Janet Evanovich is the rightful owner of the Stephanie Plum stories and characters.

A Total Eclipse of the Heart

Author's note: At almost 7000 words, this is a long chapter. A lot will happen. Stick with me. Now that Ranger is gone, Steph is going to spend some quality time with her Merry Men! Enjoy and let me know what you think!

….xxx….xxx….xxx….xxx….xxx….xxx….xxx….

Chapter 7

Ranger left early the next morning. As soon as she was able to pull herself out of bed, Stephanie quickly showered, dressed, and dropped a few blueberries into Rex's cage, staying one step ahead of the mounting panic as she rushed down to the fifth floor. She grabbed a coffee and a couple of granola bars from the break room, and finally slowed to a stroll as she said her good mornings to all the guys on shift. When she entered Ranger's office, a large vase of stunningly brilliant roses welcomed her. Stephanie immediately located the card tucked inside:

They told me orange means - desire.

I doubt these are orange enough.

I miss you already.

Carlos

PS: enjoy the doughnuts!

Their magnificent scent filled the room, but she still couldn't help burying her face deep into the petals. It made her feel closer to Ranger. She replaced the card and scanned the room. Sure enough, sitting on the coffee table in front of the couch was a box from the Tasty Pastry. Tears threatened. So, in a manner that would do her Jersey Girl birthright proud, she sat on the couch and engaged in a private pity party by staring at her beautiful flowers and downing three Boston Crèmes, while the tears fell.

When she managed to suppress most of her melancholy feelings, with the help of the chocolate-topped, cream-filled confections, she looked past the flowers. Tank had obviously taken his assignment to heart and planned a very active schedule for her. His attempts to keep Stephanie so busy that she wouldn't have time to miss her man were appreciated but appeared exhausting. A stack of searches, a foot high, sat teetering at the center of the desk. She let out a heavy sigh and got to work. It took her all of five minutes to reacquaint herself with the computer search programs that she had mastered in the last year and a half. Four hours later, most of the files were in the completed pile. Between the sugar-induced coma she was fighting, and the lack of sleep the night before, she felt an overwhelming need for a nap. Avoiding solitary downtime in the apartment was foremost in her mind, so she lay on Ranger's couch and slept.

At seven-thirty there was a knock at the door that dragged her back to consciousness.

"Come in."

"Hey, Bomber," Hal timidly addressed her.

Stephanie acknowledged his hesitancy. "It's okay, Hal. Come on in. I was just taking a nap. What's up?"

"You're on the schedule to work surveillance with me this evening. Our shift starts at eight. I thought maybe you would need a few minutes to get dressed."

"I'm ready whenever you are. I'm already dressed." She pointed out her black pants and long-sleeved RangeMan Polo shirt. "I just need to put my shoes back on and grab my coat." She leaned over to the floor and lined up her shoes in front of her feet.

Hal smiled at her misunderstanding. "No, I can see that you're dressed. I mean you might need to get dressed." He held up a gun and shoulder holster. "I was pretty sure you haven't carried since the…well, in a while anyway. And I wasn't sure you had your gun here, so I brought this for you." He pulled the weapon from its holster. "It's similar to the one you own, but I think it's a better fit for your smaller hands." He blushed at his own reference to her personal features, as if it were inappropriate.

Stephanie was always amused by the ease in which Hal could become embarrassed around her. Lester had joked once, that Hal wouldn't know what to do with a girl, if one fell into his lap. In all the times the guys had gone out trolling at the bars and clubs together, Hal had never been able to get up enough nerve to ask a girl to dance, let alone go out on a date. "You don't have any sisters, do you, Hal?"

"No, mam. It was just me, my three brothers, and my dad growing up."

"What about your mother?"

"She took off when I was a kid. Dad said she couldn't take it. He said us boys were just too much for her."

"I'm sorry. Did you have any aunts or a grandmother around? Did your father ever remarry?"

"No, mam. Just us boys and my dad."

"When did you join the army?"

Hal smiled with great pride in his answer. "The day after high school graduation, I went off to boot camp."

"And from the army, you came directly here to work for Ranger?" Having tied her shoes, she stood up from the couch.

"Yes, mam." He nodded and handed her the shoulder harness.

