My girl Avid Reader 59 made a good point at the end of chap 5. She said that Cal and Ram would have never just dropped Steph off in the Burg near Morelli's or her parents without calling Tank. Excellent point and I erred there. I meant back in Chap 3 for Steph to make a point before the guys left the room that she didn't want the Morelli assault to go further than the people that already knew because of the nature of it. I have corrected that in Chap 3 and now Ram and Cal are innocent because they don't really know what happened. As far as charges going public? You'll see...

Okay, so just messing with you hea'sters. Get ready to do your happy dance!

Chapter 7

"Stop! Do NOT walk away from me. You have no idea what it took to get back to you."

"Ranger, I need to learn to take care of myself and then Morelli is going to pay. He got all the charges dropped against him."

"Clarify for me why you left the safety of Rangeman and don't worry about Morelli. He will pay for hurting you."

"I'm here because I changed and I couldn't stop taking the pain pills. I was losing control. Truth is, I almost did sleep with Lester. He talked to you?

"No. Babe, I was dying and I dreamed about you. Morelli, your rescue, the pills, your pain and loneliness, the relationships with the men. I knew it was happening or was going to. The last dream ended with your death. It had to be our connection. I knew you needed me."

"I dreamed you came to me too, Ranger. You kept telling me to have faith and to trust you. What happened to you?"

"I was captured and held in a cell outside of Santiago, Chile."

"You don't look well. They hurt you? The casts."

"Yeah. They hurt me. The last dream I had about you pushed me to move and find a way out. So, you're not walking away from me now."

"I think that what happened in my dreams could have happened, but you were strong and I'm so proud of you, Babe."

"I wasn't feeling very strong. I don't feel strong now. You still want to be my friend?"

I walked to her and put my arms around her and lowered my head and touched her lips with mine and poured my heart and soul into the kiss. I looked into her eyes and said, "Babe, I want much more. I want to be your everything."

"Everything? But,..you don't do relationships."

I smiled at her. "We're already in one. There is no denying now what's between us. It defies logic. I say we go with it. I've been a nincompoop. I love you, Stephanie Plum." Her face changed again and she threw her arms around me giggling and crying at the same time.

"Ranger, I don't know what's more shocking. That you called yourself a nincompoop or that you said the words, "I love you". You're really alive. I thought I had lost my chance to tell you how much you mean to me too."

"What do I mean to you?"

"I love you too. I think I always have." I kissed her lips with all of the ardor and affection I held for this blue-eyed soul mate of mine.

"I'm so sorry that you had to go through all that you did. We would both benefit from some counseling after this. We can even do some sessions together. We've been through a lot and I want us to heal so we can start a life together. How about we get your things and go home."

"Home?"

"Babe, home is with me and when I was captive you were home to me." She put her arm in mine and smiled at me and pressed her lips to mine.

"Okay. So, home." I gave her what she calls my 200-watt smile and nodded.

"Check out of your motel and you drive us. I'll have Lester head on back." I called Lester and we checked her out of the motel and grabbed Rex.

On the way back to Trenton, Stephanie just kept stealing glances at me. "I don't smell anything burning. You okay?"

"You're here and you just look beautiful to me. You're so much thinner though. I want to feed you fried chicken and jelly doughnuts."

"Not going to happen, Babe."

"Meatball subs and Tastycakes?"

"Babe."

"Peanut butter and olive sandwiches and birthday cake."

"Hell no!" She giggled. What a wonderful sound. I reached over and touched her leg gently and rubbed it. Damn casts.

When we got back to the Rangeman garage, some of the men were coming off the elevator and filling up SUVs. We walked up to Tank and I asked what was going on. "Welcome back my friend. What's getting underway is 'Operation Pop Morrelli's Cherry'. Ram and Cal are holding him in an alley down on Stark Street. Costanza and Big Dog tipped us off." I grinned at my friend and shook his hand.

"Babe, go up to the apartment and wait for us."

"No way. If this is payback for what Morelli did to me then I'm going."

"No you're not. This is not something a woman needs to see."

"You're not going to kill him, are you?" I grinned at her.

"No. He's going to be screaming like a bitch though."

"Omigod! All of these men? Are you going to…"

"Yes…"

"I want to be there when you do it."

"No, Steph."

"Yes! I get closure too. Believe me, I can handle this," she yelled at me. I groaned. "You will stay in the vehicle until I come to get you." We took my truck and rode in a four vehicle caravan to Stark Street.

Six Rangemen piled out of vehicles heading into the alley to meet up with Cal and Ram. I kissed Steph and got out and followed my men. A Trenton Police Department cruiser pulled up. Eddie, Carl and Big Dog got out and walked up to my truck to talk to Steph. Tank and I looked at each other and chuckled as we heard her say, "Get out of here, you three monkeys. You need to see no evil, hear no evil so you can speak no evil." They all laughed.

TBC-

So, I left this chap short on purpose. Do you want the crude alley scene and Joe's payback or no? I didn't write it too graphic. Steph just tells it from her POV. Review and weigh-in girls!