I own nothing. This is just something that I thought about.

I sat black jeep in the shadows of the Motel 6 parking lot. I had been gone from town for eighteen months. It was not an easy eighteen months, either. After a particularly horrible day, I was feeling low. I felt so alone. A close friend had given me a business card. I called the number and for once I felt hope. A week later, I left town.

It did not take me long to pack up and donate my furniture and most of my clothes. I am sure someone is loving my distraction clothes. I sent letters to Ranger, my parents, Gram, Eddie and the mayor stating that I was leaving town of my own volition. I had it notarized and everything. I gave up my apartment. I gave up my pseudo relationship with Morelli and the one I had with Ranger.

I mailed all of my trackers and my phone to Rangeman from a third party. I gave up. I no longer wanted to be in the vortex of all of the gossip going around town. I left and I got training and I got my self-esteem back. Most of all, I got me. I can support myself now; I can even cook, so no more guilt dinners.

I am back for revenge. I am back for closure. People have intentionally wronged me. It turns out that Morelli was cheating on Terri Gilman with me. He could not have a public relationship with her so he used me as a front. All of my off and on behavior just made it easier on him. I learned that from a package that was mailed to me.

Also, the only reason Morelli wanted me to stop bounty hunting was because it made it obvious that I was solving the cases he tried to take credit for, and there were many he did claim as his own solved cases. I was ridiculously stupid with regards to Morelli. I will get him, though.

I checked my watch. It was 0210. I still had time. My own mother helped him with a plan that would have seen me pregnant and trapped with his spawn. I used a quarterly birth control shot, but I told no one but Bobby. This is the reason the tampered with condoms failed to work on me. That woman even took my clothes in at the seams so I would think I gained weight. She told everyone I was pregnant. Oh well. That was a lie.

Connie and Lula helped my mother spread lies about me. I have them on a cd recording talking about how I was useless and only good for food and gossip. They told any Rangeman they came into contact with that I was getting married and that I was so in love with Morelli. How could I love a man when I refused to call him by his first name?

They used me for food. Lula always left me behind so I had to handle the crime scenes and questioning. Connie gave me dangerous skips that should have gone to Rangeman. She lowered the bond amounts and kept the difference. She cheated me out of money when most of the time I was barely making rent. All the while she was smiling in my face.

I checked my watch. It would be about 10 more minutes until the charges went off at the Bond's office. No one is in the building. It is 0220 in the morning. The only person I regretted leaving was Ranger. He never lied to me. I just did not like what I was being told. I was even mad at him for no reason.

Just because he said I should fix things with Morelli did not mean I had to do it. Fixing it could have meant break it off for good. How was I expecting that man to be with me completely when I kept jumping in and out of Morelli's bed? I sent him postcards from different states. I did not want him to find me until I was ready.

I checked my watch. I still had eight minutes. I had confirmed that Morelli's house is empty. The bonds office is empty. No one is near the cars that belong to Lula, Connie, Vinnie, my mother, Joyce, Dickie, Carl and Big Dog. They bet on me and delayed response times to my car wrecks.

Tonight there was a game. People got tickets and limo rides. It was money well spent. They left their cars home. They left their homes. Tomorrow they would come home to a burnt out house and car(Morelli and Joyce), a burnt out office(Vinnie, Connie, Lula), burnt out cars(Lula, Connie, Dillon, Carl, Big Dog, Helen). I found out that every time Dillon repaired my door, he gave a key to Morelli. That was just so wrong.

No one was home. Not even the neighbors.

I checked my watch one last time, then I pressed the button. Morelli's car blew up. I drove in the opposite direction. As I drove past locations, I pressed the buttons to detonate.

I had also sent some envelopes to people with incriminating information. The local newspaper would soon feature a story about me. I was adopted. All of this time, and they never told me. I am still Stephanie Michelle, but my last name is Prinzi. I am not related to my "family" so they never stood up for me. They just let things happen. I was always doomed as long as I stayed in this town. I am glad I will live elsewhere now.

I sent a text message and drove to the beach and sat there in my black tee shirt and cargo capris. I took my hair loose from my ponytail and sat and watched the sky while I drank lemonade from my cooler. It had been something of a road trip to get here. I checked my watch again. It was 0300 and I heard the footsteps.

He sat next to me and I leaned my head onto his shoulder. "Nice fireworks, Babe." I giggle.

"Thanks, Ranger."

He kissed my forehead. "I missed you, Babe."

"I missed you, too, Ranger, but I had to get away. Did Tank get the last box I shipped to him?"

He stroked my hair. "Yes, he loved the new xbox, games, chocolates, movies and gift cards you have sent him. He gloated that he had a secret admirer. All I got was a few postcards." I turn and face him. He really is a beautiful man. I love his hair long.

"I was not ready to be with you and I had to train. I had to do it alone, Ranger. I meant what I said. The person I was…she was not good enough for you. I was not proud of her. I wanted to be proud of myself." He nodded and kissed me gently.

"Where are you headed now, Babe?" He looked into my eyes. This is the important question.

"That depends, Ranger."

"On what?" He tenses.

"I want to be where you are as long as it is not Trenton."

He smiles. "Good, because nothing would keep me away from you again, Steph. How do you feel about Boston?"

I hug him and climb into his lap. "Boston or Miami is fine with me, Ranger." I kissed him gently and he relaxes finally.

He took my left hand and placed an emerald cut diamond and platinum ring on my finger. "What about now, Babe? Are you ready now?" I looked at him with a smile, and then I looked at the ring again. "Yes," I said. I finally have closure.