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Standard FF disclaimers apply.

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I Need You. The games people play.

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Dark clouds covered the sky, not exactly threatening rain, but very effectively blocking the sun. Ella smiled as she stepped back and surveyed her work. This was the perfect type of day to wash the windows. No Streaks! The tinted windows on the upper floors were always contracted out for cleaning, but here at the official entrance of the building, there were floor to ceiling bullet proof windows flanking the full glass door. As it was the first impression that guests to RangeMan Inc. would have, Ella liked to keep the glass sparkling clean.

Satisfied with the cleaning job, she gathered the lint free cloths and picked up the spray bottle of her own blend of window cleaner, and tucked them into her new cleaning basket. The lime green plastic basket had been a gift from Stephanie. And although it was the perfect size for all of the window cleaning supplies, Ella was still getting used to the bright color. It was much different from the standard grey buckets and baskets she had been using for so long, but it made her smile every time she saw it. Just like Stephanie herself, it brightened up any room it found itself in.

As she opened the door to go back inside, Ella caught the reflection of a big blue car. She stopped to take a closer look. Just as she thought, it was Helen Plum. She smiled and waved. Helen smiled back with a nod as she pulled up to the curb. They had spoken earlier, so Ella knew that she would be coming by today. She had been looking forward to it. After Helen parked, she popped open the trunk. Ella could see that the boxes inside were big and a bit cumbersome, so while Helen maneuvered them out one at a time, Ella ran and grabbed a cart for her to use to bring them inside.

The two women chatted on their way up to Stephanie's apartment. When they briefly took a detour on the sixth floor, Ella quickly ran into her apartment and added a few things of her own to the cart to take with them.

Standing in the hallway on the seventh floor, the two women exchanged conspiratorial looks as they knocked on the door. The surprised look on Stephanie's face when she opened the door was priceless, and they all started laughing.

"I was just thinking…" Stephanie started to say. Both Helen and Ella nodded. Maternal instincts were strong, this would be something that Stephanie would learn very soon. Helen looked at her knowingly, the same way you know that your child is coming up the street to your house, is the way you know when they need your help. Helen hugged her daughter. She couldn't wait to see her discover all of these things for herself.

"Come on in," Stephanie said, stepping back and leading the way into the living room. Ella pulled the cart up next to the couch and with Helen's help started to unload the boxes. Then she took the cart and left it out in the hall.

"Stephanie, we hope this is not a bad time," Ella started to say as she pushed her box closer to her. "But we thought that you could use some help getting ready for little Matthias." Ella nodded at the box, "Open it." she said.

Stephanie unfolded the flaps on top of the box, her eyes grew wide when she looked inside. "I was just wondering about what we'd…" she was suddenly speechless and she looked up at Ella. "How did you know?"

Helen helped Ella lift the cradle from the box and they set it up. Stephanie had tears in her eyes as she hugged the two most important women in her life. Stephanie knew better than most people that sometimes words are just not enough, and she knew that they understood how she felt.

Wiping her tears away, a shy smile took their place. She grabbed them both by a hand and dragged them into the bedroom . Stephanie showed them the piles of things that she had been collecting. Much to Stephanie's annoyance, Helen raised an eyebrow. 'If she can do it', Stephanie thought, 'why wasn't it hereditary?' she sighed and then turned her attention back to the boxes and bags on the floor. Helen glanced at the things gathered here. Looking around the room, she noticed the list sitting on the bed. Helen held it up with a questioning look.

"That's from Mary Lou," Stephanie said. Trying to defend her shopping spree. Helen just nodded, as she folded the paper neatly and placed it on the night stand. And without another word, they started tackling the pile. Stephanie appreciated her two helpers, and between the three of them, she was able to organize everything. She kept out what she needed now, and put the rest away for a later time. She deliberately did not mention that she had been putting things in the SUV too. 'One thing at a time' she told herself.

Before the afternoon was over, the ladies had rearranged the bedroom to accommodate the cradle and changing table. Stephanie was not going to mention the obviously huge empty space that they had left near the window. She knew that it would be the perfect place for a rocking chair, and decided that as soon as they were done here, that she would go out and find one that she liked. Both Helen and Ella noticed that her eyes kept going back to that space, they exchanged a secret smile and kept on with their work.

It was when they started stocking the shelves and drawers with the tiny sleepers, and clothes, and blankets and bibs, that Stephanie started to tear up again. She sat down on the bed and took the photo out of her pocket. She missed her husband. And no, she would never get tired of calling him that!

