Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters in the Plum series. Those are copycright of Janet Evanovich.

Here's another update! Thank you ladyofkeegan, for editing this chapter. You are amazing. Also, thanks everyone for reading and for the amazing reviews. I was going to wait until next week to update, because of thesis work. I couldn't do it. I'm not sure how I feel about this chapter. Please, let me know what you think.

Chap. 8 "The Talk"

"Stephanie," he said, giving me his blank face. There was something else in that stare -disappointment?

I swallowed hard and blinked back the tears pricking in my eyes. I knew Ranger wouldn't physically harm the mother of his child. Actually, he would never hurt me, but he did warn me that he could break my heart. He couldn't protect me from himself.

"Will you be okay, Steph?" asked Lester. He grasped my hand and gave it a squeeze. I nodded in response. They gave Ranger warning look before leaving the room.

"Daddy, look," said my son, showing Ranger the picture clasped in his hand. Ranger examined the crumpled image without even glancing my way. I sat there waiting for what seemed an eternity, trying to decipher the expression on his face. The quiet only increased my nerves.

"W...we… should talk," I finally stuttered. He glanced my way as if he was studying me, and then gave me a slight nod. He stood Ricky on the countertop and fixed his rumpled pajamas, studying his son with interest. He called Ella through the intercom and we waited. Soon she appeared at the door, looking the same since I saw her last. She stopped halfway when she saw me.

"Stephanie," she gasped. "It's really you."

She hugged me and I was grateful for the comfort of her embrace. I needed a hug, and right now, I was craving a big breathtaking embrace from Batman.

"Finally," she whispered in my ear. "He was going crazy, Stephanie. Why didn't you come back sooner? What happened?"

"Ella," I breathed. I looked over my shoulder to Ranger and Ricky. She followed my eyes, finding Ranger with a kid in his arms.

Then Ranger spoke, "Ella, could you take my son to Sixth with you? Stephanie and I have some things to discuss."

'My son.' Ranger said 'my son' with ownership. Ella's eyes widened, her hand flying to her mouth, she nodded without saying anything. Ranger whispered something in Ricky's ear. My son nodded in agreement and Ranger put him on the floor.

"What's his name?" Ella questioned cautiously, to neither of us in specific.

"Carlos," Ranger replied quickly and firmly.

Ella clasped Ricky's hand and guided him to the door. I gave him another kiss for strength, and told him to behave before he left.

Ranger stood there in front me, his arms crossed over his chest. He gave me that blank stare, his lips were a straight line, and his muscles flexed.

"That was very selfish, Stephanie," he said coldly. "You took off and left everyone who cares about you behind, no explanations, and no problem."

The tone of his voice made me flinch.

"You ran away with my child! What were you thinking, Stephanie?"

"I didn't know," I mumbled sadly, "that I was pregnant."

"Of course," he chuckled, "and let me guess, it took you five years to find that out."

"Ranger, I was…" I started.

"Lying to me?" he laughed mockingly, "yes, I can tell."

"I never lied to you! You said you didn't want more children," I argued shamefully. "I didn't know how you were going to react. I got scared."

"Scared," he repeated sarcastically. "Stephanie that still doesn't justify that you would keep our son a secret from me. Did you think about him? Didn't you think I deserved to know? I'm his father! So, unless you have a very good explanation, then don't give me useless excuses."

"You're right," I said. Maybe he was right. I was selfish. I was scared of him rejecting us, but that didn't mean I shouldn't have tried. However, he made it clear he didn't want children, let alone a relationship.

"I always intended for y…"

"You intended what, Stephanie? I have searched for you for five years, Stephanie," he said icily. I winced. "I was worried about you. I wanted…"

I waited for him to finish his sentence, but instead he ran his hand through his hair, and turned away from me.

"You make me insane," Ranger said with disgust, forcing me to the edge. I felt like I was falling off a cliff. My tears started to fall at the same time my anger flared.

"I didn't tell you to search for me," I fired back, letting the tears run freely. "I never asked you to take care of me, to give me cars or to kill people for me. What did you want, Ranger? You said no children and I was going to have one. I was not going to get rid of him just because you didn't want him…. And I never lied to you!"

