FADE TO BLACK

Disclaimer: As usual, all character's are the property of JE. Unfortunately she won't even let me borrow Ranger for a day or two. I am making no money yada, yada, yada.

WARNING: This story is VERY Un-Morelli friendly. If you are a Cupcake then you will absolutely hate my story. Joe is a very bad guy in this story. I'm a total Babe and it shows. It's actually extremely unkind to Mrs. Plum too. There will be adult language, violence, and situations so don't even bother reading any more if this will offend you.

Previously:

Lula was coming back from her tour as we sat down on the couch. "So is he going to take you to the Bat Cave?" she asked.

I don't know why, but I blushed. I didn't really know if I wanted to share that I was the Bat Cave, but I did want my friends to see how truly sweet he was, even if he was a badass.

"Actually, he said this apartment is the closest thing he has to a Bat Cave that he can live in." My friends were looking at me, wondering why I'd phrased it the way I did. I decided to put them out of their misery.

"He told me for the past two years, he's thought of me as home, so to him, I'm his Bat Cave."

This had all the girls ohhhing and awwing. We talked some more until the pizza arrived, and then chowed down. A large part of our evening was spent learning about Lula and Tank's relationship and the new house they were moving into on Wednesday. I was genuinely happy for my friends, and Lula looked like she was on cloud nine.

We spent the rest of the evening gossiping and enjoying each other's company. After the girls had a few drinks in them, Mary Lou tentatively asked, "So, do you want to know the latest gossip about your family, or would you rather not hear about it?"

"I was wondering why you hadn't told me anything about me or my family. You know what? I don't want to hear it. I'm tired of letting gossip run my life. I can't let it get to me anymore."

They all looked surprised, but we continued our fun well into the night. I eventually called the comm room and asked one of the guys to drive my friends home. They were pretty much three sheets to the wind, and I didn't want them driving. We agreed to meet at Macy's tomorrow after my doctor's appointment, then we hugged goodbye. I went in and got ready for bed, and was out before my head even hit the pillow.

CHAPTER 21

SPOV

I woke up at nine and got ready for my doctor's appointment. I had only had one glass of wine last night, because I had spent the past three weeks with a headache and didn't want to tempt fate. My appointment was at 10:30, and I knew Bobby was going with me, but I needed to find out if he had time to take me to the mall and meet the girls, or if another Merry Man would have to be my escort. I knew as soon as they found out I was going shopping, they would all run away as fast as their muscle-bound legs would carry them.

I took the elevator down to five and stepped off. I was greeted by numerous Merry Men and got a hug from each one. They all seemed to want to cheer me up. It was one of the things I loved about these guys. They watched out for me, and I had never had anyone do that before. They would defend me, and I knew some of them might even die for me. I would do the same for them.

For some reason, something clicked this time when I thought of that. I suddenly realized that my lack of respect for my personal safety was also a lack of respect for their safety, too. It was a very sobering thought. I looked around the room at the guys who were working, and thanked God I hadn't gotten any of them seriously injured or killed because of my stupidity. Sometimes I wondered why they did it. I often thought it was because Ranger ordered them to, but then I see the way they treat me when Ranger isn't here, and I'm not so sure anymore. They all seemed genuinely concerned about my health, mentally and physically. I was pulled from my thoughts when Bobby came out of his office.

"You ready, Bomber?" he asked.

"Most definitely. I'm dying to be allowed to do what I want. Um, Bobby, I wanted to ask you something."

The look he gave me had me thinking I might have made him a little nervous. I smiled at the thought that a little girl from the 'Burg could scare big Army-trained men.

"The girls and I want to go to the mall today. I know you can take me to the doctor, but I wasn't sure if you had time for the mall. I need some dressier clothes when I meet with the clients. My professional wear has been decimated since I started skip tracing. I also wanted to get my hair styled. I promised Ranger I'd keep a guy with me, so is there someone you want to punish or something?"

He actually laughed when I said that. "I do have a meeting today after your appointment, but I'll see if Hal and Ram can take you. They are going to be following as backup anyway."

I nodded, and he walked over to talk to them. I watched Bobby speak to them, and then saw both of their eyes focus on mine with an evil glint. I gave them a finger wave, and Hal seemed to cave. He nodded his head, and Bobby walked back to me.

"Hal volunteered, much to Ram's chargrin. Just don't stun him, and we should be good. Let's get you to the doctor," he said, wrapping an arm around my shoulders and guiding me to the elevator.

We climbed into the Explorer and headed to the doctor's office. I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to talk to Bobby about what some of my goals were.

"So Bobby, I was wondering what all you and the guys were planning on working with me on once I'm declared fit for duty," I told him.