Her eyes lingered for a moment on his handsome face and that incredible smile. Then she let them focus on that small little hand. She couldn't wait to see Mat. She still felt a mixture of fear and excitement about becoming a mom overnight. But the longer she had to wait, the more she wanted to hold him in her arms.

Helen sat next to her and placed her arm around her shoulders. She squeezed gently and Stephanie looked up. "They will be home soon," Helen said. "And everything will be alright."

A noise in the hallway drew their attention. Ella looked up, and then looked at Stephanie, and then she left the room. A few minutes later she came back and stopped in the doorway, Helen and Stephanie were looking at her.

"Um, Stephanie, there is someone here to see you," she said with a smile as she glanced down the hall and then she moved out of the way so that Frank could walk in.

"Pumpkin!" he said when she jumped up and ran to him. He pulled her into a big hug. "How's my girl" he said as he put her down and pulled back. Taking an exaggerated look around the room, he winked at his wife. "Looks like something is missing in here," he said, Stephanie just looked at him. At them. A curious look on her face.

Louis came in then, carrying a beautiful rocking chair. The dark wood was hand carved with graceful curves. The high back and the wide seat both had built in cushions featuring the most amazing needlepoint work that Stephanie had ever seen. Louis set the chair down in that perfect spot that had been waiting just for it.

Ella slipped her arm through his when he was done. "Gracias mi amor," she whispered as she kissed his cheek. It had been his suggestion to go pick the chair up in his truck, since the Plums had no way of getting it here. He gave her an indulgent smile that said 'your wish is my command' but she knew better. He was as excited to help Stephanie and Ranger welcome a new baby as she was. And she loved him for it!

"Oh!," Stephanie managed to say. "It's beautiful!" her fingers reverently traced a design in the back cushion, as she looked up at her parents.

"It's Mamcsi's work," Helen said quietly, referring to her mother's mother. "We had the rocking chairs made to go with her needlework that grandma has been saving for years," she said. "We wanted it to be a surprise."

Stephanie nodded. Tears were in her eyes, not allowing her to speak. She just looked around the room and she knew that she was surrounded by people that loved her, that she could count on. In that moment she knew how truly lucky she was. Someday, Mat would know it too.

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Somewhere in Washington DC, in a large nondescript building, florescent lights dully reflected on the surface of the highly polished table set in the center of the conference room. Framed portraits of the Secretaries of Agriculture hung on the paneled walls, evenly spaced as they circled the room. Tom Dutton sat quietly at the end of the long conference table, carefully, but comfortably situated in one of the padded leather chairs .

Representatives from several unidentified government agencies were seated around the room. All of them had short haircuts, and wore black suits with appropriately conservative ties. Tom looked down at his own attire. Under the navy blue terry cloth robe, he only wore a flimsy hospital gown, and on his feet were a pair of cloth slippers. He had spent the past several days in and out of consciousness, and he only hoped that these serious looking men would get the information that they needed quickly so that he and Brian could be returned to the business of recovering. They needed to heal so that they could get back to their work.

Tom was silent while his partner took the stage. Brian Taylor was not just a good scientist, he was a pretty good actor too. Dressed similarly to Tom, Brian had managed to project an aire of importance and dignity. Right now he was telling the harrowing tale of their captivity by the drug cartels. He did not leave out even the smallest of details. In an almost tolerant manner, he nodded at the men as they met his eyes, or as they looked up from the notes they had scribbled in their uniform looking notebooks. Tom did not mind that all the attention was on Brian. He was really doing quite an admirable job, all things considered.

So good, in fact, that Tom was able to sit back and let his mind wander a little bit. He entertained himself by playing the 'how did this all start' game. Like dropping a pebble in a pond, the ripples of a single event can circle on and on. No one knows just how far they will go. He tried to keep the smile off of his face as he contemplated just what the pebble had been that had started everything in motion in his life.

Details popped in his mind and he looked them all over, dismissing most of them. There were many important events that had happened over the years. But as he narrowed it down, the last ten years of his life had started with the big blue ribbon that he had won in his third grade science fair.

For just a moment Tom closed his eyes and remembered a single moment out of time. His parents stood next to him as the principal joined his teacher to award the first place prize for his 'bio sphere' experiment. The picture in the local newspaper had captured the smiling faces of the four adults standing behind the proud young man holding the pleated ribbon. It also showed the object of his experiment. The huge pickle jar that he had used reflected the light from the camera's flash. The star shaped light looked as if it was shining from deep inside the jar. It was a striking photo. His mother still had it in a scrapbook that she had kept for him.

