Author's note: I fully intended to post last night, but I had an English project that absolutely had to be done. Hopefully this chapter is good enough for the wait. Please review; they are a ray of sunshine on a cloudy day. (Kudos to those who recognize that saying) Anything you recognize belongs to JE.

The ride to Cezar's was filled with tension. All the guys wanted a piece of him. The testosterone in the SUV was so thick you could cut it with a knife. The rest of the task force would be meeting us there. There was no way that Cezar could escape this time.

Everyone was in complete dress, including bulletproof vests. We weren't taking chances. I even had a gun, and wouldn't mind using it. He had killed me, I tend to hold a grudge against those who do, I've discovered. He had access to hordes of unknown weapons; we were ready for war.

The SUV screeched to a stop. There was no use going in silently, we already had the house surrounded. He knew we were there. We took our positions.

The door burst open, revealing Cezar with a machine gun. He pulled the trigger, bullets shooting in rapid succession. We open fired. All around me shots rang out, bullets flying through the air. One of them was mine. I took no pity on him; he gave me no reason to. Cezar was dead before he could even fire a round. It seemed my nightmare was over

The next few hours were chaos. Paramedics were brought in. There were no serious injuries, but a few of the guys were grazed. The house was ransacked and enough weapons were found to furnish a small army. It's a wonder he wasn't brought in before.

I found myself just sitting and watching. I had tried to move weapons, but Ranger quickly put a stop to that. Everyone seemed relieved that I was a safe distance away. It was probably for the best; after all, I hadn't earned the nickname Bomber for nothing.

I watched Ranger give orders. I wondered where Joe and Diesel were. In my search for them, I spotted a figure that didn't belong. He was hiding in the bushes, clad entirely in black, yet he wasn't with Rangeman. My spidey sense was tingling; something wasn't right. I walked toward Ranger, keeping an eye on the stranger. I was about ten feet away when I saw the gun. It was pointed at Ranger. I broke into a sprint. He aimed. I leapt. I hit Ranger, who was thrown to the ground. I felt a searing pain near my left shoulder.

There were more shots. Hitting the assassin, I suppose. My vision clouded. I managed to say one thing before I blacked out. "I love you, Ranger." I had saved his life and now he knows that I love him. That was my only thought as I was dying just a week ago. I had never told him. Now that I have, I can at least die happy.

-Ranger's POV-

I stood in the middle of the street, issuing orders to my men. The operation went smoothly, and we seemed to be in the clear. Then, all hell broke loose. I heard running. I turned toward the sound, just in time to see my Babe leap at me in a flying tackle. When her hands hit my chest, a shot rang out. We fell to the ground. I flipped over so my Babe was under me, in an attempt to protect her. That's when I saw the blood, coming from her chest, near her left shoulder. Oh God, no. There was so much blood. I was vaguely aware of my men firing at the gunman. I applied pressure to the wound. I leaned closer to check her breathing. She said something, something that made my heart soar and constrict in fear all at once.

"I love you, Ranger." Those four words changed my life forever. I had never told her my own feelings. I was afraid that it would put her in danger. But I couldn't let her leave me without her knowing. "I love you too, Babe. Don't leave me." I had waited so long to tell her. I hoped it wasn't too late.

-Joe's POV-

I turned just in time to see Steph push Ranger to the ground. I saw him flip her over so she was under him. He was always protecting her, even when we were together. Then I saw the blood, the fear on his face. I turned to the medic who had just finished tending to the graze on my arm. "Go!" I shouted. She went, with me on her heels. Medics were there within seconds. They had to push Ranger off of her; he seemed to be in a trance of sorts. It reminded me of Steph, when Ranger was shot by Scrog.

That's when I knew. Steph had never been mine; she was always supposed to be with Ranger. She was his Ying to his Yang. He had always supported her, guided her, protected her. Loved her. And she was always there for him, never doubted him, had complete trust in him. Loved him. I don't know how I could have been so blind. I hoped it wasn't too late for them.

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