Disclaimer: The characters are property of Janet Evanovich and I am not making any money from this story. The story line is mine.

The Upside of Down

Part Eight

By, Elissahara30

When Ranger had lived we kept a barrier between us. Either physically or emotionally and I will always regret not being brave enough to really see what it was we could have had. I kept my head down as I unlocked my car and got in. I leaned my head against the steering wheel and felt a leaden weight in my stomach. "Why Ranger? Why did you have to make me love you?"

I stood in the park and watched as Ingrid and Jack played, and smiled fondly as Carlos pushed little Jack on the swings. I sat at the picnic table just soaking up the simplicity of it all. It was a mild day and the sound of children's laughter was a balm to my battered heart. I closed my eyes and sat back and just listened and felt content to just be.

Then I felt a slight shiver and opened my eyes and almost jumped out of my seat as Mary Lou sat next to me. This version looked different from the Mary Lou I knew from the Burg. She was dressed in a professional suite and hard a hard edge air about her. She looked at me with a calculating gaze and gave me a sneering smile.

"So, I hear that you have forgotten the last few years. Good for you I guess." Her tone was low and sarcastic. She looked at my family and her eyes never wavered and that made me want to squirm in my place.

"Is there something I can help you with?" I asked trying to be polite, but seeing my best friend acting this way was unsettling.

"Oh, come one Stephanie are you trying to tell me that you don't remember me?" She put her hand over her heart and arched her eyebrow at me, "I am truly hurt."

"The last I remember of you was that you where dating Lenny Stankovic." I really hoped this matched the timeline from my memories.

Mary Lou smiled at me and it wasn't a happy sort, "How convenient for you. You forget over a decade and so its will me easy not to culpable in anything."

I was starting to get annoyed, "What the hell do you want?"

She made a tsking sound, "Temper, temper Stephanie. Let me refresh your memory some, Joe Morelli."

I reviewed my mental calendar of events and if I counted back ten plus years, the last time that I had seen Joe was when I had run him down with my father's Buick. So I was safe to say, I had no connection to him in this life. At least one could hope so, "I haven't seen or hear of Joe Morelli since I hit him with my dad's Buick."

"You're lying." She said simply as she looked at me, "I know you are and I is fucking insulting that you're doing it to my face."

"Then what is it that I did that involves Joe Morelli and me?" I didn't like her tone and I really starting not to like her as a person. I was taller than her, I could take her out.

"For the last three years you have been having an affair with my husband you bitch." She said heatedly.

To say that I was stunned was an understatement. I turned and looked at the park and noticed that Mary Lou and I had gotten Carlos attention. He was watching us and I could tell even from here he was tense. I'm positive that he couldn't hear us, but I think he had an idea what we were discussing and it hurt. My once sad dreams have now become my nightmares.

I looked at Mary Lou, the face of my best friend that I had shared so many of my hopes and dreams with, the person I had trusted. Here was a mockery of that friendship and in it I was the one to make her bitter. It took me a few minutes to realize that Mary Lou was married to Joe and that for the past three years I had been his mistress.

I stood up on shaky legs and turned my back on her, "I don't remember this," I said in a mournful voice, "and I'm sorry that I had caused you so much pain."

I looked up as Carlos came up to me and gathered me into his arms and looking over my shoulder to Mary Lou and said, "I think you should leave us, Mrs. Morelli."

"You're an idiot for believing her, I told you months ago and I even provided proof and here you are playing the happy family." Mary Lou barked out a bitter laugh, "You keep her away from my husband!"

Carlos made soothing circles on my back and I pulled away from his embrace, "Is it true?"

"Babe," he said desperately.

"No, I can see it on your face. Its true isn't it!" I wanted to wake up now; I didn't to have to face this.

"I thought had lost you," he said to me sadly, "No matter what I still love you and I foolishly thought that since you didn't remember that you would love me again. And it worked."

I closed my eyes and reeled back from it all. This is insane; I have completely lost my mind. I looked back at Carlos and felt so many burdens on me. All of these dreams, all of these wonderful times and even in my sleep nothing but lies. I backed away further, "I think I'm going to walk around the lake for a few minutes and just think about things."

He seemed to want to reach out to me, but I pulled back and I noticed the hurt on his face. Right now I needed to leave, and hopefully wake up soon. I turned my back and walked away.

TBC . . . .

A/N: Well kiddies, I'm taking votes for the happy ending. Let me know if you want me to pull the rabbit out of the hat or not. Also, I want to thank everyone who reviewed and kept with my odd tail. It warms my heart.