The characters below are all from the creativity of JE.

Jenny (JenRar) you've done it again. Thank you for your hard work as the beta on this story. From beginning to end, you made this an exciting journey.

Chapter 13 - Stephanie - 4 Hours Revisited

"Ranger," I tried to say his name sternly to make the point I wasn't going to be deterred. "It's been three months to the day since I got out of the hospital. I'm perfectly capable of driving myself to the mall and doing a little shopping."

Then I picked up my purse and started rooting around in it. "Look." I held up a round white device. "I have a panic button and an assortment of trackers." That one earned him a glare as I tried to make the point that I was aware that nearly every week, some new device was being put in my bag to keep him constantly updated on my location.

Then I pulled out my .38 and spun the chamber to show him it was loaded – fully loaded. "And I've got my gun with more than one bullet in it."

He smiled at me, and my resolve weakened slightly. It wasn't my fault. He was just such a damn handsome man, and when he smiled, it took my breath away. I shook my head to clear it of those honest, but unhelpful thoughts.

Straightening my shoulders to show him I meant business, I continued, "I'm going out today – alone."

Ranger rolled his chair over to where I was sitting on his desk and rested his hands on my thighs. I'd been perched on the mahogany furniture for at least three minutes, which was probably a record for us being that close together and not touching since we got together. "Babe," he spoke his pet name for me, making it longer than usual, turning it into a plea of some sort.

I was no fool. I knew that the idea of me being alone and unprotected was about the only thing that scared him. After nearly losing me to the hand of one of his enemies, he'd been forced to own how he felt about me, but in doing so, he also recognized how much the idea of losing me kept him awake at night.

I'd tried to be understanding, and at first, I'd honestly had no desire to even leave the building. I'd been flooded with an irrational fear that someone else might grab me, and I wasn't entirely sure I could survive something like I'd been through at the hands of Juarez again. But the guys had refused to let me hide on the seventh floor. They'd literally picked me up, casts and all, and brought me down to five to hang out with them. When Ranger had to work late, I'd found myself on the fourth floor in someone's apartment with a group of guys surrounding me, watching movies or the latest game.

Despite their attempts to meet every need I might have, Lester was the first one to point out that no one expected me to just play this off as though nothing had happened. It took quite a few late night chats, but he'd finally worn me down, and I'd completely broken, sobbing uncontrollably and admitting to being terrified that something like that would happen again, except I wouldn't be strong enough to endure it.

We'd started talking for an hour every afternoon, sometimes just the two of us, but occasionally Ranger would stay, too. And once a week, a guy named Mac would come and take Lester's place. According to Les, Mac was the real deal – a PhD, MD, fully trained to help me deal with everything I was feeling. I knew Mac had probably done me a lot of good, but at heart, I felt like it was the chats with Lester that had made the biggest difference in me pulling myself out of the pit in my head and getting on with my life.

Bobby had checked me daily, monitoring my stitches and taking my physical therapy very seriously. Honestly, I don't know how he managed it, but I'm pretty sure all I had to do was take a deep breath, and he magically appeared at my side, checking to be sure I was all right and not in any pain. It was both touching and smothering all at once.

Eventually, everyone had relaxed, and we'd begun to settle into a new form of normal for RangeMan. By that, I mean that all I had to do was move my hand in the direction of my crutches, and one of my guys would appear, lift me up, and carry me where I wanted to go, before setting me down and waiting to see if I needed anything else.

I'd gotten a new manicure every week I'd been back from a woman Bones had found, vetted, and brought in at his own expense to keep me polished and well maintained. I knew he had a thing for nails, so I went along with it, enjoying the pampering without having to leave the secure building. On my third new color, I'd realized Bones wasn't looking at my nails anymore, but at the lovely woman working on me. The fourth visit, he began trying to draw her out in conversation, and by the time I was on my eighth new color, he finally worked up the nerve to ask her out. I loved the idea that I'd played a very small role in them meeting.

It seemed my ordeal had caused quite a few couples to spring up. When I was finally released from my ten days in the hospital, Tank and Lula came together to help carry all my flowers, stuffed animals, and boxes of chocolates to the waiting fleet of vehicles to take me home. I'd been able to see that they had done some serious talking, because there'd been a relaxed comfort between them that had been seriously absent when they were first together. They'd touched each other naturally, without Lula clinging or taking over. And when they'd had to split up to go in different directions, he'd leaned down and kissed her, before whispering something in her ear that made her laugh before smacking his shoulder. The matching grin on Tank's face had told me my friends, who I'd always hoped could be together, had worked through their past histories and were on a solid foundation together this time.

