Disclaimer: This comes from my head and I make no money

A/N: this is not meant to start a debate - political or otherwise. Frankly, I'm disgusted by so many sexual harassment/assault complaints. As a survivor myself, I honestly have been stunned by how widespread the problem is. I was a child the first time and as an adult I filed a complaint at work over 20 years ago. I understand why people haven't said anything and I know how brave they are to speak out. I stunned that victims are shamed. When I complained at work I was told 'you know how he is' and I was ostracized. That being said, what would happen in the Burg?

I know many people like Joe. If you do, turn back now, this is not Cupcake friendly. I make no bones about the fact I'm a total Babe. Some people are okay with what Joe did to Steph as a child and at the Tasty Pastry but I'm not. So this is my take of what would happen in the Burg with this latest movement.

Rating is for one f-bomb.

Steph's POV

I woke up early this morning, for some reason but my Spidey sense was tingling so I turned on the morning news. I was surprised by what I heard. There was a new local reporter who had a story to share that would rock Trenton tonight at 6.

I went through my day and tonight's news was the talk of the Burg. People were discussing what it could be at the Tasty Pastry, the Bond's Office, TPD and Pinos Pizza. I had promised my mother that I would come to dinner tonight but dinner was going to be at 5. Val and her family were coming and Albert was closing the office early to ensure they made it on time. We would have dessert in the living room with coffee while we watched the news. No one wanted to miss it. Women in the Burg had to adjust their schedule because no one wanted to not have a firsthand account.

We had finished a dinner of pot roast, mashed potatoes, gravy and the ever present broccoli which no one ever ate. We moved to the living room where Mom, Val, Grandma and I brought out pieces of coconut cake with coffee and hot cocoa so we could sit and watch the news.

The perky blonde newscaster came on and turned to another woman sitting next to her. This new reporter was very pretty with straight long dark hair, green eyes, peaches and cream complexion that didn't appear overly made up. She had a small button nose, full pale lips. The cumulative effect was a very beautiful woman with an air of confidence. Her name was Brianna Quinn; she had gone undercover and had done an investigative report regarding the Hashtag Me Too movement in the Chambersburg section of Trenton. I had a real bad feeling about this story and saw looks of fear on the face of my mother, grandma and Val.

"That's right Megan. I spoke to over a hundred women between the ages of 18-60 and I found a pervasive culture of abuse in the Chambersburg section of Trenton. This abuse is verbal, physical and sexual. More women are coming forward regarding the sexual abuse, harassment and assault issues that begin in high school or sometimes even younger. The stories are, at times, disturbing. The girls are forced to marry young or shamed for their actions, which are not always consensual; while the boys get a pat on the back. After all, boys will be boys, but the girls…" Brianna stopped and took a breath before continuing. "The worst offenders are the men and boys of the Morelli family," she began.

Everyone turned to look at me, including my nieces. I whispered, "Oh fuck."

Brianna continued, "I spoke to Kiley Russo an 18 year old woman who is being forced to marry Angelo Morelli on Christmas Eve. Ms. Russo was caught in a compromising position on prom night. Mr. Morelli thought he was entitled to do whatever he wanted to Ms. Russo because he's a Morelli and his cousin is a cop with the Trenton Police Dept. Besides, Morelli men have always done it that way. Mr. Morelli is 21 years old and was at the prom with another student. Ms. Russo stated that her parents decided that she should marry Mr. Morelli to save her reputation.

But by far the worst may be Trenton Police Detective, Joseph Morelli. Detective Morelli is repeatedly seen looking down the t-shirt of Miss Stephanie Plum, aka the Bombshell Bounty Hunter. Now, I never spoke to Miss Plum but I did speak to several people who know her and witnessed Detective Morelli's behavior. Detective Morelli played a game called "choo choo" with Miss Plum when she was only six years old. He later took her virginity on the dirty floor of the Tasty Pastry when she was just 16 as she was closing the establishment for the night. Miss Plum didn't say no, but she didn't say yes either. Tell me Miss Plum, was that how you pictured losing your virginity? I don't know a single woman who would say it was. I would like to give women an open forum, including Miss Plum, to come on our newscast to say 'Me Too'."

