Flash Forward 3 years after Stephanie left
The Return
Stephanie is incredibly wary at the thought of stepping back into Trenton.
She is no longer filled with fear in the way she once was, no longer holding onto a battered and dogged determination to avoid her problems.
She is still the same old Stephanie she once was – but better.
Her life used to be filled with questions, sitting on fire escapes questioning her life in the middle of the night. Now she has answers; answers that make her feel confident in who she is and what she's capable of.
She strived to improve her knowledge, wellbeing and ability and she has achieved more than she ever thought possible. With the help of people she never guessed she'd meet, and a life she never saw for herself in a million years, but isn't that always the way.
"Perimeters secure. You want me to call the man?" Rhodey appears beside her to ask. Former US marine Rhodes. A crack shot, but best found in the middle of the action. Hand to hand ability unrivalled, failure rate non-existent and some form of morality to boot.
Most importantly, he's loyal to a fault.
Alejandro's men experience their longest life expectancy when they are loyal. When they are greedy and filled with avarice it never bodes well for them.
"No. I'll do it. Check on James, make sure he's good for tonight. No need to push our luck" she turns to look at Rhodey in time to catch his nod, grateful for his brilliance at following orders as he swiftly moves towards a huddle of their operatives.
Still, she remembers a Rhodey who didn't follow orders so easily, and the whispers he left behind when a man who thought he could call the shots crossed a line beyond what Rhodey called 'morally grey'.
She and Ranger had fewer differences then they'd ever had.
Slipping her phone out of the back pocket of her dark jeans she began to dial the number branded into her mind whilst remembering the day she met Rhodey. Dark skinned, tall, with a grin to die for and a sense of humour to break a rib. He was lither than you might expect, but it in no way led to a deficiency in power. Rhodey was one of her best. And her favourites, though she never let on.
Everyone who followed her word believed she appreciated his efficiency. She suspected Alejandro amused himself at the thought of an attachment to the type of person she swore she'd never bring herself to trust again.
People in this business always did it for at least some degree of self-serving interest, if not entirely selfish reasons. Herself included. Ever since she left Trenton she made sure she would never be stuck somewhere she couldn't escape ever again.
Bringing her phone to her ear as she surveyed her surroundings the dial tone beginning to spill from the speakers as she waited. Once. Twice. Seven times, click.
So he was feeling generous tonight.
"Perimeter is secured. We're waiting for the show" she reported, watching as she spoke the splay of headlights across the tarmac and the growl of an engine outside the dark warehouse she stood in. From where she was positioned she had a view of the new arrivals, the positioning of multiple of her own men as well as the light cast across the neighbouring river by the full moon in clear view.
It really was a beautiful night to be working on.
"Let me know as soon as you have something" a pause. "Are you going to see them?"
She played dumb. "See who?"
A low chuckle in rely. Her name, nearly sing-songed in that low gravelly voice, light with amusement (so he was in a good mood, everything else was running smoothly in motion) but still quiet, reserved.
Never an ounce wasted with Alejandro, the man was a lean, sharp blade. Never an inch to be gained unless it came out of your own flesh.
For someone reason she liked the bastard.
"Of course. It would be hard to avoid" she kept her eyes on the men stepping out of the vehicle to meet her own, listening to the slow click of her heels as she strolled further towards the warehouse entrance, and her purpose of the evening.
"Oh I don't know. A woman of your skills, surely there are ways" she heard the sound of footsteps ricocheting over the line. So not at his shadowed, mahogany coated study then. Out on the streets, prowling through bars full of unaware patrons. Probably a cigarette dangling from his fingers, not cigars on a night like this, when he's on his own and dangerous. He's not a man to waste a good cigar.
She makes sure to make a mental note of what he's (willingly) revealed; for all she knew he could be on US soil. Just because she had entrusted herself to the man did not mean she placed any faith in him other than what she needed him for.
"Is that a compliment?" she inquired lightly. She was not above keeping him talking to serve her own desire for information. The pleasant sound of his voice after days on the move was an enjoyable side effect.
"Surely you know Stephanie that for you I have no end of compliments" she hears his steps halt. A step forward. The sound of shouting, laughter and TV spilling over the line. He resumes. "You know very well that you're my favourite Stephanie. You wouldn't want to disappoint me, would you?" his tone is still pleasant, but although the dagger is sheathed, it's still very much there.
She snorts, feeling some of her own tension unwind as the transaction before her comes to a close. Showtime.
"Have I ever?" she asks him softly. Then hangs up.
They have promises to keep for each other, ledgers un-concluded and being on home ground near the very same people she once left behind doesn't change that. Even if she wanted it to.
"Gentlemen" she calls as she steps into the moonlight and their guest's heads snap towards her on guard, but halting to pull their weapons at the warning stares of her own men.
"Let's have a nice little chat, shall we?"
She's no longer the Stephanie people say no to, and no one dares laugh.
There is no longer any question existing. It does not go unanswered anymore.
It is a resounding, 'yes, in the palm of your hand.
And they shall not deny you'