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Standard FF disclaimers apply.

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I Need You. Transition

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She had never seen so many long faces. It was still early in the morning and the team was assembled on the fifth floor. Stephanie and Mat had come down to see them off. She knew that Ranger was not excited to go, neither were the other guys, but they all knew it had to happen. Since the debriefings usually happened directly after each mission, she was grateful that they had let Ranger come home with Mat first. It had been hard enough to wait for him to wade through the paperwork in Ecuador, another couple of days would have pushed her to her limits.

Right now, Mat was tucked into Ranger's shoulder. Stephanie watched as he hugged him tight and kissed the top of his soft head. It would be at least twenty-four hours before they would be back. Seeing how much he was going to miss their little boy touched her heart. She stepped forward and wrapped them both in her embrace, laying her head on Ranger's other shoulder. It was going to be the longest day of her life. When Ranger's lips gently kissed her forehead, she was not sure that she would let him go.

Now all she could think was that the sooner she let them go, the quicker they could return. She would be counting down each minute. Suddenly all of the guys were in motion. Cal and Woody each grabbed large black canvas bags. Everyone headed for the stairs, it was time to get this show on the road.

Ranger led Stephanie into the elevator. As the doors slowly shut, he pulled her close and hugged her tight. He whispered his words of love in her ears and kissed her until the elevator stopped and the doors opened. Silently she followed him to the truck. He kissed Mat once more and gently transferred the sleeping baby to her shoulder. One more hug, and he was getting into the truck.

Stephanie stepped back, and watched as the trucks pulled out of the garage. And as she had so many times before, she whispered "Come back home soon!" Even though she knew that they would have to leave, a part of her had hoped that the stall tactics that Ranger had been pulling all morning would somehow keep him from going.

Standing alone in the garage now, she found herself thinking about all the ways that he had stalled getting out of bed. A warmth that started in her heart crept up her neck and ended up as a blush on her cheeks. She and Ranger had gone to bed very late, but they had not slept at all last night. In fact, she had to wonder how much longer they would have stayed in bed if Mat had not wanted some attention this morning.

He was still asleep in Stephanie's arms and she gently kissed the top of his downy soft head. She was swaying back and forth, rocking her little boy as her thoughts drifted back to the discussion she had with Ranger last night.

The mission to Ecuador had been his last assignment. And because it was, he would not have the need to keep secrets about his work from her any more. That was also going to apply to the other parts of their life too, no more secrets. Now if they could just get through this last separation, she would finally be free of the worry that she always felt when he was gone.

If she could just get through the next day.

She was so lost in her thoughts, Stephanie did not hear the elevator. She was still staring at the security gate that was now closed, when suddenly she realized that Ella was standing next to her, her own gaze on the gate as well.

"They will be here soon," she said. Stephanie turned her head sharply and looked at Ella. She must have a very different definition of the word 'soon'. Ella's smile was almost a laugh. "In fact," she said as her attention turned once again to the gate. "There they are now."

The gate opened and a large truck pulled slowly into the garage. Stephanie was looking closely to see who was here. She was surprised to see Camila driving that huge truck. Moments later, Celia and Olivia had joined their mother in walking toward Stephanie and Ella.

"Buenos Dias," Camila said cheerfully. "Ah, here is my little Matthias," she continued as she stretched her arms to the baby, looking at Stephanie for permission to steal him away from her. Stephanie smiled and handed over the small bundle.

"It's good to see you… " Stephanie said politely, in an effort to figure out why they were here. She was being led along with the group, and they were walking into the elevator when Celia answered for them all.

"It's time to practice and get Mat ready for the honeymoon." Three heads were bobbing in agreement to that statement. "Sofia won't be here til later, but she wants in on the practice session too," Celia laughed, and the others joined her. Stephanie was left a bit stunned. Honeymoon? she thought. Then a smile spread across her face. The elevator doors opened and she ushered the group into the apartment. The picture on Ranger's desk came to mind. Love for her husband swelled so big she thought her chest would burst.

