Fras not Disclaimer: The characters are property of Janet Evanovich and I am not making any money from this story. The story line is mine.

Challenge # 3 Home

By, Elissahara30

To Feather -

"I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I intended to be." -Douglas Adams

I went home. Not to my apartment on Haywood. No, but to Newark. I needed to be alone. Stephanie was getting married today. She didn't use the GPS to find me. I had sat in her apartment that night and held her till morning. I kissed her good bye and that was the last time I saw her.

I had fought against the anger. I focused on the job. But at night the ache in my chest refused to be quiet and I would find myself wanting to go see her. Just let myself in and watch her sleep.

There where times I would find myself with keys in hand in the parking garage at 2:00 am. And every time I just kept thinking . . . she never came. Thats when I turned around and headed back to my apartment. Alone.

I stood at the kitchen window watching the rain come down as I sipped at a bottle of water. It seemed God and I where on the same page today. Who wants fucking happiness when the best person in your life was marrying someone else.

That was when the door bell rang.

I slowly put the bottle of water down on the counter. I walked and hesitated when the door bell rang again. I reached out my hand and turned the knob and opened the door.

There she was. All in white. Her hair was wet and plastered to her head and her makeup running. And in Stephanie's hand was the GPS system I had given her. Her eyes were big like she wasn't sure how she got to my door.

I don't think I could breathe. She was here. At my house. I stepped aside and let her through and I opened the closet by the door and pulled out a blanket and wrapped her in it.

"Babe," was all I could say as my heart started beating double time.

She hugged me tight and I didn't care how wet I got, "I was getting ready," she mumbled against my chest, "And I looked at the vanity and there it was just sitting there."

I could feel her trembling and I maneuvered her to the living room where I had a fire going. I settled us on the floor, never once taking my arms from around her.

"Did you mean it?" She asked.

"What is that Babe?"

"That you've always loved me," she closed her eyes and tilted her face toward the heat.

I could look at her face all day long, "Yes," I said. There was no need to qualify this, I wasn't hiding anymore. But one question was nagging at me, "What about Morelli?"

I felt her sigh heavily, "Have you ever had a sudden moment of clarity," she asked, "Where everything that was foggy suddenly becomes crystal clear."

I thought back to the alley, with Stephanie bleeding in my arms. The moment when her heart stopped, that was my moment of clarity. "Yes," I said softly to her, "I have had one of those."

She nodded her head against my chest, "It was when my mom came into the room to check on me. She picked up the GPS you gave me and asked me what it was. . ," Stephanie pulled back from me, "I took it everywhere I went. I didn't even realize I took it to the church."

"It's alright Babe," I said as I soothed my hand down her back.

"Here I was set to marry Joe, and I just kept picking up the GPS. I pushed a button and like that, I found you." Her blue eyes looked seriously into mine, "And I just left."

"Stephanie . . .," she shushed me with her fingers tips and shook her head.

"Let me finish," she said. "I always wanted to be with you. Yet you kept telling me you didn't want me."

"Babe . . .," I tried again.

"No, Ranger listen please," she took in a deep breath and then let it out slowly, "I don't miss Joe when he's gone. But I realized that I need you. I've had this Ranger sized hole in my chest for weeks, and I missed you so much that it hurts." She tried to smile through the tears running down her face, "I love you and I don't want to be without you anymore."

Her words undid me; I pulled her to me and kissed her with everything I had. I wanted her. I needed her and be damned if I was going to let her go again. If I had to spend the rest of my life convincing her how much I loved her I would. I pulled back and looked at her impossibly beautiful face and said, "I love back, Babe."

A/N: Cheesy ending, but hell it's the best I could do J