The best laid plans of mice and men, or Stephanie and Ranger, often go astray. Anyone who knows anything about us should know that by now. We planned a nice quiet evening in the cabin alone eating broiled sea bass, a salad and rice. He'd even promised me dessert…something chocolate. I was really looking forward to that. So naturally, it didn't happen.

It started as a knock and within seconds became a pounding.

"I'm coming," I yelled as I headed for the door from the couch. Evanovich was just getting to the nitty gritty with this guy and some numbskull was banging on my cabin door like he was dying. I swung the door open.

"Where's Ranger," Hal said breathlessly.

"Outside," I didn't even get the word out of my mouth before he'd flown across the room and stuck his head out the door. "We need you in the cigar bar."

"No way," Ranger shook his head. "Tell Frank that I'm dead or something."

"It's not Frank, it's Tank. Points and Score are after him. They're accusing him of murdering Hunter. They're losing it man. Tank is going to go postal on them in a few minutes and bust their heads. You have to stop it man. You know you're the only one who can."

They were out the door and running for the lounge before I could even react. I shook my head and put my flip-flops on and followed after them.

I skid to a halt inside the door of the cigar bar and ran into Ranger's back. "Oophf," I grunted.

Ranger reached behind his back and took my hand. "Score, Points…you need to back off."

"You said yourself that he'd kill us if he knew we were here," Points glared.

"Yes, I did," he agreed.

"Then why are you here to cover for him now?"

"I'm not covering for him. There's nothing to cover."

"Come again," Points laughed almost hysterically. "Hunter is dead."

"I'm aware of that. I was there when his body was discovered."

"Then…how can you say Tank didn't kill him?"

"Easy," Ranger shrugged. "I know Tank."

"That's bull shit," Score barked.

"If Tank had killed him," Ranger began, "and that's a big IF…he would have shot him, slit his throat, or strangled him with his bare hands. Whatever killed Hunter wasn't one of those things. He wouldn't hide it either. Everyone would know."

"You don't even know how Hunter died," I said around Rangers arm. "Not even the ship's doctor knows. Either he died of natural causes or…"

"He could have been poisoned," Drake said coolly from the bar.

"If he's been poisoned, Tank didn't do it," Ranger said. "You know him. He's not going to do it behind anyone's back. He's not someone who keeps it to his vest. If he wanted you dead, you'd be dead and everyone would know he'd killed you. You know that."

Score sagged, "you think Hunter drank himself to death?"

"Don't you think that's much more plausible," Ranger said quietly.

"He drank too much," Score said quietly.

"I just think that before you start accusing Tank of murder on his wedding cruise, or challenging him to a duel, you should wait and find out what killed Hunter…if anyone. Don't you think that's a good idea?"

"Fine," he sighed and got up and left the cigar bar with Points right behind him.

"Are they lovers," I whispered to Ranger.

"Babe," he shook his head.

"Well, I mean he's on his ass," I said with a shrug.

"We have a don't ask, don't tell policy," he said dryly.

"Well…what's your opinion," I hissed.

"Babe," he groaned.

"You may have them convinced," Drake said with a small humorless laugh from the bar, but I'm not so easily dissuaded. Tank threatened us himself twelve years ago. I remember it clearly."

"If you were so concerned about your life," I said quietly with my brow raised in my very best Ranger imitation, "then why are you really here at his wedding?"

Drake looked uncomfortable.

"Either you came because you wanted that confrontation so you could have an excuse to…do whatever is boiling over inside of you, or you thought bygones must be bygones? Which is it Drake? If you've forgiven and are forgetting and think he's done the same, then why on earth would you accuse him of murder? It seems to me that you came here spoiling for something? What was it?"

He got to his feet and glared at Ranger, "amazing…how do you find them?" He strode out of the bar.

Applause erupted from the crowd and my father came and kissed me robustly on the cheek. "Good job Pumpkin."

I blushed, "you know how much I hate keeping secrets."

Ranger smiled and put his arm around my waist, "she doesn't let a thought just sit in her brain. If she thinks you need to know something…she'll tell you."

"Does she," my father raised a brow at him slightly.

Ranger flushed. I swear he did.

"Well, I've had all the excitement I can handle for one day," I said cheerfully. "I'm heading back to my room for my sea bass and my chocolate dessert."

"Babe," Ranger said following me out of the lounge, "I may have…I mean, I think…"

"What," I stopped and blinked up at him.

He looked sheepish, "I think I forgot to order dinner."

"You did what," I blinked at him. "Ranger, have you lost your mind? You know how I get when I don't eat."

"There's a midnight buffet that starts at eleven," he reminded me quickly. "That's only twenty minutes away. We can go back to the cabin and change into something a little warmer and then we'll hit the buffet."

"You so owe me," I growled as we hurried up the stairs toward our cabin.

"I know," he sighed. "Believe me, I know."

Thirty minutes later I was almost ready to forgive him. The buffet was better than the sea bass could have been. I loved it. I think I had three helpings and that was even before I saw the dessert area. Then I was in heaven. But of course, my stomach could only hold so much. I filled a couple of plates with dessert and headed back to our cabin barefoot and happy. I knew I'd pay for it by running extra laps around the ship the next morning, but so be it.