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It had been so long since he had been home. Because of his team schedule, Jasper had been attending the quarterly meetings via satellite from the New York office for years now. There had not been the need to actually be here. From the moment he had landed, the weight of the decisions he had made so long ago pulled down on him. He could still feel the ache that he had tried to ignore years ago. It was this ache that had kept him away. It was painful coming back to this building, his father's pride and joy. So many memories, of his mother, his father, his brother, and of his desire to hide from his responsibilities. He had been young, that was one excuse, but not one that he could use any more. It was time to face his father's expectations of him.

Jasper glanced at the thick stand of trees bordering either side of the drive leading to the Humelik building. Up around the next curve, he would be able to see it. The rental car he was driving slowed as he made the turn. He stopped. His family had been so proud of this business. Some of the pain in his heart eased a little. He was here to take his place in the company, finally living up to his potential. With the help of Richard in the business office, and Paul in research, he was sure that he could really make a significant contribution. All of a sudden it felt so important to make his father proud of him.

"I guess I had to grow up sometime," he said to himself as he moved forward again. Pulling into the parking lot, he passed by the row of 'Guest' parking spaces and deliberately chose the space that was marked as 'Reserved'. His mind-set tonight did not allow him to consider himself just a visitor here any more.

Of course, in many ways, that was exactly what he was. A visitor. He had not been in this building since the family had joined in the grand opening celebrations. He remembered the huge royal blue ribbon that had been stretched across the whole front of the building. He still saw the satisfaction in his father's face as they watched his mother ceremoniously cut through the shiny ribbon with an enormous pair of scissors. All the fanfare that could be associated with a grand opening had been planned for the event. They had pulled out all the stops for the occasion.

Faces from that big day came to his mind. Paul Marcus and his son were there. Leo was Jasper's friend. He had hated seeing him there, hated seeing how Leo's dad was acting all proud that he was going to join him on the research team. Jasper's own father had that same look for his brother. Proudly standing with his hand on Nickolas' shoulder, introducing him to all of the dignitaries that attended the event.

He shook off the visions from the past, and got out of the car. With more bravado than he actually felt right now, he marched right up to the doors and pulled them open. Stepping inside, his nervousness overtook him and he walked right past the executive offices, heading for the only part of the building that he knew well.

No one had missed him at the festivities. While everyone else had been hobnobbing outside, Jasper had taken his own personal tour of the building. Having no interest at all in the offices, he found his way into the labs. Brand new, shiny and bright, he loved the clean lines and the sterile smooth surfaces. His explorations took him into the basement labs too, the ones that could be secured if they were working on special or secret formulations. That was exactly where his feet took him now.

Partly by instinct and partly from memory he walked through the dimly lit halls. As he got closer, he just followed the sounds. There were voices. He assumed that it was Richard and Paul waiting for him. His footsteps quickened, but he remained unheard by the men who were so caught up in their conversation. Arriving outside of the door, Jasper could now hear what the voices were saying. He stopped dead in his tracks, this was definitely not who he thought it was. These people were talking about betraying his company, his father's legacy. How could they even consider working with arms-dealers. What formula did they have that could be used as a weapon?

This could not be happening. Why would they... how could they? He had been frozen, just listening, but now Jasper was angry. This could ruin Humelik, and he could not allow it! His hand jutted forward to grab the door knob, but was stopped midair as a large hand grabbed him. Jasper looked up in surprise, Richard pulled him back away from the door and said, "Shhhh." After a few moments, that he spent staring at the closed door in front of them, Richard looked at Jasper, and then his eyes turned to someone behind him. "That is Karl," he whispered to the other person, identifying the speaker inside.

