All characters named in this story were created by Janet Evanovich, except the rookie cops and the teen gang members and Jacob Stanton (the House Monster), created by AutumnDreaming for this story.

All of Morelli's cop experiences in this story have been creatively adapted from the experiences of Ralph L. Dettweiler, former Sergeant of South Carolina Sheriff's Department, found at

Additional inspiration was gleaned from Charles Martin's novel Chasing Fireflies.

Morelli's POV

I was returning the basketball Ranger and I had "borrowed" from the boys at the high school. I found them at a nearby park, standing around a burning trash can smoking dope. I was putting my shirt back on and was about to get out of the SUV to return the ball, when I realized that I was too much at ease on my old turf, and remembered that I was a cop with a bullseye on my back. I pulled my shirt back off and put my vest on, then pulled my shirt and jacket on over it.

I was about to get out, when one of the kids approached the SUV. I rolled down the window, realizing only then that I was holding my breath, waiting with my hand hovering over my gun till I could see both of his hands were empty. He pulled his hands out of his jacket pockets, but it was dark, and I couldn't see him that well until he was too close for it to matter. He reached out for the ball, and I tossed it out the window to him. He caught it, and we just looked at each other for a second – not in a friendly way, but in a cautious way. He turned and walked back to the other boys, and I rolled my window up and was slowly pulling back onto the street when the scanner reported a fire off Liberty.

My thoughts flashed back to dinner. Steph said that Dillon and Grandma Mazur were going after Alou at Blue Fish later tonight. I wondered if I should head over there and help, like she'd asked. I was already on my way when the police scanner announced a fight at Blue Fish. I sped up. I was fishing around for my Kojak light when I passed Dillon Rudick's car. Steph and Grandma Mazur were with him. I pulled a u-turn and slapped the blue light on the roof of the SUV and followed.

Dillon didn't see me at first, so I hit my siren. He looked back, swerving in panic a little. I saw Steph turn and look, then tell him it was me, urging him to stop till he finally slowed and pulled over. I pulled in behind them just as the scanner reported the need for an ambulance to respond to a possible fatality at Blue Fish.

I got out and walked up to the passenger window.

"Want to tell me now, or down at the station?" I asked.

"It wasn't my fault," she insisted.

"That's right. It was an accident. And it was self-defense," Grandma Mazur announced from the back seat.

"Where is the gun?" I asked.

"I have it," Steph said, showing me the .45 long barrel her Grandma usually carried.

"And who got shot?" I asked.

"No one got shot. Not a single shot fired," Steph assured me.

"Then why is there a dead body at Blue Fish?"

"How can you possibly know that?" Dillon asked, incredulous.

"Someone called the cops," I told him. Turning back to Steph, I pressed on. "Well?"

"Okay. Grandma got into a fight with another woman who said the long barrel was her gun. She somehow got the idea that her husband had been cheating on her with Grandma." I tried not to snicker, holding tight to my cop face. "When I tried to separate them, someone recognized me. Alou pulled a gun on me, Grandma hit him with a full pitcher of beer, I tripped him, and he grabbed a microphone as he was going down and accidentally got electrocuted."

I stared at her, trying to make sense of the images in my head. "She doused him with beer. You tripped him. He grabbed a microphone and got electrocuted."

"Yep."

"None of this would have happened if he hadn't pulled a gun on Stephanie," Dillon interjected.

"None of this would have happened if you had sent Dillon in alone like I suggested," I said. "Why the hell did you go in there?" I asked Steph.

"I was outside waiting with Kenny and Buckey, but they got a fire call and took off, leaving me stranded outside Blue Fish. I had not choice but to go in. And Grandma was already on the ground fighting with that old battle ax."

"Okay," I groaned. "I have to go to Blue Fish and check out the scene. Don't move."

I went back to my SUV and pulled out my radio and called Gazarra. He was one of Steph's best friends and one of the few cops I could really trust. He estimated he could be there in ten minutes, so I waited until he pulled up in his personal vehicle. He was barely in uniform. He'd been at home, off duty, when I'd called.

"What's up?" he asked. "Was that really Steph and Grandma Mazur involved in the fight at Blue Fish?"

"Yeah," I said, waiving him to come up to Dillon's car. "I need you to keep an eye on these troublemakers while I go down to Blue Fish and sort out this mess."

"You got it," Gazarra said. "I'm your witness." He leaned down and called to Dillon. "Wait till I can follow, then drive down the street here to the little grocery store, and we'll wait in the parking lot so we're less conspicuous and out of the way."

Dillon nodded. I patted Gazarra on the back and headed off for Blue Fish.

When I got there, the scene was just as Stephanie had described. One extra crispy arms dealer with flies.

After processing the scene and talking to the coroner, asking all those present for an account and taking all the notes and pictures I thought I might need, I returned to my SUV and called Gazarra. I met up with them in the parking lot and got into the backseat of Dillon's car with Grandma so I could talk to them.

