All the familiar characters belong to J.E. However the story line and original characters are mine. I don't own them and I'm not making any money from them, I'm just playing with them for a little bit.

Authors Note:

Here we are to the exciting part of the story.

Spanish conversations are italicized.

Washington DC – Is it Possible?

He was sitting in his chair staring at the pictures in front of him that he just got that were in a folder marked confidential. He was praying that what he was he was looking at was real. He also knew that if they were then it had the potential to create havoc for a lot of people.

All that was in the folder were the pictures and a note. He knew it came from a reliable source, but he had nothing else to go on. He had no idea what he should do. Should he send someone in to check it out, should he tell the people involved, or should he just leave it alone and act like he never got it?

Commander Franklin thought of all the cases that he'd worked on and this was the one that had hit him the hardest. He had done everything in his power and spent years trying to prove the original report was wrong but no matter what he'd always came up empty handed.

He still remembers when he got that frantic phone call from his old Major saying his little girl was missing. He knew he had to help them and had agreed but after getting the Intel report saying that she actually had been kidnapped and by who, it ate up him and then getting that information that she was on that plane that had been hit by a land missile and blown up and there was no mistaken that she was dead. A little piece of him died that day for that little girl.

He could still see the photos, especially the ones that had been close ups of what could have only been pieces of what was left of her. Even thinking about those now made his stomach roll. He hadn't added those pictures to the report that he'd sent to the family, there would have been no need for them to see them. They were hurting enough and he didn't want to add to their pain.

It had been 16 years ago. He looked down at the pictures again and shook his head to clear it. He hated having these feelings brought back up and knew that there was no way that he wouldn't get consumed by it again. He needed to find someone he could trust and would help him to not over think things. This person needed to have no knowledge of the prior case so they could be objective and have an open mind. They also needed to be in a position to stand up to him when he's being unreasonable or when he's just plain wrong.

He started going through everyone in his mind and then suddenly knew exactly who he could go to. His newest Captain and most experienced Ranger. It also helped that he was the best strategist and if he decided to get more information could help him get everything organized because he was good at planning ops missions.

The Commander knew that he had just come back from a tough mission and was still in Washington recovering and he would only be here a few more days before he ironically headed back to his home where all of this began. So he needed to speak to him as soon as possible.

He picked up the phone and told his secretary to contact the Captain and tell him that hisCommander had something he wanted his help with and to come to his office at his earliest convenience because this was time sensitive. After that he got up and walked over to his filing cabinet and reached in and pulled out the fake back that he had installed and then pulled out the old file that he had kept hidden. Just as he finished his desk phone buzzed and his secretary informed him that the Captain would be here within the hour.

He started going over the old report to occupy his time until the Captain got there. He really didn't need to read it anymore to know what it said he pretty much knew it word for word, but still there was always that small chance he would see something new.

Seeing new he picked up the pictures from today and started staring at the young woman that was in them, if that was her then she had grown up to be a beautiful woman. Every picture he looked at showed her constantly laughing and smiling and looking genuinely happy.

He was brought back to reality by a sharp knock on his door and quickly yelled "Enter."

The door opened, and in walked the man he was hoping could help him. The Captain said "Sir, you wanted to see me?"

Commander Franklin looked at him and said "Yes, I need your help but this is absolutely top secret and confidential and no one else can know we had this conversation until a decision has been made on how to proceed."

The Captain looked at him a little funny but then straightened up and said "Yes sir, you can trust me sir."

Commander Franklin ran his fingers through his hair and had a wary look on his face he sighed and motioned for the soldier to sit down. Once he sat down the Commander slid the two folders over to the end of the desk and said "We aren't Commander and Captain right now we are just two people working on a problem and trying to come up with the best possible solution on what needs to be done. Carlos son, I really need your help with this and I need your expertise. For once in my life I have no idea on what to do and I need you to be really honest and objective."

Never seeing his Commander this distraught before made him wonder what they could be working on, adding in the fact that he called him by his real first name. No one called him Carlos anymore, everyone called him Ranger. The nickname started after he'd joined the Rangers training program and showed everyone exactly what the meaning of being the best of the best really meant. He blew away every top score and was now the Poster "Ranger" for everyone to beat.

He looked at the Commander and said "Sir, I've never seen you this distraught before. What's going on?"

Steven pushed the old folder towards Carlos and replied "I need you to review this file and tell me what you see and think and if you agree with the findings."

Carlos grabbed the older looking folder and started to go through it. He read the reports a couple of times wanted to make sure he was thorough and then finally looked at the pictures. He saw there were pictures of what the little looked like before she was taken and then the ones from after the plane had blown up. He grimaced at the latter ones, he normally had a strong stomach but those pictures of that little girl were horrific and had his stomach trying to decide which way it wanted to go.