It was then that Jasper noticed that Paul was there in the hall with them. He nodded to both men and stood with them, just a few feet from the door, listening. Jasper noticed the two men exchanging glances. Then Richard pointed to a small metal box above the door, bringing attention to the fact that a red dot of light was glowing in the center of the box. Jasper was confused at first, but then he realized that the light indicated that the microphones inside the room had been activated, this conversation was being recorded.

Silently they retreated down the hall into a small office. Paul closed the door and Richard turned on the computer at the same time. The faint blue glow from the monitor gradually turned white and grew in intensity until the picture came into focus. And then there they were; Karl and three other men could be seen on the computer screen. A security camera was inside each of the labs, Jasper had known that once, but he had not had any reason to think about it until now.

Richard's fingers were a blur as he worked on the keyboard. Making sure that the entire conversation was being digitally recorded in here. Jasper was leaning against the wall, as if it were all that was supporting him. The excitement that he had brought with him, to introduce the nutritional products and take the company in a new direction, was being pushed out by an anger that was starting to consume him. He looked at the screen again. The only person in that room that he knew was Karl. Ed's very good friend Karl. And Karl looked very much to be the one in charge.

Did Ed know about this? His mind was spinning, questions about his friend now surfaced. He suddenly thought of something that Richard had said to him. "Sometimes things are not what they seem." At the time, Jasper wondered what he meant by that. Now he needed to know. What did everyone know about Humelik that he did not. His gaze went from the screen to Richards face. Richard nodded and stood. Confident that the system was working and recording Karl's little rendezvous, he quietly led Jasper to his office upstairs.

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He hated making this trip. He always hated the drive to DC. And he knew why. Every time he went there, is was to meet with the suits and to have to justify every action that he had taken since the assignment began. Military strategy and accountability he understood. What Ranger never could figure out was the blame game played by bureaucrats.

No matter how right the mission went, they were always looking for ways to cover their butts. It made no sense at all. But here they were, going back in to face another debriefing. Or would it be more accurate to call it a cross examination! Ranger was definitely not in the mood. But for the good of the team, he would follow through and play his part one last time. Slowly a smile emerged behind the blank face that he wore. This was his last debriefing! The fact that he now had his life ahead of him, to share with Stephanie, made his heart overflow with pride and happiness. That was enough to make this an event to remember.

But they had so much more that made this last mission one that he will never forget. Finding Mat. Marrying Stephanie. Discovering the research. Helping one of the most widely revered Rangers in history. Protecting the serum. Yes, there were many things that would keep this mission always in his mind.

By the time they walked into the ugly brick building, Ranger had lifted his mood to the point that he was going to be able to get through the process without agonizing over it. He was now looking forward to the moment that he could tell the powers that be that he would not be working with them anymore.

Woody and Cal handed over the black bags and the process began. Each of the men were taken to different rooms for their 'personal debriefings'. The General was the one to come in to talk to Ranger. Many questions were asked, but not all of them were asked by the general. Ranger had his fair share of things he wanted to know too, although, his questions were far more subtle than the general's. He had learned early on in his Ranger career to gather information as stealthily as he had been taught to move in and out of targeted locations.

During the 'conversation', Ranger let himself think back over his years in the Rangers and his career as an undercover operative. Much of what he was, he owed to one man: Code name Vapour. Though they had not had the opportunity to meet, this man had taught the men in his team everything that he knew about strategy, subtle interrogation tactics, marksmanship, and most of all, his ability to compartmentalize everything. From there, these tactics were taught to every Ranger that followed. It was this one technique, compartmentalizing, that had made Ranger one of the most effective operators and always kept him in high demand. It was a powerful technique that he had ended up applying to nearly every aspect of his life.

While the answers that Ranger gave were accurate, from a specific point of view, none of the information that he did not want them to have was discussed. On the other hand, the General gave up so much information, without realizing it, Ranger almost smiled. What he learned allowed him to know that his plans for his future would not have any complications with this branch of the government.

