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Joy and Pain

Chapter 7: Danger

"Oh god, that's so sweet. He carried you and he wants to try!"

"Yeah, Mare, but what if that's not enough? Now not only my heart is at stake but also my babys life."

I laid one hand down on my stomach. A gesture that I made pretty often during the last days.

Mary Lou, who had also noticed this, smiled.

"Steph he's right, you're good together. You'll manage this."

"But what if not? What should I do when I was right and he can't do the changes he wants to do or if he hates me or himself for it?"

"He said that loosing you and the baby would be the only thing he would hate himself for, right?"

"Yes, but…."

"Steph you have a lot to learn, too." She took my hand. "I know that you have been hurt often, maybe too often, in the past. But you can't let the past endanger your future."

I looked at her, I knew she was right but was still worried.

"You trust Ranger, right?"

"Yes, I do."

"See, trust is one of the most important things in a relationship. You and Morelli loved each other but you didn't trust each other. The same goes with your ex. The trust was destroyed when he cheated on you. This relationship can work if you want it to."

I nodded. "It's not gonna be easy."

She smiled. "It never is."

I looked at my watch. 10 o'clock. Gosh had we really talked for four hours?

"I have to go now, Mare. I'm tired."

"It was an exhausting day for you."

I laughed. "Yes it certainly was."

She walked me to the door and hugged me.

"Sleep well and call me soon."

"I will."

Twenty minutes later I unlocked my appartment. I locked up behind me and went straight into the bathroom where I took a shower and brushed my teeth.

I had just made my tea and my toast for the next morning when my phone rang.

"Yes."

"Yo, babe." I smiled.

"Hey, why aren't you sleeping anymore?"

"I wanted to know that you came home okay."

I narrowed my eyes. "And how did you know that I'm home now?"

Silence.

"Who?"

"Lester."

I gritted my teeth.

"Why?"

"Because I want you safe."

"I can take care of myself, Ranger."

"Okay then you take care of yourself and me or in this case Lester takes care of the baby."

"You don't think I can do that?" My voice cracked.

"Shit, babe…" I hung up on him.

Tears were running down my cheeks as I pulled the plug of the phone and they didn't dry until I was lying in bed minutes later. I immediately fell to sleep.

Ranger's POV:

"Shit, babe…" and she hung up on me.

"§° " I threw the phone against the wall, where it shattered.

She was right. Of course I should have told her about Torner. Then she would be here now. She would be safe. She would be careful.

I got dressed, took the keys to the Porsche and ran down into the garage.

Ten minutes later I opened the door to my babe's appartment with the key I had had imitated. The chain stopped me. I took my little tool out and unhooked it.

I sighed. It took me less than 30 seconds to get in her appartment. She had to get out of here.

I went to the window to show Lester that I was up here. He flashed his flashlight. He would stay in the lot and watch out for anything unusual.

I went into the bedroom.

She was sleeping on her side, one arm around her stomach. I could see that she had been crying and guilt tightened my throat.

"I will do better, babe, I promise."

I thought of Torner. We had followed his trace to Trenton. My partents and my sisters plus their families were under protection the whole time.

Tomorrow I would tell Stephanie everything and I would make her move in with me. I wouldn't argue about this. But I guessed she wouldn't want to argue anyway.

I took my clothes off and took my boxers out of her drawer. Then I slid in behind her and pulled her into my arms. She sighed and snuggled into me.

I covered her arm around her stomach with mine and she entwined our fingers. I put my face into her hair and breathed her scent in. Seconds later I was asleep.

Steph's POV:

I woke up when the sun had heated the room enough to make me sweat. I sighed and snuggled back into Ranger's chest.

Wait….Ranger? I immediately remembered yesterday and jumped out of the bed.

Big fault.

I ran into the bathroom.

I was kneeling in front of the toilett barfing my soul out when I felt Ranger pull my hair back and stroke my back.

After a few minutes my stomach had calmed down a bit and I sat up.

Ranger handed me my cup of tea and my toast and flushed the toilet.

I slid back until I felt the cold wall behind me and leaned against it. My eyes closed th whole time. I felt Ranger crouch before me.

I reluctantly opened my eyes but immediately concentrated on the tea and the toast.

"I'm sorry, babe."

"It wasn't your fault. I stood up to fast."

He brushed a lock of my hair behind my eyes. "You know that I didn't only mean that."

I moved away from his hand.

"Come on, babe. I will tell you why I went to Miami. Then you will understand what I meant."

He picked me up and carried me to the couch where he sat me down on his lap.

He kissed my forehead and started.

"My brother Ryan had been shot by a man called Michael Turner. Ryan was too fast for him but he got hit in the shoulder and the leg."

"I'm sorry, I hope he's feeling okay."

Ranger smiled and kissed my forehead again. "He's a horrible patient and grumpy as hell but beside that he's okay."

"Torner shot my brother because he had to shoot his son during a bank robbery. The son, Markus, had taken a little gir for hostage. There hadn't been another way."

"I'm sure there hadn't been." I felt sorry for Ryan and for the little girl. "How's the little girl?"

"She's fine. She and her family are enjoying the Bahamas right now. Costs are taken by RangeMan."

"That's nice of you."

He smiled again.

"Anyway, Ryan is the head of RangeMan Miami but I'm still the owner. And now Michael Torner wants revenge."

I sat up. Nausea hitting me again. "Ranger what's with Julie?"

He pulled me back against him. "Calm down, babe. She's at her grandparents summer house in Italy right now."

"Oh, that's good."

"Yeah it is. But what isn't good is that we could trace him until he came to Trenton. We lost him here."

I snuggeled closer to Ranger.

"You think he wants to do something to your family?"

"I don't know but there's a strong possibility. And I'm afraid that he's going to find out about you. That's why I wanted you under protection. My family is under protection, too."

"Oh, so you didn't think I was a bad mommy?" I played with his chest hair.

"God no, babe." He took my face in his hands and kissed me softly. "I never even had the idea that you could be a bad mother."

"Really?" I was unsure about my mother qualities.

"Babe, you're going to be a wondeful mother."

"But I know nothing about being a mother or about babies. You know more than me."

He chuckled dryly. "No I don't, babe."

"But you have a daughter…."

"But I haven't been there when she was born and after her birth I didn't see her until she was 6 months old. And then I only lived toghether with them for about one month. After that I reduced to a person signing birthday cards or E-Mails and that comes by twice a year."

"I'm sorry." I kissed him softly.

"Me too. But now we can learn evreything together." He leaned me back onto the sofa and started to place little kisses onto my stomach. I laughed.

We were interrupted when there was a knock at the door.

Ranger stood up, ran into the bedroom and came back with his gun. He checked the peephole then opened the door.

Tank and Ella stormed in, both of them seemed very excited. Ella immediately sat down beside me and put an arm around me.

"What's up?" I asked unsure.

Tank put a magazine onto the table. I looked at it. American Baby.

Ranger looked at him as if daring him to say something wrong.

Tank turned to me. "Are you pregnant?"

"Yes." Both me and Ranger answered at the same time.

"Shit."

Ranger took a step towards him but he immediately lifted his hands. "Wait, I mean I'm happy for you two, really. But……this came together with the magazine."

He handed Ranger a shot. Ranger looked down at it and everything within him seemed to still.

I felt my throat close in fear. He sat down on my side and showed it to me.

It was a picture of us leaving Dr. Meek's practice. There was a network like at the gun range or at archery. The middle ponited at my stomach.

I hope you like it. Review, please.