Disclaimer: The characters you recognize as J.E. are hers, and I am only borrowing them. There are some original characters that are mine, and I claim them as mine.

Spoilers:Anything from books 1-19 might be used, so if you haven't read them all, you might want to wait to read this story.

This is an AU story, with a mix of characters in canon as well.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of you who review as guest, as well as those of you who don't allow PMs. I love the reviews and want to tell you that I read and appreciate them all. Thank you all. Special thanks to JenRar for coming along as beta on this one. I appreciate all your help. I'd also like to thank Vanessa Loor for translating my English into Spanish. Any mistakes are mine.

A/N: I ask for your patience in allowing me to develop the story. I guarantee the end result will turn out if you can just keep believing.

Chapter 14: A Memory from the Past

Stephanie's POV:

I stood in the doorway watching as Ranger sat stroking Julie's hair as she lay sleeping. As if he sensed my presence, he looked up and our eyes met. He covered the little girl and kissed her forehead before standing and making his way over to join me. When he reached the door, I moved back so he could easily make it through the door without touching me.

Our eyes locked as he stopped and spoke in a voice barely above a whisper, "You're safe here, Babe."

I lifted a shoulder and nodded. "I know. It's just…"

Ranger slowly lifted his hand till it rested on my cheek and he said, "It's hard to rebuild a trust that's been broken, even if the person involved isn't the one that broke the trust. You had your trust in men broken, and you aren't able to just hand it back to any man who wants it. You don't have to apologize for that, Babe. Just remember I'm not the men who hurt you, and we'll start from there."

I felt the tears burn the backs of my eyes as I nodded. "I do know that you would never hurt me. I just…I don't know how to deal with all these emotions."

Ranger's eyes narrowed. "Just take it a minute at a time, Babe, and we'll get through this."

I looked at Ranger and shook my head. "Are you sure you really want me up here with you two? I have nightmares of my own, and you already have Julie's to deal with."

Ranger gave me a half smile and moved his hand till it was on the back of my neck. "I got it covered, Babe. Julie's gotten very attached, and I think this will be good for all of us. You let me worry about the nightmares."

I wanted to lean into him, but wasn't sure it would be welcomed. I was all mixed up and my emotions were all over the place, what with Maglio taking a shot at me and then what happened with Cody. The feelings whenever Ranger was near were different than I'd ever experienced before, and I really didn't know whether I was coming or going. I bit my lip and raised my gaze to Ranger's.

He studied me for several seconds before pulling me into his arms and telling me, "Whatever you need, Babe, I'm here."

I relaxed in his hold and rested my hands on his arms. He wrapped me in his hold and moved us to the den, where he sat us on the sofa so we could watch television. At first, I just let myself relax in the moment, but eventually, the conversation on the screen drew my attention. They were talking about the white slave trade, where young women were abducted and sold into slavery all over the globe. I pushed away from Ranger and turned to the screen. I had the sudden sensation in my stomach and everything inside me was telling me this was an important piece of information.

I turned to Ranger and voiced my thoughts out loud. "Something tells me this has something to do with what happened to me as well as what Julie was facing."

Ranger's eyes glittered with rage, but I knew it wasn't directed at me. "Let's find out if your instincts are right, Babe."

I nodded before returning to lie against him as we watched the rest of the show. By the end of the program, I had several pieces of information that I wanted to check out first thing in the morning.

When the show ended, Ranger turned off the TV and asked, "You ready for bed, Babe?"

I hesitated. "I'm tired…I'm just not sure how much sleep I'll get after that show."

Ranger looked at me for several moments before saying, "I have a king-sized bed, Babe. You're welcome to share, and I promise you'll be safe."

I bit my lip, not sure what I should do. Ranger placed a finger below my chin and lifted my face to his. "Why don't you get dressed for bed and we'll see how it goes? If it doesn't work, you can always go back to the guest room."

I nodded and pushed against him so I could stand and do as he suggested. Making my way to the guest room, I chose my most modest pajama set: a pair of blue pajama shorts and a short-sleeved blue pajama button-up shirt. I took the ponytail out of my hair and brushed it out before returning to the den, where Ranger was still seated on the sofa. Although I didn't think I'd made a sound, the moment I stopped in the door, Ranger turned to me. He stood and held out his right hand, and I moved forward to place my hand in his. He led me to his bedroom, and I was floored once again at the beauty of the room. Ranger let me dictate which side of the bed I would use, and while I crawled into bed, he used the bathroom to get undressed. When I heard the bathroom door open, I stiffened slightly, wondering just what I was getting myself into.