They cut to commercial and everyone sat there stunned. When they came back on they showed several women's stories:

Angelina Morelli, ex-wife of Joe's brother Anthony stated that Anthony forced her to have sex at the age of 16. They married when she was 16 due to her pregnancy and they stayed married for 20 years and had 8 kids. She stated there were episodes of marital rape throughout the marriage.

Katy Markowitz, niece of Mabel next door, told a story of Jeff Mancuso, a cousin of Joe's. Jeff told Katy no one would believe her. Turns out Katy worked at the same company and was told if she gave Jeff a blow job she could keep her job. Katy's husband had lost his job during a recent downsizing at the button factory and she desperately needed the job with the construction company where she was a receptionist.

I began to cry when Angie asked, "Aunt Steph is that true what she said? Why would you date Detective Morelli if he did that to you?"

I replied, "Angie, it's complicated. Those were things that happened a long time ago. Joe's changed and he doesn't do things like that anymore."

"But Aunt Stephanie, Grandma got calls that he looked down your shirt today in front of the Tasty Pastry. Why would a police officer do that on the street? Doesn't he respect you?"

"Angie, stop pestering your Aunt. I think it's time to go home," Val said.

My mother packed up left overs and sent us on our way. My parents and grandma did hug me before leaving. Thank goodness they didn't want to talk about it. Once outside, Val said, "Steph, I'm sorry about Angie's questions but you may have to begin thinking about her questions and how you want to answer them. You're a role model to many girls today, including mine." She then got into the mini-van and drove off.

I went home and locked myself in to think. That news reporter was young and not from here so she had a different perspective and I wondered if that was why she did this story. Not being "infected" by the Burg views, maybe she could think differently. I always thought it was cute and made me feel sexy when Joe looked down my shirt but then again, Joe could do that with anyone. Since arriving home I heard my phone ring multiple times, I didn't want to even know how many voice messages I had. My cell had received multiple calls and I had a bunch of text messages.

I heard the locks tumble and the chain caught, so it wasn't Ranger. "Cupcake let me in." I walked to the door; I shut the door, unhooked the chain and opened the door to Joe. "That was some story about my family. Can you believe the nerve of that reporter? We're getting a lawyer to sue her."

I took a good look at Joe. He was handsome, smart, ruthless and always in control of the situation. He was used to getting his way; his mother always gave him the benefit of the doubt. It was an open secret that Joe slept with most of the girls at Trenton High School. It didn't matter if they were two years older, two years younger or the same age. He's slept with half the women in New Jersey. He could intimidate people; he had intimidated me when we were younger. Heck, he did it when I was chasing him as a skip. Even sometimes now he does.

"Really Joe, you're going to sue the reporter? What about the victims? Your family is known for the constant pressure to have sex. You couch it in complements or platitudes but young girls are intimidated. Every time we break up, the pressure on me to get back together and eventually marry you is unbearable. I feel like I have no choice and I'm 30 years old. Tonight my niece asked me how I could date you after what she heard on the news. I think we need to take a break."

"What the fuck Stephanie. You're going to let this reporter ruin our relationship?"

"Really Joe," I yelled, "maybe this reporter has the right idea. She's an outsider and she doesn't know you or me but her disgust was evident. I think you should leave and let me sort this out."

I watched him stalk out and slam the door behind him. I knew there was one place I could go so I could think in peace. I stuffed some clothes into a duffle and went to grab Rex only to remember he passed away last week at the ripe old age of four. That was a long life for a hamster. I used the stairs to avoid my neighbors and made my way to my latest vehicle. A 2010 VW Tiguan, it was black and had no rust, dents or scratches. Al found it at an auction for me so I got a great deal. He charged me what he paid, a fee for transportation, an oil change and inspection to ensure everything worked. All in all it was cheap at $6000 and all mine. I drove to Rangeman; Ranger was out of town visiting his daughter in Miami. He had begun visiting her every month unless he was on a mission for the government.