"Alou is dead. Electrocuted. It appears to have been an accident, and that is what is going in my report, however, it is going to be a wait and see if the D.A. is going to pursue involuntary manslaughter charges."

"Manslaughter? Charged against who?" Steph asked breathlessly.

"That's up to the D.A. Could be you or Grandma or both."

"He's the one who pulled the gun."

"I know. It's attached to him, and he's still holding it tight. That's one of the reasons I doubt the D.A. is going to bother prosecuting this case. It's a waste of their time. However, I have no witnesses to the event."

"What do you mean there are no witnesses? Blue Fish was full tonight. Everyone saw what happened," Dillon said, turning all the way around in his seat to look at me.

"On Stark Street, there are no witnesses. No one claims to have seen a thing. They live by a code. They don't rat on anyone. Ever. That's both good and bad." Steph gave me a quizzical look. "It's good because no one is accusing you of murdering Alou. No one is even placing you at the scene. It's bad because these people don't believe in our justice system. They have their own."

"What are you saying?" Steph asked, holding her breath and knowing what was coming.

"I'm saying you need to stay at your parent's house tonight, or better yet, a safehouse."

She groaned and slid down into her seat. "I knew it. I just knew it. It was only a matter of time."

"What do you want to do?" Dillon asked her.

"How about I take you and Grandma home?" I offered.

She was silent. Frustrated tears were filling her eyes as I helped Grandma out and opened her front passenger door. I offered my hand, and she reluctantly took it and let me lead her around to the passenger side of the SUV. I thanked Dillon and Gazarra for watching out for them, and we drove away.

I parked out front of Stephanie's parent's house. I walked Grandma Mazur to the door first. She'd stiffened up, sore from the fight. I deposited her inside the house and then came back for Steph. She was shivering in the front seat from fear and emotional exhaustion. It had been a very long, very bad day.

I stood on the sidewalk beside her open door, leaning in and stroking her hair, brushing it away from her eyes and forehead.

"Cupcake," I whispered. "I'm sorry things didn't go as planned tonight." She looked a little confused, not sure if I meant dinner or Blue Fish. I meant both.

She slipped from my grasp, ducking under my arm past me, walking towards the house alone.

"Hey," I said, grabbing her arm and turning her around. "Wait."

"Don't" she said, pushing me away and trying to turn back towards the house.

"I love you, Cupcake. With all my heart."

"Doesn't look like it," she said with a hint of malice. That caught me by surprise.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means you look and smell like you just crawled out of bed…someone else's."

I raised both eyebrows and then remembered that I was a sweaty mess after having played basketball with Ranger. I couldn't tell her about my talk with Ranger. She would think we were conspiring behind her back. But, a lie wouldn't serve me well, I thought, so I decided to give her as much truth as I could without giving too much.

"I was playing basketball," I told her. "There is no one else for me but you. Maybe there was once, but there isn't now. And I'm sorry I didn't ask you to marry me again. I should have."

She stared at me, her mouth open.

"And I'm proud of you for assembling your team. It takes time to build and train a team. You're not going to get it together in one night. Give it some time."

"You're not giving up on me?" She squeaked, a single tear falling.

"Never, Cupcake." I opened my arms and she rushed into them. "I need you."

She squeezed me tight and cried for a few minutes while I held her, right there on the sidewalk. I needed to get her inside, so I scooped her up in my arms and carried her up the stairs into the house. Her mother held the door, and I carried her right up the stairs and into her old bedroom. I laid her on the bed, and she relaxed. I pulled off her shoes, pulled down the covers, and tucked her in.

"You've had enough for today," I told her, kissing her goodnight and turning off the light as I left.

"I love you, Joe," she said as I turned to go.

"I love you too," I said.

I went downstairs. Grandma Mazur was just finishing explaining the night's events to Mom and Frank. Frank gave me the signal. I kissed Mom goodnight and followed Frank to the back of the garage. We sat on our paint cans and lit up.

"So, what's the deal with Steph and this Ranger guy?" he asked. "You know, he came to the house for dinner not long ago? Sat in your seat at the table, too."

"No, I didn't know that. I can't believe it," I said, positively stunned.

"Yep. Didn't even stay for dessert."

"Now that I can believe."

"So, where were you?" Frank asked in an almost accusatory tone.

"Sitting on Dickie, I suppose." I had to laugh. "I can't understand how all of a sudden Dickie seems to keep getting in my way. Ranger I can understand, but Dickie? He's not even trying and he's ruining my life."

"The only thing that scumbag is fit to get in the way of is a speeding bus, and I know where we can find one," Frank said, spitting a stray piece of cigar paper from the corner of his mouth.

I told him about dinner, the earrings, basketball with Ranger minus some of the details, and about Blue Fish.

Referring to the earrings, Frank said, "Dickie always thought he could buy a woman's affections. He has no idea what it takes to make a marriage work."

