Author's Note: I don't own the characters. I'm just playing.

This story is slightly AU, in that Steph is still married to Dickie and not a bounty hunter. I'll also admit that the characters might be a bit out-of-character, but I don't think its terribly so. There will be a Babe HEA and a HEA for Hector. Morelli isn't hurt at all, he barely plays a role in the story but when he does he's a good guy. Not kind to Helen Plum. I hope you'll take a second to let me know what you think of the story as we go along. If I screwed with the characters too much feel free to tell me so, if I did a good job tell me that too please.

This story contains themes and scenes of domestic violence as well as other bits of violence. We'll also have bad language and maybe smut later on. There will also be romance including themes of homosexuality - if that offends you this isn't the story for you.

Much thanks to Margaret Fowler who gave me the idea for a story about Hector & Steph's friendship and who let me run a ton of ideas by her before I even started typing.

Chapter 1

Hector's POV

In the middle of unpacking the last of my few boxes there was a timid knock at the door. I'd met some of the other residents in the building already and could tell that most of them weren't pleased with my appearance or gang tattooes. I'm not a gang banger anymore but the tattooes and my job for RangeMan give me a dangerous appearance that tends to make people keep their distance.

Opening the door, I was on edge waiting for the shock and disappointment of whoever was there to show on their face. A petite curly-haired, blue-eyed brunette was standing there with a bright smile on her face. "Hi, I'm Stephanie. I'm your neighbor to the right." She held a Tastycake in her open palms to me. "I'm not much of a baker so I couldn't make you a cake to welcome you to the neighborhood, or building as it were, but thought a Tastycake would be a nice substitute."

I couldn't help but smile at her gesture and her lack of reaction to my appearance instantly made me like her. She was a radiant woman with a light that was hard to deny or resist. "I'm Hector, thanks for the cake. Would you like to come in?" I was aware that my accent was probably thicker than she was used too. I normally only talked in Spanish, though my English was quite good. I found it kept people from chattering at me and they said things around me they shouldn't thinking I wouldn't understand. There was something about her that made me want to be honest however so I tried to be neighborly and talk to her in English. She followed me in and sat on the couch, one of my few possessions.

"My husband, Dickie, and I live next door." She looked at her hands and up at me. "He's a lawyer, so he works days. I'm not working right now." She frowned.

I took a seat on a chair and tried to make small talk with my new neighbor. Chit-chat wasn't my strong suit but Ranger and Bobby both let me know that if I was going to live in a building like this that I would have to make an attempt to be civil. "I work for a security company, nights mostly."

"I'm bored, I miss working but both my husband and my mother think I should stay home as a new bride." Her cheeks flushed at her admission. I couldn't decided if she was embarrassed that she gave me so much information after just meeting me or if it was because she was doing what her husband and mother told her.

I gave her a smile unsure of what I should say to that. She shook her head and chuckled slightly before changing the subject. "So is there a Mrs. Hector or a girlfriend who'll be living here with you or visiting?"

"No, I'm single and it'd be a boyfriend not a girlfriend." I'm not usually so open about my sexuality but I was testing the water with her. She didn't seem to mind my appearance and if she could handle my sexuality maybe I would begin to be glad that I moved into this building. Earlier responses by other folks in the building had me questioning my decision to move out of the closed-off world of RangeMan.

She smiled and nodded but didn't seem shocked or appalled by homosexuality. I was impressed by this tiny woman and her willingness to accept me so easily and openly. We talked for a few minutes about nothing in particular when my phone rang interrupting our conversation. She stood up and waved goodbye as I answered. I gave her my best smile and hoped that I'd see her around more often, she was pleasant and it looked like we both could use a friend.

We did indeed become fast friends chatting and doing laundry together though I still hadn't met her husband in the few weeks I'd lived in the building. I could tell that her heart was heavy from time-to-time and that she was withering as a housewife. Every once in a while I would her and her husband fighting through the wall and I wondered if she had any happiness in her marriage at all.

This morning I ran into her in the building's basement laundry room. She was favoring her right side, this wasn't something she did yesterday. Her eyes were tired but she flashed a bright smile when she saw me. We folded our laundry together and chatted, she liked to talk and I could tell being home alone all day was very hard for her. I noticed that she was in a long-sleeve shirt despite the June heat, I started to wonder just how much control her husband exercised over her.

