Author's Note: So…. You wanna know who our girl chooses? I think I have made you wait long enough- time to reveal Steph's choice. =] Enjoy my darlings!

Disclaimer: You know what is mine and what is JE's.

OoooOooooOooooO

Something was pressed into my chest, restricting me from moving. I had no idea where I was but I did know how sore my body was. With more effort than seemed necessary; I opened my eyes. From the white walls; vases of flowers and awful smells- I could tell I was in the hospital. My eyes shot down to my chest and a tear escaped as I looked at my beautiful Aly sleeping on me; arms wrapped around my exhausted body.

"Want me to move her?" I looked up and saw Joe walk in; his soft smile was surrounded by a great deal of facial hair. The smile barely touched his eyes which were riddled with so many emotions I couldn't decipher what it was he was feeling.

"She can stay right here for the rest of our lives if she wants to." My lips kissed the top of her head and even though there was a searing pain in my bottom lip I didn't pull back. Joe came to my side and gently kissed my forehead he pressed his forehead against mine and stared into my eyes.

"I was so afraid I would never see those blue eyes again."

"I'm not going anywhere." My voice was barely a whisper the tears in my eyes were welling up; but it was a single tear that ran down Joe's cheek that made my heartache. My lips brushed against his cheek to wipe the solitary tear away; his hands gently caressed the side of my face. We stood that way for a few minutes before he sat down in the chair next to me. There were far too many questions I had that I needed answers too. Besides- what better time to get Joe to answer all of my questions than right now.

"Where was she?" He sighed and sank down a little into the chair.

"Do you want to talk about all of this right now, Steph?"

"Without a doubt." A large sigh escaped him.

"She was in Suzanne's basement; tied up and blind-folded." My mouth dropped open- Oh God, my poor baby.

"Why was she there?"

"I think they were going to frame it on Suzanne."

"But Louie planned on killing Suzanne- why would it matter where Aly was?" Joe shrugged his shoulders; but I could tell there was a theory he was keeping from me. I just had to shoot him a half-assed puppy dog face before he caved.

"I think he was being prepared; if for some reason you guys got away. I think he was hoping Suzanne would escape- but the plan was no matter what to… make sure you didn't get out."

"Oh. So how bad is everything?"

"You're going to have to be a bit more specific, Cupcake."

"How much trouble am I in with work, with my family? How screwed up is my body? How long have I been in the hospital? How did I get out? How did you find Aly? What happened to Suzanne."

"Jesus, Steph. Slow down, you got quite a lot of questions."

"I got a lot more too."

"Alright, work- well you'll have to talk to Eddie. He's pissed off to say the least; but because we were informed on what it was you were doing it will help your case."

"How were you informed?" I remember taking great lengths to keep Joe and the others out of what it was I was doing.

"After you brought the evidence to Ranger; he came to me."

"What!" My voice was louder than expected, Aly shifted around before falling back to sleep.

"You should have been the one to tell me."

"Why would he tell you?"

"I have a right to know, Stephanie! That's my daughter, I have a right to know about things like that."

"Why didn't you mention it sooner then?"

"Because, I knew if I mentioned it to you that you would shut me out. I have wasn't going to risk losing a moment with my daughter- and besides I knew with all of RangeMan watching your back; all would be okay."

"I can't believe that!"

"We'll get into this later; want me to answer the rest of your questions or not?" As much as I wanted to keep yelling about this; I needed my questions answered before Aly awoke.

"Continue." I replied dryly.

"You family has been worried about you; Aly has been staying with either me or them. You're going to have to get used to being smothered with family love for a while." I could handle that.

"Your body is far from screwed up; perfection is the word that comes to mind." He said with a seductive smile. "However, you have a broken wrist, your lip is busted cheek is bruised, your wrists and ankles are red and bruising. The bullet that hit your leg didn't get much; a flesh wound mostly. It has a bandage and wrap around it right now." Well that explains the soreness- I was going to have to cover up the mirrors before going home.