Until ten years ago, Tom had forgotten all about the scrapbook and the years of science experiments that he and his dad had conducted together; Growing beans seeds in CD cases to be able to see and document the whole germination process had been one of their first projects, then there had been ant and worm farms, not to mention several terrariums. The one with carnivorous plants had been his favorite. Together they all led him to the award winning bio-sphere and his face in the newspaper.

In his wildest dreams he never thought that the ripples of his youth would intersect with the new larger circles created by his professional career. He looked up at Brian. His performance was really brilliant, every man in here was nearly spellbound. Poor Brian, he did not know that he was acting a part in the drama unfolding around him. He still had no idea just how big a splash his current research was going to make. Probably soon to be complete with multiple conspiracy theories circling around it.

His musings ended just in time. Finally a question was being directed to him. Tom shyly smiled at the sudden attention. It was the man at the opposite end of the table who wanted to ask him about his personal life. Now it was Tom's turn to act, he dropped any sign of the smile. He knew how these meetings, or should he call them interrogations, usually went. With his face trained in a pleasant, but neutral expression, Tom listened to the way the question was phrased. It was a completely inappropriate thing to ask, but Brian met Tom's eyes and nodded in a show of support.

"Yes," Tom said. "I only knew her for a short time, but yes, I loved Maria." He lowered his eyes. His outward appearance showed a hurt, broken man. So much had happened to Dr Tom Dutton in the past few months, and most of the men in suits now looked very uncomfortable with the way the meeting was going. They knew that he had every reason to be upset. He spoke one more time. It would be the last thing he would say to any of these men. "And no, her baby was not mine."

Both doctors stood and headed to the door. They moved slowly, the effect of the abuse they had received during their captivity was evident. Suddenly the nurses were at their sides, assisting the two men and throwing glares at the suits in the room. They did not appreciate the harsh treatment of their patients.

The act was flawless, but deep inside Tom was seething. He knew exactly why Maria had been brought up. This was all an act for the suits too, a dance choreographed to play out the way they wanted it. How many times had he seen this happen before? The performance by Brian had been genuine, mostly. Tom was glad they had worked so long together, it was easy now to show a united front. Maria had been an outsider, but any attempt to connect her to the cartel was not only ridiculous, it was insulting. They Killed her! After killing her family and practically everyone that she knew, the cartel had killed Maria too. The mask that Tom showed the slick government men did not give them even a glimpse of what really lay beneath. But they would find out soon enough that they should not mess with Dr Tom Dutton.

As soon as he could stand up straight, by himself, he would show them how remarkably focused he could be. Since the moment that he had been brought here, there had only been person that he had talked to that he felt he could trust. And that person was Tank. He knew that Tank had left shortly after their chat together, Tom wondered where he was now.

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If Tank could earn frequent flyer miles, he would have enough for a free vacation by now. Every once in a while, he got a taste of just how crazy Ranger's life could be. Running a mission of any kind was intense. The fact that Ranger usually took on most of the responsibility and saw it through to the end was one of the reasons that he had always been sought after. But they all knew how exhausting it could be, and no one knew it better than Tank tonight.

Ranger would have taken this quick turnaround trip to DC and back to Ecuador without a second thought. The one reason he did not do it himself this time, was wrapped up in a soft blue blanket and sleeping on the man's shoulder right now. He had to stay here until all the arrangements could be made to take the child home with him. Tank silently entered the room and allowed himself to sink into the cushioned chair. It was late, and the lights were off, but Ranger was waiting for him.

"What have you got?" Ranger quietly asked. He did not move as he spoke, he simply turned his head to look at his second in command. As his eyes adjusted to the dark, Tank could now see Ranger more clearly. It was a sight that his friend never thought he would ever see. But he looked perfectly natural with his feet up, slumped slightly in his chair so that the angle of his chest was just right for Mat to sleep on. Add the fact that he had been humming a Spanish lullaby while gently patting the baby's back, gave the impression that he had done it many times before, it all seemed so perfect, and just right.

