A/N: Happy Birthday Christie! This is for you! I know it isn't smut, but it's all Ranger and Steph so I hope you enjoy it anyway. May your day be filled with Ranger dreams J Hugs and Smooches, Luisa

Previously

She looked at me with regret in her eyes. "I know this isn't fair, but no matter how hard I tried to fight it, I fell in love with him. I need him like I need the air I breathe … I can't live without him." Her crying had turned to sobbing. "I'm so sorry Joe that I didn't realize this sooner," her breathing became ragged from her tears. "I…I didn't mean to lead you on or waste your time. I really thought we had a chance for a good future but I can't lie to you or myself anymore. You deserve better than that. You deserve to have someone love you unconditionally but that someone just isn't me."

My pride was kicking into gear and right as I was going to let her know how fucked up this situation was she gasped.

"What's wrong?"

"He squeezed my hand." She stroked his hair and whispered in his ear, Ranger, can you hear me? Please say something. Please come back to me."

He cracked his eyes open said the one word that meant everything to him, "Babe?"

Continuation of Her Eyes Met Mine Challenge

By

MiamiBabe

She closed her eyes and swallowed hard trying to bring her emotions under control. Please don't let this be a dream. She opened her eyes and found herself staring at the most beautiful brown eyes she'd ever seen. Thank god, it wasn't a dream. He was awake. He'd come back to her. With tears falling freely down her cheeks, she smiled at him and said, "Ranger, you woke up. You came back to me."

He looked up at Morelli and saw the anger in his face as he heard her words. What the hell is going on? Why would she say that in front of him? She was right. Her voice and the memory of her eyes were what kept me reaching forward, but she was never so open about her feelings for me. Shit. My condition must be pretty bad for her to be purposefully baiting Morelli's temper.

Instinctively I knew that I'd been out of it for a while, but I couldn't remember what got me here. Why can't I remember what happened. Disjointed images were flashing through my mind, but none of them made any sense. Why would Julie be in the same room with Stephanie? Why was I looking at myself, but it wasn't in a mirror? I don't understand. I was finding it hard to speak and it was pissing me off. My head was starting to throb making it more difficult to remember anything. Fuck! What the hell happened? Why is Steph here looking at me like I'm dying? Why is Morelli here? Is she in danger? Is another psycho stalking her? And where the fuck is Tank and my men?

Steph saw that Ranger was getting agitated. It seemed that he was having a hard time speaking and he looked lost, and that thought seemed to mobilize her. She began to run her fingers through his hair. She'd learned during their one night together that he loved to have his hair played with. As soon as her hands began to work their magic, he began to relax causing Steph to smile.

Steph surprised me again with her caresses and her familiarity. I wasn't complaining. The truth was that I was really enjoying it, but I didn't know how much longer Joe could control his tongue. Most of all I was worried that I couldn't help her if Joe lost it and I didn't see any of my men around to step in for her.

Think, soldier. I closed my eyes hoping the action would help clear the fog in my head. I began breathing exercises I'd learned from a monk in Tibet. They were supposed to clear my mind of all the clutter and focus on what was important. Could it be I'd gotten hurt saving her? And then images started to rush through my mind. Steph dressed all in leather her hair standing on end as if she'd been repeatedly stunned. Snippets of conversations were making their way to the forefront of my mind. She was telling me about Julie. Something about her being dirty and possibly drugged, then an image of living with Steph crossed through my mind. Then the fog seemed to lift and I remembered walking into Steph's apartment and seeing her tied up in a chair and Julie slumped over another one before Scrog began to shoot me. I tried to jump up from the bed, needing to know if Julie was okay. Steph immediately started to speak to me in a soothing voice, instinctively knowing what I needed to hear. "She's okay Ranger. Scrog didn't hurt her. She is an amazing kid. She saved your life you know?"

"Where is she now?" I asked.

"She went back home with Rachel. She wanted to wait for you to wake up, but you've been out for over a couple of weeks and Rachel thought it was important to get her back home to her routine."