Stephanie was rested, and she was in a playful mood after the nap, so she decided to have a little fun at Hal's expense. "Hal, thanks for bringing me the gun. Could you help me put the harness on? I'm not sure how this one works." She feigned incompetence and turned her back to him. She lifted her hair off her neck with her right hand and extended her left arm for him to slide the harness up.

Hal held up the belt but hesitated when he couldn't figure out how to put it on her without actually touching her. His face became quite red as his situation became increasingly dire. He gingerly slid the harness up her left arm and laid it across her shoulder. He then lifted the other strap, and Stephanie shifted her hair to her left hand so he could slide the other side of the harness up her right arm and secure it to her shoulder. By the time he was finished, poor Hal looked about ready to pass out.

Their surveillance of an apartment complex on the south side of Trenton was uneventful. Hal handed her a photo and a description of a car, and told her they were looking for the appearance of Thomas Resnick. Following him was considered key to helping RangeMan get a location on his brother John. John Resnick was FTA on charges of attempted armed robbery. The hope was that Thomas would lead them to John. The apartment they were watching belonged to Thomas's fiancée Trisha Burns.

It was a long night, and Thomas was a no show, but, unfortunately, Hal's music was not. They spent the entire evening listening to his favorite station playing endless country ballads that lamented, ad nauseum, about 'the cruel world of heartbreak', 'old dogs' and 'loose women that done him wrong'. By the end of the shift, Stephanie was ready to shoot the radio. She was pretty sure that the words to country music songs had provided the total sum of all Hal's education about women.

When Stephanie returned to the apartment shortly after midnight, Hector was there waiting. Not much needed to be said. Jack had already spoken to both him and Lester about her new problem. She and Hector sat at the kitchen counter and shared a couple of beers. Stephanie jokingly relayed the events of the night, gave him a kiss on the cheek and trudged off to bed. Three times before dawn, Stephanie woke in near paralyzing fear. She got up, walked to the living room to see Hector asleep on the couch, and returned to bed assured that she wasn't alone.

…XXX…XXX…XXX…XXX…XXX…XXX…XXX…

The next day started similarly to the first. Stephanie began her searches in the late morning, had a session with Jack in the afternoon and did the four to eight surveillance shift with Hal. Different location, same suspect…same music. When she returned to the apartment, she hadn't been home more than five minutes before Hector appeared at her door.

Stephanie looked surprised. "I wasn't expecting you tonight. I thought Lester was coming up."

"I just come here to give you something, Bonita." Hector handed her a small box.

"What is it?"

"Open it."

The sequence of events was vaguely reminiscent of when he gave her the photo album, and Stephanie was intrigued as she opened the box. Inside was an mp3 player. It was pink.

"This is an iPod!"

"Si." Hector took if from her hands, carefully inserted the buds into her ears and pushed a button. "You hear?"

Stephanie nodded enthusiastically. As she listened to the first song begin, her expression changed to one of complete astonishment. "Is that me?"

Hector smiled brilliantly at her reaction. "Si."

"I can't believe you did this. Hector this is so incredible! Is this from the Cabaret?"

"Si, you have a beautiful voice. Better than country. No old dogs."

"Oh my god, Hector." She hugged him. "Thank you. I've never had one of these before. I can add more music, right?"

"I must go now, but tomorrow I show you how to use the computer to download songs." He answered the unasked question on Stephanie's face. "I have a date."

"With Jack?"

Hector nodded, and the most adorable smile appeared on his face.

"You two seem to have become quite close."

"I guess." He looked down at the floor shyly.

"Jack will be leaving in a couple of weeks won't he?"

He nodded again. "He has to go back."

"How do you feel about that?"

Hector burst out into laughter. "Oh, Bonita, you have spent too much time with him. That is his question."

Stephanie laughed as she thought about what she had just said. "I guess you're right. I am starting to sound like him, but that's not a bad thing is it? He's a smart man. He's helped me a lot. I don't know what I'll do without him."

"I have the same problem," Hector sadly admitted.

…XXX…XXX…XXX…XXX…XXX…XXX…XXX…

Stephanie spoke with Ranger on a daily basis. Every morning he called, and they spent a few cherished minutes touching base about the little things in their day and bemoaning their separation. Every night he called to hear her voice before going to sleep.

Four days into his absence she got a call from Ranger in the middle of the day.

"What's up Batman?"

"Hey, Babe. How did your appointment with Mr. Alexander go this morning?"

