Janet Evanovich 1. Prologue

A bleary eyed twenty-two Ranger Manoso answered the phone despondently, black satin sheets covering his waist down, leaving his bare chest in the air. He hadn't gone to sleep until late and the phone had woke him up not even an hour after falling into a dreamless slumber; all he could think was that the phone call had better be important.

"Carlos? Carlos Manoso?" The soft, feminine voice drove him out of his stupor and he straightened up more, the covers now completely off to reveal an army-gained build of dark skin and satin boxers. "This is him, correct?" The voice spoke again; calling back a night that had changed his life, the ones that made him a father. Had something happened to his daughter? He asked the question and the voice teetered nervously; she was afraid, he noted, as she darted the question and asked him to drive to her house.

Without a question he hung up the phone with a simple click, dressed in black clothing, and slipped his keys from the small dish into his hand before locking and leaving the house. He had been young and stupid when he had gotten a girl pregnant and he was never around for his daughter, not enough anyway, but he cared and if something was wrong, he wanted to solve it.

He arrived at the house an hour later, the beginnings of daylight creeping in through the trees framing the small but adequate home he had purchased for Rachel and their child. He pulled up by the garage and swiftly slid out of the car, knocking on the door and waiting. Had he felt more comfortable with his ex-wife, he would have simply slipped in but he barely knew the woman and she had sounded frayed on the phone.

After a few moments, the door slid open and a pretty but plain face stared out at him. "Thank you for coming all the way here Carlos," she told him in her soft voice, widening the door so he could step through.

"Is Julie okay?" he asked simply, arms folded. There was an air of awkwardness in the house that maintained even through the two and a half years they had known each other.

"Yes, but," Rachel paused and Ranger had the distinct feeling that she was afraid all over again and narrowed his eyes. "I'm getting married," she suddenly blurted out and Ranger lifted a dark eyebrow. He didn't understand why that would matter to him; there was no lost love between the two. "His name's Ronald and he's a year younger than me," she was babbling horribly; the only time he'd heard her worse was when she tried to tell him she was pregnant. The fact made him no less worried for his child.

"He's not ready for children." The atmosphere darkened immediately following the words, the tension thick enough to run a knife through and a silence followed, then…

"What do you want me to do?" Simple, quiet. Ranger wasn't much for speaking, even more so with such news. Rachel silently held out papers, her hands shaking as she did so. Ranger took them from her, careful not to touch the hand, and read the top of the papers. It was forms releasing custody of a child to the state. Ranger's face was blank as he looked back into the eyes of his child's mother.

He didn't love her, he never had, but he had respected the woman. She was strong and valiant, staying in school and graduating whilst taking care of a small child and not hating him, allowing him to visit whenever he was able. He'd never felt anger towards her, until now. In a brief moment, with these papers, she had shattered all respect. He handed the papers back, the signature line for the father still blank.

"I will not sign this," he told her. He could see the anger in her eyes flash and waited the storm.

"How selfish are you?" she hissed to his blank face, "you leave me with a child I didn't want – an accident – and then when I find an actual man who cares for me – not some baby army man who knocked me up – and you won't even do this for me? I don't want her, I can't stand looking in her face and seeing the mistake we made! You don't have to deal with her cries, her wants; you send money, make a visit and then check us off for the month!" Ranger didn't respond throughout her rant, waiting silently until she took a hasty breath.

"If you are unable to care for Julie, I will take her. Pack her things." He informed her, staring impassively into her brown eyes.

"I can't do that. You are unable to take the time to give her the care she needs, sign the paper Carlos." It irked him that she used his personal name, they had been married long enough for Julie to be a legitimate child but they didn't know each other well enough to warrant that.

"I refuse to give my only child to the state when I am physically able to care for her, if you don't want to have her, pack her things and she will go home with me." He stared at her, he could see the fear in her eyes but he didn't care. She didn't want the child, was willing to give her up for some man, fine, but damned if he was giving Julie to the state, she wasn't even two yet. Her mother might be able to abandon her but even with his minimal contact and carefully constructed emotional barriers, he was unable. He would die for his child.

He could see the battle raging in Rachel's eyes; the disapproval and doubt of him mixed with the sheer, disgusting desire to rid herself of the burden of motherhood. "Fine, I'll pack her necessities and her favorite toys and you can get the car seat." She left the room and Ranger went outside to her car. He briefly considered smashing her window before deciding it wouldn't be prudent for custody of their daughter and picked the lock instead. He had just finished re-installing the car seat into the backseat of his black SUV when Rachel appeared at the door frame, a large diaper bag in one hand with the other cradling the half-asleep baby.

Rachel looked him in the eyes as he took the child, "Don't come crawling back here when you can't handle it." He stayed silent as the baby passed into his arms, her short, dark hair tickling his arm as her brown eyes looked up at him sleepily.

"Daddy?" The word was slurred, barely discernible in her half-asleep baby voice but the curl of her body into his arms wasn't and he soothed her back to sleep with a gentle stroke of his hand across her thick head of hair. He placed her in the car seat carefully, folded the blanket over her, and placed the bag beside her before turning back to the woman at the door.

"I won't," he assured her. "I'll have my lawyer send the legal papers through the fax and you can move on with your life. You will never see Julie again." As he said the words, he knew he meant them. As long as he lived, he would not let Rachel near his daughter; a woman who could be so willing to give her child away did not deserve one. By trying to abandon their daughter she had insured she would never see her or him again. He got in his car and drove, the sleeping baby cooing in the back, and never looked back.

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><p>I'm relatively new and I just finished reading the twelfth one where Julie gets kidnapped and the thought on what if Ranger had taken Julie instead wouldn't leave my mind so I figured I would write this down and see what you guys thought. If you liked I was going to continue it when she's ten and Stephanie's around as a bounty hunter.<p> 


	2. Of Plums and Mothers

~_Eight years later~_

Ranger couldn't help the small lift at the corner of his mouth as he drove through the darkened disarray of Stark Street and its surrounding areas. His gun sat casually on the passenger seat beside him in eyesight of any small-time thug with big ideas. He had met Miss Stephanie Plum at the diner and she was without a doubt the greatest train wreck about to happen. She was young, a little younger or perhaps the same age as him putting her at late twenties to beginning thirties with a shoulder length mop of unruly brown curls and bright blue eyes. She was slim without being too skinny with a modest curvy body but it wasn't her physical features that had warranted his amusement. The girl was stone-cold crazy.

She was going after a major bust, Joe Morelli, a cop and by the streets information a killer, and a high bond endorsement. If she could handle herself it wouldn't be a problem but the girl didn't even own a gun until he had gotten her to Sunshine's and even then, her hand had shook on the trigger of a small Smith's and Wesson's. She was a laugh and he knew if he helped her his reputation would go down but he was drawn to the woman. There was an air of happiness on her that wasn't deflated even with her current financial problems.

Ranger pulled into the darkened driveway of his parents' house. It was a moderate house in the Hispanic and Latino equivalent of the Italian 'Burg' of Trenton and his parents had lived here as long as he could remember. It was late so he didn't knock, letting himself inside instead, and nimbly heading towards the living room. His mother was still up, reading a small book in Spanish by the light of the lamp beside her and she smiled when he came in.

"Carlos, how was your day?" He answered genially; he knew his mother would not let him leave with even the barest of details spared and so by the end she would know all about the Plum woman. The smile on his mother's face was disconcerting when he first mentioned her and so he skimmed through the rest of their encounter and recanted instead of the busts he and Tank had made. "I do not care so much for your captures Carlos, but who is this woman?" His mother's eye was twinkling with a soft hope. He knew that although his mother would always be supportive, a major part of her wished he would remarry a nice woman and settle down. He also knew it would never happen.

"A potential business associate, she needs someone to teach her the how-to-do's of fugitive apprehension is all." His mother sighed as if it brought her great sorrow for a woman he met to be of no importance and Ranger changed the subject. "How was Julie?" The topic was safe and he was always willing to hear his mother speak of his daughter.

"A doll, as usual, she tried to stay up until you came home but she fell asleep around nine thirty, the little dear," his mother spoke fondly, standing and leading him into the small guest room off the side of the house. His daughter, nearly ten now, was curled in the middle of the bed still in her day clothes of black tights and a modest blue dress. Generally Julie was a jeans and t-shirt child but her grandmother always insisted she dressed her best and so Ranger made sure she had dresses and skirts for visits and public ventures.

Her dark hair was covering her face and he bent down to softly push it below her ear. The action woke her and for a moment her chocolate eyes were hazy as she blinked away the remains of her dreams. "Dad?" she asked groggily, sitting up. He nodded and her face lit into a smile. "How was your day? I called Uncle Tank 'cause I got bored and he told me you were at a meeting with some girl." Ranger made a mental note to bug his mother's line to prevent his daughter from harassing his employees as he said goodbye to his mother and led Julie out of the house.

"She is just some woman who needed some professional advice. She's a new bounty hunter at Vinnie's." He explained as he opened the door of his black Porsche for his daughter and moved the gun back into the band of his jeans. She slid in and a few moments later he was beside her, steering the car out of the drive and back onto the street.

"I got Uncle Silvio afterwards and he got all this information up on her. Did you know she has a small record because when she was nineteen she flipped the curve and ran Joe Morelli – that cop who's been in the news – over in her father's Buick?" Ranger's lip twitched upward. Stephanie Plum was truly a one of a kind. "But why'd she do that dad?" Julie asked.

Ranger contemplated a moment, "She sold him a cannoli in high school and he didn't appreciate it." He told her, mouth twitching still slightly. Julie's eyebrows furrowed but after a moment she gave it up and moved onto the next topic.

"and she's divorced, was married that one lawyer guy Richard Orr but she caught him pants down with some Joyce Barnhardt lady and filed. Apparently it was bad; she decked him in public during the hearing." Julie smiled when her dad did. "What do you think of her?"

"She's crazy and over her head in this whole business." He told her, parking in the Haywood building's parking garage. Most nights he would take her back to their home on the other side of Trenton but it was late and Julie had school in the morning. "After that, I don't know, she's strange." Julie pouted when her father cut off the conversation by beeping them into the seventh floor apartment and ordering her to bed.

Ranger waited quietly until the noises in his daughter's room had died down and her slow, even breath permeated through the walls before going into the kitchen and pulling salad out of the refrigerator. His daughter was like that every time there was even a hint of a woman in his life. He knew that she wanted a mother; she was coming on the age that she would need a woman to help her with changes he had no idea of and would probably pay Bobby to explain.

A part of him missed the simpler days when she would ask why she didn't have a mother and was satisfied with the simple statement of 'she couldn't take care of you'. Lately, as she grew older, she was beginning to wonder about her mother and he knew that soon enough that answer wouldn't be accepted. He couldn't bring himself to tell her that her mother had abandoned her when she wasn't yet a toddler but he also knew he would never let her near her mother and that his daughter at least deserved the reason why.

He didn't like Rachel; he hated her for what she did but he didn't want Julie to. He wanted Julie to believe that her mother loved her but was unable – physically, mentally, financially, whatever she fashioned in her mind – to take care of her and so her father did. He didn't want to think of the devastation that would cross his daughter's face if she heard the whole story, the ugly truth. Finding out from her drunken uncle that she had been an accident – the product of a one night stand and not a failed love – on her eighth birthday had been hard enough to gloss over.

He knew eventually he would have to tell his daughter why her mother who supposedly 'loved' her so much didn't try to contact her or why he would never allow her to either but the day hadn't come and he knew Julie wondered. Stephanie Plum was simply another woman that Julie hoped he would bring home to fill that vacant spot in her life. It was that reason that as he gently wiped his dishes and slid them into the sink to take care of in the morning, he hoped to keep as much distance between him and the Plum woman as possible.

He had forgotten that life worked to no one's hopes, especially his.

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><p>Hey, thank you all for your wonderful reviews! I hope you liked this, I decided to move ahead eight years because otherwise it would take too long to get the story rolling. I have a very primitive idea for the plot but hopefully I can get it to work out. I'm trying to be as compliant to book one as possible with Ranger and Stephanie interactions but some of the times and things might be messed up or altered to fit in this world. Also, RangeMan cooperation are the only people that know about Julie outside the family, no one else knows she's there and she doesn't show up on Ranger's records. I hope you enjoyed this!<p> 


	3. Of Handcuffs and Bullet Wounds

A lot of you might be wondering why this updated twice, I updated the wrong file as the chapter and have now fixed it. Sorry!

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><p>The phone rang and Ranger silently cursed as he quickly flipped his phone open in an attempt to quickly silence it. Julie had gotten the flu from some kid in her class and Ranger had just gotten her to sleep an hour ago and if some person called for some random or inane reason and woke her up, he would find where they lived and shoot them…repeatedly. "Yo?" he answered the phone semi-calmly. Stephanie Plum's voice spoke through the earpiece. How did she get his number? He had given it to her but it definitely wasn't for this. She sounded embarrassed and apologetic but there was no way in hell he was leaving to go uncuff her from whatever crazy, sexual deviancy Morelli had left her in the middle of.<p>

The phone rang again and the only reason he answered was to keep Julie from awakening, answering an angry "Yo" to the woman. He was surprised by how angry she was; most people had fear of being angry with him but Plum was a different caliber of person. An Italian temper he assumed as he listened to her rant about what Morelli did. He had to admit, partially from truth and partially to annoy her, that he was impressed with the man's style. He decided to keep that he probably wouldn't have just left her like that to himself and instead hung up, sighing at the fact that the woman was able to get him to do this before grabbing his car and handcuff keys and heading out the door.

He stopped on the fourth floor and contacted Hal in the control room. "I have to go do something, Julie's in the apartment alone. She's asleep but keep an eye out." He turned away after Hal's quick "Yes sir" and headed out into the parking lot. If there was one good thing about being so frightening, no one questioned his motives for leaving in the middle of the night and he was able to make his way to the apartment complex with little intervention.

Stephanie Plum lived in a simple three-story apartment complex maybe ten minutes from her parents' home. She had indicated that she lived on the second floor, an apartment facing the parking lot and he could see a broken frame for a window from his stop by the dumpster. Figuring that was as good as any, he quickly climbed the fire escape and slipped into the apartment. Inside was a mess, papers and things scattered, doors to the cabinets thrown open and dishes pulled out. Morelli had been looking for something and Ranger almost didn't want to know what.

He made his way into the bathroom and bit back a grin. Plum's things were spread all throughout the floor in disarray and the woman herself stood, blushing red in the shower completely naked. It wasn't a bad view but he figured he wouldn't be trusted to behave himself professionally and gave her a towel to cover herself. As soon as she did, he pulled the cuff key from his pocket and approached her. "So, you and Morelli got some kinky thing going on?" Her glare over powered her blush.

"No, as soon as I see him, I'm going to shoot him. And then I'm collecting my money. How'd he get in, do you know?" he released her wrist from the cuffs and she pulled it to herself self consciously.

"Broke the window screen," he responded calmly, pocketing the key and placing the cuffs on the sink.

"How'd you get in?" She asked.

"The window." She glared at the wall and Ranger gave a brief grin to her back. The towel didn't quite cover her properly and he had enough quite a nice view of her pale body. He didn't necessarily stare but he got quite enough of a view before she started ranting again. He wished her luck on the capture and made his way out, using the locked front door instead of the window. He didn't think the woman would ever shoot him but he didn't want to push it by going out the still broken window.

The drive home was uncomfortable, filled with thoughts of the woman. He didn't understand but he got the feeling he was getting attached. It was impossible; he was careful enough to not get attached to any woman, they were all simply replaceable to him with the exception of family and apparently one Miss Stephanie Plum. He dismissed the thoughts as simple attraction – he hadn't been around a woman so scantily clad without some fun before leaving and it was getting to his mind.

He let himself back into his apartment and after a brief check on Julie went into his room, undressed into his boxers, and slid into his bed, falling asleep nearly immediately, the image of Stephanie Plum's naked body rousing itself to the forefront of his mind.

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><p><em>A few weeks later….<em>

He had distinctly ordered his men not to worry his daughter at school with the news that she had been shot and yet, here she was with his mother at the hospital, worried sick. "It's not bad." He assured them, showing them the bandage on his leg as he balanced on the crutches the hospital had provided. "A stray bullet, I was in a vest." Julie was nervously gnawing on her bottom lip, eyebrows furrowed as she stared at the wound. His mother simply frowned, gently brushed his face, and told him to be more careful before leaving the room.

If there was one person Ranger was most like in his family it was his mother. When his mother was angry or worried, she was quiet, mulling time until she could get even or find out what was going on. She was calm, the rock that had kept him and his siblings in control for as long as he could remember. Julie however, wasn't so. She had his intelligence and she wasn't pressured easily but she had a quick temper and sharp tongue and she worried. That was why when he found out who told his daughter he had been shot while helping Stephanie Plum in a capture he was sending them to a third world country or shooting them; he hadn't decided.

Not that the woman had even needed help; the way she had tackled the man would have made a pro-football coach proud. He was drawn from his thoughts by Julie's incessant questions she fired as they waited for a Rangeman employee to pick them up and even while on the drive to the Haywood office. Was he okay? Yes. Did they catch the guy? Yes. Who was he with? Stephanie Plum. A pause in the conversation then… what was he doing with her? Just helping he assured his daughter but she had a sort of sneakily mischievous grin that had Ranger inwardly groan.

He would never hear the end of it, not only had he gotten shot, he had been with a strange woman when he did and said woman had made the capture, not him. His employees wouldn't give him any grief, they valued their jobs and their lives, but Julie was fair game and she wasn't going to let it go easily. He waited for Binkie – a new recruit to his business – to park before turning to his daughter. "Go up and start on your homework, I have to go to the bonds office and tell Vinnie I'm out of commission, I'll be home in half an hour."Julie looked like she wanted to go with him but he had made a deal with himself that he would never let his daughter six feet from Vinnie. If the rumors about the duck were true he didn't want that sort of behavior around his daughter.

He waited until Julie was at least in the building before giving Binkie the go-ahead to pull out. He was only about seven minutes from the bonds office and within ten minutes he was maneuvering himself and his crutches into the office building after adamantly refusing Binkie's help, it was a flesh wound, he wasn't a paraplegic for god's sake. Connie, Vinnie's Italian Betty-Boop-with-a-mustache secretary looked up and stared at him, shocked. He had never come in with an injury before.

"Vinnie in?" She shook her thick, tall head of hair, still shocked, "Tell him I'm out for a while." She nodded and he made his way to the door before she called him back. He turned and watched as she hastily scrambled around her desk, searching for something. Finally she pulled out a check and handed it to him. He raised an eyebrow at her; he hadn't brought any body receipts with him and she didn't owe him any.

"Stephanie Plum had me address that to you. She said that you did most of the work for the capture and asked me to tell you that she would have let you have it all but she needed some for groceries so she took about five percent of her capture fee." Ranger nodded and left. He was rather shocked; he hadn't asked nor expected her to give him money for helping her. He figured it was part of their Henry Higgins and Eliza Doolittle act but she obviously hadn't thought the same.

All throughout the short ride to the RangeMan office complex and elevator trip to the seventh floor, he tried to place the strange emotion clenching in his chest. As he opened the door to his apartment he realized what it was. Stephanie Plum, an obviously financially struggling woman who had blackmailed herself into a crappy, dangerous job, had only taken five percent of her paycheck and gave him, a man who neither needed nor particularly wanted, the rest. And then even that small amount she took so she would be able to feed herself. All he could think of as he asked Julie if her homework was done was that he felt indebted to a potentially psychotic, definitely attractive woman. Shit.

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><p>So, please bear with me the slight choppiness of the time line. It had to be like that because the whole interaction between Stephanie and Ranger was rather limited in the first few books. I think I'm going to skip to book three or whatever one it was when Uncle Moe stole Ranger's car and they started their weird partnership just to get it going. It's strange but hopefully I can get it going from there. I hope you enjoyed it and I'll try to post again tomorrow or sometime soon.<p> 


	4. Of Jacked Cars and Morning Runs

Ranger watched his car drive off in the distance, face kept perfectly blank even as he watched Stephanie Plum freak out extravagantly. "I'm going to have to kill him," he told her calmly. Her facial expression was torn between shock and horror or worry and confusion. Obviously she was unable to tell if he was serious or not and the expression was endearing. It became third on his list after the face she pulled once she dropped him off and he told her they would work together and he would pick her up at five which was second to the face she made when he had walked in to uncuff her from her shower.

Julie bounded up to him as soon as he'd gotten into the apartment, demanding to know about the latest debacle with Stephanie Plum. Stephanie didn't know about Julie but Julie made it her business to know all about the latest drama with her. Ranger supposed his daughter could have a worse role model but it didn't sit right with him that his daughter admired a woman whose apartment was treated like Grand Central Station to all the psychopaths in Trenton and the surrounding areas.

He explained the odd partnership with his daughter and told her he would be gone early in the morning but be back in time to feed her and take her to school. She nodded, kissed his cheek, and scurried away into the living room. Ranger walked into the kitchen and began making a bag of unbuttered popcorn. Tonight was the 'family night' of sorts and as neither him or Julie particularly enjoyed board games and the only places open at this time of the night were not child-friendly they had settled on a movie that Julie had picked up at the rental store.

The timer on the microwave chimed and Ranger poured it into a bag and brought it out to the living room. Julie had already put the movie in and started the DVD player and was waiting to press play. She looked over when her father walked in and grinned, lifting the movie case so he could see the movie. The cover for _The Parent Trap _looked back at him and he sighed inaudibly. It was Julie's favorite movie and he had been forced to watch it countless times. He placed the popcorn in between them and settled in to watch the faded glory years of Lindsey Lohan with his daughter.

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><p>Ranger had survived countless horrors in war-zones; he had survived several monthly attempts at ending him, ranging from angry small-time drug lords to trained assassins from the Cartel but this took the cake. Ranger didn't think he could survive a dinner with Stephanie Plum's family. Her grandmother was potentially psychotic, her father was slightly racist, and her mother just tried to keep things sane while covertly tippling from a bottle of wine in the kitchen. He found out Stephanie was the sane one. The thought was terrifying.<p>

When he took her out to help him with a capture it was more to get out of that house then it was him actually thinking she could help him much. He was both shocked and amused when she took down the man probably twice her weight with a nicely placed and possibly accidental kick to his knee but he would get his check for Connie and then do what they had been secretly doing for a while. Pick out which captures Stephanie could make easily without someone trying to kill her and add some of Ranger's earnings to the fee. He knew Stephanie would never accept it outright, but he wanted to repay her for taking some of the money and as long as Connie didn't ask he didn't ruin his reputation by doing it.

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><p>Julie was asleep when he slipped out of the house and headed towards Stephanie's apartment. The capture the night before had been accidently impressive but her running skills had not been and he was determined to get her up and running if it killed him. He easily made his way through the dark to her apartment and gently knocked on the door. He didn't get an answer, which he expected, and bent to look at the locks. She had gotten two new ones and a new chain since her last broke. It took him two minutes to get in and not disturb anything. He locked back up behind him and made his way to her small bedroom.<p>

Stephanie was asleep amongst a tangle of sheets and blankets, her curls sticking up from under the comforter. He smiled a little at that and decided to let her asleep a few minutes longer and instead went into the kitchen. He figured she wouldn't have any of the things he planned for breakfast unless it was to feed her hamster and had brought tea for the occasion. He heated some water and poured it over the tea bag in a mug and took it to her room. He set it on her nightstand and began rummaging through her drawers for warm clothing that would serve his purpose. He found some sweatpants that would work and threw them at her just as she was waking.

She didn't seem surprised that he was there; she was angrier with the tea and being woken so early then she was him letting himself into his apartment. He inwardly shook his head at that and gave her ten minutes to get dressed. He started stretching his legs and by the time that she was out and dressed, he was starting on pushups. She managed to maybe do one in the time it took him to do fifty but he let it slide, instead going outside and leading her to a trail. He knew five miles might have been harsh for her but he really did mean it when he told her she needed the exercise.

