Thank you all for the great feedback. I hope you continue to enjoy.

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

Previously:

Ranger turned to me, "Babe, stay here for a minute, okay? I'm going to walk Joe out."

"Goodbye, Joe" I said, but realized I was speaking to his back, as he was already out the door and heading down the hall toward the elevator. I closed my eyes and leaned my head back on the back of the sofa. A few minutes later Ranger was back.

"That was quick," I said. "I thought for sure you two were headed out for a showdown in the garage or something."

Ranger smiled. "It really could have been worse, Babe. If our positions were reversed, I honestly don't know how I would have reacted."

He pulled me up and we walked out of the office, Ranger's arm around my shoulder holding me close to his side. I really felt dizzy and unsteady on my feet and was glad for the support. Next thing I knew, I was being carried bridal style. I wrapped my arms around Ranger's neck and laid my head on his shoulder. I was exhausted, but I felt warm and safe in his arms. I wished I could bottle this feeling. I had a feeling I'd be running low on happy for awhile. As my eyelids got heavier and heavier, I gave in to the exhaustion, trusting that with Ranger by my side, nothing could truly hurt me. "I love you," I murmured. "I love you too, Babe, always."

I want my life and my body back. This alien creature that has taken up residence in me, which Ranger tells me at this point is probably the size of a tadpole (and how weird is it that Ranger is now a pregnancy expert?), has completely taken me over. I can't stay awake, I'm sick off and on all day long, and I just feel gross! On top of all that, I find myself crying at the drop of a hat. Last night I became completely undone by a Hallmark card commercial. Freakin' Hallmark card commercial. WTF?

After our meeting with Joe yesterday, Ranger and I went up to the seventh floor. I took a short nap while Ranger worked in his office, and then we had lunch together. After lunch I decided to lie down for awhile (What? Eating is exhausting work) while Ranger went back downstairs to work. The next thing I knew, I was being awakened by soft Ranger kisses on my face and neck. Just when things were getting really interesting and my clothes had mysteriously disappeared, a wave of nausea and dizziness slammed into me and I could barely get Ranger off me fast enough to make it to the bathroom to empty my stomach of the small lunch I'd managed earlier. After I'd cleaned up and staggered back to bed, Ranger wrapped me in his arms and told me he loved me. That did it. The water works were unleashed and I was sobbing uncontrollably.

Not being able to eat is one thing, throwing up all day is one thing, wanting to sleep all the time is one thing, but if this flippin' tadpole is going to start interfering with my Ranger-induced orgasms, I am not going to be a happy camper!

All of this was going through my mind as I sat on the floor of the bathroom, waiting for my world to stop spinning so that I could get up and get into the shower. Ranger was down in the gym working out, so I was on my own for this round. Normally I would just go back to bed, but I slept the entire afternoon away yesterday and I was anxious to start working on the searches I ran before we met with Joe. Finally, I was able to keep my eyes open without the room spinning and I pulled myself up and into the shower. I stood under the spray and let the warm water wash over my body, easing my aching stomach and back muscles.

I stayed in the shower until the hot water was gone and I was a prune. I actually was starting to feel human again. I got dressed in my standard RangeMan black and searched the fridge for something that my stomach might tolerate. I finally settled on a toasted whole wheat English muffin smeared with a little bit of peanut butter. I secretly wished the baby would crave Boston Creams. I was finishing my muffin and a bottle of water when Ranger came up from his workout.

"Hey Babe. How are you feeling this morning?" Ranger came over and planted a kiss on my forehead, grabbing a bottle of water for himself out of the fridge.

"Off to a rough start," I told him, "but better now. Apparently the baby likes whole wheat English muffins with peanut butter."

Ranger flashed me his 200 watt smile. "Smart baby!"

"Smart ass!" I smiled back at him.

"After your doctor's appointment this afternoon, we need to swing by your apartment, okay Babe?"

"Why, what's up?" I actually had forgotten about my trashed apartment for a few days.

