Okay, I couldn't delay it any sooner. I had it finished and had to post it. This is the final chapter of House of Inconsistencies. I hope you have all enjoyed it. Thanks to all my faithful reviewers.

Chapter 8

"How are you holding up?" Tank asked Ranger.

"I don't know man. It's just so hard to get it through to her. She won't listen! She just ignores anything that will upset her." I imagined Ranger shaking his head at that moment. I so did not ignore anything that upset me.

"Just like you wouldn't listen when I told you?" Tank asked.

"Its different man, I listened, I just didn't believe you. She just plain won't listen. What am I supposed to do?"

"You may have to show her what you mean," He told his friend. "It's the only way she could possibly pay attention."

"Visual stimulation." I felt that Ranger would be nodding as he said this.

"Remember, I'm here for you, if you need anything. Just say the word."

There was a long moment of silence between the men before Ranger spoke up. "Actually, would you be able to talk to her? I don't know, maybe she'd listen to you. Man, I have no idea what to do. I can't leave without her."

"I know, Ric. I'll see what I can do. Where is she?"

"Either in the hall or in the music room," Ranger replied.

Mere seconds later the door opened and Tank smile down at me. "Hey Bombshell. How are you?"

I eyed him suspiciously. "I'm fine. You?"

"I'm good. Ric asked me to have a chat with you." He indicated back at the door from which he had just emerged.

"I heard." I couldn't help being short with him. Something was going on and I don't think I was going to like it when I found out. "Whats going on?"

"We'll get to that. Why don't we see if Rowena has any cookies."

Oh no. I was being allowed cookies. Something was definitely wrong. My family is dead? Rex is dead? The stalker is inside the building? Jehovah's Witness in the neighbourhood? All were equally terrifying concepts to grasp. He lead me down to the kitchen and sat me at the bench, then place a plate of cookies in front of me. "Speak." I told him.

I half expected him to bark like a dog, but to my relief he smiled a little and started up the dreaded conversation. "Do you know why you're here?" he asked me.

I nodded slowly. "I had-slash-have a stalker. Ranger came into my apartment. I mistook him for said stalker and shot him in the arm. This is my safe house."

Tank took a moment to process all that I had told him, nodding slightly. "I'll give you part marks," he told me. "You have to promise me that you'll listen to everything I tell you now and not interrupt. Okay?" I nodded feebly. "Do you promise?"

"I promise, Tank, just tell me!"

"Okay, but cut me a little slack, this is a hard topic to bridge."

"So I've heard," I mumbled.

"Steph, please."

"Okay, okay. I'm listening."

"The day Ranger came to your apartment, he wasn't the only one there with you. The stalker was there too. Yes you shot him, but yours wasn't the only bullet flying. After your gun fired, the stalker panicked and fired off two rounds, one at you, and one at Ranger. In return Ranger fired a round off at the stalker."

It took me several moments to understand that this had happened. "Then what-."

"Just let me finish," he interrupted. "You need to understand what I tell you next. It's the only way you're gonna get out of here."

"What do you mean the only way?"

He held a finger to my lips. "This place is just a thing of your subconscious. Its not real. None of it is real."

"How can it not be real? If this isn't real we're not really talking."

"You're in the hospital, in the ICU. You've been in a coma for two weeks. The only way you're going to pull yourself out of it is if you understand that what you're living inside your head isn't real."

"What am I supposed to do?" I asked.

"Believe that you will return to us."

"But if everything is in my mind how am I supposed to get away from it? I've never been able to hide from my thoughts."

"Just keep repeating the truth to yourself."

"We're waiting for you, Babe," Ranger said from behind me. I turned to find him in the doorway to the kitchen. "We believe in you. You can do this. You have strong will."

"This isn't real," I said. "This is just a dream. I'm in a coma. Ranger is waiting for me. I need to wake up. This isn't real. This is just a dream. I'm in a coma. Ranger is waiting for me. I need to wake up. This isn't…"

There was soft conversation somewhere to my right as I slowly became aware of my surroundings. My head was hurting and even the whispers in the room made it throb. I was afraid to open my eyes, because I knew the room would be bright, and that didn't bode well for my head. Someone made a 'shh'ing noise close by and the room went quiet. "Her breathing's changed," a very familiar voice said next to me.

Before I had time to take another breath, someone had enclosed my hand in theirs and was rubbing its back with their thumb. "Babe?" It was Ranger. "Are you awake?"

I groaned a little. "That depends," I told him. "Do you plan on turning the light off and talking in whispers?"

"Anything," he said softly, and I could hear laughter in his voice. I felt the change in the room as the lights were turned off as much as I heard the switch click.

"Are you awake now?" Tank whispered from a little further away.

"Uh huh," I managed. "What happened?"

"What can you remember first," Ranger countered.

"I remember I was in the shower and I heard the door to my apartment open and close. I got out of the shower, wrapped a towel around me and grabbed my gun. When I reached the bathroom door there was a man standing not far away. I didn't recognise him, he turned toward me, his own gun drawn and I shot. Then I realised it was… Oh, God, Ranger I'm so sorry!"

"It's okay. It's only a flesh wound." This statement gave me a sense of de ja vu, but I ignored it as he continued talking. "Do you remember anything after that?"

"It gets fuzzy about there," I admitted.

"Well, the stalker was in your bedroom. When he heard someone entering he came to the door. When you fired at Ranger, he panicked and set of a few rounds in Ranger and your general direction. You must have been startled and slipped on the floor. You feel back and hit you head on the toilet."

"Shit," I croaked.

"That's what we thought," said Tank. "Ranger managed to squeeze a shot into the stalker's temple."

At this point a phone went off right next to my head and I screamed. Neither did good things to my head, and I demanded that both the men leave so I could get some rest, and maybe some painkillers. In reality I wanted to puzzle over the dream I had had. It seemed so real at the time. I'd have to ask Ranger about the Batcave sometime, maybe even get him to take me there.

You should all know that I would never kill off Steph… okay maybe I would; but only in one shots. Sorry for any confusion I have caused. Keep your eyes on the skies!