Sorry it's be longer than usual for this post. Life just got in the way. Enjoy!

Carlos' POV

Julie was so excited that we were actually going to get to spend the evening outside of the hospital. We talked about going out for dinner, but it was just after noon now and there was plenty of time to decide that.

Bobby was off visiting Riley so we didn't have a rental car at our disposal. Bobby said that he'd make sure he was back in time to take us to the airport, but he wouldn't be around this evening. That meant that we had to stick close to the hotel or take a taxi. I would let Babe and Julie decide after we're a bit more settled in back at the hotel.

Julie and Babe were sitting at a booth in a restaurant eating lunch. It was a bit early, it wasn't even 11:30, but we ate nonetheless. We were discussing our evening options when my phone rang. The phone was sitting on the table so Babe reached over and handed it to me.

I answered the phone, listened for a few minutes and groaned. I thanked the caller and hung up.
"What's wrong Papa?"

"That was the FBI. They need me to go to their offices this afternoon. They have some questions for me. Something else is up, but I'm not sure what. They're sending a car for me in 30 minutes."

Babe looked at me with frustration in her eyes and asked, "How long will you be gone?"

"I'm not sure, but we're still going out for dinner tonight. I want to take my two beautiful ladies out on the town."

I realised something at that moment. I looked at my Babe and said, "Actually, I just realised that I don't have any suitable clothing for a night out on the town. Perhaps I can send you two shopping to get some things. Ella has all my sizes so she'll be able to help you if you give her a call."

Both Julie and Stephanie perked up at this idea. While they discussed where to go, I thought about the contents of my bag and what clothes were in there. The best I could do was a pair of black cargo pants and a black t-shirt. Normally, I'd dress a bit more business appropriate, but I'm sure they'll understand if I show up dressed in my usual RangeMan attire.

I handed Stephanie my credit card and said, "Why don't you and Julie buy yourselves a nice outfit for tonight to go with what you pick up for me."

"Sure Carlos, just call and let me know what time to expect you. We'll make sure we're back at the hotel so we can all get ready in time."

"OK, let's head over to the hotel now and I'll see if the concierge can make us some reservations at a nice restaurant."

Julie insisted on carrying my bag and I carried the laptop bag as we walked the two short blocks to the hotel. I sent the girls up to the room and went to talk to the concierge. After about 10 minutes, we had reservations at a very exclusive restaurant with a great view of Capitol Hill. I even went all out and ordered a town car to get us there and back. I thanked the concierge and left a nice tip before heading up to the room. I had about 5 minutes to change and get back downstairs to meet the FBI car, so there wasn't much time to share our evening plans. It would just have to be a surprise.

I gave my Babe a quick kiss and wished her a nice afternoon. Julie gave me a huge hug and then we all walked down to the lobby together. As soon as I walked into the lobby, an FBI agent approached me and introduced himself. I turned and looked at my girls and said, "Have fun today ladies. I'll see you soon."

Stephanie's POV

Julie and I watched as Carlos walked out to the FBI car that was waiting at the front door. I looked down at Julie and said, "Well, let's go ask the woman at the concierge desk where the best places were for shopping. She might be able to give us a hint about where your Papa is going to take us."

Julie grinned and followed me over to the desk. The woman, who was named Debbie, gave us a list of places to go shopping. She also informed me that Carlos had arranged for a car to take us around town. After that, she called the driver and made arrangements for them to pick us up at their earliest convenience. Debbie promised to call us when the car arrived, so Julie and I headed back up to the room to make a list of what we wanted to buy.

At the same time, I called Ella to get the information I needed to buy Carlos some new clothes. Ella told me his sizes and gave me suggestions on where to go. If I went to one particular shop, I could buy a pair of dress pants off the rack and they wouldn't need tailored at all to fit Carlos. She also gave me a few suggestions on other shops for shoes and shirts.

With our list in hand, we went down to meet our driver about 25 minutes later. The driver was an older gentleman who reminded me a little of my dad. He insisted that we call him Stanley and he seemed so excited when we showed him a list of where we wanted to go. Stanley would drop us off right in front of the shopping centre and then we'd call him and he'd pick us up at the same place.

The rest of the day was crazy. We started out getting things for Carlos and then moved on to getting clothes for Julie and I. Julie was feeling a bit overwhelmed at one point because she was carrying all of our bags. I felt guilty so I called Stanley and he came in and took the bags from Julie.