"Suzanne is fine, spent a couple hours getting checked out- but she's been home. I guess Lester has been staying with her; but personally I think the kidnapping has nothing to do with the reason he's been staying there. That's also how they found out about you guys. Suzanne's door kept opening and closing; in the beginning Lester was getting texts from her phone saying she was just restless. But I guess earlier that night she told him how tired she was and that she hated going outside in the dark. Lester was in the middle of something I guess that's why he didn't get there right away. Once he got to her place he realized she was nowhere to be seen; but he heard little cries coming from the basement. He called Ranger, who then called me. We had no idea where you guys were, but somehow Ranger figured it out. All I know is he got you out; you were unconscious and by the time I got there the building was nothing but a pile of rubble. Fire trucks were there, just about every one of the guys that works at the station were there too. Suzanne had to talk to investigators; they'll want a statement from you when you're feeling better." My head was spinning and I was pretty sure the pain meds were wearing off.

"How long have I been in here, Joe?"

"A few days."

"What?"

"You inhaled a lot of smoke and had a lot of injuries, Steph. The doctors said you were stable and would wake up on your own time." I nodded, it was over- and everyone was okay. Sure I was bruised and broken; but my Aly was safe.

"Thank you for being here."

"There's nowhere else I'd rather be." He kissed my forehead again and I couldn't help but wince from the pain of what I assumed was one of the many bruises Joe was referring to. "Let me call a nurse in here okay?" I nodded; being unconscious for 3 days was exhausting.

OoooOoooOoooO

The rest of my hospital stay was a blur; lots of paperwork to fill out, lots of tears from visitors. My ma insisted I join the family for dinner which I didn't know if I was ready to handle; but they also told me they'd keep Aly overnight until I was better. While I was feeling pretty decent at the moment- I was still saddled with a cast, bandaged leg and bruises all over. Plus the pain meds also had a way of making me feel drowsy and the last thing I wanted was to pass out cold and basically leave Aly to fend for herself. Suzanne spent more money on flowers for my room than I spent on shoes in a year. I didn't want her to feel guilty- nothing that happened I saw as her fault. She called just about every hour- on the hour and asked about a dozen times if I wanted a ride home from the hospital. Even though every time she called I told her my dad was picking me up and would bring me home later.

Not only was Suzanne calling my phone on a regular basis, Joe called constantly, and Mandy. Lester even called a half dozen times- eventually I shut my phone off. There was only so many times I could answer, 'yes, I'm fine' before I lost my mind. The one call I did take before shutting off my phone though was from Eddie. For the time being I was officially on medical leave, but he promised me a nice long discussion when I returned to work. Made me consider breaking my other wrist to postpone that discussion as long as possible.

My dad showed up to help me out of the hospital and even though I walked with only a tiny limp; they made me leave the hospital in a wheelchair. I trying arguing my way out of it but they all kept mumbling something about 'hospital policy'. If it wouldn't have been for the pained look in my dad's face while creating a scene- I would have made a bigger one. Instead I endured the ride out to the car. The ride home was a peaceful one; my dad wasn't much of a talker as it was- and quite frankly I knew when I got to my mother's house it was going to be anything but peaceful.

"Need help inside?"

"I got it, dad." I was sure everyone in the neighborhood would have their faces pressed into the window watching. No reason to give them any more to gossip about on my behalf.

"Well, let me at least take your uh… bag." Suzanne packed up some of my clothes in my small suitcase sized white purse. Dad was not one to be seen carrying a purse; I could tell he felt a lot worse for me than he let on.

"That'd be great, thanks."

The second we walked into the house I was tired; it was loud, chaotic, but also very homey. Aly rushed up to me giving me a big hug and remained by my side as we entered the dining room.

"Stephanie! What was it like!"

"What was what like Grams?" Grandma Mazur had visited me a bunch of times in the hospital; and was surprisingly well-behaved. I was assuming my mother had begged and pleaded- but now she had the home court advantage.

"Getting shot!"

"That wasn't the first time I was shot."

"Yeah- but that was the first time you were shot in a burning building." I chuckled as Grandma Mazur's eyes gleamed with a wild excitement.

"It was a rush."

"Whooo! I wish I had been there, me and you could have taken that guy down."

"Aly babe, why don't you go help grandma in the kitchen."

"Okay, mommy." Aly skipped off and I made sure she was out of earshot before continuing this conversation.

"Grams, be glad you weren't there."