"Great! I'm one step closer to the old me. Megan went with me, and we splurged and had our nails done while we were there too."

"I spoke with Rachel earlier. Julie is going to come to Trenton for Thanksgiving."

"That's wonderful! I can't wait to see her."

"Yeah, the last time she was there…"

"Scrog." The name alone, as it sourly rolled off Stephanie's tongue, was enough to end that train of thought. "We'll have to make this trip very special. When will she get here?"

"I'm sending the jet for her. I'm not too crazy about having her alone on the plane, but Phil will take care of her. She'll fly out the day before Thanksgiving, after school. She has to go back by Saturday night."

"Where will she stay? You don't have a second bedroom in the apartment."

"She can sleep on the couch. It's just for three nights."

"Carlos, you can't have a pre-teen girl sleep on the couch. She'll need privacy. She's at an awkward age for girls. They get picky about things like personal hygiene, and who sees them in their pajamas and underwear."

"I could put her in an apartment on four. Jack will be gone by then."

"You can't put her in an apartment on a floor full of men! What would Rachel say?"

"I'm out of ideas, Babe. What do you suggest?"

"How about we spend the weekend at the house in Philadelphia? I can go there with Ella and get it ready. Julie can have her own bedroom there. Unless...would that put you too far from RangeMan after being gone so long?"

"We typically run a skeleton crew on Thanksgiving. Some of the men take off to visit family. The men that have no place to go usually volunteer to hold down the fort. Using the house in Philly is a good idea, Babe."

"Great! I'll talk to Ella today!"

Stephanie hung up, and the wheels started turning. The longer she thought, the bigger her ideas grew. She called her mother, then she tracked down Ella and, finally, she called Ranger back.

"Babe?"

"I have an idea. If you don't like it just tell me, and we'll do something else."

"Does this involve sex?"

"No, but I could probably fix that." She smiled into the phone. "It was definitely an oversight in my planning."

"Sounds promising. What's your plan?"

I was thinking that since the house in Philly is so big, and it would only be the three of us…I thought we could invite a few more people to dinner on Thanksgiving."

"Who?"

"Maybe, Tank, Bobby, Lester, and the girls. Any of the other guys not on shift that have no place to go, and I was even thinking that we could invite Tony and Emily from Miami. We know they don't have any other family, and they can fly up with Julie, and then she wouldn't have to travel alone. I thought of your parents, but I don't know them very well, and I didn't even know if you wanted to invite them, and I know you're thinking who's going to cook, right? Well, I already talked to my mother, and she said that she would be happy to cook most of the food, and that would mean my parents, grandma, my sister and her kids would be there, and the girls would have so much fun together. You know? Because Julie would probably get bored with just us, and Ella said that she and Luis are leaving town to visit their daughter in New York, but she would make some desserts and a couple of other dishes to help out." The longer Stephanie spoke, the faster the words came out.

"Babe?"

"What?"

"Breathe."

"Okay."

"Stephanie?"

"Yes."

"It's a great idea."

"It is?"

"Yeah."

…XXX…XXX…XXX…XXX…XXX…XXX…XXX…

Stephanie continued to increase her daily workload. When she ran out of searches, she helped Tank by going over invoices or by doing other office type work that was similar to what she had done in her job as a lingerie buyer for E.E. Martin. When she wasn't planning Julie's arrival and the Thanksgiving party with her mother and Ella…or working in the office…or doing surveillance...or napping, she was in the gym working on the skills she wanted to improve with Hector, Lester, or, occasionally, Tank. She had even met twice with Adria. At their first meeting, Adria asked Stephanie a lot of questions about her past; her marriage to Dickie Orr and how she had dealt with being on her own after the divorce. She also wanted to know about her start as a bounty hunter. At their second meeting, Adria wanted much more detail about the Giordano case and her time in Miami.

It was Thursday, and Ranger had now been gone seven days. He was scheduled to return next Tuesday. Stephanie knew this because she had a giant red circle around the date on the desk calendar that she looked at every five minutes. She had circled the date so many times in anxious anticipation that the red marker had bled through the paper and marred the December dates underneath. She was only slightly obsessive about his return.

Stephanie was currently waiting for her latest lengthy report to print, her iPod blasting Kelly Clarkson's 'Already Gone'. She was sitting back in Ranger's chair with her eyes closed singing along.