He closed his eyes and finally got his stomach to settle. He opened his eyes back up and then looked up to Steven and said "These look pretty thorough and based on everything that I read and see I would have come to the same conclusion."

Steven just pointed to the second folder and Carlos picked it up. Looking through the pictures, he studied them and then he picked up the one of the little girl that was the before pictures and held it against the current one her had in his other hand. He could see the same curly hair and the same piercing blue eyes. There was no doubt in his mind that this was the same person.

Carlos looked back up at Steven with a questioning look.

Steven nodded his head said "I'm not sure, that's what we need to figure out. We both know that deaths can be faked and if this was then it was a damn near perfect because originally we had looked into that being a possibility. Especially when right after all of this happened a little girl had showed up at his house. We did months of extensive research to prove that it was her but it was proven to a servant's child instead. I know of the guy that took her and he has always been a very resourceful and ruthless person. He would know exactly what would need to be done in order to do this. He's very knowledgeable and definitely has the means and the ability to pull this off."

Steven took a deep breath and said "We almost caught him quite a few times on weapons charges but somehow he always seemed to know what was going and managed to disappear into thin air. We could never figure out where he went or how he got there and before anyone could get organized enough to raid his offices or his home his people would make sure there was no incriminating evidence anywhere, so there was never anything to formally charge him."

Carlos just nodded his head understandingly and Steven continued "Then today I walk in my office and find this folder on my desk with these pictures and a quick note. They are from the guy who was one of our informants from the original case and had taken the original pictures of the plane. The note said that recently took his son to college or as they call it over there University. He noticed a woman walking around campus and thought that he recognized her from somewhere. It wasn't until the next day that he recognized her, she was standing there talking to a couple of people and when him and his son had managed to get close enough she had turned her head and he saw her eyes. Those are something that you never forget."

Carlos thought about it and agreed that they were something he would never forget.

Steven continued "The note said that after that moment where she looked at him, he knew that he had to discretely follow her and take pictures and send them to me."

Carlos said "Did he provide you with any information about what she is up to now, what name she uses?

Steven said "No he didn't, that's why I need your help. I'm trying to decide if I should leave it alone, tell the family she's still alive, or collect Intel and if possible get her the hell out of there."

Carlos thought about it and said "Well I wouldn't tell the family until we have the Intel that said she is who we think she is. I'm sure they were devastated by this and you don't want to bring those feeling back up unless it's true. My gut says it's her and by you calling me in here, you're telling me your gut is saying the same thing. Is there any way we could get someone to at least find out her name or who those people are with her? If we could get that then we can figure out where we want to go from there?"

Steven thought about it and picked up his sat phone and dialed a number. When the person answered Steven pressed the button to put it on the speaker so they both could hear.

He said "Avi this is Commander Franklin and I have Captain Manoso with me. We want to talk about the pictures."

Avi said "I'd figured you'd be calling me. Anticipating that you'd want to know if I was able to get a little information, I asked my son to approach her. I told him he needed to be discreet and not draw to much attention to himself. So yesterday he saw her walking by herself and went up to her and asked her how to get to one of the student halls. He said when she replied and spoke to him, she spoke like a native Venezuelan and had no signs of any type of English accent. He started to ask her a few more questions but this man that looked a couple of years older walked up to them put his arm around her possessively and basically told him to get lost and to stay away from her. My son also said that at that point the two started arguing and she defended my son saying he was just asking for directions and that he needed to stop being so over protective."

Carlos interrupted him and said "Did your son say if that guy was a boyfriend or a bodyguard?"

Avi replied "He said he guessed both, boyfriend by the way he was touching her but then he was acting like a bodyguard by constantly scanning the area while also trying to appear menacing to my son. He also said that after they were done arguing she took my son's hand and shook it completely ignoring the guy and said her name was Estefania. Then she laughed and apologized for the way that the macho man was acting. He told her that he understood and told her his name. She said it was nice to meet him but then the guy said we have to go and proceeded to pick her up and throw her over his shoulder and carried her away with her laughing. "

Carlos said "Estefania is Stephanie in Spanish, so that's a positive sign. But I have a feeling that the guy with her is going to be a problem. If we want to get anymore Intel we're going to have to find someone who can get through him."

Avi said "I don't think my son would be able to do that. My son is not a big kid and doesn't like confrontations and this guy is pretty big as you can see from the photos. So, are you planning on sending someone here? The University that she's going to called Universidad de los Andes. I'm not too far from there so I'll help any way I can."