They returned to the house, Stephanie panting heavily with her hair in complete disarray. Ranger found her cute although there was no way in hell he would admit it. He led them into her kitchen and made them a large smoothie for breakfast. He could tell that she wasn't overly found of the smoothie and when she said it was missing chocolate he nearly smiled. He was quickly becoming not just used to but fond of the girl and he knew that was rather dangerous in his line of work.

He covertly looked at the time – 7:00, he needed to get back to Julie. He told Stephanie that he was going home to take a shower and would be back in an hour. He drove fast to the apartments and got in the apartment by 7:10, just in time for Julie to come groggily out of her room, freshly showered and dressed. He greeted her morning and went into the kitchen. Ella had been through and supplied lightly toasted bagels with cream cheese and fresh fruit. He already ate so he bypassed his serving and put Julie's on a plate with a small layer of sugar free strawberry jam she liked.

He told her to eat quickly, that they were running late, and jumped in for a ten minute shower. Once he was out and dressed it was nearing 7:30 and it took twenty minutes to get to Julie's school. Luckily, Julie had heeded his warning and eaten quickly, rinsed her dishes and had her backpack loaded and in her arms, waiting for him. He grabbed his keys and led her out with a gentle touch on her back. He speeded to her school, getting there in fewer than fifteen, allowed her to give him a chaste kiss, and wished her a good day before speeding back to Stephanie's apartment.

When she opened the door and he caught a look at her dressed all in black he couldn't help himself, "smart ass." She grinned and they went to his car, set on finding that bastard that stole his car. When he did, he was going to shoot him, Stephanie be damned.

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><p>Okay, I'm going to do one more skip because it is in High Five that Stephanie learns that Ranger has a daughter and after that it's not going to be so cannon compliant, please bear with me one more and I'll have it figured out, sorry! Thank you all for reading<p> 


	5. Of Questions and Kisses

*Sort of important note before we begin, this is the where the story goes from Cannon compliant (sort of) to where I manipulate the story line for myself. Just a warning before we begin.

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><p>Ranger didn't know why but as time passed he find himself more deeply entwined in Stephanie Plum's life. She wasn't even single which could explain his attractions, but had a sort of one and off relationship with cop Joseph Morelli. She was crazy and dangerous to be around due to the amount of stalkers and bombs, had a horrible temper and was quite possibly deathly afraid of him, but at the same time she was beautiful, always had a bright disposition and a smile, and had wound her way into his heart.<p>

Between the first time they had worked together and he had gotten shot to working together with the Uncle Moe case to the inane flirting (which he enjoyed more for the facial expressions she made than actual desire), to giving her odd jobs she somehow managed to mess up some way, somehow he had fallen for the Italian-Hungarian girl from the Burg. Now, however, he was at a crossroads. He had agreed to help her trace her missing uncle, and they were doing surveillance at the street Fred had gone missing at. He had forgotten how absolutely annoying Stephanie could be during stakeouts and had been forced to endure her inexhaustible questions.

This brought him to his current predicament, debating answering her latest question. She had asked if he had been married and he had told her briefly when he was younger. He hadn't mentioned Julie but she had asked about children. He could lie, tell her he didn't have any but what if she met Julie later and they both found out he lied? He could tell her yes but that she lived with her mother. That idea brought a thick wall of anger from him; the last he heard about Rachel she and her husband had two children, one born less than a year after he took Julie, and no one around her knew she had another child. His pride refused to allow him to credit that woman with anything.

"Do you trust me?" He asked her finally, turning to her fully. She looked confused at the sudden change of pace; the air in the car was more fiercely tense than before the question. She thought for a moment, bottom lip being tugged by her teeth before slowly nodding. He turned and turned the engine on and started driving.

"What are we doing? We are supposed to look for Uncle Fred!" There was an air of hysteria in her voice that had him looking at her with an eyebrow raised. Didn't she say she trusted him?

"Don't worry babe, I just want you to meet someone." Her eyes widened at his words, her mouth agape in her shock. He mentally added the face to his list as his lips tugged upward some. Julie was going to love this.

"You mean?" He nodded slightly in the dark, no longer smiling. What he was doing was dangerous; very few knew of his daughter, just family and close friends like Tank who had been with him on leaf the night he got Rachel pregnant, and for a very good reason. Many people wanted to take him out and would use what they would consider a weak link to their advantage. He didn't want to endanger his daughter but there was something about Stephanie he trusted, something that told him she wouldn't harm his daughter or intentionally bring in anyone that would.

"Her name's Julie and she is ten years old. Her mother was a nice Catholic girl I took advantage of over one of my military reliefs and Julie was the result. Originally she lived with her mother in Miami but when she was almost two her mother got remarried and didn't want her anymore," he heard the sharp intake of breathe and glanced towards Stephanie. She was glaring angrily, apparently over her shock.

"But she's her mother! She can't just abandon her child!" Ranger smiled a little at that one; he could always count on Stephanie to bring out her Burg upbringing at the oddest times. Normally it was when he wanted their flirting to go a little further but it was refreshing that she had the maternal instincts the Burg required of their women.

"She did but it doesn't matter. Julie doesn't know about that and she's not going to." He gave her a look that told her to keep her mouth shut as he parked his car. She nodded in agreement and he gently but firmly pulled her out of the car, leading her up to the RangeMan office and then again to the seventh floor.

"Batcave?" She joked and his face lifted into that small, sort of smile he knew she loved.

"It's forever Babe," he told her, pulling her into him for a kiss. It started chaste but quickly heated as she moaned softly and pressed her body into him. She was in the "off" stage with Morelli after he insulted her capability of her job and he was wondering how easily it would be to get her into his bed for the night. He slipped his hands under her shirt, resting them on her hips but slowly inching forward when the door to his apartment swung open.

"Dad what are yo-" Julie stopped mid-question, eyes wide at the sight in front of her. Ranger cursed lowly in Spanish and turned to his daughter. She was grinning despite the flush of awkwardness that had warmed her cheeks. "I'll give you two a moment!" she smiled widely, winked at her father, and pranced back into the apartment, her skirt flourishing. He waited for the door to close before turning back to Stephanie. She was blushing red, but still in his arms; Ranger had to admit it felt nice and a small part of him hoped she wouldn't go back to Morelli. She always did and he knew it would be healthier for her if she did, but he still hoped.

"Oh my god!" she squeaked, coming to her senses and jumping from his arms, red in the face. "I meet your daughter for the first time and all she sees is this strange woman groping her father! Oh my god she must hate me!" Ranger laughed a little and Stephanie narrowed her electric blue eyes at him. "It's not funny! That's horrible! Your daughter must think I'm some slut after her father!" Ranger laughed outright at that; a large bellied laugh he rarely had.

"My daughter worships the ground you burn, Babe. She's probably ecstatic about that." Stephanie looked rather skeptical about that but she took Ranger's outstretched hand and walked with him into the apartment. Ranger took a deep, inaudible breath as he watched Stephanie Plum, a taken woman that he loved, and his only child Julie, a girl abandoned by her mother, meet for the first time. His two worlds collided before his eyes and he could only hope they could sustain the storm that would inevitably follow.

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><p>So there you go, Stephanie finally met Julie and I kind of liked it. It seemed to me that it could be something that happened in the books. I just want to tell you now that Morelli will play a part but it won't necessarily be pretty and an antagonist character from the future books will be in it. I hope you enjoyed this!<p> 


	6. Of Movies and Bedroom Arrangements

Ranger led Stephanie into his dining room where he could hear Julie moving around. When they arrived, she had already set the table for three and carried the vegetable stew Ella had made to the table. She smiled brightly when they came in and set the accompanying salad onto the table. "I wasn't sure how long you would be so I figured I should get the dinner table set." Stephanie blushed more and Ranger's lips twitched into a small smile. "It's really nice to meet you Miss Stephanie," Julie continued politely, a grin still on her face, "Daddy's said a lot about you." The shock was written on Stephanie's face and Ranger wondered if she honestly believed he wouldn't mention her.

"Your father speaks? I find it difficult to believe he does more than give commands." Julie laughed outright and Ranger looked towards Stephanie.

"Smart ass."

"Don't curse in front of Julie!" Stephanie admonished. Julie laughed again and Ranger did a mental eye roll. He didn't know if he should be worried that Stephanie's maternal instincts were kicking in with Julie's presence or not. A part of him was happy but the rational part scolded it. Stephanie would go back to Morelli where she was safe and happy and he would reestablish their working only relationship. This was simply a selfish bump in the road.

"Babe, she's heard worse." Not that Ranger was particularly happy at that. He had started a regime of swift punishment for anyone caught cursing in front of Julie after she was suspended from her second grade classroom for calling her teacher a 'stupid fucker.' He had not been pleased.

"Well she shouldn't." Stephanie replied tartly, sticking her tongue out, before turning instead to Julie. "It's nice to meet you Julie, please just call me Stephanie." Conversation turned primarily into a conversation between Julie and Stephanie while Ranger silently listened. He learned quite a bit of Stephanie's childhood: how she was second to "Saint Valerie", how she would run away to her grandmother's house when she fought with her mother and live off cookies in a tent her grandmother construed out of blankets and chairs in the living room, how she had tried to fly off the roof of her house. Child Stephanie wasn't much different from adult Stephanie.

Dinner finished and Ranger was going to call it a day and take Stephanie back to her apartment but with some begging and puppy eyes form Julie both adults relented and settled in to watch a movie with her. When Julie pulled out "Parent Trap" again Stephanie let out a little noise of surprised pleasure that made Ranger smirk slightly.

"Oh! I love this movie!" She told them, grinning. "Lindsey Lohan is adorable in this, you can almost forget how she ruins her career and turns into a psychotic freak!" Julie nodded her assent and slid the movie into the player before settling in on the other side of her father than Stephanie. Despite Julie sitting right next to them, Ranger couldn't resist goading Stephanie for the sound she made.

"You know, if a children's movie can make you gasp like that, imagine what an hour with me could do Babe," he whispered in her ear, one hand wrapping around her waist, fingers gently tickling the warm skin of her stomach. She flushed at his words, a little from embarrassment and quite a bit from an entirely different emotion.

"Your ten-year-old daughter is sitting right _there_!" Stephanie hissed and Ranger just smirked wolfishly. "You're disgusting!" she whispered and Ranger just silently laughed before placing a chaste kiss above her ear. He turned his attention back to the movie but not before catching the grin his daughter had. He narrowed his eyes at her, silently warning her not to plan anything. He wouldn't put it past his daughter to lock and barricade them into the apartment and probably get the entire employee list to help. She just smiled innocently and returned her attention to the movie.

Ranger loved his daughter, he really did, but the truth was that on most of their movie nights his attention was elsewhere; on loose skips or new business transactions primarily. He was a man of action, sitting idle and watching a family movie wasn't something he could ever really get into, even with his daughter. Tonight however, was an exception. He still wasn't into the movie, he found the plotline ludicrous at best, but his mind was very much tethered into the room. He smiled as he watched Julie and Stephanie interact, as they laughed together, or glared indignantly at the antagonists' actions, or as they told each other their favorite parts. He enjoyed watching them interact even as he told himself it wasn't permanent.

The movie ended and both of Ranger's girls chatted about their assumptions on what happened to the family after the credits rolled. Ranger grabbed the empty bowl of what had been popcorn and took it into the kitchen. It was late, nearing the point that he would have to pull the plug on the evening and get Julie to bed for school but he couldn't make himself do it. There was something about watching them playfully argue that made him feel calm so he procrastinated it by making calls and checking on the control room. By the time he got back from a brief security check with Hal it was nearing eleven and Julie was obviously struggling to stay awake.

"You, bed now." He told the sleepy ten year-old. She didn't argue, simply yawned and stretched before lazily walking into her bedroom. Ranger grabbed his keys and Stephanie grabbed her purse and they waited by the door for when Julie reemerged and Stephanie could say good night. When she finally did, decked out in light blue silk pajamas, she looked at them surprised.

"You aren't staying here tonight?" There was a disappointment in her voice that was secretly mirrored by Ranger's mind. Stephanie blushed again at the assumption and shook her head, shooting a glare at Ranger as if to say it was his fault. He supposed he shouldn't have kissed her like that in front of his child-filled apartment but her lips had been begging for it so he was above apologizing. "But it's late, and whoever took your Uncle Fred might be looking for you or the guy Uncle Tank threw out the third floor window!" Ranger hadn't yet informed his daughter of the fate of the guy but he made a mental note to tell her in the morning so she couldn't use it as leeway. He knew his daughter was simply trying to set them up but she did have a point about whoever took Uncle Fred.

"I couldn't possibly stay. Ranger – your father – will take me to my apartment and I'll get him to get me in the morning. I'll be fine." Ranger gave her a look.

"Babe." Stephanie shook her head adamantly at him.

"Oh no, I know that look and it's not going to work. You are going to take me to my apartment and I'm going to sleep in my own bed. I'll be perfectly safe; chances are the person who took old Uncle Fred doesn't even know where I live yet." Ranger didn't like the way she tacked 'yet' onto the statement so casually; he would have to get Hector down there to install some more locks.

"I have 300 count thread sheets." He goaded. Stephanie looked tempted and childish hope overpowered the tiredness in Julie's brown eyes. Finally, with a few more begging words from Julie, Stephanie relented to the one night. Julie jumped excitedly, told them she would see them in the morning, and promptly disappeared into her room, leaving the two adults turned bedmates to themselves.

"I'll sleep on the couch. No funny business." Stephanie warned before making her way into his bedroom. He followed, shaking his head slightly at the way she was eye-worshiping his bed.

"Babe, I got something more impressive I could show you." He taunted, only a little serious. Stephanie blushed and glared, repeating the 'no funny business' line before disappearing into his bathroom. Ranger heard the water run, figured Stephanie made herself at home and began collecting cloths from his walk-in to change into once she was done. Twenty minutes later he heard a soft cough and paused his fingering through the new reports given to him by Hal.

"Babe?" Stephanie's head popped out behind the door with a flush. Ranger lifted one eyebrow at her when nothing else followed and the flush deepened, staining her white cheeks a beautiful rose color.

"Do you have any cloths I could borrow? I didn't plan to spend the night." Ranger smiled. "It's not funny! I'm standing here only in a towel and it's _cold_." Ranger smirked again.

"Don't tempt me Babe." He got up from his bed and grabbed a large shirt – black – and tossed it towards her. She caught it, one hand reaching from behind the door to do so. Ranger could just imagine the towel falling down an inch or so and his lips twitched again. "You are on your own for the underwear," he told her. Stephanie showed him an Italian gesture in response and slid back into the bathroom. Two minutes later she slid back out, legs bare, the only thing covering her his t-shirt. He smirked at that, sliding off the bed and slinking an arm around her waist.

"I like you in my shirt," he whispered in her ear, bending down to kiss her, "but it would be even better without it." He tugged playfully at the hem and Stephanie moaned into his lips, sliding a leg between his. They stayed like that a moment before he reluctantly pulled away. "Tempting Babe, maybe we can come back to the apartment once I take Julie to school," Stephanie blushed red and Ranger chuckled as he walked past her into the bathroom.

Two minutes later he was out and smiled slightly at the sight. Stephanie had obviously failed the comfort over modesty test and had given into the bed over the couch. She had slid into the covers and was now sprawled onto one side of the bed, her tangle of hair the only piece of her truly visible. He slid in next to her, wrapping an arm and kissing her goodnight softly. He closed his eyes against the warmth of her body and ignored the guilty feeling he had. It wasn't a permanent arrangement but he couldn't help but notice how perfectly her smaller frame fit into his.

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><p>So another chapter done, I'm moving their relationship faster (sort of) and I hope you liked it. I also didn't know what was better for thread count - lower or higher so I assumed lower. I tried to write of Ranger's sexual bantering but I'm not sure how good I did it. I hope you liked it, the conflict with Morelli is starting next chapter. (Also, I liked Julie a lot). I hope you enjoyed it!<p> 


	7. Of Midnight Calls and Cheating Men

Ranger blinked his eyes open, trying to figure what had woken him. He was alert when he realized it was an unfamiliar cell phone ringtone. It took his mind a few seconds longer than his body to respond and he relaxed himself when he remembered Stephanie had stayed the night. He could make out her thin frame under the duvet and her curly hair spilled over one of his pillows. He carefully reached over her and grabbed the phone; he was originally going to answer it because anyone willing to call at four in morning most likely had an emergency but the name flashing caught his eye and he hit 'ignore' instinctively. If Morelli was in any major trouble he most likely wouldn't be calling Stephanie for help unless it was sexual in relation.

The phone buzzed on again, its tone seeming to reflect the anger that must have been radiating from the Italian man on the other end. He contemplated ignoring it again when a blue eye popped open and the woman beside him groaned inaudibly. She reached blindly for the phone, hand inching across his nightstand. Ranger watched in amusement as she seemed to suddenly realize she wasn't in her apartment. She jumped from the bed when she realized Ranger was beside her and stood next to it, one hand resting on her heart.

"Babe." Ranger said, amusement lacing his tone. She glared at him and opened her mouth to retort when he pushed the still-ringing phone into her hand, hitting the speaker button as he did so. Her glare seemed to darken even more when she saw the name and she hit the talk button with a force that made her nearly drop the phone.

"It's the middle of the damn night, this better be fan-fucking-tastic!" she hissed into the phone as she sat back onto the bed and grabbed the blankets back over her, the thousand plus thread count sheets covering her bare legs. Ranger watched through dark eyes as Stephanie irritably listened to Morelli speak.

"I woke up and realized Bob misses you cupcake." Ranger raised an eyebrow at Stephanie, mouthing the words back to her. She bit her lip and glared at him, silently telling him she would deal with it. Ranger simply couldn't believe that the man had the audacity to call a woman in the middle of the night and then use his dog as disguise for the obvious booty-call.

"Bob or your penis?" she replied sardonically, glaring at the darkened wall in front of her.

"Both, I woke up and realized that I missed having you to give me a reason to not go back to sleep and thought I'd call, of course I can always go to your apartment if you don't want to drive." Ranger nearly laughed at that; did Morelli really think he was being charming? He supposed the normal women who surrounded themselves around Morelli would swoon over that but the normal quality of women around Morelli were also paid by the hour. Stephanie simply rolled her eyes, silently giving the phone an Italian gesture.

"Gee, Morelli such a sweet invite, but I'm not home. Spending the night at a friend's," Ranger smirked at that, wrapping an arm around the woman. He would be all too willing to jump into the conversation if it allowed. He would love to rile Morelli up while he still had a grasp on Stephanie. Stephanie smiled up at him, snuggling into his warm body in response.

"With who?" Morelli demanded. Ranger could hear the inherent ownership that laced his voice and apparently so could Stephanie because she swelled up indignantly and practically hissed her words into the phone.

"None of your concern, we're broken up and you have no control over who I spend my nights with." She told him angrily. Ranger could admit to being proud of Stephanie. He figured that Stephanie wouldn't put up with some of Morelli's crap like the forced marriage issue and the hatred of her job but he also figured that Morelli had at least a semblance of control over Stephanie, something that made her always come back. He didn't hear any of it in her voice and wondered if the breakup was bigger than he thought. Had Stephanie ever actually told him that it had been about her job again? No, but he had seen them arguing at one of the recent accident sites and had assumed.

"Is it fucking Mañoso? You are sleeping with that bastard over me?" Stephanie didn't say anything, allowing Morelli to come to his own conclusions on his assumption. When he did, Ranger was ready to rip his vocal cords straight out of his throat. "You are, aren't you? You dirty whore! After all I've done for you, you are choosing that thug over me? We love each other and belong together but you are fucking it up by sleeping with him!" Morelli was in full rant now and Ranger could see the sudden change in Stephanie. Gone was the self-assuredness, the anger; in its place was an emotion Ranger never wanted to see on her face, hurt and guilt.

Firmly he took the phone from her hand and with a steadying voice, spoke to Morelli, "I'd appreciate if you did not call my apartment in the middle of the night to verbally abuse your ex. She needed a place to stay and I gave it to her. I didn't sleep with her and she isn't a whore, if you truly loved her you would never say things like that." He hung the phone up before Morelli could get his side in and turned it off once it started ringing angrily again.

"Babe." He spoke evenly, softly, as he firmly pushed her chin up to see her. Her blue eyes were rimmed with bright, unshed tears and Ranger growled lowly. "Morelli's a bastard," simple, factual, and laced with a quiet anger that hinted at death. Stephanie gave a shaky laugh and wiped her eyes.

"But right. We've only been broken up a week and here I am sleeping in another man's bed. I'm a hypocrite and a whore." Ranger shook his head at her and hugged her body to his.

"We slept in the same bed babe, it's not the same. You aren't a whore and you deserve someone who isn't going to treat you like that," he left the words that he would treat her better unsaid. Even if he would never dream of speaking to her like Morelli did, he was no better for her than him. His lifestyle left his daughter possibly orphaned every time he walked through his door, he couldn't imagine what it would do to a woman who was already a target herself.

"Thank you Ranger," Stephanie smiled, wiping the tears and looking at the clock. She groaned and threw herself back onto the bed. "It's four-thirty. Even if we were still dating I would tell that bastard to use his hand." She muttered and wrapped herself back in the blankets. Ranger couldn't help himself. He pulled her close into him, pressing his entire body against her as he whispered sensually in her ear:

"Is that what you would tell me Babe?" He asked her teasingly; softly nibbling her ear, his hand pressing roughly against her hip, bunching his shirt that was the only major article of clothing separating him from her. Stephanie moaned softly in response before biting a retort.

"Yes, but I'd expect you to actually follow it." The teasing feeling was gone in the air as Ranger figured the meaning behind her words. The realization hit him hard and he pulled back.

"He cheated on you?" The words were deceivingly calm, the sharpness of the poison laced into the softness of his voice. Dimly Stephanie nodded and her eyes swam with tears.

"With Joyce Barnhardt; I was so happy, I thought I had fantastic news to tell him but when I went into his apartment he was knees to knees with Joyce and just whaling away. It was disgusting." The tone in her voice showed how much she despised Morelli and Joyce and Ranger finally understood why her tone of voice had been so firmly final with Morelli. Stephanie could and would put up with a lot of Morelli's underhanded and borderline abusive antics but infidelity would never be something Stephanie would deal with. That left one question for him; well maybe two but he doubted he would take no for an answer on whether or not it was an option to kill Morelli.

"What was the news?" Silence had never been something he had to deal with Stephanie and it was unnerving. He wrapped his arms tighter, "Babe?" he goaded. Stephanie's eyes swam with tears and one hand gently rested almost protectively against her abdomen.

"I'm sorry for getting you and Julie involved in my life Ranger," she told him, trying to pull his arms away from her, so she could stand. "Morelli's right, I'm just a stupid whore." With those words the dam finally broke as Stephanie truly realized her predicament. Despite the fact that she obviously believed he would rid himself from her, Ranger held her until the dawn light hit the bed, comforting her as she cried for her suddenly complicated life.

Ranger knew that in that single, defining moment, he had allowed Stephanie into his life and it would never be the same. He might not be able to keep her safe from everything and he couldn't reverse the damage Morelli had done but he was unable to let her go. The batcave was forever, no matter the circumstances

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><p>So, umm, yeah. There's that. Don't hate me? I honestly have no idea where the (excuse the language) hell that ending came from but you know, plot right? Anyways and onto safer topics that won't get me cyber-killed for my weird twists and horrible plot pieces, I want to thank everyone for telling me about thread counts, I'm too lazy to fix it in the old chapter but I did change it here, I hope you like the chapter. I will assure you now, Morelli will be in it often now and Julie will be back, I just couldn't fit her in this chapter conceivably. Don't hate me, I honestly did not expect to write that, I guess you can say my stories plan themselves? AT LEAST give me credit for not having premeditation, that should get me at least a little of the hook, it works in court systems! Anyway, I thank you all for reading this and the new chapter should be up soon, I'm just not quite sure where to go from here.<p> 


	8. Of Silent Mornings and Hard Decisions

The clock on his bedroom table read 5:30, officially half an hour since he should have been up but he couldn't risk waking the woman still clutched tightly to his chest. Stephanie had sobbed herself to sleep maybe half an hour after Morelli's call but Ranger had stayed awake, gently stroking her hair and thinking silently. Stephanie was a mess; with one phone call Morelli had changed her into a shadow of the woman she had been, watching television with his young daughter. And he had messed with her, he had made the mistake Ranger did years ago, but as opposed to marrying her, he had slept with another woman and then blamed Stephanie.

