Continued thanks to everyone who has been reading and reviewing my story. It really helps motivate me to know that somebody is actually reading and looking forward to more!

As always, all the characters you recognize belong to JE and I'm just having fun with them.

Previously:

"You turned the tables on me, Steph."

I was confused. "What do you mean?"

"I'm completely ruined for all other women. There can't ever be anybody else now. Ruining was supposed to be my job, not yours."

I smiled and looked into his eyes. "It was a mutual ruining, definitely."

"Not interested in the blond cop any more?" He smiled as he spoke.

"What blond cop?"

"Good answer, Babe."

Ranger finally rolled off me, and I shivered as our bodies lost contact. I snuggled back into his side and he tucked my head against his chest, wrapping me in his arms. My eyes grew heavy and Ranger kissed the top of my head. "Sleep now, Babe."

"Mmmmm" was all I could manage to say, as the peace and warmth of being safe in Ranger's arms enveloped me. And I slept.

I woke the next morning to the smell of coffee and bacon. Wait, bacon? My stomach growled and I jumped out of bed and pulled on the discarded robe from the night before. I washed up in the bathroom and then went into the kitchen.

Ranger was standing at the stove, his back to me, frying bacon. "Good morning, Babe."

"You're cooking? And Bacon? Oh, and good morning to you, too." I replied.

Ranger chuckled. "I thought you might want a quota of grease this morning. Ella is bringing up some fresh blueberry muffins, too. She should be here shortly."

As if on cue, there was a knock at the door. I went and let Ella into the apartment. She came in with a basket covered with a blue towel. "Good morning, Stephanie dear. How are you feeling this morning?"

"Good morning, Ella. I think that aliens came and kidnapped Ranger overnight. They left a bacon-cooking imposter in his place."

Ella laughed. "So I see. Should we torture him and make him talk?"

Hmmm. Not a bad idea. Maybe I'll try out some interrogation techniques on him later. I thought to myself.

"Babe!" Ranger barked out a laugh.

Ella was laughing and gave me a hug. "You are priceless!"

"I said that out loud didn't I?" My face was beet red. "I've got to stop doing that."

Ella left her basket on the kitchen counter and turned to leave. "I'll be back later to grab the laundry and straighten up. You two enjoy your breakfast."

Ranger and I sat on barstools at the kitchen counter and ate our bacon and muffins. Well, I ate bacon and blueberry muffins and Ranger ate a bran muffin.

I was thinking about my apartment and what a pain in my ass it was going to be to get everything straightened out and I let out a sigh.

"What's wrong, Babe?"

"I was just thinking that I have to get over to my apartment and clean up the mess. I don't have any clothes or dishes or anything. It's going to be an empty shell. I mean, I didn't have anything that wasn't a hand-me-down or from a thrift shop, but still it was all I had. Dillon is going to have to fix all the cabinets. I don't know how long it is all going to take. My credit cards are maxed out and I need to buy everything!"

"Steph, Babe, you know that I'll help you."

"I know you will, Ranger, but I'm an adult and I need to be able to take care of myself."

Ranger looked pained. "Babe, I hate for you to have to spend it this way, but you are due a portion of RangeMan's take for the Parker capture. It usually takes us 30 days to collect from the feds and then everyone involved will be getting their take. You should be seeing yours within the next 2 weeks. It will be close to $10,000."

"Thank, God!" I was so relieved. I wouldn't have to sleep on an air mattress.

I looked at Ranger and he had his blank face on. "Ranger? What's wrong? Please don't shut down on me."

Ranger breathed in and out slowly, then looked at me. "I just like having you here, Babe."

"And I love being here, Ranger, but we've only been a couple for about 2 of weeks. It's too soon to think about living together. I'm such a disaster….."

"Stephanie!" Ranger shouted.

Shit, he used my full name.

"Stop putting yourself down all the time. You are not a disaster. Some really crappy things have happened to you that are not your fault! Let me ask you something. Do you think I'm smart?

"Of course, I do."

"Do you think I'm successful?"

"Ranger, that's dumb. Everyone knows how successful you are."