Steven quickly looked it up on the computer and said "That's a little over 7 hours from where Puerto Cabello is, do you think that he would allow her to go that far from her."

Avi spoke up with "I'm not sure but if my son's account of the fight she had with that guy, she likes her independence."

Steven at that point said "Avi, thank you for all your help. I need to discuss some things with Carlos and then if we do send someone over there I'll let you know. If you are able to find anything else out let me know, but make sure your son keeps a low profile we don't need him getting hurt."

Avi agreed and then hung up the phone. Steven looked over at Carlos who looked like he was deep in thought.

Then Carlos looked up and said "I may have a plan."

Steven knowing where Carlos was going with his plan said "Forget it, you're still recovering from the last one, and I didn't bring you in to have you go over there I just wanted your thoughts on what I should do."

Carlos said "This may be the only way that it would work. For now it would only be to gather Intel but If we did end up needing to work it as an Ops then you would need a strong man that can go up against this guy. I mean look at him in the picture again and think about how he reacted when Avi's son walked up. You need someone who could go toe to toe with him."

Steven signed and said "You're right of course but I don't like you doing it, it's too soon after your last one."

Carlos got up to pace for a few minutes thinking and then he reached over to Steven's desk and picked up his desk phone and dialed a number. When the other person answered the phone Carlos said "I need you in DC now" and then hung up.

He turned to Steven and said "I have another idea and I think there's a way we can get some Intel and find out where her head is without risking too much. Because let's face if we do find out that it's her that doesn't mean that she may not want to come back. She looks pretty happy and well-adjusted so there's a chance that she wants to stay there, no matter what anyone wants over here."

Steven nodded his head in understanding and said "Let me know what you need and I'll make sure you get it.

With that Carlos said "As soon as he gets here we'll all talk again and I'll let you know exactly what I'm thinking."

And with that he walked out of the Commander's office.

Universidad de los Andes –Merida Venezuela – Meeting Estefania

Estefania was walking to her class and although she felt like she was alone and had some breathing room she knew she wasn't really alone. Her Papi still always made sure that she had at least one bodyguard with her at all times, even her being an adult he hadn't eased up on that. At least he agreed to allow Tomas and Franco to come to University with her instead of having someone she didn't know follow her around. They usually alternated days because Diego and his over protective self was always right there as well. When you added him to the mix with other two she wasn't allowed to do anything on her own. She always got so frustrated, she understood but at times it still drove her crazy.

As she was heading out to class Tomas and Franco met her at her front door and told her that both of them would be with her today, she let out a frustrated sigh and wondered why the both of them. She didn't say anything but did say that the only way she would agree is if they stayed completely out of site, unless it was absolutely necessary for them to show themselves. They had agreed to that and said they would do their best. They knew she felt crowded at times and they tried to give her as much freedom that they could, but still watched her with hawk eyes because neither wanted to face what would happen if they didn't.

Lost in her thoughts she didn't see the people in front of her and ran right into the back of them. She stopped suddenly as they turned around to see who hit them, she was about to apologize when she noticed movement in the corner of her eye. She moved her head slowly towards them and then brought her hand to her side and quickly made a stay motion that most people wouldn't catch. After she did that the two guys that she had bumped into noticed and quickly glanced at each other. Both knowing they weren't meant to see the motion but then that also she wasn't alone liked she appeared to be and they had hoped.

Estefania noticed the guys were really tall compared to her and were very handsome guys and looked very strong as well. She had to look up in order to look at their faces and said "Oh my goodness, I'm so sorry. I wasn't paying attention to where I was going. I hope I didn't hurt you."

The guys looked at her and the shorter one said "Nope beautiful, we're good. More importantly you didn't hurt did you? But a piece of advice you might want to pay closer attention next time, you wouldn't want to bump into some one that isn't as nice as we are."

She was about to reply when all of a sudden she heard a booming voice yelling "Estefania!" She turned around and saw Diego storming over to her. She sighed and told the two guys "I have to go, again I'm so sorry."

They two guys tried nod their heads in understanding but she had already turned and was heading off to the angry guy that had been approaching her.

When she had gotten to him, she put her hand up and quietly said "Not here." And he grabbed her arm and quickly walked away from everyone one around them.

Estefania allowed Diego to drag her away because she didn't want a scene in front of everyone who had her bellow at her. As soon as they got in front of her classroom she stopped him and said "What the hell is your problem?"

Diego replied "Who were those two guys? Were they bothering you and why were you talking to them?"