At 4:00, I had to take a break and take some pain meds. My leg was a bit sore and we still had an evening with Carlos to get through. We both bought outfits for that night and I also insisted that we pick up a few essentials for us all. I bought t-shirts for Emma and Diego. I bought a lovely outfit for Lula. I bought several nice dress shirts for Carlos and both Julie and I bought a few pairs of jeans and some cute tops.

Stanley picked us up at 4:30 and we were back at the hotel by 4:45. We had yet to hear from Carlos. He promised to be back in time for dinner, so Julie and I took turns showering and getting ready. I helped Julie with her hair and she helped me with mine. With the aid of the spray Lula bought, Julie was easily able to brush my hair and then help me dry it. Once our hair was finished, we worked on makeup, but we decided to get dressed after Carlos returned. In the meantime, we flipped through the channels on the television and watched something to pass the time.

Ranger's POV

I was left in a conference room and was joined a few minutes later by three men in suits. "Captain Manoso, thank you so much for coming. I'm Agent Marcus Saunders. With me are Agents Brian Fontaine and Anthony Riviera. We have been assigned the Gina Matthews case and have been working with a Detective Joseph Morelli back in Trenton.

"The reason we called you here is because we need some background on your interactions with Mrs. Matthews once she arrived in the States. We know the circumstances of your first meeting are actually classified, and we've been briefed on that. We just need to know about any encounters you and she may have had since she immigrated."

I thought for a moment and said, "I've only met Mrs. Matthews once. It was at a reception to celebrate General Matthews' time in office. At the time, she was the General's fiancée. I might have shaken her hand, but I didn't speak to her other than your typical 'nice to meet you' greeting."

"OK Captain, how do you think Gina figured out who you were?"

"She recognised one of my men and associated him with the timing of our presence and Escobar's death."

"How did she associate you with that time?"

I thought back to that night and said, "We started talking about several missions, nothing specific. Everything was a generalisation. The one in Columbia came up."

"Do you remember who brought up this topic?"

I thought again and shook my head. "I know it wasn't Santos, me, the General or his fiancée."

"Who else was there?"

"Oh God, I don't remember. There were a lot of people there."

"If you could think about it and let us know, we'd appreciate it."

All three of the men in the room handed me a business card.

"We know Gina was working with somebody, but we can't figure out whom. We're also trying to figure out how she knew to target the General. We don't believe her when she says it was a coincidence."

"Sure. I'll think about it and get back to you."

After a few more questions, Agents Fontaine and Riviera left and Agent Saunders asked if I wanted to talk to Gina again. He offered to let me ask a few targeted questions if I was interested. I wasn't sure if I wanted to talk to her, but I was sort of interested in telling her that her attempts to ruin me had failed.

I was taken to the room adjacent to where Gina would be placed for our interview. Once she was seated, I walked in and sat down without saying a word. I decided to wait until she said something before I spoke.

I didn't have to wait long. Gina sneered and said, "What are you going to do now that RangeMan is in shambles?"

I didn't reply. I just stared at her with my blank face.

"No amount of insurance can give your customers their peace of mind back."

Again, I just sat there.

"Come on Manoso, admit it. You're ruined."

It was at that time that I turned my blank face into a slow smile. "I hate to break it to you, but RangeMan is up and running strong. Sure we've had a few setbacks, but we're doing well. In fact, this was great publicity for my firm and we've had more enquiries than we can actually handle at this time. We're improving facilities, adding staff and expanding."

Gina's face fell and then she sneered at me again before saying, "I'm sure it won't last long. I still have someone out there who was just as affected as I was when you killed Enrique."

After hearing that, I simply stood and left the room. I walked into the adjacent room that had a two-way mirror and looked at Agent Saunders. "Captain, do you have any idea who she was talking about?"

I shook my head and said, "No, not at all. Paula and Enrique were only married for 5 years and they had no children. Even if they had, they'd be too young. We should look at Enrique's family to see if he has a brother or a cousin that could be out for revenge. At the time of the mission, our intelligence showed no family at all. It sounds like somebody associated with Escobar is responsible for helping Gina carry out the bombings."

Saunders nodded and said, "We'll get right on it and let you know if we find anything."

I looked down at my watch and saw that it was almost 5PM. Our dinner reservations were at 7 and I still had to get back to the hotel. Saunders must have sensed my desire to leave because he said, "The car is outside waiting to take you back to your hotel. Have a safe trip back to Trenton and we'll be in touch if we find out anything. Please think about your first encounter with Gina and maybe talk with Santos to see if he remembers something."

