JE owns the rights to anything familiar - all mistakes are mine.

This is for LilyGhost who asked for a sequel to this story an embarrassingly long time ago. I hope I made it worth the wait.

With expert precision and with a strength that shouldn't be possible in his weakened condition, Ranger lowered his body nearly to the ground with his hands and then slowly and methodically pushed it back up to the starting position.

Sweat dripped from his brow, splashing onto the linoleum floor and his arms were beginning to shake with the effort, but he continued on, forcing his body into doing exactly what his mind demanded of it. The door opened and then closed behind him. He heard every step, the sound echoing in the mostly empty room however he did not acknowledge the visitor.

"How many?" Santos asked, filling the empty chair next to Tank.

"Twenty nine," Bobby replied, his eyes darting a quick glance at Lester.

"Thirty," Tank corrected as Ranger did another push-up.

"Shouldn't we try and stop him?" Lester scratched his eyebrow with a pinky.

A single bark of laughter sounded from Bobby's mouth. "I'll give you a thousand dollars right now if you make an attempt."

"I'm not that stupid."

"Yes you are," Tank said.

"And you are a giant asshole," Lester countered.

"I've been called worse."

The three men watched Ranger force out ten more push-ups before he rolled onto his back and began a set of ab crunches, only pausing when the door opened again. The group turned as one as Vince entered what they now considered Ranger's workout room.

Ranger met Vince's clear green eyes but the helicopter pilot shook his head. Still no fucking word. He exhaled slowly and then resumed the abdominal workout, ignoring the burning discomfort of the mostly healed wound in his side. It had been nearly a month since Bobby, Tank, and Lester had rescued him from the jungle, with Vince flying them out to the nearest neutral safe zone, and the government had yet to clear their release to return to the states.

Only able to do twenty crunches before the pain became too much, he stretched out his legs on the final one and rested on his back, staring at the stained ceiling tiles. He'd made a promise to get home and the fact he wasn't allowed to leave was taking a toll on Ranger's recently restored sanity. If he could only call her it might ease the anxiety, but they wouldn't even grant that provision. The mission had been compromised and until they figured out by whom, the whole team was on lockdown.

It was bullshit and Ranger was rapidly reaching the end of his patience.

"They dropped off supplies," Vince told the room, "looks like we'll be eating spaghetti for the foreseeable future."

"Fuck." Bobby voiced what they'd all been thinking. Pasta seemed to be the only thing the government had available for sustenance and everyone was thoroughly sick of it.

"I'm gonna get fat if I keep eating carbs every day," Lester complained. "Aren't there pigs or cows or something out in that jungle we can kill for dinner?"

"You're already fat," Tank observed, "and yeah, it's littered with wild boar. Although you wouldn't be able find one if it had its snout buried in your crotch."

"Like you have any room to talk," Lester countered, patting Tank on his substantial mid-section. Of course, it was solid muscle, but that didn't deter Lester. Not one of them had an ounce of fat on them, even with the copious amounts of pasta being consumed. "And I could kill four before you even got your knife out of its sheath."

"Touch my stomach again and I'll be using that knife to chop off your fingers. Might make a good addition to the spaghetti sauce."

Ranger closed his eyes and tried to block out the banter. Normally it didn't bother him but they were all on edge from being trapped together inside the safe house for so long. Everyone was getting on each other's nerves and they needed to let off some steam before they killed each other.

"Enough," Ranger commanded from his prone position on the floor after he heard Tank threaten to remove more than Santos' fingers and then get threateningly to his feet. He really didn't want Bobby using their limited medical supplies to patch up Lester's face. "Tonight, we hunt."

His men were very vocal about that announcement, filling the room with loud battle cries and whoops of elation. Wild boar wasn't the best tasting animal, but at this point, it would seem like the finest cut of steak after not having any meat for so long.

Technically, they weren't supposed to leave the house, but Ranger was confident they could get in and out of the jungle without being seen and with a pig or two in tow. It would help diffuse the growing tension and give the men a much needed break from staring at each other day in and day out.

They would wait until dark, obviously, and Ranger wanted to be alone until then so he told them to leave him. After they clamored their way out of the room, his eyes drifted shut and he let sleep take over. She always came to him in his dreams and he needed her now.

"You made a promise," she murmured softly, caressing his cheek gently. "Come home, Ranger. Come back to me."

He could still feel her touch on his skin when he opened his eyes an hour later.

###

The hunt went exactly as planned and the men were tearing into the freshly cooked pork like the savage animals they were while Ranger looked on.