The lack of human consideration made Ranger ill and he tightly held Stephanie as if it would make the pain and suffering go away. He knew that the right thing would be for that child to grow up alongside his or her father but, much like with Julie and Rachel, he wouldn't want that man anywhere near the child. It wasn't his choice, Stephanie was the mother and had all over-all say, but he assumed that Stephanie would feel the same. She wouldn't want a Morelli anywhere near her child, unborn or born, father or not, after what he did and especially after all the rumors of Morelli men that ran through the Burg.

Ranger was surprised to find that he still very much loved Stephanie as he did when they laid down together, he had expected a quiet sense of severance when he heard the news but when the tears started falling he was compelled by an even stronger sense of emotion to hold her close and whisper it would be alright. It wouldn't – single parenthood was hard, worse when the other parent was not involved in anyway – but then again, did she have to be alone? Ranger could be there, maybe not relationship wise for even he could see that Stephanie was currently too unstable to maintain a healthy relationship, but as a friend, as someone who had gone through something similar.

He could be whatever Stephanie wanted as long as he could be a part of the child's life somehow. The guilty feelings of simply endangering yet another life were squashed by the over-powering protective feelings over Stephanie. He didn't care if that child was half-Morelli, his babe was having a baby and as for as he was concerned, that was all that mattered. He would be there if she wanted, more so than he was in Julie's first year of life.

Six o'clock rolled by and he heard the dim, groggy sounds of Julie slowly awakening. He knew that Julie would soon come to see why he wasn't up but even as the time ticked by; he couldn't pull Stephanie away from him. He couldn't help but thinking that if he left for a moment, she would be gone from his life, and back to the father of her baby. Julie cautiously opened his door at 6:30 and Ranger looked up at his daughter.

Julie had the right mind in staying silent, merely cocking her head in confusion and curiosity at the sight of the rather intimate position. Stephanie was curled into his chest so her tear-stained face was thankfully unseen by his daughter. Ranger figured that Stephanie was most likely unready for other people to know of her condition so he gestured for his daughter to close his door without saying anything. Once it was closed silently, Ranger slipped out from the bed. Stephanie groaned a little from the loss of warmth and curled into his vacant spot but didn't awaken.

Ranger's eyes were momentarily drawn to her stomach. It was still flat, but he knew that if she truly was pregnant, it would slowly begin to swell to encompass the baby. Ranger had always thought pregnant woman were beautiful; there was a simple vivacious glow to them that was unparalleled by anyone, even with those like Rachel whose child wasn't born from love. He knew that Stephanie would have an even stronger allure to him because he already loved her; but in the same field, he knew that it would never be, the baby wasn't his and he had no right to feel so protective of it.

That didn't stop him from gently resting a hand on Stephanie's stomach and whispering softly in Spanish, softness in his eyes he would never let anyone see but in the dead of night. He was tied to the child like he was tied to its mother, irrevocably. He wanted to be there for the child, a feeling he didn't expect to have. He let out an almost silent sigh at the thoughts of an impossibility; it was nonsense to believe he could be there for Stephanie and her child, he could barely be there for his own and his lifestyle didn't even lend enough for that one person safely.

He dressed quickly and wrote a simple note for Stephanie, telling her where he and Julie had gone and told her to stay in his apartment. He didn't think that Morelli would hurt her physically but the man had a temper large enough that it was a possibility Ranger didn't want to ignore. He met Julie in the hallway, a bagel held in one hand and her bag in the other. "Let's go." He told her quietly and led her out of the building and into his Porsche Turbo. They drove silently which was uncharacteristic of his young daughter and Ranger was almost worried by the time he parked in front of her school.

"What was wrong with Stephanie? I heard the phone ring last night and then I heard her cry for a long time, what happened?" there was worry written in the depths of her dark eyes but her voice was steady and her face was blank. Anyone on the outside would assume they were speaking of something mundane, like a test she had to take that day, or a homework assignment due. Ranger had to hand it to his daughter; sometimes her observance skills surprised him.

"Let's not talk about it here," he told her. She nodded in agreement, kissed him on the cheek and left the car for the steps of her elementary school. Ranger waited until she rounded the corner before backing out of the lot. He thought of Stephanie all the way home; did she know for sure? If she had only taken a drug store test chances would be that it was inconclusive and she might not be pregnant at all. He thought on ways of addressing it with her as he fobbed himself into the apartment. Stephanie sat staring at the wall unseeingly, fresh tears making the journey down her beautiful face.

"Babe." He whispered softly and wrapped his arms around her. "For sure?" He asked quietly, warm breath gently tickling her ear and the back of her neck. After a pause Stephanie shook her head.

"The test I took with Mary Lou was positive but I had a doctor's appointment made out of town to confirm it. Once I found Morelli and Joyce I cancelled it, I didn't want to know." Ranger nodded in understanding; when Rachel called to tell him she was pregnant it had taken three cancelled appointments before he could finally get her to take the test. "I'm such an idiot." She whispered again, clutching at him, "and now I brought you and Julie into this stupid mess."Ranger just clutched her tighter.

"You didn't bring us into anything." He told her shortly before taking up a more practical note, "I only have simple paramedics at the office but I know a discreet doctor who can confirm." Ranger informed her. Stephanie stiffened but nodded slowly. Ranger understood the fear well, an unexpected child was a terrifying experience for a woman. "We'll stop by your apartment to get clothes." She nodded and Ranger grabbed her purse for her, slipping in a Smith and Wesson's .38 when he realized hers wasn't there. Stephanie blanched at the sight of the smooth metal in her purse but it was a testament to the seriousness of her predicament that she didn't argue it.

The drive to her apartment was silent; the unspoken agreement between them was the only noise in either's ears. Stephanie would have normally filled the quietude with inane chatter but with the grave prospect of motherhood looming in front of her, conversation fell short. The elevator was empty when they got on it to the second floor. Ranger would have preferred the stairs than to the rickety elevator but he didn't want to push Stephanie any further.

The grave calmness that surrounded them, however, was broken by the sight before them. Ranger growled lowly as he stepped protectively in front of Stephanie, staring surprisingly calmly at the man before him. Morelli's angry eyes answered his steadily as he leveled the barrel even to Ranger's chest.

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><p>I hope you liked this chapter because it nearly killed me trying to write it. I have somehow contracted an illness and am quarantined into my room to avoid giving it to my little cousins. My major headache is back but whatever I liked the chapter. Sorry for the cliffhanger but it had to happen, I wanted the drama factor in it.<p> 


	9. Of Guns and Frantic Situations

"No!" Ranger heard Stephanie gasp as she tried to get in front of him. He didn't say anything, eyes still firmly locked on Morelli's lean body, but he reached a hand back and stilled her struggling body. "What are you thinking Morelli?" she practically screeched, standing as tall as possible to see over Ranger's shoulder. Ranger wanted to calm and comfort her, losing control in this type of situation could be deadly, but he didn't want to turn from Morelli. Something in his eyes alerted Ranger even more than the gun pointed firmly at his chest. "Why?" Stephanie cried, half angry and half hysterical. Morelli's eyes tore themselves from Ranger's and fixed onto Stephanie's instead.

"Why? _Why_?" All the suave calmness Ranger had accustomed himself to was gone, leaving an ugly flat tone in its place, the voice of someone who had lost it all. "You belong with me; we are supposed to get married! Yet you continue to refuse my hand, you are always breaking up with me for some stupid reason! Then I call you to try to get back together and I find you in bed with Mañoso!" Ranger inched slowly closer to Morelli who had begun waving the gun in earnest as he began yelling. His eyes locked with Stephanie's and pride flared inside his chest. He could see the fear etched into every part of her body but he could also see the stubborn determination that had kept her alive through other such situations.

"I don't belong to you Morelli and I didn't break up with you for some stupid reason, I caught you sleeping with another woman, with Joyce Barnhardt for crissakes!" Ranger mentally shook his head, even in a dangerous situation Stephanie's quick temper would always win over her common sense. He was close enough now to reach the gun but he didn't pull any sudden moves, one glance in his direction could get him or Stephanie shot.

"So? You still belong with me; you are having _my _child for God's sake! I can stand if you don't want to be with me but damn it all to hell if you think I'm going to sit by and let you let that thug bastard take care of my child!" Stephanie's shocked look must have alerted Morelli because he continued speaking, "did you not think I wouldn't know you dumb bitch? Mary Lou called and told me, she thought you were being stupid in not telling me, she didn't know why we had broken up. I'm not letting you take my child away Stephanie, I worked too hard to get you pregnant to let you just walk away from me!" Morelli was so absorbed he didn't notice Ranger slowly step the rest of the way toward him.

"Drop the gun Morelli." He told him calmly, staring directly into his eyes. Morelli's eye widened and he instinctively raised the gun that had fallen to his side. Ranger didn't have enough time to react, a loud bang shot from the gun and a warm, sharp pain erupted in his chest. He heard Stephanie scream as he went down and felt the Glock being pulled from the small of his back before the darkness surrounded him and he knew no more.

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><p>Julie's day had been strange. She had first woken to an unfamiliar ringtone permeating the silence of early morning. She had listened quietly, shocked to hear the eventual crying of Miss Stephanie. The crying had kept her awake for a while until it finally settled into an uneasy silence and she had drifted back into a fitful sleep. When she had woken again it had been to a deep, penetrating silence that alerted her to something wrong. She had showered and dressed quickly, a standard outfit of dark jeans and a purple, butterfly t-shirt. She had brushed her teeth and her hair but still the silence remained.<p>

Finally, she had swallowed her fear and went into her father's room. She had been surprised to see him holding Stephanie closely, as if by letting her go she would disappear. The sight made her swallow hard but she knew better than to speak at that moment. When her father gestured for her to leave the room she did so, her dark hair trailing behind her as she turned back into the living room. She grabbed her bag and after making sure her homework was in it, zipped it and went into the kitchen for breakfast.

By the time she had selected a bagel, smeared it with low-fat cream cheese, and made her way to the door, her father had finished getting ready and met her there. The drive had been silent; she didn't know how to address what she had heard to her father. By the time they had gotten to her school, she bit down on her fear and asked. Her father's answer had been cryptic and she was left wondering when she brushed her lips to his cheek and walked out of the car. Her head had been swirling with all sorts of possibilities when she made her way to her classroom.

The conversation around her had been muted in comparison to her wild theories. Had someone died? Had they found Uncle Fred dead? Had she been threatened by someone? Each idea had a certain plausibility to it but each also seemed to carry a certain urgency that did not explain why they had stayed in bed, or why her father would not tell her about it. Curiosity ebbed away at her as she distractedly greeted her friends. She knew her father didn't want her poking around at this but she couldn't help the overwhelming fears and once recess began, she used the office's phone and called the RangeMan facilities.

Uncle Tank had answered and his information had been just as cryptic as her father's: No, he did not know of any new threats to Miss Stephanie. No, he did not know where her father currently was, he had returned shortly and then left again with Miss Plum maybe an hour ago. No, he had not heard from them. His final words to her were that her father could take care of himself and for her not to worry. Despite her uncle's attempts at calming her, she spent the rest of the twenty minute break sitting on a bench, anxiety eating at her.

Her worry escalated when, ten minutes into class, she was called out to the office. She had been silent, falsely calm when the secretary explained that her father had been injured and was currently in emergency surgery and one of her father's workers would be there shortly to take her to the ICU to wait for him to be released. The drive had been silent, a sense of worry edging off of the employee, and by the time she had gotten to the hospital she was near frantic.

Her grandmother interceded her in the hospital, wrapping her in a bone-crushing hug and reassuring her in swift, soft Spanish. Her grandma didn't know the details either; she had gotten a call saying her son was in the hospital and had rushed over. Julie spotted Stephanie through her grandmother's arms and wrestled out of her embrace to speak to her. When she walked over, she noticed the tear streaks down her face and the blood stains. Stephanie had been wearing a white shirt and the blood was soaked through it, dark brown where it had mostly dried, and red where it was still wet. There was a lot, enough that if it was one person's Julie was sure they wouldn't still be alive. The fact was enough to fear for her father all over again.

Stephanie spotted her and gestured her over, gently hugging her once she could reach. In quiet, haunted tones she explained that her father had been shot but, the doctor had told her, the bullet had missed the vitals and Ranger would be alright, he was in emergency due to a rib shattering from the impact but should make a solid recovery. Stephanie explained who had shot her father but when Julie asked what had happened to the man who shot him, Stephanie began hyperventilating.

Julie watched in avid terror as Stephanie bent over and clutched her stomach. She screamed for help, the tears streaming down her face as she stared at Stephanie. She didn't know what was wrong and the fear seized her as she watched the woman, someone she barely knew but had drawn a connection with, being carried into the depths of the hospital. She cried as her grandmother once again encompassed her in her dark arms, begging for safety for her father and the person who was the only chance she could ever have at having a mother.

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><p>So, um, don't hate me? I figured this would be rather dramatic and I hope it managed to convey that. I originally was going to "fast-forward" but I wanted to convey what happened with Stephanie. I'm not sure if everyone got it, but the stress of watching Ranger get shot and whatever happened with Morelli (you have to wait until next chapter to hear about that) caused her to miscarry. I'm not quite sure how miscarriages work so if that isn't right, please just put up with it for this story? Also, I'm not sure how well I did it by switching to Julie's point of view and I hope it wasn't bad. If you have any ideas on what happened with Morelli, feel free to try and guess in reviews. I hope you enjoyed it! Also, one last thing, thank you for everyone who wished me to feel better, I'm still icky feeling but I feel a lot better than yesterday.<p> 


	10. Of Awakenings and Conversations

Ranger awoke to a piercing light burning through his eyelids somewhere above him. He heard the steady drone of a hospital heartbeat. He tried momentarily to open his eyelids but they were heavy, as if someone had sown them together with leaded thread. He knew he was in a hospital but he couldn't remember how he had gotten there. What had happened? Stephanie had met Julie; she had stayed the night with him. Morelli had called. Ranger had found out Stephanie was possibly pregnant with Morelli's child; he'd taken her to her apartment, bent on getting to a doctor to know for sure. Morelli had been there, Ranger's memories got fuzzy there, had he had a gun? Yes, he did, he was waving it, yelling at Stephanie. Ranger had gotten closer, Morelli had leveled the gun. Ranger hadn't been fast enough, and then there was pain. Pain and Stephanie's shriek.

Ranger forced his eyes up and made to sit up but soft yet firm hands swiftly held him down. He looked at his assailant, about to demand what had happened to Stephanie, when his dark eyes met her electric blue and he calmed, allowing her to firmly push him back into the bed. She looked exhausted, her hair was a puff of brown tangles, her skin was tinged an unhealthy sallow color, there were bags under her eyes which had dimmed with a haunting look he had never seen on her, and tears had puffed her eyes and left their trails down her cheeks, and yet, she smiled at him such a smile it was as if he were the sun and she had never seen it before it in her life. It was a radiant smile.

"You had us worried sick you know, been in a medically induced coma for a week so you wouldn't re-break the rib the bullet snared while they were placing it," Stephanie spoke in a would be calm voice as she smoothed his hair and the starch white sheets that covered his chest and legs but he could see the haunting glaze over his eyes that he'd seen so much in the war. They were the eyes of a person who had seen everything be lost in one moment and had yet to truly get their bearings back. He gently reached a hand, ignoring the sharp pain from his chest, and grabbed hers.

She stopped her meticulous straightening and just looked at him. Her smile dropped and she closed her eyes as she grabbed his hand into her smaller, warm one, gently. She breathed deeply and they sat there for a moment in the accompanying silence, Ranger staring at Stephanie as if she would disappear or he would wake up and find out she was gone, Stephanie with her eyes closed as if she could hide or wake from her new waves of horrors.

"Babe, are you?" Ranger stuck to a semi-safe topic after a few moments of deliberation. He figured she didn't want to speak of what happened with Morelli, she would have already if she did and he could vaguely remember the feeling of a gun being slid out from his belt before his world had gone black. Stephanie let out a small, shuddering sob but when she opened her eyes they were clear, as if determined to let go of the pain of the past.

"I was," Ranger's eyebrows shot up at the use of past tense but didn't voice the question for fear that she would shut down, "I had a miscarriage after Julie came to the hospital, the doctor's say the stress of the situation coming down in that moment caused me to lose them," Ranger's eyebrows once again shot up and Stephanie closed her eyes briefly again before continuing, "The doctor's say that from the amount –" she bit her lip and her voice lost its steadying quality, "the amount of blood that it was most likely twins," she closed her eyes and breathed deeply, a few shaky tears escaping from under her lashes.

"Babe," Ranger whispered, gesturing with one hand for her to come towards him. She shook her head and brushed her tears.

"No, no you are still hurt, I can't do that. Anyway, I know that I should feel sad for the babies, and I do, but I know I didn't want them to grow up without their father." Ranger gave her another look and she looked down, her blue eyes swimming in clear, bright tears, "once he shot you, he was standing over and he pointed the gun again and I knew he was going to shoot you. Right in the chest again, and all I thought was Julie and how she couldn't grow up without a mother _and _a father. I didn't even think about it, I just grabbed your gun and shot him. Again and again until he stopped moving." She was full on crying now, large tears and loud noises, and Ranger didn't hesitate when he grabbed her and pulled her into his chest, ignoring the burning pain from his ribs.

"Babe, shhhh, it's okay. It's okay, I promise it will be okay." He held her tight, stroking her wild curls and letting his white hospital gown soak her salty tears. He couldn't imagine the pain, having to make the ultimate choice between a man of her past, and a man who could never be her future, but she had and now she was left to deal with the pain her decision had brought forth. "I promise I'm going to make it okay Babe, I promise." He didn't know where the words came from but he knew that as they split out of his mouth that they were true. He would spend the rest of the life God gave him making this tragedy up to her, even if it meant spending eternity holding her in his arms, listening to her cry.

"I'm sorry," she told him once she had pulled away, "but I don't know what to do. I know I did the right thing, I couldn't let him kill you and he would have hurt me if I didn't react, but I still think of him every time I close my eyes. I'll never forget the blood; I can't go back to my apartment." Ranger found it a testament to the profound impact killing Morelli had on Stephanie that she would not return to the apartment she had refused to vacant since the very first break-in and every one since. "I've been living in yours, taking care of Julie. Your mother thinks we were living in sin and I haven't brought myself to correct her, she might take back her temporary custody of Julie and I think taking care of your daughter and visiting you are the only things keeping me going in the day."

Ranger just held her as she cried again, voice too thick for words to pass through. He was surprised that his mother was letting her granddaughter be taken care of by a stranger but then again, she also knew that Stephanie had a special place in his outwardly cold heart and most likely trusted her. "I've lost everything but taking care of your daughter gave me a purpose, I told Connie and Lula she was my baby and now they are convinced I had an affair with some Latino ten years ago and Morelli found out and that's why he went crazy." She laughed a little at the affair part and Ranger could only think of the damage control at the office if that "Latino" ever transformed into him.

"I'm glad you've been taking care of her, she loves you." Stephanie nods in understanding but from the coy look she gave him he knew that she was just waiting for the 'but' to emerge that would kick her out of his house and home, probably the only place she currently felt safe, "you are always welcome in our home babe," he told her. Her face temporarily lit up, erasing the lines the week of never ending nightmares had given her.

"Really? Thanks, Ranger!" She hugged him again, too tightly, and when he groaned she shot up like a rocket, worry and apology mixing into her face to form a new facial favorite of his. "I'm sorry! And of course, I'll pay rent or something for you, I don't expect you to just take me into your home for nothing of cours-"she was rambling and on any other person he found it annoying. On Stephanie he found it endearingly annoying. He lifted his face up just enough to capture her lips and kissed the words from her mouth. The kiss was chaster than he would have preferred after a week of hospitalization but he could tell from her eyes that she was still worried for his health.

"There is no price for what we do for each other, physically or emotionally, Babe. I already told you the Batcave is forever." Stephanie grinned at the memory and Ranger took the chance to pull her in as close as comfort allowed, his lips brushing against hers as he spoke, "besides, I can think of a more entertaining way that you can show your gratitude," he told her, voice dropping several octaves as he stared at her. Stephanie blushed red and pulled away somewhat but not before giving him a small, quick kiss on the lips.

"Is that all you think about?" He grinned and was about to respond when a soft cough interrupted them. They turned to the door, Stephanie blushing as she undoubtedly worried over how much the newcomer had heard. Ranger was about to reassure her when his eyes caught the woman in the door and his heart stopped. He hadn't seen her in years, not since she handed him his daughter and watched them drive off from her life. He didn't want to see her anymore then than he did now. Stephanie looked at them both, confused at the sudden tension, before smiling benignly and attempting a conversation.

"Hello, I'm Stephanie, who are you?" The woman stared at Stephanie for a beat, obviously trying to judge what kind of woman the thin, blue eyed beauty was. Once she was satisfied that Stephanie held no threat to her, she responded.

"I am Rachel Martin, Carlos's ex-wife, and I'm here to take my daughter home."

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><p>Okay, I'm not even going to ask for forgiveness for this one, you can hate me, I'd hate it too if I was the one reading this. I hope you liked the chapter and I'll apologize for all those people who didn't want Morelli to be dead, I'd already decided during the last chapter. Like earlier, I hope you liked the chapter, please don't kill me, tell me what you thought, and thank you for reading. I'll update as soon as possible.<p> 


	11. Of Arguments and Daughters

The silence that surrounded them could suffocate. The woman – Rachel – stood there, calm as day, as if announcing the weather. Ranger had never felt inclined it hit a woman, he had been by a mother and four older sisters in a traditional home and if he or his brother put a hand to a woman it was worth of beating of a lifetime. Still though, as he stared at the who had, nearly eight years ago now, abandoned her child, the only thing stopping him from lunging was the IV and the soft, reassuring had of Stephanie. He wanted to kill Rachel but such thoughts could wait until the legalities were sorted out, it would be too obviously suspicious if Rachel were to disappear now.

"You can't take her." He told her, struggling to sit up. There was no urgency to his tone, no sense of panic. He used the same despondent tone he had years ago when he had taken Julie from her. There was no need for rushing, as far as he knew, the custody change had been completely legitimized and agreed to by both parties. "She's in my sole custody. The papers you signed gave up full parental rights and guardianship. You have no right to Julie, leave." He managed to sit up and stared directly at his ex-wife while he spoke. He watched her face for any emotion, any sign of regret that haunted her since abandoning her daughter. He saw none of that or any true emotion at all but a small, knowing smile that chilled him.

She waited patiently for him to finish speaking before she began, still wearing the same, unsettling smile. "Yes, I did sign the papers giving you sole custody of our daughter – an act I regretted the moment you drove off with her in the back of the car." Ranger tensed again, choosing to ignore the pain that shot through his chest. He was glaring angrily at Rachel, wishing in that moment that looks could kill or at the very least that he had a gun. Stephanie softly squeezed his hand and he relaxed slightly, Rachel still couldn't take Julie away.

"Funny how you regretted it, Miss Martine," Stephanie spoke coolly but politely and Ranger's lips twitched up slightly in expectation, "When you have made no attempt to contact Julie once in the past eight years, since you abandoned her off on Ranger." Her voice was still polite but one would have to be deaf not to hear the scathing sarcasm that dipped from her voice. Ranger's tilted corners had changed into a small but real smile. Stephanie never failed to entertain.

