too exposed out here." Ranger's voice seemed to tense when he talked about being exposed. Someone had just tried to kill me and here I was lying on the sidewalk giving them a second chance.

"Careful," was all Bobby said. Ranger scowled at him and scooped me up in his arms, turning to the SUVs. Bobby walked ahead of him as a shield. He opened the back door and Ranger climbed in with me in his arms. Bobby quickly shut the door and climbed in the passenger seat. Hal was already in the driver's seat. He rocketed away from the curb just as a herd of police cars and rescue vehicles converged on the scene. The explosion seemed like hours ago, but in reality had only been a matter of minutes.

I leaned into Ranger. I tried to not look out the windows as we were hurtling down the street at an alarming speed. I closed my eyes trying to relax, but every time I did all I could see was the fiery explosion in my mind. I shuddered and Ranger's arms tightened around me. He dipped his head to catch my eye, "How are you doing? You haven't said a word. Are you hurt?" He kept me cradled against him with one hand and ran the other over my hair, smoothing it like you would to try and comfort a child.

"I'm okay, just freaked out," I was able to tell him in a hoarse whisper. I felt him relax a little and he dropped a kiss on my forehead. We reached the Rangeman office in nearly half the normal amount of time. Hal barely had the car in park and Ranger had me out of the backseat and carrying me to the elevator. Bobby and Hal jogged to keep up, Bobby carrying what I assumed was his medical bag and Hal had my purse. At the sight of my purse I burst into tears. I turned further into Ranger's chest as his grip on me tightened.

Apparently while the Rangemen possessed survival skills in a number of areas, crying women was not one of them. Ranger just held me; when I peeked out between sobs Bobby was staring at his shoes and Hal at the ceiling. After what seemed like an eternity the elevator doors opened onto the seventh floor. Ranger carried me to his bedroom and set me down on the bed, my crying subsiding to a few tears and hiccups. Bobby stepped into the room while Hal stood in the doorway, still holding my purse.

With that the tears were back. Ranger turned to Bobby and Hal and had some sort of silent conversation. They left the room, closing the door behind them. Ranger knelt in front of me and took my face in his hands. "Babe. Can you tell me what's wrong, why you are so upset?" What's wrong? What's wrong? Gee Ranger I don't know how about the fact that someone tried to kill us today?

"My purse," I hiccupped. "If I hadn't stopped in front of the café to search my messy purse for the keys we'd be dead." Saying it out loud made it even more real. I launched myself at Ranger and he nearly fell backwards. Flinging my arms around his neck and my legs around his waist, I held on tight. His arms came around to support me. He just held me in his arms rocking slightly, letting me cry it all out. I clung to him, overwhelmed with what had happened and what could have happened. Exhausted from the ordeal and the emotional aftermath, I must have fallen asleep in his arms.

I awoke nestled in the softest sheets I had ever felt in my life. They must be a million thread count. My sheets at home were nice, expensive even, but they didn't feel like this. Of course these sheets had the added benefit of smelling like Ranger. Ranger! Omigod, I was in Ranger's bed. I lifted the sheet; I was wearing one of his black t-shirts, no bra and my panties. Okay. Pretty sure I didn't have sex. As Ranger insinuated, if I had sex with him I would remember it. From the way the man kissed me, I had no doubt he was right. Okay, no sex. And no Ranger. I was in the middle of his huge beautiful bed, but where was the man in question and why was I here?

I heard a door open and slam and angry voices in the apartment. One voice sounded like Ranger, but I couldn't make out the other two. I sat up and stretched, planning to make my way to the living room to see what was going on. My body was sore and stiff. I put my hands in my hair to try to tame it a little and let out a yelp when I found the tender spot on the back of my head. It all came flooding back: Ranger's car, the explosion, Ranger tackling me. The last thing I remember was losing it over Hal holding my purse and Ranger trying to calm me down.

The bedroom door flew open and Ranger came flying in, a worried look on his face. He immediately came to me, sitting on the side of the bed. "Are you alright Babe? Are you in pain?" He was running his hands over my body checking for injuries. He threaded his fingers in my hair, gently probing for tender spots. His fingers lightly traced over the lump at the back of my head before placing a gentle kiss on top of my curls.

"I'm alright, just a bump on the head. Good thing I have a hard head," I tried joking. "It could have been worse." My voice got thick with tears thinking of what could have happened. I blinked rapidly trying to keep them from falling. Ranger's hand traced my jaw and tilted my head so he could look in my eyes. "We could have died," I whispered.

I am sure in his line of work and his military history he had faced death on a number of occasions, but for me this was new. Not only could I have died, but he would have too, trying to protect me. I knew I was paying him to do so, but looking in his eyes I knew there was more to it than that. What if he had died today and I hadn't? He would have given his life for me. With that thought, I lost it. For the second time that day I threw myself at him, landing in his lap and wrapping my arms around his neck.