"Well, I know you want to work on the physical side, but it's going to have to be just some basic exercises until you're cleared. Other than that, I know we've discussed you learning about what each of us do in the office so you can fill in for us if we're away. We also wanted to get you some basic B&E training, and teach you some offensive driving techniques," he explained.

I was instantly irked by that last statement. "Why the hell do I need to learn how to drive? I grew up in New Jersey, Bobby... EVERYBODY drives offensively. I'm a good driver," I huffed at him.

He chuckled a little before explaining more. "I didn't mean you couldn't drive, Steph. I was referring to spotting and losing a tail, and some other things that not even Jersey drivers learn," he told me with a smile.

"Oh, I guess that makes sense." I'd noticed he didn't mention me training with my gun, and I couldn't decide if I should mention it or not. I knew I needed to learn to be comfortable with it, but I still hated the stupid things.

"Uh, as much as I don't want to, you guys will help me with my gun, too, right?" I asked.

"Oh yeah, definitely. We can probably start that immediately, too. I know Tank is dying to get you back to full time. He's hoping once we've trained you, he'll never have to go to a client meeting again. He really hates wearing a suit." I smiled at that before I got out of the car to go into the doctor's office.

The doctor's visit was quick and painless. He asked me to come back in two weeks for another follow up, but said I was healing nicely. He also said I was cleared for moderate physical activity, such as exercising, but considering the type of work I did, he felt I should stay out of the field for about another month. That was fine with me, because I knew it would take longer than that for me to train properly. I left the office extremely happy.

We met Hal and Ram in the parking lot, and we all switched cars and went our separate ways.

"Thanks for taking me to the mall, guys. I know it's one of the worst forms of Bombshell duty, but I appreciate it," I told them.

Ram grunted. Fortunately, Hal isn't as uncommunicative.

"No problem, Steph. I don't really mind. I was on monitors today anyway. At least this way, I'm out of the office," he said with a shrug.

Hal was finally getting comfortable with me, which made me happy. To be perfectly honest, I thought he'd hate me for life after I'd stunned him, but he was surprisingly okay with it. He'd said it was his own fault for being so naive and trusting, and that I had taught him a lesson. I wasn't so sure about that, though. It made me think he might have some permanent damage from the stunning, but whatever works for him.

As usual, we parked in one of the first parking spots, and headed into Macy's. Lula, Connie, and Mary Lou were already there waiting for me. As soon as I walked in the door, we started shopping. For the next hour, I tried on clothes, shoes, and anything else I could find. We each bought some things, and then headed down to Victoria's Secret. Hal and Ram stood outside, because evidently even they had their limits. I bought a few new things there, too, because I wanted some surprises for Ranger when he came home and I was cleared for 'exercise'. Just thinking about him made my heart hurt. I missed him so much. This was going to be a very long few weeks.

Connie and Lula left after Victoria's Secret because they needed to get back to the office. Ram got called out on an emergency, and he took off like a death row inmate that had been granted a reprieve. I headed to Mr. Alexander's shop, hoping he could fit me in. Fortunately, he had a cancellation and got me right in. When he was finished, I was actually impressed. I still wasn't a fan of short hair, but he made it look pretty good, especially considering what he had to work with. After my haircut, Hal, Mary Lou, and I decided we needed some food, so we headed to the food court. We ordered our food, and the three of us sat down at a table. I was just getting ready to take my first bite, when I heard my mother's voice.

"Well, if it isn't the home-wrecker." Her shrill voice cut through the low murmur of the crowd in the food court.

"Is there something you need, Helen?" I asked her. I was so not in the mood for this.

"Yes, I need for you to have never been born." I heard Mary Lou gasp, and Hal started to stand up. I had to give him props; he was willing to take on my mother for me. This was my battle, though, so I shook my head, letting him know I was okay.

"I think we've been over this before. I don't see any reason to rehash it. I agreed to never step foot in your house, and even agreed that I would no longer consider myself your daughter. Now if you will excuse us, I would like to finish my meal in peace."

"I see you have a different THUG with you today. I heard that Ranger fellow had already left you. I'm surprised you aren't hanging out with that prostitute, too. How you can be seen in public with her, Mary Lou, I'll never understand. You'd better watch out, or she'll ruin your marriage, too." she said.

Mary Lou looked stunned and confused. Okay, mess with me, and I can handle it, but Ranger and my friends were off limits. I stood up, turned to face her, leaned in as close as I could get to her face, and spoke to her very quietly, making sure she could feel how pissed I was.

