All familiar characters belong to Janet. The mistakes and opinions are solely mine.

Chapter 6

Ranger's POV

"Yo, Babe."

"Oh crap. I know that tone."

"What tone?"

I never give anything away, but as she's shown with her neck tingle ... Stephanie is always physically aware of my body, mood, and what's on my mind ... even over a phone line. I'll never voice it, but I hope to hell that it's an inherited trait that she passed onto Ava. I want our daughter to always know that I'm never far from her no matter how far away I am at the time.

"That something in your voice that doesn't want to tell me that you're not able to come home after already saying you're on your way back to us."

I wanted to sigh under the weight of our combined disappointment, but I didn't allow myself to dwell on it. I'm luckier than a lot of my men. I have a personal mission that's also a promise I made and mean to keep despite what's being ordered. But I was given a brief period with my family before going off the radar to put my rifle, skills, and my moral-code to use. There's an international nightmare to clean up that no one anticipated and that never should have been allowed to happen.

Being who I am with the reputation I've earned, I don't answer to anyone except myself and my family. Wanting to be able to sleep at night without the blood of abandoned innocents on my hands, and having to look my family in the eye and myself in the mirror everyday, I have to forgo more time with them so I can help defend the land of those who bravely fought alongside me to combat a mutual threat.

They don't have a chance in hell of surviving now without aid from those like me willing to do what's right while being told our presence there is suddenly wrong and unwisely deemed no longer our problem. Not only is it repugnant to me to let allies and some of our own people be eradicated while we sit back and watch, this affects a few buddies of mine. It's not just a global news story to me, it's an extremely personal issue. That and I'm sure as fuck not going to let those I helped capture be allowed to escape to target us on our own turf again.

"Something has come up that needs my immediate attention ..."

"Yeah, even though I told myself not to, I've been watching the news ... which had me expecting this call. I know you love Ava, Julie, and I, but I also know you can't abandon people you've probably fought next to. I'll miss you like crazy, but I respect you even more for whatever you're about to do."

"Thank you for understanding. There is a bright side."

"Guess you're not about to tell me that world peace just broke out as we're talking, and you're only sticking around wherever you are to raise a toast to it."

"Afraid not. But if you can pack Ava up and meet Tank downstairs in a few minutes, we can see each other for a little bit before I rejoin the wind. I don't know when I'll get an opportunity to call you again after today."

I can already tell she's on the move. "Why didn't you tell me that right after the 'Yo, Babe'? Aves and I could be halfway down to the lobby by now. How long do we get with you?"

"Two hours in total. An hour and a half once you get here from Trenton. Ava will need something for her ears."

"Got it," she replied, sounding out of breath. "We'll need a plane to reach you."

"Yes. Don't kill yourself trying to get here. Even if our visit is only sixty seconds long, it'll be worth it."

"I agree. We're gonna see Daddy soon," I heard her tell our daughter. "I bet you're as excited as I am."

"I love you, Babe."

"Hold that thought. I want to 'discuss' how much you do in person. Your daughter and I will see you in a few so we can remind you of how much we love you."

It's interesting in a way that hurts, that two hours with my family doesn't seem like nearly enough time when it's possible this could be the last time I ever see my wife and daughter. Yet the thirty-nine minutes I had to wait for them to get here feels as if it's a fucking eternity. Like a tiger that's been caged, I paced the length of the hotel room that was arranged for me to use for the limited time I'm back in the States.

If I hadn't sensed my wife at the door, her knock and impatient grumbling to Tank when she realized she couldn't just walk through it to get to me, would've caused an eternal jump. I flung the door open and caught Stephanie as she propelled herself through the opening. I closed my eyes and just held onto her for a solid minute until Tank's voice started to enter my consciousness.

"You can see your Daddy in a sec, Ave," he whispered, not wanting to disturb our moment. "Your Mama and Daddy just need a minute."

I heard and felt Steph sniffle against my neck, but the smile that formed against my skin immediately after it had my emotions unknotting slightly.

