Standard Disclaimer: Not mine, not making money, yadda yaddacakes. I didn't put this in part one, but spoilers up through LMT.

Overheard Part 3

Trying to decide where to go, Steph looked at the clock. Since it was 3, she figured there would be nobody in the break room and that would give her enough privacy to talk to Joe. She really hoped that the first words out of his mouth wouldn't be something about Bob or the boys missing her. She had hoped that they had gotten past that to become friends. If he said something like that, she was likely to start screaming. Inside of Rangeman, that probably wouldn't be good. The guys would be armed for bear and probably break down the door trying to get in to see what was wrong.

Grabbing a juice out of the frig and wistfully eyeing the empty cookie plate, Steph slumped into a chair and flipped her phone open to hit speed dial 2.

Listening to the ring, Steph sipped her juice. When it clicked to voicemail, she huffed in exasperation. "Joe, you sent me a text to call you. Why the hell aren't you answering your phone?" She clicked the phone shut and drained her juice.

Okay, maybe he was at work. She opened her phone again and hit speed dial 7. Drumming her fingers on the table, she heard this call click to voicemail as well. "Damn it Joe, if this was so all fired urgent, why the hell aren't you answering your phone. Call me!" With that, Steph headed back to her desk to finish up that last search for Ranger. She figured she would ask him if she could leave a little early so she could track Joe down and find out what had his boxers in a twist.

Back at her desk, the results had finished printing. Gathering them up, Steph pulled out her pink highlight and started to make notes. She knew Ranger hated the pink but liked to tweak him anyway. Normally, he would look at the search and raise an eyebrow. Sometimes he would say Babe in an exasperated tone. She always smiled and winked at him. Tweaking Ranger was like tweaking a tiger's tail without benefit of really tall bars between you and the tiger but she figured that he wouldn't kill her. Or send her to Outer Mongolia in a small crate. And if he did try, the thought crossed her mind that she would just pull him in the crate with her.

Gathering up her purse, she stuffed her gun and cell inside. She also grabbed a couple of hair scrunchies and a tube of her favorite MAC lustreglass in Venetian. Grabbing the file folder containing Ranger's search results, she headed for Ranger's office. As she was walking down the hall, she was juggling the folder, her purse and the other flotsam from her desk she hadn't stuffed in her purse yet. When she dropped the file folder on the floor, Steph groaned in exasperation and finished stuffing everything in her purse. Gathering up the paperwork that had fluttered everywhere in the hallway, she finally managed to get it all together and in order. Placing it back in the file, she noticed Ranger's door wasn't quite latched all the way. She raised her hand to tap on the door when she heard voices.

"So Ranger, what are you going to do about it?" enquired Tank.

"I am going to sit her down and tell her to stop calling me every time she thinks she needs help. More than half the time, if she just thought things through, she wouldn't need help. Damn it Tank, I am ready to move on with my life and I can't if she is constantly calling me for help."

It suddenly felt like an elephant had sat on my chest. The slow and heavy beat of my heart kept echoing in my ears, like the insistent rhythm of a drum. I stood staring into space even as my ears continued to hear the total annihilation of my life.

"It's about time that you decided to go after what you want. I just hope she gets the message. You know how she likes to live in denial. Anything that doesn't match her world view, she had a tendency to ignore."

Ranger sighed heavily. "Yeah Tank, I know. But I plan on sitting down with her and laying it all out on the table. I want to make a life with the woman I love and I can't do it if she is calling me for help all the time. We are finally free of those fucking government contracts so my time is my own. Or it will be once I take care of my problem. Hey, why don't you take the rest of the day and night off and celebrate with Lula." Ranger grinned at Tank and waggled his eyebrows. "I know she will love hearing that you are free as well."

Tank blushed-at least as much as a black man could blush. "Thanks Rangeman. And we will raise a glass to you two tonight as well."

Steph realized that Tank would be coming out of Ranger's office and she couldn't bear to have either of them see her standing there. They would know she overheard them. Quickly walking back to her desk, she dumped the file folder in her out box and headed for the elevator. She wanted to do nothing better than run, but knew that it would alert the guys at the monitors. She was barely holding herself together and knew that if anyone said anything to her, she would start crying. Once she started, she knew she would not be able to stop. She heard Tank's heavy tread as she repeatedly stabbed the elevator button. The door opened and she darted inside. As she turned to push the ground floor button, she saw both Tank and Ranger headed towards her. Giving a half hearted finger wave as the door closed; she stood there with her head down, biting her lip. Once the door opened, she made a mad dash for her Mini. Fumbling with the door, she managed to wrench it open. She threw her purse into the seat next to her and started the car. Hitting the remote for the gate, she backed out and zoomed off as if the fires of hell were licking at her back.

Meanwhile

Joe stood over the body lying sprawled in an alley off Stark. His face impassive, he looked over at the CSI team. "You guys ready to rap up?" With a nod to the coroner's wagon running off to the side, "The Coroner needs to get the body to the morgue to determine time of death." The leader of the team nodded and with that, the body was removed from the scene.

Joe ran his hand through his hair and sighed. Grabbing his cell, he noticed he had a voicemail message. Checking it, he discovered Steph had left him a somewhat testy message. Grinning, he realized she had forgotten what it was like to be involved with a cop. She forgot that when he got called to a crime scene, he turned his cell off. It was less distracting when he was investigating a homicide scene. Quickly dialing her number he waited for her to pick up. When it went to voicemail, he glanced at his watch and realized she was probably at her parent's house for dinner. "Hey Steph, tag. You're it. I was at a scene and had my phone off. I am heading home so call me when you get this. It is really important we talk tonight."