Tank pushed these thoughts aside for now and focused on the answer to Ranger's question. "We've got the ID. Silvio helped Rodriguez track down the details." He rested his head on the back of the chair and closed his eyes, but continued with his report. "You were right, Humelik is up to their eyeballs in debt. They are ready to do just about anything, including going after the big defense contracts," he said, pausing to take a deep breath. "The jokers that got kidnapped had been making the rounds offering the newest and most effective chemical weapons available.

"Are the guys still on it? We have to find out if they were really that close to delivering the products that they had promised," Ranger spoke softly, evenly. But there was no doubt of the seriousness of the situation. He looked at Tank who nodded affirmatively, it was all the answer he needed, so he continued. "What did you find out about the doctors?"

"You were right about them too. Dunne is not what he appears to be, we've hit some walls and you know what that usually means. We'll find out." Tank hesitated. Many things about Tom Dunne remained a mystery, but not everything. "I can tell you that the guy loved Maria. Nothing about that was an act. He is broken up about losing her. He did everything that he could to protect her, before it went FUBAR." Tank turned his head and looked over at Ranger.

They had had this discussion before Tank left for his little trip to DC. Everything about this mission had put all of Ranger's instincts on alert. It was obvious that these four men were not the average innocent bystanders that they were portrayed to be. As far as Ranger was concerned, Maria Sanchez had been the only innocent civilian there. This should not have happened to her. Someone made a mistake and he intended to find out who it was and why.

At that moment, Mat snuggled closer into his neck and Ranger became perfectly still. Maria loved her baby, she should be here with him now. He had read her letters. She had only wanted the best for him. The way she shared the family stories with him, so that he could know her someday, really touched his heart. There had been an almost poetic feel to her writing. A sad tragedy that had been written like a children's story. Innocent and heart breaking in its simplicity. The words still played in his mind.

After a few minutes, Tank finished his report. He stood and turned to walk out the door. "We go into Tiputini tomorrow. If there is anything there, we will find it." Ranger nodded and Tank left him to his thoughts.

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In a funny quirk of fate, Jasper Walters had inherited a company that he knew nothing about. His father was a research scientist. It had always been his goal to find the cure for cancer. He never did, but he found so many cures for other ailments, that he and his colleagues founded a company to make medicines to help as many people as they could. It had been created with a truly altruistic purpose, and was very successful for many years.

Jasper never had any interest in the pharmaceutical business. He was the second son of his famous father and the closest he ever got to drugs was when he was injured in any one of the sports that he loved to play. In this respect he knew a lot about the drugs that had helped him. And if any of them had been formulated by his father, it was all the same to him.

So while his brother was being groomed to take over the family business, Jasper was playing. He was a professional soccer player. Taking his love of sports to the highest level possible. Truth be told, he was somewhat of a 'player' too. The consummate bachelor attracted the attention of the ladies everywhere he went. His path seldom crossed with his father or his brother. And he liked it that way.

The day he found out that he was now the president and principle shareholder of Humelik Corp was one that he would never forget. The plane crash that took his parents and his brother as well, was a huge news story. The fiery scene was splashed on the front pages of newspapers all around the world. Jasper discovered the news as he ran through the airport with his team, on their way to their next game.

No matter what responsibility had been dropped in his lap, he was still not interested, he was not qualified and he did not have time to run the company. So he did the only reasonable thing, he found someone to do it for him. Thus preserving the company, his family legacy and his fortune.

Edvard Aslak was eager to take the reins. While his friend had been scoring on and off the field, he had been majoring in business administration. He had worked for three different companies before Jasper begged him to take over the operations at Humelik. It had been a seamless transition and the company thrived for years.

Replacing his father in charge of the research end should have been much more difficult, but all Jasper had needed to do was contact Leo Markus. He and Leo had gone to school together too, and his father was one of the original men on the research team. Leo, like his father had joined the company in the research and development department. His father had retired and Leo had been working there for a few years before the accident happened. Jasper thought it was the perfect fit, he knew the company, the people and of course the research projects. Jasper trusted his friends. Nothing could be better.

It was perfect, for a long time. Jasper went and did what he wanted, showing up at the quarterly meetings with the rest of the shareholders. And his friends helped the company to grow bigger than anyone imagined it would. Everyone was so happy with the way things were going.

Then the economies in countries all around the globe started collapse. People began to buy knock off drugs from Canada. And the competition was more fierce than ever in the pharmaceutical business. His friends did not want to worry Jasper about the devastating effect it all had on Humelik. They took matters into their own hands. And started looking for ways to build up the business again. They found it. In the form of a research paper by one Doctor Brian Taylor.

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