"Well, the doors and cabinets have all been replaced and Dillon says that you can pick out the colors before he paints if you want. The landlord also actually decided to finally redo that bathroom you hate so much, so he has some tile and paint samples for you to check out. All the landlord cares about is that he stays within the budget. So again, you get to pick everything out."

I looked at Ranger and sighed. "I know that I said it was too soon for us to live together and probably it is, but I'm going to miss you when I go back there."

"Babe, nothing would make me happier than you staying here with me permanently. You know that I don't think your apartment is safe and now with the baby on the way and you suffering from morning, noon, and night sickness, I'd feel so much better if you'd just stay. You know, you won't get rid of me easily anyway. If you go back to your apartment, then I'm just coming with you. You won't have time to miss me."

"Can we think about it, Ranger? I haven't gotten my money from the feds yet, so I can't replace all of my stuff. Honestly, my emotions are all over the place these days and I'm afraid to make such a huge decision right now."

"That's fine, Steph. Let's just go see Dillon and you can pick out the colors and tiles and all that stuff. It will still be awhile before the apartment is actually ready. We'll just take it a day at a time, okay?"

Ranger wrapped me in his arms and gave me one of his patented toe-curling kisses. "Thank you," I said, as I laid a trail of kisses across Ranger's face and neck.

Ranger went to take his shower and I headed down to my desk to work on searches. RangeMan had been successful in locating William Conti and had him under surveillance, but so far he hadn't done anything suspicious or made any move to attack me in any way. Since his fingerprints weren't found in my apartment, but only in public parts of the building, the police didn't have anything to bring him in for. What I hoped to find in my searches was evidence of other ties to the community, any of my previous skips, somebody who would help him get to me. Joe assured Ranger that he had been keeping a close eye on Terri Gilman as well. I bet his eyes aren't the only thing he is keeping on Terri! Not your problem any more Stephanie, I had to remind myself.

I went through every search, highlighting people and places that I wanted to check on, anything that might have a connection to me. Ranger stopped by on the way to his office and gave me a quick kiss and several times throughout the morning a bottle of water would mysteriously appear on my desk. Apparently the water fairy doesn't realize that pregnant women have to pee every 10 minutes and gallons of water do not help the situation! After about 2 hours and 10 trips to the bathroom I wandered into the break room.

"Hey Beautiful!"

"Les!" I screeched, launching myself at him. I wrapped my arms around him and gave him a big hug. He let out a groan as he returned the hug and I jumped away like I'd been burned.

"Oh my God, Les. I'm sorry! Did I hurt you? I forgot. I was just so happy to see you…."

"That's okay, Beautiful," Lester said laughing. "You know what they say, 'You always hurt the one you love.' I always knew it was really me you loved!"

I playfully slugged his arm gently. "Our secret, okay?" I laughed at him.

"Deal!" Lester said, leaning over and kissing my cheek.

"Are you back at work, or just visiting?" I asked him.

"Back on monitor duty part time," Lester told me. "I can work 4 hours a day and I just came off my first shift."

"It's so good to have you back!" I smiled at him. Lester was the least serious and definitely the most fun of Ranger's men and he definitely owned a little piece of my heart.

I rummaged in the fridge and came out with a yogurt and an apple. Les took one look at my snack and his eyebrows about flew off the top of his head.

"What, no hidden contraband in your desk, Beautiful?"

"Everything makes me sick anyway," I told him. "No sense wasting a perfectly good TastyKake."

"Okay, then," Les said. "I thought that maybe hell was freezing over today or something. Now I can relax."

I just rolled my eyes at him as I sat down and began eating my yogurt.

Ranger came into the break room and he and Les talked for a few minutes and then Les said goodbye and headed to his apartment. Ranger came and sat next to me at the break table. "How are you feeling?" He asked me, placing one hand on my neck as he leaned in to give me a kiss.

"Mmmm," I murmured against his lips, deepening the kiss. Ranger laughed and sat back from me. "I guess you're feeling better."

