Sorry it's been so long! Hope you enjoy! xhx

Chapter 15

The sun dipped low in the sky and the night rolled around with no new information forthcoming.

Ranger's family had been sending me speculative glances all evening, talking in low voices amongst themselves, but I'd been talking with the Merry Men, so they hadn't had the opportunity to accost…ahem…talk to me.

It was fairly early for me to go to bed, but I was already tired; my long sleep the night before hadn't instantly rejuvenated me as it did in fairy tales. Stupid fairy tales – I should get them to print a retraction, or sue them for false sleep advertising or something…

I yawned and Ranger shot me a concerned look, 'tired?'

I nodded, but shrugged, 'don't worry about it yet.'

He frowned but nodded, trusting my judgement. He pointed to the couch and we sat on it, snuggling against each other. Though I'm pretty sure Ranger would object to calling it 'snuggling' - more 'macho shit'.

He skim read some reports whilst I lay against him, but it wasn't long before my tired body sunk into sleep.

The black Hummer came out of nowhere, swerved around me and pulled in front. I leant on my horn and reached for my gun. I did all the things I knew I was supposed to do, but it didn't matter. In seconds I was yanked out of my car and dragged to the back of the Buick, the trunk was open and I was shoved in. The world went black.

The gun had fallen out of my pocket in the scramble, and I couldn't get out of the trunk of the car. I was twisted in the fetal position, I kicked at the trunk and started yelling; maybe someone would hear me at the intersections.

The car stopped and the trunk opened, I was yanked out and dragged to the centre of the playground, there was a circle drawn on the ground and inside the circle was a big guy, his face lost in the shadow of his hooded sweatshirt. Junkman.

'Please no, make it stop, make it stop, Ranger, where are you?'

'This is the circle where we try the enemy,' he said. 'If you're not a member, you're the enemy. We already disposed of three of the enemy. This is your night. Are you the enemy?'

I said nothing.

'Babe, it's ok, it's ok. Babe?'

Ranger was here, I glance round looking for him. 'Ranger?'

'Babe. Please. Wake up.'

Wake up? What was he talking about? The terror was running through me, making my thoughts jumbled and lost. Probably the 'wake up' thing was a reference to my surroundings, 'wake up and be more aware of your surroundings.' There, that made sense. I tried to be more aware, I knew Ranger was here, I could virtually smell him – I just had to find him.

Junkman turned towards me, drawing his gun.

'Ranger!' I screamed in fear. Where was he?

'Babe! Please.' Ranger begged, sounding more distraught then I've ever heard him sound.

But Ranger's words drew Junkman's gaze to him, and Junkman's gun swung in Ranger's direction…BANG! BANG! BANG! Three shots rang out and Ranger slowly dropped to his knees, before toppling to the ground. I screamed and ran to him, throwing myself down next to him.

Ranger's once warm eyes were cold and distant, locked on something I couldn't see, 'Ranger?' I whimpered.

And like a cruel joke I could almost hear him say, 'Please Babe…' But I knew I couldn't possibly be hearing those words, because Ranger's body was lifeless next to me.

It hit me harder than any physical blow – Ranger was dead.

Agony, like nothing I could ever describe, struck my heart, into my very core. Ranger was dead and gone. My heart shattered into a thousand fragments and I screamed his name in despairing anguish.

I sat bolt upright. Ranger's arms were wrapped tightly around me, and one thought flooded my mind, He's alive, Ranger's alive!' I wasn't entirely sure how it was possible, the fresh grief was still so raw, so consuming, but the strength in his arms was no illusion and I sobbed against hum.

I sobbed like everything I had ever loved had been taken away from me, like every dream I had ever had had been quashed and destroyed. Ranger rocked me back and forth, back and forth, holding me through the rivulet of tears.

'Babe?' Ranger asked eventually, 'are you ok?' I nodded against him, holding him to me tightly.

'It was different.' Ranger said tightly, 'I couldn't get it to stop, and I couldn't wake you up either.'

I nodded again. 'I know.' I managed to say through my tears. 'I could hear you, but it just got incorporated into the nightmare.'

Rangers arms were holding me so close I was beginning to wonder where he started and where I finished.

'How did it end?' He asked.

'You –' I started to tell him, but the thought of it brought back the torment all over again, and fresh tears spilled down my pale cheeks.

'Shhh Babe. It's ok, whatever it was, it's ok now.'

I nodded and tried to regain control of myself.

'Junkman killed you.' I finally managed to say, 'It was so real, so vivid…your eyes-' New tears sprung from my eyes, and I just couldn't get them to stop.

'Oh Babe.' Ranger took a shuddering breath, 'It's ok - I'm ok. I'm alive. Everything's ok. Junkman's dead.'

Ranger gently disentangled my fists from his shirt, then he quickly tugged off his shirt.

He held my hand, brining it up to his chest, laying it across his muscular chest. I could feel the solid beat of his heart vibrate through his body.

Ranger was alive.

Slowly the reality of that began to penetrate my heartache, easing something inside of me. I laid my head on his chest, listening to the pounding of his strong heart.

Ranger was alive.

And I knew - as I listened to the rhythm of his heart, with the memory of my anguish still fresh in my mind - that I would do anything to keep him that way.