He held me close to his chest, letting me draw strength from the comfort of his embrace. He rubbed his hands up and down my back, trying to soothe me. My mind was racing. First my thoughts careened to the fact that my life nearly ended today. There were so many things I would never get to do, plans and dreams that would have been left unfulfilled. I had wanted to expand the Foundation, offering more services in hopes of preventing some of the situations our clients found themselves in. There were things I had planned to try and get Dickie to introduce into legislation that would make even bigger changes. I had outings and adventures for my nieces and nephew.

My parents, would they know how I really felt about them? We didn't express our emotions well in the Plum household. Well, except with food. Since I didn't cook, I didn't really express them at all. When was the last time I told them I loved them?

Dickie, how would he feel if I was gone? I know in his own way he loved me, but with me gone he would be free of the guilt he carried with his infidelity. That thought made me incredibly sad. I don't know what I thought would happen. Maybe someday there would be some miracle cure and Dickie would come back to me, the man I married and we would have the family we had planned? Did I even want that? I was definitely not the woman he had married. That naïve young woman was gone. Through the train wreck of my marriage and the horrors I had seen in my work, I long ago stopped believing in happily ever after.

So what did I think would happen with my life? Could I live the rest of my life in the limbo I was in? Alone in my marriage with only my work to keep me going, knowing I would never again be loved, not in the way a man loves a woman. So many things I would never have, never be. I would never be a mother. Where did that thought come from? I hadn't thought about having a child in years. Dickie and I had wanted children in the beginning. But then when his secrets came out I gave up on the idea. Seeing the monstrosity his family was I vowed to not bring a child into it.

I had been living in denial. In truth I hadn't thought about it, any of it. I didn't think about my future. For the last six years I had simply been putting one foot in front of the other, trying to get through the day, the week, the year without any thought of the future. Until now. Someone had tried to end my life today and I realized I wasn't done living it. I hadn't been living, not really. I had simply existed. It was time to change things.

I was brought out of my meditation by Ranger's words. He was still caressing my back, his head rested on top of mine. He was now murmuring softly in Spanish. His voice and the cadence of his words soothed me. "Es mi culpa. Yo no te protegen. Podría haberte perdido. Usted podría haber muerto hoy. Yo nunca me lo perdonaría. Haré lo mejor, te lo prometo, yo te mantendrá a salvo." (My fault. I didn't protect you. I could have lost you. You could have died today. I would never forgive myself. I will do better, I promise you, I will keep you safe.)

He was blaming himself? He literally threw himself between me and danger and he didn't think he had done enough? I couldn't let him take the blame. It wasn't his fault some psycho wanted me dead. If anything, I was the one who had put him in danger. I wouldn't let him shoulder this alone.

I brought my hands to cup his face so he had to look at me, "Thank you." My voice was thick, full of emotion. His warm brown eyes looked pained, but it seemed to lessen with my words. I brought my lips to his, whispering against them, "My hero." I kissed him softly as an offering of my gratitude. His lips were soft, the kiss was gentle. My arms had been wrapped around him for strength and support. I allowed them to begin roaming over his back. I started with light touches, just skimming the muscles beneath his shirt. My lips found his neck. I breathed in the scent of him, so male, so powerful and reassuring. I watched his pulse point; proof positive that he was alive and so was I. My tongue slipped out to trace the hollow at the side of his neck, following it with my lips. I felt his breath hitch. His hands that had been caressing my back moved up my sides, changing from comforting to sensual. My fingers increased their pressure, but my need was growing; it wasn't enough. I pulled his shirt free from his cargos and ran my hands over his muscled back before bringing them around to explore his chest.

He groaned and captured my mouth with his in a passionate kiss. He put his hands on my waist and picked me up, rearranging my body so I was straddling him. I could feel him harden underneath me and my panties were wet with desire. He grabbed the hem of my t-shirt and pulled it over my head. Taking in the sight before him, his eyes darkened and he growled. I cried out as his lips found my nipple, sucking it into his warm mouth, twirling his tongue around it. I arched my back, offering more of me to him. The new position pushed my hips harder into his. I ground into him, desperate for release. He let out a hiss as he released my nipple before capturing the other. His hands were on my hips, stilling my movement. Convinced I would remain still his hands slid around to my ass, cupping and kneading.

Our tongues were still tracing and tangling with each other, first in his mouth, then in mine. I moaned into his mouth, wanting more. He got the message loud and clear. One of his hands came around to the front of my panties, tracing my lips through the lace. I let out a whimper. Finding how ready I was for him he growled into my ear, "Babe, are you this wet for me?" I made some sort of noise low in my throat that he took as a yes. His long fingers pulled the lace aside and traced my slit before plunging one of them inside me.