"Remember all the things we wanted

Now all our memories, they're haunted

We were always meant to say goodbye…"

Lester lightly knocked on the door and opened it. "Hey, Beautiful..." When he heard her voice and realized she didn't know he was there, he stood stock still and listened to her sing. He loved her voice, and he hadn't heard it since before the accident.

"And I want you to know

You couldn't have loved me better

But I want you to move on

So I'm already gone"

With the door now open, the sound filtered into the hall and caught the attention of a number of men on the floor. They slowly gathered at the doorway, all smiles, as they continued to listen.

"Looking at you makes it harder

But I know that you'll find another

That doesn't always make you wanna cry

It started with the perfect kiss then….."

Stephanie swung the chair toward the printer behind her to check the status of her print job, and her voice became slightly muted.

"You know that I love you so

I love you enough to let you go"

She gathered the completed report out of the printer tray and turned back toward the desk. Her eyes widened, and her face flushed in embarrassment when she saw the crowd gathered at the door. She quickly reached for the control and turned down the volume.

"Geez, you guys, make some noise why don't you next time." They all clapped appreciatively at her performance and scattered back to their desks.

"It was good to hear you sing again." Lester grinned. "I've got a free hour, Beautiful. Care to meet me on the mats?"

Stephanie looked down at the work she still had left. "Sure, Les. There's nothing here that can't wait till later."

Stephanie ran up to the apartment and changed into her usual workout clothes. Ten minutes later she was facing Lester in the gym. Bobby had been very specific about the kind of maneuvers that were safe for her wrist. If she needed to use her left hand to practice or complete a demonstration, it was done in slow motion and movement stopped before contact was made. Lester's goal was to give her some self-defense moves that were a little more complicated and detailed than he would give in a standard self-defense class for women.

"Beautiful, you've developed your own unique style of self-defense over the last three years, and we're going to have to erase some bad habits. You've actually become pretty good at getting free from being restrained in a standing position. Now I'd like you to work on getting loose from a prone position." Lester asked her to lie on the mat face down. "Typically if a suspect gets you down. they're going to put your face to the ground and try to restrain your hands behind your back." He gently pulled both her hands behind her back and tugged till she could feel the strain.

"Been here, done this," Stephanie grunted at the familiar hold. "How do I get out of it?"

"Well, the best solution is to thrust your elbow back into his gut, throat, or groin, before your hands are restrained. The key is to react quickly and catch him off guard. The bad guy is counting on you being weaker and panicked. You can pack a powerful punch with your elbow if it hits the right target on an unsuspecting attacker. The only way you're going to get quicker is to practice the move until it becomes instinct."

"Okay, let's practice!"

Lester knocked her down repeatedly. When she was beginning to get the hang of the technique, he increased the pressure and speed of the attack until, finally, he was just too quick for her, and he had her pinned completely to the mat every time.

Stephanie was getting tired and cranky from the physical exertion, and her repeated failure to win. Lester pushed his luck with one more attack, and she screamed at him from her position against the floor. "Damn it, Lester! I swear to God, if I die doing this, I will come back to haunt you!"

Lester released her from his hold, chuckling at her agitation. "Okay, that's about all for today, Beautiful." He was just a bit too chipper and cocky for Stephanie's liking. She gave him a very pissed off look and huffed out of the gym.

…XXX…XXX…XXX…XXX…XXX…XXX…XXX…

Through the success of her sessions with Jack, and the support of her Merry Men, Stephanie reached a point where she was able to reign in her fear of being alone in the apartment, for short periods of time, during the day. The nights, however, were still rough. A week into Ranger's absence, she stubbornly attempted to stay in the apartment, unaccompanied, for the first time. She made it to two o'clock in the morning before she had become so distressed that she developed one of the terrible headaches that she had believed to be a thing of the past. She managed to make a call to Lester before the excruciating throbbing incapacitated her. Three minutes later he arrived with Bobby, Jack and Hector. She was in too much pain to be overwhelmed by their response and was just grateful that when Bobby injected her with her medication, it worked quickly. She was finally able to sleep.