Of course, the biggest office romance started as a result of my capture was between Cal and Binkie. I had to say I was shocked, as I hadn't realized either of them was gay prior to my time in the pit. In looking back on it now, I guess there were little signs I should have picked up on. Every time I saw them together, it made me smile. They were perfectly suited to each other. Both were strong, lethal, yet laid back and tenderhearted. I felt like they could protect each other without putting out the unique spark that I loved about them both. Plus, every time they were reunited after being apart, Binkie put his hand on Cal's shoulder where the tattoo was that I knew he hated, and Cal would lean forward and say, "Hey Bunny." It seemed like a strange greeting, but they both lit up every time, so I couldn't help but watch them.

My parents had been remarkably supportive. They'd come by a few times to check on me, but Mom had sent a steady stream of baked goods so that I never doubted how she felt for me. I knew the guys had intentionally left them in the dark during my rescue until I came out of surgery and the doctor had finally stated that he was hopeful I would make a full, if not slow, recovery.

I had to assume they'd been briefed about what I'd been through, but they never spoke of it or asked me any questions. I figured they were probably choosing to dwell on the fact that I was alive now, and denying how close I'd come to leaving this world was just easier than facing the truth of it. I guess I got my propensity for living in denial land from somewhere; it had to be genetic.

Hal had put himself in charge of my morning cup of coffee. It seemed like a small thing, but every day when I was delivered by whatever set of capable arms that scooped me up, he seemed to materialize with a steaming cup of caffeine made exactly the way I liked it. Somehow, Hal understood the precise amount of sugar and cream to turn it into a perfect experience to drink. Hell, even I couldn't make it taste as good as he could, so I put this on the list of one more benefit of having a friend who was so detail oriented.

After my opening sips of coffee began to have an effect, Tank would usually stop by and give me a short list of things to do. At first, they were easy searches, but I noticed that he was beginning to slip other items in lately, like coming up with the duty rosters and schedules. He said I knew the guys well enough to pair them appropriately, and he hated doing it because the guys always bitched and moaned about what he assigned them to. He hoped by having me in charge of the schedule, he wouldn't have to listen to them anymore. I don't know if it worked or not, but I was thrilled to be helpful in any capacity, so I'd gladly taken it on.

Of course, Bobby only allowed me to work for two hours each day and would literally come to my desk with his finger on his watch if I went even a minute over my designated time. As much as I wanted to complain about his rigidity, I was usually glad to stop, because getting over all my injuries had turned out to be draining and exhausting, and I actually needed the extra rest.

Zero usually brought me lunch and would point out that he gave me the same thing he was eating. Sometimes, they were just sandwiches from the break room, but a couple of times each week, he'd bring me something he'd made, with the excuse that since I had a little of him flowing in my veins, I'd probably be craving whatever he was. I didn't dare complain. Not only had his blood literally saved my life, but he was eerily dead on when he'd bring a steak and cheese sub, or even a sandwich that he called a po-boy, but I called little pieces of fried shrimp on a buttered bun slathered in a creamy sauce. The name didn't matter; it was absolutely delicious, and I adored having someone bringing me food that was so in tune with what I loved to eat.

Because I'd had such a hard core cast on my leg and ankle, I'd needed to keep it elevated to help the swelling not be an issue. Manny had rigged some kind of cool hammock under my desk that I could slide the cast into, and then adjust the height with a little rope, raising or lowering it as I needed to for comfort. I'd made a comment about how handy he was to have around and asked what he could do for the angle of my keyboard, since having my leg outstretched kept me too far away from my computer to be comfortable and typing on a laptop wasn't my favorite thing to do. The next morning, I'd had a much larger monitor so that seeing from a great distance was simple, as well as a lap board, which consisted of a keyboard with a mouse roller ball and touchpad mounted on a cushioned lap desk that was wirelessly connected to my PC tower. I could angle my seat back and work in style. It was just one more piece of evidence about how well cared for I was.

When the last cast came off three weeks ago, I was finally able to really get into the physical therapy on my leg, which was both hard work and a relief all at once. Early on, I'd loved having the guys around, doing things for me, because it helped me when I needed it, and it made me feel protected and safe. But I'd worked through a sufficient amount of my issues and time had passed enough that I was eager to assert some independence, too.