I walked out and climbed into the car and relaxed as it made its way through the DC rush hour. I called my Babe to tell her I am on my way and she assured me that she'd have everything ready for when I got there. She told me that she had my brand new clothes pressed and cleaned and they were all laid out on the bed waiting for me to put them on. If I was honest with myself, I was a bit worried about what Stephanie had bought for me. I like to wear dark clothes and she knows it. She always tells me that I need more colour in my life. I'm worried that I might show up and find a bright pink or a lime green shirt and tie. Maybe I should stop and get something just in case? I looked down at my watch and decided against it. I'd just have to trust my Babe and hope that I'm not too disappointed by her choice.

I was getting a bit fidgety in the back seat. The driver must have noticed this because he asked if I had plans for the evening. I explained that I had dinner reservations and that time was getting very tight. He did something that I don't think I could have ever predicted. He turned on his siren and put his foot down.

Because the traffic got out of our way, I was back at the hotel just before 6PM. That gave about 15 minutes to get ready because a car would be here at 6:15 to take us to the restaurant. I took the elevator up and my Babe met me at the open door. Neither she nor Julie was dressed, but their hair and makeup was done. I smiled at her and hurried into the bathroom to have a quick shower.

Five minutes later, I walked into the bedroom to find a pair of black dress pants, black socks, black shoes and a navy dress shirt ready and waiting. I dressed quickly and emerged moments later. Both Babe and Julie took this time to get dressed themselves. Julie was wearing a pretty pink floral dress and my Babe was wearing a nice long pistachio green dress that covered her cast, but left her back exposed. I just stood there and stared.

"Papa, we need to go. The car is waiting."

I looked over at Julie to find her on the phone. I hadn't even heard it ring. I watched my Babe put on a light jacket and she handed me a thin leather button up jacket. I looked at the jacket in my hands and was amazed at how light it was. It was a medium brown colour and it was exactly something I'd have picked out if I'd have been shopping. My Babe knew me so well. I put on my new jacket and followed the two women in my life to the elevators.

Stephanie's POV

When we went down to meet the car, I was expecting the same type of town car that Julie and I had for the day. When I walked out front, my jaw dropped because it was a limousine, not a town car. Stanley was still the driver though.

Both Julie and I greeted Stanley and crawled in the back and Carlos had a quick word with Stanley before he too climbed in. Stanley closed the door and ran around to his side and then we were off. Carlos refused to tell us where we were going. He said that he wanted it to be a surprise. I honestly didn't think it would matter, even if I knew the name of the restaurant. I've never been here before, except for a school trip when I as 12. It's not like I know all the restaurants in Washington.

Carlos sat between Julie and I. Each of us snuggled to his side and he explained what the FBI wanted and how his conversation with Gina went. At first, he was reluctant to share that information in front of Julie, but I encouraged him to keep her in the loop. She was a smart girl, despite the fact that she was barely a teenager.

We both listened as Carlos explained that the FBI was sure that Gina had a partner. They have no idea who it might be so they wanted my opinion. He gave them all of the information he dad and thought that they were a bit disappointed when he was unable to pinpoint their culprit for them. He seemed a bit annoyed with himself so I said, "Maybe you do need to talk to Lester. Maybe the two of you can put your heads together and come up with something you've missed. It's worth a shot Carlos."

"I know Babe. I'm just so tired of this mess already, and it's barely just begun."

I was about to say something in reply to this when Julie said, "Papa, you might be tired, but you're not alone. You don't have to do this alone. You have lots of friends and family who are willing to help. You just have to let us help you."

Carlos looked down at his daughter and I swear, I thought I saw tears in his eyes. It only lasted a minute before he wrapped his arms around her and hugged her. "Thanks baby girl. That was exactly what I needed to hear. I'm so glad that you are going to be so nearby. I'm going to love having you around."

Julie smiled that smile that made her look so much like Carlos and said, "I'm glad too. I am going to love getting to know you better and spending time with you and your extended family. That includes the Merry Men."

Carlos looked at me with a raised eyebrow and both Julie and I laughed. "I explained to Julie how I started referring to your RangeMan employees as the Merry Men, and it just sort of stuck in her mind."

Julie chuckled a bit and said, "I can just picture Uncle Tank and Uncle Lester in tights. Perhaps we should have a uniform change?"

Carlos laughed and said, "I don't think we need to put ideas like that in Lester's head. Let's keep that idea to ourselves."