When she awoke the next morning Lester was asleep in the chair next to her bed. It was just like every time she woke up in the hospital. She quietly got up, used the bathroom and padded into the kitchen. Hector and Jack were asleep together on the couch in the living room. Their concern for her nearly brought tears to her eyes, but she pushed them away. The last thing she needed to do right now was cry. The emotion that would follow could easily bring the headache back. She busied herself with the task of making coffee.

"Stephanie?"

"I'm sorry, Jack. I didn't mean to wake you. I was just putting on some coffee."

"Don't worry about it. We needed to get up anyway. Hector's working a split shift today. How do you feel this morning?" Despite his disheveled look from sleeping on the couch, he still carried quite a professional air about him. "I hadn't witnessed any of your headaches before. Was that one typical?"

"Well, it's been a while, but yes, that one was pretty typical. I feel much better now. Just a little bit of a hangover, so to speak." She pulled several coffee cups out of the cupboard. "You guys didn't have to stay here all night. The medicine Bobby gives me puts me out and then I'm fine again."

Jack looked back toward Hector. "He was concerned. We both were…but it's physically painful for him to see you hurting. His compassion runs very deep."

Stephanie nodded in understanding. She knew this about Hector. "I hope he got enough sleep for his early shift."

"He'll be fine. He can catch a nap in between his shifts. If we had gone back downstairs, he would have just worried. He probably slept better here."

"Hector really cares about you, Jack. I can see it in his face when he talks about you."

"I've never met anyone like Hector before. On the outside he's strong and tough as nails. I imagine he can generate quite a bit of fear when he's engaged with an opponent."

Stephanie eagerly nodded. "I've seen it first hand. You wouldn't want to come across him in a dark alley, and you don't want to be his enemy." She poured coffee into two mugs and handed one to Jack.

"But on the inside… When it's just the two of us, he's…he's gentle and amazingly intuitive with people's moods and vulnerabilities." Jack had drifted off with his thoughts as he stared at Hector, who was still sleeping peacefully. He caught himself and turned back to Stephanie looking a bit abashed. "I'm sorry. I hope I haven't made you uncomfortable."

"Not at all." She smiled at him reassuringly. "It's nice to see you two together. I like seeing Hector happy."

"It's not that we're hiding our relationship. If we were, we wouldn't have stayed here last night. It's just that most people, even those who profess to have an open mind, aren't always ready to witness this type of relationship up close and personal. Hector told me that most of the men here know about his sexual orientation, and he doesn't feel disrespect or contempt from any of them. He wants to maintain his privacy though."

Lester stumbled out of the bedroom and made his way into the kitchen. He kissed Stephanie on the top of her head. "You look a lot better this morning."

"I'm fine. You didn't have to stay all night. That chair couldn't have been very comfortable."

"I kinda missed our routine, Beautiful. It felt like old times." He looked at Jack and then past him into the living room. "Besides, this is obviously where the party was." He winked at her. "You know I love a good party."

Stephanie handed him a cup of coffee. "Well, I have the hangover, but didn't get any of the fun to make it worthwhile!" she complained.

"We should fix that. How about we get some of the guys together and go out tonight, Steph? You've been all work and no play this week. No wonder you had a headache last night. I'll even call Megan, and Bobby and Tank can bring Adria and Lula, so you can have a group to go to the ladies room with."

Stephanie rolled her eyes at the last comment but really liked his idea. "You know what, Lester? That just might be what I need. It sounds great." She looked at Jack. "You game to join us?"

"I could lie and say I'm busy, but since I live here, and you are my only patient…." He got a wicked grin on his face. "I'll tag along in the interest of monitoring my charge. It might be fun watching Stephanie Plum out in public. I hear anything can happen."

"Ha! You've been sorely misinformed, mister." She snapped back, poking him in the chest with a single finger. "I'm an absolute bore. The real show is watching the women fall all over themselves trying to get to my gorgeous Merry Men." She took a sip of her coffee. "That, Dr. Winchester, will be a fascinating study in human behavior for you to observe."

…XXX…XXX…XXX…XXX…XXX…XXX…XXX…

When they left RangeMan that evening, they were a cozy party of five. Stephanie, Lester, Megan, Hal, and Jack crowded into one of the larger SUVs and headed for Bugsy's, a hole in the wall pub that was famous for its foot long subs, onsite brewery and live bands. Hector was working his shift until midnight and would join them later. Bobby and Adria had tickets to a play, and Tank was doing office work. Lula was going to keep him company. Stephanie bet Lester it would be less than an hour before Tank's focus would be completely diverted.