Ranger grinned at me as I put the plates of food into our refrigerator. "Think you're going to want a midnight snack?"

"You promised me chocolate," I reminded him.

"Yea," he nodded. "I did. I remember. When we're in Costa Maya tomorrow, I'll let you choose the most wonderful dessert on the menu. You can have two or three of them if you'd like."

"Remember you said that," I grinned and went back to the couch and sank down with my book.

"You're not ready for bed yet," he asked.

"I have four more chapters to finish and it's not yet midnight. I want to finish the book."

"Sure," he sighed and went to his laptop and went to work.

I shook my head. I chose to read something that was far from work. He chose to do paperwork as it were. For him, it was the worst possible scenario. He hated paperwork.

I sighed deeply. "All right Ranger. What would like to do instead?"

"Sex," his brow went up hopefully.

"Who with," I said absently.

"You're mean," he sighed and turned back to his work.

There was another knock on the door and my father stuck his head in. "Tank and Jean Luc want to have a strategy meeting about this murder business Ranger. We need your cool head."

"I'm not drinking Frank," he said seriously.

Daddy's shoulders went up, "nobody says you have to. We just want your input."

"I mean it Frank," he said seriously.

"We're in the cigar lounge," Daddy said and winked at me and left.

"He's a sadist," Ranger said getting to his feet and heading for the door.

"Just don't play his games," I suggested.

"I won't," he said seriously and he was gone.

An hour and a half later he returned. He wasn't drunk. He was tired. I had finished the book, taken a bubble bath and attended to many feminine needs…if you get my drift. All the chocolate in the world wasn't going to keep me from wanting the man in my bed, but chocolate and a little autoerotic satisfaction could help. I was lying in bed going over the passenger list when he changed into light sweats and joined me.

"You stuck to your guns," I raised a brow.

"Uh-huh," he nodded.

"Good for you," I smiled and turned my attention back to the list.

"Do you see anything? Do you get any tingles?"

"No," I sighed. "I mean the obvious choice is Tank, but as you rightly pointed out it's not his modus operandi. It's even less likely to be Lula's work. If she's mad, she's going to make sure the world knows about it. I can't imagine Jean Luc or Felicia doing it, so who's left?"

"Me," he grinned and turned his bottle of water up.

"Yea…right," I rolled my eyes. "Who else?"

"Well, it could have been Points, Score or Cable. I mean realistically what better place to murder him than on a ship where there would be a dozen or so people who've talked about killing him for years."

"Who else has threatened them," I said with a frown.

"I think everyone in our unit threatened them at one point or the other. There were actually seven of them at one time. But anyone they betrayed has said it. That's me, Cal, Hal, Bobby, Lester, Tank and…well, you get my drift."

"None of you would have poisoned him," I said seriously. "You'd have been more likely to throw him overboard and have him chewed up by the ship and left for chum."

"Babe…really," he shook his head, "your imagination…it's disgusting."

I shrugged, "just saying."

"Yea…just saying disgusting," he sank down beside me and peered over my shoulder at the list. "There are dozens of suspects on that piece of paper. I don't see anyone that I think would have committed the murder though."

"What happened to the other three guys," I asked.

"Two of them died in combat…that would be Jingle and Ropes," Ranger said thoughtfully. "The other one…Ghost, well he just disappeared."

"What else would a ghost do," I said thoughtfully. "What was special about this guy?"

"He could make himself unseen," he said quietly. "Tank and I were never sure that he was really part of that little group, but he took a lot of shit because they said he was. He disappeared while we were in Afghanistan. I suppose he's still listed as MIA."

"Did you try to find him?"

"Absolutely," he said grimly. "We have a no man left behind policy. But when Ghost wanted to disappear, he was gone man. I mean, it was like he was never even there. I have no idea if he's dead or alive or what. He was good. He made me look like an amateur."

"Wow," I blinked.

"I know," he sighed. "I'd tell Juliet to try to get a trail on him, but I believe it would be impossible."

"Nobody who is not a ghost is truly a ghost, Ranger. Everyone leaves a trail. We just have to have patterns of behavior or other things to look for. If you think this guy could be the…"

"No," he shook his head with a smile, "Ghost isn't here. He isn't doing this. This is someone else. Ghost…is dead."

"You don't know that for sure," I said quietly.

"No…I don't," he sighed. "But I've mourned him for twelve years. If he's alive, I'd like to tell him that I never bought it."

"If he's better than you are," I said quietly, "he knows it."

He smiled and bent his head and kissed me softly on the mouth. "Thank you."

"You're welcome."

"Can we sleep now? Costa Maya is calling our names tomorrow."

"Yes, I think I can sleep now," I smiled.

He pulled me down to him and pushed the notes off my lap, "I miss your yellow tablet."

"I'll buy one tomorrow," I giggled as I turned off the lights. His nose was in my neck, his lips moving over my skin. "Ranger…"

"Ummm," he murmured.

"I'm still not having sex with you Ranger," I whispered with a smile.

"Of course not," he sighed.

"Goodnight Ranger," I smiled.

"Goodnight Babe," he sighed again.