Ch ?-Healing

I woke up with Ranger holding my hand. Bobby was right, everything hurt so much more than yesterday. Ranger was awake and looking at my face. I turned to look at him. He breathed out a big sigh and reached out to rub my forehead. "You are in pain aren't you?"

"No." I lied as my voice cracked.

He sighed and jumped up. When he left I rolled over onto my back and sighed. He came back with ice and pills. "Take them and you better tell me when you are in pain."

I took the pills and set the ice under my arm. "Can you please tell me exactly what happened last night at Mario's?"

He sighed and laid back."You really need to know?"

"Yes, I can't help wondering about it."

"Okay let's make a deal. You tell me the truth about your pain, put the ice on your face and promise to stay in this apartment for two days to heal." he told me.

"I am supposed to go shopping with your mom this weekend." I told him

"Well Steph it's Tuesday. So you have nothing to do until the weekend." he smiled

"RANGER!" I whined

"Forget the two days, just stay home and rest until the weekend." I rolled my eyes. "Unless you want everyone to see you like this." He stared at me waiting for an answer

"Fine!" I told him "WAIT! Are you embarrassed of me?" I asked him

"I could never be embarrassed of you." he smiled "You know what? I will go get a wheelchair right now and push you all around the Burg."

"Very funny" I rolled my eyes

He kissed my forehead. "I just want you healthy and feeling better. Can you understand that?"

"But..." I sighed

"Babe, every time you are hurt, even if you get a splinter it hurts me."

"Well, when you get hurt it hurts me too." I huffed

"That's love, we'll learn to deal with it after you get better." he told me

"I'm not sick! I can walk and do anything I normally do." I sighed

"Babe, please." his eyes got soft

"Okay, I will promise to take it easy, now tell me." I demanded

"That's not a promise to stay home and rest." he arched an eyebrow

"It's the best I can give you right now." I winked

"I have one question for you first. Please I am begging you to tell me the truth." he took my hand in his

"Begging?" I raised an eyebrow.

"Yes."

"I promise." I squeezed his hand

"I didn't ask you last night because I might have had to break my promise to you and kill him." He took a deep breath "The bruises on your legs, your breakdown in the shower. Did he uhmmm" he hesitated

"What?" I didn't understand

"Did he rape you?" he spoke quietly

I opened my mouth to answer and he put his finger to my lips "I need you to know that no matter how you answer, it changes nothing. I love you and I want you to be my wife." he rubbed the side of my head. "We can make it through anything together Babe."

"No Ranger, that didn't happen. You asked me for honesty so I will give it to you. I feel if we weren't at the police station he really might have." I sighed "How could he do this?"

He took my hand to his lips and kissed it. "It's okay."

"No, it's not okay." a tear fell down my face. "Damn it! I am crying again."

"Babe." he smiled at me and reached up to wipe them away.

"I am pissed, I am furious! His words were bad enough, going back and forth from cruel to caring. I am in shock really. How the hell does someone change so much? I know he has become cruel, but to actually put his hands on me just really pisses me the hell off." more tears "I felt helpless and I hate feeling helpless."

He moved closer to me so I could bury my head into his chest and still keep my arm on the pillow. "You should be mad Stephanie. It's okay to be pissed. I admit I was really surprised. I knew he was pissed and hurt. I just figured he would keep using his words to hurt you and beg you back. You aren't helpless, you had your guard down because you trusted him. You weren't prepared to have to defend yourself against him. Helping Jeanne Ellen, attacking you? I don't get the sudden big change in him." he wrapped his arm around me being careful for my arm.

"I'm prepared now, that won't happen again." I felt determined.

"I know." he kissed my head "So many times I was forced to think of life without you."

"and?"

"I don't know. I wouldn't allow myself to go down that road because even the mere thought of you dying hurt so immensely I couldn't handle it."

"I'm sorry. I know for me it would be the same." I touched his arm.

"Then I thought about what I would do if you chose him. If you married him."he sighed

"and?"

"I would want to run away. I would want to beat the crap out of the bag in the gym." he smiled "But you know what?"

"what?"

"I wouldn't stay away for long. I wouldn't be able to just leave you and worry for your safety. I would love you forever and help you as long as you needed me." he grinned. "I would never ever consider hurting you. I would never force you to kiss me or anything else. It would hurt to see you with him, but as long as you were happy..."