"Am I careless? Do I take un-calculated risks?"

"No, you plan everything to the nth degree. You do things that would be risky for other less prepared, less skilled people, but not so much for you."

"So, if I am smart and successful, never careless, if I try to plan for every contingency, do I seem like the kind of man who would fall in love with a woman who was a nightmare and a disaster?"

I was staring at the floor and couldn't even look Ranger in the eye. "I don't….."

"Stephanie, Babe," Carlos' voice softened. "Women have thrown themselves at me for years. I'm sorry to say that I've not always treated them well. I've taken what I needed from them and moved on quickly, frighteningly quickly. I never lied to any of them about what I wanted or what I could give them. Regardless, I know that some of them have been hurt by my actions. I haven't let anyone touch me emotionally. Until you. I love you with all my heart. Please don't diminish me by putting yourself down. If you can't believe how special you are, at least think of the kind of man you believe me to be, and think of the kind of woman who deserves my love. That's you. Please."

"Ranger….Carlos. I'm sorry. I don't know what I've done to deserve you, to deserve your love, but I know you don't give that love easily. I don't give mine easily either. I've trusted you implicitly since the day we met. I trust you with my heart. I just have a habit of putting myself down before anyone else gets a chance to do it. It hurts less that way. I'm sorry. I'll try to stop."

Ranger came over and pulled me off my stool, wrapping me in his arms and gave me a toe curling kiss.

Pulling away slightly, but keeping me wrapped in his arms, Ranger continued, "How about this. You stay with me for the next couple of weeks while we get your apartment cleaned up and Dillon makes the necessary repairs. When your bonus money comes in for Parker, we'll talk again. We've been friends for a long time, Steph. It isn't like we just met 2 weeks ago. I'd like you to consider moving in with me, but if you aren't ready I won't push you. I promise. I'll even help you shop. RangeMan buys a lot of furniture for safe houses, the apartments here, and the offices. I have good contacts. I can help you save as much money as possible."

"Thank you, Carlos" I leaned in close for another kiss.

Ranger's cell phone rang and he looked at the display. He gave me a funny look and answered, "Morelli."

I looked up in surprise at the name. Ranger held up a hand and listened intently to what was being said. He was in blank face mode again. "Can you be here in an hour? Okay, we'll see you then." Ranger snapped his phone shut.

"What did Joe want?" I asked.

"He has some information about your apartment. It might be connected to an undercover case he was involved in some months ago. He didn't give me details. He'll be here in an hour."

"We've been broken up for almost 3 months. Why would anyone come after me now?"

"I don't know Babe; hopefully Morelli will have some answers."

Ranger and I quickly showered and changed. I pulled my hair into a ponytail and didn't bother with makeup. I didn't want Ranger to think I was sprucing up for Joe. I didn't want Joe to think I was sprucing up for Joe. Deep down inside, I kind of wanted to spruce up for Joe. Another hard to break habit, I guess.

We headed out of the apartment and into the elevator, assuming our "elevator pose" as I had come to think of it. Ranger always leaned against the back wall with me pulled against him, my back to his front. He would rest his cheek against the top of my head and wrap his arms around me. I could ride the elevator all day with Ranger!

I went to my cubicle to check my inbox and Ranger headed to his office. We still had about 15 minutes before Joe would be there, so I booted up my computer and got my first search of the day started. It would take some time to work through all my search engines, so I went to the break room to get coffee. I grabbed my coffee with cream and sugar and a bottle of water and stopped by Ranger's office.

"Hey Babe" Ranger said without looking up. I smiled to myself. I love how we can feel each other's presence.

"Water?" I asked, holding out the bottle. "Thanks, Babe."

I sat in a chair across from Ranger and sipped my coffee.

"Babe, you had at least 3 cups of coffee already upstairs."

I just rolled my eyes over the top of my cup and blinked a few times. "You don't want 'caffeine deprived' Steph in the building, trust me."

Ranger chuckled. The intercom buzzed and Ranger hit the speaker. "Yo."

"Morelli is here. Hal is escorting him to Conference Room A"

"10-4." Ranger clicked off the speaker.

