A/N This is a Babe story not Morelli or Helen Plum friendly AT ALL! Although the first chapters dont have smut, it is forthcoming. Language is rough in some areas.
Extra Warning: This chapter contains violence.
Thanks to Jenny and DAS for their editing skills. They caught the stupid mistakes that got past me. And a BIG thanks to Dee who gave me the encouragement to put myself out there!
(She owns them I wish I did. Hey, when you dream, dream BIG!)
THE BROKEN ROAD HOME
CHAPTER 4
By the time the team returned to the Haywood building, it was eleven forty-five. Stephanie checked in with Ranger, assured him that she was alright and that the mission was a success. Ranger would have like to have spent the rest of the day with Steph, but figured she needed her space and time to think. So he kissed on the top of her head, let her know that her apartment was ready for her to move into and to call him if she needed anything.
By noon, Stephanie's cell phone began ringing off the hook. Apparently, one of Joes neighbors had noticed a group of scary men entering his house and then leaving with boxes of stuff. Thinking that Joe was being robbed, they had called the police station and made the report.
This brought half the station to Joe's house in record time. Steph smiled to herself when she thought about his fellow cops seeing pictures of him and Terry plastered all over the house. She wondered how he was going to talk himself out of this one.
Stephanie checked the caller id; Joe, her mother, Joe, her mother, Mary Lou, Joe, Lula, her mother and on and on. She didn't bother answering her phone and after a while, turned it off altogether. She would check the messages later. She spent the rest of the afternoon unpacking her belongings and getting herself settled into her new apartment on the fourth floor.
Apparently, the food fairies visited the Haywood building on a regular basis because when she checked the kitchen, she discovered the shelves and fridge were stocked with all kinds of goodies including peanut butter, olives and Tasty Cakes. God bless Ella. The woman needed to be nominated for sainthood. Hmmm, the Patron Saint of Comfort Food worked for her.
After a few hours, Stephanie decided that it was finally time to check her messages. The first message was Joe and he was furious.
"Dammit Stephanie, what the fuck were you thinking? You stupid bitch! How could you do this to me? The station gets a report that my house is being robbed and what do I find when I get there? Half the department is in my house looking at pictures of me and Terry plastered all over the fucking place! How dare you! You had damned well..." Stephanie deleted the message, not wanting to hear the rest. She smiled to herself when she imaged the look on Joe's face, standing in the middle of his living room, surrounded by the evidence of his love for her.
The next message was her mother. She was completely aghast at what Stephanie had done. How could she embarrass poor Joseph like that? Then Helen proceeded to order Stephanie to call Joseph back immediately and apologize to him and beg him to take her back. After all, he was her last chance at a stable life.
Yeah, right. When Hell froze over, Stephanie thought. She couldnt believe the nerve of her mother, blaming Stephanie for Morelli's affair. Typical.
Stephanie deleted the remaining messages from Joe and her mother. They were just more of the same thing. She listened to the message from Mary Lou. She was completely impressed over the new wallpaper Stephanie had hung in Joes house and proceeded to remind Steph that she owed her all the gory details.
Then there was the message from Lula. This one made Steph smile.
"Hey, white girl. You best get yo skinny white ass over to this here office cuz Connie and me are just dying to know what it was that you did to that cop. And is it true that you spent the night with Batman? Tank wont tell me nothin, says I gotta talk to you if I want to know what went down. But I got this here voicemail of yours on account that you aint answering yo phone! I sure hope to hell that this here means you gonna be bounty huntin' again, cuz its sure been dull around here without yo white ass. Oh yeah, and when you get here, you best have doughnuts!" Click.
Stephanie continued going through her messages, deleting most of them until she reached the one from her cousin, Eddie Gazarra, who was also one of Trenton's finest.
"Hey, Steph. I just got back from Joe's house. I didn't realize that you were so good at interior decorating. Nice job! You had better steer clear of Joe, though. He is extremely pissed off. And having half the department laughing at him isn't helping. I hope that where ever you are, you stay there. I hate to think what Joe might do if he got his hands on you right now. You stay safe and if you need anything, just give me a call. Talk to later, Steph. Bye." Eddie was married to Stephanie's cousin, Shirley the Whiner and although he wasn't a blood relative, Eddie had always supported Steph. Maybe the lack of DNA was the reason why he did. In any case, she appreciated his concern.
Stephanie finished going through her messages. Thirty-seven. That had to be a new record for her. Ignoring all the messages but one, Stephanie did what any self-respecting female would do. She called her best friend.
"Hello?"
"Hey, Lou. Its Steph."
"Oh my God! You had better start at the beginning and dont you dare leave a thing out!"
Steph let Mary Lou have it all. Was she a great best friend, or what?
-----
The next morning Stephanie found herself at her desk on the fifth floor by eight a.m. She laughed to herself when she saw the stack of files in her inbox. Some things never changed.
By ten, Stephanie needed a break so she decided to go into the kitchen, raid the fridge, then go back to her desk and call the bonds office to check in with Connie and Lula.
"Vincent Plum Bail Bonds, this is Connie." Connie answered, sounding bored.
"Hey, Connie. Its Steph." Stephanie replied, sounding cheerful.
Connie immediately perked up.
"Oh my God, what have you done? Joe is furious, swears hes going to kill you!" Connie's voice rose a few octaves the more she got excited.
"What? It was just a couple of pictures." Stephanie tried to sound defensive but her giggling ruined the effect.
"A couple of pic that's not what I heard. I heard that you..." Connie got cut off by Lula.
"Is that the white girl? Where is she? Give me that phone." Lula grabbed it out of Connie's hand before she could say anything else.