"But I could never lead that life. You would still be in my heart. You would still be the one I call when I need someone. Not just for help with cases." I told him

"Some days I wake up beside you or I look at your ring and I still think it's a dream. I still wonder if I really deserve you." he kissed my hand

"You deserve to be happy. You make me happy and I want to spend the rest of my life making you happy." I pulled his hand to my lips and kissed it

"How is your jaw?" he asked

"Better today. It's my arm and neck that hurt the worst." I confided

"Can I tell you I would still like to kill him?" he smiled

"Tell me about last night." I told him as I looked up at him while keeping my head on his chest.

"Well I told you I called Grizoli. He said Terri was done with Morelli and they were both disgusted with him. He assured me there would be no retaliation from his people if I did anything." He moved my pillow and arm to his hip so he could put his arm around my waist and pull me closer. "I called Juniak and he wanted to know if we should just end his career. I told him I didn't want you in that position and he would end it on his own soon. I knew you wouldn't want people to know anything. I still worried he might have raped you and I knew you would be devastated if anyone knew about it." he stroked my hair

"Always protecting me." I smiled at him

"Juniak brought the Chief to meet me and he gave me the promise I would not be arrested. He said he would hold assault charges over his head. He called Gazarra and told him to stay in this area. He asked me about ending Morelli's career too and I said you would not want people to know everything unless Morelli forced your hand."

"Than you." I whispered.

"They were both worried I wouldn't be able to control myself and I might kill him. They warned me they couldn't protect me if I let it go that far." he kissed my head "So, like I told you, I went looking for him and found him at Mario's. He thought he was untouchable. Then he ran his mouth about you. I suggested we go outside. He laughed and showed me his badge and told me to remember who he was."

"So cocky." I shook my head and he squeezed my shoulder. "What did he say?"

"The same old stuff about your sexual life. How he was your first and your best." we both rolled our eyes

"What an idiot." I told him

"When we got outside he was running his mouth again. He was trying to push me. I think he didn't really realize the damage he caused you. He thought I was looking for him because I was jealous. He actually thought you came home and told me you wanted him." he laughed and I gave an eye roll.

"What do you mean he didn't realize the damage?" I asked

"He was under the hallucination that you enjoyed the meeting at the police station. He thought you came home and dumped me." He shook his head and rolled his eyes. "I don't know what was going on in his head. He honestly believed he had not hurt you."

"Crazy." I sighed again

"Yeah, I told him you were never coming back to him. I told him you were hurt and disgusted after the incident. I told him he needed to pay for what he had done to you." he blew out a breath and looked past me

"Hey." I grabbed his face so I could look into his eyes. "I'm proud of you. I am so proud that we talk like this now. I am so happy that you have opened up to me so much."

"It's not always easy. I just know I need to give you everything. I spoke so little to hide all of my thoughts and emotions. I know I don't need to do that with you anymore." he smiled

"Never again. There is nothing you could say that would change how I feel for you." I pulled him towards me and kissed him slow and sweet.

"mmmm" he moaned

"Now, what happened next?" I grinned as I pulled away

"I pushed him, I wanted him to hit me first." he told me

"How?" I asked "Physically?"

"You don't want to know." he sighed as he took the ice from my arm and placed it near my chin. I grabbed it and placed it on my bruises.

"Tell me." I pleaded

"I told him I had you in my bed, I had my ring on your finger. I reminded him how he said you were fantastic in bed. I told you were better than he remembered and he would never have you again."

"I'm not mad." I assured him. I tried to move my legs, pressing against each other made them hurt. Ranger noticed and grabbed a pillow. He lifted my leg and placed the pillow in between my thighs. He rubbed the outside of my leg.

"I know you are in pain and I have absolutely no intention on causing you more, but I have to tell you that I love your legs." he raised his eyebrow.

I laughed. "So did it work?"

"Yes, it worked and he hit me in the mouth. I wanted any camera around to see he hit me first."he paused "Then I went after him. I wanted to break bones so he would feel more pain than you. I went at him and..." he paused again

"and?"

"I was out of control. I didn't see him in front of me. I saw all of the times he had his hands on his hips yelling at you instead of being happy you were alive. I remembered all of the lies and cruel things he said to you in the meeting. I pictured how he had hurt you at the police station. Finally I pulled myself back to reality. I saw him and he was on the ground and I was still hitting him. I grabbed his arm..." he took a deep breath and I nodded. "Well I put my knee on his chest and let's just say I broke his arm."

"Wow" I blinked

"I don't mean to scare you said you wanted details." he rubbed my temple.

"You don't scare me." I put my hand out and rubbed his cheek.

"Once I heard it break it snapped me awake. I regained my control and I said some words and then waked away. If you thought the fight in Hawaii was bad..."