Ranger grasped my hand and pulled me up, giving me a quick kiss before we headed into the hallway. We made our way to the conference room just as the elevator door opened and Hal and Joe stepped off.

"We've got it from here, Hal," Ranger told him.

"Boss," Hal replied, stepping back into the elevator as the door slid closed.

Joe came down the hallway and stopped as he approached us. "Manosos," he said, sticking out his hand. Ranger didn't hesitate as he shook his hand, "Morelli."

I rolled my eyes. "Come on, Joe, and Ranger" I said as I emphasized their first names. Men are such babies, I thought to myself.

Ranger lifted an eyebrow and Joe laughed, breaking his 'cop face' momentarily.

"I said that out loud, didn't I? I've got to stop doing that!"

We each took seats at the table, Ranger and I on the far side, next to each other, and Joe across from us. He slid a folder to Ranger.

"There were no fingerprints in the apartment that didn't seem to belong there, according to the list of names you gave us. The techs decided to dust the elevator and the lobby, as well as the doorjamb around your apartment. We ran every print we got through AFIS. Most of them didn't get any hits. A few did. You and Stephanie, a couple of your men, a few cops, and then Terri Gilman and William Conti."

"Terri Gilman!" I almost shouted. "What the hell was she doing in my building?"

Terri Gilman was Joe's off and on girlfriend throughout high school and rumor had it that he had always remained involved with her, even when he and I were together, although Joe always denied this. They had worked together several times, as Terri occasionally worked as a liaison between her family (and that's Family with a capital "F") and the Trenton PD, when it was mutually beneficial for her to do so. I will admit to always being incredibly jealous of her.

Ranger placed his hand on my thigh, which gave me instant comfort. I don't know how he does that. "Let him finish, Babe."

Joe continued speaking to Ranger, I realized, like I wasn't even in the room.

"We worked all night, but haven't been able to find any connection between either of them and anyone else in the building." Joe ran his hands through his hair and took a deep breath.

"Several months ago Terri and I went undercover in Newark. The Giardano Family is known for gunrunning and heroin distribution in that area. We all know that Terri's family is small potatoes compared to some of the other organized crime families, but they are well entrenched and fiercely protective of their interests in and around Trenton. Terri agreed to help us bring down the Giardanos in order to prevent them from encroaching into Trenton."

"Joe, get to the point. What the hell was Terri doing in my building and who the hell is William Conti?" It was really irking me that he continued to address Ranger, as if I weren't even in the room. "And look at me for God's sake!"

Joe looked at me briefly, then back at Ranger. "The entire operation was a cluster fuck from the get go. The Giardanos didn't trust Terri when she told them that I was dirty and that she and I were together. She tried to convince them that she wanted a more active role in the family but her uncle Vito wouldn't allow it. She offered to help the Giardanos get established in Trenton in exchange for an active role in their organization. They kept us at arm's length for weeks." He looked at me finally. "You remember, Stephanie. I was gone for about 6 weeks. You knew that Terri disappeared from Trenton around the same time. I wasn't able to contact you. You were pissed when I got back."

I nodded at him.

He continued, "William Conti was her contact with the Giardanos. Apparently she was working him on the side. I didn't know. She brought him to Trenton all the time. You were staying at my house, taking care of Bob. Terri brought Conti to your apartment and used it for a 'fuck shack' as she very delicately put it. I confronted her first thing this morning. Apparently they were careful to wipe down prints inside, but didn't worry about the public areas. She was pissed, said that after a few weeks Conti started asking more and more about you, looking up articles about you in the newspaper, becoming obsessed. You can imagine how that went over."

I jumped out of my seat. "That bitch! Stupid fucking cunt! I will kill her. She invaded my space, got naked and did God knows what…." I was so livid I was losing the ability to speak. I began pacing back and forth across the conference room. Ranger, very wisely, didn't try to stop me. He let me pace and rant for a few more minutes and when I finally lost steam and flopped down in the chair again, he reached out to hold my hand, gently rubbing circles with his thumb, willing me to calm down.