"Where the hell are you? And why aren't you here? Us two are dying here waiting to know about everything that you done. Sounds like you really stuck it to the cop this time. Serves him right, doing that piece of mob ass on the side when hes supposed to be in love with you. So, are you comin' over, or what?" Lula finally stopped to take a breath.
"I think I should lie low for a couple of days. Joe's not really happy with me right now," Stephanie confessed.
"Yeah, no shit. I heard hes gonna kill yo white ass on sight." Lula huffed.
"Lula! Connie shouted. Dont say that, youll scare the hell out of her! Give me back that phone," Connie demanded.
"Look, Steph," Connie started, after wrangling the phone back from Lula, "just don't get in Joe's face right now. That Italian temper of his is in full swing."
"Don't worry, Connie. Morelli is the last person I want to see right now. But as for you guys, how about I come over on Friday? Ill bring you lunch," Stephanie offered.
"It's a date. Well see you Friday. Take care of yourself, okay honey?" Connie said, concerned.
"I will. Thanks, Connie. You and Lula are the best. Talk to you later."
"Ok, honey. Bye," Connie said.
"Bye." Stephanie snapped her phone shut and let out a big sigh. The next phone call wasn't going to be so pleasant.
Taking a deep cleansing breath, Stephanie reopened her phone and dialed.
"Hello, Mother." The conversation went downhill from there.
----
Friday morning, Stephanie knocked on Rangers office door.
"Come," he barked.
"Hey, Ranger. Got a minute?" Stephanie asked.
"Babe, for you? Always." He answered her with a small smile.
"I promised the girls at the bonds office Id have lunch with them today," Stephanie stated.
"You want backup, Babe?" Ranger offered. He knew Morelli was still pissed.
"No, I should be fine. I promise not to go to near the police station alone," Stephanie said, crossing her heart and raising her right hand.
"Fine, Babe. Just be careful and call if you need anything." Ranger got up from his desk and wrapped his arms around Stephanie and just held her for a moment. Then he planted a kiss on the top of her head, turned her around, smacked her butt and gently pushed her out the door.
----
"Vincent Plum Bail Bonds, this is Connie."
"Hey, Connie. It's Steph."
"Hey, honey. Are you on your way?" Connie asked.
"Sure am. What do you to want for lunch? Ill pick it up on my way over," Stephanie offered.
"Pino's sounds good," Connie suggested. Lula nodded her head in agreement.
"Okay. Meatball subs all the way around then. See you in a little while," Stephanie replied.
"Okay, Steph. See ya." Connie disconnected.
Stephanie pulled up in front of Pino's a short time later. She looked around and didnt see Joes truck or the POS police car he often used. She should be in and out in just a few minutes.
She entered the restaurant, walked up to the counter and placed her order. She looked around; saw several cops but no Joe. So far so good, maybe for once, fate wouldn't turn and bite her in the ass.
Once her order was ready, she paid the cashier, grabbed her bags and turned to go.
"Hello, Cupcake." Joe's voice was icy cold, his eyes menacing. Fancy meeting you here, been taking any more pictures lately? he inquired, slowly moving closer to her.
"I have nothing to say to you, Morelli. If you would excuse me." Stephanie tried to move around him but he blocked her way.
"Just where do you think your'e going? I'm not finished with you yet. You see, I have a lot to say to you." His voice was low and threatening. Stephanie looked around and saw that several of the cops were watching, waiting for the show to begin.
"You really know how to fuck a guy over, don't you Cupcake?" Joe was standing a few inches from her now, but she refused to back up or back down to him. She wasn't about to take the fall for his indiscretions, not in front of all his buddies.
"I didn't do anything to you, Joe that you didn't do to yourself. After all, its not like I forced you to have sex with Terry Gillman. You made that decision all by yourself. Now get out of my way. I have a lunch date." She tried to move around him again, and again, he blocked her.
"You having lunch with him?" Joe spat at her.
"My activities are no longer your business." Then she smelled it. "Are you drunk?" she asked, a little louder than she really needed to.
"You're fucking him, aren't you? First, you fuck me over then you go running to fuck him. That's real nice, Cupcake." Joe was breathing heavy now, his rage taking over.
"I'm not fucking anybody, Morelli. Now go home and sober up." Stephanie was dangerously close to rhino mode. She knew that a conversation with Joe was inevitable but she really didn't want to have another public display. She was sure her mothers phone was already ringing.
"You're living with him and you're fucking him. Admit it!" Joe started shouting now, his control all but gone.
"I have my own apartment on the fourth floor. Ranger and I are just friends," Stephanie said, defensively.
"You're not his friend, you're his whore!" Joe was red in the face, his rage completely out of control.
Stephanie snapped. "I'd rather be his whore than your wife!" she shouted back at him.
The next thing Stephanie knew, Joe's right fist came crashing down against her left cheek. The force of the blow spun her around and sent her crashing into the counter behind her, hitting her forehead on the edge as she fell forward. She slumped to the floor, face first, unmoving.
Immediately, three cops were on Joe, dragging him away from Stephanie's motionless body. Carl Costanza flew to Stephanie's side, shaking her back, trying to wake her. When he received no response, he carefully rolled her over and took in a quick breath. Stephanie's face was covered in blood. There was an open gash above her right eyebrow where her head had connected with the counter. Blood was rapidly streaming from the gash.
"Someone give me a towel, quick! And someone call 911!" Carl shouted. He'd known Stephanie from childhood. They had gone through school together. She had been to his wedding and he had been to hers when she married Dickie Orr. Now, he had her blood on his hands. Someone handed him a towel and he applied it to her head, trying to stop the bleeding. Then he pulled out his phone and made a phone call he dreaded.