I pulled into the Rangeman garage, parking in the space always left open for me next to Ranger's personal vehicles. I grabbed my duffle and fobbed my way up to the seventh floor. I walked into Ranger's apartment and felt his calmness wash over me. I could smell his Bulgari shower gel lingering in the room.

I flopped down on his king size bed in my thinking position. I thought all about the news cast, my relationships and the questions from Angie.

I woke the next morning with a pounding headache. I wish it was due to drinking instead of the feeling of dread deep in my stomach. I forced myself out of my cocoon of softness. Ranger had the best bed I've ever slept in, the mattress and pillows were the perfect firmness. The sheets were 1200 thread count Egyptian cotton. They were heavy but soft. Ella ironed them before placing them on his bed. I made my way into the luxurious bathroom, turned on the water to a comfortable temperature before stripping off my La Perla midnight blue silk pajama set I found in my drawer of the bureau in the dressing room. I showered using the devil's tool; aka Bulgari Green shower gel. Ranger had Ella stock the Paul Mitchell curly hair line for me. I mean, his hair was straight and had no use for it so it must be for me.

After my shower, which never got cold, I was about to pull my jeans and tee from the duffle but then I noticed sitting on the bench a beautiful lounge set. It was black cashmere pants with button down shirt. There was a white cashmere shell to wear under the top. There was also a La Perla white lace and silk bra and panty set with black cashmere socks. It felt so soft I moaned. I quickly dressed before moving to the kitchen.

Ella had left me coffee with a chocolate chip Belgian waffle topped with whipped cream and a side of bacon. I liberally added sugar and cream to my coffee and ate my breakfast. I turned on the TV while I ate which gave a recap of the previous evening's news. They also provided an update indicating that their attorney had received multiple complaints about fake news stories. Funny, I knew most of the stories to be true. They also showed new stories that were not shown the previous evening. I was stunned at the large number of women impacted and what some felt was inappropriate. Some things I had faced while working at EE Martin. I never thought about someone touching my back or my butt.

I rinsed my dishes before placing them in the dishwasher before going to find Ella. I went down to six and knocked on her door. She opened the door to me and after taking one look at my face exclaimed, "You poor dear," she pulled me into her apartment and hugged me.

I felt tears fill my eyes before murmuring a heartfelt, "Thank you Ella for everything. Can we chat?"

I spent several hours with Ella; she called down to Tank for him to order pizza and wings for their lunch. Tank did bring us a Hawaiian pizza to share. I actually liked it which was a surprise. We also had a five pound container of hot wings to share along with a two liter bottle of Coke. Ella helped me see that I was a victim, not just everything with Joe but also with Dickie. That was also something that came out on the noon time news program. Dickie was fired after several women complained to HR about him.

After spending the day with Ella, I made my way back up to penthouse. I loved the super soft chunky cream throw that was on the back of the black leather sofa. I snuggled down to watch Jeopardy after changing into the same pajamas as last night; before I knew I was asleep.

I felt myself being carried by strong arms and laid gently on the bed. My eye fluttered open as I was covered by the soft sheets and I heard the soft masculine voice of the only man who ever truly respected me, "Sleep Babe."

I sleepily muttered, "M'kay."

I woke the next morning after having the best night's sleep in months. I showered and made my way to the kitchen in a fluffy white robe where I found Ranger eating half a bagel with lox and a vegetable egg white omelet with the paper next to his plate. "When did you get back?"

"Last night, Tank called me about the news report and said you were staying in my apartment. I hope Ella helped you work some things out," Ranger said as he placed a dish in front of me with blueberry pancakes and a small pitcher of real maple syrup.

"You didn't have to come back early just for me. How's Julie?"

"Julie is great and she thought I should come back to give you a support system. Her words. She's growing up way too fast," he commented.

