The first two paragraphs of this are from Eleven On Top, with me only adding to the end of what Janet originally wrote. I've always thought Ranger's underwear statement could've been a turning point in the series if Janet had wanted to go in a more Babe direction with the books. Everything familiar belongs to Janet.

I locked eyes with Stephanie. I want her to see that I'm not fucking around.

"Just so you know, for future reference, I wouldn't understand. If you were living with me, and you came home without underwear, I'd go looking for the guy who had it. And it wouldn't be pretty when I found him. Morelli will be making a grave error if he doesn't do the same."

She went completely still. "What are you saying?" She asked after a beat. "And why now?"

"How truthfully do you want me to answer that?"

Her lips parted, I'd guess to say something, but I put my index finger up to her mouth to stop her.

"Your answer could change things between us - and between you and Joe - so you really need to put some thought into it."

She turned her head to glance at Morelli's house, then she looked back at me.

"Is my brain still groggy from sleep, or are you actually hinting at something?"

"I'm not hinting at anything. That's why I felt you should be warned before we continue this conversation."

"Joe's probably waiting for me," she started to say, clearly uncomfortable with our discussion.

"Who isn't?" I said, more to myself than to her.

"What?"

"Nothing."

She blew out a frustrated breath. "Can we cut the crap here? If there's something you want to tell me, just spit it out already."

"If I do, Morelli will be waiting a hell of a lot longer for you than just a few hours, and you'll be missing more than your underwear when I'm through."

"This Stiva thing is getting to us all ..."

She's obviously trying to convince herself - as much as she wanted to convince me - that what's between us is based solely on hormones and adrenaline. I'd like to believe that, but I haven't stayed alive this long by deluding myself. I know I love her, and it's getting increasingly difficult to let her go home to another man at night.

"This has nothing to do with Stiva and everything to do with you, Babe. You need to open your eyes and see that."

The blue eyes I'm referring to suddenly narrowed at me. Good. When she's angry, at least I'm able to get the truth out of her.

"What I see right now ... is a man who likes screwing with me and my emotions just when I finally get my life back to normal."

I didn't hold back the derisive sound. "Nothing about you or your life is normal, Steph."

"Thanks for reminding me."

"I didn't say that to be cruel. You currently have a maniac stalking you, a 'boyfriend' who almost became roadkill and is now using his injury to maneuver you into his house. And let's not forget the feelings you have for a man who definitely isn't the boyfriend."

"Yeah ... well your life isn't perfect, either."

"It isn't, but I finally figured out what can make it better," I admitted, knowing she's about to hear something that will make things much harder for her in the long run.

"How?" She asked.

Her breasts were rising and falling as her breathing became more erratic, showing that her instincts for detecting incoming trouble are spot on.

"By you telling me to start the car and take you back to Rangeman ... to my apartment."

"And Joe?"

"Joe can call his mother to come play nursemaid. I feel sorry for the guy, but not enough to let you stay with him if you'd rather be with me. We both know I can keep you safer than he ever could."

"But ..."

"Don't make excuses for him or yourself," I warned her. "If you didn't have to worry about hurting Joe's feelings or what your mother will say, where would you like to be right now? Here in the Burg ... or inside my building?"

"Ranger, it's not that easy."

"It could be if you'd stop trying to adhere to boundaries we both failed at respecting. Do you want me?"

She paused, then sighed. I already know what her answer will be. She's discovered what I had long ago, we can't not want each other.

"Yes."

"Do you love me?" I asked her.

"Yeah."

"Do you think my team and I can keep Stiva from getting to you?"

"Probably ... but."

"You're doing it again."

"I don't want to hurt Joe."

"So you're going to give up what makes you happy just so he can be? You'll both end up miserable in the end. You constantly moving out of his house days after moving in proves that."

"Why does it even matter what I do? Up until five minutes ago you weren't a possibility. Didn't you just say at Mama Mac's funeral that you're not family material?"

"Haven't you been telling Morelli all along that you don't want one?"

"Shit."

I have her there. My not wanting to be married would be a problem if she wants a white picket fence, 2.5 kids kind of life, but she claims she doesn't - not in the immediate future anyway - so that's one less issue preventing us from attempting this.

"Come back to Rangeman with me and let us take care of Stiva for you."

She looked like she was about to protest, so I sweetened the pot.

"You can help track him down from the safety of my building. I know you need to be involved in locating him, I just don't want him or anyone else getting their hands on you."

She had moved her head slightly in order to stare at the lights shining through the downstairs windows of Morelli's house. I'm not a hundred percent sure I have her, or if she's going to choose the Burg over me, even after I offered her what she claims she needs. Despite my recent mind-change regarding commitment, I still won't be an easy man to love daily or live with indefinitely. She's smart in not forgetting that.

Her face is still turned to the window so I can't read her expression, but I can fix that. I reached across the console, and with two fingers under her chin I made her look at me.

"What do you want me to do, Babe?"

I saw her swallow hard, but she kept eye contact this time. I'm taking that as a positive sign.

"Start the car," she said, after a moment's pause. "Then help me figure out how the fuck I'm supposed to explain this to Joe."

"In spite of what he wants to believe, he already knows that you love me. All you have to tell him is that you're refusing to run from that knowledge now."

"I love him, too," she admitted to me, as I started the Porsche.

Before I pulled away from the curb, I took my hand off the stick shift to catch hers.

"But not in the same way, Steph. You know there's a difference as well as I do."

Her whole body seemed to slump in the passenger's seat. "You should've just left me sleeping in my cubby," she said. "Joe's head is going to be smoking more than my car was."

"I'll have a word with Morelli before you do, that way he'll act like less of a prick to you. He understands that the two of you weren't headed anywhere or he wouldn't have ended things right after you got engaged."

"We weren't ever really 'engaged'," she told me.

"Exactly."

I pulled out onto Slater Street, quickly putting distance between Stephanie and Morelli before she changed her mind about leaving with me. First thing I'll do is get her settled in at my place, then I'll let Morelli know she's safe but not coming home to him again. After that, I'm hunting down the fucker threatening her and I'll make him as much a memory for her as Joe is about to be.