Rachel pursed her lips as she reevaluated Stephanie. It was obvious to Ranger that she underestimated Stephanie and now had to readjust her strategy to the situation. "I wanted to but Carlos took Julie and moved away not even a month after he got her and didn't bother giving me their new address." That was partially true; he had not told Rachel the address but it had been common enough knowledge that he was moving back to Jersey and he had left his business phone number with her lawyer for the emergencies. Stephanie pursed her lips at the woman, glaring her brilliant blue eyes at the woman.

"That's a lie; you simply didn't care enough to find out! And now you have come to take her away from the only place she has called home and from the only man she can ever truly call her father, what the _hell _gives you the right?" Stephanie's voice had raised an octave or two and Ranger wondered just how close his young daughter and Stephanie had grown to be in the short week they were with each other. Rachel's eyes widened indignantly at the words and her chest swelled as she responded.

"I came here because it is written in the legal papers that Carlos has custody only as long as he can safely take care of her." Stephanie's questioning look seemed to be asking so? but Ranger clenched his free fist tightly. She wasn't pulling what he thought she was pulling, was she? Rachel may have been a negligible mother who abandoned her child over a man but she wasn't a cruel woman as far as he remembered. "And the evidence that he can no longer do that is plastered all over the ten o'clock news!"

Her voice was raised at the end and she was glaring at the both of them as she continued, "Carlos got himself shot by some lunatic cop and Heaven only knows what kind of crazy thugs he's been associating her with, it's a wonder and a gift in itself that she hasn't ended up knocked up by some bastard wannabe Cuban gangster-baby! It's not safe for her here and I'm taking her away so she can have a normal childhood!" Ranger growled fiercely and Stephanie's glare was murderous.

"She's a _child! _Only ten, she's not even thinking of boys, let alone sleeping with them! And the men Ranger work with are perfectly respectable, hard-working and high morale men! How _dare_ you?" Stephanie shrieked at the same time that Ranger snarled that Rachel would have to rip Julie from his cold, stiff fingers because the only way she was getting near their daughter was if he was dead.

Rachel fully righted herself to full height of 5'8" even and glared at the two through her dark brown eyes. She opened her mouth to speak but the door opening behind caught everyone's attention and her words fell short. Ranger's heart fell and he struggled to keep a neutral face when his small, fairy like daughter pushed her way through the door. It was apparent that Stephanie had gotten Julie's school dressing quota from his mother as she was wearing a modest, baby pink spaghetti strapped dress, white tights and cardigan, and perfectly matched baby pink flats.

She paid no attention to the stranger in the room and ran directly to her father, arms outstretched for the tightest hug her small frame could possibly muster. It caused a sharp pain in his chest but he held her just as tightly anyway, partially from the parental desire to comfort and protect her from the world, partially because he knew that being so close to Julie would greatly annoy Rachel.

"I'm so glad you're okay daddy," she said into his chest before pulling away and smiling brightly. "You've been out for a week, the doctors made you, but it's okay, Stephanie's been taking great care of me all week," she beamed at Stephanie who smiled back, shooting a triumphant look at Rachel as she did so, before going off on a descriptive tale of all the things Stephanie had done to take her mind off his surgery. He groaned inwardly when she began to gleefully describe the "fun" women at the Bounty Hunter office. He would have to discuss appropriate people for his daughter to speak to with Stephanie. An ex-streetwalker who still dressed like it was her day job and a woman with so many ties to the mob no man would touch her apart from a one night stand in a different country were not considered to be on the list.

It was only when Julie had to take a breath and therefore a break in her story that she noticed Rachel. She took in her skin, a few shades lighter than Ranger's, dark hair and eyes, and plain but pretty features before smiling shyly and addressing her, "Hello do you know dad or are you here for Stephanie, who are you?" The questions were rushed by Julie hardly seemed to care. Ranger watched through tentative, angry eyes as Rachel took in her daughter. There now, was the regret he wanted, the guilt clear in her brown eyes as she watched her firstborn speak to her father about a woman who had been more of a mother to her in a week than her actual one had been her entire life. It had been even more apparent when Julie had asked who she was, not even recognizing her own mother. Ranger felt no guilt for his pleasure in the fact.

Rachel looked straight into Julie's warm, trusting chocolate eyes as she told her, "My name is Rachel Martine, baby girl, and I'm your mother."

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><p>So yeah, another cliff hanger. I hope none of you are disappointed by the arguing but if you are, there is quite a bit more to come. Julie isn't the sweetest little girl, as we know from the books when she shot the crazy wannabe Ranger guy, and she's not going to take his father being criticized nicely. I liked it, sort of, but I also wrote it so, you know, bias. I hope you enjoyed it and please, feel free to point anything you want to, and say if you liked the chapter or not. Thank you and I will try to update as soon as possible.<p> 


	12. Of Confrontations and Tears

Julie was staring silently at Rachel now, her face unreadable even to Ranger. He didn't know how his daughter was going to act, she was less weary than he was with people but he had taught her to always carry some suspicion with unknown or barely known people until their intentions are clear. Obviously she would not go running and hugging her mother but complete silence was unexpected. Doesn't she have questions? Isn't she, the girl who used to always ask about her mother, excited and brimming with questions for the older woman?

But Julie just sank herself into his bed, nestled between Stephanie and him, eyes weary. He supposed it might be his fault she was so unsure around her mothers, after all he had never learned enough information about Rachel to satiate the young girl and all the answers he did give had been short and to the point. Yet, in staring both at his young daughter, who was more at ease with a woman she'd known for a week then her mother, and then at Rachel, who looked as if she wanted to be anywhere but there, he realized it was more of Rachel's doings – by not being there for her – that spurned Julie's sudden idleness.

It was several tense moments of silence before anyone spoke and when Julie did Ranger could feel his heart clench involuntarily. "Why are you here"?" she asked her mother quietly, her tone was hurt; childish betrayal was etched into every syllable, but her eyes were steady and her jaw was set as she stared unyieldingly at Rachel. The question was etched into every cell of her body. "Why now? Why?" each question was asked in the same tone and each one was met with a slight wince from Rachel as Julie was beating her firsts against her chest and screaming. Perhaps it was worse, having to hear the pain she caused in every word her daughter said to her. Ranger didn't know; he had never hurt her daughter so much. Julie was staring at Rachel obviously waiting from some response from her mother.

Rachel took several moments to think of a response an when she did, her words were slow coming and clipped as if she was still thinking of what to say as she spoke. "I come now because...' she paused and Ranger wondered why it was suddenly so hard for her to speak. As long as he had known her, she had rambled, not grown silent, in her nervousness. She looked to him as if he would help and he simply stared right back. It was stupid for her to even fathom he would help in this. "Because…" she repeated, biting down softly on her lip.

"Because she wants to take you away Julie, away from your family and your home." Stephanie finally interjected, glaring hotly at the woman. Ranger could hear the passion, the anger, in every word she spoke but he was more focused on Julie's reaction than Stephanie's words. He knew that in fairness Rachel should have been given time to explain better, without the condescending tone Stephanie used but then again the whole situation was unfair and she was the cause of it. Julie looked confused and a little hurt and Ranger could only imagine the plausibilities that were pervading her mind.

"But why would she do that?" Julie finally asked, addressing the question to Stephanie. It was as if her mother had again disappeared for all the attention Julie was now giving her. Ranger thought briefly of answering but Stephanie mercifully saved him from having to.

"Because she doesn't think your Dad can take care of you. She doesn't believe you are safe living with a paranoid security expert built like the Cuban equivalent of the Incredible Hulk with a vendetta like Batman's. because she belies that your father brings you into harm's way every day by the people he associates you with, because she believes that her and her divine intervention are the only things keeping you from being a mother before you are eleven years old. Basically, Julie, she wants to take you away because after eight years she thinks she has the right to." Ranger thought Stephanie's glare at Rachel was a nice touch to the end of her rant.

The expression on his daughter's face changed from confusion to anger as she took in Stephanie's words when Stephanie was finished, she rounded on her mother with dark, angry eyes. Ranger knew his daughter well but he didn't think he had ever seen so much anger on her face, nor did he believe he ever would again. "How dare you? My dad's been taking care of me longer than I remember and wonderfully too. Just because some maniac man decides to shoot him you think you have the right to waltz into my life and take me way? And that I'd go willingly?"

The way Rachel was looking at Julie made Ranger uneasy. She looked as if she greatly pitied Julie, as if the only reason she would possibly be defending their lifestyle was that she simply knew no other life and therefore, knew nothing better. "Miss Plum turned my words around baby girl, that isn't what I said." Ranger lifted an eyebrow at that. It had been exactly what Rachel had said, jut with more contempt than even she could manage. He wondered what great excuse she would come up with that would explain away the 'misconceptions' Stephanie must have had in her words. Rachel didn't disappoint.

"I said that, even though your father could take care of you physically, can he really mentally?" Ranger glared at her for the jab. He may be despondent by nature but even he would never emotionally starve a child. "He's a man of action baby girl, and he's constantly in danger, constantly on the move, do you want to spend your childhood sitting with your father in a hospital worrying that this bed could be his death bed? Or waiting up at night wondering will this be the night he won't come home? That he'll never come home?" Rachel's words hit hard because of the sincerity of them – sincerity was the one of the easiest emotions to fake – but for the honesty. Range hand spent many nights throughout Julie's life thinking those very questions and hearing them from someone else's mouth only served to concrete his fears.

"I'd rather spend the rest of my life in this hospital besides my father than another minute next to you! You abandoned me when I was only a baby! You wanted to send me into foster care or an adoption agency, turn me into a child of the state but Dad wouldn't let you! Dad took me in because he cared more for me then you ever did!" Ranger stared hard at his heaving daughter, shocked. Her words were true but he had never told her them. His first thought was Stephanie but a quick glance at her equally shocked face quickly dispelled the assumption.

Rachel was staring at Julie with a shocked hurt look and Ranger was glad; by her daughter's rejection she was able to feel a quarter of Julie's suffering. "That's a nasty lie your father has told you Julie, I wanted to take care of you but I couldn't. I love you, baby girl." Julie just glared defiantly at Rachel's suddenly delicate approach.

"No, my father always told you loved me but were incapable of taking care of me. I did a search on the computer for you when Dad was working about two months ago." Two months ago, that was when the questions about Rachel had stopped. That was when Julie began obsessing with Stephanie rather than her mother. "I found it interesting that you had remarried and had two daughters but were unable to even call." Julie's dark eyes stared accusingly at Rachel's waiting her answer. There was no sadness that Ranger could detect in her voice or face, only anger and a grim determination to know the truth.

"Yes, but when me and your stepfather married, he didn't have a steady job or any why to financially support such a young child. Now we do and you can live with us in a stable home. Two parents, sibling, and no shootings or deaths to worry about baby girl." Ranger could tell that Rachel was trying her hardest to persuade Julie but he could also tell that Julie remained unconvinced.

"Your second daughter was born six months after Dad got custody of me. Either she was horribly premature or you were pregnant before I even left the house. Don't tell me you couldn't take care of me when you made it so obvious that you threw me away when something better came along," Julie's words were hard and Ranger could see Rachel crumbling beneath the accusing blows.

"Please baby girl, I know I've made my mistakes but I'm trying to correct them now. You need a mother, please met le try to be her for you." Rachel was pleading now but Julie remained unmoved. She shifted her small frame closer to Stephanie and grabbed her hand, pulling the union of light and dark up so Rachel could see.

"Stephanie has known about me for a week and you have known about me for nearly ten years. Stephanie has been twice the mother to me than you can ever hope to be. Now, please, leave Miss Martine, my father needs his rest and you are disturbing it." There was a hard edge of finality in her tone and when Rachel opened her mouth to speak, Ranger swiftly cut her off.

"Julie's made her choice Rachel, just like you did, now leave." There was a commanding quality in his voice that only Stephanie ever willfully defied and Rachel turned to leave but not before one last parting word.

"I'm taking this matter to court Carlos and rest assured, I will win. No judge in their right mind will leave a child with a psychotic man and his equally crazy whore of a girlfriend who kills people for fun over a loving, stable family." Stephanie threw her the finger for her comment as well as an old Styrofoam cup of coffee. The liquid spilled over Rachel as she went to leave and she shrieked at them before walking out. Ranger admittedly was impressed that Julie held out until the door snapped shout as he pulled his now sobbing ten-year-old into his arms, sharing a grim look with a very worried Stephanie.

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><p>I thought that Julie's reaction came out real enough and I wanted to prove she knew more than Ranger thought she did. I hope you liked it and I will update again as soon as possible.<p> 


	13. Of Drunken Plans and Evil Schemes

HEY! I am so sorry for the long wait! I had my school play and then a concert, plus I have a beta (type person) now so no more mistakes! Which is way I am thanking TexanBabe for offering to proof-read for me. Again I am REALLY sorry for the wait and hope you enjoy the chapter.

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><p>"What are we going to do?" Stephanie whispered as Ranger gently clicked the door shut to Julie's bedroom. It had been almost a month since Rachel showed up and Ranger had been cleared from the hospital. Stephanie's things had been tentatively moved in and most of all Rachel had called child protective services. The results hadn't been necessarily pretty or ugly. There were, after all, no signs of physical abuse. Julie was of average size, neither overweight or under, and she was a healthy child. Her vitals had been perfect, her body having none of the pinched look of a neglected child. In all physical sense, there was no cause of alarm but Rachel had known that, and hadn't filed her concerns with the protective services as physical abuse.<p>

She had been sneaky, and just the thought made Ranger's blood boil. She had cited his job as unsafe, his mental capacities lacking or questionable and Stephanie – who had been listed as a temporary guardian while Ranger was in the hospital – as unstable and possibly a danger to Julie's wellbeing. She had stated that her concerns were for Julie's mental wellbeing. She didn't play the jaded ex-wife who wanted to get back at her husband but a concerned mother who had willingly allowed the father of her child to take care of the child until she found out he might not be the best.

The act of emotional abuse or neglect was a lot harder to disprove. Had Julie been the normal, cheerful child she usually was they would have no problem, but the whole situation starting with the shooting and now with the addition of her mother's accusations had somehow changed Julie. The questions Julie was asked confused her as well. Ranger had been livid to hear they had questioned his daughter about abuse or inappropriate touching. They had sworn to have simply followed protocol but Julie was now scared that her biological mother would win. Despite both his and Stephanie's reassurances, Julie was convinced that she was going to be taken away and never see her father or Stephanie again.

The job accusation was even worse because it was true. Ranger's job had the potential to turn irrevocably deadly at any moment and Julie's life was potentially in danger on a daily basis from men trying to get back at Ranger for his unconventional methods. The fact that Rachel had intervened reportedly after seeing the information of the shooting helped reinforce this claim. She had not accused Ranger of anything but had told the social services that she feared that despite his best intentions he was unable to properly and safely care for the child any longer. She then had listed herself as a stable home, a husband with a steady, non-dangerous job, two children who could provide the "child interaction that is being withheld in Julie's current living arrangement."

The only option that Ranger could see as he gently grabbed Stephanie's hand and pulled her into the living room, away from Julie's door where even the quietest whispers could carry through, was to prove that they could give the same safe situation for Julie that Rachel and Ronald could. He sat Stephanie on the couch and went into the kitchen. He had no doubt that they could come up with some sort of scheme – Rachel did. They had twice the amount of motivation to come up with one too but he also highly doubted that whatever they came up with was going to be enjoyable or sane so he grabbed two beers from the fridge and opened them before turning back into the living room.

He handed a beer to Stephanie who held it gingerly in two hands. "Now that all physical abuse has been ruled out, the only thing left is the emotional. We have to prove that I am capable of safely taking care of Julie as well as provide her emotional support. Any ideas, Babe?" He could see Stephanie was thinking as she absentmindedly took a drink. He knew she was probably thinking of his quiet despondency and was expecting a half-hearted jab about it. He was not expecting the slight widening of her eyes and the quick smile as an idea seemed to formulate.

"Well, Rachel is insinuating that because she is married with children in a "happy and normal household" she is better equipped to take care of Julie, right?" Slowly Ranger nodded, trying to figure what Stephanie was getting to. Stephanie gave him a small, shy smile before continuing, "So why don't we create a healthy and normal home for Julie?" Ranger felt the implications of Stephanie's plan hit him as Stephanie blushed at her proposition.

The idea was ludicrous and undoubtedly riddled with plot holes. It would either blow up in their faces and end with them killing each other or it would work beautifully and Ranger will be able to keep the two most important people in his life close to him. He drank his entire beer in one go before thinking it was the best they had. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Stephanie do the same.

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><p>Rachel pulled her jacket tighter in the face of the Jersey wind. It was a cold night; it was a cold place, not somewhere to raise a child in her opinion. Julie would be much better off in the warm winters and hot summers of Miami, in a house right by the beach, a walking distance, as long as she took her little sister and brother with her. She wasn't honest when she said she regretted giving Julie away to her father. She was too needy, much more than her second daughter. If Carlos hadn't gotten the child it would have been perfect. But he did and she had seen their photos on the ten o'clock news. It was embarrassing, her ex-husband being shot by some psychotic whore's boyfriend.<p>

She hadn't worried about it though, until her old best friend had called, freaking out about the news. She had let it slip to a new friend of hers that Julie – the little girl on the news talking about her father – was in fact Rachel's daughter. Rachel would have lied about it had her friend not discovered an old picture from her previous marriage, of Carlos and Julie at the hospital that she had forgotten she had kept. She had confronted Rachel about it, about abandoning her daughter, and Rachel had to come up with a cover story. She had fabricated a story that Carlos couldn't handle his daughter calling another person "father" like Julie, who had loved Ronald, had begun to do, and had called police on her. The police of course had not found anything, as Julie was well taken care of, but Carlos had intimidated and threatened them and they had declared her unfit and given Julie to Carlos.

Rachel wasn't apologetic for the lie. It had won her support and an overwhelming amount of sympathy. It had all been well until her friend declared that it was the perfect opportunity to get back at her "thug ex-husband" and win over her precious daughter. To save face, she had agreed and taken a plane all the way up to Trenton to try and "win" Julie. Of course, she hadn't been truly interested in getting the girl back until she actually saw her. The brat had accused her of being a horrible mother and she was looking at another woman as if she were her mother, not Rachel. Carlos had been an ass as well, acting superior because he had raised Julie. She had raised two perfectly acceptable children that weren't disgusting bastards and was a fit and wonderful mother.

It was the accusations and the jibes from Carlos that fueled her determination to get the child back. That was the reason she had scheduled this meeting. She wanted to get back at Carlos and what better way than to take away his child? She smiled slightly into the wind as she saw the approaching man. He was tall and well-built, with dark brown skin and black hair. From a distance, he looked almost exactly like her ex-husband. She smiled as he approached before pulling him in for a close, intimate kiss. His lips were rough, deliciously so and his hands wrapped tightly around her pulling her close. It wasn't her husband of course. Her husband was at home awaiting her return with his new daughter. But he fit her purposes better.

"Dear Carlos," she whispered to him, watching his eyes light with delight at the use of the name. It wasn't his real name but he preferred to be called it, fantasizing himself as the real Carlos Mañoso. She knew he was crazy which was even better. He would be easy to use and even easier to throw away when Julie was back in her hands. He smiled, a bright smile that reached his eyes in a way that never did with Carlos. It was almost a shame, had he truly been Julie's father she might have stayed and none of this would have to happen, but he wasn't. He grabbed her hand, gently tracing the lines in her hand as he began speaking.

"You don't need to worry anymore," he assured her, still smiling. "The plan is underway now. Soon our baby will be away from those imposters and we can run away together, restart our family." She smiled as if the idea was the most wonderful thing she had ever heard, and pulled him into another searing kiss. Soon Carlos and his whore would be out of the picture and Julie would be in her rightful place, away from those thugs and into a civilized household. Then she would get rid of the Carlos-Wannabe. But for now, the man was young and attractive, and why not have some fun before returning to her perfect housewife and mother life? She deserved some entertainment for all the trouble she was going through, after all.

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><p>So, I hope you liked it. I wanted to bring the Ranger-Wannabe in and I thought this was the best way to do it. Also, I kind of liked Rachel's point-of-view and I hope you did to. I think this chapter kind of sets the rest in motion for the story and I liked writing it. Also, points for anyone that can guess what Stephanie's plan is? I'll update as soon as possible.<p> 


	14. Of Marriages and Hangovers

"I might be just drunk enough to do this." Ranger smiled slightly as he watched Stephanie stumble her way out of the building. She had only had two drinks in the apartment but Ranger knew she was a lightweight. He had kicked back a few drinks as well – just enough for the idea to sound plausible – and everything seemed a little more amusing in the slight haze. He wasn't drunk enough to lose his mobility or complete cognitive abilities and was quick enough to catch Stephanie before she fell. She giggled and snuggled into his chest, thanking him repeatedly. In that moment he could briefly forget their plan, could believe they were just another couple returning home from a bar or club. Then he saw the soft yellow glow from his apartment living room where Hal sat diligently waiting their return.

He could just make out the darkened window of Julie's room on the side of the building. In the morning she would get the surprise of her life but with any luck she would also have the security he and Stephanie were striving for. Gently he righted Stephanie and grabbed her hand and began leading her down the parking lot, past his cars. He didn't feel all that drunk but at the same time, he thought this might work so he figured his judgment was too screwy to drive safely.

"We are going to walk to the next street and get a cab there." He told her inquisitive gaze. He could see the slight annoyance break through her alcohol-induced haze and smiled. Leave it to Stephanie to find the energy to be angry at his desire for privacy over the looming cloud that hovered ever so close above their heads. He doesn't say anymore but leads her to the curb and waits for a passing taxi. It was late but the night was young for the hardcore drinkers and partiers in Trenton and many cabbies plied their trade along the streets. They were happy to catch some dumb fool too inebriated to realize the fare had doubled at the fall of darkness.

Ranger did not wait long until he was helping a giggling Stephanie into the back of a cab. "A chapel, any chapel." He answered the cabby's standard question. He knew the cabby would go to the furthest conceivable chapel but he didn't care. With enough luck Stephanie would fall asleep and when she awoke the next morning the idea would seem too fallible to go through.

He supposed he wouldn't mind being married to Stephanie – she was already living with him for an undetermined amount of time and Julie loved her. However, the sense of urgency and obligation that permeated the wedding plans ruined the effect for him. What would happen if they succeeded and Rachel faded back into obscurity? Would they calmly divorce but continue to live together? Would Stephanie move out? Or would they persist in the marriage and try to stand a semi-domesticated life?

Ranger knew he wanted to try and make the marriage work – he loved Stephanie and she was probably the only woman in the world who could come close to understanding his lifestyle. He didn't know though if that was the alcohol talking or even what Stephanie wanted. The questions plagued him as the cabby took a thirty minute detour to a chapel. Stephanie was chatting incessantly about things he didn't know or care to know about and he only paid a little attention to her. He was hoping to catch some phrase or word that would hint at an answer for his question. Unfortunately, one did not come and he paid the cabby and helped her out of the car while wondering how long their union would last.

The wedding was a quick and simple affair. They got a perfect stranger to be their witness and they read aloud previously written vows in front of a man that dressed as if he was still in the seventies with a belly that put Santa to shame. Once it was over they got the same woman to take a picture and signed their marriage license. Ranger felt guilty as he gently helped his new wife out the door. Even though it was simply the first step for safely keeping Julie at home, Ranger couldn't help but feel that Stephanie deserved something more... deserved a real wedding.

A cab came and although Stephanie fought it, she eventually succumbed to a drunken stupor. Ranger watched her silently, all drunken haze gone from his mind now. When the cabby stopped at the vacant lot he had given for an address, Ranger gave her a tiny kiss and silently vowed that when it was all over he would re-do it all and do it right for once. He paid the cabby and after refusing the man's offer to help, picked Stephanie up as gently as possible and carried her down the half-block to his office building and into the apartment. He studiously ignored the odd looks from his overnight shift employees and the curious ones from Hal.