"Thank you for coming back. I'm meeting with the reporter for an interview today at 9."

"I was wondering why you were up so early. Would you like me to come with you?"

I thought for a moment while I finished my breakfast. "Yes, that would be great to have you there for moral support. This isn't going to be easy and it will probably anger some people, especially Joe. I just need to be able to look at myself in the mirror every day and be able to face my nieces. Angie asked me some tough questions."

I spent an hour getting ready and walked out of the bedroom dressed in a pair of black dress pants with a cashmere sapphire blue V-neck sweater. It would be warm enough without being revealing in December chill. It had snowed last night so I paired the outfit with black shoe boots that had a three inch chunky heel so I wouldn't slip on the ice.

Ranger helped me put on a full length black wool coat and we made our way to the garage. He was wearing one of his custom tailored black Armani suits with his own full length black wool coat and Italian leather shoes. We were silent for the duration of the trip and he helped me out of the car as I said, "Thank you Ranger for coming back early and coming with me."

"No price Babe," he softly said.

I called my parents to let them know that I had spoken to the reporter and I would be on tonight's news at 6. She would handle dinner along with calling Val. I told her Ranger and I would be at the house for dinner. I had turned my cell phone off but did call Connie, Lula and Mary Lou to ask them to watch. I didn't change my clothes and neither did Ranger. He went to his office to do some paperwork and I went to the research desk to clean out the inbox.

At 4:30 we left the office after stopping at a liquor store where Ranger picked up a couple bottles of Chardonnay to go with the chicken my mother was serving. She was going to serve a salad, broccoli, mashed potatoes with gravy and for Ranger she found a box of Uncle Ben's Roasted Red Pepper Quinoa and Rice blend at the Shop and Bag.

We pulled up to house and parked at five minutes to five. We made our way to the door where Mom and Grandma met us. They greeted Ranger and Grandma even behaved. The table was a buzz with the news of my interview. However, it was a relaxed atmosphere if that makes sense. No one was asking questions, no one discussed the upcoming news program. We talked about school; Ranger spoke about his business and Julie. Albert asked him for advice on attracting new clients. Even my Dad asked Ranger about his cars.

Finally dinner ended; Angie and Mary Alice helped clear the table. She put the coffee on as we adjourned to the living room. I went into the kitchen which was like an assembly line with cups, saucers, carafes of coffee and hot chocolate, and pitcher of milk and sugar bowl. Mom handed me dessert plates and forks to bring to the dining room. She walked out with apple crisp, vanilla ice cream, whip cream, and rice pudding. She called everyone to the dining room to plate desserts and get something to drink. Mom asked Ranger what he would like; she knew he didn't usually eat dessert. He asked if she had any green tea and dished himself up some rice pudding.

"You have dessert," I stated.

"Babe, rice pudding is one of the few I sweets that I will eat," he said as he was handed a mug of team. "Thank you Mrs. Plum."

"Your welcome dear, please call me Helen. I'm so glad you like rice pudding. Angie went on-line and found a Cuban Rice Pudding recipe."

"Thank you Helen, you didn't need to go to so much trouble for me," Ranger stated as he flashed one of his rare full on smiles, "but I'm glad you did. This was my favorite as a child."

I stood there dumbfounded as I grabbed a cup of hot cocoa to which I added whip cream. I then plated up a large serving of apple crisp topped with vanilla ice cream. I followed the family into the living room as the music started for the news.

They went over a couple top stories, including a murder on Stark Street. They showed Joe in the background but the chief spoke to reporters. Then they moved to the ongoing 'Me Too' story, introducing Ms. Quinn.

Brianna Quinn was introduced, then stated, "Tonight we have an exclusive interview with Stephanie Plum that was taped earlier today. Ms. Plum was called out on this show earlier this week regarding her treatment at the hands of Trenton Detective Joe Morelli. For the most part, Ms. Plum speaks directly to me and I will ask a question here or there but she wanted to tell her story."

