Author's Note: Last chapter was…intense to write to say the least. I didn't expect it to get so fierce at the end but my fingers took on a mind of their own. I'm glad that it was well received and no, we have not seen the last of Helen or Joe. I've got a couple of ideas in mind for later. But right now, our girl is hurting and hurting bad. Concerned Merry Men and comforting Batman, ahoy!

Disclaimer: "Honestly, it's not mine!"

Ranger's POV

"What the hell went down over there, man? I've never seen Beautiful look so…so broken." Santos inquired shakily as he passed out the beer.

Neither have I and I never ever want to see it again. My poor Babe. She had stopped crying halfway back to Haywood but she was very quiet, her voice barely above a whisper as we got inside.

"I'm gonna find Ella's cake and sleep in my apartment tonight, okay? It's nothing you've done, Carlos. Really, you were awesome. I…I just need to get my head on straight."

I could still taste the salt of her tears from her goodnight kiss and I shook my head, meeting the concerned gazes of my men. All of them had heard about the mayhem tonight and they wanted to be debriefed ASAP. It was standing room only and it made me glad to see that she had an army backing her. I sat down on a table and pinched the bridge of my nose between thumb and forefinger.

"Her mother….god, I have heard terrorists with more mercy and compassion than that woman."

"Lula has mentioned that she's a piece of work. Well, she said twisted, hateful bitch but the sentiment's still there. What did she do to our Bomber, Carlos?" Tank asked with soft anger.

It wouldn't be soft for long.

I sighed and started from the beginning with her nieces, wanting to inject a bit of levity into a horrible tale. Then I got into the gristle and grime, leaving no details out, not even the stuff at the end of the FUBARed visit. The sadness on her behalf was all encompassing and I could swear that I saw Hal wiping at his eyes but soon, the sadness was being overpowered by righteous rage and I didn't blame them a bit. Steph was one of us now and messing with one means you mess with all.

"She needs to die. Yesterday." Hector declared through grinding teeth.

Fuckin' A right she did but…

"We can't, man. It would kill Bombshell and you know it. The only we can do is be there for her and keep her far the fuck away from her knockoff of a mother as long as we can." Bobby replied with a clenched jaw.

"Where's she at, Rangeman?" someone (possibly Mateo from accounting) called from the back.

"In her apartment. She said that she needed to get her head on straight."

"Go help her."

/

Stephanie's POV

The first thing I did when I got into my apartment (other than lock the door) was cut the cake straight down the middle and put it on a plate. Eating like that was like riding a bike, you never forgot how, and the super serving was gone in about 15 minutes. After the sugary, pineappley goodness was in me, I headed for the bathroom. Bypassing the shower, I ran a hot, soapy bath and turned all the overhead lights out, letting the nightlights in the sockets light my path.

I didn't need a bath. I needed Carlos but I knew that the Merry Men were chomping at the bit for a report, not to hurt me but to help me, so I left him to it. And I know that I said that I'd sleep here but I knew that it wouldn't an hour before I was crawling into his (our) bed on 7. He made me feel safe and brave and everything that my mother did not.

Like I mentioned before, it had always been a nagging fear in the back of my head that I was a walking mistake to her. It was born during my time in the hospital from my infamous Garage Roof incident. While Grandma and Daddy never left my side, my mother never came to visit me and she refused to speak to me for days after I came home. I heard her talking to dad though, blaming his side of the family for my recklessness and thanking God that "at least one of children had a shred of common sense…flying indeed!" Me being 7 and vulnerable, I came to the conclusion that my mother didn't love me because there was something wrong with me. Maybe if I tried to be more like Val and the other Burg girls, then she'd love me, then…

Yeah. A fat lot of good that's gotten me. Undeniable Fact: No matter what I do, my mother's always gonna hate me at the end of the day because she didn't want me. Damn, knowing that hurts like a bitch… Great, now I'm crying again. At this rate, I'll need new tear ducts…

My ears picked up a footfall and I immediately picked up a nearby unlit candle and chucked it in the direction of my intruder. It hit the hall wall and I heard the glass on the framed picture of an orchid shatter. Damn it!

"I hope that was because of you being more aware of your surroundings, Babe." a wry voice greeted, making me open my eyes.

An amused sigh left me as Carlos stood up from ducking and I replied, "It is. Sorry for almost beaning you."

"It's okay, Steph. You've got a nice arm on you."

"I played softball through college. You getting in?" I teased.

Apparently, Carlos had misread my tone because after emptying his pockets, he got in fully clothed, making me laugh. The laughter increased as he winced and put some cold water in the tub. Aw, I burnt Batman's buns…

'They're not burned, just a little startled, is all." he grumbled defensively as he pulled me into his arms.

"Yeah, whatever. You didn't have to come down here."

"If you think I'm going to leave you alone when you're hurting, then you're nuts, Babe."

I rolled my eyes. Jeez, for someone who's so smart, he can be denser than rum cake sometimes.

"I mean that after I ate the other half of the cake, I was coming to you. You make things better when they suck and besides I don't sleep well without you anymore."

He nodded and pressed tender, chaste kisses to my shoulders, my neck…

"I don't care what that damn woman says. You're a blessing, not a curse and I for one am glad that she had you. I need my Babe."

See what I mean? Like Midas turning everything into gold, Batman can make even the shittiest situations better just by being him. My mother's words knocked me down tonight but he picked me back up and supported me like he always does.

He makes it easier to keep fighting.