He dismissed Hal before carrying Stephanie into his – their – room and set her gently on the bed. She stirred slightly, her blue eyes open in momentarily confusion. "We're home now?" Ranger nodded. "And married?" his lip twitched slightly and he nodded again. A smile spread on her lips and she reached for him and pulled him in for a kiss. "Want to consummate it?" It was a tempting offer with her wiggling beneath him and that mischievous smile she wore, but time-honored chivalry kicked in and he distanced himself just enough to remain intimate without the danger of jumping her.

"I'd love to Babe, but you're drunk and we've got to meet my lawyer in the morning." Stephanie pouted some before smiling again and kissing him deeply.

"I never could figure out why I loved you more than Morelli," she told him as she slowly returned to her sleepy haze. "I know now though," she told him softly, the sleep in her words rendering them nearly indiscernible. "It's because I can spend the night with you and not have to worry about repaying by having to sleep with you. It's…refreshing…" she trailed off as her breathing slowed and she returned to sleep. Ranger gently brushed the hair from her face before pulling her body to his and attempting to join her in sleep. He allowed himself a moment to forget everything else and just revel in the gentle caress of his new wife.

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><p>Ranger woke early and gently disentangled himself from Stephanie's still sleeping form. He was still in his clothes from yesterday and in the wake of morning he could smell the smoke, sweat, and shame that lingered from the chapel. He needed to take a shower but had enough foresight to call Ella and request a large coke and fries from McDonald's. He could hear the indignation in her tone when she reluctantly agreed and explained to her about Stephanie. Then he hung up before she could begin her rapid Spanish lecture on treating a woman correctly and took a quick shower.<p>

Julie was awake when he got out and was staring at the newly delivered food with a mixture of curiosity and shock. "It's for Stephanie," he told her before grabbing the bag and soda and taking it into the bedroom. Julie followed and Ranger wondered if she knew he and Stephanie had gone out and was waiting for an explanation. He didn't banish her from the room but left the door open for her. Now was as good a time as any and he personally felt that sooner was better than later. They would after all, be going to the lawyer later to discuss Julie specifically and she deserved to know why.

Stephanie was up but barely functioning, trying in vain to find clothes for herself inside Ranger's dresser. Ranger hid a smile and held the bag up in view of Stephanie's clouded eyes. They lit up fantastically as she grasped the soda and fries and began eating. Julie and Ranger didn't say anything while she ate and then kicked them out so she could shower and get dressed. Ranger had been tempted to make a joke of a sexual nature about last night but Julie was present and he found it prudent to not make such jokes around her.

Julie tried to get him to tell her about where he and Stephanie had gone last night but Ranger bid her off. He told her she would find out once Stephanie was done and then distracted her by offering to make her breakfast. Julie's eyes lit up and she shyly requested one of Ranger's omelets. He very rarely made breakfast for himself and his daughter and to Julie it was a large treat to be able to sit down with her father and eat, even if it was an egg-white omelet with soft cheese and vegetables. Ranger made one for Stephanie, just in case, before sitting down with Julie to eat.

They were finished by the time Stephanie came out. She still seemed tired but she was freshly washed, light make-up covered her face, and her hair had turned from atrocious to barely contained. She also had a large smile even as she declined the omelet Julie offered her. They cleaned the kitchen together – Ranger didn't want to press Ella after the McDonald's call – then sat down at the table to have a quick discussion before heading off for the lawyer's.

"So what's up?" Julie asked after several moments of silence passed. Ranger and Stephanie had a silent but vicious battle on who would tell her but with a quiet kick to the shins from Stephanie, Ranger graciously admitted defeat with a glare and inward cursing. He turned to Julie and wondered how she would take it. She seemed amused at his and Stephanie's silent banter and she had taken quite a liking to the woman. Ranger could only hope for the best.

He decided for the quick and simple approach, "Stephanie and I were married last night," he told her. Had the situation resulting in the union been less tense, he might have laughed at his daughter's surprised expression. Then the scream came and Julie was hugging both of them and laughing. Stephanie and he shared a smile over Julie's shoulder and Ranger knew then that once they finished their plan and Rachel was gone, they might have a shot at the whole family thing.

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><p>Once again, thank you to TexanBabe for revising this. Most of you guessed the marriage plans but I don't think anyone got the second part, any ideas? No Rachel in this one but she will be back, I assure you. I like this chapter, I liked the idea of a sort of drunk Ranger though, and I thought given all that Julie was going through, she would be excited in that moment. Plus she's only ten-ish and they almost always react excitedly. I hope you liked the chapter and I will try to update as soon as possible, thank you to all who read this.<p> 


	15. Of Reactions and Faintings

"_What_?" Rachel hissed, glaring at the man before her. He cowered slightly, something her ex-husband would never had done and she might have enjoyed had she not been so angry. How _dare_ that man? How dare he and his whore do this to her? Julie was hers by right, she had given birth to her and damn it if they thought they could take her away. The whole situation was turning into an embarrassing debacle for her. She had told her friends she would get her baby and yet there was no evidence that she was any closer and her husband was beginning to question her long stay. "That's not possible; the court would never allow that!" He winced, either at her loud tones or the vicious glare she had sent him.

"It's true," he told her earnestly, obviously trying to win back her ill-sought affection. "My contacts, they saw them outside the office, one of them had placed a bug on Julie before hand and they were able to record the interaction." He handed her a small, nondescript, unlabeled tape. She glared at it, balled her hand into a fist and without even thinking about it, punched the man in front of her. He was muscular and the attack caused her more pain than it did him.

She cursed him, accusing him of purposely hurting her as she rubbed the reddened knuckles. He apologized profusely, bending down and kissing the hand softly, rubbing it with gentle hands. She pulled it away and glared at him. The man had no right to touch her, no right to care. He was crazy, a tool for her purposes, a pleasurable enjoyment before she returned to her normal life. He had no right to touch her without permission, to do so angered her. He was a fool to believe she would stay, but believe he did and she would use him until she got Julie.

She had no doubt that she would get Julie, this newest development between Carlos and that Plum woman meant nothing, she could still provide a better home. She smiled slightly at the man before her, trying to convey that she was no longer angry. His darkened eyes lit up and she pulled him in for an apology kiss. It meant nothing of course, but it was necessary to keep him satisfied and playing into her hands. This new development was a setback but ultimately useless. She would prove that remaining in Carlos's custody would be detrimental to Julie's wellbeing, even if she had to play a hand in the initial danger.

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><p>"No fucking way! Tell me I'm tripping white girl, tell me I got a little something in my Tasty Pastry breakfast this morning or Mooner visited, 'cause there is no way this is happening." Lula stared in disbelief at the sight of Stephanie. Her white girl was dressed in all black – a Rangeman day – her hair was messy but not overly so that would indicate a late night. Her makeup was light so she wasn't playing coy or feeling self-conscious. Over all, she looked quite normal except for that not-so-little ring on her finger and the kid by her side. Her white girl had the grace to look embarrassed which was damn good because Lula hadn't been invited to any wedding.<p>

"It's too much," Steph told her looking down at the rings Ranger had given her, "but Ranger thought it would send the right idea out to everyone." She shrugged as if was no big deal and Lula just stared, at a loss for words for the first time in her life. Her girl had just married Batman without even telling her and now she knows that the little girl from before is his too. It was just too much for her.

"We aren't talking about the rings on your finger, girl." Connie leans over the desk, coming to Lula's aid. "We are talking about you hooking up and marrying the Prince of Darkness." The little girl – Julie – Lula knew now, stifled a laugh at that. Now that she knew who her daddy was, Lula could see the similarities – the similar light chocolate skin, the thick dark brown nearly black hair, the high cheekbones, and the dark eyes. The one main difference was that while Ranger carried himself with an air that bred fear and respect, little Rangerette had an aura of happiness and childish joy. Not exactly what Lula expected from a Bat-baby.

"It really isn't that big of a thing. Ranger and I got hitched to give Julie a safe home and to keep Rachel off our backs. You are building this up too much." Lula and Connie both glanced at the rings. One was large and sparkly; no doubt the most expensive piece of rock on a Burg girl. The other a simple platinum band with something engraved on it, and both a gift from the Dark Knight. Lula very much doubted that a diamond that size was bought simply for a safe home for the best security man in Jersey.

"Bullshit," they both called and Stephanie rolled her eyes before grabbing Julie's hand, saying goodbye to Lula and Connie, and walking out the door. Lula and Connie shared a look of pure disbelief and immediately began talking about the latest development. This of course led to Lula calling Sally and beginning plans for the real wedding Stephanie deserved. No way in hell was Batman getting away with some crappy, drunken chapel wedding. Not with her white girl.

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><p>Ranger glared at all the men who dared stare at him for more than protocol called for. The silver-white color of the ring stood contrastingly on his dark skin tone, making it more noticeable than he would have preferred. He knew Stephanie preferred the color to yellow gold and so when they stopped at the jeweler's, he bought them without listening to Stephanie's irritated arguments about the size of the stones. He wanted to prove to her that he was serious about a commitment and the best way he could figure would be through wedding bands.<p>

Now, however, he was beginning to doubt the ingenuity of the idea as he caused one of the staring employees to fall out of his seat. He knew the men wanted to ask but he also knew that they were at least partially convinced he would shoot them if they did. The idea was tempting, very tempting, but with some effort he managed to not draw his gun and no one was shot by the time he was able to slide into his office chair. The morning had gone and with it the rest of his and Stephanie's plan had been carried out. His lawyer had agreed without contest and the papers had been signed swiftly.

It all was so very simple, the final step of keeping Julie away from Rachel, and it should have been satisfying. Instead, Ranger was filled with a sense of dread that refused to leave. He couldn't shake the feeling that something was stirring, something that he had no control over but would directly affect him. It was an irrational fear but it clung to him, seeping through his skin and senses, clinging to his clothes and mind even as he tried vainly to work. The suspicions are stupid, he thought, and promptly banished them from his mind returning to his paperwork.

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><p>Helen Plum prided herself in a nice home, a nice husband, three beautiful granddaughters, and, for the most part, two wonderful daughters. She had her ups and downs with her youngest, Stephanie, but at the end of the day she'd unplug the phone and the tippling made her feel better. This was on a whole new level of weird she thought as she watched the dark-skinned and beautiful young girl happily play with Mary Alice and her charming but quiet friend Annie. She could deal with the shootings and fires, the mass-murderers and psychopaths, and she had managed to get through the shock of Joe Morelli dying at her daughter's hands.<p>

She was still in a fallout with the Morelli women for telling them frankly to shove it where the sun didn't shine when they called her daughter a murderer. She could deal with that and she was slowly acclimating herself to her daughter living with Ranger. She had almost gotten used to the constant buzz on her phone these days, but this was a whole new level of anxiety. Stephanie, who had been divorced after fifteen minutes of marriage and who shot her last fiancé, was married. Married to a man who was just as dangerous as the people who daily tried to kill her precious daughter.

"Ma? You okay?" Stephanie broke through her reverie and she breathed deeply. She told herself she gave up caring about what everyone thought the day she threatened to break Angela Morelli's nose at Joseph's funeral. She always told herself that if she didn't freak out on Stephanie, she could be rewarded with an extra shot from the bottle after dinner.

"Just give me a moment, I need this idea to grow on me." She supposed marrying Ranger was better than living in sin, although she didn't know Ranger's religious affiliations or if he even had any. She also knew she preferred her daughter to be with a dangerous man who loved and cared for her rather than a man who shot at fathers of young girls. Still, a deep part of her, the part who was raised to live and thrive in an egocentric, family-oriented, gossip-loving community, wondered what the girls would be saying later about all of this.

Stephanie cracked a small smile but she still looked nervous and for a moment her eyes darted towards the brown-skinned girl teaching Mary Alice and Annie how to play a Cuban child's game her cousin had shown her. Helen wondered why her daughter felt the need to bring her – sure she was now married to the girl's father but they hardly knew each other and the bond couldn't be that deep yet. Stephanie closed her eyes and sighed deeply before speaking.

"Well, I got some more news mom," She was pregnant, Helen just knew it. Just as she was about to voice her suspicions aloud, Stephanie continued, "Julie's mother has been trying to take her away from Ranger and cited him as dangerous to her emotional health, and that she didn't have a stable home." Helen pursed her lips but nodded, Stephanie had already gone through that as she was explaining her marriage. "So we went to Ranger's lawyer first thing this morning and I adopted Julie. She is now by full account of the law, my daughter. You got a new grandbaby," Stephanie tried to play off the last part hopefully but Helen still fell into a dead faint at the words.

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><p>Once again, thank my beta-person TexanBabe for no mistakes! This is sort of a filler chapter but I thought having everyone's reactions would be interesting. I know quite a few of you don't like Helen Plum but I always figured she wasn't entirely bad and I tried to portray that while also trying to portray her correctly, I'm not sure how well I did but I liked it. Also, I'm not sure if the adoption was surprising or anything but I do know that the law either requires relinquished custody - which Rachel is fighting to appeal - or adoption, because my father had to adopt my step-siblings. I hope you liked it, and I will try to get the next up as soon as possible!<p> 


	16. Of Happiness and Tragedy

Stephanie stepped out of the house and into the postage stamp yard where her niece, her niece's best friend, and the girl who was now her daughter were playing. Her father had calmly put her mother on the couch, told her she'd be fine, and then continued watching television. Stephanie still thought it was best to give her mother space and retreated into the yard to watch the girls. Ranger had been hesitant to allow Julie into the Plum household – the craziness of his in-laws hadn't faded since their first meeting. Stephanie had put enough emphasis that Julie not having people her age around had been a main point of Rachel's argument so he caved. She was glad of her decision as she watched the three play.

Julie ran screaming, her dark brown hair swinging frantically. Mary Alice sprinted after her but Julie was too fast and streaked to the tree that served as the safety spot. Annie was already there and both girls smiled at Mary Alice who immediately began counting to twenty to resume the vicious game of tag. Stephanie had never seen Julie's face so alight with childish glee and made a note to bring her around more often. She didn't know if Ranger would want a quiet divorce or not but she was determined to keep Julie in her life.

The marriage was an idea she had never considered with Ranger but the rings and the adoption had a sense of permanency she couldn't ignore. Neither had initially wanted marriage and yet here they were, married and technically with a child. Of course Julie wasn't biologically hers and the marriage and adoption were just an attempt to keep Rachel from Julie but she knew the moment she pulled the gun from Ranger's jeans and shot Morelli that she would love no man like she did Ranger. She knew Ranger felt similarly from his actions and the promise of a real wedding she had overheard when he thought she was asleep.

She would of course talk him away from the lavish wedding – they never worked for her – and hopefully they could share a semi-domesticated life. Stephanie had been so lost in her thoughts that she didn't realize that the girls and stopped playing and were shooting her furtive glances. It took all of the three girls approaching her and Mary Alice clearing her throat twice before she could pull her thoughts away from Ranger.

"Yes?" she asked them. There was silence for a moment as Mary Alice pushed Julie impatiently to the front and looked pointedly at her to begin speaking. Stephanie could see Julie steel herself before she began speaking.

"Well, Annie, Mary Alice, and I were talking and I told them how you filled out the adoption papers for me today." She stopped here and Stephanie nodded to her in what she hoped would be an encouraging way. Julie took a breath and when she began again, her words were rushed, "And Mary Alice pointed out how it would be weird to continue to call you by your first name since you're my mother how and I've never gotten to do this before, at least not that I remember…" Julie trailed off a little and Mary Alice elbowed her so she would continue. Julie released her question in one breath," CanIcallyoumom?"

It took Stephanie a few moments to decipher what she had said and then a few more to truly let the words sink in. When they did, however, her face split into a grin and she leveled herself to speak eye-to-eye with Julie. "If that's what you want and you feel comfortable doing it, I would be honored." Julie smiled brightly, slightly shyly, and hugged Stephanie.

"Thanks…Mom," she said, turning the word around her mouth and tasting in the air. Obviously the girl liked it because her grin split even wider and she hugged Stephanie even more tightly. Both were laughing a little, and Mary Alice and Annie stood on the sides, smiling at the two. There was a stirring in the house as Stephanie's father came out to tell Stephanie her mother had awoken, and the two separated as Stephanie went back in to speak to her mother.

The door slammed and the rest was lost in a whirl of confusion and terror. The girls screamed almost as soon as Stephanie entered the living room and she tore out without a second thought, her father and grandmother right behind, her mother dazedly trying to follow. A black car was at the curb, another right behind and a dark-haired man in a white mask was grabbing at Julie. Stephanie's heart froze as she watched him rip her out of Mary Alice's and Annie's protective grasps.

Stephanie didn't think, didn't even bother to pull out her gun but ran straight at the man. She tackled him to the ground, knocking the wind from his body and the mask fell from his face. Stephanie stared at him in shock; dark eyes, mocha skin, and a fierce expression. The man was so similar to Ranger she lost her concentration. The man viciously kicked her off of him and for good measure, stomped down onto Stephanie's right leg, leaving a burning pain in his wake. He pulled at Julie again, but Julie screamed and kicked and for a moment had broken free. She ran to the house but another figure, a large bulky man with midnight skin, came out of the house and swiftly grabbed her.

He had her halfway to the car when Mary Alice and Annie jumped him. The girls were small and had minimal effect on the large man but their action caused others to react. Grandma Mazur pulled her gun and started shooting and Stephanie's father tore after the man. The other man, the one who so resembled Ranger, tackled him and hit him with the butt of the gun. Blood trickled from the impact and someone screamed, Stephanie wasn't sure if it was her or her mother. Mary Alice was still screaming and shrieking, clawing at the dark man as Julie kicked for all she was worth.

The Ranger-look-alike didn't even hesitate; he struck Mary Alice and picked her suddenly limp body up before rushing to his car. The bigger man followed swiftly into his with Julie and Stephanie ran screaming after the cars, ignoring the shooting pain in her leg as she hobbled. Grandma Mazur took more shots at the retreating cars while Stephanie's mother ran in to call the cops. When the cars had passed the corner, Stephanie's leg collapsed underneath her and she tried in vain to crawl her way to her car, trying desperately to follow the men who had taken Julie and Mary Alice.

The police cars and ambulance shrieked to a stop in front of the house, one only a few feet before her but she didn't care. The car hitting her would be a better punishment than the screaming inside her head, the tearing of her heart as Julie's screaming face and Mary Alice's limp form played before her. Still on the lawn, a few feet from Stephanie, Annie stood inconsolable, screaming and yelling, fighting desperately against the cautiously approaching medic. Stephanie could see she was torn between the situation she had just witnessed and the horrors of her past.

She changed course and crawled towards the young girl and pulling her to the ground with her, hugging her fiercely and telling the medic calmly to aid her father, who was currently being strapped to a gurney. She declined all help for herself and instead held Annie and whispered comforting words at her. She didn't believe any of them; she had just watched her daughter and niece being kidnapped and was so useless she couldn't even stop it. She should have just shot the man the moment she walked out the door but every time she saw a gun, an image of Morelli's bloody, sightless face called to her and she went into a panic attack.

Still she held the little girl and whispered softly as her mother and Grandma Mazur followed the paramedics down to the hospital. The police stayed but she spoke to none of them, simply rocking Annie back and forth and repeating her words. The girl had quieted now, but Stephanie still rocked, more as an escape for herself than actual comfort. It was in this state that Ranger found her. Only when he encompassed his arms around her and one of the men calmly took Annie away did she finally cry. She sobbed into Ranger's shirt and held him tightly, afraid to let go.

"She's gone, they're gone!" she repeated the words like a mantra, a manifestation of her deep pain and guilt. She had failed the two girls who trusted her the most in the world and there was no deeper regret. They were gone and by the time they found them, it might be too late. So she sobbed, again and again until Ranger's black shirt was soaked through with the salty tears. All through the meltdown, Ranger didn't leave or loosen his arms. He kept her close and only when the tears finally slowed did he say anything at all.

"We'll get them back, Babe." He vowed, a dark, furious look flashing across his face only to be quickly replaced by a look of grim determination. He would get them back alright, his daughter and niece-by-marriage, and then he would torture the men who did it until they told him why, and then, when they had begged him for mercy, he would shoot them dead. That was a promise to the world.

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><p>Once again, thank you to TexanBabe for betaing! Anyway this chapter is late, my apologies, but its also (obviously) a pivotal chapter for the story. I hope I did the action well, it definitely isn't what I'm used to. I hope you liked it, please feel free to tell me what you thought and any ideas you have! I'll update as soon as possible. Thank you!<p> 


	17. Of Lost Identities and Failed Schemes

A FEW NOTES BEFORE BEGINNING: Some confusion about who Annie was. I didn't mean Angie - Mary Alice's older sister, I meant Annie Soder from Hard Eight, the little girl Mary Alice befriends that Abruzzi is after, and since there is confusion about Rachel: She's doing it for revenge and petty jealousy, she's too selfish to admit that she's made a mistake but she (deep, deep, deep down) regrets what she did. Any other reason, I'll make it up later but for now that's it. Onto story!

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><p>Ranger stared grimly at the screen, a quiet anger emitting. It had been a week – a long, torturous week – since Julie and Mary Alice had been taken and there had been no new developments. There was no ransom, no taunting, just silence from the other end. It bothered him, not knowing the reason behind the abduction. Few people knew he had a daughter. Fewer still knew what she looked like, and none should have known where she was at the time. The fact that they had taken Mary Alice as well, someone he had no contact with, added to the confusion.<p>

One of the only other reasons he could come up with was that the kidnapping was designed for Stephanie, not him. After all, Mary Alice was her niece and the attack was outside the Plum house. But even this trail of thought had its road blocks. Stephanie had been there; had actually attacked one of the abductors. Why didn't they simply take her? Why not take her father when they hit him? Or her mother? Or Grandma Mazur? Why take Julie, who had no known relation ties with Stephanie? Had they seen Steph take her to school while Ranger was recovering? He doubted that would warrant abduction. The people after him wouldn't be that careless to use such flimsy information. Which left another set of questions. Did they know Stephanie and he had married? That Stephanie had adopted Julie? Ranger doubted his lawyer would have told anyone, and the only other people that were given the same trust he knew wouldn't tell anyone.

That left only one reason and that one chilled him. Were the men after the girls themselves? He had dealt with pedophiles in his line of work and the thought of his daughter and her friend being with one was unthinkable. But then, what other reason could there to be take Julie and Mary Alice themselves. Who could want the two girls? His mind briefly wandered to Rachel but he dismissed the thoughts. Rachel might have wanted Julie but what purpose would Mary Alice have? And who would help her take the children? Stephanie had described the two men as well as she could and although the darker man sounded like he could be hired muscle, the other one didn't. The brutal way he attacked Stephanie and her father was overly violent, more like a crime of passion than one of hired help.

The description was infuriatingly familiar to him. Not because Stephanie had said he looked like him, but because he was certain that he had encountered someone similar. He couldn't remember where it had happened or who it was, he simply remembered in passing that the man had strikingly similar features to him. Nothing else, just the similarities. Had he known what the man was capable of doing, he would have killed him wherever he stood. But he didn't know and he hadn't thought to remember the man and now the dim memory of the man was the only clue he had to finding his daughter.

He stared at the computer angrily, glaring at the blank faces of past FTAs. None of the faces were either man nor were they in the registered sex offender list in New Jersey or any of the surrounding states. According to his results, the man either didn't exist, or was damn good at hiding. Obviously, he existed as both he and Stephanie had seen him, not to mention her whole family, which left only the hiding. Ranger's fingers swiftly typed a new search, the platinum ring glinting in the yellow light of his desk lamp. The man may have been good at hiding but Ranger was even better at finding. All he needed was a little time, and in the dead of night, with the soft noises of his babe caught in nightmares the only sounds around him, he had all the time in the world.