A wave of emotion threatened to overcome me, but I didn't want to worry Steph and I sure as hell didn't want to break down in front of Morelli. I closed my eyes and brought my emotions under control. I focused on what was important that the two people I loved more than life itself were okay. And the only woman I've ever truly loved, by some miracle was sitting by side.

I cut my gaze to look at her and I found myself staring into her eyes. She'd been watching me. I wasn't used to her being so bold. She searched my face for a few minutes and must have found what she was looking for because the next thing I now, she gave me one of the most beautiful smiles that I'd ever seen. The joy she felt was written all over her face and the fact that I was responsible for those feelings, made me happier than I thought possible.

She laughed and carefully threw her arms around me and began to give me butterfly kisses all over my face until she reached my ears where she whispered, "Carlos don't ever scare me that way again. I know you aren't ready to hear this yet, but I'm not wasting any more time. I love you Ricardo Carlos Manoso and there isn't a damn thing you can do about it, so you better get used to it."

My heart skipped a beat. Did she really just tell me she loved me? In front of Morelli? I locked eyes with her and she smiled and slightly nodded her head letting me know that I hadn't misunderstood. I wasn't prepared for the feelings those words stirred inside of me. A surge of blood was coursing through my veins making my heart feel like it was going to leap out of my body.

I knew I loved her. I also knew that she loved me, but I'd convinced myself to believe she was in love with Morelli and that friendship was all she'd ever offer me.

Never did I believe there would be a day that she'd buck the 'Burg and her family and actually pick me. And all I could say to express my happiness was, "Babe."

I'd watched him as I declared my love for him, waiting to see his reaction to my words. I knew it wouldn't be obvious, but I knew what to look for so I patiently waited and then there it was. His eyes slightly widened when he processed what I'd said. Ranger's version of floored. I chuckled to myself when I saw him swing his eyes towards Joe and back at me. Who knew Batman could be shocked. I knew I had to make him understand I was serious, so I let all of the love I felt for him shine through my eyes and nodded my head to let him know he'd heard correctly. It seemed like an eternity for him to react, but my patience was finally rewarded. He gave me one of his beautiful unrestrained smiles that seemed to light the room and then spoke the one word that always seemed to make everything right…"Babe."

I'd been frozen to my spot since he spoke. Babe, God I hated that fucking word. Every time he called her that, I wanted to punch him in the face. I'd been ready to tell her that this conversation wasn't over, that I wasn't going to let her give up on us. But then I saw her caressing him, whispering lovingly into his ear with no regard to my presence and my heart plummeted as any hope I'd had started to fade.

If I'd only paid more attention at the beginning of our relationship, I might have been able to nip Steph's attraction to him. But I was full of myself. I'd never had to work for a woman before and I had no reason to believe it was going to be any different with Stephanie. Hell even after Manoso started to pursue her; I didn't really worry about it. I'd heard the rumors about the stolen kisses in the alley, but I chose to ignore them because I had committed worse sins and even I couldn't be that much of a hypocrite. I also thought that her fascination with him would eventually run its course and she'd get over him. The truth was that I never really thought of him as competition. There was never a doubt in my mind that she would end up mine. But I guess the joke was on me because there was no denying what she felt for him now.

I should have left the room to maintain some dignity, but it was like watching a train wreck happen in front of you…you just couldn't turn away. And for every caress and loving look she gave him, I felt as if I'd been punched in the gut. And then she whispered something to him that made him smile. I felt my face turn red from the anger I was trying to control. The intimate touches were pushing me over the edge. Fuck, how did I miss the way she looks at him? She never looked at me that way. I wanted to go off and demand her respect, but I realized it wouldn't do me any good. Hell she didn't even remember I was in the room.

And then I felt Ranger's gaze swing towards me and back to Steph. It looked like he was confused, trying to work something out in his mind. She'd been watching him carefully letting him absorb whatever it is she told him. He seemed to work things out and I watched as she nodded her head and smiled.

When the hell had they developed shorthand between them? And when did she stop being scared of him and feel so at ease in his presence? And right when I thought it couldn't get worse, bam…I felt like I'd been hit with another punch in the gut. He did something I don't think I'd ever seen before, he gave her a full blown smile and said that fucking word again, "Babe."

TBC