I frowned at his smiling face. "Hey, don't laugh at the pregnant lady. I haven't had any sugar or caffeine today and no playtime either!" I used my hands to signal air quotes around the word "playtime."

Ranger continued smiling at me. "I wish I could help you out there, Babe, but no time this morning. I have a client meeting in a few minutes. How about I meet you up on 7 at 12:30 for lunch? I'll have Ella make us something. We don't have to be at your appointment until 2:30. If the baby cooperates, we can have some 'playtime' before we have to leave."

"Ranger!" I turned beet red. "I can't do that right before I go to the OB's office. She'll know what I've been doing!"

"Babe!" Ranger barked out a rare full-on laugh. "I think she knows you aren't a virgin, don't you?"

"Yeah, but I don't want to throw it in her face! You aren't exactly stealthy there Batman. Evidence of 'playtime' with you is written all over my face and body for hours and you know it!"

Ranger looked very pleased with himself as he got up from his seat. "I've got to get to my meeting," he said, giving my shoulder a squeeze as he started to leave. "Meet me upstairs for lunch anyway, okay?" He asked.

"Will you ask Ella to make something sweet for dessert?"

"That's a deal, Babe. I love you."

"I love you, too," I called after him as he went down the hallway.

I threw out my yogurt container, threw my spoon in the sink, and took my apple back to my office. My spidey sense was definitely humming as I looked over my searches, but I couldn't put a finger on it. I sat at the computer and input all the names and places that I had highlighted into a cross-reference database to try and find any connection to my past skips, or RangeMan distractions I was involved in. I tried to stifle a yawn, but not very successfully. Geez! Not 10 minutes ago I was fine and now I felt like I hadn't slept for 48 hours. I couldn't keep my eyes open. I leaned back in my chair and put my feet up on the desk, deciding to close my eyes for a few minutes.

I came awake with a start sometime later, jumping in my seat and landing on my back on the floor with my feet in the air. Bobby was coming down the hall and saw me tumble.

"Stephanie!" He yelled as he knelt by my head. "Are you okay?"

"Oh Geez!" I moaned. "How embarrassing. I fell asleep and fell out of my chair."

I scrambled to get up and as soon as I stood, I knew I was in trouble. "Fuck!" I yelled and sprinted for the bathroom. I made it to the toilet just in time, emptying the contents of my stomach. This was followed by several minutes of dry heaves.

Bobby had followed me into the bathroom and was kneeling behind me with his hand on my back. I heard him tell somebody to go get Ranger. I tried to tell him not to, but my throat was raw and I couldn't get the words out. "I'll get you some water, Steph," Bobby said and he left the bathroom.

I started to stand up, but my legs were shaking and I wasn't sure I had the strength. I heard the door open and then Ranger's voice, "Babe. Let me help." He slipped an arm around my waist and slowly lifted me up to a standing position. Bobby came back into the room and handed me a bottle of water. I started to gulp it down and Bobby quickly placed his hand on mine to stop me. "Small sips, Steph," he told me. "If you gulp it down you'll make yourself sick again."

Ranger scooped me up and carried me out of the bathroom and to the elevator. Tank was right behind us and used his key fob to send us up to the 7th floor.

"Ranger, I'm okay. You need to go back to your meeting."

"Tank can finish up for me," he replied. "Sip your water, Babe."

We got off the elevator and Ranger pulled his keys out of his pocket to let us into the apartment. He set me down, but kept his arms around me until he was sure that I could stand. I took a deep breath. "I'm going to go clean up," I told him. "Thanks for the lift." Ranger smiled and kissed my forehead.

I went to the bathroom and did the whole shower and hair routine. I brushed my teeth and took a good look at myself in the mirror. Yikes! I was pale and had dark circles under my eyes. All I do is sleep. What's with the dark circles! Scary. I pulled my hair into a ponytail (the better to keep it away from my puke), pulled on Ranger's robe, and went out to see what Ranger was doing. I found him in the kitchen making toast.

"Is that for me?" I asked. "I'm really not hungry."