That thought pulled me back to the present. Realizing Ranger was going to let just the single word Babe be all the explanation he was going to offer if I'd let him get away with it, I remembered my promise to myself this morning to stay strong. Touching his face with my right hand, I said, "I know you don't want me to leave the building, but we talked about it last night, and it's time for me to get my life back."

He shook his head and disagreed. "No, you talked about it last night and I listened, but I never said that I agreed with your plan to go into a crowded public place alone for an undetermined amount of time."

I decided to change tactics, unwilling to admit defeat. "Okay, what would take to make you agree?"

"Let me go with you," he offered, totally missing the point of what I wanted.

"No," I abruptly responded. "What else in lieu of you going with me?"

"Tank?" Ranger suggested, sounding uncertain.

I narrowed my eyes in an attempt to glare at him. "I'm not taking Tank shopping. He'd end up leaving me there anyway to come back and hurt you himself."

Ranger chuckled at my response, knowing how much his second in command hated the mall. He'd do it, but I was right that it would come at a cost to Ranger.

"I get that you want to go somewhere by yourself, but would you consider something a little less stressful?" Ranger suggested, growing more serious now, so I tried to do the same.

"Less stressful for who?" I wondered.

Ranger shrugged, which I interpreted to mean him. "How about Pino's? You could go for lunch and stay as long as you wanted."

I couldn't stop myself from laughing at his weak suggestion. "It's only ten o'clock, which even by my standards is way too early for Pino's. Besides, you're just suggesting that because it is always overrun with cops."

"Like I said, it would be less stressful," Ranger reiterated.

"No, I'm going to the mall," I repeated, determined to make this work. "But I did call Lula to go with me, so you can relax, because I won't be shopping alone."

"You can't drive," Ranger blurted out.

"Yes, I can. I just haven't, because anytime we've gone somewhere, you've done the driving," I refuted, assuring him I was capable just the same.

"Let me at least drop you off at the door and come back to pick you up," he offered, obviously beginning to realize that I was going to do this with or without his agreement.

"No, you are going to stay here and work. For the last three months, your day has revolved around me, and beginning today, that needs to shift," I said, trying to sound more firm than I felt. In truth, I'd loved being the center of Ranger's attention, and I knew that even though the trip to the mall unsupervised would be great, I would miss him by my side.

"Babe." This time when he said my name, his voice dropped, and he found a way to pull me off the desk into his lap. "Whether you're here or not will make no difference in the fact that my world revolves around you now. Screwing around with my schedule won't change that fact."

Damn, now I wasn't as gung ho about leaving. Hearing sweet comments like that come from Ranger's mouth never grew old, and I was torn between gaining some freedom and locking the door to work on what Ranger referred to as my respiratory therapy.

While I was in the hospital, the doctors had made me take deep breaths and hold them before letting them out. The therapist had even suggested making a sound as I let out the breath so I would be sure to get all the air out of my lungs before drawing in another dose of oxygen. Ranger said the way I breathed when we made love wasn't an exact duplicate of the exercise, but I did take deep breaths and attempt to hold them to stay quiet, before giving up and eventually making some moaning sound or loud scream, depending upon what Ranger was doing. I was completely okay with calling our bedroom sports therapy.

Poor Bobby wasn't aware of our code name for it and would remind me several times a day that I needed to keep up my therapy to ensure a full recovery. I would blush, and if he was nearby, Ranger would usually whisper some offer to assist me with that before taking me to the nearest private location to make good on his word.

"I told you on the ride to the hospital that I needed you to brace yourself that I wasn't going to be able to let you out of my sight for a long time," he tried bargaining again.

"I'm out of your sight for the better part of the work day already," I countered.

Ranger shook his head. "True, but I know where you are and that you're surrounded by my men. You're safe, and if I get uneasy, I can pull up a video feed of you somewhere in the building."

I leaned back a little to better see his face. "You pull up cameras during the day to spy on me?" Why was that both a little creepy and totally endearing at the same time?

Ranger's index finger traced the bottom of my jaw. "I prefer not to think of it as spying."

"How else do you classify watching me without my knowledge?" I pushed, enjoying him being in the hot seat for once.