"What words?" I asked

"I told him if he ever laid a finger on you again I would kill him." he admitted "I meant it."

We sat there in silence for a while. He rubbed my shoulder and I kept my head against his chest. I took a deep sigh before I finally spoke. "I am not mad at you. I am thankful you told me the whole story. I understand you lost control, I would do the same if someone hurt you. I am aggravated you went alone, because he could have shot you." I put my left hand around the back of his neck and pulled his face to me. I kissed him and pulled away. He leaned in and kissed me again, he was gentle and kissed me over and over with soft lips.

"I love you." I whispered in between his kisses.

"I love you too." he smiled as he stopped the kisses and pulled my head to his chest.

The intercom buzzed "Coming up" Tank warned

"Understood." Ranger told him

"Tank is coming up with files from Vinnie. I figured you could work at home. Give the guys some tips and history on picking up the skips." he winked as he got himself up and I moved to a sitting position.

"Can you set me up on the couch?" I asked

"Of course. You get out there and I will bring the pillows and blanket." he told me as I got up.

I made my way to the couch and Ranger propped up my arm and put a bed tray beside me. I looked down to find a hot cup of coffee and two Boston cream donuts. "You are the best!" I smiled at him.

He was headed for the door but turned around to wink at me. Tank came in with a hand full of files. Hector was behind him with a laptop and computer equipment. Finally Hal came in carrying a box. "Here you go." Tank dropped the files on the end table next to the couch.

"Buenos dias." Hector smiled as he set the laptop on the coffee table and started setting up and connecting other equipment to it.

"Good morning gentleman." I greeted them

"Lunch." Hal smiled as he walked closer to me and lifted the lid from the box so I could see the chocolate cake inside.

"You know the way to my heart." I told him as he brought the box to the kitchen

"Okay Steph, you ready to work?" Tank asked me as he picked up the files and sat in a chair next to the couch.

"I'd love it!" I flashed a giant smile. So happy to get back to some kind of normalcy.

"Okay first I have a shoplifter who then stole Big Dog's cruiser on the way out." he told me as I laughed "His name is Lucas Fields."

"His cousin Tom was in my class." I thought for a moment. "I know Lucas was always obsessed with animals."

Tank was taking notes "Loves animals." he smirked

"Hey. you never know what information could be useful." I drank some coffee after I ate an entire doughnut in two bites.

"I'll be back." Ranger came from the kitchen and stopped to kiss me on the forehead. "I am headed to Shop-Rite."

"We need groceries?" I asked him

"No, they need a new security system. One guy owns five chains in the area. I am meeting with him to go over plans." I shouldn't be gone long. I will bring back some pizza or whatever you want." he smiled as he headed for the door.

"How about a meatball sub?" I asked

His phone rang and he grabbed it right away "Yo" he spoke for a few more minutes. When he disconnected he looked at Hector. "Bill's Tavern is a go."

Hector nodded from the kitchen table where he was eating a breakfast burrito

"I will get back to the war room and see where we are." Hal told Ranger and he nodded.

"War Room?" I asked

"We have a room dedicated to Jeanne Ellen capture and Morelli surveillance. Connected to all offices." Hal explained

"Impressive." I nodded

"I told you Babe we got this." He came back to kiss me one more time before he headed for the door.

"Don't forget the sub." I called after him.

"Babe" he shut the door.

"Okay" Tank continued "We have Sophia Jackson."

"Don't know her. Where does she live? What did she do?" I asked him

"Stark street. Set her boyfriend's car on fire." he wrinkled his forehead

"Can you hand me my phone?" I asked him as he got up to retrieve it from the kitchen counter.

"Here ya go." he put it in my hand and I hit the speed dial for Lula

"Hey girl." she answered

"Hey! Do you know a Sophia Jackson?" I asked

"Hell yeah! She is Dominique's cousin. She is always dating losers and cheaters." she told me

"Tank is looking for some information on her. She set her boyfriend's car on fire." I explained

"Doesn't surprise me. He probably deserved it." she laughed "She hangs out at Rossi's bar on Whitehorse-Mercerville Road in Hamilton. Does he need any help picking her up?"

"I will give him the info and make sure one of the guys reaches out to you if they need any help or more information on her." I assured her

"Cause Connie and I are just sitting here eating fried chicken talking about news in the Burg." she was chewing on something as she spoke

"What's the news?" I asked her as Tank got up to get some coffee.

