A/N not mine, I own nothing.

Slowly One Shots

Ranger's POV

The day after Stephanie came home, I found a email addressed to myself from the core team plus Hector. I knew it was coming, I had messed up big time. I opened my mouth and inserted my foot. I announced to the world about the damn deal, and what I did afterwards. I was being called to the mats, everyday for the next 5 days, starting tomorrow morning at 5 am with Tank, followed by Lester, Bobby, then Hector. I wasn't worried about the core team, but Hector was a wild card. He could do some serious damage. He had declared Steph his sister, and that meant I was screwed. He may not have been military, but he was more dangerous than anyone in this company.

The next morning I was up and down in the gym ready to meet with Tank at 5 am. I was hoping he wouldn't break me. Tank strolled in, and stripped down to shorts and bare feet, then joined me on the mats. Before we started he had a few words of wisdom for me.

"Rangeman,you need to remember this, for Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.

Crap, he is quoting George Santayana. One thing I've learned is that when Tank becomes philosophical, he is in his element, and feels justified in handing you your ass. Sadly, in this case he is perfectly correct. For the next hour, he uncontestably handed me my ass. I left the gym with a pronounced limp. The next two days followed in a similar fashion, a quote, and an ass beating.

On the fourth morning I was a little worse for wear, and I was meeting Hector in the gym. To my surprise, he was fully dressed. He told me to grab my gear and follow him. I wasn't going to argue with him, and did just that. We arrived at a run down cemetery. He got out of the truck and I followed. When he stopped I drew up short, and looked down at the place holder. There was no headstone, just a small plaque that read;

Maria Estphania Curet

October 19, 1977- November 1, 1993

I realized where we were. I knew, that like me, he had mostly grown up in Jersey, but then his family moved to Miami. I now knew why. When he began to speak to me I had to listen closely, he was almost whispering.

"None of us even realized she was sick, by the time we did she was already in stage IV. Lukemia, that's what took her light from us. I cannot lose another Angel. Even you are afraid of me, Steph, she does not fear me. Her heart is the same as Maria's. She knows no fear, only love, and the greatest ability to show it. So many people in this world have treated her so badly, yet her light continues to shine. Stephanie was raised by a Mother who only hates. She was treated like garbage by so many who claimed to love her, including you. When I first met Steph, and saw how much she looked like Maria, and that they shared a name, I knew in my heart that she was a gift. A gift to all of us." He pulled out a picture of Maria, and I couldn't believe how much they looked alike. They could have been twins.

The entire ride back to Haywood, I started to understand why he did this instead of taking me to the mats. Their story shook me to my core. I was facing the possibility of a life without Stephanie in it. I screwed up, and could have had her in my life fully a long time ago, but now our time together was very uncertain. I could lose her completely at any moment, without warning. I knew whag I needed to do, it was time to live, it was our time to fly. I knew in my heart, that I could now step back from my business and watch it grow. The men in my company could make it grow, without me being as involved. ..It was time for me to change.