Thanks for all the reviews and encouragement. This chapter is a little different. It jumps around so you can see how several people feel the night before the big confrontation. Enjoy

Stephanie's POV

It was late and everyone was tired so we all went to our own rooms to rest. Tomorrow is going to be a huge day of preparations. I agreed to share a room with Ranger mainly because we were short a few rooms, but also because I always sleep better when I'm in his arms. I am truly exhausted so I don't think being in Ranger's proximity will be too much of a problem tonight.

I came out of the bathroom to find Ranger already in bed. As soon s I lifted the sheets to crawl into bed, he reached out and pulled me towards him so that my back was against his front. This was our usual position when we slept, but tonight, it was more comforting than I remember. I smiled as I closed my eyes, falling asleep in the arms of the man I loved.

"Babe?"

"Ranger."

"I'm worried Babe. What if we don't' get the information we need tomorrow? What if this is how my life is going to be forever?"

I turned and looked at him and said, "If we don't get the information we need tomorrow, we'll still find it. We'll just have to come up with a better plan."

Ranger buried his head in my hair and said, "God Babe, I love you so much. I just want this all to be over."

"I know Ranger. I want this to be over as well, but we can only do one thing at a time. First we get the person responsible for trying to ruin your life and then we'll have our second date."

Ranger grinned at me and said, "And then our third."

I laughed and hugged Ranger and kissed him gently before rolling over and allowing Ranger to wrap me in his arms. I closed my eyes and fell asleep with Ranger's steady breathing in my ear.

Lula's POV

I was no longer in his presence but my heart was still beating at twice its normal speed. Tank's kiss still lingered on my lips and I was seriously beginning to regret my decision about bunking with Fiona. I initially made the suggestion to share with Fiona because I knew that Tank wouldn't be comfortable on the sofa. He is a big man and although it is a large sofa, it wouldn't be large enough for Tank to get a good night's rest. Now, I wondered if I should have just offered to share my room with Tank.

I didn't get the chance to wonder very long because Fiona popped her head out of her room and saw me. "Hey Lula, do you have everything?"

I nodded and walked into the room and put my bag on the floor at the end of the empty bed. I turned and looked at Fiona and said, "Thanks for this suggestion Fiona. Tank would never have been comfortable sleeping on that sofa."

Fiona smiled and said, "I know what you mean. When I heard that Tank offered to sleep on the sofa so that the rest of us could be in comfort, I knew I had to suggest another arrangement. The beds in this room aren't very large. They're actually cots, so suggesting that two of the men share wouldn't really work. They're feet would dangle off the end of the bed. We're both relatively short, so I naturally thought of us since Stephanie is otherwise engaged."

I laughed at Fiona's comment about Stephanie. "She and Ranger deserve a little alone time. They've been through a lot and have finally found their way to each other."

Fiona nodded as she climbed under the covers on her bed. She smiled and said, "Before I met Stephanie, I saw the way Ranger spoke about her. I don't know him very well, but I could tell that he cared deeply for her. It was the only time he showed any emotion at all. Lester told me that Ranger calmed down a lot as soon as Stephanie arrived in D.C."

I followed suit since I was already in my pyjamas. Once under the covers, I turned to Fiona and asked, "Yeah, I think your presence has helped a certain RangeMan as well."

Fiona looked a bit sheepish and tried to distract me from my comment. I wasn't having it and said, "I see the way Lester looks at you. The Lester Santos charm is infamous. I'm impressed that you've held out for as long as you have."

Fiona sighed and said, "Lester has a reputation and I don't really want to get caught up in that. He seems like a good guy and all but I'm not sure I can get involved with him knowing it's only short term."

I looked at her and said, "How do you know that it will only be short term? I've never seen Lester act the way he does around you."

Fiona laughed and said, "I could say the same with you and Tank. We're a great group. It took how long for Ranger and Stephanie to admit their feelings? What about you and Tank? Les said that you broke up but didn't say why. I can tell you still care for each other. Les is a good man, but I'm not sure he's ready for or even wants an actual relationship."

Fiona sighed and continued, "I'm not saying I want to get married tomorrow, but I'm not getting any younger. I'm not really interested in a short-term physical relationship and that's what I fear Id' get from Lester."

I couldn't fault her logic so I just said, "Maybe you should talk to him about this. Stephanie had the exact same concerns about Ranger when they first started and now look at them."

Fiona and I talked a little while longer but we were both exhausted. We turned off the light and fell into silence. I'm sure Fiona was thinking about Lester just as my last thoughts before I fell asleep were of Tank.

Ranger's POV

My Babe is asleep in my arms but I cannot sleep. I'm too worried about the next day and getting the necessary information from Tim West and Rachel. I am used to operating on little to no sleep, but I am already so exhausted from this while ordeal. I listened to my Babe's steady breathing and took comfort just from her presence beside me.