"Are you sure you don't want any?" Tank asked quietly as he, in opposition to the rest of the group, speared a piece with his fork. Ranger shook his head; he'd eaten enough of it to last him a lifetime while he'd been trying to make his way out of the jungle.

"I'm good," he replied and lifted the small bottle of water he'd been sipping to his mouth. It froze halfway there and his eyes darted around the small table where they'd gathered to eat their kill. Ranger put his finger to his lips, indicating the team should stay quiet but it was unnecessary as he wasn't the only one who'd heard it; no one was making a sound.

It happened again; a small crack, like someone had stepped on a dead twig and it snapped in half. He gave the silent hand signal, setting their intruder contingency plan into motion.

The group moved in perfect synchronization, each knowing without spoken command what they were required to do. Tank, Bobby and Lester went out the escape tunnel under the house while Ranger and Vince slipped out the only window in the entire building. Vince scaled the side of the building to get to the roof and Ranger dropped to the ground, heading west, where he'd eventually circle around to meet up with Tank.

It didn't take long for the infiltrator to be apprehended. He stood facing Ranger with his hands in the air while Tank held a gun to his back. He couldn't see them but he knew Bobby and Lester were out there somewhere, rifles ready to fire, and Vince was on the roof, scanning the darkness of the jungle for any other threats.

"You've lost a step, General," Ranger quipped to his commanding officer.

"One of the many unpleasant side effects of aging," the man said, letting the corners of his weathered lips tilt up slightly.

Ranger felt a smile forming. He didn't know exactly how old the General was but the blonde of his military buzz cut was mostly gray and his overly tanned faced had more lines than Ranger remembered but the tough old bird had probably gotten closer to the building than any other soldier could have without being detected. He and his men had spent two full days setting traps around the property and he hadn't tripped a single one. The fact he was the person who taught Ranger everything he knew probably had something to do with that.

Ranger gave the all clear signal and Tank lowered his weapon. Somewhere, Bobby, Lester and Vince did the same.

"We need to talk," the General announced and Ranger nodded.

"So I gathered."

"Alone," he added.

With a nod, Ranger led General Matthew Ackerley into the safe house, knowing the rest of the team wouldn't enter until instructed to do so.

There was only one reason he would have come himself and Ranger braced for the news that he did not want to hear. "I'm guessing you're not here to personally escort us out of this hellhole."

The General eyed the abandoned table, covered with freshly cooked pork and cut his gaze back to his soldier with both eyebrows raised.

Ranger lifted a shoulder not willing to apologize for the unauthorized hunt.

Matt picked up a rib and sniffed it before ripping off a bite. He chewed slowly and after he swallowed, flashed a quick grin. "Not bad," he admitted and dropped it back onto a plate.

Taking in the room with a slow head swivel, he gestured to the empty couch with a tilt of his chin and Ranger followed him into the sparse living area. The man settled himself onto a cushion and then reached inside the camouflage jacket covering his torso. He pulled out a bulky square of paper and proceeded to quietly unfold it while Ranger watched.

It was a map and he spread it out onto the coffee table before turning his arctic blue eyes onto the best soldier he'd ever had the opportunity to command. "We know who it was," he announced.

Ranger wanted to laugh but the anger he felt about being held captive until the Army could get its thumb out of its ass held him in check. He'd suspected from the moment the mission began, but no one had given him a chance to make his theory known. They'd locked him away and taken almost a month to figure out what he could have told them immediately.

"Colonel Jeffries."

Matt only lifted a brow before nodding his confirmation. "He's had a hard-on for your head on a platter since Grenada."

The Colonel was an asshole, always had been and on Ranger's last sanctioned mission with the Army, he gave a command that would make both of them a traitor to their country and get a lot of innocent people killed. Ranger refused the order and then threatened Jeffries life if he found someone one else to carry out his plan. The Colonel had wanted him dead ever since and had finally found an opportunity. Luckily, Jeffries had underestimated Ranger's considerable skills.

Matt tapped a finger on the map. "We found him."

Ranger glanced at the geography and was mildly surprised to see where he was pointing. "How close?"

"About five miles, holed up in a compound surrounded by a group of guerrilla mercenaries he's paying to keep his traitorous ass alive."

It was hard to believe he hadn't fled the country after the botched assassination attempt, but then Ranger never thought the man was all that bright. "Took you way too long to find him. So when's our ride home coming?"

Ranger knew it wasn't. He also knew why General Ackerley was there but he was going to make him say it.

Matt turned away without answering and touched the same spot on the map. "The compound is here," he moved his finger west and Ranger guessed it was about a four mile distance, "your extraction point will be here. Unfortunately it's too risky to get your pilot out of here so you'll have to settle for one of mine. Will that be an issue?"

