***As usual, I dont own anything. Well, I hope that you guys enjoyed the beginning of a new journey. Keep reviewing and writing Babes.

They staggered back to the bed and Stephanie settled him back down. You need anything? He took her hand and tugged, Just get in the bed and sleep. I will be fine until you have rested. Besides, the drugs are already starting to take effect. I will probably be out before you. She yawned and curved toward his body, Dont count on it. She had a thought of comfort moments before the darkness crowded her consciousness. Sleep came hard and long.

Chapter 2

Lean On Me

She awoke to twin pools of chocolate staring at her. "Hi". He reached up and caressed her cheek, "Babe." He was staring intently at her and she was starting to squirm. His closeness and warmth drew on her hormones. Not a good thing since he was not in tip top shape. They both needed showers and food. The thought of showering brought an uncomfortable moment.

"Uh, Ranger, I think we both need showers. you're going to need help". Her cheeks burned from mortification. She had just asked Ranger to take a shower with her. He moved slowly to his back and looked at the ceiling. "Being less than a hundred percent sucks. I hate depending on someone." She felt for him really, but she was feeling grungy and both of them smelled a little rank.

She tried to alleviate his sour mood, "It's okay Ranger, I'm good in the shower." This got a smirk, "I told you not to make me laugh. Thanks Babe." She got out of bed and went to get his medicine and everything for the shower. Thank God that Ella had packed the Bulgari.

When she got back to the bedroom, Ranger was trying to sit up. She rushed over to help him. Bearing a lot of his weight, they made their way to the bathroom. There was a small bench in the corner that she helped him onto. Grasping his shirt she tried to quell the hormones as she eased his shirt over his head, revealing his washboard abs. She had to stop herself from moaning out loud.

She peeled back the bandage and nearly lost her nerves at the sight of his wound. Applying the ointment that Bobby had given her, she tried to be gentle. She was trying to be nonchalant, but her hormones were going wild. Their eyes locked and she took a shaky breath. Looks like you have about ten stitches. He leaned back his head and closed his eyes while she attached the waterproof bandage.

Stephanie turned and started the shower. Then she efficiently stripped before turning and tackling the chore (yeah right) of undressing Ranger. She tried hard to not look, but honestly who could resist. He was perfection. They were both breathing heavy from desire that couldn't be squelched.

In the shower, Stephanie threaded her hands through his hair enjoying the feel as the water cascade through his silky hair. She washed his hair, massaging his scalp with the pads of her fingertips. He hummed in pleasure with his eyes closed. She had him propped against the side of the stall and squeezed the soap into the buff.

When she turned back toward him, her eyes roamed his body and she sucked in a breath when she realized that he was fully erect. She jerked her eyes back up to be met with the dark desire in his eyes. "Babe, I'm injured not dead." She wet the buff, took a deep breath and started with his shoulders.

She was thankful that he closed his eyes. It allowed her to ogle without being too self-conscious. She had never washed a man in this intimate manner and she couldn't help but think that this just forged another bond between them.

Her gentle hands washed his body and the intimacy stirred his blood. His loins beat a rhythm as old as time. If his body would allow him, he would have her plastered against the side of the shower taking them both to euphoria. If she didn't stop soon, he just might anyway. She stepped back and allowed the water to rinse the suds.

With shaky hands she maneuvered him to the other side and started wetting her hair. He watched through hooded eyes at the vision before him. He knew that she had a warped sense of her appeal. All he could see was perfection. Her pert breast puckered and he had to stop himself from reaching out and stroking.

Suds inched their way down her breasts and he groaned. Showering together was part hell and part heaven. It was part heaven, because he got a chance to see her in her glory once again. Her trim figure taunted him in his dreams. It was part hell because he wasn't physically able to do anything about it. He knew she was affected also, because she was avoiding his eyes, but also because he could feel her body humming from here.

She rinsed and turned off the water. He watched as she dried and wrapped her hair and body in a towel. She brought a towel over and tried to be aloof as she dried him and assisted him out of the shower. She helped him back to the bed and after a few uncomfortable moments that had his black silk boxers and sweat pants in place. She changed the bandage again before helping him into his shirt.

As she turned to get dressed, he caught her hand. "Babe, I'm sorry for......" She silenced him with a gentle finger to his lips. "Ranger, I don't want to hear it. You've always been there for me, in whatever way that I needed. I want to be here to help you. Now, I'm going to get dressed and find us something to eat. After that shower....., well, lets just say....., I need coffee, bad, real bad. He gave her a sympathetic look because he was still stiff as a board and he could definitely understand her dilemma.

She propped him on some pillows and her towel slipped to expose one pink nipple. He groaned in frustration. Embarrassed she tugged up the towel and went to the bathroom. He heard her shuffling around and thought about how easily she had slid into not only his heart but his life. There was a time that he had wanted to protect her by excluding her from his life entirely.