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><p>Rachel bit her lip as the cars passed them by. Although it was her idea, the plan had taken on a dangerous quality she had not prepared for. The dangerous addition was currently tucked into a fluffy pink blanket and lay beside Julie. She was a small thing, several inches shorter than her own daughter, but posed a far larger threat than could be fathomed. The plan with Julie was simple. Carlos – Scrog in reality – would hire some goon from Stark to "retrieve his daughter", wear a mask, and approach the Plum household in unmarked cars to take Julie. Then Rachel would approach the police to file a missing child report and address the local media if Carlos or his whore hadn't<p>

She was supposed to play the frenzied mother, tell everyone she was right and that living with Carlos was what put her daughter in this situation. Then, she was going to let Scrog and possibly his thug take the blame when the police found them and reap sole custody of Julie. She had not anticipated Scrog attacking an innocent man or bringing back a second child. The plan was dissolving in front of her eyes. It would be impossible to explain the extra girl to the police. Scrog was crazy and thought Julie was his daughter but the other girl wasn't related to Carlos – she was a Plum. To try and explain her would mean admitting she knew that Carlos was now the uncle of said girl and to do so would reveal the bugs Scrog planted. Once they connected the bugs to him it was a short leap until Carlos fit her into the puzzle as well.

The implication of him being the one to figure it out was terrifying; he would kill her without a backwards glance. She impulsively grabbed the door handle to steady herself. Thoughts on the torture her ex could inflict ran through her head and it took a moment to steady herself. Scrog asked if she was okay, glancing at her worriedly from the driver's seat, but she brushed him off. She did not want condolences from the man who had so thoroughly screwed up the plan. She had no longer dared to continue down her previous path of thought and instead glanced back at the two small figures in the back.

Both girls would be out at least until they were secured in the safe house. The sleeping medication Scrog had slipped them at the hotel made sure of that, so Rachel wasn't worried about that. She would be long gone by the time Julie and the other girl awoke so neither would be able to place her with them. At least, that had been the original plan. With the added child, the risk was too high and Rachel now needed to stay and make sure Scrog did not mess up further. Which, of course, led her back to the placing problem. The other girl didn't know who she was but Julie did. Even if she kept them separate there was a chance Julie or the other girl could escape and tell Carlos where they were and he'd discover her or Julie would tell him, and he'd kill her.

Rachel blanched as Scrog turned off the main road and on to a pot-holed, dirt road. She didn't like that every option led to her death. She didn't want to die and especially not at the hands of her crazy military ex-husband. With the exception of her daughter, she didn't care if anyone else in the car died, which was why she was so willing to let Scrog take the fall for her plan. What she needed was a way to frighten Julie to keep quiet; do something or threaten to do something that would shock her into silence. She looked back at the children. The blanket had fallen slightly to reveal the other girl. She knew Stephanie Plum had no children and the curly hair was most likely a family trait but with the massive expanse of curls and the fair skin, she looked just like what Rachel had imagined the Plum woman must have looked like at her age.

Her lip curled in obvious disgust. That Carlos had allowed her daughter to be with people like that. For god's sake, he had tried to allow a filthy murderer adopt her. And now that woman's niece was laying asleep in the back of her car, ample fodder for Julie's fear. All she had to do was convince Scrog that the girl was a danger to their happily ever after and he'd be more than willing to comply with her wishes. She could threaten Julie with the horrifying death of her little friend if either of them tried something. Then they'd have one less witness to worry about.

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><p>Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed it! Once again thank you to TexanBabe for betaeing! I liked this chapter, evil Rachel is evil, and all that. I hope you did too and please feel free to tell me what you thought. Next chapter will be up as soon as possible, thank you.<p> 


	18. Of Found Identities and Realizations

Ranger grinned viciously as he punched the print button. The printer buzzed to life and swiftly began spilling out his quarry's secrets. Two hours of searching and he finally got a hit on the man who had taken his daughter. Edward Scrog, age twenty-seven, worked at a video store that he had made a capture in. Remarkably similar features to him, certifiably crazy. He'd been posing as Carlos Mañoso in Florida; Miami to be specific. The close proximity to Rachel had not gone unnoticed by Ranger and he was bringing the papers to his search manager to do a cross-search with. He had little doubt that Rachel was involved with the kidnapping now which meant he knew the reason. She wanted to prove Ranger was an unfit parent. He hoped she knew if he confirmed his theory, she'd most likely be dead, but that the same time he didn't want her to run out of fear of him catching her.

His ideas briefly shifted to how to kill his ex-wife as he waited for the elevator to take him to the third floor. Once the door chimed open, he banished the thoughts and schooled his face into a natural expression. His men knew how much he needed his daughter back but he still refused to show any traitorous emotions to his men. They glanced up and quickly back down as he stalked past. He had been quick to anger lately and none of them wanted to lose their job in the near future, or their lives for that matter. Ranger passed them without much thought and headed straight for Hal who was currently on search duty until they could find a replacement for the previous one who had relocated for family.

"I need you to cross-reference for me." He told him simply, handing him the file. Hal skimmed the first page and nodded.

"With who?" he asked once he realized the papers were for only one person.

"Rachel Martine, born Cortez. Include security footage around a building called Mañoso Security and the surrounding streets. The address is in the paperwork, narrow the search within the last year, otherwise you'll get information on the care that used to be there instead." Hal nodded, face as blank as ever. No doubt he had recognized the name but knew better than to ask questions. Instead he turned to the computer and meticulously typed in the information. Ranger watched over his shoulder for a few moments before leaving the control room and back into the elevator to his apartment. His plan was simple, he was going to get his keys and then, using information preened off one of his own searches, have a talk with Rachel.

It was too early to kill Rachel and he would probably never actually get the chance to, but the idea was a nice thought. As long as she thought he was capable of it, he was satisfied. That and the fact the kidnappers were completely fair game anyway. The elevator came to the seventh floor and he quietly entered the apartment. Stephanie had been in the throes of nightmares when he had left and he didn't know if they had woken her up or if she had finally settled down into normal dreams. She had been reluctant to sleep in the first place, with the girls gone, but Ranger had forced her. She hadn't slept all week and she would have been more detrimental to the search than helpful at the time.

He had merely wanted to grab his keys and go but the soft glow of his office desk light on the hard wood floor caught his attention. He had turned all the lights off when he left and wondered what Stephanie could be doing in there. He quietly walked to the room and nudged the door to open it wider. Stephanie was at his desk reading the search files on Edward Scrog that he had left open. She had obviously just gotten up. Her hair was a mess of curls thrown haphazardly into a low bun. She wore only an old shirt of his, a fact that would normally have rather desirable effects. And she had foregone the crutches, as was normal in her morning routine. It was testament to her stay with him that she did not jump as he pulled her into his arms and gently rested his chin on her head, re-reading the information displayed on his screen.

"That's him." Stephanie whispered, her voice still hazy from sleep. She pointed towards the photograph of Edward Scrog taken from the DMV database. "That's the one that took Julie and Mary Alice, the one that attacked me and Dad." Her voice was steady but Ranger could feel her shaking slightly. She was scared, most likely not for herself, but for the two girls that were at the mercy of the psychopath. "Edward Scrog," she whispered the name, the hint of anger evident in her tone. Then she turned into Ranger's arms and stared fixedly at him,."Where are you going?" she asked, taking in his dark clothes and clad feet.

"To go speak to Rachel. I have reason to believe she's involved." He kept his voice deceptively neutral but could see the anger flash through Stephanie's vivid eyes. "I'm hoping she's at the hotel."

"Let me go too," Stephanie requested. Ranger hesitated and Stephanie continued, "Please Ranger! You've had me stuck in the apartment all week and I want to help!" Ranger knew Stephanie had felt locked up; that she had been impatient and jumpy all week but he had kept her in the apartment for her protection. Someone had ruthlessly stomped on her leg until it broke and slammed the butt of a gun into her father's head and until they knew why, he didn't want her out of the apartment. Perhaps she had read the hardness that appeared on his face or guessed his words before he could say them but either way, she hastily continued.

"They have my family too! And if it is Rachel I doubt she wants the extra witness! What if she's capable of killing a child? Do you want the death of a nine year old girl on your conscience? I sure as hell don't!" she ended angrily. When she spoke again, her voice was soft, begging him with sadness rather than trying to force him through anger. "Mary Alice is my niece and Julie… Julie asked me if she could call me 'Mom'!" Ranger closed his eyes slightly, no longer than a blink, to maintain his blank face. Stephanie's was almost unbearably sad as she continued, her voice barely above a carrying whisper, "Please Carlos."

It was the first time Stephanie had ever used his given name and he inwardly cursed at the effect it had on him. "You better be ready in ten" he warned her. Stephanie's eyes lit up as she hurriedly hobbled out of the room putting light pressure on her cast in a way that had Ranger sure Bobby would be after blood once he did the check-up on Stephanie. "You owe me!" he called to her retreating form. She paused and looked at him questioningly. He simply smirked at her and she blushed red before hopping her way into the bedroom. Teasing Stephanie had a positive effect on Ranger; it gave him a sense of normalcy that had been shattered in the week.

He gave her an extra couple minutes as compensation for the cast and it was nearly fifteen minutes before Stephanie returned. She was dressed in a Rangeman uniform accommodated for her leg, her hair in a more presentable ponytail, and light makeup. Ranger just rolled his eyes at the makeup. Only in Jersey would a woman halt a kidnap investigation for eyeliner. He knew it was prudent not to comment though. He preferred not to aggravate some already on the edge and grabbed the keys from the dish Ella provided instead. He made a detour on the fourth floor to grab the extra set of crutches Bobby had stashed in his office. Stephanie made a face when he handed them to her but he told her he would not take her if she refused to put her wellbeing into consideration.

"It's not even broken that bad! I could have been put into a boot if Bobby wasn't such a worrier!" she protested quietly, arms folded stubbornly across her chest.

"It wasn't that bad until you ran and crawled up and down the street, now use the crutches." He once again extended the crutches but Stephanie turned her face. Ranger reluctantly pulled out his last card, "the crutches or a fully loaded semi-automatic that I expect you to use." Stephanie glared."I don't know how to use a semi-automatic," she retorted.

Ranger smirked, "Crash course, Babe." Stephanie sighed loudly in defeat and shot him some Italian gestures that would have made the Pope blush before snatching the crutches from him and placing them under her arms. She glared at him the entire way down but her limited mobility had greatly improved and Ranger thought it a fair trade. The sky was still darkened but there was a hint of the sun on the horizon, indicating a fast approaching morning. Stephanie shuddered slightly in the frigid breeze and Ranger gently steered her to the Porsche. He turned the heater on first and Stephanie forewent the glare with a grateful smile as the warmth hit her. "Ten minutes to the hotel she's been staying at." He turned off Hayward and South down the highway. Realization hit Stephanie.

"Was she staying at the Radisson on Clark?" Ranger nodded; a beat slower than Stephanie and not quite getting the connection. "Exactly ten minutes from Rangeman and my parent's house in good conditions. She gestured towards the almost empty road. "It's also only about five minutes from my apartment and fifteen away from Julie's school." she added. The pieces fell into place as Ranger did the quick calculation of how far it was to his mother's house."Twenty minutes from my parents', which is where Julie used to stay while I worked. If Rachel was involved, she had the prime spot to grab Julie and leave within half-an-hour." The fact was small, but it was a clue that Rachel was involved none the less.

"How'd she know to include mine and my parents' place, though? I mean, I'd been picking Julie up and such but my apartment has been empty for over a month. I'm just waiting for the lease to end, and Julie had never been to my parents' until I took her the day she and Mary Alice were taken. She'd have to expect me to be taking care of Julie more even after you healed… she'd have to…"

"She'd have to know you'd gotten custody of Julie. She changed her hotel the day we went to the lawyer's. She must have known." Ranger slid the car into an empty space outside the hotel. "Hand me your purse." Stephanie handed him her purse and he dumped the contents onto the dashboard and quickly sifted through it. It wasn't long before he had pulled out a pen, similar in color and size to his own bug on Stephanie and held it out. Stephanie paled.

"Oh no," the tears began to fall as Ranger unscrewed the pen and gently lifted the tiny bug out of the cartridge holder. "I thought it was yours. I was bugged and I didn't even know. I gave the information to the enemy, it's all my fault."

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><p>Hey I'm sorry this is late, me and my beta had some email issues (the chapter didn't send for some reason) but it's all worked out now and the chapter is being posted. Once again thanks to my beta TexanBabe for previewing all the chapters. I hope this one answered any questions you might have had as well as shed some light on other issues that help the plot. I hope you liked it! Thank you for reading and I'll update as soon as possible.<p> 


	19. Of Captives and Threats

Rachel stared at the sleeping form. She hoped it was simply from years spent under her father's care but Julie bore a striking resemblance to Carlos. It was to their advantage of course because that meant Scrog could easily pose as her father, but she still hated it. It was the reason she'd wanted to get rid of her in the first place, that resemblance to Carlos that had only grown more pronounced as the years had progressed. There were ways to change it of course – dye to make her hair completely black rather than dark brown, contacts to lighten her eyes from that dark brown to a lighter shade - but she didn't particularly want to do things like that to make the child hers. She should have already been hers, not that bastard's.

Julie stirred slightly and Rachel banished her thoughts, schooling her face into a carefully neutral expression. She would have preferred to play the ecstatic mother getting her child back but the timing was screwed now and she was forced to play the hardened negotiator in exchange for safety. Scrog had agreed readily enough with an enthusiasm that discomforted her and had the other girl on complete lock-down. In a moment, once Julie had awoken fully, she would give him the signal and he'd bring the terrified girl in. She wouldn't kill her yet. Doing so would be equivalent to untying Julie and leaving the door unlocked in her mind. She would instill a wave of terror into her daughter. One had already been placed in the other girl – Mary Alice she now knew – and Rachel only hoped Julie would be just as easily frightened. Her new plan for escaping depended on both the girls' terror and acting skills.

Julie's eyes flickered open and Rachel stood silently as the drug finished wearing off, the bright shine of alertness returning to Julie's dark eyes. Rachel gave her grudging credit, the first thing she did once she came to was observe her surroundings. She took in the darkened, dilapidated room with its bare walls and single threadbare mattress that she alone slept on. Finally, her wandering eyes landed on Rachel and they widened with recognition. She attempted to stand but the metallic bracelet cuffed to her wrist prevented it. She glared at Rachel, her mouth a thin line of defiance. She was going to be difficult then, as Rachel had figured. She sighed quietly and cautiously approached the girl. Julie immediately scurried to the other end of the bed, as far away from her as possible, glaring angrily.

Rachel decided to drop the hardened, stoic act and sat down on the edge of the bed, gently placing a reassuring hand on Julie's knee. Julie flinched away from the touch and angrily slapped away Rachel's hand as it touched her. Rachel sighed again but placed her hands firmly in her lap. She needed Julie to be calm as she explained things to her. She needed Julie to be able to listen to her. "Now, now Julie," she started pleasantly, "there's no need for violence, no one is going to hurt you." She smiled reassuringly and reached her hand out again at the little girl. Julie bit her in response. Rachel screamed an expletive and backhanded Julie without thinking about it. The force of the blow wasn't much but the red mark appeared on her cheek quickly and Rachel remembered too late that Julie bruised easily. There had been many times while Julie was learning to walk – the latest memories she had of her daughter - where she'd fall and her entire leg would come up bruised.

She had been a strange child because she never cried, no matter how bad the fall was. That hadn't changed over the years. Her defiant glare was stronger than before Rachel had hit her. Rachel winced involuntarily at the sheer hatred in her gaze. She hated Carlos for polluting her daughter's mind, for making her resort to these actions. If he had allowed her to go into an adoption agency and be lost in the countless files of other children there would be no problems now. But his damned Cuban pride had forbidden that and they were all miserable now. Rachel got up and left the room for a moment. She passed Scrog in the living room with the silent Mary Alice but made no conversation. In a moment she'd give him the signal to bring Mary Alice in, but for now she was determined to deal with Julie as a mother should. She placed some small ice cubes onto a rag and returned to the small room.

Julie had not moved from her spot and she resumed her glare as soon as Rachel opened the door. Or perhaps she had never let the glare slip from her face, Rachel wasn't sure. She handed the ice pack to Julie who just resumed her glare and pushed herself harder against the wall. Rachel pursed her lips and pressed the pack to Julie's face herself. The girl tensed but she was already at the end of her chain and was too small to successfully push Rachel away. Rachel kept the ice on the cheek, hoping it wasn't too late to stop the bruising. Walking around with two differently raced girls would be hard enough. One with a hand shaped bruise on her face was suicide. Her pride wouldn't allow her to apologize and she didn't think she needed to. Julie needed to learn her place quickly enough if she was going to live with Rachel from now on; what did it matter if a little force had to be used to get to the end? The end justified the means and what better end for Julie was there to be away from her crazy father and in a stable home with her mother? Rachel couldn't think of any and knew Julie would agree once she was away from her father.

After a while, Julie took the makeshift ice-pack from Rachel and held it to her own cheek. Rachel wasn't sure if it was imagination or reality but it looked as if Julie's glare had lessened slightly. Rachel decided to take it as reality and smiled encouragingly, hoping for some breakthrough with her estranged daughter. "Coming around, sweetheart?" she asked gently, brushing Julie's thick hair from her face. Julie's glare solidified again and with a flick of her head sent her dark hair around her face like a curtain, blocking Rachel from her.

"I don't want you touching me," Julie spat. Rachel cringed at the words. Such hatred should not be found in a young girl, even more so when directed at her own mother. Rachel knew then that kindness would not work with the young girl who had been taught to hate so well. With a sigh, she stood and walked from the room. She found Scrog in the same position as when she retrieved ice for Julie and silently beckoned to him.

With a nasty grin, Scrog roughly heaved Mary Alice to her feet. Rachel watched impassively as the girl struggled to stay standing with her feet tightly bound together. Her hands were handcuffed so she had no balance as Scrog sharply poked at the barrel of a gun into the small of her back. Rachel did not take any perverse pleasure from the girl's stumbling form like Scrog did. She not have any pity for the girl either. She was just another tool, another instrument to frame Scrog and get Julie. Still though, she admired the girl's stare. It wasn't defiant – she was in a lot more peril than Julie, too much to be defiant – but it was not defeated by any means. It was a strange expression, a mixture of sheer stubbornness and undeniable fear. Rachel imagined that must be the look that crosses Stephanie Plum's face and her resolve hardened.

It was bad enough that her daughter was like her father, she didn't want to deal with a little girl that was like his whore as well. She pushed the door to the tiny bedroom and stepped aside. Scrog roughly pushed Mary Alice into the room and she tripped over her feet, landing quite solidly on the floor face first. The noise attracted Julie's curiosity and she was staring wide-eyed at the splayed girl in front of her. Scrog hauled the girl to her feet and Rachel assessed the damage. The girl had enough sense to turn her head enough that her nose didn't get the blunt of the fall but her cheek was quickly turning an ugly shade of red. She was another easy bruiser apparently. Rachel made the mental note to be more careful with the girl, getting a white girl on a plane with a dark skinned person would be hard, a heavily bruised one impossible.

Rachel was gentle as she led the girl to the bed and sat her beside Julie. The girls looked at each other, assessing the damage. It did not take long to figure out that Mary Alice had easily gotten the worst of the deal. Julie glared more heavily while Mary Alice remained the same, that fearful stubbornness weighing heavily on her face. "What do you want?" Julie asked Rachel, "why are you doing this?" Anger was evident in her tone, along with a mix of sadness and worry though those might have been directed at Mary Alice's condition as opposed to her. Rachel sighed before answering.

"Because you are my daughter and your father doesn't deserve you. You were never supposed to stay here this long or even see me; it was all suppose to be a ruse to make the courts relinquish custody of you to me. The other girl," – she gestured towards Mary Alice, "wasn't supposed to come and no one was supposed to get hurt." She glared at Scrog who shuffled guiltily. "But now we have a new plan, similar to the first, but you can't tell a soul about me or it won't work," she finished. Julie glared murderously before responding.

"And if I do?" Scrog smirked and swiftly grabbed Mary Alice by her curls, pulling her off the bed. Mary Alice screamed, partially from the sudden and surprising movement, but mostly from the sharp pain that shot through her scalp. Scrog didn't say anything but as he pressed the cold metal of his gun to Mary Alice's temple the message was clear. "Okay, Okay!" Julie shrieked, fear – real fear – finally shining through her eyes as she tried desperately to get to Mary Alice. "I'll keep quiet! Don't hurt her! I'll do anything!" Rachel nodded to Scrog and he dropped Mary Alice back onto the bed. Julie hugged the girl to her immediately and pulled her away from the two adults, gently clutching at her as they both finally succumbed to tears. Rachel felt a twitch of guilt before banishing it and sitting on the edge of the bed. Mary Alice flinched horribly and Julie tightened her hold on her friend protectively.

"No one has to get hurt, sweethearts, I'll take good care of both of you, but only if you listen. If you follow my plan you'll both come out alright, I promise." Rachel didn't mention that Mary Alice could never go home, even if she lived. Julie knew she would never go home already but Mary Alice didn't need to know she followed a similar path. Rachel reached a gentle hand to the small girl "I promise you'll be okay."

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><p>So I've decided to switch between Ranger's point of view and Rachel's to try and show both sides of the case. I have a plan for Mary Alice and let's just say the story isn't over yet... Once again, thank you to TexanBabe for betaing for me, it helps a lot. I hope you all enjoyed the chapter and I will try to update as soon as possible.<p> 


	20. Of Hope and Betrayal

I am so sorry for the late update! I'm going to try and make up for it by posting two chapters tonight but I really am sorry! AP testing is in a week and we've been cramming for weeks! I apologize again and hope you didn't give up the story! I'm determined to finish it! Please forgive any errors, because, in a move that is sure to anger my Beta, I'm posting these without using her. Please enjoy and thank you.

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><p>Ranger didn't know what to say, he simply threw the pen and chip out the window, smashing it entirely in the process, before wrapping an around Stephanie and pulling her into his chest. He was almost positive that the device had been off, most unlikely only on long enough to catch the lawyer's visit and possibly where Stephanie had taken Julie the day of the abduction. He explained all this to her and after a few minutes of halting tears, her crying faded and she sat up, a hint of pink telling of her embarrassment.<p>

"Not on?" she asked and Ranger nodded. The abductors must likely knew nothing about how they had guessed their identities with one last braving glace at herself in the rearview mirror, Stephanie nodded to Ranger and they silently got out of the car and approached the building, the steady sound of the crutches the only noise in the early morning light. The man at the front desk gazed tiredly at them, hand already reaching for the pen to begin jotting their information.

Ranger placed a hand on the paper to stop the movement and the man stared more alertly. "We are not here for a room" he explained calmly, moving his jacket to the side as he reached for his card. The widening of the man's eyes indicated that he'd seen the cold metal secured in Ranger's jeans. "We need information," he told him as he read the card. "On a woman named Rachel Martine. She checked in here a week and a half ago," the man, either eager for Ranger to leave or just terrified, hurried his way through his book.

"She checked out two days ago, I wasn't on duty, I can't supply anymore information. You'll have to ask the other desk man, Andy Rosso." Ranger nodded and waited silently while Stephanie thanked the man. They were out the door when Ranger called Rangeman. Hector picked up and after several minutes of rushed Spanish, Ranger had the information. He helped Stephanie maneuver her crutches into the car and then slid into the driver's seat.

"Rosso lived at the nice end of Stark, same apartment building as Lula; we're going to pay him a visit." He told her, sliding a Smith & Wesson into her jeans before gunning the engine. "What does he look like?"Stephanie had tried to keep her voice neutral but it was apparent to Ranger that she was nervous about going to Stark so obviously handicapped. His lips twitched in amusement.

"Babe," he gently squeezed the thing of her good leg, amusement clear, "he works the night shift according to Hector, but not only at the hotel. He has several night shift jobs along Stark as well, what do you think he looks like?" He pulled seamlessly into the parking lot right next to a dark Escalade that on this street could only belong to a well-off drug lord.

"5'4" and white?" Stephanie asked hopefully. Ranger shot her a look as a tall, dark-skinned man walked out the front door and headed towards the dark escalade. As he approached, Ranger could see the similarities between the person and the photo Hector had sent him.

