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

Overheard Part 18

Outside Stephanie's hotel room

Ranger bent over to pick the lock but was interrupted by his cell buzzing. He swore as he grabbed it but when he looked at the caller ID he knew he needed to take this call. "Tank, pick the lock. I need to talk to Vince." As Ranger stepped down the walkway to take the call, Tank picked the lock. Looking over at Ranger, he decided to step in and talk to Steph before Ranger could. He was afraid that one of them would fly off the handle and make this a bigger mess than it already was. He opened the door and slipped inside.

Stephanie woke with a start. She was momentarily disoriented, wondering why it sounded like someone was picking the lock on her bedroom door when it suddenly struck her. Damn it all to hell. Yet another psycho picking my fracking lock. What in the name of all that is Holy did I do to deserve the escalation in nut jobs?? Steph rolled over, looking for a weapon. Spotting the phone, she jerked the plug out of the back. Getting up and standing behind the door, she gathered her courage. As the enormous figure slipped in the room, Stephanie swung the arm holding the phone as hard as she could. She connected with the side of his head so hard she heard two loud thuds. One when the phone connected and the second when the man crashed to the floor. Wasting no time, she heaved him over and kicked him in the nuts as hard as she could. Scrabbling to plug the phone back in so she could call the police again, she shrieked as the light turned on.

"Babe, what did you do to Tank?" Stephanie looked at him for a moment and replied "What do you mean Ranger. I haven't done anything to Tank. And what are you doing here?"

Ranger smiled his 200 watt smile at her. "I am assuming that Tank isn't lying on the floor because he wants to smell the carpet or he tripped on the way in the room. Judging by the size of the lump growing on his head and the fact that he is curled around his dick even in unconsciousness indicates something happened."

Stephanie looked down at the floor and when she realized that Tank was the intruder she attacked, she paled. Oh Christ, Somalia here I come. "Umm, I'm sorry Ranger. I didn't know it was Tank coming in the room. All I knew was someone was breaking into my room again and I wanted to inflict maximum damage. Will he be okay? Please don't send me to Somalia."

"Proud of you Babe. You defended yourself twice tonight."

Stephanie huffed. "Okay fine, you aren't going to send me to Somalia. But Tank is still going to kill me. And if he doesn't, Lula will."

Tank moaned and started to sit up. "What the fuck steamrolled over me. Felt like a frigging tank ran me over." Ranger laughed. "You were run over by a tank named Stephanie. She thought you were an intruder so she clocked you upside the head and kicked you in the nuts." Tank looked over at Stephanie. "Proud of you Bombshell. Rangeman, go get me some ice for my head and, uh, other parts." Ranger grabbed the ice bucket and headed out the door. He looked back and Tank for a moment and they shared a nod.

Stephanie helped Tank up from the floor. He sat on the other bed and eased himself into a sitting position against the headboard. He noticed Stephanie still looked upset and hurried to reassure her he wasn't mad at her for attacking him. "Steph, you did the right thing. You had no idea who was coming through that door and took steps to defend yourself. Next time though, be sure to cuff the perp after you kick him in the nuts."

"Yeah but I bet Lula will be mad at me."

"She'll never know. Besides, the damage is temporary. Would you be mad at her if she was in your position and Ranger was the one who came through the door? I bet you wouldn't."

"Tank, the difference is the two of you are a couple. She has a right to be upset when her man gets hurt and to be upset at the person who administered the hurt. Why are you and Ranger here anyway? Is someone back in Trenton hurt? Oh my god, Dad finally snapped and killed Grandma Mazur, didn't he?" With that, Stephanie started hyperventilating.

"No Steph that isn't why we are here. Everyone back in Trenton is fine, I promise. Breathe Bombshell, breathe." Stephanie managed to collect herself. "So why are you here?"

Tank responded "Because you overheard something and misinterpreted it. Ranger wanted to find you and explain. Give him a chance and listen to him, please?" There was a light tap at the door and Stephanie said "Come in Ranger."

Ranger opened the door and tossed a key over at Tank. "I checked you into the room next door. There are two buckets of ice and extra towels. See you in the morning." Tank slowly got to his feet. "Bomber, you got anything for pain?" Steph grabbed her purse and rooted through it. "All I have is some Midol." Tank looked pained for a moment. "It really helps with pain Tank. It is all I have." Tank grabbed the bottle out of Stephanie's hand. As he went out the door, he mumbled "Nobody had EVER better say word one about this. I'll never live it down especially if Lester gets a hold of this information."

As the door clicked shut behind Tank, Stephanie suddenly realized she was in nothing more than a T-shirt and panties. Since she knew that they needed to talk, she held up her hand "Ranger, I know we need to talk but please let me get dressed first." Ranger looked disappointed but nodded. "Take your time Babe, I am not going anywhere."