Ranger came back into the bedroom in a pair of black silk boxers and a black T-shirt that looked like it was painted on his body. He was sex walking, and although he scared the shit out of me, I also found that I was excited as well. He moved to the bed and climbed in on the opposite side from where I was. He turned so that he was facing me and raised an eyebrow and patted the mattress in front of him. "Come on, Babe. I promise you'll be safe."

I moved over till I was in front of him with my back to him and settled myself into his warm embrace. Ranger covered us and turned out the light, and that was the last thing I remembered. I wasn't sure how long I'd been asleep or when the dream started, but somehow, I knew it was a dream and that what I was seeing was from the past and not happening now.

There was a knock on the door and I heard someone opening it. I was weak from a beating Tex had dished out when I'd tried to fight him off when he raped me a few hours before. Tex seemed to enjoy it more when I fought, because then he could be as vicious as he wanted. I could barely move because of the pain.

I heard Tex's voice asking, "What the hell are you doing here, dear brother?"

"Shut up and listen, you dumb shit!"

There was the sound of flesh meeting flesh, and then Tex was said, "You don't tell me to shut up, Timmy!"

"I'll tell you to shut up, and you'd better listen! I've done everything I can to keep the cops away, butGazzarawon't let up! Hell, Morelli is engaged to her and even he's given up on finding her, but not Gazzara. He's like a dog with a bone. He's convinced Lenny had something to do with her disappearance, even though everyone has told him to let it go."

"She'll bring us a fortune if I can break her."

"You may not have the time. Every time Lenny comes out here, you run the risk of getting caught. Kill her and move on to the next one."

"I'm not done with her yet."

"Why are you two so stuck on her?"

Tex's voice turned to a sneer. "We aren't into little girls like you, little brother. I've wanted this one ever since I read on the bathroom wall that she was good to eat. Just thought I would get my fill before selling her to the highest bidder. You'd be surprised at all the men out there that would pay a fortune for a beaten young woman—something about the black and blue bruising on the body that gets them off."

"That's disgusting."

Tex laughed. "Not as disgusting as watching you go at it with the eight to twelve-year-olds you favor."

"At least I know mine are pure."

There was silence for a moment, and it sounded as if someone was leaving. Then Tex said, "Hey, Timmy."

"What?"

"How about you turn your next one over to me when you get done, and we'll broaden our market. If there are those willing to pay for a beaten young woman, just imagine what they'll pay for a kid."

Both men laughed, and then the door shut, indicating one of them had left.

I opened my eyes, and it took a moment before I realized I was in Ranger's bed, being held in his arms. I knew I had been through this dream before, but this was the first time I'd woken knowing what the dream was about. Always before, I was hysterical and it was all I could do to forget what I had dreamed because it took me back to that time in hell. But this time, I recalled that conversation. It was a memory I'd pushed to the back of my mind because that was the only way I could deal with it. I was betting that I had Eddie to thank for my rescue. From the conversation I'd overheard, he must have followed Lenny to the house where I was being held and then organized a rescue team. I narrowed my eyes as I thought about who'd tipped Tex off that it was necessary to kill me. That was also why I'd been told no one else could have been involved by the one person with reason to make sure the other man was never caught. It also gave me something to think about in relation to Julie's nightmare. The man had said the next time he came back that Julie would be his. I needed to make sure whether or not what I had figured out was actually true. If so, then I could give Ranger the name of the man who'd planned to hurt his daughter.

Ranger moved behind me, and I knew from his breathing he was awake. "You okay, Babe?"

"I had a dream. It was more like a memory—something I'd pushed to the back of my mind so I could get past everything."

"Something trigger it to come out now?"

I hesitated. If I told Ranger, would he act on it before I had all the information that was needed, or would he be able to wait until we had the pervert dead to rights? All I knew was Ranger had asked me to trust him, and I was surprised to learn I really already did. I turned so I could look at him and said, "I overheard a conversation when I was locked up. That's what the dream was about. If I'm right, I think the man that was talking to Tex might be the man who planned to take Julie."

Ranger stilled and the look on his face was fierce. A part of me was afraid, but another part of me understood that it wasn't me that was the cause of the look, but the man who would've hurt Julie. Ranger laid a hand on the side of my face and said, "You let me know as soon as you know for sure you're right, Babe. That way I can make sure that he doesn't take another breath."

I nodded. "You'll be the first to know."