I wanted to quiet my mind but I couldn't help but go over the possible reasons why I was in this predicament. I thought about Rachel's involvement but I found it hard to believe that she was the mastermind behind the whole situation. There had to be more to it than just her greed.

My next thoughts were of the General. Looking back, I can recall the look of disdain he had on his face the day he arrested me. He didn't look sad, he didn't look like he was happy, but he did look like he was angry. At the time, I assumed he was angry with me. Now I wonder if he was angry with something else. Was he involved? Was it voluntary? I just hope I can find out tomorrow. I can't live like this much longer.

I tried to think if I ever crossed paths with West. I didn't think so. I know that Black Scorpion has asked us to work with them before, but we didn't have the manpower at the time so the core team decided to turn the offer down. We also didn't like the idea that we'd have no control over planning or execution. We were just expected to turn up on the day and follow orders from a complete stranger. At least with the General, we were involved in planning and team selection.

My thoughts went on for a while like this. I must have drifted in and out of sleep a few times, because the time on the clock progressed in larger doses. Eventually, I gave up thinking about my problems and started thinking about my life after we had all the answers. Thinking about a life with Stephanie helped me calm down. It calmed me down so much that I closed my eyes and actually fell asleep.

Tank's POV

I've been tossing and turning for the past few hours. The kiss I shared with Lula just before she left the room keeps playing itself like a film in mind. I don't know if it's Lula's new confidence or her less flamboyant sense of style, but it's like she's a new woman. She hasn't changed her personality at all. She's still the same sassy talking woman I've grown fond of, but she carries herself differently now than she did before.

Also, her natural hair was just so damned sexy. When we were together last year, she never would let me see her without a wig, even in bed. She just didn't feel like herself without a weave or a wig. I'm just glad that she has changed her mind. I like the natural look she's been sporting. I even like her less revealing clothing. It seems to suit her personality more than her old florescent and animal printed spandex outfits.

I need to tell her how I feel about her. I know we agreed to go on a date, but I wanted more than just one night with her. God, I was turning into a love sick fool. Now I know how Ranger has felt all of this time when it came to Bomber. I should probably have been a bit more supportive.

Once I recognised my feelings for what they were, I was able to relax and I eventually fell asleep thinking about how I would show Lula that I wanted her in my life. I closed my eyes and touched my lips, remembering our kiss from earlier.

Lester's POV

How do you convince a woman that you are not the man she thinks you are? How do you convince yourself that you are not the man you once were? There were the questions that were racing around my head as I lay in bed on the eve of a very important day.

I know I have a reputation when it comes to the ladies. It's a well earned reputation at that. I never cared about my reputation. In fact, I was proud of it. That is until it actually got in the way. I've never met a woman who intrigued me in the same way as Firecracker. I know she only sees me as some playboy who isn't interested in anything serious, and if she were anyone else, that might just be the case.

Unfortunately for me, there was something about her that just pulled me in. She was brave, beautiful, smart and sexy as hell. I mean come on, she took Ranger down with a single blow. That was probably the hottest thing I've ever seen. I wanted to rush over to her and wrap my arms around her, but I knew it wouldn't be welcome at that time.

I was pretty surprised by her reaction to Ranger's taunts. I mean, she kicked the hell out of him. I was even more surprised when she felt bad about it afterward. It was sort of a knee jerk reaction for her and she did regret it immediately, especially when she saw the damage she had done. She calmed down a little on the flight down to Miami when Bobby told her that Ranger's jaw was definitely not broken, just well and truly bruised. I saw the look of relief on Firecracker's face when she hugged Beautiful when they were given the news.

I rolled over and punched my pillow, trying to get more comfortable. I needed to get some sleep tonight if I was expected to be fully functional tomorrow. While we were in D.C., none of us got enough sleep. We were on constant alert and I was sleeping on a cot in the hallway because it was the only available bed. At least here, I have a bed.

I sighed and rolled over again. Maybe I should talk to Fiona about the possibility of actually dating her, not just a one night thing. I wondered if she'd be interested in that. I know she's attracted to me. I can usually tell. She and I get along quite well and I think we could be good together. I just needed to find the words and an appropriate time.

I sighed again at my predicament. I am kind of like the boy who cried wolf. Nobody believed him when the real wolf came along and now nobody believes me when I meet a woman I could truly and honestly be with. Visions of wolves and fire crackers filled my mind as I drifted off to sleep. My last conscious thought was how hard it would be for Ranger to confront Rachel the following night. I felt for him as much as I felt for myself.

Today's your lucky day. I'll post the next chapter shortly. Reviews are welcome as always.