A/N: This is my first Fic so please be nice, I do not own any of the characters written by JE, but those not mentioned in her books are my own.

Chapter 1 – The Package
(Stephanie's POV)

I tried to prop open my heavy eyelids as I stared at my computer screen, the names and numbers scrolling past all seemed to blur into one. It had been a few weeks since I had started helping out at Rangeman with their searches more permanently, not that I had told them why. Joe and I had finally broken up, forever, and suddenly I had found that I had very little money. I could no longer scrounge from my parents for dinners, as my mother was 'disgraced by my behaviour', and there had been a slight dry spell of skips for me to pick up.

After about a month of living off the last remnants of what was in my bank account and cupboards, I had to swallow my pride and admit defeat. Calling Tank had been embarrassing but he was eager to find someone to do the searches that everyone else deemed too boring, and I fit the criteria. Normally I'd have called Ranger, but I just couldn't answer his questions about why, so I had just avoided him. Gee, I'm so grown up!

I just hadn't wanted to explain that I couldn't even satisfy Joe, and that he had had to go cheat on me to 'get his fix'. I had been returning to his house one evening to break up with him (again) for trying to change me into something I wasn't. Something he had said really got to me, and so I was on a rampage. 'You're not the perfect wife, but I'm prepared to help you become that! All you need to do is quit that stupid Job!' he had said. When I entered the house and found downstairs to be empty (apart from Bob, who was dozing on the couch), I had walked up the stairs, expecting to find Joe in bed. And I did, but not as I had expected, I found him in bed with none other than Terri fucking Gillman!

I had screamed and shouted and may have thrown a few things, before declaring it was over. I also added that if he ever tried it on with me again, I'd tell the whole 'Burg about his cheating habits. As I left I realised this meant I couldn't tell anyone the actual reason for the break up, and my mother called me the next day in disgust. She ranted on and on about how I had just given up my last chance for a happy life in the 'Burg and eventually I just left the phone on the counter and let her talk herself out. Not ideal, I know, but it seemed to work as she hadn't called me since... And that was coming up to two months ago. I shouldn't be pleased with that, but it was actually a major relief to not be hearing 'Mrs Lombardi's daughter doesn't embarrass her like this' all the time.

I was brought back to the present from my internal musings by the loud slamming of a door. Looking around my small cubicle, I checked my search had not found anything yet, and entered the Rangeman floor. My eyes were immediately drawn to a cluster of the guys around the control room door, so I walked over to see what the commotion was about.

Lester quickly greeted me, looking uncomfortable. 'Hey Beautiful! What you doing out here?'

'What's going on Les?' I asked, my eyes searching his face,

'Oh not much...' Lester started, but then a loud crash sounded from further along the corridor and everyone turned in shock, of course I was the only one to jump out of my skin.

More crashes followed the first one, and I realised the noise were coming from Rangers office.

'Lester! What's happening?' I hissed as Tank ran to Rangers office and started hammering on the door, yelling for him to open up.

'Ranger, well, he received a package in the mail... I don't know what was in it.' Lester mumbled, staring at his boss' door.

'Well something tells me it wasn't flowers!' I shot at him, stalking towards Rangers office and Tank, who was still thumping his huge fist against the door. I couldn't believe it hadn't broken already from the amount of force Tank was putting into his 'knocks'.

'Ranger! Man! Let me the hell in! What the fuck is going on? Hey, stop trashing your office!'

Tank then jumped back in surprise as something hit the door from the other side and shattered.

'Hey! Don't throw shit at me! What the hell is happening?' He thundered.

'Tank, what's happened? What could possibly get him into such a state?' I yelled over the crescendo of breaking objects. But then, as soon as it started, the noise stopped.

'Steph, I think he just stopped because of you...' Tank murmured to me, so Ranger wouldn't be able to hear, then almost too quietly for me to hear, I heard to lock click. 'Steph, go in!'

'What if he doesn't want me to? It could be a coincidence you know!' I whispered back, doubt creeping into my mind.

'He heard you and opened the door Little Girl! Get in there!' Tank replied and I knew I had to go in, because I knew Ranger would at least do that for me.

As I opened his office door I took in the carnage in front of me, stepping over the broken glass at the doorway I edged into the centre of the room. I couldn't help but be taken aback by the amount of mess Ranger had managed to create in such a small amount of time; paintings were ripped from the walls, their glass shattered. His brand new laptop was ripped apart and had obviously been flung at a wall. The only thing in the room that had remained untouched was a cardboard box in the middle of the desk. I was also surprised to find Ranger sat, in the corner of the room, with his head in his hands.

'What's going on Ranger?' I asked gently, kneeling down in front of him,

'Babe.' Was his simple response, but in that one word I could hear all of his feelings of worry, anger and despair.

'Ranger, please talk to me...' I tried again, but he remained silent, face still hidden in his hands. I rose and took a step towards his desk and the box on it, and he let out a muffled groan.

'Don't look in that Babe; it's not something you want to see.' But I just couldn't help myself, if he wasn't giving me answers I'd have to find them myself! I took the lid of the box, and stumbled backwards as if I had been hit in the chest. Inside the box there was what seemed like hundreds of pictures of me. There was me and Ranger, me and Joe, me and Mary-Lou, Lula, Connie, My parents, Val... It seemed that this person had followed me around for months and taken pictures of everything I had done. Thinking about it I realised the last time I had taken Mary-Alice and Angie to the park was about three months ago. A shiver ran down my spine as a picked up yet another picture, this one was of me, in my apartment, in bed, fast asleep. This creep had stood over me while I slept. I suppressed a sob as I fell to the floor, throwing the picture away from me in revulsion.

I quickly felt warm arms wrap around me, as Ranger pulled me in to his side. 'I'm so sorry Babe.' He murmured into my hair as I leant against his chest, tears leaking from my eyes. 'It appears you have another stalker.'