Ranger turned to face me once again. There was fire in his eyes too. I was quite sure that if he came any closer, we could make an explosion.

"Stephanie," he replied indignantly. "He's our son. Why wouldn't I want him?"

He erased the distance between us, pulling me up in a standing position. He snaked an arm around my waist, holding me tight against him, hoisting me up a little. The smell of Bulgari making me melt in his arms. I looked away from his eyes, because I wanted to ignore the hurt I found in them.

"And, there's was no price, Stephanie," he voiced. "There was no price for what we shared, never. You knew my life was and still is too dangerous. It's problematic, and that's why I said those things. I can understand if that's why you kept him a secret from me."

"I didn't want to lose you," I uttered. "You were my best friend and I…"

And I'm in love with you! I wanted to say. I really did, but saying it under this circumstance wouldn't have worked. He probably wouldn't believe me anyway. I remember his reaction the first time I said it. He said he wanted us to make a deal. Make a deal! One that didn't include children, I'm sure.

"And you what, Stephanie?" he inquired tiredly, kissing the bear skin on my shoulder.

"I don't remember ever lying to you," I said quickly.

"You left, Stephanie!" he said. I felt the vibrations of his voice on his chest. It made me nervous. I've never seen his this angry with me before. Ranger loosened his hold on me, "do you remember what you said to me that night?"

Ranger's eyes found mine and burned into my soul. He was doing his ESP thing, and I tried to the best of my ability to remember.

"I said many things that night," I replied in desperation.

What did I say that was so important to Ranger? What did I say? I told him I didn't want to marry Morelli. Actually, Morelli was the protagonist of our conversation that night (if crying and sobbing could be considered a conversation). Then, it hit me. I told Ranger that I loved him. I remember his reaction, nothing else I had said that night affected him the way those words did. I was in shock by the sudden revelation. My face must have said everything, because then he released me.

I followed him to the kitchen, and watched as he filled a cup of water for himself. I confess that I held a little hope. He still loved me, even with Ricky. My heart was leaping in response to this newfound information.

"I want to be there for our son," he said tiredly. "I want to be a constant figure in his life, to support, and provide for him. We should talk about visits because I want to see him daily. You are not planning to leave again, are you?"

I stared at him in disbelief. Great! I was turning into Rachel. What was I expecting? That he would be waiting for me with opened arms. 'Babe, what were you thinking? I missed you. I love you. Please, come back to me.' Well, maybe I was. After all, he searched for me for four and a half years.

"Why did you keep searching for me?" I inquired. Ranger's eyes focused on me, his blank face hardening. He didn't say anything but his eyes narrowed. He didn't give me a response. Instead, he kept drinking his water as if I never asked him anything.

I turned around and started walking. It took Ranger just a few seconds to notice that I intended to leave. I fought the door open and hurried for the stairs, but the damn doors were locked. Of course, absolutely nobody without Ranger-privilege could reach the sacred seventh floor. I pressed for the elevator and crossed my arms. Ranger was right behind me, his arms crossed, looking calm.

"We are not done talking," he stated.

"No, Ranger, you don't talk," I replied, suppressing a chuckle. "In fact, you never talk. I rarely know what you want or how you feel. Maybe that's why we are in the position we are today. How you thought about that?"

The doors opened in front of me, and Ranger simply picked me up. I tried twisting around, hoping to break his hold, but he was too strong for me. He had me locked in his arms and unable to move. I kicked and pulled trying to get out of his grip, but it was in vain.

My foot caught the elevator door, preventing him from moving. Ranger lifted me and growled in my ear. I felt his warm breath on my neck, and my foot was pulled out of the door.

"Stop moving"

"Then, let go of me," I yelled. Ranger carried me back into his apartment. I almost fell hard on the floor when he released me.

"What am I supposed to you with you?" he questioned angrily, pushing me further inside.

"Ranger wants to talk," I snorted. The tears flowing freely, at their own will. "He talks job and problems, but he never really talks. He never says anything to me, and then he doesn't get why I left."