"Of course it's an issue. It shouldn't be surprising I might be reluctant to trust anyone who isn't mine. And you conveniently skipped over the fact I haven't agreed to your request or that you haven't even voiced exactly what that request is."

The General cut his eyes to the map and let out a small breath before continuing. "Those above me have determined the Colonel to be a threat to national and international security and have ordered the termination of his service to the United States. I'm requesting you be the one to carry out that order."

Those types of orders were never vocalized, only implied, and although Ranger had pushed the issue, he was still mildly shocked it was said out loud. He kept his expression neutral while his eyes scanned the map. They could reach the compound in a matter of hours and depending on the number of mercenaries, he was confident they could complete the mission and be out of there quickly.

"How much intel do you have?"

The General reached into another pocket and drew out one more parchment, spreading it out over the map. "Schematic of the compound. He has a man at every entrance and exit, two patrolling the grounds and four inside as his personal body guards."

Ranger quickly did the math. Twelve total, including the Colonel. That was doable, but he would need reassurances. He leaned back against the couch cushions, leaving his eyes on the papers spread out on the table that would lead to his freedom. If they made it out alive.

"If the mission is successful, it will be my last," Ranger spoke softly but the words and the tone left no room for rebuttal.

General Ackerley didn't show an ounce of surprise at the declaration and Ranger suspected he'd known it was coming. "And your team?"

"I won't speak for them, but I want them to have the option."

"Uncle Sam won't be happy, but I'll make it happen. Anything else?"

"The man who flies us out needs to be one of yours. No chain of command on this one. It has to be quiet and contained."

"I already have him ready to go. Is that all?"

"It needs to be tomorrow night and we get to go straight home. No debrief. No delays of any kind." Ranger knew a million strings would have to be pulled to make that happen but he wouldn't be flexible, not this time. Not ever again.

The General left an hour later after working through ever contingency with Ranger and the rest of the men. They had a plan, they had several backup plans and they had an extraction point with an eight minute window. If they weren't in the clearing within that time frame, they would be left for dead and all knowledge of their mission, of their very existence, would be erased.

It was an unbelievably huge risk and with any other team, the odds of success dropped dramatically, but Ranger had the best of the best at his side and together they would be victorious.

###

Twenty four hours later they went in by stealth, using only knives and their hands to dispatch the exterior patrol. With the exception of Tank who was setting the explosives, the rest of the team made it inside in less than ten minutes.

Ranger personally handled the termination of Colonel John Jeffries while Bobby, Lester and Vince took out the interior guards.

The last thing Ranger remembered before all hell broke loose outside was the flash of Lester's bright white teeth in a cocky grin as they exited the compound.

The blast of machine gun fire from the two mercenaries whose existence they were unaware of echoed in the silence of the dark jungle night and Ranger was temporarily blinded by the muzzle flashes. He felt Lester fall at his feet as he unleashed return fire.

In a matter of seconds, Bobby was voicing the all clear call and Ranger was dragging Lester from the scene. Vince appeared at his side and together they ran to the cover of trees, carrying Lester between them.

"You will not die on me, Santos!" Ranger gave the order as he held his hand to the wound on Lester's chest that was way too close to his heart for anyone's comfort.

Santos was fighting for breath and writhing in pain under the heavy pressure being applying to the area that had unfortunately taken a stray round. "Hold him still!" Ranger barked at Vince as Bobby dropped onto his knees beside them.

"Did it go through?" He asked, ripping open the anticoagulant powder.

"I don't fucking know, I'm just trying to slow the bleeding."

"Lift your hands when I say," Bobby commanded as he jabbed a needle into Lester's arm. "Now," he barked and as soon as they were clear he ripped away some of Lester's shirt and poured the powder directly on the wound. He immediately covered it with a bandage and began wiping away the blood so the tape would stick.

Vince was at Lester's other shoulder, holding him firm to the ground and keeping up a steady stream of encouragement even though they didn't know if Lester was registering what was happening. The drug Bobby administered had quickly done exactly what it was supposed to do and Lester had gone still beneath them. "This is nothing, Santos," Vince spoke quietly. "I've had paper cuts worse than this. You'll be fine." Vince's green eyes bore into Ranger's over Lester's head. Right? His expression seemed to ask, and Ranger nodded, not able to actually voice the words he knew probably weren't true.

Bobby taped the bandage in place and then with Vince and Ranger lifting him, inspected Lester's back for an exit wound. "Good, it went through," he announced and repeated the process. "This will buy us some time but we have to get him out of here."

"How long?" Ranger asked, dreading the answer he already knew was coming.