"Yeah, but can you think of the stories I could tell people! Then again the ladies at the salon never have anything good. While you were living in Wisconsin the only good stories I heard were about Polly's nephew in college. But I swear that boy has the most boring life! How many times can one person read the same book on the weekends! Now Polly doesn't even talk when I walk in because since you came back nobody's got stories like I do."

"Glad I can help, Grams."

"You should come in with me and show people your bullet wound!"

"I'll think about it."

"So it's a damn shame guess that Louie guy that shot at you ended up burning up right along with that building. I was talking to Stiva and I guess they're not doing any type of service for him; apparently the family was going to do something small. But I was thinking about it- Louie was smart; he was basically cremated for free! Hell, made me think I should just throw myself in a burning building when my time comes- save the trouble and the money!"

"Mother!" My mom walked into the room, face red with embarrassment, doing the sign of the Cross at least a dozen times.

"What- you should thank me for saving you some money in the long run."

"Be a lot cheaper to chuck her over a bridge." My dad mumbled, taking his seat at the table.

"Frank!" The meal hadn't even started and mom's liquor bottle would be gone before the dessert.

"Hey ma, thanks for helping out with Aly."

"Of course, honey. You need anything else and you just let me know- got that?"

"Yeah." She pulled me in for a hug that seemed to hit ever sore part of my upper body. I bit my lip to keep from crying out in pain; that would do nothing to help me go home without supervision tonight.

"Alright, sit down."

We all sat down to eat; Aly took over the first part of the conversation talking about her day. My mother kept asking her questions- and I was sure it was to keep her mother from, well… from being herself.

"Oh, Stephanie- Joe called here earlier. Said your phone was off, but that he had a lot of work to do before going home. But he said he was going to try and stop by after he left." My mom said with a smile.

"Okay thanks."

"You know, he was really worried about you."

"Well I was in a coma."

"I know, but you should have seen him. Aly, wasn't your daddy sad?" Aly looked up at me with her big eyes and nodded.

"Daddy was really sad, mommy."

"I'm better now, baby." I said to Aly, before shooting a "stop-talking-about-this-in-front-of-my-daughter" look.

"Stephanie, you need to spend more time in the hospital!" Grandma yelled, even though I was sitting right next to her.

"Why on Earth would you say that, ma!" My mother looked like someone just told her they didn't like her pot roast.

"All those sexy men in black coming in to visit you. They were all buff and hot- made me regret not bringing any dollar bills to slip in their belts!" My mom quickly threw her hands over Aly's ears in the chair next to her. My dad looked like he was going to puke- and I couldn't help but laugh.

OoooOooooOooooO

The rest of the meal went by without any major issues- and my mom only asked me about a million times if I would just stay there overnight. Nothing about that sounded good to me though, I couldn't wait to lay down in my own bed, in my own house. I considered asking my dad to stop at a liquor store so I could pick up some beer; but I didn't know if I wanted to try mixing pain meds with liquor tonight. The ride home was much like the ride from the hospital; quiet and peaceful- until we were a couple miles from my house.

"You know Steph, when your ma told me you were in the hospital- I didn't worry. You have been taken to the hospital before, so I just figured we'd get there and see you sitting up in bed waiting to go home. But you were unconscious…" He stopped and swallowed back a big lump in his throat.

"I know you're a grown woman and a mother, and I know I'm no good with the sentimental stuff… but you're still my baby. I have never had a heart attack- but seeing you lying there was just about as close to heart attack as I'll get. I love you, Steph- just try to stay safe. I know you're one that likes adventure; but I can't stand seeing you like that again."

"I promise I'll be careful, dad. I love you too." I leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. He smiled before sinking back into the comfortable silence.

"Need me to help you in?"

"I'll be okay- thanks though." He pulled up in front of my house and nodded towards the front door.

"Looks like you got company, anyways." My head shot towards the front door expecting to see someone with a gun aimed at me ready to shoot me down. But instead my heart began to race, and a smile formed over my lips. That's when I remembered my vision; my vision of my future- and of him.

