New Story. First Chapter is sad, but It'll get better! :) Hope you enjoy it.

Today was one of those rare days when everything was actually going good. I'd nabbed two skips without rolling around in garbage or getting shot at, I'd had an incredibly good Morelli induced orgasm, and we'd just eaten a large Pino's pie. Now we we're heading back home.

"Cupcake, you want to come back down to earth?" Joe slung his arm around my shoulder and grinned. Life didn't get a whole lot better than this.

We were half way across the parking lot when the shots rang out. I felt Joe's body jerk as he threw himself on top of me and to the ground. For a second all I could think was how much my side hurt. And then it dawned on me, we'd been shot at.

"Joe? Joe?" He moaned but didn't answer. Other people were here now and they were rolling Joe off of me. I got to my knees, ignoring the pain in my side and looked down at Joe. My hand found his and I squeezed it. "Hey Joe. You're going to be okay, can you hear the ambulances? I can, they'll be here in a minute." I was pressing my jacket against the wounds on his abdomen and chest.

"I love you Steph." Joe's voice scared me. There was blood pooling underneath him.

"I love you too Joe." I was starting to feel feint. Joe closed his eyes. That was bad, he needed to keep his eyes open. "Joe, baby, open your eyes. Joe!" The panic set it, Joe wasn't opening his eyes. My heart was beating incredibly hard; blackness was creeping inward from the edges of my field of vision. I felt my body crumpling beside him and my voice barely croaked out, "Joe? Please answer me?" I hit ground and saw a red splash right before my vision went black.

I woke up and groaned. My room smelled funny. It was a Friday, Joe was probably already up but I didn't smell any coffee. I opened my eyes and my world came crashing down. Getting shot. Joe. Oh god, where was Joe? I looked around frantically. I could hear my heart monitor beeping wildly. I needed to find Joe. I tried to get up but something tore at my side and I stopped. A nurse came in then and frowned at me.

"Now now Mrs. Morelli please settle down. You'll tear out your stitches."

My eyes were wild, "Where's Joe?" I asked her frantically. "Please? Where's my husband?"

"I'm going to go get the doctor." I knew right when she said that. If he'd been okay she would have said so. If he'd been alive she would have said something. But she offered me no hope and so I knew.

I felt like I was being crushed. I couldn't breathe, I wasn't sure I wanted to breathe.

"Stephanie, its okay, just breathe through it. It's just a panic attack. Breathe for me." I tried to breathe but it wasn't working. I couldn't breathe. I couldn't deal with this. The blackness started to descend and I let it take me.

I floated back to consciousness slowly. I'd been heavily sedated. This time when I opened my eyes my mom and Tank were in the room.

"Hi sweetie, how are you feeling?"

"Joes dead?" I asked it as if it was a question, but I knew the answer. My mom nodded and grabbed my hand. I looked to Tank blankly. "Where's Ranger?"

"He's offline Bombshell. We've left him messages but he'd deep in." Tank said.

"Okay."

"Stephanie you got shot, twice. Once in the upper chest and once in your side." My mom told me this like I should care. I didn't care. I was obviously okay. "Both of the shots were superficial. You get to go home today."

"Who…?"

Tank spoke up, "We don't know Stephanie. We're working on it."

I felt numb as the nurse came in and did one last vitals check. Someone helped me get dressed, I wasn't sure who. Tank wheeled me out into the hall and I looked at the faces of half of the Trenton PD. The numbness wore off. Tears started streaming down my face. One by one they gave me their condolences; I was getting the widow treatment. Eddie and Carl gave me hugs. I nodded but I couldn't talk. Tank wheeled me outside and settled down on a knee to look at me.

"Steph where do you want to go?"

"Home, I need to take care of Bob and Rex." Tank nodded and helped me into the SUV. He told my mom he'd take care of me. I stopped listening, I just didn't care what they were saying.

"I'm sorry Steph." I looked up to see Hal. I nodded and looked out the window. Tank drove me to the house. There were cars parked along the drive way. No doubt Morelli's mom had taken over. Christ. The burg is like a town full of vultures, just waiting to descend.

I walked in and looking for Bob but I couldn't find him. The room went silent. Joe's sister came to me and tried to hug me, I just stood there. I didn't know what to do.

"Where Bob?"

"Oh Stephanie we had to chain him up out back, he was eating everything and.."

"Tank please go get Bob." I walked into the kitchen and got Rex's cage. Tank came back in with Bob. "I want everyone out of my house. Just go." I walked out and climbed back into the SUV. Tank loaded Bob and we sat for a minute. "Can I stay at RangeMan?"

"You know you can."

"I didn't know if…after…Ranger hasn't been talking to me much…"

"Ranger is trying to be gentlemanly and not poach. Even a drunken Vegas marriage deserves some respect." Tank said quietly. I nodded. One week ago I'd been a newlywed. Today I was a widow.

I let myself and Rex into Ranger's apartment. Tank was taking Bob back to his place, where he'd be more comfortable. I put Rex's cage down on the table in the foyer. I made it to the living room before I collapsed, onto the floor in the dark.

And now the light flipping on wakes me up. "Christ, Babe? Are you okay? What the hell are you doing down there?" I look up at Ranger and he kneels down next to me.

"Babe? You need to tell me what's going on. I'm not online yet. What's going on? Stephanie? Come on talk to me!"

I know I should answer him but I can't form any words. Someone knocks and Ranger makes an irritated sound and spins around to answer it. It's Tank.

"Hey boss, we saw you get in…uh…has Stephanie told you…?"

Ranger's sigh is loud, "Stephanie hasn't said a damn word, what's wrong with her?"

"Someone killed Morelli." Ranger's head snaps around and he's with me on the floor in a second.

His arms wrap around me but I'm back to feeling numb. "Oh babe I'm so sorry." He starts whispering in Spanish and the numbness started to wear off again. I can't stop the sobs from coming and they overwhelm me. My whole body is shaking and soon my throat hurts. Ranger picks me up and carries me to his bed. He climbs in with me and I fall asleep still sobbing.

And? Should I keep going?