He paused, considering his response for a moment, before saying, "It's me monitoring the safety and security of the most important thing in my life. And it gives me the ability to rescue you if you're looking overwhelmed from the attention the guys are throwing your way."

"I wondered how you managed to always time your arrival so perfectly," I couldn't help but comment. "And all this time, I thought it was just because you were Batman."

Ranger leaned forward and kissed down the column of my neck. "Even Batman had some fancy technology he used to help him out."

I heard myself moan, giving into the pleasure that Ranger so generously lavished upon me, before realizing that if I gave in and let him take this any further, I'd miss the window of opportunity to get to the mall this morning while it wasn't that crowded. So, I dug down deep and found the strength to pull away from his magic lips.

That action got his attention, as I don't think I'd ever refused him so abruptly before.

"I'm going to the mall. I'll swing by and pick up Lula. I'll have my cell phone on my hip, my panic button in my pocket, and my trackers in my purse at all times. You can call me anytime you feel the need to check in, but I'm taking back my life today, and when I get back, brace yourself for me to thank you for understanding how much I needed to do this and how very grateful I'll be for you staying here and not following me – or assigning someone else to shadow me, either." I threw in the final bit as a last minute thought, but the way his face fell told me he'd already been planning on calling in the guys to keep an eye on me.

I stood up slowly, partially to ease my weight onto my leg, and partly to be sure I didn't lose my balance after being so close to Ranger. He had a way of short circuiting my brain and making my equilibrium a little off.

I took his hand and said, "You can even walk me to the elevator."

Ranger lifted our joined fingers to his lips and lingered for a moment, before accepting that I was going to do this and squaring his shoulders to see me out.

When we passed by the control room where a group of guys had gathered, Junior called out, "Where are you two going?" They were used to me having regular doctor's appointments, so they probably assumed I was going to another check up with some specialist.

"I'm going to the mall, and Ranger here is walking me to the elevator," I replied, figuring honesty was always the best approach with my guys.

I had obviously seriously underestimated their response. "Who's going with you?" Hector asked in his sexy accented English. He'd given up only speaking Spanish and used each language depending upon who he was talking to.

"I'm going to pick up Lula, and we're heading out together," I said, struggling to contain my excitement.

Cal jumped in first. "Let me grab my keys, and I'll drive you."

Ranger turned so that he was no longer facing the guys in order to hide the smile on his face.

"No, I'm doing this on my own," I interrupted before he tried to take over my morning away.

"Where are you going?" Woody asked, grabbing a tablet and pencil for some strange reason to write down my responses.

"I'm going to the mall, and I'm not going to be tailed, followed, shadowed, or spied upon," I informed them, hoping I'd covered any possible basis for them showing up unannounced.

"How long will you be gone?" Tank called out from the door of his office, most likely already knowing the details, because I knew he'd spent the night at Lula's house, and she'd no doubt told him of our plan for the day.

I took a deep breath, reminding myself that they were only giving me the third degree out of concern and love and if I'd just take a minute and answer their questions, they'd be much more likely to abide by my wishes.

I glanced at my watch. It was a quarter 'til ten already, so I did a little quick math of how much time I needed to get a few new pairs of shoes at Macys to accommodate my current limp a little better, maybe some new outfits that would cover a few more of my scars, a vital trip to Victoria's Secrets, and lunch at the food court. "I'll be back by two, so I guess I'll be gone for four hours," I announced reasonably.

I was absolutely unprepared for the response I got from the guys. As soon as I said the words, the guys that were seated stood up. The ones that had been casually standing or leaning snapped to attention. And as if directed by a choirmaster, they all called out, "No!" in unison.

I blinked a few times, taking an unconscious step closer to Ranger's strong arms, completely at a loss about why they were refusing to let me go.

Fortunately, Ranger understood and explained it to me. "They aren't saying you can't go, but it's going to be a long time before we're able to think about you and four hours in the same sentence without it causing us all to panic."

I glanced at my watch again as a ruse to cover up how emotional his explanation made me. Two hours was probably more than enough time to get some new shoes and thoroughly investigate the new lines of lingerie. I looked back up and said, "You know, if anybody is free, I think Lula and I will be at the food court about 12:30. If you're in the neighborhood, we'd love to have you join us in a couple of hours."