"Thanks again, dad." He smiled at me as I stepped out, slinging my bag onto my shoulder. I was vaguely aware of the fact I was wearing baggy gray sweatpants with a white T-shirt two sizes too big. My long hair at least didn't look like a total disaster since I utilized the shower in the hospital this morning. He was sitting on the top step, head hung down, arms rested on his legs. This was so unlike him; and I couldn't help but ache to make things better. I stood directly in front of him, neither of us said a word- and even though I wanted to look into the eyes I have dreamt about- they were still focused on the ground. I didn't know what to say, or what was wrong- but I had to do something. With my left hand I slowly brushed my fingers through his dark hair, it was soft to touch and sent a rush of energy coursing through me. I wanted to touch more than just his hair- but I had to control myself. His hand carefully moved to cast and gently pulled my hand to his lips. Placing a delicate kiss on each of my fingers.

"I almost lost you."

"But you saved me." Finally those beautiful brown eyes looked up into mine casting aside all my pain and fears. Although his face was still the same perfect beautiful face I remembered; the pain behind it hurt me. I loved this man, he had been a part of my life for so long now and was one of the biggest pieces of me. He was my best friend, my rock, my Ranger. And all along I looked at him as almost unbreakable- but here he was; broken, because he thought I was gone. I couldn't imagine losing him- but I had never thought of what it would mean if he lost me.

"Barely." Ranger said, his words were harsh; he was angry with himself.

"If it wouldn't have been for you, I wouldn't even be here now."

"Do you have any idea how close I was to failing? I had my windows down and was almost to the building and I heard 3 gunshots. For all I know I could have been driving through a parade and I wouldn't have known. All I thought of was you; when I got in there you were lying unconscious. I saw the gunshot in your leg and I didn't even know if you were still alive. We made it outside seconds before the building exploded, and if I would have been smarter; you never even would have been kidnapped."

"He said you watched the house every night."

"I did."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't want you to think that I didn't believe you could take care of yourself. But truth was I couldn't imagine someone taking you away from me. Morelli knew we did surveillance on your house at night; he didn't know it was just me watching. I would have called him and told him I couldn't make it to your house right away. But I didn't know how long I was going to be occupied at the other house. I wanted to show up when I was done and finish our conversation without Morelli being here." My fingers were still making their way through his soft hair; and he still held my hand. I didn't want to lose this moment, but my body was tired and weak- I didn't know how much longer I could stand here.

"Carlos, can we go inside?" His head snapped up to look at me, eyes wide.

"What did you call me?" The words were barely a whisper, like he had only imagined them. I smiled, a few tears decided they no longer wanted to be held back- and rolled down my cheek.

"I called you Carlos, I'm tired and I can't stand anymore." In a flash he was off the steps, I was scooped into his arms and he was opening the lock. He didn't bother asking where I wanted to lay down; he walked us straight up to my bedroom and carefully laid me down. In a moment he was next to me, his face was held a few inches away from mine.

"I love you, I've just been afraid to admit it because I was afraid I would lose you for good. I know you don't do relationships but it's you I want." The pain left his face and his 200 watt smile replaced his frown.

"Babe, I have never wanted anything more than I have wanted you." My eyes darted down across my body; and even though I couldn't see how battered up I was through the clothes- I could still feel it. I wanted him too, but I wasn't ready for that just yet. Carlos let out a soft chuckle and tipped my chin up to face him.

"I don't just mean your body; yes- I want that too. But I love you, Babe. And right now I want you to sleep and use me as your pillow."

"You love me?" He smiled again.

"Babe, was there ever any doubt in your mind?" I shrugged my shoulders- bad idea, my face easily showed the pain I felt.

"We can talk when you wake up."

"You promise to still be here?" He raised an eyebrow at me.

"I'm not going anywhere, and neither are you." I closed my eyes and snuggled into him; this was where I wanted to be. Nothing felt more real to me than our bodies aligned perfectly together.

"I have one request before I go to sleep."

"And what would that be?" I opened my eyes and stared into his.

"Kiss me, Carlos." His smile spread wider than I had ever seen before. And he carefully lowered his lips to mine, I felt the whole world disappear; all that existed was my Ranger and me. Even though he was being careful the kiss still left me breathless when he pulled away.

"I can't wait until my body heals." I sighed, wanting more. I wanted all of him; the weight of him over me, our arms and legs intertwined as we experienced what I already knew would be the most passionate moment of my life. He let out a laugh and let his fingers feel every curve of my face.

"Babe." And with that one word I was able to fall into a deep sleep.