She said "I don't know who they are and I was perfectly safe because Tomas and Franco were close by. I was walking and thinking about some things and wasn't paying attention to where I was going and bumped into them. I was just making sure they were OK. Then you beckoned me and I walked away. That's it, nothing else was going on. Do we really have to have this conversation every time some guy comes near me? You know I love you and I'm happy with you for the most part, but it would be nice to have other friends here besides you and Isabella."

He sighed and said "I know and I'm sorry. I love you too and what do you mean for the most part?"

She said "You know I don't like it when you get all possessive and react before you knowing what the situation is."

Then she pulled him down to her and gave him a kiss on his lips to remind him that she was his and then she said "I have to go to class. I know you do too and that you have another later this afternoon. How about after I'm done with this class and since it's my last one for the day I pick up some pizza from that place we like so much and have a quiet dinner at home." She kissed him again and he then deepened the kissed and after they came up for air he said "That sounds perfect. I love you and until later mi Corazon (my heart)" And then he walked towards his class and she went into hers.

After her class was over she headed to Pizzeria Da Enzo to pick up the pizza, it was the closest to their house and they had really good pizza, so they went there a lot. She walked in and noticed it was quite busy, they woman behind the counter waved at her so she walked up to the her and started to talk to her for a little bit and placed her ordered for a large Pizza Carbonara for her and a large Pizza Napolitana for Diego.

The woman told her it would be about 30 minutes. She nodded her head and then went to sit down at an empty table. She thought that the timing would work out since he'd be in class for another hour. It would give her time to take a quick shower. She could throw the pizzas in the oven to keep them warm.

She was thankful that it was Friday and there was no school over the weekend. She was trying to decide if she wanted to go home or not. It had been about a month since she'd been back. She knew Tomas and Franco would take her and it was only a 7 hour drive. But because she promised time with Diego tonight it would be they wouldn't be able to leave until tomorrow morning.

A chair scraping on the floor brought her out of her thoughts and she looked up to see the two guys from earlier sitting down at her table. She smiled at them and said "Hello."

The taller one said "Are we interrupting you seem to be lost in your thoughts again?"

She laughed and said "No I'm just waiting for my pizzas and trying to decide what I wanted to do this weekend."

The shorter one chimed in with "Beautiful, what do you mean Pizzas. You don't look like you could eat multiple pizzas?"

She blushed that he had used that nickname twice now and then smiled and said "One is for me and the other one is for my boyfriend." She held out her hand and said "By the way I'm Estefania."

The taller one took her hand shook it and said "I'm Carlos and this is my cousin Lester." Looking around to see if the guy from earlier was around and didn't see him so he smirked and said "Is he going to come out of the some back room and start yelling again? We wouldn't want you to get in trouble for talking to us."

She sighed and shook her head and replied "No he's not here, he's in class. I only had one class today, so I told him that I would pick up dinner on the way home. "

They both looked at her and said "You live together?"

She blushed again and quickly said "Oh God no, not like you're thinking. I mean we are together but if we were living together that way my Papi would kill him, no matter how much he likes him. Then he'd drag me back home and ground me for the rest of my life."

Then she continued "My Papi bought a house so I could go to the University here and not have to worry about housing. The house he bought is big enough for Diego, that's my boyfriend and his sister Isabella to live there with me. My Papi wanted Diego close to protect the two of us."

She got quiet and started thinking to herself why was she telling these two guys all of this? She didn't normally tell anyone anything about her life, but then she felt that for some strange reason she could trust them, kind of like they wouldn't do anything to hurt her.

She heard the door open and had a feeling she knew who it was so she turned her head and saw it was Tomas and Franco looking at her and then heading her way. They were in full bodyguard mode so they had on their "don't mess with me" faces. She knew they were watching from the window and were probably trying to figure out what Carlos and Lester were up to and if they were some type of threat to her. Not wanting another confrontation she just shook her head no. Tomas and Franco had been with her for so many years that they trusted her instincts and knew that if she was in real danger that she would have allowed them to approach her, seeing that she was OK they turned and walked out the door.

Carlos asked "Who were the big scary looking guys?"

Not knowing what to say she decided to be partly truthful without saying exactly who they were, so she just said "Those are two of my friends that help watch out for me when I'm not near Diego. My Papi is very over protective and always takes careful measures to make sure that nothing happens to me."

Right after she said that woman at the counter yelled "Hey Jimenez" she looked over at her and the woman held up her pizzas. She turned back to Carlos and Lester and said "Well looks like my order is ready. It was nice to meet you both and maybe I'll see you around, since I seem to keep running into the two of you."

And with that she got up and grabbed the two boxes of pizza and walked out of the restaurant.