"Please just try and eat a little," Ranger said. The look of love and concern in his eyes gave me a squishy feeling in my stomach. A good squishy feeling!

I sat at the counter and nibbled on toast and sipped my water. "When you are done with that, why don't you lie down for awhile," Ranger suggested. "Bobby said you fell asleep at your desk. I'm going to work up here in case you need me."

I stood up and went to Ranger, wrapping my arms around him. "You're spoiling me. You know that, right?" I said as I leaned in for a kiss.

Ranger laughed. "Babe, when I decide to spoil you, you'll know it. Right now I'm just worried about you and I love you."

Ranger walked me into the bedroom and tucked me in, kissing me gently. "Get some sleep, Babe." I took a minute to enjoy the view as Ranger left the room. God that man is sex walking!

I heard Ranger laugh as he pulled the door closed. Shit! I said that out loud. I have got to stop doing that!

Several hours later Ranger and I were in his Porsche heading to Dr. Gordon's office for my ultrasound. Once again, there was no playtime, but Ella made some fantastic chicken soup and fresh bread and I had managed a good lunch, which so far was staying with me.

We pulled up to the office and Ranger parked, coming around to help me out of the car. I glanced nervously towards the area of the parking lot where the SUV exploded the last time I was here with Lester. Ranger hugged me close to his side and kissed my temple. "It's okay, Babe. There's a team already here and they won't let anybody near the Porsche. Another team is stationed outside Dr. Gordon's office."

"Oh my God, Ranger! She's not going to want me for a patient." I suddenly dreaded going into the building.

"Steph, it's fine. She understands."

We made our way into the office and I signed in. Ranger found us seats where naturally he had a good view of the entire waiting room. It was only about 10 minutes before I was called in for my appointment. Ranger followed me as I went inside. We followed the nurse to the scale and I was weighed. She noted my weight on the chart and then showed us into an exam room. She took my blood pressure and pulse and then handed me a plastic cup. Great! I left the room to go leave a urine sample and when I came back she handed me a gown.

Ranger was standing by the exam table, trying to sneak a peak underneath my gown and making me giggle when Dr. Gordon came in.

"Good afternoon, Stephanie, Mr. Manoso," she said, reaching out to shake our hands. "Please, call me Carlos." Ranger told her.

Dr. Gordon spent a minute looking at my chart and frowned. "You've lost 5 pounds in just a few days. Are you eating?"

"I really am trying to eat," I told her. "I do get sick a lot, though, and at all times of the day. Sometimes, if I get up too quickly or move too fast, I get super dizzy and then that makes me nauseous and sick also."

Dr. Gordon did a brief exam. "You do look somewhat dehydrated, Steph. I don't think it is necessary at this point, but if it gets much worse you may need an IV to get some fluids into you. You need to be careful because morning sickness can make you dehydrated, and then the dehydration causes dizziness which in turn causes you more nausea. Some of the throwing up you have been experiencing may be related more to dehydration than to the pregnancy itself, although that is hard to say. It can also be a combination of both."

Ranger was holding my hand and he gave me a reassuring squeeze. "Steph is sleeping a lot and the exhaustion just seems to come on pretty suddenly. Is that normal?"

"Yes," Dr. Gordon replied. "It is pretty common to feel extremely tired and fall asleep easily during your first few months. For some women it can actually be pretty severe. In those cases, I recommend being careful driving by yourself and make sure you rest as much as you need to. Your body will let you know how much rest it needs. It's important to pay attention to the signs and not to fight it."

"Now, let's get down to the business at hand. I'm sure you're anxious to find out exactly how far along you are."

I felt a little funny with Ranger there while Dr. Gordon got me situated in my stirrups, but he kept his eyes on my face, bringing my hand to his lips and kissing my fingers and my wrist, helping to keep me distracted.

