Disclaimer: I own nothing. Thank you all for the great reviews. A very special thanks to Lisa for betaing this chapter! You rock! :)

I took a moment to breathe in the scent that is uniquely Ranger. A mixture of Bulgari and male. How was I going to explain this to him? I hadn't even let myself think about it. I huffed out a sigh and then pulled away from him, plopping onto my couch.

"The day after Joe and I split up, I went to my parents' house to deal with my mother. Grandma needed to go to the mall before her date that night, so I volunteered to take her in order to get my mom off my back." I dropped my gaze to the hem of my dress, tugging at it absently as he sat down next to me.

"We shopped for a while and she found a dress we both liked. We were sitting down in the food court with sundaes, and she…" I shook my head, willing back the tears. Taking a deep breath, I looked up into worried brown eyes. "She collapsed and I froze. If the woman at the table next to us wasn't a nurse I don't know what I'd have done. I sat in the waiting room for two hours before I realized anyone was with me. Tank and Lester told me they heard over the scanner and met the ambulance at St. Francis, but I don't remember. The doctor said it was an aneurysm. There was nothing that could have been done once it ruptured."

I felt the tears before I could stop them. I didn't have a chance to wipe them away before I was swept into Ranger's lap. His arms wrapped tightly around me. That was all it took. For the first time since the left her hospital room, I cried. I couldn't stop the sobs that wracked me, but for once I didn't want to. When I calmed down, I pulled back slightly and gazed up into beautiful chocolate eyes. I was shocked to see them wet.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to lose it on you. I don't know what came over me. I didn't even cry at the funeral…"

"Babe, don't apologize. It's not healthy to shut everything inside." He attempted to roll his eyes when I snorted. "I'm serious. I know from experience. I'm so sorry your grandmother's gone, Babe. But it wasn't your fault. Therewas nothing you could have done to change things. You know that, don't you?" He lifted my chin with a knuckle, brushing his lips gently over mine. "She was an amazing lady, Babe, and she loved you. I think she would be very proud of the changes you've made."

I smiled, nodding my head. "I know she would. There was a letter for me in her will. She said that even though she didn't have much to give me, she hoped I'd use what she had." I laughed. "She left me Big Blue...that damned car. She also left me her .45 and a gift certificate to the gym I'm going to now. The letter explained that while she knew I wasn't fond of the car, or guns, or exercise, for that matter, she wanted me to have them so I would always be able to fly. She asked me to do what I needed to in order to become the person I wanted to be, and not who my mother wanted me to be. And she told me to follow my instincts, claiming that like her, there was more gypsy in me than there was in my mother.

"So, I sold the .45 to Sunny and bought my Taurus24/7. I couldn't shoot the .45 without almost dropping it." I laughed, remembering Grandma being knocked over on more than one occasion. "I started going to the gym, and then dragged Lula along when I actually liked it. I kept Big Blue in storage, until my jeep blew. And now that I have the Audi, it's back in storage.

"Tank and the guys were shocked when I actually stuck with my training. I think Bobby was a little miffed that I altered the diet he worked out for me." I smirked, shaking my head. "Like he didn't know I wasn't going to give up sugar…"

I shrugged, sighing softly before looking up at him again. "I just wish it hadn't taken losing the one person that never questioned my craziness…" I put a finger on his lips to stop his protesting. "I meant at home. I know you and the guys support me. Believe me, it means the world to me. It was just nice to know one person in my family didn't think I was defective." I sighed again, standing up and wandering into the kitchen. "Wow, guess I know how to ruin a date…"

Ranger laughed from right behind me and I almost jumped out of my skin. One muscled mocha latte arm slid around my waist, pulling me tight against him. With his free hand, he brushed the hair back from the side of my neck, and then he planted a soft kiss where my neck and shoulder met. "You didn't ruin anything, Steph. I'm glad you told me what happened. I just wish there was something more I could do to help."

I turned in his arms, leaning up to kiss him softly. "Being here is more than enough. Though you could distract me…" I couldn't help but laugh at his look of shock. "I didn't mean it like that! I was thinking more like telling me more about this 'put up or shut up' speech you received. I can't believe those two! Well, actually I can, I just think they're insane." I smiled again. They had to be crazy to even try to meddle in Ranger's private life.

"They always meddle in my life. And before you ask, yes, you said it out loud." He flashed me his thousand watt smile. "Butthey were right. I have been treating you poorly. I want you in my life, Babe. I was an idiot to push you away after DeChooch. I was confused and afraid of what was between us. I also wanted to be sure you weren't just trying to get over Morelli. I know it's stupid, but I thought you'd eventually want a life like Valerie. Even without the government contracts, I'll never be a nine to five kind of person. I realize now that you aren't either."

He sighed, pulling me in tighter for a moment. "You've changed a lot while I've been gone. I wish I could have been here for you, and with you. I'd like to sweep you off your feet now and never let you go, but I know that's not an option. I don't expect you to fall into my life overnight, Steph. I want to explore things between us, but I'm not used to letting people in. It might take a while before I get the hang of it."

I stopped his nervous ramblings by kissing him. I slipped my hands up into his hair, pulling his head down closer to deepen the kiss. I pulled back reluctantly and smiled up at him. "I get it Ric. I'll tell you if I think you're not being open enough. Anddespite the Burg thinking my life needs to be an open book, there are things you still don't know about me. We'll figure it out as we go. That's how these things work."

I flashed him a cheeky smile and was rewarded with an eye roll. "I think I'm rubbing off on you Professor Higgins," I said. "You'd better not do that on Stark. You'll damage your rep."

He laughed, pulling me close and kissing me again. We both sighed as his cell started ringing. "Talk. Gimme ten." He snapped the phone shut and kissed my forehead. "Got a line on a skip. Get some sleep, Babe. We've all got a long day tomorrow, and don't forget to call Ella about the spa."

Ric kissed me again softly and left. The door clicked quietly behind him. I locked the door and set my alarm before heading to the bedroom. I changed into my Snoopy shirt and pajama pants and went to bed. I think I was asleep before my head hit the pillow. It had been an interesting day.