"What's it take, Frank?" I asked, genuinely interested in his opinion.

"What do you think it takes, Stupid? Love. L-O-V-E."

"That's kind of obvious, but there's more to it, or we'd have worked things out by now."

"Joe, when you love a woman enough to marry her, you have to be willing to give up your own dreams for the security and well being of your wife and kids." He spat again. "I'm not saying you never get your way or that having dreams is bad. I'm just saying that your family has to be more important."

"Stephanie is the most important thing to me, but I just don't know how to show her," I said. "Ranger killed for her. He's sacrificed himself for her. He's been shot or injured I don't know how many times trying to help her or defend her. And I can't even calculate the amount of money he's spent on her over the years. He always has more time for her. I can't compete with all that." I blew out a long smoky breath and dropped my head into my hands, rubbing my throbbing temples. "I don't even want to try to compete with that."

"Joe, that stuff's all physical. He's probably killed before and will likely kill again, believe me...I've met him. That's one scary guy. And maybe he's put his life on the line for her, but you put your life on the line every day. You'd give your life for complete strangers if the situation called for it! I'm not so sure he'd be willing to do that. And yeah, I'm thankful this guy's been around to protect Steph, but that's not love." He took a long drag off his cigar. "Sure, he'd die for her. It's easy to die for someone. But living with them...that's real love. That's the test."

I sighed. "I don't have anything to give her that she wants. She doesn't want the house with the white picket fence and 2.5 kids, I can't afford for her to blow up all my vehicles, and I don't have time to follow her all around town while she's playing Wonder Woman."

"Come on, Joe. You're making this way too hard. You just give her your heart, swallow your pride, swear undying loyalty, and the rest will follow. Loving someone is a decision, a choice, not a feeling. And you can't buy it." He paused. "Okay you do have to buy some of it, but that all comes later, especially after the kids are born."

"Frank! You're not helping!"

He chuckled as he blew out another lungful of cancer. "You learn to cope, and you find a place where you have peace when you need it, and you just hang in there, letting her know that you'll never leave, no matter what."

"You almost left once," I said, reminding him of the time he threatened to move out when Valerie, Albert and the kids were all planning to move in with them. In combination with Grandma Mazur, I had to agree it would be too much for any man to endure.

"Temporary insanity. You're allowed one break down every decade. It's an unwritten rule, but it's still part of the game. Besides, I didn't leave."

"That's because Stephanie let them use her apartment," I reminded him.

"I taught her to be there for her family, and she was. That's how it's done," he said, as if I had just proven his point instead of my own. I had to smile.

"Has it been worth it, Frank?"

"The thing about a woman…she'll drive you crazy. Then, she'll drive you crazy. But, is it worth it? Yeah. What else are you going to do with your life? Your heart doesn't mean a thing till you give it away. I mean, what are you keeping it safe for anyway? Is there any other use for it?"

He took a long drag off his cigar and leaned back against the garage. "There are a lot of things I have to do that I don't want to do. There are a lot of situations that I find myself in with this family that I have no control over. Actually, most situations in life fall into that category. I think the greatest lesson I've learned is to be content with nothing." I looked back around the side of the garage at the house and yard and back to Frank with a raised eyebrow. "Okay, with very little," he said. "I'm proud to say I didn't let the love of my life get away. I'm proud of my daughters often enough. I'm proud to say I've provided for my family for over thirty years. Not a lot of men can say that these days. Beside," he said, blowing out another long drag. "That old bag can't hang on forever," he said under his breath, referring to Grandma Mazur.

"I don't know," I said. "I think she may outlive all of us."

"Tell me about it!" he said with a sudden shiver. "I have nightmares that I go first. I'm lying in my coffin, peaceful and quiet, and all of a sudden I wake up to see her ugly mug prying my casket open at my own viewing! I wake up in a cold sweat, just this side of a heart attack." I was grinning ear to ear, but Frank still looked serious. He ground out his cigar. "Probably she'd be too afraid to tell Helen she finally did me in, so she'd just have me stuffed by that Coglin nut. And you know, around here, probably no one would notice."

"I'd notice," I assured him. "I'd even run her in for you," I joked.

"I know you would." He patted me on the back. "You know, Joe, even if you never manage to marry that girl, you're still the closest thing to a son I'm ever going to have."

My heart suddenly banged around in my chest. I was somehow relieved inside to hear it. "I've always thought of you as Dad, Frank."

"We're in this together, then," he said, as I ground out my cigar. We stood and walked back towards the house.

"You're nothing like Rocco Morelli, you know," Frank said, was we went our separate ways. "And you're a better man for Stephanie than Ranger. You two remind me of that story about the widow and the mite."

"How's that?"

"Ranger gives out of his abundance, but you give everything you have even when you have nothing to spare. You give her everything you have, and you hold back nothing from her. That makes your sacrifices for her much more valuable than Ranger's. Remember that, Son."

To be continued…