"I don't know exactly what your problem is, but I'll bet it's something hard to pronounce." Her face showed confusion, but Hal and Mary Lou got the jab at her mental health, and I heard them chuckle. "Now listen to me, you sanctimonious bitch. I have listened to you bitch and moan about me for thirty four years, and I HAVE HAD ENOUGH. You want to insult me, that's one thing, but you stay the fuck away from my friends. Ranger didn't leave me. He is away on a mission protecting this country. The guys at RangeMan are not thugs; almost every one of them has served their country in some way or another. And EVERY ONE of them put their lives on the line every day to keep your little corner of the earth safe.

"Lula is a wonderful person, who is loyal and caring. Just because she didn't have the opportunities you had doesn't make her less than you or anyone else. Obviously, Mary Lou isn't a petty BITCH like you. I did not ruin your marriage. Daddy left you because he can't stand you, and honestly, I can't blame him. Each one of my friends are worth twenty of you. Hell, even that's an insult to them. You disowned me! And you know what? I think that's great, because since I no longer have a mother, I don't have to listen to your bitching.

"Stop blaming me for all your problems. You are the cause of each and every one of them."

I slammed my napkin down on my food, because I didn't want anymore.

"Before you came along, I was hungry. Now I'm just fed up." I turned to pick up my bags so we could leave.

"I hope your boyfriend never comes back. I hope he dies while he's out doing whatever illegal activities he's doing this time. After all the pain and shame he's brought to my family and the Morellis, it's exactly what he deserves!" my mother spat at me.

As soon as the words left her mouth, I turned around and slapped her. She stepped back, looking stunned and rubbing her cheek where I'd slapped her. I heard Mary Lou gasp; evidently, she was as shocked as I was that I had enough guts to slap my own mother. I felt Hal stand up and step behind me, but I kept him from stepping around me.

"How dare you…" she began, but I cut her off.

"No! How dare you, Helen? How dare you say something so cruel and tasteless about a man that is doing the exact same job Daddy did for his country! How would you feel if someone had said something like that to you about Daddy when he was away on missions?"

That actually seemed to give her pause, but not for long.

"Don't you dare compare that thug to your father!"

"Why the hell not? The only difference is when Daddy left the service, he worked for the post office. Carlos opened a security firm, but he still gives his time to the government. So why don't you explain to me what makes them so different?" I asked her.

"Your father isn't a drug dealer and a murderer. How else do you explain all his money and shiny cars?"

I rolled my eyes at her. I felt Hal step towards my mother and start to say something again, but I stopped him with my hand.

"Where the hell did you get that from? Morelli? The 'BURG?'" I spat at her with as much venom as I felt about these two things that have wreaked hell on my life for as long as I can remember.

"For your information, Ranger owns a very successful security firm, with some of the wealthiest clients in the area. He has branches in Miami, Boston, Atlanta, and Trenton. He does jobs for the FBI, ATF, and a bunch of other alphabet agencies of the government. Do you honestly believe any of these agencies would be willing to work with him if ANY of that shit is true?"

I decided Abruzzi wasn't relevant in this situation, because it was my fault he had to do it. Yeah, I know I was rationalizing, but that wasn't the point.

"Do you think he would be going on covert operations if that were true? More importantly, do you think Dad would ever approve of him if it were true? And I assure you, he does. Ranger is the only man I've ever dated my father approves of. "

That seemed to make her stop and think again. At that point, though, I didn't really care what she thought about me, but Ranger was the best man I knew, and it bothered me that no one knew how truly good he was. I turned, grabbed my bags, and motioned to Hal and Mary Lou that I was ready to go.

I stopped before moving away, because I had one last thing to say to her. "I don't care what you say about me, but leave Ranger and my friends, which include Ranger's men, out of it, or you will have to answer to me. And I swear to you, if Ranger doesn't come back to me safe and in one piece, I will do everything in my power to ruin what little bit of a life you have left."

Without giving her a chance to respond, I just walked away, with Mary Lou and Hal following close behind me.

It was then I realized the entire food court was silent. They had obviously been tuning into another episode of the Life of Stephanie Plum show, but for once, I didn't really care. I was shaking with so much anger and fear, I could barely think straight. Part of me wanted to go straight to the gym and start beating on the first thing I could find, but another part of me wanted to go straight to the nearest church to pray for Ranger, to try and counteract my mother's cruel and callous words. I settled for practically speed walking back to the truck, and silently sending up prayer after prayer to keep Ranger safe. I could feel tears burning my eyes, and I wasn't sure if they were from the anger at my mother, or fear that Ranger might not come home to me.

Somewhere in the haze of anger, heartbreak, and fear, I realized Mary Lou was trying to talk to me, and I was already standing by the truck, waiting for Hal to catch up with me.