"You're being childish," Ranger scolded, shaking his head.

"I needed to get away," I retorted. "I couldn't deal with the grapevine, I couldn't face Joe, and you… well, you… I wanted all of you to forget about me. I wanted… I wanted all of us to move on."

"Stephanie, you were pregnant," he reminded flatly. "You were going to have our baby, Stephanie."

"I didn't want to be Rachel," I yelled in frustration. "I don't want to be Rachel."

My brain was not connected to my mouth. I never meant to say it. My own confession paralyzed me. I never really thought about it that way, but it was true. I saw Ranger's eyes expand almost invisibly.

"You were selfish," he responded narrowing his eyes. He was doing the bat glare. I was crossing his patience. He tweaked the bridge of his nose, and crossed his arms.

"If you didn't want to be Rachel, then why didn't you come back to me?"

I stared at Ranger in disbelief, "what?"

Why did he push me away? I thought he didn't love me enough to make me a permanent part of his life.

"You didn't want children," I reminded him quickly. "You didn't want more children and you don't do relationships. I didn't want Ricky to be rejected by his father. It would have hurt him. I needed to protect him."

Ranger raised an eyebrow, "Ricky?"

"Yes, Ricky," I said angrily. I named my son after his father, but I couldn't call him Carlos. Ranger is Carlos. It was that night, when he was my Carlos, street name Ranger. He wasn't Ranger, the bounty hunter. I tried to steady my voice, "one Carlos in my life is enough."

I looked up at him. The corners of his lips tilting up a little, "are you afraid of me?"

"I think we are done talking," I hissed. "You said it all, support, money, and visits. I think that sums it all up. There's nothing else to talk about."

"Fine!"

"Fine," I spat.

"This is not the end of this conversation," he warned, reaching for the intercom. I started wiping the tears away. I wasn't going to let Ricky see me crying.

"I need a moment," I said heading to the bathroom. I walked into his bedroom, flashes of that last night coming back again, tormenting me. It's ironic how one night can change your whole future. I never imagined myself in this situation. Ranger loved me, I was sure about that. I just didn't know to what extent. Could he forgive me? He wasn't even sure if I still loved him, and I didn't want to tell him I do love him. After all, I did run away from him.

I locked myself in the bathroom, sat on the toilet, and allowed the tears to flow. After a few minutes of that, I washed my face and prepared myself to step back outside. I examined by reflection in the mirror and faked a smile. I wanted to pretend that I was happy for my son's sake.

I found Ricky in his father's arms again. Ella studied us silently and with a sigh, she left the room looking defeated. She didn't even say bye to us. Ella wanted the best for Ranger. He was like a son to her, and I was making his life miserable.

"Baby, it's time to go," I said feeling a little guilty, opening my arms for Ricky. He seemed happy and comfortable in Ranger's arms, but I needed to get out of this place.

"Nooo," he whined laying his head on his father's shoulder and wrapping his arms around his neck. Ranger narrowed his eyes at me, and I had to look away.

"Baby, your daddy's a busy man," I said gently.

"I want to stay with daddy," he said softly, gripping onto Ranger's shirt. I tried to stay calm because I didn't want to cry in front of any of them.

"Ricky, your father will come visit soon," I told him, reaching for him.

"He can stay," Ranger said immediately. "I want him to stay."

I stared at him a little surprised.

"Oh," I managed, because I didn't know what to say. "I don't know… He doesn't have any clothes here, and he might…"

"I'll have Lester pick up his clothes," Ranger said eyeing Ricky. "He's already in his pajamas."

I nodded quickly, since I couldn't say no to Ranger. They both needed time together.

"Okay," I sighed. "Do you want to stay with daddy?"

Ricky nodded, "can you stay, mommy?"

"No baby, I can't," I told him, feeling tears in my eyes, "come here, and give mommy a kiss."

Ricky hugged me and kissed me. However, he seemed very happy staying with his father. I was hoping he would be a little upset about me leaving him, but he wasn't. I was starting to feel a little concern, maybe jealous.