"Sorry, Aves. I'm hogging Daddy, aren't I? I know you want some Daughter/Daddy time."

"I'm big enough to share, Babe," I said, only letting my Babe go with one arm so I can hold my baby with the other.

"I can vouch for Ava wanting her Daddy," Tank told me. "She always seems to look over my shoulder, believing you'll be right behind me."

"Stop, Tank. You're going to make Ranger feel guilty," my wife said to him. "And he's not allowed to feel bad when it comes to us."

"Maybe I'm reminding him that his girls don't possess an out of sight/out of mind mentality. Ranger may not be with you every minute he wants to be, but he's loved and missed every minute he's away from you. Knowing you have family waiting for you at home can get you through some tough spots. Not to turn this more serious, but during a few 'challenging' apprehensions, just the knowledge that I have to be around to watch yours, Julie's, and Ava's, backs for Ranger, kept me from doing a few things on instinct where I wouldn't have hesitated in the past."

"It's actually a little of both," I admitted, inhaling the citrusy scent, similar to my shower gel's, of Ava's baby shampoo from the strands poking out from the hood of her quilted snowsuit.

Steph drew back and narrowed her eyes at me. "No guilt, no regrets. Remember ... that's the promise we made to each other."

"I try to keep that at the forefront of my mind right beside images and thoughts of you and our girls," I told her, using both arms now to reconnect with my daughter.

Knowing how visceral my wife reacts to seeing me in uniform, whether it's a Rangeman or Ranger one, I opted for not changing out of my cammies before she arrived. Although Ava's snowsuit is white and covered with pastel polka dots, she's likely entirely camouflaged from Steph and Tank's view due to the hug I have her engulfed in.

"I'll be back in a little while," Tank told us before looking at me. "It's good to see you. Make sure it happens again."

I nodded against Ava's head and again lessened my grip on one of my ladies, this time to accept a one-arm, semi-hug from him.

"It's good to see a friendly face ... even if it's yours," I joked.

He grinned and left on a lighter note than having to witness me trying to absorb my family through my temporary hold on them. Once the door was closed, Steph spoke.

"Tank knows me well. He offered to hold Ava and her things so I wouldn't accidentally smother her when I threw myself at you."

"I know you far better than he does. Unconsciously, you'll protect our daughters as thoroughly as you do consciously."

"I hope you're right." She paused and just stared at the two of us. "I missed you so much."

"I know." With Ava's chubby fist clutching my collar, murmuring sounds she wasn't able to make the last time I saw her, I turned my head and met Stephanie's mouth.

The kiss was everything I missed and everything I still can't get enough of. The earth may have shifted on its axis when our lips touched after too many days spent apart.

"And I really missed that," Steph sighed against my lips, when we let our lungs have the oxygen they require. She began unzipping Ava's suit to give the flaying limbs more ability to move. "I can talk to the guys, laugh with your Mom, and eat with Ella, but this kind of feeling only you cause."

"It wouldn't be pleasant if you felt otherwise ... or the same towards someone else."

"Oh please, you know Ava's Daddy is the only man I see as one. Is there a way to turn up the heat in here?"

I gave her a wolf grin. And as she always does when I actively flirt with her, she blushed.

"I didn't mean it that way, though I'll warn you now that I'm officially on simmer after that kiss. It's just that Ava and I were having a girl's night in. She was tackling some tummy time in just her romper and a diaper and I didn't want to waste any of our minutes changing her into more appropriate travel clothes. I left her in what she was wearing and just wrangled her appendages into the thickest outwear I could quickly get my hands on. I honestly don't get how you can be ready to face God knows what on a moment's notice. I was running around like a crazy woman ... throwing extra diapers, toys, and bottles into her bag, only half-aware of what I was grabbing. A brief check in the garage before Tank started the engine, proved that autopilot is a legitimate thing."

"You don't give yourself enough credit, Steph," I told her, reclaiming my daughter, mentally weighing and measuring her against how I remember her feeling when I'd held her weeks ago. "I only have to think of what my body needs in order to survive. I don't have a little girl to travel with. I'm fortunate because I know her mother is taking excellent care of her when I can't."