I took the elevator with her, back to our third floor apartments. Normally I would have taken the stairs but I knew she wouldn't and with the way she was holding herself today I knew she didn't have the strength. The doors opened and I saw a man leaving the stairwell approaching her door with flowers in his hand.

Her body stiffened as she saw it too. I wanted to ask what was wrong, wanted to protect her if she needed it but she didn't say anything. She forced a smile and kept walking towards the man. He turned to look at her with a fake, sleazy smile.

"Dickie this is our neighbor, Hector." She looked at me. "Hector this is my husband, Dickie."

He stuck out his hand and I shook it despite the look of distaste clearly displayed on his face. I immediately hated him and wanted to punch him. Even in the brief amount of time that I'd known Stephanie I could tell that she was way too good for him.

"Thanks for keeping me company while we folded, Steph." I gave them both a nod and watched as they stepped inside their apartment. I heard them fighting through the walls. I couldn't make out exact words but his voice boomed while hers was timid. I put away my laundry and made myself and my pretty neighbor a promise to help her break free from whatever she's going through.

Ranger's POV

Hector was sitting across from my desk looking uncharacteristically nervous. Of all my men he was the only one who could make me nervous and too see him off his normal calm and fierce persona was unsettling at best. "Just spit out it Hector."

"I want you to give my neighbor, Stephanie, a part-time job. She can help run searches, do office work, whatever. I already ran a background check and she's clean." He looked me square in the eye and was dead serious. I was tempted to think this was a joke but he never joked and the expression on his face now left me no room to doubt his seriousness.

"I can interview her, I guess. We do always need help with contracts and searches. Does she have any skills?" I was curious about what brought this on. I knew Hector was gay so it wasn't like he was trying to impress her. It wasn't like him to take a deep personal interest in anyone let alone a woman he just recently met.

"She has a business degree and she's good with people. She'll be an asset to RangeMan."

She must be good with people if she's won him over. "Okay, bring her by tomorrow at 0930 for an interview. I need to know why you want this though, I want the whole truth." I made sure to hold his gaze this time, letting him know that it was my turn to be deadly serious.

Hector let out a breath and ran his hand over his face. "I think her husband is abusing her. She's way too good for him anyway but he and her mother have convinced her not to have a job and I think she feels like a prisoner in that apartment. Maybe if she had some money of her own, a job she could leave him." His eyes flashed with anger as his lips tightened.

I clenched my fists hating the idea of any man beating any woman. "Have you asked her about this?"

He shook his head. "Not yet. I want to help her and I want to be gentle with her. I don't think she's had much gentleness in her life lately; despite that she has a truly loving heart and beautiful soul." His eyes glazed over, rage washing over his face. "Besides if she confirms it I might kill him and I'm trying to control that." That part came out in Spanish, both of us always turned to our native language when emotion overtook us.

Again, he wasn't joking. If what he suspected was true and she was as amazing as Hector seemed to think she was, I'd help him hide the body. "Bring her by tomorrow. I'll hire her but if she can't hold her own, I can't keep her no matter what's happening at her home." I didn't have to know her to know that I wanted to help, too. I was a protector by nature, Hector knew that and used it to his advantage in this negotiation. Despite the urge to protect women from abusive assholes, this was still a business and I couldn't have employees who weren't productive.

The next morning I left a briefing with a few of my team members and found Hector standing outside my office with a woman and my cousin and core team member, Lester. The woman must be his neighbor and she was positively striking. Her blue eyes were ferocious and tender, I understood what Hector saw in her immediately and saw a few other things in her that I'm sure his sexual nature didn't pick up on.

Just as I was pondering how to adjust my pants at the sight of this curly haired brunette, I heard Hector remind Lester in Spanish that she was a married woman. Lester had never been stopped by a wedding ring before but I knew he wouldn't cross Hector either. It was a good reminder for me as well.

I shook her hand and invited her into my office. As I was closing the door I noticed that Hector was staying outside. That was his way, once he decided that he liked someone he protected them with every fiber of his being. He knew I wouldn't hurt this woman but he was going to make sure she knew that she was safe as well.

"Mrs. Orr, I understand you're looking for part-time work." I gestured that she should take a seat.