I could feel my belly tighten; I was a tingling mass of nerves ready to explode. It had been so long, I knew it wouldn't take much to send me over the edge. He latched onto my nipple again and I braced myself on his shoulders. He added another finger to the one already pumping in and out of me. His thumb found my clit, rubbing tight circles. I felt as he curled his fingers, hitting just the right spot inside. When he bit down on my nipple I was gone. My body clamped down on his fingers as I screamed. He kept up his movements with his hand, prolonging my release. His mouth and tongue alternated between my breasts, licking and sucking. When I finally came down he slipped his fingers out of me, and, still wet, used them to paint my nipples and breasts, smearing my body with my own juices. "Beautiful," he murmured against my skin before his lips followed the wet trail, finally taking his fingers into his mouth and sucking them clean. I watched, his eyes on mine, and I was mesmerized. I don't think I had ever been so turned on in my whole life.

My mind was clouded with desire. All I could think was: more. I needed more, more of this feeling more of him and I needed it now. I pulled his shirt over his head. My movements caught him off guard; when I pushed on his shoulders he fell back onto the bed. My hands flew to his waistband making quick work of the button and zipper. I slipped my hands underneath him raising his hips so I could pull his cargos off. It wasn't until I had them off it dawned on me he had been going commando. The thought made me wet all over again. I shucked my ruined panties and crawled back up his body, caressing his strong muscular legs. When I reached the top of his thighs, I gasped. I had been in such a hurry to get him naked that I hadn't paid any attention to the glorious package I had unwrapped.

I had dreamed about Ranger naked, but my imagination didn't do him justice. Wow. I knew I didn't have much experience when it came to men, having only been with two in my life, but even I knew that his cock was spectacular. And large - like really big, huge even. I hadn't had sex in six years, and I felt like that put me in the virgin category all over again. I had serious doubts about all of him fitting inside of me. But at that moment making it happen was all that mattered. I reached for him, stroking up and down his shaft lightly. He groaned and his hips flexed thrusting up into my hand. As if of its own volition my tongue flicked out to capture the precum that glistened at the tip. I planned to do more exploring, but the next thing I knew I was on my back, pinned to the bed by Ranger's warm, hard body.

His eyes were fixed on mine, "God I want you so much. You want this Babe?" I could feel him, teasing my wet folds, rubbing his cock against me coating himself in my juices. My God how I wanted this man. In response I reached up and threaded my fingers into his hair and pulled him down to me for a kiss filled with need.

Moving my lips to his ear, I sucked the lobe into my mouth, scraping it with my teeth. I licked the shell before whispering, "Yeah, we're gonna do this and it's gonna be good." He groaned and I felt him rock his hips against me, sliding just the tip inside. We both gasped. He pushed up on his forearms, bracing himself above me. Staring into my eyes he slowly entered me inch by inch, pulling nearly out of me before gliding back in a little farther each time. The sensation was amazing. I was so full I thought I might burst from the feeling. By the time he was all the way in we were both panting. He had been gentle with me, knowing how long it had been. When he was sure my body had adjusted to his size he leaned down and kissed me, sweet and passionate at the same time.

He began to move his hips, shallow thrusts at first. Wanting more I wrapped my legs around his waist, allowing him in deeper. He groaned and began to move faster, pulling out farther before plunging back into me. Still I needed more of him. My hips came up off the bed, meeting his, giving as good as I got. That was enough to snap his control. He pulled all the way out, before slamming back into me, hitting my cervix. I screamed and he stopped, afraid he had hurt me. It was sweet, but if he didn't start what he was doing again, I was going to hurt him. I slid my hands down his back to his ass, pulling him tightly to me as I thrust my hips up, taking him as deeply as I could. He slipped his arms under my back, his hands coming up to cup my shoulders. I kissed him again, reassuring him that I wanted this, I needed this and I needed it now.

His thrusts were faster, harder and deeper. I moaned in apprecation. I could feel my orgasm building, spiraling outward. On the next thrust he circled his hips grinding into me, rubbing against my clit. He continued torturing me until I was whimpering and moaning beneath him. His pace changed yet again and we were both close, our movements frantic, needing to find release. He captured my mouth in a searing kiss before pulling back, his face inches from mine. I closed my eyes, knowing I was close. His voice was rough, "Look at me Babe, I want to look into your eyes when you come." His words and the desire in his eyes pushed me over the edge. I screamed when my orgasm hit me, not sure of any words, pretty sure I was speaking in tongues. He thrust into me twice more, burying himself as he came with a roar.

He rolled over, taking me with him, so I was now sprawled on his chest. One hand was tangled in my hair, the other splayed across my ass holding me in place. It was a good thing too. I was completely boneless and would have slid right off.

"We're alive," I said, a bit of wonder in my voice.

I felt him chuckle underneath me, "Yeah Babe we're very much alive and that's a good thing." The rumbling of his chest caused him to shift inside me and my body clenched around him in response. I felt him start to harden again. "I'm gonna show you just how good it is." Oh boy.