"Well, the biggest news is how your man gave a beating to Officer Hottie. Damn girl, he has a broken arm cheek and nose. He even has a couple of ribs broken too. Damn he looks like hell." she told me

"You saw him?" I was confused

"No but Mary Ann Crimaldi was on shift when his partner brought him in to St. Francis. She told Lisa Wallen and she told Connie's sister." Lula explained the chain of information.

"Well, he must have done something to piss Ranger off." I dismissed it

Lula laughed "Damn girl, I love this new attitude. Where are you?"

"I have a cold, so I am resting at home. Tank brought me some files to get information so he could send some guys out on the skips." I told her as I grabbed my other doughnut.

"I must have missed him on a count of my alarm didn't go off in time so I was a little late." she told me as I hear Connie yell in the background that she was over an hour late and I laughed. The laughing hurt my jaw and I sucked in a breath as Hector and Tank's heads whipped over to look at me.

I waved my hand to let them know that I was okay but Tank came over and took the phone from me anyway. "Hey Lula. That's right it's me." Tank walked away with the phone and Hector brought me some ice.

"I'm okay." I told him but he shook his head and pushed the ice towards my chin anyway "Thank you." I told him as I put it on my chin.

Tank walked back to me and handed me my phone. "I am going to have Chino pick her up and go for the two skips. He is from the Boston office and isn't afraid of her yet." he laughed

"So what else?" I asked him

"Bill's Tavern." He grabbed a file and handed it to me. "Bill is worried he has someone dealing drugs and someone skimming."

I looked at the file and saw pictures employees and various areas of the bar. "I have been here before. It's super small. A long building like a galley kitchen. Always crowded. I know a couple of these employees by face but nothing more than that."

"We are all hooked up with sound and video. Boss wants you to watch live and we will record everything." Tank explained

"Got it." I nodded but kept the ice on my chin.

"It's almost noon now and the bar won't start to really get busy till after seven o'clock." he explained

"No problem." I smiled "So now what?"

"I need to call Chino." he stood up with his phone and stepped over closer to the window as he made his call.

"Hector?" I smiled and he looked up at me from the laptop and all of the equipment he was setting up. "Are you almost done there?" I asked him as he nodded again. "Do you have a Playstation anywhere in the building?"

He smiled at me and held up one finger. He picked up his phone and spoke in Spanish. When he disconnected he winked at me. "I'm going to hop into the shower." I told him as he gave me a thumbs up and got back to his work.

I headed for the bedroom and walked into the closet. I wanted something different to wear rather than shorts and a tank top. I looked through my clothes and found a pair of black yoga pants and a blue long sleeved t-shirt. I pulled out blue bra and panty set and then headed for the shower to use some of the best shower gel in the whole world.

I came out of the bedroom with wet hair feeling refreshed and new. Hector was doing something behind the new wall TV in the living room that Ranger had installed to replace the one they had moved to the bedroom. Tank was gone but Bobby was sitting on he chair next to the couch. He stood up when he saw me. "I called to check up on you and Tank told me you were in the shower. I came up to check on your injuries and put a new ace bandage on your arm." he smiled

"Ok" I sighed as I went and sat down on the couch. Bobby smiled as he went through checking out all of my injuries.

"Well Steph I have to say I am impressed. You have been taking it easy and everything looks like it's doing well. It's still early so don't go jumping into any dumpsters." he smiled as I rolled my eyes. He pulled a wrap out of his bag and started wrapping my arm. "How's your jaw feeling?"

"It still hurts but it's better." I told him

He breathed out a sigh of relief. "I was concerned about your jaw. It does look better today, if it got worse I was thinking we might have to consider wiring it shut which would be absolute torture for you."

"Very funny." I smirked at him "I do feel better since I have been up and moving around. The shower helped with my neck."

"Well keep taking it easy and holler if you need anything." he closed up his bag and stood up. "Have a good day Steph."

"Thanks Bobby. Even thought I am a bad patient I do appreciate you." I assured him as my phone rang

"Hello?" I answered

"I am coming over there right now! You don't call, you expect me to get all of my information from the gossip mongers of the Burg." it was my mother

"Mom..." I began

"Please have one of the men in black pick your grandmother and me up." she said and then disconnected. I looked over at Hector who was still messing with the TV. He put up a hand and showed me his keys and then left. I assumed that meant he had to go do something.