Dr. Gordon wheeled the ultrasound over by the exam table and turned it on. After typing a bunch of information into the machine, she covered the probe and then spread some gel on it. She placed the probe inside my vagina and then started moving it around while she punched buttons and keyed more information into the machine. The monitor was turned to where we couldn't see it yet. This kept up for a few minutes and finally Dr. Gordon looked up and smiled at us. "Are you ready to see?" she asked. Ranger and I both smiled at her and said we were.

She turned the monitor toward us, so that we could see. She began moving the probe again, and what I saw caused me to gasp. Ranger squeezed my hand and looked at Dr. Gordon. "Is that what I think it is?"

"If you're thinking that there are 2 heartbeats, then yes, it is what you think it is." She laughed. "You are having twins."

To say that I was stunned would be an understatement. "T-t-t-twins?"

Ranger could have lit up New York City with the smile that about split his face in half. "Oh my God, Babe! Can you believe it? We're going to have 2 babies!" I had never seen him so excited about anything. It was amazing. It kind of made me feel bad, because I felt like I wanted to cry.

Dr. Gordon pointed out 2 gestational sacs and 2 heartbeats, explaining that these would be fraternal twins, resulting from fertilization of 2 eggs, rather than a single egg splitting into two. She told us that the babies were at about 6-1/2 weeks' gestational age according to her measurements.

After I got dressed, Dr. Gordon and her nurse gave us more pamphlets and more information about twin pregnancies. I would see her every 2 weeks instead of every 4 weeks. She thought that the twin pregnancy was one of the reasons I was having pretty severe "morning" sickness and was feeling so tired.. Thank God Ranger was with me because honestly I think I was in complete and total shock. An appointment was set up for me to see the nurse in 2 weeks (I would see Dr. Gordon at every other visit) and for my CVS and paternity testing in 3-1/2 weeks.

We got back outside to the car and once we were safely inside, Ranger turned to look at me. "Are you okay, Babe? You're awfully quiet."

I leaned back and closed my eyes. "I'm okay."

"Stephanie, I know you better than that. What's wrong?"

"Oh my God, Ranger. Twins? How can you be so happy? I was already afraid of having to take care of one baby. How am I going to take care of two of them? I'm going to get big as a house and you're going to be sorry you ever met me!" With that, the flood gates opened and I was sobbing uncontrollably.

Ranger reached over and pulled me across the console and into his lap, hugging me tightly. "I'm happy because these babies are a part of you. I can just picture little boys or girls with your wild curls, trying to jump off the garage roof."

"But what if Joe is their father?" I sobbed.

"I won't love them any less, Babe. You know better than anybody how much Joe wants kids. He may not be my favorite guy, but I know he'll be a good dad. I plan to be there for them and for you, too. They'll just have 2 dads! I know that isn't conventional, but since when have you and I ever been conventional? There's no sense worrying yourself sick about something you can't control. We just have to wait for the testing and then we'll deal with it."

I took a deep breath and Ranger wiped the tears from my cheeks. I reached down and rubbed my still flat belly. "I'm sorry your mommy is such a mess kiddos. I love you and I want you both. I'm just a little scared and freaked out right now. You probably should get used to that."

Ranger gave me a kiss and lifted me back over the console to my seat. I buckled myself in and we set off for my apartment, to check in with Dillon.

"Ranger, I'm going to need a bigger apartment!"

"No, Babe. We are going to need a house. There isn't going to be room for 2 babies on 7 and definitely not in your old apartment. What do you say, Babe? Let's find a place that is 'ours' instead of yours or mine. Please?"

I took a minute to think about it, instead of immediately protesting, which is what I wanted to do. The more I thought about it, the more sense it made. The babies were real. Ranger had the photographic evidence to prove it in his pocket, a souvenir from the doctor's office. They would need a lot of stuff and a lot of room. I blew out a sigh.

"Are we really going to do this, Ranger?"

He flashed me his full-on smile. "Yes, we are going to do this and it is going to be good!"

A few minutes later we pulled into the parking lot of my apartment. Ranger took my hand as we went inside to find Dillon. It was time to close one chapter of my life and begin a new one.