"Call me Steph or Stephanie please Mr. Manoso. Mrs. Orr is my mother-in-law." She smiled and I knew without asking her any other questions or even looking at her resume that she was hired.

"Only if you call me Ranger or Carlos. Mr. Manoso is my father." We talked for a while, I asked generic questions but could tell that she was quick and savvy. Hector was right she would be an asset to my company. I was a bit worried about how she would react to the rest of my men but if she wasn't intimidated by Hector she shouldn't have a problem with the rest of them.

I caught myself looking at her long legs more than once and wondered what might have happened had I met her before she got married. By the end of the interview I was completely smitten with her and knew that like Hector I would do anything to keep her safe. If his suspicions about her husband were true, I was going to enjoy going with Hector to introduce myself to Mr. Orr.

"I could start right away." Her voice interrupted my thoughts. Her blue-eyes sparkled when she smiled. It was easy to see that she was excited about the possibility of working here.

"Wonderful, we'll see you tomorrow then. You can work a shift from 1000 to 1400 hours, Monday through Friday." I said with a nod and smiled when I saw the look of confusion on her face. She didn't know military time. "That's 10 am to 2 pm, Babe." I mentally cringed at calling her a pet name, I knew it wasn't appropriate that it could be construed as sexual harassment but the name just seemed to suit her.

"Oh, right military time. I'll have to learn that." She giggled and my heart missed a beat.

"I look forward to working with you Stephanie." I stood up and shook her hand. Her fingers were slender and soft in my large hand.

"I look forward to it as well, Carlos." I showed her to the door and gave a tiny nod to Hector. The look on her face gave it away so he didn't need my nod to know that the interview went well.

I filled Tank, my second in command, in on our recent hire. He lifted his eyebrow at me when I explained that I'd hired a woman to help us out with paperwork. I told him about Hector's thoughts about her husband not because I wanted to spread rumors but because I wanted to have Dickie Orr checked out. I also wanted the core team to keep an eye on her, if she was in trouble I was going to help her sort it out. Tank wasn't happy, no man in this building liked hearing about a man beating on a woman, but I knew he'd be grateful for the help this blue-eyed babe was going to bring into our office lives. I'd tell the rest of the team about our newest member tomorrow morning, keeping the details private.

Steph's POV

Despite enjoying my first three days at RangeMan last week, I was dragging this Monday morning. Dinner at my parents' house was a bigger nightmare than usual last night. My mom and Dickie both ganged up on me about my job. Dickie pretended like he was mad about the job but he didn't seem to mind my more than ample pay, however. He was resistant when I first told him about my interview, but relented and when I showed him my offer letter he was excited about the money giving us some breathing room around his student loan payments.

I liked my job and all the guys I worked with immensely. It was such a blessing to get out of this apartment, be with people, and feel useful for a few hours each day. The men I worked with were mostly soldiers who took their security and bounty hunting work very seriously. They were funny once I got them talking, most of them were the stereotypical strong, silent types.

My new friend, Hector had been a blessing in so many ways. I was so grateful for him getting me the interview and showing me the ropes at RangeMan. We were so very different but it seemed that we might be good for each other. At least I hoped I was good for him, I hated thinking that all I did was take from him and gave nothing in return.

I packed Dickie's lunch. I hated doing that, I couldn't understand why he just didn't do it himself but I didn't want to argue this morning. I stuck his sandwich and fruit in his sack and tried to give it to him with a smile when he came out of the bedroom dressed in his suit.

He took it from my hands, grabbed his briefcase and walked towards the door. I followed him out trying to be cordial, loving even, desperately trying not to anger him. He kissed my lips as he pushed my back against the wall. "Be good today, Steph. I don't like you alone with all those men all day but I know you're a good girl." His eyes flashed at me and my stomach flopped fearing his anger and his fists.

He left and I jumped in the shower. The water cascaded down on me as the tears fell from my eyes. How did I become a woman who let her husband abuse her? The job at RangeMan and all the kindness from the guys there was giving me some strength and I entertained the idea of a divorce but knew my mother would disown me if I did leave Dickie. I didn't have anywhere to go either, where would I live if I left?