"Huh? What did you say?" I asked.

Mary Lou took my hand, trying to get me to focus. "Steph! Sweetie, are you okay? I can't believe the things your mother said to you. I always knew she was a little cold, but I never realized how horrible she could be."

I wasn't sure what she wanted me to say. No, I'm not okay. My mother is an evil bitch, and now she may have jinxed the love my life. For some reason, I didn't think that's what she wanted to hear.

"I'm fine, Lou. I'm actually starting to get used to it, as bad as that sounds. I just need a little time to calm down," I finally told her.

"Do you want to come back to my place for awhile? I have to pick the boys up from school, but I can have Lenny take them somewhere as soon as he gets home."

I smiled at her, grateful to have such a loving and caring friend. "No, Lou, it's okay. I'm going to head home and try to forget the whole thing, but thanks."

She nodded, gave me a hug, and headed off to her car. "Call me if you need anything, Steph," she called back to me before she climbed into her car.

I nodded my head and turned to look at Hal.

Hal was one of the sweetest of the Merry Men. Since I have been dealing with them for a few years now, I had learned that all of them are just big teddy bears if you get past their 'I'm a Badass and can kill you without leaving any evidence' facade. Hal didn't really put out that vibe, though. He just happened to be a sweet, Midwest, country boy at heart, and he had a hard time coming off as a big bad mercenary.

I could see by the look on his face that he was worried about me, so I gave him one of my best smiles.

"Big guy, are you going to open the trunk for me so I can put my purchases inside?" I asked, trying to sound cheerful.

Evidently, he didn't buy it. "Are you okay, Bomber?" he asked, as he opened the trunk for me.

"Yep, I'm just hunky dory," I replied, and realized I might be trying a little too hard to pull off the jovial attitude.

Hal put his hands on my shoulders and turned me to face him. "Seriously, Steph, that was a pretty ugly scene in there. Your mother said some really awful things. You handled it well, but you've been through a lot over the past few weeks. I know you have Mary Lou and the girls, but if you ever need to talk to someone who understands what it feels like to be left behind with nothing to do but wait and pray, just know I'm here for you."

His kindness and sincerity were almost more than I could take, and the stress of encounter was starting to get to me. I looked away as a single tear escaped. I took a deep breath, wiped it away, squared my shoulders, and looked back at him with a genuine smile.

"Thanks, Hal. I really do appreciate that."

He nodded and reached down to help me put my bags in the trunk. He accidentally knocked one over, and a scrap of bright red spandex fell out. I watched as he turned crimson when he picked it up and realized it was a pair of women's underwear with Bootilicous written in hot pink across the ass. I tried to stop the giggle that escaped, but I couldn't help it. Watching him try to put them back in the bag without looking at them was more than I could take.

"Looks like Lula and I got one of our bags mixed up. Do you think we could drive by the bonds office on the way back to Haywood?" I asked as he shut the trunk.

"Yeah, sure. Uh, whatever. Th-that's fine," Hal stuttered.

He was still red as a beet when we got into the truck, so I decided to chance the subject.

So who did you have to wait and pray for?"I asked, before realizing I might be being a little too nosy. "If you don't want to tell me, that's okay," I quickly added.

"No, it's cool. I don't mind at all, Bomber," he replied as we headed toward the bonds office.

"My dad was a Navy Seal during Desert Storm. He did a lot of classified missions in Afghanistan, too. So growing up, I spent a lot of time on the front porch, waiting for him to come home. I went on a few missions myself before I got out, and I can honestly tell you the waiting is just as hard as being on the mission. Don't get me wrong, missions can be down right horrible. Being away from your friends and family and in the high stress situations is ridiculously difficult, but you have a job to do and something to keep your mind occupied while you're away on a mission. It's the not knowing and the waiting while your mind brings up so many different scenarios that makes it so hard to wait for someone to come home.

"Ranger really is the best, though. I know everyone says it, but it definitely is true. I mean, I used to hear Navy Seals say his name in awe. He'll be back home soon. Just try to keep yourself busy, and you'll get through it. You have all the Merry Men at your disposal, too," he reassured me with a wink.

I laughed at the thought of what exactly I could get the Merry Men into before Ranger came home.

"Thanks, Hal. I needed to hear that," I told him. He had actually made me feel better. Knowing the things in my head were normal really helped.

"Sure, Bomber. No problem," he replied as we pulled up to the office.


(I know nothing about military way of life, so I hope I didn't offend anyone with Hal's description of it)

TBC...

As always thanks to the two best beta's in the world, Connie and Jenny. Without you this story would be complete s#%t