Finally, his session with the General was over and Ranger joined the rest of the team in a large conference room. The black canvas bags had been emptied onto one end of the table that extended the entire length of the room. Dozens of weapons were lined up. Several boxes contained the other items; cigarettes, chewing gum, bic lighters and a random set of keys. Each was marked and tagged like a piece of evidence in a trial. It all looked very official, and Ranger knew that it was all that the team had let them know about, when asked what was found while they were in Ecuador.

A new set of suits ran this meeting. They finally walked in after the team had been seated and waiting for almost an hour. Blank faces welcomed them into the room. All of the men in suits, but one, found their seats and the meeting was started without any introduction.

"The man responsible for the kidnapping of Dr Brian Taylor; Dr Tom Dutton; Edvard Aslak; and Leo Markus had been identified as Juan Arquilla. All efforts to work with Arquilla had been denied before we sent you in to rescue the men," said the tall man standing at the head of the table. Every word was spoken with a monotone practicality, it was all fact, nothing to be discussed. "You may be interested to know that an unidentified group of people attacked Arquilla at his villa. It was burned down to the ground, he did not survive the blaze."

As abruptly as he had begun to talk, he finished and walked to the opposite end of the room. He addressed the team as he indicated the weapons. "All of these weapons were found at the kidnapping location." It sounded neither like a question nor a statement. Ranger and his men simply nodded. It was an answer to either.

The tall man seemed to have more questions, but he did not say anything more. It was part of the act. He was allowing them to think that he knew much more about the mission than he actually did. True to secretive government policies concerning these types of operations, each member of the investigating team only handled a specific portion of of the inquest. The most irritating part of that system was that none of these men knew much about Ranger and his work. They were not given high enough clearance to know about the past operations. And yet here they sat, thinking that their investigation was more important than anything else.

It was a good thing that the guys all had the skills that they did, the blank faces were firmly in place. All the information that these men would get, they already had. Two hours later the suits finally realized it and the meeting was over.

Over the sound of silverware clinking on stoneware plates, and the hum of conversation, Ranger and Tank talked. The late dinner break was a welcome distraction and Lester was entertaining the rest of the guys. They had the whole place to themselves as it was after hours and the cafeteria was closed. Special orders had been given for their meals ahead of time. They had been delivered from an outside source local to DC that Ranger approved of. He was making sure that during this last mission, he got to enjoy all of the perks that were available to him. Although it was small consolation for having to be away from Stephanie and Mat.

"General C will be here in an hour," Tank was saying. "I'll have some time to talk to him before the last meeting with the team." Ranger nodded. He had agreed to let Tank be the one to discuss the future of the team. After all, he was going to recommend that his friend Colonel Pierre Thibault be placed in charge of the RangeMan team.

This decision had already lifted so much weight from Ranger's shoulders. He could not wait to get back and start the new phase of his life, as the acting and active head of RangeMan Inc. Stephanie had agreed to work part time with him, taking on the role of being the first one from the company that contacted all new customers. She was the perfect person for it, and had been so excited when he had approached her with the idea. All of the parts of his life were coming together so well!

Just as soon as they got back from their honeymoon, everything that they talked about, for their new life together, would begin. His future never looked so bright. Of course, he knew that the higher ups may not see it that way, at first. But it would not take long to allow them to see that Tank was the man for the job.

"You are sure you are ready for this?" Tank was asking Ranger. "It will seem odd to a few people that we are switching places, so to speak," he said.

"It's the perfect arrangement," Ranger said, and then he looked pointedly at his friend. "This is what you want, right?" Tank laughed at the serious look on Ranger's face. They had been talking about this change for a long time now. At first, he would admit to a little reluctance to the idea. Ranger had always been his best friend, their roles had always suited both of them. And now he realized that that was all they were, roles. It was just a matter of assuming the new responsibility. They were both ready.

"It is time," he simply stated. Ranger nodded. Yes, it was time!

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