"He looks like that, Babe." Ranger told Stephanie, already sliding out of the car. Stephanie didn't move and her wide-eyed staring made Ranger stop. "Babe?" Stephanie didn't acknowledge his questioning tone but continued to stare at Rosso as he slid a large bag into the back of his car. "Babe!"

"That's him Ranger. That's the man who helped take Julie and Mary Alice." Rosso seemed to have forgotten something because he went back into the building, arrogantly leaving his door open. Stephanie was hobbling out of the car before Ranger had registered her words. He quickly followed. Stephanie had extracted the tracking device planted on her by Ranger and was sliding it under the driver's seat. "Revenge's a bitch." She told Ranger glaring angrily at the car. "He'll lead us straight to the girls." Movement caught Ranger's eye and he pulled her away from the car and towards the apartment building just as Ross walked out.

Ranger didn't acknowledge him but Stephanie 'accidently' stomped on him with her good foot. Rosso turned back towards them angrily but Ranger and already pulled Stephanie into the safe darkness of the adjacent alleyway. "Babe." He whispered, half annoyed, half awed. Feeling a sense of warmth he hadn't felt since Julie's abduction, he pulled his clinically insane wife into a searing kiss. The triumph of knowing all abductors and having a viable trace on them tightened their grasp on the people and when he pulled away, there was a predatory gleam in his eye. The chase was finally underway.

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><p>Rachel watched nervously as Mary Alice boarded the plan seemingly by herself. Scrog stood a few passengers behind, inconspicuous to all that were watching. Julie was being baby sat by Scrog's hired muscle back at the trailer. Rachel would not be returning; the man didn't even know she was supposed to be. Soon as the girl and Scrog were boarded she would be placing an anonymous call to the police about a young girl who matched Julie Manoso's description.<p>

Her plan was working, her husband would be ready to discretely hid Mary Alice, she had already contacted him about it, and the police, topped with the information she should shortly provide would be ready to take Scrog at the airport. Carlos and his wife will hear the information on the police scanner and rush to the trailer but by then it would be too late. Scrog's associate didn't know about her and with Mary Alice safely stored in her clutches at Miami, Julie would be sure to keep quiet.

Rachel smirked the plane flew out of sight, carrying away the last step of her plan. Carlos and Plum were playing directly into her hand, Scrog didn't know he was being betrayed, Mary Alice was out of sight, and Julie was too terrified to say anything. She turned into the airport and towards the phones. Nothing could go wrong.


	21. Of Crushing Defeat and Malicious Victory

"What do you mean, I can't see my daughter?" Ranger growled at the policeman. He and Stephanie had followed Rosso to the dingy trailer but the police had already been in place, Rosso in cuffs, and Julie in an ambulance. The policeman, new to the Jersey PD, shifted nervously under Ranger's furious glare.

"The court is not allowing you to see Julie until the investigation is over.

"What investigation?' Stephanie broke in, a calming hand placed precautionarily on her husband's shoulder. The officer looked at her fearfully.

"Mrs. Martine, Julie's biological mother, had filed a charge of child endangerment and neglect. Under the current conditions, the courts have awarded her custody. Once Julie has been checked out of the hospital, she will be moved to Miami with her mother," Stephanie clenched tightly on Ranger's arm, and he could see the panic begin to crush her.

"You can't do that! Julie needs her father! Rachel doesn't care! She might have been involved, for God's sake! What about Mary Alice, then? Can I see my niece?" Stephanie had spoken fast and Ranger assumed that the sudden topic change was the reason for the man's confusion.

"There was no other girl." Ranger pulled Stephanie into him, alarmed by the sudden buckling of her knees.

"That's not right, Mary Alice was with the,. They took her too! She has brown hair and blue eyes! Look again!" Stephanie was panicking, tears already blurring in her eyes and it was Ranger's turn to keep a tight grip on her lest she ran into the house "Look again!" The man took a step back and shook his head again.

"I'm very sorry, Mrs. Manoso, but there was no other child. Julie Manoso was alone when we came to the house.

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><p>It was a nightmare. Her world had become a living nightmare in just two weeks. She was alone now, which was better than an hour ago, in the darkness of the basement. She was without clothes but the chill air of the musky walls was strangely pleasant on her newly formed bruises. The man from the airport had seen them, beating her blind the moment she was in the house and out of the public eye. He had then undressed her and thrown her into the dank room she now sat in. He had thrown new clothes down with her as well but the material was more ragged than even her old clothes and she wanted no charity from him.<p>

It was obvious the man despised her. She had seen the loathing in his eyes with every hit and she wondered vaguely if Julie would meet the same cruel hands. She doubted it though; the woman would hardly dare allow this man harm her daughter. The idea might have caused bitterness in others but Mary Alice only saw relief that her friend would be spared pain, the emotional pain was hardly bearable, and the physical pain shrieked at her as she lay huddled on the tattered nightgown she had been given.

The tears came as the time past. Hot, blinding tears slid down her pale cheeks and the darkness pressed harshly against her, she could hear the high pitched laughs of other children above her and wondered if they knew a small girl lay below them, trapped. The she wondered if they would even care. They didn't know her and Mary Alice would never meet them. She very much doubted her life would last much longer or that she would see another friendly face before it ended.

Her tears came down faster and she curled around herself, trying to escape the darkness. The harsh cold surrounded her and her cheeks stung as the chill hit the tears. There was no escape, there was no light. All that lay before her was never-ending darkness and the fear that permeated through her very fiber. Darkness was her only company.

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><p>Julie was surrounded by a burning white. The nurses were kind but Julie only stared at them until, unnerved, they had left the room. She didn't want any of them, those strange tools of Rachel's. She wanted her father and mother but that wasn't to be. Never to be if Rachel won. She could hear her now, the click of her heels unmistakable on the cool tile, her carrying voice talking in concerned whispers with her companion. Julie had the mad desire to lock the door but bated it away.<p>

Any mad or desperate attempt for freedom would only lead to pain for Mary Alice. She ahd to play the game or the girl would lose her life. Julie grimaced at the thought of her friend's battered body lying and blinked back the tears. She would not let that happen, could not let that happen. She would a find a way to tell her father, find a way to free her and Mary Alice but for now she had to play the game of cat and mouse with Rachel.

She smiled shyly when the doctor and Rachel walked in. She was in the game, she was Ranger's Manoso's daughter and it wasn't in her blood to play the mouse.

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><p>Rachel and the silent girl on the plan next to her less than a week later, smiling victoriously. The brat Mary Alice was in the basement just as she ordered her brother. He hadn't wanted to beat her, soft as he was, and it took a lot of convincing on her part to make him beat and undress the girl. It was necessary though and she had shaky pictures of the young girl on her phone just waiting for Julie to act out, she never did though and Rachel was amazed at the ease it was to convince the courts Julie needed a quiet time with her "new" family before coming to trial.<p>

It was all easy, her revenge against Carlos and the retrieval of her daughter. She smiled at Julie who stared blankly back. She didn't mind though, the two had all the time in the world to get to know each other. It wasn't too late to turn her into a proper lady, and she was determined to do just that.

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><p>Okay, once again sorry for the long wait! I hope the double chapters can make up for that but if not, please don't be angry! I chose this type of screen shot POV writing because I wanted to encompass the two girls. I'm sorry for anyone who thought it was reaching a climax once Stephanie and Ranger discovered Rosso but there is more to go, and the action will be in later, during the ending climax. Excuse any mistakes, I didn't use my beta. I'll update as soon as possible.<p> 


	22. Of Hopelessness and Homecomings

Ranger was tired. His body dragged and his eyes drooped. His mind was weary. The thrill of finding Julie and Mary Alice had given way to his exhaustion. Mary Alice was still missing and Julie was still in Rachel's hands. Where the prospect of having his daughter had been so close just a few hours ago, now she was further away than ever. He could think of no options, nothing could be done. And he was tired. He had not felt this drained in years. The exhaustion left him numb and as he sat stiffly in his dark living room, no emotions came to him.

A sound broke through the two A.M. silence and his head snapped reflectively towards the hallway. Stephanie stood there, still dressed in her day clothes, leaning heavily on the wall as she had foregone her crutches again. Even in the dim light he could see the puffy red of her eyes. That seemed to be the constant look for the woman now. The tears she had shed for Morelli, the baby she had lost, him in the hospital, Julie and Mary Alice. She was always crying now. The fact made his insides burn with guilt' he was involved in each of these, even involuntarily. If he hadn't gotten so involved with her, she would be happy, probably not with Morelli, but with a good man that could safely support her. The realization made him break eye contact with her, choosing to look at his hands instead.

"Don't do that to yourself." Stephanie's voice spoke softly, breaking the tense silence. Ranger looked up at her but remained silent. With an exaggerated huff she approached him and pulled him to his feet. He was a little surprised to see that despite the blatant redness around her eyes, the vivid blue was clear and her lips were set into a determined line. "Don't sit here and blame yourself for all of this. It's not your fault and the fight isn't over yet. We can get them back Ranger."

Ranger could see the difference in her as she spoke. Gone was the slightly withdrawn woman he had seen since Morelli's death. In her place was a woman he had seen in only glimpses in the months – during their marriage ceremony and when she bugged Rossos's car. It was the Stephanie he knew best and who had fearfully retreated every time a new blow was dealt. Except now she wasn't fleeing, something had changed, this last drawback had triggered something and she wasn't letting it to. His Stephanie was back to stay.

This fact seemed to revive him. The weariness seeped away and he stood erect in front of Stephanie. The numb feeling retreated, leaving a deep, quiet, simmering anger in its place. An idea stood suddenly clear in his mind, a simple yet flawless thought. "Yes," he agreed quietly to her statement. Stephanie jumped at his sudden speech but then smiled brightly, obviously happy at his comeback.

"Are you going to sleep?" he asked her quietly, already guessing her answer. When she shook her head in the negative, he had already started towards the entrance way. "The control panel room has more in-depth searches." Stephanie nodded in understanding and followed him to the elevator, ignoring the obvious lip in her gait. It did not take long in the silence of the elevator for Stephanie to voice the question he had been waiting for.

"We are looking for properties under Rachel's name, maiden and married, as well as those of immediate family." He answered. The doors opened before them, revealing the darkened stretch of hallway and the soft sounds of the night shift workers. "We are going to find Mary Alice." He told the darkness before him.

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><p>Rachel unlocked the door and urged Julie inside. The girl had remained silent, no doubt on effort for passive-aggressive resistance. She did not realize the fight was over, that Rachel had won. It was no matter though, Julie would come around sometime, probably once she realized she was truly better off with Rachel, and Rachel could certainly wait patiently until that moment. As it was, she was content with the girl being in her house and under her custody over Carlos's. The house was dark because of the late hour but their arrival had brought about some movement and within a moment, her husband appeared at the door.<p>

He was as stonily silent as Julie was, his arms crossed as he glared at Rachel. She knew very well what he thought of her plan, which was why she had to bring her brother into the mix. Her husband had steadfastly refused to lay a hand on Mary Alice, despite what Rachel had said. Rachel's brother was weary too but the information she had on him was good enough to keep him in line. After all, police don't take too kindly to a hidden body, even with accidental death as the cause. Rachel also knew the only reason her husband hadn't gone to the police was the incrimination she had on him. She smiled warmly.

"Julie this is your new father, treat him kindly, and you won't have anything to worry about." She told the girl, gently squeezing her shoulder in the process. Julie bristled, obviously getting the underlying threat. "Sweetheart, can you show her to her room?" she addressed her husband, still smiling serenely.

"And what that be upstairs or downstairs?" he asked scathingly, still glaring angrily.

"Why, upstairs of course, you did prepare it, didn't you?" she wasn't going to show any strong emotions around Julie, she would confront her husband about his inappropriate behavior later, once they were alone. She gave him a pointed look and he reluctantly gestured towards Julie and began leading her up the stairs. Rachel watched them go and once she had ensured that only silence accompanied them, turned into the kitchen. The doorway to the basement was in there and she had some business to attend to.

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><p>Hey, sorry for the wait. I was going to have Julie and Mr. Martine interactions in here but I decided to wait for next chapter. So, any guesses how they are going to react to each other? Well, this is a little short but I'll try to update as soon as possible. AP tests are next week though so I'm not sure how long its going to be. Either way, until next time.<p> 


	23. Of Unseen Help and Villainous Demands

Julie followed after him quietly; he could feel her eyes burning into his back. He didn't blame the poor girl, forced as she was to join Rachel's twisted beliefs. He would release her if he could. She and the poor girl kept quiet in the basement. That one was in a lot worse shape than Julie was she had been speared beatings but Rachel had only allowed them to feed her once very few days and even them. They were the scraps from the day's meals. He hadn't dared do anything more for the child because he wasn't sure what his brother-in-law's take on it was. He couldn't do anything for the poor girl and rick being told on; that would only make it worse.

He stopped short of the room prepared for the girl. She made to enter, but in a sudden, mad whim he stopped her with a firm but gentle hand on her shoulder. The girl stiffened and her glare was vicious when she turned around. "Don't touch me." She snarled quietly. He was almost taken back at her anger but quickly realized the cause for it. She thought he was responsible for the treatment of her friend. No doubt Rachel had showed her the photos or spoke of them to keep the girl in line.

"Keep quiet;" he told her calmly, his own voice barely discernible in the hallway, "we don't want Rachel coming up here before we finished talking." Julie didn't say anything but she seemed to relax somewhat and her glare lessened as she waited for him to continue. He lowered his voice even further until she had to read his lips to understand his words.

"The other girl is kept in the basement. She's in bad shape and anything wrong we do affects her. She's given food every other day between six and seven. Any other time the door is locked there is no other opening to the basement save a small window above the washing machine. It's too small for an average adult to fit through." He finished before taking a breath. The stare he gave her as he continued his next statement made his meaning clear.

"Tomorrow your friend is given food – the scraps fro, the day's meals – and I'll be giving them to her. Rachel always leaves the kitchen for me to do, and I'd appreciate the help."

He could see the surprise written clearly on her face as he turned and left her in the darkened hallway. He walked quickly towards his room, hoping that whatever Rachel had to do with the girl downstairs was still keeping her. It would be suspicious for him to retire to their room after she did when he was only supposed to show Julie her room and leave. As he passed his two daughters' rooms, guilt seized him. They were perfectly safe and completely unaware of what was going on. He had kept them from the basement furiously but he had still failed them. He had allowed Rachel back into the house and only God knew what she was capable of now. He'd brought danger to them and they didn't even know. He had put the girl in the basement before them and if anything happened he had only himself to blame.

He shook away those thoughts as he slid into his thankfully empty bedroom. Rachel wouldn't hurt her own flesh and blood; she had already proved that with the treatment of Julie and the other girl. No matter how crazy Rachel became, their two daughters were safe. He just had to work o getting the other girls safe. He had to help get them out.

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><p>Rachel wrinkled her nose at the smell of the musty basement. She had refused her husband's request that Mary Alice would go upstairs for the bathroom and a s a result a small bucket in the corner permeated thickly through the room. <em>Disgusting little creature<em>, she thought savagely. Maybe if they fed her less, the smell would fade some. But then, the girl might starve to death, leaving Rachel with a useless body and no discernible way to control Julie. She sighed as she stood at the base of the stairs, hand fumbling for the light cord. Mary Alice was still a problem, even restrained as she was.

She found the chain and pulled, filling the room with the harsh, artificial light of the florescent bulb. Rachel smiled vindictively when she saw the small huddled form of Mary Alice in the corner, whimpering as the light intruded on her already fractured sleep. Her brown curls were heavily disheveled from days without washing, sticking to her face with sweat. What could be seen of her skin (she had succumbed to the need of decency and finally put on the ratty night dress) was mottled with the yellows and blues of healing bruises. Her eyes – the same dark blue that shone from her aunt's face – were deadened, the skin around them puffed red from tears. She stared up at Rachel fearfully and the rush of exhilaration and the power it gave her made Rachel's smirk widen.

"Come here child," she beckoned her voice soft in a deceiving attempt at concern. Mary Alice whimpered fearfully but did not approach. Rachel's jaw clenched and she made the metal note to teach the girl manners. As it was, she called again more forcefully and the girl slowly got up and walked towards Rachel. She kept her head down, the mass of curls concealing her face meekly. Rachel appreciated the effort as she needed to keep the veneer of kindness and seeing the same eyes as Carlos's whore would surely make her lose her temper. She already had to teach her an obedience lesson.

Without thought or hesitation, Rachel slapped the girl. It hadn't been overly hard but she had miscalculated the weight loss and balance deficiencies the malnourished girl would have and Mary Alice fell hard slicing her forehead on a protruding nail. The girl whimpered but made no other noise as Rachel quickly hoisted her up. Blood fell thickly but Rachel wasn't overly worried; head wounds bled more than other ones. She held her sleeve up and roughly brushed the blood away. The cut was shallow enough that she didn't even have to worry about it scarring and sat the girl down hard.

"I expect immediate obedience, always," she told her. "I will not tolerant delay or disobedience. Any inordinate act will be treated accordingly and swiftly; do you understand?" Mary Alice nodded silently. "I can't hear you dear," Rachel whispered pleasantly.

"Y-Yes, ma'am, I-I understand. Her voice was croaky from disuse and barely rose to a discernible level. Rachel's pleasant smile widened.

"Very good, child, if you keep listening I'm sure we will have a wonderful time together." She paused to wipe the seeping blood off Mary Alice's face. "Now, I know the basement isn't very pleasant but it's the best place for you. You cause trouble you see, and keeping you here helps me keep my family in line; Julie behaves well without your influence. But don't worry, I will observe your for a few weeks, reward your good behavior, punish your bad and at the end of the trial period, if you remain obedient, I will allow you to be upstairs for brief periods. How does that sound?" she smiled kindly but there was a steel glint in her voice and her fingers stroked softly along the cut, stinging the ragged flesh. There was only one answer Rachel would accept.

"It sounds w-wonderful, ma'am. T-thank you." The girl's voice was a little clearer but still very quiet, her head bent meekly to hide her face.

"Wonderful." She gave a parting brush on the cut before disappearing up the stairs. The door clicked shut behind her before the sound of the tears started. Rachel whistled happily on the way to her bedroom. Everything was still well.

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><p>Sorry for the wait but school's been bleh. I know you all were probably expecting some Ranger and Stephanie in this chapter but truth be told there is some major things at the Martine household that have to happen before, so they might not be in the next chapter either. I figured Mr. Martine would help Julie, while still keeping a respectful distance. Rachel's more crazy but any good villain is, right? Any I will update as soon as possible, thank you to everyone who continues to read this!<p> 


	24. Of Runaway Hormones and Failed Attempts

Ranger's dark fingers flew meticulously over the keys as he searched properties under his ex-wife's name. Her home in Miami was the first to pop-up, followed by a nearby local business ran by her husband and a depilated looking apartment her brother used. He read the information silently, Stephanie leaning over his shoulder to look at the screen. He was suddenly too are aware of her as she pressed into him to read the bottom of the page. Her warm breath tickled his ear softly and he shifted uncomfortably. He tried to keep his mind focused on the girls but his traitorous body reacted against the soft body pressed into his back. He let it carry on several seconds before he decided to address the problem.

"Babe."

"Hmm?" Stephanie shifted slightly again, pressing more firmly as she tried to make out the last line.

"Unless you want to carry this on upstairs, I'd move back a few inches." He turned to face his suddenly flush wife as she backed up hastily.

"I'm sorry!" Her pale skin was blushed adorably red and Ranger had to quickly banish thoughts on other ways he could make her flush like that. The past few weeks had been dedicated solely to Mary Alice and Julie and he was all too aware that nothing else had gone on. Stephanie was still blushing but she took a step closer and her blue eyes were brightly clear, reminding Ranger that, unlike many women with her upbringing, Stephanie was just as open as most men their age.

"The business is too public," she told him, sliding her arms around his neck and settling herself in his lap. Ranger's lips tugged into a barely discernible smile as he entwined her in his arms. She gave a squeak and blushed red as he pulled her close enough that their lips nearly touched and he smirked.

"The apartment seems unlikely. It's not large and it takes thirty minutes without traffic to get there. Rachel would want to be as close to her captive as possible." He spoke smoothly as his hands gently trailed across her stomach and back. Stephanie blushed further, a dark red staining her cheeks and neck, leading Ranger's eyes to the top of her shirt.

"So Mary Alice will be in the house, hidden in plain sight, Stephanie gently trailed her fingers around Ranger's neck, teasingly drawing her fingertips past the neck line and back up. "No point going at night is there?" she leaned in towards him, her words tickling his lips softly. Ranger's eyes dilated black and his hold tightened.

"Babe," he growled softly before sharply crashing their lips together.

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><p>Julie's heart had landed somewhere in her throat in the early morning and had stayed there throughout the day. She didn't know why Ron was helping her but as he removed the basement key from the top shelf, one hand cradling a plate of food, she realized she didn't care. He was helping and that was all that mattered.<p>

He unlatched the door and beckoned her forward into the descending staircase. She hesitated for a moment, a flickering of doubt halting her movements. Her stepfather turned to see what was stopping her and smiled blithely when he took in her hesitant, suspicious stare. "I'll go first," he offered quietly before stepping into the darkness. Julie bit her lip hesitantly before scurrying after in the dark, her small frame quickly emerged into the darkness. She shut the door behind her as instructed, letting the stairs fall to complete blackness

She could hear her stepfather breathing just a step below her, waiting, but she was suddenly frozen, an old fear seeping into her body. She didn't like the dark not when light was so completely erased and being in a strange place and knowing that Rachel could be only feet away terrified her even more. She stood there for what felt like an hour before Ron turned around once more.

"Julie?" he was whispering now, obviously trying to stop his voice from carrying through the now closed door. "What's wrong?" Julie could hear slight concern in his voice, a puzzling sound from the husband of her mother. She tried to speak.

"I – I…" she tried to speak but her voice failed as the absolute darkness pressed further onto her. Ron seemed to catch on though and she felt her hand being gently pulled by a larger, warmer one. Without a word, he held her hand as they cautiously made their way down. Julie was too grateful for all the man had done and was doing for her and Mary Alice to feel embarrassment at being nearly ten years old and holding a hand for comfort.

"The light's right here," Ron spoke quietly, "I'm going to let go so I can turn it on, but I'll stay right here, okay?" Julie murmured a soft 'yes' and had a moment of panic when his hand left hers and she felt alone once more in the black. The thought was fleeting though, for after a moment a light clicked on and the room was bathed in light. For the first time Julie was able to see what conditions Mary Alice was forced to survive in and winced. A small bucket in the corner had the foul stench in it, the floor was hard concrete that felt hard and freezing under her shoe clad feet, there was a single window above the dryer that was black-clothed so as to be unseen, and there, in the corner away from everything, a single figure lay on a ratty blanket, bruised and clad only in a worn nightgown.

"Mary Alice!" Julie cried out quietly, running to the girl without a thought. Mary Alice looked up at the sound of her voice, her pale face lifted in surprise, as Julie gently wrapped her arms around her in a hug. "I'm so glad you're alive!" Julie whispered as she pulled away, smiling as tears sprouted in her eyes. It was rather obvious that she hadn't believed she would find her friend still believing.

"What's going on?" Mary Alice asked, her eyes darting around, confused at the scene.

"We're going to get out." Julie stated simply, standing up and brushing the dirt from her dress. "Through the window," she pointed to the small square of glass above the dryer. Mary Alice's smile faded and she shook her head.

"I can't stand up, I won't be able to get up there," she stated apologetically, tears already forming in her blue eyes. Julie remained undeterred.

"Ron will help us. Ron?" she called again as there was no response. Wondering if he had already gone back up the stairs and if she could risk sending for him, she turned around. Ron was still there, frozen and unmoving, a look of fear on his face. The reason for it soon came clear as Rachel stepped out from behind him, a small gun cocked in her right hand and a look of pure fury on her face. She pointed it straight at the girls and immediately, almost instinctively, Julie pulled Mary Alice close to her and glared defiantly at the woman.

