Okay, I know I'm a bad updater. Who would have thought that my life would have gotten busier since school ended? I promise that I will get the next chapter up much sooner. There will be one more. I decided to give Stephanie and Ranger one more chapter and then Natalie and Lester will get there own. They deserve it, right?

Not mine.

Warning: Smut. I wasn't planning it, but who can plan anything when Ranger's involved.

Stephanie's POV

I woke up the next morning alone. Ranger had woken up early and gone on his normal run. I tried to persuade him that we could do just as much cardio in bed, but he just grinned and kissed me on the head on his way out. I may be a changed woman, but I still wasn't getting up at the crack of dawn to run. Instead, I dozed on and off waiting for Ranger to come back.

Hey, just because he gets his cardio in, doesn't mean I don't want to get mine in.

Mmm… Ranger naked.

I think I drooled and I felt my eyes glaze over.

Of course, it was that moment that my phone decided to ring. I looked at the ID and made a face. Joe.

It would only happen to me that I would be thinking delicious thoughts about my man and my ex would call.

"Hello?" I said when I picked up.

"Thank god you're alive."

"I'm sure someone would have called you if I wasn't."

"Yeah, well, call your mother. She's been calling me non-stop since five last night. I had to turn off the phone just so I wouldn't yell at her. Glad to see your talents for blowing things up extends to other states."

That was mean. So I was just as mean back. "Just think, they were almost your in-laws."

"Dodged a bullet there."

"Hey!"

"Just kidding, Cupcake. Jeez, did your sense of humor get blown sky high?"

"No." I snapped.

He paused. "But you're okay, right? Everything is where it should be?"

"Yes, I'm fine."

"And…" He coughed. "Ranger's okay too?"

I smiled now. "He's fine too."

"Good. Good."

Ranger came back into the room at that moment. I smiled and gave him a finger wave. His eyebrow quirked up. Joe, I mouthed to him and pointing to the phone. He nodded once and went into the shower.

I began to drool at thought of naked Ranger again.

"Stephanie? Are you even listening to me? Hello?" Joe said into the phone.

"Yeah, that sounds good."

There was a pause. "You have no idea what I just said."

"Hmm?"

He chuckled now. "What did he do, walk past you naked?"

Ranger came back out rubbing the water out of his hair with a towel. And nothing else. "Um," I swallowed. "Something like that."

Ranger looked at me and grinned. I narrowed my eyes at him.

Joe just chuckled again. "Then I should let you go." He said. "I'll call your mom and let her know that you're safe."

"Thanks, Joe."

"Bye Stephanie." And he hangs up.

Well, at least he says good-bye.

Ranger lies down next to me. "How are things back in Trenton?"

"Good. My mother is driving Joe crazy."

"Somehow that pleases me."

"That's because you're an ass."

"But you love my ass."

I rolled over to my side and mumbled "I don't right now..."

Ranger chuckled and cuddles me into him. "You don't mean that…"

I could feel him hardening behind me. I wiggled back into him. He moaned in my ear. "Looks like your body loves me."

"My body is a traitor."

He chuckled. His hand slipped around and cupped me. He nuzzled my neck and I moved it to give him more room. What this man does to me.

"You don't play fair."

"Never said I did." He turned me and his mouth met mine. We shared a few gentle kisses before I felt my legs being spread and Ranger entering me slowly. I sighed when he was completely inside me and rubbed his back as he waited for my body to adjust.

He started to move slowly again and he tilted my hips up to get a better angle. I felt my head go back and hit the pillow as I moaned. Loudly.

"Christ." Ranger mumbled. He continued to curse in Spanish as his hips began to speed up. My hips began to meet his. His hand found my clit.

And then I was gone. My eyes rolled in the back of my head as I continued to orgasm. Ranger continued to thrust and rub my clit as clenched him with my inner muscles. He kept it up until I went over again and Ranger followed me this time. He gently collapsed on top of me as we caught our breath.

A few minutes later, he pulled out and rolled off of me. I whimpered at the loss and Ranger cuddled me into him.

"There was a moment." Ranger started when we had found our breath. "When I thought you were dead."

I rested my chin on his chest. "Ranger…"

"I'm not done." He said, interrupting me. He put a finger on my lips. "Just listen."

"There was a moment." I said, around his finger.

He smiled sadly. "While in that moment, I lost a piece of myself. A piece that you had brought back. After the Army trained me, I became a hardened soldier. And in doing so, I had to lose a part of myself to do the job successfully. When I came back for leave, even my own parents didn't recognize me."

I didn't speak, but I rubbed my hand soothingly on his chest.

"But when I met you," he smiled for real now. "It was like you flipped a switch. Little by little, the old me started to come back. I think Lester was going to fall out of his chair the first time I laughed in the control room again. You had rolled in garbage or something, but the fact that you were covered in crap didn't stop you from getting your skip. You constantly surprise me with your love of life. You saved me from becoming just another soulless soldier. There is no way I can thank you for that."

"You don't have to thank…" The finger was back and I sighed.

"I want you to promise me something. I want you to promise me that whenever I get you a gift, you just accept it and say thank you. You don't whine about it or try to give it back or make faces. Just be happy. Because when I give you those gifts, it's because that's the only way I know how to say thank you for giving me my life back. Do you promise?"

I blew out a breath. It wasn't going to be easy, but I could see where he was coming from. "I promise I'll try."

He smiled again. "Good enough."

I leaned up and kissed him. "Thank you."

His brow furrowed. "For what?"

"For telling me all that. It couldn't have been easy."

His shoulder shrugged. "Little by little, it gets easier."

That made me warm in my belly. Ranger was always the lone wolf. He's a solitary creature. The fact that he shares things with me means more than anything he could buy me. All I want is him.