"You take care of us somewhere else so we can be safe here. It's almost the same thing. I know you can't give details, but Aves and I are all for hearing what you can share with us. I thought to grab her fold up floor gym, so she can kick at flying cows or try to talk to herself in her mirror while hearing the comforting rumble of her Daddy telling us stories. Give me a minute and I'll get it set up. You know, I think I could actually build an amusement park in my sleep now."

I don't doubt it. I learned long ago never to underestimate her. Within five minutes, Ava was on her back on her padded blanket within arm's reach of me, jerking her arms and legs in the direction of any toy I moved above her. I had to smile at the innocent scene my daughter created just by mangling consonants and vowels on a loop, telling us her own stories. Her carefree smiles and free falling drool melted my heart as they simultaneously broke it.

While my wife sat in my lap on the floor, I curled my arms around her and proceeded to describe a few places I've been, offering up only generic terms for the scenery so I wouldn't cause her to worry more. I used my memories to introduce her to the people I've met, some now literally in grave danger after having their promised backup recalled on a whim. And then I made my wife laugh when I admitted that I'm known for giving toys and candy to kids who really need some color, kindness, and sweetness, in their lives.

"Only a war zone could get you to see a more mortal enemy than candy bars," she teased, giving me a kiss for making kids outside of our own smile with excitement.

"Battlefields have a way of making you view life and your fellow man differently. Makes you appreciate what you have even more, while filling you with fight so others can experience at least a fraction of the freedom we have."

"I doubt anyone can freely enjoy their life as much as I do when I get you back, but seriously ... I love you for wanting that for everybody else, too. It's terrifying how many people want those around them to suffer just because they're miserable people inside. Unfortunately, I can see it's not just my mom who projects their misery onto others these days. The world needs more men like you, Tank, and all of Ava's Uncles. I'm a little afraid that she's going to grow up, go out into the world, and get instantly slammed with the realization of how rare our Rangefamily - and how color-blind our building - is."

I ran my thumb down the sole of my daughter's bare foot, counting each of the small toes that stretched and then retracted at the gentle contact. I tried to freeze this moment and feeling so I can recall it whenever I need a moment of peace or a reason to keep fighting.

"We'll teach Ava how to tackle the bad, while also raising her to see that not everyone is," I replied.

"You're not just a good guy, you're a higher caliber of them. In case I haven't said it today, the smartest thing I ever did was let myself love you. I swear, not a day goes by where I don't tell myself and Ava how lucky we are to have you and the life you gave us. As long as you and our daughters are safe and feeling okay, I don't need anything else to be happy."

Her naptime having been altered, when Ava was showing obvious signs of getting sleepy, I gave her a bottle and held her close. I felt her wriggling body go steadily still and begin feeling heavier in the bed my arms made for her as sleep completely took over. Steph and I both kissed her before positioning her car seat so she could nap comfortably where we could still see her.

Steph wrapped my arms around her waist, one seductively at a time. My hands met low on her back and I hooked them under her ass to lift her up and into me. Her lips were already seeking mine and everything in me screamed that it's go-time. I kissed her like my life depended on it, and she tore at my uniform feeling the same way. I walked her the few steps to the bed and fell onto her just as she landed on it.

I wasted no time getting her naked, but tried to take my time with her once all I could see was curly brown hair, misty blue eyes, and soft ivory skin. My lips and tongue skimmed her body and stopped to pay extra attention to any area that caused her to squirm impatiently. I ate up her reaction to me as I feasted on her. Her body is her own, but timed-visits like these have me feeling like every inch of her is mine.

Fortunately, she feels the same way about me and doesn't shy away from going after what she wants ... which I'm pleased to note is me inside her NOW. I stand by my earlier claim of only answering to myself and my family, because I listened attentively to her needs and I made a temporary home for myself between her legs, slowly slid into her to prolong this 'welcome back', and then got real serious about satisfying us both.

If I die tomorrow, I won't go out without one hell of a fight first ... but I'll have died a happy man.