I looked around at the guys, and my heart swelled. They had relaxed already, but their faces were radiant with happiness at my inclusion of them in my first big solo outing. I didn't want to get emotional in front of them and have anybody question whether or not I was up to leaving, so I kissed Ranger's cheek and squeezed his hand, before letting go and walking to the elevator. I stepped in, but turned back with my hand on the doors to keep them open, looking at the Merry Men one more time.

I wasn't one to talk about my feelings unless I was literally in a life or death situation, but something in the way they were looking at me, with their hearts so visible on their faces, gave me the courage I needed to step away from my usual way of shutting down my emotions and speak up instead. "I love you all," I confessed. "You know that, don't you?"

I heard a few throats being cleared, and I saw Hal's face turn that beautiful shade of red that let me know he, at least, had heard me. Bones was studying his own fingernails and Tank's face was split in half with a breathtaking smile.

But it was Lester's voice that spoke above all the others to reply, "What's not to love? All these smart guys, and we're not bad to look at, either."

I couldn't help myself. I burst out laughing, which in turn caused the guys to chuckle and join me. I heard somebody smack the back of Lester's head as I turned back to board the elevator. I briefly wondered how many smacks to the head he'd taken on my behalf to provide a little comic relief to diffuse a tense moment.

I pushed the button marked G and rode down to the garage, where I was not the least bit surprised to be see Vince standing beside the open door of a standard RangeMan Explorer. He'd backed it up to the elevator so that I only had to take six steps to reach the driver's side.

"Thank you, Vince," I said as I climbed in behind the wheel.

He shut the door, but since the window was rolled down, I could hear him respond, "See ya for lunch."

I put my hand on top of his at the opening of the window, and then smiled before saying, "Go ahead and pull up my trackers. I know you guys are going to be keeping tabs on me while I'm out."

He blushed, but had the good sense not to deny it. "Have fun," he offered instead, before stepping away and letting me put the truck in drive and begin reclaiming a little of my independence.

I drove away from the building that had been my fortress for the last few months. For once, I hadn't thought of it as a jail, but rather as a castle, where I was the princess surrounded by my prince and all our noble knights. I laughed at the image and let it warm my heart that despite having literally lived in hell for a small period of time, I was the luckiest woman alive in my own personal little heaven decorated in black.

Despite their attention, no one had dared to promise me that I'd never be hurt again, but I knew they'd do everything physically possible to ensure that I was okay. When Juarez had taken me, they'd seen what it was like to imagine life without me in it, and for whatever reason, they'd decided that I was worth fighting for. I'd never doubted them in the past, but this just cemented my opinion of what miracles they could perform. Thinking of it like that made me wonder if knights were the right description for them. Perhaps they were more like unlikely angels. Somehow, the flowing robes and feathery wings image didn't fit, making me smile even more.

I wasn't a hundred percent yet. I still walked with a slight limp, I got headaches every so often that took some major doses of Advil to bring down to a manageable level, and my shoulder seemed to be sore whenever it rained. But my broken ribs had mended and were no longer painful, and my face had healed with no scars, so I couldn't complain about that. The surgeons had repaired the internal bleeding in time, and even though I'd lost my spleen, I hadn't really missed it, so I couldn't find a downside there, either. I had nightmares about once a week, but even that was down from daily, like it had been in the hospital. Once I was able to sleep in a bed with Ranger's arms around me, they weren't as bad, and after beginning my sessions with Lester and Mac, the severity and amount began to go down, too. I wasn't back to anybody's definition of normal, but I was well on my way – and I recognized that "normal" was highly overrated anyway.

Plus, I was happy, which had to count for something. I'd made it through because of my Merry Men and Ranger and found myself stronger in a lot of ways on the other side.

I didn't delude myself into thinking that I'd have a life of ease with no bumps in the road from here on out, but I knew whatever was thrown at me, I'd never have to face it alone. And whether the first real test came in four hours or four years, I had no doubts that we'd make it.

A/N: Wow…this rollercoaster is finally finished. Thank you so much for being willing to come along for the wild and crazy ride, and for taking the time to leave such thoughtful and encouraging reviews and messages. I wanted to step out of my usual comfort zone for a story and write something different and it meant so much that you were willing to indulge that and read along.

I'll be taking my usual break for a few weeks, and then I'll be back. Always searching for something different, I'll try to come up with a new twist for our favorite heroine, but I promise it won't contain any super high angst or tight time countdowns. Once again, thank you all for your encouragement and kind words. Our fandom has some truly wonderful people and I count myself blessed to have gotten to know so many of you.