Stephanie grabbed a pair of jeans and a bra. She didn't feel comfortable having a talk with Ranger without being fully dressed. Frankly she would rather have been dressed in a suit of armor. At least that would have hidden the physical reaction she always felt whenever she was around Ranger. She was afraid that the only part she misinterpreted was that Ranger wanted to kick her out of his life completely. She just didn't know if she could handle being just friends with him right now. She had always thought that they would have a chance at someday. The thought that her someday belonged to someone else made her sick to her stomach. She knew that she needed to handle this now. Waiting would only make it worse. Steeling herself, she decided to congratulate Ranger and wish him happiness. She also needed to let him know that right now, she needed distance. Time to put her feelings aside so they could stay friends. Their friendship was the one thing she couldn't lose.

Ranger sat waiting patiently. He knew Steph would be in the bathroom for a while. She had to think things through. He did know that she would be out eventually. He was prepared to wait as long as she needed. When he heard the door open, he stood and walked over to his Babe. "Steph, please sit down. I have something I need to tell you." She started to open her mouth to speak. "Babe, please let me say what I need to say." He knew Stephanie could not resist when he said please. Guiding her over to the bed, he gently pushed her down and sat next to her. Grabbing her hands, he brushed a soft kiss across her cheek and over her lips.

"Babe, I know you accidentally overheard a conversation between Tank and I that caused you to leave Trenton. What you don't know is that you misinterpreted that conversation." Stephanie tried to interrupt but Ranger's finger gently touched her lips. "Not yet. What I was telling Tank was that I was going to tell Celia's friend Sasha to stop calling me for help. About three years ago, her ex-boyfriend started stalking her. Celia asked me to intervene so I did. Sasha was grateful. A couple of months passed and she called me again. It was a pretty simple problem she didn't need my help for but because she was my sister's friend, I took care of her problem. Slowly but surely her calls started getting more frequent. Most of the time, there were problems she could have handled herself. When I would tell her she didn't need my help, she would call my sister to complain. Celia would call me and read me the riot act. It was easier to just indulge Sasha than to have to listen to my sister." Ranger stopped for a moment and squeezed Stephanie's hand. "There was never anything between us. Sasha would occasionally try to kiss me but I avoided her. She left me cold. Besides, there was a beautiful blue-eyed brunette in my life."

Ranger took another deep breath. "What I was telling Tank was that I was going to tell Sasha to stop calling or bothering me because I would be too busy with the love of my life. Then I was going to go to her and tell her I was ready for someday. Of course I should have expected to track her halfway across the country."

Stephanie felt faint. Was it possible that she was really hearing this? Or was she hallucinating? Maybe she really didn't catch her stalker and he had her tied up. She became aware that Ranger was shaking her

"Babe. Babe, please pay attention. This is really happening and it is important that you really listen and understand. I mean what I say. I've been in love with you since the day you walked into that diner. I made so many mistakes every time I pushed you away. Up until now, I didn't think it was fair to be in a relationship with you while I was still under government contracts. I never knew when they would call me up and I never knew how long those missions would take or if I would even come back. I didn't think it was fair to ask you to deal with this. But my contracts are up and there will be no more dangerous missions. My life is still filled with danger but I have come to the realization that yours is just as dangerous. We both thrive on this and by being together I think we will only be stronger. I am ready for someday Stephanie. I hope you are too. I love you Babe."

Stephanie waited for a qualifier like in my own way or it doesn't come with a ring but does come with a condom. When it wasn't forthcoming, she raised her head to look at Ranger. What she saw took her breath away. For the first time, his expression was completely open. The love shining out of his eyes took made her heart start to thumping her chest. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes momentarily. Opening them, she looked Ranger in the eyes. "I love you too Carlos. I always have and I always will."

Ranger let one of Stephanie's hands go to tip her chin up. Leaning in, he feathered tender kisses across her face, avoiding her lips. Nibbling at her earlobe, he whispered "Forever" into her ear. She shivered with delight and put her free hand behind his head. Turning her head, she started placing butterfly kisses on his lips. With a growl, Ranger took command of their kiss. When they broke apart for air minutes later, both had a dazed look in their eyes. Stephanie yawned suddenly and Ranger smiled tenderly at her. "Come on Babe, you've had a busy day. Let's get some sleep and we can finish our talk in the morning." Before she could say anything, he had divested her of her clothing and tucked her under the covers. He stood up and undressed, placing his cell and guns on the nightstand. Sliding into bed, he gathered Stephanie in his arms and tucked her into his embrace. Squeezing her slightly and brushing a kiss over her curls he said "Sleep Babe. I will hold you all night long." Moments later they both slid into restful sleep.