Joe continued, "At first I thought that Terri trashed your apartment, in a jealous rage over Conti. She swears she didn't. She thinks it was Conti himself. He would screw Terri and call your name. Conti would grab her and bring her to your apartment, and act like she was you. Finally Vito had a talk with one of the Giardanos and Conti stopped calling or coming around Terri. Apparently he was sent out of town, but got back about a week ago. Terri thinks that Conti has now turned his rage against the 'real' Stephanie, since he can't get to her anymore."

"Why would you believe, Terri?" I spat at Joe.

"Think about it, Steph. This is Terri we're talking about. If she trashed your apartment, she'd probably be singing about it from the rooftops for God's sake. She wouldn't care who knew."

I had to think about that. It was probably true.

Ranger finally spoke. "What do we know about Conti?"

"Everything I have is in that report," he nodded towards the folder. "He's not a nice guy. He's worked his way up by eliminating problems for the family. All kinds of problems."

"But I'm not a problem, I don't know anything about his 'family!'" My voice raised a couple of octaves.

"He sees you as a problem, Steph. I really don't know why. He's pissed at Terri and you and Terri are mixed up in his mind somehow."

Ranger stood up. "Thanks for bringing this all to me, Joe. I know you didn't have to do that."

"Look, TPD will investigate this and we'll try and find Conti, but I know that you have search engines available and more resources than we do. Terri and I were supposed to be partners in this. I feel responsible." He turned his gaze to me and sighed. "It's incredibly ironic that I berated you for your association with Ranger and how he would endanger you. It looks like you had more to fear from me."

"I won't lie to you, Joe," I said. "I am really pissed right now. Pissed at you and pissed at Terri. But I've had more than my fair share of crazies that I've attracted all on my own. I'm mad at you in general, but I don't blame you for Conti."

We walked into the hallway and said our goodbyes. Hal appeared out of the elevator as if by magic, and Joe stepped in with him. I watched him until the doors closed.

We walked down the hall and back into Ranger's office. I sighed and Ranger put his arms around me, enveloping me in his warmth. "We'll find him, Babe. I promise. We'll get this guy and he won't be able to hurt you."

"I know, Ranger. I'm just feeling a little sorry for myself. It will pass. Maybe it's your lucky day. I don't know if I can ever step in that apartment again, knowing that Terri was fucking some psycho in my bed."

"Babe. You being stalked is definitely not lucky for me. Don't you think I care about you more than that? If and when you decide to move in with me, I want it to be because of how you feel about me and about us, not because you're running away from your apartment. If it comes down to it, I'll help you find a new place. Living with me has to be your free choice, a choice that makes you happy, because it is going to make me ecstatic."

"I'm sorry. That was thoughtless of me to say. I'm just out of sorts. I don't know what to think or feel right now."

Ranger sat down on the sofa, pulling me onto his lap. "Our immediate plan doesn't have to change, Babe. We'll get your apartment cleaned up, wait for your reward money to come through, and then we'll revisit the 'living together' discussion later. In the meantime, all available RangeMan resources will be used to find this guy and keep you safe."

I started to protest that I wasn't worth the trouble, but I remembered our discussion from earlier that day. If Ranger loved me enough to do that for me, then I would gratefully accept. What a concept!

"Thank you, Ranger. I love you."

"I love you, too, Babe." Ranger held me for a long time, his arms providing all the comfort that I needed right then. Finally, I moved to stand up, pulling Ranger up with me.

"Let's get to work and catch this guy so we can get on with our lives!"

Ranger moved to his desk and I headed to the door, to get back to my searches. I was determined to enjoy my stay with Ranger and let the future take care of itself. We would catch this guy. Failure wasn't an option.

I flashed a smile at Ranger, "See you on 7 for lunch?" I asked. "I'd like to practice those interrogation techniques."

I got the full 200 watt smile from Ranger. "I'm a trained mercenary, Babe. It won't be easy."

"I do love a challenge, Ranger. I do love a challenge!" I flipped my hair over my shoulder as I sashayed out of the office and down the hall. I was really looking forward to lunch!