"Be nice," I told him. He nodded smiling, resting his head on his father's shoulder.

"Okay, I should go then."

I walked out of his apartment feeling defeated and guilty. Ranger dismissed me with a nod. The elevator took ages to reach the seventh floor. Then, it made a trip to the fifth floor.

"Are you okay, Bomber?" Tank asked, smiling down at me. "I got a little scared after the elevator scene."

"I'm okay Tank, I'm sorry you had to see that," I said. "Thank you."

"Stephanie, you're shaking."

I looked down at my hands, he was right. I felt the tears run down. Tank put an arm around me and guided me into the parking lot. Lester was waiting there for me.

"Bombshell," he said, opening the door for me. "I'm supposed to take you home and get some clothes for Ricky, is that right?"

I simply nodded.

They wouldn't let me drive, and it was probably the best. I couldn't trust myself driving. Tank took one of the SUVs and Lester took my car. We made a stop that made me smile. We were parked in front of Tasty Pastry. Tank handed me a bag of TastyKakes and a box of Boston Creams. It's like that saying, 'when the world seems to turn its back on you, eat doughnuts.' Okay, not really, but I live by it.

-rs-

The lights were still on when we reached the house. I opened the door and the smell of freshly baked cookies called out my name, drawing me to the kitchen. I found Sofia taking a cookie sheet from the oven. I placed my pastry bag on the table, and she walked around it and hugged me.

"Are you okay?" she asked studying me. Then, she looked around searching for Ricky, but he wasn't there. Instead, she found Lester and Tank.

"Ricky wanted to stay," sniveled. "I should go get his clothes."

Ranger and I didn't have another chance. I ruined everything we had. 'If you didn't want to be Rachel, then why didn't you come back to me?' I am so confused.

I entered Ricky's room and looked around. I pulled his little backpack and started pulling clothes out of the draws. I selected them carefully, taking my time, making a list of the things he might need. When I was done, I examined the pictures on his bag and smiled. My son's interest was changing. I could see that he was moving on from planets to Batman.

-rs-

Later that night, I laid in bed thinking things over. What would I do with the pain? Most of the time, it helps having Ricky around the house to comfort me. I found joy in simply having him near me, but tonight he wasn't here. I felt guilty and alone. I was left with the silence and the feeling of loneliness. The problem with those is that they are actually loud, very loud. Loneliness talks back you. It also makes you think. I wandered if Sofia was right, if Ranger ever felt lonely without me.

What if Ranger wants him for himself? What if Ricky doesn't want to come back home? I shook my head. Stephanie, calm down, you're amplifying things. What if he needs me?

I laid there, staring at the ceiling for a few beats. Then I sprinted out of bed in search of my cell phone. There were three rings, and then he picked up.

"Is Ricky okay? Is he asking for me?"

"He's fine," he answered. "He's sleeping."

"Oh"

Silence

"Stephanie," he said, snapping me out of my trance.

"I just wanted to make sure," I said uncertainly, and hung up before he did. I took the cell phone to bed with me, and placed it on my nightstand. Then I remembered I forgot something.

"Babe," he answered. My heart jumped. Ranger called me 'Babe'! Maybe he didn't hate me that much after all. I sat there staring into darkness, happy because the man I love called me babe.

"Is he sleeping in your bed?" I asked casually.

"Yes"

"I forgot to warn you," I started. "He likes to suck his thumb when he sleeps, just pull it out. I'm trying to get him to stop."

Silence

"Is that all?

"Uhm, oh! He still wets his bed sometimes. Well, not always, just sometimes."

"I'm sure I can handle it," he replied, and then a click.

-RS-

Ricky: I want pie daddy, with ice cream on top.

Ranger: There's no pie. We don't have any pie or ice cream.

Steph: We cherry pie.

Ranger: Babe!

Ricky: *giggle* Babe, pie for a review?

A/N: Thanks for reading. Please, let me know what you guys think. Like I said, I'm not sure how I feel about this chapter. I accept any comments or suggestions. What do you think about Ranger? What should Stephanie do? Thank you Babes!