Julie grinned and nodded. She looked across Carlos at me and said, "I'm also glad I'll be able to spend time with you, Mama. I want to meet my new step-grandparents and everything."

Carlos looked over at me and then said to Julie, "Stephanie and I are going to dinner at Steph's parents on Tuesday night. Then we're going to Abuela and Abuelo Manoso on Friday. We thought you might want to join us, but only if you want."

"Are you kidding? Why wouldn't I want to see my family and meet my new family? Of course I want to go. I am excited to meet Mama's family and I can't wait to see Abuela and Abuelo again. It's been a long time."

Carlos smiled at me and pulled the two of us into a hug. He mumbled something that sounded like "What did I do to deserve this much happiness," but I couldn't be sure so I let it go.

Julie was teasing Carlos about his men in tights when Stanley spoke over the intercom. "We're at the restaurant Mr. Manoso. I will stop and then be around to open the door."

Carlos relaxed a little and gathered his jacket and squeezed my hand. Moments later, the car stopped and Stanley was opening the door. Carlos climbed out first and then he helped Julie and then me out of the car.

As soon as we were on the sidewalk, Stanley handed Ranger his card and told him to call when we were ready to leave. He would be 10 minutes or less away. Carlos pocketed the card, took Julie's hand and put his arm around my shoulder and led us into the restaurant.

The restaurant was on the top floor of a high-rise building. We were ushered to our seats near a floor to ceiling window and both Julie and I stared in awe. We had a perfect view of The Capitol, the White House, the Smithsonian and several other touristy things that I'd only ever seen in pictures and on television.

A waiter came in and asked about drinks. Carlos ordered a bottle of champagne for us and a glass of sparkling cider for Julie. He also ordered a pitcher of ice water and a bottle of Perrier. I looked at him and attempted to raise just one eyebrow. Of course that didn't work and Carlos laughed at me, but I wasn't upset. I was determined to figure out how to do that someday, but today wasn't that day.

As soon as the drinks arrived, Carlos poured our champagne and then raised his glass. "To say that I'm the luckiest man on earth right now is a bit of an understatement." He stopped speaking and turned to speak directly to Julie. "Sweetheart, I look forward to spending more time with you and watching you grow into the beautiful woman I know you will become. Having you here with us tonight makes this so much better."

Julie had tears in her eyes and I thought I saw some in Carlos' for a second as well. He then patted Julie's hand and focused his attention on me. "Babe, there are no words that can explain the joy I feel knowing that you are going to be my wife. I can't wait to start our life together and see where life leads us. I never thought of myself as a very eloquent man, but my love for you and Julie seems to have brought it out of me. I love you both with all my heart, and the more time we spend together, the more my love grows." Carlos held up his glass and said, "To us, our family, and whatever life may bring for us."

With that, Carlos took a sip of his champagne, as I struggled to lift my shaking hand to my mouth. Carlos wrapped his hand around mine and helped guide my glass to my mouth. Once I had taken a sip, I looked at Carlos and said, "I like this eloquent version of you, Carlos."

"Me too, Papa. I love you both so much."

All three of us stood and hugged and cried. Yes, I said that right. We all cried from joy. Even Carlos, and for once, he didn't even try to hide the tears that were in his eyes. He looked at me with such love on his face that I doubted anything could ever stand in our way again."

We enjoyed a lovely meal together, and when we were finished, Carlos had Stanley take us on a bit of a sightseeing tour. He drove around for an hour before Carlos noticed that Julie was yawning and struggling to stay awake. He asked Stanley to take us back to our hotel and when we arrived, Carlos gave Stanley a tip that caused the man to object. "It's too much Mr. Manoso. I only did a bit of driving. My fee is sufficient." Carlos insisted and Stanley handed Ranger another card and said if we were ever back in town, he'd be happy to drive us wherever we liked.

We waved at Stanley and made our way up to our room. Once inside, Julie gave us each a hug and went to get ready for bed. She didn't take very long and disappeared quickly. Carlos pulled me into his arms and said, "Let's go to bed Babe. I'm sure we're both tired and need our sleep. Tomorrow might well prove to be a long day. Airports are never much fun."

We crawled into bed a little while later. Carlos pulled me towards him and we managed to sleep wrapped around each other despite my awkward leg and cast. I closed my eyes and said, "Goodnight Carlos. I love you."

I was just about asleep when I heard his reply. "Sleep well Babe. I love you more."

I will post the next chapter as soon as I can. I can't guarantee my next posts will be as frequent as they have been in the past and I apologise for that. Reviews are always welcome.