I came on screen and heard myself say, "Thank you for meeting with me Ms. Quinn. I wanted to address the report you gave about me, especially after some uncomfortable questions from my ten year old niece. My sister informed me that I'm a role model to some young women, including my nieces. That got me thinking about the mistakes I've made over the years and how I've allowed myself to be treated by many people.

When I was a child, I was told to stay away from the Morelli boys. Even then they were trouble. Yes, when I was six years old I went into the Morelli's garage to play a game with Joe. I won't go into details but I was sexually assaulted by him. Back then, it was chalked up to kids being curious. I stayed away from him until I was 16 and he took my virginity. When you asked if that was how I pictured my first time, you were right. That wasn't what I had pictured, I never said yes. But true enough, I never said no either. It was wrong. In all honesty, Joe Morelli has never apologized for that or writing about it on several men's restroom walls around town before he left for the Navy. After I brought him in as my first skip and cleared his name I finally got an I'm sorry. That was 14 years after it happened. You were right Brianna; it was boys will be boys. As for me, I was grounded, I lost my job and then every boy in school thought I was easy. Dating for the remainder of high school was almost impossible. I fought off several guys who figured they could take what they wanted.

Joe was never really serious about me, at least at first. We hung out more than anything; friends with benefits sort of a deal. But then he told his mother we were engaged to get rid of her. After that, my life became an unbearable mess. My mother wanted me married as a housewife and to have children. That worked for her but that isn't what I want."

Brianna asked, "But you were married, correct?"

"Yes, I married Richard Orr, he goes by Dickie. I caught him cheating on me, in our home on our brand new dining room table with Joyce Barnhart. He told people he cheated because I was frigid. Honestly, we didn't love each other. We got married because we were expected to. We only lived together for six weeks. Our divorce was finalized on our six month anniversary.

So, what brought me here today is that my niece asked me if Joe respected me. I didn't want to answer that but I will now. No – he has never respected me. I think the only women he respects are his mother and grandmother. I've heard him make crass and degrading comments about women frequently; while these were said in his own home, his mother's home or my home doesn't matter. The Morelli men don't respect women at all. So the fact that he looks down my shirt on the sidewalk in front of a business really says it all. Women are there to look pretty, have babies, cook and clean.

I've been ridiculed in the Burg since I lost my virginity. I'm not woman enough to keep a man, I'm unnatural. Guess what, I'm neither of those things. I'm a strong woman who has lived through life and death situations. I've been shot, thrown off a bridge, blown up and been threatened with a flame thrower as well as being buried alive. I will survive this and anything else anyone throws at me. I don't need a man to define me, but I do need a man who loves and respects me. So, as of tonight, I'm through with Joe Morelli. I'm moving forward with my life and I'm here to say 'Me Too'."

Brianna Quinn looked right into the camera. "Citizens of Trenton, is this the kind of man you want on the police force? The point of this movement is to show women don't need to take abuse. Women have differing ideas of what is harassment and what isn't. To one woman it may be hanging Sports Illustrated swimsuit calendar at their desk and to another it may be asking a female coworker persistently for a dinner date. Women need to speak up and let men know what is acceptable to them. If we don't start doing that, this problem will never end. Thank you Trenton and good night."

The screen faded to black and my father shut the television off. Angie ran up to me and hugged me, Mary Alice and Lisa joined her. Angie whispered, "I'm proud of you Aunt Steph, don't let him disrespect you."

Everyone was packed some left overs, my mother even gave Ranger all the left over rice pudding before we left. I got hugs from my family who all said they were proud of me. It was nice. After we got in the car I turned to Ranger and said, "Thank you for always believing in me. Thank you for respecting me and loving me. I love you Ranger and I wanted you to know that."

"I love you too. And Babe, I'm proud of you, the fall out may not be pretty but you will get through it," then he leaned over the console and kissed me. In that moment I knew, we were going to be together forever. It was because of the trust and respect we had.