"Just as long as you don't become a Chatty Cathy."

"Babe."

"I'm just saying. A year ago, Tank barely said two words to me. Now I know all about his cats."

He just grinned at me. "Promise."

"Good."

I sighed and put my head back down on his chest. "It's all I'm asking. You know I can only handle so much."

I felt him chuckle. "Oh I know exactly how much you're capable of."

"Hey! Dirty man."

He rolled me back over. "How is it dirty when it's true?"

"Got me there."

"Smartass."

He leaned back. "Oh no. We're not starting this again."

I just grinned until he slid into me. And then I thought nothing.

"I'm going to miss this place." I said to Ranger the following morning. "I really like it here."

"Really. I thought you never wanted to do the whole 'chained to the stove' thing."

I shrugged. "Ella did most of the cooking. I just ate and looked pretty."

He grinned and went back to his paper. "Good to know." I felt Ranger's eyes on my back as I packed the rest of the kitchen.

I turned my head and looked at him over my shoulder. "What?"

"Las Vegas is only five hours from here."

My heart stopped and I turned slowly to him. "What are you saying?"

"That Las Vegas is five hours away from here."

"No, no. You are a man of few words. You have a point." I pointed the spoon at his chest. "So make it."

I knew exactly what point he was trying to make. There are three things that you go to Vegas for: gambling, hookers and marriage. And since I've never known Ranger to gamble and there is no need for a hooker, I know that it has to be the final thing.

Marriage.

I took a deep breath and waited for the hyperventilating to start.

But it never did.

Odd.

Maybe if I gave it another minute.

But no, it still wasn't there. I stood there, stunned, waiting for what Ranger is going to say next.

Ranger stood up and stood in front of me. He took the spoon out of my hand and smiled softly at me. His hand cupped my cheek. "Don't freak out. Because the minute you freak out, I won't get this out. You don't realize this, but when you go into denial, you stop listening. And this is one moment that I don't want you to forget."

I took a deep breath. "This is a denial-free zone."

"Good. I am a man of action. I prefer to let them do the speaking for me."

"Boy do I know that." I blurted out.

He just looked at me.

"Hey, I never said it wasn't the mocking zone."

"Shush."

"Fine."

"You're just lucky I find you cute."

"Admit it, I'm down right adorable."

"I thought I was adorable."

"Are we really this far off topic?"

"I think so." Ranger smirked. "I'm getting back on now."

"Good."

"I want you to know that I love you, even if I don't tell you every day. I've felt it since the moment I met you and I had no idea what it was. I promise I'll try to tell you that every day, but I'd prefer to show you."

"Me too." My thoughts turned to naked Ranger.

"And not just that, dirty girl."

"But you like it when I'm dirty."

"Focus."

I just rolled my eyes playfully. "So you want to show me… how?"

"I want to make this real. I want to marry you."

My mouth dropped open. I never thought he'd actually say it. And still, the hyperventilating I usually got with Joe was not coming.

Maybe I could never marry Joe because it wasn't right. Because I always knew that there was something better than living in the Burg and cooking all day.

This way, I got great sex and great food. With Ranger, comes Ella, God's gift to me.

"I want my ring on your finger so that everyone knows how much I love you."

"But what about the marriage thing being stupid?"

"It's only stupid with the wrong person. I know you're not the wrong person."

"What about your enemies? Aren't you worried that someone will come after me to get to you?"

"Sure, but who says that we aren't better together than apart? This way, I can keep a better eye on you."

"You've thought of everything, haven't you?"

"Yes. Because I love you and I want to marry you."

"What brought on this change of heart?"

"Are you stalling?"

"Just trying to figure you out. Because for years, you said that you would never get married. I just want to make sure that you've thought this out. I want to make sure that you aren't just reacting to the bomb and to the fact that we've been playing house for a few months. Because this marriage would be real, unlike what we have right here. You can't take that back."

"I get that. And I'm not reacting to the bomb. And sure, the playing house thing has something to do with it. It made me realize that I don't want to go back to Trenton without you by my side." He cupped both of my cheeks now. "I don't want to take it or you back. I want everyone to see that I am here to stay with you and for you, no matter what."

I didn't even realize that I was crying until Ranger started to wipe my tears away. I watched as his face morphed from joy, to confusion and then to the frown of unhappiness marring his face right now.

"No."

"No?"

"No, stop with the face. These are happy tears."

"So you're saying…"

"YES!"

The frown went away and his face broke into the largest smile I've ever seen. He picked me up and twirled me around.

"I'm glad you said yes. Otherwise I would feel pretty stupid about these tickets." He pulled two boarding passes out of his pocket. They were for a flight in two hours.

"Well then I better get packing."

He grinned again and kissed me deeply. "I love you."

"I love you too."

And so three hours later, in my best white shirt and blue skirt (for the something blue…), Ranger in his black polo and jeans, along with Tank, Bobby, Natalie, Lester, Hector and Hal and our parents via Skype, we were married in the first church we could find that would marry us and had wi-fi.

Lester let me borrow his mini-revolver and Hector helped me pick out my new bouquet.

We were married so fast that it never crossed my mind that we had forgotten rings. But once again, Ranger had thought of everything. The wedding ring he gave me for the mission (and his as well) were actually family heirlooms (great for the something old). The engagement ring he had bought three days after he met me. When I asked him how he knew I was going to say yes way before he asked, he would just smile.

"I'm Batman, Babe." He said with a sneaky smile.

I still don't know how he knew my ring size.

"How long have you been planning this?" I asked him later as we recovered from our last round of lovemaking.

He grabbed my left hand and kissed the rings that would become a permanent fixture on my hand. "Since the minute you said yes to the job."

"You've been buttering me up this whole time?"

"Yep. Worked like a charm."

"Damn straight."