"24 hours. 30 at the most. If it gets infected we're fucked."

Before Ranger could respond, Tank appeared seemingly from nowhere, with fire in his eyes and his M16 leading the way. "We have to move. Now!" Vince was on his feet and Bobby and Ranger quickly followed. Tank handed his rifle to Vince and broke stride only to scoop Lester from the ground. He hefted the injured soldier over his shoulder as if he weighed nothing and followed Vince into the thick cover of trees with Ranger and Bobby bringing up the rear.

They followed formation, with Vince on point and moved through the trees at a steady clip. The explosion sounded after they'd hiked a quarter of a mile into the jungle and had they stopped to look, they would have seen the flames shooting into the inky blackness of the night sky. No one even slowed down until they reached the extraction site. They were nearly twelve hours early and Vince couldn't be sure if the emergency message he'd tried to send to General Ackerley had been received.

Ranger and Bobby, flanking Lester, slowly lowered him to the ground at the base of a thick tree trunk just at the edges of the clearing. Vince quickly erected the camouflage netting to disguise their location while Tank patrolled the perimeter.

Lester would die if they didn't get him out. They all knew it but no one dared to bring it up as they waited in the shadows of the trees for a ride that might come too late.

No one said a single word for close to an hour. Bobby periodically checked Lester's breathing, it was shallow and his pulse was weak, but he was hanging in there. When someone finally did speak, the lot of them were surprised it was Santos.

"Fuck," he rasped out. "I feel like I've been shot."

Bobby and Ranger shared a look and then burst into short-lived laughter. "What a whiner," Tank said as he passed by on this fifth trip around the clearing. Only Ranger saw the relief on his face. It was a good sign that he was awake and talking.

"I didn't catch that," Lester breathed, "but I'm guessing it was an insult." Bobby pressed his fingers to Lester's neck and was pleased by the thump of his steady and growing stronger pulse.

"I'm sure you have time to come up with a witty retort before he comes around again," Ranger quipped and Lester managed a weak, "fuck you," before his eyes fluttered closed.

"That's good, right?" Vince wanted to know. "That he's talking. He wouldn't be ta.." Their pilot stopped mid-sentence and cocked his head. Bobby tried to get him to continue but Vince held up a hand to silence the group. They froze and stayed completely still and completely silent for several long beats and then Vince was on his feet and hefting his rifle. "Rotors," he finally said. "Our ride is coming."

Ranger shared a look with Bobby. Neither of them had heard a thing but they weren't about to argue. Two minutes later they all heard the distinctive sound of the helicopter making its way to the extraction location.

When the chopper touched down in the clearing and Ranger saw General Ackerley behind the controls, a smile broke out across his face. Matt wasn't taking any chances this time either. Tank carried Lester to the open door and two medics Ranger recognized from the General's staff lifted him inside and immediately began working on him.

When Vince, who was the last to climb aboard, lifted his foot inside, the helicopter began its ascent and Ranger leaned back and watched the two men, with an assist from Bobby, work on his fallen comrade. He was handed a set of headphones so he could hear what everyone was saying and listened to them as they assessed the wound.

They touched down briefly an hour later, but only for the time it took them to transfer to a military medic plane. He'd learned during the flight that Lester was going to make it but he would need surgery as soon as possible to repair the damage.

The plane landed at an army base just outside of San Diego, California, and Lester was rushed inside where The General's personal surgeon was waiting.

Matt squeezed Ranger's shoulder as they watched him being wheeled away. "You can stay until he's out of surgery but in case you want to get the fuck out of here and on your way home, I have a private jet waiting for you at La Jolla airfield. There will be a car waiting for you at Luna when you touch down in Newark."

Ranger wanted to smile but he was too fucking tired. In the end, Bobby, and Vince opted to stay until Lester was cleared to travel and Tank and Ranger took the ride home. Tank slept the whole flight but Ranger couldn't.

He knew he wouldn't until he could see her face.

###

It was close to two in the morning when the SUV entered the underground garage of his building and Ranger breathed easy for the first time in what felt like forever. The weight that had been pressing down on his chest since he'd left her alone was finally gone. He was home.

He'd kept his promise and come back to her and thankfully, he wouldn't ever have to leave again.

It was late and he was understandably exhausted but his desire to see Stephanie trumped any and all physical fatigue. There would be plenty of time to sleep after they had their reunion. He exited the car, with Tank on his heels, and they headed to the elevator.

"I assume you'll want this before you go in there," Tank said quietly as he stepped inside the car. He removed the small black leather satchel from one of the zippered pockets of his pants and held it out.

Ranger took it from his hand and squeezed his fist tightly around it.