Inside the bar they pulled a few tables together and began with a round of beer. As the night progressed, several RangeMen sauntered in and joined the group. By midnight they had half the tables in the place pulled together, and the number in their gathering had grown to at least fifteen. Stephanie had stopped counting after Tank and Lula showed up around eleven. From the look on Lula's face, their time at the office had not been all work and no play.

True to Stephanie's prediction, the evening provided a wonderful show of inventive courting rituals, as female after female vied for the attentions of the men at their table. Jack was fascinated by the aggressive behaviors of the women.

"This is Jersey! Every girl is trained in this stuff. It starts with the hair and goes south. The big do, the make-up, the nails, the lingerie, the clothes, the purse, the shoes. It's all planned down to the tiniest detail. Takes hours to look like that." She nodded at three females stalking their way toward the table.

"My God!" Jack exclaimed in wonder. "I've never seen anything like it, and that's saying a lot. I've spent most of my life on army bases, and we see our share of…eager women, but this…this is…"

"Disgusting!" Stephanie spit out in distaste. "I can't believe I used to do stuff like that."

"Hate to break it to you Beautiful, but you do still do stuff like that."

"True Lester." She smiled. "But now I get paid to do it."

Jack looked at her with his mouth open to ask a question, but nothing came out.

"Distractions for RangeMan," she answered. "Though it is how I snatched my husband, Dickie. It was a bar just like this, near the college campus." She shook her head. "Not the best hunting ground if you're looking for commitment from a partner." She took a drink of her beer. "We all know how that worked out." She returned her attention to the women in the room. "Somebody should warn these poor girls. There should be self-help pamphlets in the bathroom."

Jack laughed at that idea. "They wouldn't listen anyway, Steph. Some things you just have to find out for yourself."

"It's a hard lesson to learn," she said, shaking her head sadly.

"Yeah, it is," Jack agreed.

"Speaking of the bathroom," Stephanie spoke as she stood. "I have to…"

Ten men stood instantly, in unison, before Stephanie even finished her sentence. There was only the slightest sound from their chairs scooting against the wooden floor.

Megan looked up in amazement. "Wow, look at that." She was in awe as she noticed all of the men, including Lester, focused on Stephanie. "I guess the army really knows how to instruct its soldiers in proper etiquette."

Stephanie rolled her eyes. "Sorry, Megan, but this isn't about manners. They all think they're going to follow me to the bathroom." She turned to the standing men. "Geez, guys, do you think we could narrow it down to one or two? I don't need a whole platoon listening to me pee."

"Girl, I got you covered." Lula whipped a .9mm glock out her purse. A few of the men flinched at the way she casually swung the weapon back and forth. "You guys don't need to worry. Any fool tries to mess with our girl; I'll bust a cap in his ass the size of New Jersey."

Lula was dressed in a loud and colorful mini dress with large keyhole cutouts on the front and back. Her breasts were making a determined effort to escape through the front keyhole. When she stood to make her point, she awkwardly teetered on her five inch heels, briefly loosing control of her gun. She didn't inspire a lot of confidence.

"Lula," Tank spoke slowly and patiently. "Put the gun away."

"I can handle this, Tank. We don't need no man interrupting our privacy."

"Lula, let the men do their job," he continued in a calm voice.

"You know what your problem is, Tank? You got no respect for me! I'm a professional." She shoved the gun back into her purse. "Come on, ladies. It's time to go to the bathroom."

Stephanie, Lula, and Megan were only five feet from the table when they heard Tank's voice give the order.

"Santos, Johnson, you go. The rest of you…have a seat."

Lester and Hal caught up with the ladies in the long, dimly lit hallway at the back of the pub. When they reached the ladies bathroom door Stephanie stopped and allowed Hal to move past her. He knocked firmly on the door and when there was no answer he opened it and stepped inside with his weapon drawn. It was a small bathroom with two stalls and a double sink. On the far side of the room was a narrow closet door. Hal motioned for the women to wait as he pushed each stall door open to make sure no one was hiding behind them. He looked at the closet door, but didn't give it much thought because it was locked from the outside with an eye and hook latch. It was also too narrow for even an average-sized man to fit inside.

"All clear." He called to them.

