I do not own the characters, and I am not making any money off of my imagination.
I was off the bed and across the room before I had a conscious thought of moving. Ranger was right beside me as I reached the door. We slowed as we entered the hall to avoid waking anyone else up. Julie's door stood slightly open as if somebody, or several somebody's had checked on her several times over the course of the night. I paused in her doorway for a moment to get my bearings before heading towards Julie.
Julie was tangled in her covers and whimpering in her sleep. I realized as I looked at her, that she and I probably shared the same nightmares, and in that instant I was glad to be here. If I could do anything to stop or minimize the nightmares that interrupted her sleep then I would gladly let Ranger and Tank, hell anyone else from the core team stun, and sedate me all over again. No child should be afraid to sleep and I realized that Julie was assaulted by terror in her sleep. It was a terror that I shared, and though I had never told anyone somehow I knew that Joe and Ranger knew of it.
Careful not to jar her badly I sat on the bed next to her and reached out to brush her hair out of her face. "Shh, Julie it's okay. It's only a dream it's not real. We're here you're safe it's okay. Shh, baby." I was desperate to take her in my arms and hold her till her fright passed, but I didn't want to make it worse. "Julie love, open your eyes sweetheart. You are safe, he can't get you here. I won't let him, Ranger won't let him either. No one will let him get near you again. Wake up sweetie."
Ranger gave me a grateful glance before reaching out to lift Julie into his arms. "Julie Querida, it's okay. Wake up NiƱa. Open your eyes, there's a good girl."
Julie's eyes fluttered open; she turned her head into Ranger's shoulder seeming to recognize him in her partially awake state. Perhaps it was instinct or maybe it was just Ranger, but as I sat there watching him comfort his daughter I realized that he would make a very good father. In my heart I desperately wanted to remind him of the offer he had made a long time ago when Val was pregnant. I wanted the chance to carry Ranger's child under my heart. For long moments I sat there daydreaming of what our child would look like. Reality intruded as Julie began to speak in a small trembling voice.
"It was a weird dream, first I was with my friend Lindy, and we were grownups at the beach, but then all of a sudden he was there and he reached out and stunned me like he did to Stephanie. Then when I woke up I was dressed in a bunny suit and covered in chocolate sauce and he just kept saying that I had been a naughty girl and needed to be punished and he had a bomb in his hand like he taped to Steph before." Her voice drifted off in to tears, and Ranger began to rock her in his arms.
Ranger moved so that his back was against the headboard and I scooted up to sit next to him so that Julie was cradled in between us. Julie moved and wriggled around until she was comfortable, then with a small sigh she drifted back to sleep.
It was at that moment that I began to do something I hadn't in a long time, I prayed. I prayed that Edward Scrog would be caught and that his reign of terror over Julie would be ended. It was while I was asking God with all that I had to keep this little girl safe, that I fell asleep lulled by the comfort of Ranger so close by.
The sound of stifled giggles and murmuring voices woke me when the sun was bright in the sky. A click caused me to open my eyes in time to see Rachel and Lester with camera's pointed in our direction. I grimaced trying to decide whether I wanted to muster the energy to chase Lester down.
"Sorry, I just couldn't resist," Rachel whispered. "The three of you looked so sweet together. I wanted to take a picture."
I turned my head slowly and realized that both Julie and Ranger were still asleep and we were all cuddled together on Julie's bed. Smiling I nodded to Rachel before laying my head down on Ranger's shoulder to snooze a little while longer.
Ranger shifted a little in his sleep and then he spoke directly in my ear. "I'll get a copy for both of us from her later Babe."
I allowed myself to drift, thoughts of Carlos dancing through my head like sugar plums. Dreams put on hold last night when I heard Julie's cry came back to me.
Life as Carlos' wife, mother to his children played on my eyelids. Our beautiful children well loved, taught independence and self sufficiency from a young age. Our children would always be encouraged to choose their own direction in life. Happiness bubbled inside me expanding until I felt it with every molecule of my body.
A small hand lightly tapping my face pulled me from my happy thoughts. Opening my eyes I was staring into Julie's smiling face. I blinked and returned her smile the happy feeling lingering, slightly faded but not diminished.
"You love him, don't you?" Julie asked me, taking me by surprise.
I glanced around the room relieved that we were alone. My gaze settled back on Julie.
"Yes," I whispered "I have for a long time. That's part of why I left, I couldn't be around him if he didn't want me anymore."
The smile that graced Julie's face lit the room brighter than the sun. She leaned close to me and whispered.
"I love him, too. I know he doesn't want us to, but I can't help it." She said with a shy smile.
I smiled, and gathered her into a fierce hug, before letting go and shifting to get off the bed.
"Well then, we'll just have to show him that we won't give up on him." I winked at Julie which made her giggle.