"She know about that?" Tank asked.

Ranger shook his head. "No."

"Good. And I don't ever want the responsibility again."

"Understood," Ranger replied. "It shouldn't ever come up again…but you know you would if I asked."

Tank grunted as a response but they both knew it was true. He would do anything for Ranger whenever he asked and sometimes before he even had to.

"You're going to see Ram's family tomorrow, right?"

Ranger gave a single nod and unconsciously touched the tags still hanging around his neck. "I'll be with you," Tank announced and he nodded again. It was one of those things he would have asked of him, but didn't have to.

The elevator door opened on four and the big guy stepped off with a small nod to his boss, his partner but most of all, his friend.

When Ranger entered his apartment, he stopped in the foyer and inhaled a breath deeply into his lungs. The air smelled faintly of the lemon polish Ella used on the furniture but mostly the scent he savored was home. And it was home because of the woman he knew he'd find in the bedroom, waiting for him.

He dropped his bag on the floor near the sideboard and then he opened the satchel Tank had given him, turning out the contents into his palm. The platinum wedding band glinted in the low light from the dimmed sconces on the wall. He ran his thumb over the cool metal twice before slipping it on the ring finger of his left hand. It was a little loose, but he reveled in feel of it on his skin. The best part was knowing he would never have to take if off again.

Silently, he made his way through the kitchen and the sitting room and before he could even take in the sight of his wife, ensconced safely between the sheets of their bed, she was awake and moving toward him. Her long, brown curls spilled down her back in a wild tangle and the deep blue of her eyes focused on his face as she crossed the room. At first, the faint glow of the moon-lit room and the almost iridescent ripple of the white, floor-length negligee she was wearing made it seem like one of his dreams, but then she was in his arms and he managed a soft, "Babe," just before her lips were on his.

The reality of her touch nearly brought him to his knees.

Ranger tried to pour everything he was feeling into the kiss; passion, desire, gratefulness, love – most of all love. His love for her, but more importantly, her love for him is what got him through the worst of it. The simple thought of her got him through the worst of anything, really. For her…he did it all for her.

Later, when they were naked and spent and lying locked in each other's arms, she spoke for the first time and the sound of her voice, the one from his dreams, made a smile touch his lips. "I'm surprised you didn't lose this; you're so skinny, Ranger." She was twisting his ring around and around on his finger. "And I'm guessing I probably don't want to know about these." Her fingers left his and grazed down to his side where the bullet wounds were still healing.

Her voice was tense with worry and a pang of guilt fluttered through his heart for putting her through the torture of not knowing where he was or if he would even be back. "It's not as bad as it looks," he lied, knowing she'd see right through it.

"Right," she said and then she tightened her arms around him as if bracing for something bad. And she was. "Are you going to tell me about Ram?" Her voice broke on his name and more guilt surged through Ranger's heart. Of course she'd seen the tags as she stripped him bare. His eyes moved involuntarily to the nightstand where she'd gently laid them before pulling him into bed.

It took a while before he trusted himself to speak without losing control. "I don't want you to know the details; there is no reason for that to be in your head too. It was bad and I…I did what I could but it wasn't enough…I couldn't…"

Stephanie pushed up on her elbow and put her finger over his lips. There were tears in her eyes but she wasn't going to listen to him blame himself for what she knew couldn't have been his fault. "I'll be with you when you go to see his family. Tomorrow?"

Ranger nodded and let his eyes close when his wife pressed her lips gently to his. He didn't deserve her, that he knew, but he couldn't stop being grateful she was his. Stephanie settled back onto his chest and he thought he might be okay if he could just stay that way, warm in her embrace for the rest of his life.

"I didn't think you were going to keep your promise to me," she murmured softly. "If it wasn't for your friend who called to tell me you were okay, I might have lost my mind completely."

Ranger's entire body went still. Someone called her? That was against every protocol ever written. "What? Who was it?"

"Your friend…I think he said his name was Matt. He called a couple of weeks ago. Told me not to worry and that you would be home soon."

General Ackerley. Ranger should be angry - two weeks ago he couldn't have known the team would make it out alive and yet the General still called and eased Stephanie's mind - but all he felt was relief and gratitude that she had spent those fourteen days without the torment of not knowing the fate of her husband.

"Matt is a good guy," he told her, placing a kiss on her bare shoulder.

"You're a good guy," she countered and buried her face in the crook of his neck.

He wasn't but she made him want to be better and as they drifted off to sleep, he silently promised himself he would spend the rest of his life trying to be the best husband, the best lover and the best man he could be for her.

It was a promise that this time he knew he would keep.

For her.