The women rushed past him on his way out. Stephanie entered the first stall and began to take care of business. Lula motioned for Megan to take the second stall and stationed herself in front of the mirror to freshen her make-up. Megan and Steph finished quickly, and soon all three women were crowded together at the sinks chatting and washing their hands. Stephanie turned to the paper towel dispenser and found it empty.

"Damn, I hate when that happens," she said, flapping her wet hands in frustration.

"Hold on girl, I bet there's some in this little closet over here." Lula unhinged the hook and reached for the small knob. Before she could exhibit any pull, the door was pushed open from the inside. Stephanie gasped, Lula jumped back, while swearing a blue streak, and Megan screamed as the bloody, mutilated body of a young woman, slumped out of the closet and rolled to the floor at their feet.

…XXX…XXX…XXX…XXX…XXX…XXX…XXX…

Joe Morelli walked into the storage and prep room behind the kitchen and took in the, almost comical, sight of the witnesses waiting to be interviewed by the homicide detective in charge. Stephanie was sitting in a chair; legs crossed, impatiently tapping her fingers in a tense rhythm against the table. A man he didn't recognize was standing behind her with his hands firmly resting on her shoulders as if he were keeping her anchored to the chair. Joe imagined that if the man were to let go, she would spring out of the chair and take off at an unnatural speed toward the nearest exit. Lula was frantically pacing back and forth murmuring something about dead bodies and evil curses. The heels on the shoes she was wearing were so high that they looked dangerously insufficient to manage the weight they were supporting. He wasn't sure how she was maintaining her balance, but decided that keeping a safe distance from her would be wise. Ranger's second-in-command, Tank, stood in the corner, arms crossed, straight faced, carefully observing the situation. A very pretty blond, Joe had never seen before, was wrapped in a blanket and sitting on the lap of another of Ranger's men, Lester Santos. His arms were tightly wound around her waist and his chin was resting on her shoulder. She looked shaken and pale. It was going to be a long night.

"Hello, Cupcake," he addressed Stephanie directly with a slight grin on his face. "Didn't take you long. Have you even been back in town two weeks yet?"

Stephanie sighed at the dig. She really didn't want to deal with Joe Morelli.

Jack realized almost immediately who the man was, from his many private conversations with Stephanie. He hastily came to her rescue. "Officer Morelli, my name is Dr. Jack Winchester. I'm Miss Plum's physician. I hope it will be possible to make these interviews brief. They're all, understandably, quite shaken and need to go home."

"Is that so?" Joe was not impressed. "Are you upset, Miss Plum?" he mocked. "Seems this should be old hat for you."

"Listen Joe, I'm tired, and pissed, and I want to go home. So ask your damn questions and stick the snide remarks up your ass!"

"You tell him, white girl!" Lula had stopped her pacing and had anchored herself near Tank. Cops made her nervous. "We didn't see nothing. We was just looking for some paper towels to dry our hands with. That poor girl come tumbling out of that closet like a damn jack-in-the-box…'ceptin' there was no music or nothin'."

Tank stood up straight and walked toward Morelli. To almost anyone else, this move, in itself, would be intimidating. Joe was tough. He didn't bat an eye at the massive wall of muscle glaring down at him. "Detective Morelli, the ladies and my men have already given their statements to the first officers on the scene. I'm sure if you go over the reports, you'll find them quite complete. We're taking them home now. You know where to reach us if you have any additional questions." He took Lula's hand and pulled her toward the door. The other two men followed with their respective companions.

Right before Stephanie left the room, Joe called to her. "I warned you before, Cupcake. Manoso is going to get you killed one of these days."

Stephanie froze in her steps. She slowly turned around and looked him straight in the eye. "Don't worry about me, Joe. Carlos Manoso has taught me more about what it means to be loved by someone, than I ever knew was possible. If it all ended tomorrow, I'd die a very happy woman." She gave him a small, tight smile, turned around and left under the protection of her Merry Men.

….xxx….xxx….xxx….xxx….xxx….xxx…

Author's note: I have many readers, and would love to get some feedback from some of you who have never left a review. I know it takes time to write a review, and maybe you don't know what to say! But just consider letting me know what you like about a chapter, what confuses you, what made you laugh, cry or angry! You can even ask me questions. I answer every review. I would love to know what my readers are thinking! It honestly makes a difference to my creative muse.