"I let you into my house, treat you like my daughter, and even allow that filth into my house, and this is how you repay me? By trying to leave again?" Julie didn't respond, unable to speak as dread filled her. They had been so close, her and Mary Alice, and now they were far from it and without ally. Rachel pointed the gun at Julie, hoping for a reaction, but Julie just stared, all emotion gone from her in light of the situation. "Take her up stairs, Ronald." Rachel growled. Ron slowly approached Julie, his eyes pleading for forgiveness as he pulled Julie away from Mary Alice and towards the stairs.

"I think you've overstayed your welcome," Rachel whispered towards Mary Alice as she pointed the gun. Mary Alice flinched.

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><p>Sorry for the wait, finals are coming and I have four projects that are due this week to finish. Anyway, I wasn't sure about the RangerStephanie moment (I doubt write things like that often) but I wanted something sort of light in this chapter and well, stuff like that happens in the books too, doesn't it? I'm sorry for the cliffhanger but I didn't want to give too much away at the moment. I'll try to update as soon as I can and hoped you all like the chapter.


	25. Of Phone Calls and Gunshots

Julie shook wit fear as Ron guided her back up the stairs. Her ears strained to hear any noise behind her but it was as if a barrier had appeared and no sound reached her. She struggled after a moment, trying to reach Mary Alice. She could talk to Rachel, try and convince her that it was her plan, that Mary Alice knew nothing. Ron held her fast though and his grip on her was still strong by the time they'd reached her room.

"Calm down." He told her as he gently pushed her into the room. Julie glared at him through angry, defiant eyes.

"Calm down?" she hissed, pushing away from him in disgust, "that crazy woman is going to kill Mary Alice and you want me to be calm?"" Tears streamed down, warm and salty, and she made no attempt to stop them. She was tired and scared and just a young girl. All she wanted in the world was her father to wrap her in his comforting embrace and tell her everything would be okay in his quiet, somber voice. But he couldn't because she was half a world away, locked in some stranger's house where her friend was about to die at any moment. And here a man stood telling her to calm down in such a chaotic world that the mere thought was laughable.

"She's not going to kill the girl. Not yet at least, she wouldn't want to do it herself and definitely not in her own house with her children playing in the living room. She's going to call her brother and have him deal with her. She got him to beat her readily enough so I doubt it would take him much convincing to do much worse. We don't have much but we do have some time. Not being calm will lead to mistakes and mistakes lead to problems. In this case a problem will be Mary Alice's death." Julie fell quiet at his words and watched as he rummaged his pockets.

After a moment he pulled out a thin cell phone and tossed it at the girl. "We should have done it this way in the first place." He told Julie who stared silently at the phone in confusion. "You know your father's cell number, correct?" he added. Julie nodded numbly, hands slowly twirling the phone. "Call him then! We only have thirty minutes until Rachel's brother gets here. Chances are high Rachel won't have her killed today – she needs to come up with a cover story and- and there's little doubt in my mind that your father isn't already on his way here but the sooner he knows the better chances there are to save Mary Alice." He left the room following his words, his footsteps fading as he headed towards the kitchen.

Julie listened for a moment, wondering what her stepfather could possibly do at the moment to stop Rachel, before the temptation before her became too great and she turned her attention back towards the small phone. In just a few seconds, she could be talking to her father for the first time in weeks. With shaky fingers she slowly typed in the numbers barely daring to breath as she listened to the hallway, heart thumping erratically as she thought about her mother slamming the door open and taking the phone . For one split, terrifying second, she couldn't think of the last numbers and her fear increased. Her fingers moved instinctively though and she held the phone as it rang with shaking fingers.

The dial tone rang out for a few seconds before a click and her father's deep tumble of a voice answered the phone. Relieved tears spilled down her cheeks at the sound of the voice, "Daddy?" she whispered, clutching the phone as if it were her only lifeline.

* * *

><p>Ranger was driving when his cell phone inexplicably began ringing. Shooting a look towards the sleeping form of his wife, he pulled it out and checked the number. It was unfamiliar and normally he wouldn't have answered it but he didn't want to wakeup Stephanie when they were still so far from Miami so he deftly flipped the phone open and held it to his ear. "Yo?" There was silence for a moment where all Ranger could here was a soft, rapid breathing.<p>

"Daddy?" the voice whispered quietly after a moment. It was a sad voice, full of tears and fear, but Ranger could recognize it anywhere. His heart clenched painfully but he forced himself to answer back.

"Julie," he whispered back, determined to keep his voice calm and low in order to reassure Julie. "Where are you?" the question was innumerably important but he wanted to ask others even more. How was she? Where was Mary Alice? Was she alone? How had she gotten the phone? All these he wanted to ask but he forced himself to be calm and ask only the necessary ones. Who knew how long Julie would have the phone and if he wasted time on hindering questions he might never find out for certain.

"That woman's house," Julie whispered back and Ranger nearly sighed in relief. They were right then and had wasted no time in going to the house. They would be there in just an hour and hope filled him. "You've got to hurry," Julie's voice tilted in fear and her tone lowered, whispering in her panic, "they're going to kill Mary Alice!" Ranger's hope vanished as quickly as a hand over a lit candle and he quickly glanced at Stephanie to make sure she was still sleeping. He didn't want her to hear this.

"How do you know?" he kept his voice neutral in vain hope that Julie would stay calm.

"We tried to escape. Her husband was helping me, let me down there when he went to give her food and showed me what window to leave out of. But Mary Alice was to weak and that woman…" Julie had to pause for the tears and Ranger kept quiet, knowing better than to push her, "she found us and pulled a gun. Her husband says she won't kill her yet, that we have a day or so for her to come up with an alibi and get her brother down here and he gave me the phone to call you." Julie finished in a rush.

Ranger, who had never met Ron Martine and thought no better of him then his ex-wife, felt a rush of gratitude for the unknown entity. Who knows what the man had risked to save his daughter and niece. "Daddy, I'm scared." The tears were back in Julie's tone and Ranger clenched the steering wheel hard. He would kill Rachel. Kill her and throw her body out a ten-story building for what she did.

"It's okay, baby, we'll be there soon." Dimly he realized he hadn't called his daughter by anything but her name since she was younger but that he also didn't care. Julie needed comforting and he was going to give it to her the best he could. "Just stay on the line baby, can you do that?" He could hear Julie cry, the soft noises tearing at his conscience.

"Someone's coming!" Julie suddenly whispered and Ranger's heart skipped a beat.

"Get off the phone." He told her immediately, voice still neutral despite his fear. He heard a door slam open before the phone connection was turned off and clenched the wheel involuntarily. After a second his phone rang again and it only took a moment for him to quickly answer it. There were no words but he heard the muffled sound of a gunshot and twin screams from what must have been two young girls. Sobbing followed but it was soon drowned out by a soft, melodious voice that sent chills down his spine.

"Hello Carlos. I thought you would be who my daughter was talking to. She disobeyed me Carlos, her and your whore's niece and they are going to pay. I can't control her, you've tainted her too much but I can't let her go either. She needs to be punished and rest assured it will be done. Maybe if I feel like it I'll call again and you can hear the punishment, much like you heard poor old Ron here's punishment. It might not be so severe though. There's little choice for the whore's niece, but Julie's still my daughter and perhaps she can be salvaged with some tough love. If you try to find me, however, she'll follow the same path, rest assured."

The phone call disconnected.

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><p>So umm, the good news is I updated really early compared to the last couple times! The bad news is I left it on a complete cliffhanger again and you probably all want to kill me! There is, however, a very good reason that you shouldn't and that is... how will you know what happens next? So don't kill me, please. Anyway, some of you might be confused on the time line. With Stephanie and Ranger in the last chapter they left (after activities) at maybe 10 or 11 o'clock because they couldn't get flight tickets (Ranger's got problems or something). With Julie and Mr. Martine, it was maybe seven o'clock the next evening, and by the time the phone call occurs, 7:30ish. Google says it takes about 22 hours to drive to Miami so it sort of works. Just thought I should explain that before anyone gets confused. I hope you liked the chapter and I'll update again as soon as possible.<p> 


	26. Of Determination and Preparation

Ranger pushed the gas pedal to the floor and sped through the traffic as safely as possible. His heart hammered in his chest as he fought to maintain his stoic façade. The threat to Julie hung above him like a boulder on the edge of a cliff. Could Rachel actually kill Julie? It sure sounded like she had made away with Ron and was planning the same fate for Mary Alice. Could he endanger Mary Alice to save Julie? No. That much was obvious. He had to save both girls or the quilt would kill him. But did he have time now? Julie had said Rachel was going to wait but could the phone call accelerate the process? Would Mary Alice already be dead on the ground when they got there? Could they be gone without a trace? How was Rachel going to explain Ron? Did she even care anymore?

No, It was obvious she didn't. Rachel had finally gone off the deep end and that made her marginally more dangerous. She was now able to kill without thought and Ranger knew who the next victim was. Rachel didn't need Scrog or her brother to keep Mary Alice in line and the thought of the young girl at the mercy of a psychopath was terrifying. For the first time in his long career, Ranger was actually frightened. Truly scared. He was terrified to fail and of the consequences that would follow. He sped up as the darkness settled into twilight, unaware of the wide blue eyes grimly watching him from the passenger side.

* * *

><p>Rachel shut the phone with a click, savoring the fear she imagined Carlos would be feeling. With the same vindictive manner, she surveyed the scene in front of her. Julie and Mary Alice sat crying in front of the bleeding form of her second husband. She approached the two girls and they wailed in terror, acting instinctively and covering the man with their own slender bodies. She could hear Ron's faint groan as Julie placed her body on his bloodied chest. He was still alive then, for how long Rachel didn't know. She had obviously missed his heart and he could bleed out slowly in an excruciatingly painful death unless she decided to take pity and aimed again.<p>

She grinned sadistically as she passed by the stiff figures and headed towards the living room. She had already sent the girls away to their friend's house and it was only one call that would leave no one else in the house to save the dying Ron. Her smile remained as she dialed the number. "Hello, Mrs. Sanchez? I was wondering if the girls could spend a few nights. Something came up with Julie's case and Ron and I have to leave for New Jersey immediately. It's no problem? Thank you, I'll pick them up as soon as possible." She hung the phone up and returned back up the stairs to the blood splattered room.

Ron had fallen unconscious and both girls were sobbing over him. It was a truly pitiful sight and Rachel sneered in disgust. She couldn't believe this child was her daughter but it was a simple matter to fix her. She had already eliminated the problems with Ranger, Ron was slowly leaving the world, and Mary Alice would shortly follow him. After that Julie was hers for the molding. She smiled briefly at the thought of her perfect, beautiful daughter before the ugly present became clear again, there was a lot of work to be done before Julie would be that girl and she needed to work immediately.

She kicked both girls roughly, ignoring their cries of pain, and began speaking. "Get up and got the car, now. Take care no one can see you, little bitch." She added spitefully at Mary Alice before turning and sweeping out of the room. So involved in her new plans, she did not notice the girls slide their hands out from under Ron or see them slide the guns gained from Ron's last conscious breath behind their backs.

* * *

><p>Stephanie watched Ranger as he struggled for stoicism. He didn't know she was awake and she fought to continue her steady breathing so as not to alert him. Her mind swarmed with the thoughts the overheard call gave her. Rachel had ruthlessly slaughtered her husband and was going to do the same to Mary Alice and possibly to Julie as well if they didn't do something. The idea of being too late and seeing three dead figures horrified her and her heart sped up involuntarily. She couldn't let that happen. She couldn't let Rachel take away two beautiful little girls from the world. She couldn't and she was sure that she wouldn't either. Her resolution steeled her emotions and her hand clenched as she opened her mouth to speak.<p>

"Ranger." Her husband glanced at her, a tiny sliver of surprise registering briefly in his eyes. "She's not going to win. We are getting them back. Tonight." If her husband was surprised that she knew he didn't show it and Stephanie stared out the darkened window as they approached the house. Ranger pulled to a stop a house away and they stared at the house before them for a moment before leaving the car. Stephanie checked her gun for bullets, earning a raised eyebrow from the grim faced Ranger. Stephanie didn't blame him; her actions surprised her as well.

"Leave that heartless bitch to me," she told him, sliding her gun into the waistband of her black jeans, "no one fucks with my family, not my father, not my niece, and damn sure not my daughter."

* * *

><p>Mary Alice's heart was pounding erratically as she held the gun behind her and slowly, painfully made her way out of the room. She knew that the only thing enabling her to move was the adrenaline that had surged through her the moment Rachel shot the man helping them so suddenly. She didn't, however, know how long it would last or if it would be enough to escape with Julie. Her legs shook painfully as she gingerly stared down the stairs and she bit back a cry as she nearly slipped.<p>

Julie kept looking back and she would gesture her away, forward once more. Mary Alice didn't want to bring Julie down with her and she knew that if the choice arose that Julie could escape, Mary Alice would make her leave her behind. She didn't matter to herself anymore, not as much as she would if she was healthy, and she wasn't going to allow Julie to suffer because of her. She knew she was too weak to help, doubted that she could even use the gun her and Julie had retrieved from the office.

Mary Alice was willing to suffer more at the hands of Rachel if Julie could escape. If she died, it hardly would matter to her. She clutched the gun tightly as she finally settled onto solid floor. She could hear Rachel's footsteps approaching her and Julie. She may have doubted her actual ability to use the gun or escape, but she wasn't going to neglect her last hope for survival.

* * *

><p>Julie kept looking back behind her, checking that Mary Alice was still making her way down the stairs. She was worried at the slow movement of her friend and the strange look she made every time she caught her checking on her. Julie knew she wouldn't leave Mary Alice, that she couldn't leave her behind. But she wasn't planning on staying with Rachel either: to do so would be Mary Alice's death.<p>

Her hope never wavered that her father and real mother would get there in time. She wouldn't allow a single doubt on their capabilities to reach her and Mary Alice in time. She reached the bottom of the stairs, clutching the gun behind her as she waited for Mary Alice. Her parents would save them, she knew it for sure. Both she and Mary Alice would get back to New Jersey alive.

She tightened her hold on the gun hidden behind her as Mary Alice stepped beside her. She could hear Rachel approaching them, the steps slow and confident. She trusted her instincts that her parents would save them but just in case, her father had showed her the basics of a gun.

* * *

><p>Quicker update, I hope you like it. Not much action, I was trying to build up the tension before the final climax which is why I did a little bit of everyone's point-of-view. I'm not sure how well I kept everyone in character but I figured Ranger would be a little less calm than normal, and Stephanie always seems to steel herself when extremely angry. It might seem a little far-fetched that Julie (9-10) would know how to use a gun and I just wanted to point out that it's more of basic safety, like not cocking a gun or things like that. I figure that the type of life Julie would be around would warrant a bit of teaching from Ranger or a Rangeman employee about gun control. I hope you liked the chapter and I'll update as soon as possible.<p> 


	27. Of Conclusions and Happy Ever Afters

_She trusted her instincts that her parents would save them but just in case, her father had showed her the basics of a gun…_

Julie tensed as the footsteps grew closer, bringing the gun slowly to the front of her body. Briefly she wondered if she would be able to do it, be able to shoot the woman who had given her life. She remembered all the years of wanting mother, of wondering who the elusive woman who had temporarily married her father? The longing and hope came back to her, the memories burning at her resolve. But then she remembered her siblings, the feeling of betrayal at the truth, the pain she felt looked in one room or another. All these flowed through her but her gun remained in the same position, half drawn from behind her, until her eyes caught sight of Mary Alice.

Her gun was fully drawn, held tight in a hand that had received only shoddy, seconds' worth of instruction. Just enough to know how to pull the trigger. Chances were she'd miss, but still she would try, the determination in her pale blue eyes told her that and when Julie turned forward gain, her gun was fully raised in preparation. Rachel stepped into the foyer, obviously irritated at the lack of movement from the girls. She had opened her mouth to speak but froze at the sight of the two girls. Slowly her shock faded and she smiled widely as she too pulled her gun from her waistband. Julie idly wondered if she had planned to shoot the girls as soon as they were out of the house or once they had gone off to some abandoned location. The idea sent a shiver down her spine.

Rachel was still smiling as she trained the gun on the two girls. "Going to shoot me, are you? Going to kill your own mother, Julie? Has your father taught you that? To mistreat those that love you?" she spoke lightly but the maniac gleam in her eyes sent Julie off-kilter. She remained silent however, determined not to react to Rachel's taunts. "You could have had a good life you know, loved and given attention. Unlike the neglect from your father. It's too late now though. You made your choice by standing beside that worthless filth."

"Mary Alice isn't worthless." Julie turned in shock, hope soaring inside her at the voice. There her mother, her true mother, stood gun steadily pointed at Rachel. Behind her, her father stood in similar fashion, the soft gray of his gun glinting in the light. They must have entered through the back door because Julie hadn't heard them at all. That didn't matter though, they were there. She and Mary Alice were safe. It was over.

"Put the gun down, Rachel." Ranger approached forward cautiously, one hand raised in retreat, the other holding his gun low, in a none threatening position. Rachel just glared at the man, raising her gun defiantly at Ranger. Julie gasped silently, heart constricting painfully at the sight. The last time she had seen that look or that stance, Rachel had shot her husband and Julie feared for her father at the thought.

"I won't let you have her." Rachel told him but Julie could hear that all the conviction was out of her. She knew it was over; maybe that was why she had yet to shoot Ranger. Maybe, Julie hoped desperately, she wouldn't shoot him at all. "You won't take her away again." She growled softly, the glare returning in her eyes.

"I didn't take her; you threw her away, Rachel. You didn't want her, the effort was too much. Don't you remember?" Ranger's voice was soft, softer than Julie figured he had ever spoken to a criminal and Julie wondered idly if her father still nursed some sort of warm feeling for Rachel. Perhaps there was a bond created between two people with a child, unbreakable through anything. Maybe he didn't want gunshots to be heard by the neighbors.

"That's a lie!" Rachel was frantic and Julie could see that even the woman herself didn't believe her words. She was talking, possibly trying to convince herself that it was the truth. Ranger shook his head slowly and opened his mouth to speak again. Rachel shut him down with a quick glare and a raised gun, "No! If I can't have her, you sure as hell can't!" She cocked the gun and everything turned into loud bangs and blood. Rachel staggered, the bullets having ripped through various areas of her body, and she fell.

Julie lowered the gun, her breathing suddenly labored. Mary Alice beside her tossed her gun, still warm, as if disgusted. She could see her mother across the room do the same but her father kept his, tucking it neatly into his holster. Julie dimly realized that both her parents were approaching them but couldn't tear her eyes off the still form before her. She had reacted instinctively, a wave of protectiveness having hit her as soon as her father was threatened, and now the guilt got her. She had killed someone, or at least had taken part of it. Her bullet might not have been the killing blow, Mary Alice could have had beginner's aim or her mother could have done it, but that didn't matter. She had shot a woman. She had shot the woman who had given birth to her.

The thoughts were dizzying and suddenly fatigue claimed Julie. She fell to her knees, wondering idly why the world was distorting, barely registering the salty drops falling from her face onto the floor. She felt like puking but her stomach was empty and nothing came out. She had _killed _someone. She was just a child, but she had pulled it without thinking. The realizations of the human spirit crashed into her. The truth about _her _crashed into her. She dry heaved, coughing and spitting uncontrollably on the floor, the clear liquid mixing in with the burning tears.

She felt arms wrap around her, strong, muscled lengths of flesh that pulled her into comforting warmth. There was no softness to the body; it was all taunt muscle but her body welcomed it either way and she buried her head into the chest, her sobs muffled by the solidness, her tears absorbed by the black flak jacket. His voice, the soft melodic tone one she had long associated with bedtime stories and sick days, whispered comfortingly to her. Most sounded like gibberish in her ears as she focused solely on the familiar tone but one phrase caught her and held her. "It's all over baby girl, all over," her father's voice whispered into her hair as he clutched her, and she had to agree. She had made her way home, home at last.

* * *

><p>EPILOGUE<p>

_Four Months Later..._

* * *

><p>Stephanie watched through amused blue eyes as the girls chased each other through the halls before them. She knew she should stop them, that Ranger would not appreciate three ten year old girls running through his business like it was a playground, even if one was his own daughter, but couldn't bring herself to do it. They were happy and the looks on the Rangeman employees as they quickly made way for the barreling girls down the halls were a good incentive to let them at it. She watched them for a few more moments before an increased heart rate and a roll in the pit of her stomach told her she was no longer alone.<p>

She turned at the gentle touch of her husband and smiled at him. He returned the smile as only he could, with a small, nearly indiscernible upward crease of his lips but she knew what it was. "Ron has finally gotten custody of his two girls, he sent a letter." He told her and she breathed a sigh of relief. It had been a miracle that Ron had even survived the gun wound that had torn straight through his chest, narrowly missing his heart and him getting custody of his daughters back over their maternal grandparents was nothing short of an act of God.

"That's wonderful. He deserves them. There are few men that could raise those two better." She turned back to the girls, watching as the light gleamed on Annie's golden locks and reflected Mary Alice's bright eyes. She smiled warmly as Julie – her Julie – echoed a taunting laugh, her thick ponytail swinging as she turned, her dark eyes shining. She wondered idly, a small hand resting on the slight bump of her stomach unnoticeable in her thick Rangeman sweater, whether the little one would have the same eyes.

Ranger must have noticed her distraction because he was looking at her, one eyebrow raised expectantly, a curious gleam in his dark eyes. Maybe once upon a time, that would have been indiscernible to her, that small emotion, but now, after months of living together, it was easily read. She blushed and (hopefully) covertly dropped her hand. Ranger's keen eyes followed the movement and she cursed inwardly. She knew she should tell her husband, that to keep it from him was dishonest, but after her unborn twins she was too frightened. If she lost this one, failed to save another child, what would that say about her?

"Do you need to tell me something babe?" Ranger's eyes were dark, darker than normal. More black than brown and she gulped hesitantly at the intensity of his gaze. He was hers, she knew, and would love her no matter what. She knew that he didn't want another child but perhaps (and a flighty, insane moment of hope erupted inside her at the thought) this one would be an exception to his rule. Like she was as his wife, an exception. Grabbing courage from her temporary insanity, she grabbed his hand and held it to the raised portion of her stomach.

For a moment Ranger seemed confused, staring impassively at her hand on top of his, no doubt wondering what his crazy wife was on to now, but clarity soon came to him and he looked up sharply to meet her gaze. "Babe?" he questioned softly and Stephanie blushed despite herself.

"I'm pregnant." She told him brazenly, her heart suddenly thumping erratically. What if she was wrong and Ranger didn't want the child, another mouth to feed and person to worry over? For a terrifying moment, when his face was unreadable even to her, she thought he was angry. But then his lips twisted into the smallest, barest of smiles and he was leaning down towards her. Within a moment their lips met and it was a glorious, undisturbed blissful moment.

Julie's shout of gross broke them apart but Stephanie was laughing at her daughter's affronted tone and Ranger's arm was wrapped protectively across her stomach, as if silently telling their unborn child he would never let anything hurt it. That he would always protect it, just like he did Julie and herself. She leaned against him, smiling as her daughter retook her place in the game.

Ranger may have had his share of fatherhood in the past eight years, but Stephanie was only beginning her motherhood and the fear was both painful and exuberant. Together they had started their roles as parents for Julie but the true embarkment into the world of parenthood, Stephanie knew, was only just beginning for them. She shivered in anticipation at the thought as Julie's warm, high-pitched, gleeful laugh carried through the air.

* * *

><p>So, after months of writing with no idea where this story was going to go, my first full-length Stephanie Plum fanfic story is over. Originally, I was going to split this into two chapters, one being the death of Rachel, the other the epilogue but I decided to just post it all now. I hope you liked it, it truly was a pleasure writing it. (And now you know the purpose for the awkward pre-lemon scene a few chapters back, I wanted them to have a baby) Thank you to everyone that stayed by this story until the end and I hope their happy ending was every bit as happy as you wanted it to be.<p> 


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