Ranger and Stephanie belong to Janet. The mistakes are mine alone.

Once again, my reputation preceded me ... and likely a phone call from one of the partners I was able to buy out a few years back, who recommended this place and I predict also placed a call to make sure I'm taken care of if I followed through on the recommendation. I did and now I'm fucking regretting it, since Stephanie isn't going to be getting the relaxed and romantic evening out I had planned for her.

I felt two sets of eyes on me. Stephanie's blue ones I was expecting, but across the room a panicked Guillermo Damris, the restaurant's owner, was silently asking me what to do, so I did what I do best ... I took control of the situation.

The restaurant is still standing so I know it wasn't the target. My gut told me I'm not in danger, but my training is ingrained and my weapon was in my hand before that niggling 'oh shit' feeling had turned into a full warning.

"Ranger ...?" Steph said, her eyes wide and her body shaking enough to make her new earrings move even though she tried to calm down before I'd notice.

"It's okay, Babe," I told her, moving to her before I checked out the scene I suspect I'll find outside.

Smoke is already masking visibility outside all of the windows. I'm not lying to her, things are okay in here, outside ... not so much. A second explosion sounded a minute later but sounded further away, as if a chain reaction is in place that started with a building nearby and is now moving away from us.

"Nothing about this is okay. Are we being attacked?" She paused. "Oh shit, are WE being attacked?"

Although it's likely safer for her in here than outside, I can't protect her if I can't see her. I took her hand in my free one as I headed for the entrance of the restaurant, signaling to Guillermo to just focus on his customers and I'll handle the rest, patrolling and securing the area until authorities arrived and could take over. I've always believed in the saying 'real heroes run towards ... not away ... from danger'. I don't consider myself a hero, but I will always offer myself and my services for whatever is needed.

"No," I assured my wife. "If we were, our building wouldn't still be here. My enemies know not to take any chances that I'd remain alive. This is too sloppy to be a hit on me."

"Why does that scare me as much as it's currently calming me down?" She asked, between coughs caused by the tornadoes of smoke coming out of the exploded structures.

"Because you're married to me and you know what I said is true."

Sirens could be heard already responding to now a third explosion we could see is one street over. The sound of glass smashing from blown-out windows is almost as loud as the roars of the fires gaining strength from the added supply of oxygen.

"It's like the buildings are on a timer," Steph said, curling her fingertips into my waistband so she wouldn't lose me in the chaos and the people and first responders filling the neighborhood.

"Or the same gas line," I told her, my guess confirmed by talk we could hear between the cops trying to create some type of order in the mayhem.

"So you're looking around to see where you can change into your superhero cape to swoop in and provide assistance, not scanning windows and rooftops for snipers?"

In the midst of a man made natural disaster, I paused to grin down at her. "Not today."

Our change in mood occurred at the sound of screeching of brakes - and then crash - of a car. Firefighters had begun spraying the flames coming out of an upscale boutique on the corner, and another engine was heading to whatever blew beyond it. Luckily, it's late enough that most businesses should be closed for the evening and the engulfed boutique was empty, but the rapidly burning store couldn't continue to support the large sign advertising "Les VĂȘtements Boutique".

The sign let go from the storefront with a crash that stopped the passing car in its tracks. The driver had been trying to get to safety ... and instead just got himself trapped. I understand why he attempted to get away rather than wait for emergency personnel to give him an 'all clear'. If you make it out alive through three blasts, you know your time and luck are running out.

As Steph and I did when we were dealing with Petiak and his flamethrower obsession, almost going up in flames ourselves in a building he had rigged to blow, we ran together to see who we could help, likely whoever's now pinned in the car. I don't draw attention to who and what I am, until who I am can come in handy, so we received only 'happy for the help' nods from those trying to free the couple.

The street was the stuff of nightmares. Lights from cruisers, firetrucks, and ambulances, covering a three-block radius gave off a seizure-like effect ... making the sights, sounds, and smells, more intense as every one of our five senses were fully engaged. I didn't pay attention to any of it, my goal was to free the driver as Steph went to help get the woman out of the passenger's seat before their gas tank could blow or more debris could fall onto them.

If my mother were here, aside from being near hysterical at her coming close to losing us, had the place we were be hooked up to the same natural gas line, she wouldn't call Steph and I being here just a coincidence. She'd swear on a Bible that we were here tonight because we were meant to be just to lend a sympathetic ear, calm nervous minds, and add our strength to the effort everyone in this neighborhood is putting in to keep the destruction and distress to a minimum.

As the ambulance prepared to leave with the driver of the car strapped in, Steph's arms came around me and her forehead tipped heavily against my arm.

"Do you know what I keep thinking?" She said so softly, I had to lower my head to hear her over the new set of sirens arriving on the scene.

"I'm going to guess it's not something good," I told her, sliding my around her so I could feel that she is safe ... and also so I'd know when her adrenaline runs out and she's about to crash.

"Depends how you want to look at it. This scared the crap out of me," she admitted, "but the thought that keeps running on a loop in my head, is that if things had turned out differently, and I was the one in that ambulance, I'm so freakin' lucky that I had a chance to be with you again and I was able to kiss Olive goodbye and tell her again that we love her, before we even made it out of our apartment."