I pulled myself together adding another coat of mascara for courage. I tried to keep all this drama away from my job, tried to keep it hidden not wanting anyone to know what was happening. It all made me feel so very lost, like I was living in the middle of two worlds but not in either. I wanted to tell someone but didn't know who, I was too ashamed to tell MaryLou my best friend since childhood and my sister would undoubtedly find a way to blame me and tell my mother. I thought about telling Hector but wasn't sure that was fair to him considering everything else he'd already done for me and we hadn't known each other all that long.

At the office, Tank was waiting at my desk with a stack of folders. "Little Girl, can you help finish me these expense reports?" The guys had quickly given me nicknames, it was odd at first but I noticed that most of them didn't use their real names either and I liked knowing they thought enough of me to include me in that tradition.

I gave him a smile and he visibly relaxed. Most of them were obviously not used to working around a woman, so I tried to make it easy on them. "Sure, leave them and I'll finish them before I go home." The guys all seemed to hate paperwork and while it wasn't necessarily my favorite thing I was just grateful for the job. I did feel like I was part of their team and that I contributed by allowing them to focus on the things they did best.

Spreadsheets and expense reports might not be the most exciting thing but I was happy to have something to do and quickly found myself engrossed in my task. The office was usually pretty quiet so it was easy to work without distraction and let the time pass by without even noticing.

"Babe, it's almost four what are you still doing here?" Ranger's voice startled me and I dropped my pen and jumped up. "I'm sorry I didn't mean to frighten you, Stephanie." He reached out a hand to touch to my elbow but I flinched from the touch and he pulled back as his face went completely blank of emotion.

I wrapped my hands around my waist and looked at the floor not wanting to meet his eyes. My hands were shaking as my body immediately went into self-defense mode. "It's okay, I guess I was just so engrossed in these expense reports that I didn't hear you coming. I didn't realize it had gotten so late, I'd better go home."

I finished printing off the last report and gathered the files to drop off with Tank on my way out. I needed to get home, Dickie would be mad if I wasn't there with dinner at least in the works by the time he got there. The thought of being late started to make my panic, I knew my boss was watching me but I couldn't control my frantic movements. "See you tomorrow Carlos." I forced a smile as I left.

Running into the apartment building, I practically bounced off Hector's chest in my hurry. "Chica, I'm my way out, but hope we can have lunch tomorrow after your shift." His eyes met mine and creased with concern. "Are you okay, Stephanie?"

"Just running late is all." I smiled, trying to convince him not to ask any more questions, hoping that I could stave off the tears that threatened to spill. "Lunch tomorrow sounds great."

He didn't seem convinced but nodded. His hands rubbed my arms, spreading warmth and comfort. I wanted to lean into his body for a hug needing the friendship and safety I imagined I could find there. A tear slid down my cheek despite my every effort to stop it. Hector wiped it away ignoring my flinch of fear.

Looking deep in my eyes, he sighed. "We're friends right, Stephanie?"

I nodded. "Yes, of course."

"I hope you know you can tell me anything. As your friend, I want to help you but you need to tell me what's wrong. I can guess but would rather have you tell me." His voice was thick concern.

I shook my head forcing a smile. "I'm fine really. Thanks, Hector. I'm looking forward to lunch tomorrow." He frowned but nodded and waved as I ran to the elevator.

When Dickie got home I could tell that he was already in a bad mood and knew that my quick dinner of tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches wouldn't be good enough. We ate in silence but I could feel his anger growing as he brooded over the simple meal and whatever else had gone wrong in his day.

He came up behind me his body pressing me into the counter as I did the dishes. Dickie's fingers wrapped around my arms squeezing as the counter bit into my waist from the force he was exerting on me. Leaning into whisper in my ear, his fingers squeezed me harder and I knew I'd have bruises tomorrow. "Really Stephanie, I don't understand why you can't pull together a decent meal." His voice was venomous as he let go of my arm and punched me in the kidney. I fell to the floor, trying to curl into a ball and avoid the kicks that I knew were coming next. He yelled, kicked, and hit me until the steam of his anger burned out.

Hours later I forced my sore body to crawl into bed next to him. I tried not to flinch away when he curled up behind me, knowing that if I did I would only start another fight. He touched me gently, he always did after he'd hit me. "I'm sorry Stephanie, I'll try to be a better husband but you need to promise to try and be a better wife." I nodded but didn't say anything as my tears vanished into my pillow. I silently cried myself to sleep to the sound of his snores.