That time had come to an end. His enemies had made the connection anyway. First Scrog had made the connection and now Sullivan. The difference was that Scrog was just crazy. Sullivan was not only crazy; he was ruthless and wouldn't stop until he was dead. The only choice seemed to be to totally absorb her into his life so that he would have the right to protect her. He just hoped that she was ready for that type of commitment.

Of course, there was also the slight problem of the cop. He had been out of town and didn't know where she stood with Morelli. It killed him to think of them together, and Morellis hands on Steph. The first time Ranger kissed her in her parking lot, she had been his. She knew it and so did he. Both of them had fought against it. Now, though he wasn't going to fight anymore. He knew it would always be a battle with her. She was impulsive and reckless, but she had some of the best instincts that he had ever seen.

Turing those instincts into second nature would be the battle that he would have to wage with her. Her instincts were the reason that after the Scrog incident he implemented Operation Bombshell. He knew that no matter what she would have his back. That was something that had humbled him. She was also the only reason that his company was standing today after those kids had tried to rob him blind. Once again, her instincts had saved him.

He looked around the cabin and wondered where they were. It really didn't matter because he knew that she would've found them a safe place. He heard her coming his way and sucked in a breath when he saw her. "Babe, why aren't you wearing a bra?" Her pert nipples were straining against the soft cotton.

She shrugged, "Ella didn't pack one and when Tank came and got me last night, I had other things on my mind. Ill pick something up while I'm at the store. I am going to get some groceries and other necessities until we figure this out." She handed him the sat phone. "Call Tank. You can give me the short version when I get back." She started to get off the bed after putting on her shoes, but he caught the loop in her jeans.

"Babe, are you dressed?" She smiled widely and picked up her purse, waving it at him. "It;s in my purse. Your's is under the pillow. Now, seriously, if I don't get coffee and donuts soon, we are going to have a much bigger problem." He held his stomach for the chuckle he knew was coming and would hurt. Her hormones were more rampant when she didn't have sugar.

He pulled her back one more time for a soft kiss, "Be careful, Babe." She nodded, threaded her hands through his hair. "I won't be more than an hour. I saw a store a mile down the road on the way in yesterday morning. Its been nearly fifteen hours since either of us has eaten. I won't take long." With that she tried to raise an eyebrow, questioning whether he was going to let her up this time. He gave her a gentle push and let her leave.

Stephanie mused all the way to the store about their easy relationship. It had always been that way. Each simply accepted the others oddities without question. She had fought the attraction because she thought that he didn't want a relationship with her. They had one anyway. Now that she wasn't with Joe, she would have to guard her heart more carefully. Ranger had always been the one who had the ability to hurt her.

The grocery store was small and efficient. She found everything that they would need for about a week of meals and picked up pre-made sandwiches from the deli so they could eat immediately when she got back. The store also had some items for water sports. She didn't see any bras, but they had swimsuits. She threw several in her basket and bought Ranger some board shorts. She figured the swimsuit top could stand for a bra if necessary.

She arrived back at the cabin and retrieved her purchases. When she walked through the door, she immediately got pissed. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" He was making his way to the couch breathing hard. She sat the groceries on the table and went to help him to the couch. He growled at her, "Babe, I'm injured, not helpless."

After she had him settled on the couch, she began her rant. "You listen to me and listen well. I am not a nurse and I am not capable of getting you into a vehicle and to a doctor by myself. We are in the middle of nowhere without any RangeMan to come to the rescue. We are not in the position to be going to a hospital right now. Until you have healed some, I need you to lean on me and not take any chances. If you can't or won't depend on me, then I'm out of here. Do you understand?"

Steam was quite near blowing out of her ears and he had never been quite so chastised nor so turned on. He shook his head to clear his thoughts. "You're right." Her mouth opened in surprise. She took a deep breath and sat beside him taking his hand.

She toyed with fingers nervously. In a quiet voice she started again, "Listen Ranger, you know that I would do anything for you. However, I need you to be a hundred percent so that we can fix this. That's not going to happen if you fall and re-injure yourself. I know it is infuriating to have to depend on somebody else, but please, do this for me and my peace of mind."

He heard her voice and knew that the stress of being in charge was overwhelming her a bit. He could do what she asked. He would do that for her. "Youre right, Babe. It was foolish of me to try to get around by myself without you here. I wont do it again. I am just not used to having to depend on someone else. I just hate feeling helpless."

They leaned on each other for a few minutes before she got up to put away the supplies. They ate their sandwiches quietly each lost in their own musings. She got up and cleaned up their trash then came back to curl up beside him. He could tell she was tired. His legs were stretched out on the coffee table and her head lay on his shoulder. "Lets rest for a bit and then you can tell me." Her words were barely out before both of them nodded off. His last thoughts were of how comfortable he was with her in his arms.