"Yes?" Lester teased after I pressed the intercom button for the control room

"Can you please go get my mom and Grandmother?" I asked him

"Oh man. Your Grandmother?" he sighed

"Come on." I pleaded

"Okay. I will have them back here soon. Anything else?" he asked

"No thank you. I already have cake." I smiled

I pressed the number for Ella next "Hello Ella." I spoke when she answered

"Are you ready for some lunch?" she asked

"Yes please but my mom and grandmother are coming over." I warned her

"No problem. I will bring up a sandwich platter." she assured me

"You're the best, I really appreciate you." I breathed out a sigh

"Anything for you." she said before she disconnected

I straightened up the living room a little. The only mess left was the set-up on the coffee table. There was a laptop and two extra monitors. Hector had cleaned up most of his mess. there were just some wires hanging out from behind the TV, but I didn't bother touching them at all. I put on my sling and decided to clean up a little. I washed out my coffee cup and picked up the dishes from this morning and put them all in the dishwasher. I loved having a dishwasher, because it made being domesticated a lot easier. I was swiping on some mascara when I heard the door open.

"Stephanie Michelle Plum!" I heard my mother call. I looked at myself in the mirror and took a deep breath. Here goes nothing.

"Hi mom, hi grandma." I said as I came out of the bedroom

"Oh my God!" My mother covered her mouth.

"What in the world?" My grandmother took a step back.

"It looks worse than it feels." I told them as I walked past them both and made my way to the couch. They both walked over silently as I propped up my arm on the pillow.

"It's true?" my mother asked

"What did you hear?" I asked her

"Louis at the beauty parlor thinks it was Ranger because he was upset you were leaving him to go back to Joe." Grandma told me

"Angie Morelli called me and told me your fiancee beat up her Joseph for the same reason." my mother nodded

"None of that is true." I glared at my mother

"Then what the hell happened to you? Was it that girl again?" my Grandmother asked

"NO! Just let me talk for a minute." I told them as they both sat down in chairs. I took a deep breath. "Morelli did this to me."

"WHAT?" my mother shouted

"I knew it!" My grandmother shook her head.

"How?" my mother stuttered as we all whipped out heads when the door opened

Ranger was holding the door open for Ella as she carried in a tray and he held another for her. "Hello ladies." Ranger smiled

"Hello" my mom sputtered still confused.

"I have some BLT's and of course chocolate shakes." Ella winked at me as she and Ranger set the trays down at the kitchen table.

"Thank you." I told her as I got up to give her a one armed hug.

"My pleasure" she told me before leaving. I couldn't see her whole face but it seemed that she might have given my mom a slight glare.

"As soon as Les told me you were all having a lunch date I rushed home to join you." Ranger wrapped one arm around me and kissed my cheek.

"Thank you." I told him as he lead me to a chair and sat to my left.

"I apologize for the mess here. Stephanie has been working from home." he explained

"Catching bad guys from home?" Grandma Mazur asked as she came over to join us.

"Not exactly. I am doing research and surveillance." I told her as Ranger moved one of the shakes in front of me

"I could work at home." Grandma nodded as she grabbed a plate and put a sandwich on it.

Finally mom cam over and took a deep breath before she sat down. Ranger cleared his throat. "Helen and Edna I want the chance to explain something to you."

Both women snapped their heads up to look at Ranger. I put my hand on his leg and covered it with his own. "You don't have to explain yourself." I told him

"We're going to be family and we need to be able to talk over any issues without letting hearsay and gossip get in the way." he said this to me but it was mostly for their benefit.

"So if we are doing all of this sharing does this mean I ask you about bad guys you can tell me how you took them down?" Grandma Mazur asked

"Sometimes." he smiled at her "As was saying. I am sure you are getting many phone calls and I apologize for not informing you about the situation sooner. I was much more focused on making sure Stephanie was fine rather than dealing with the gossip."

"Of course." my mother nodded

"Yes I did fight with Morelli." he admitted as my grandmother smiled.

"I knew it! You really messed him up good!" she smiled

"Why?" my mom held her mouth open in shock

"Well," he hesitated

"Because Morelli did this to me." I motioned to my face with my good hand and lightly lifted my arm in the sling.

"I don't believe it." My mother shook her head.

"Mrs. Plum, you know how much I love your daughter. If you don't know anything else about me you must know that after these last few years." Ranger looked at her

"Yes, I believe that. I see the way you look at her and I know how lucky we are for all of the times you saved her life." she admitted to him

"So you must know I would never hurt her." he told her as she nodded. "When she came home looking like this you must understand how I lost my mind a little. I of course made sure she saw a doctor and had someone looking after her before I even left the apartment."

"But we heard you beat him up here last night because Stephanie called him over to pick her up. She was afraid to walk out alone." Grandma Mazur told him

"Where the hell do people get this crap?" I shook my head

"He was here last night. He brought his new partner and had planned to arrest me for assault on a police officer." Ranger explained "I also had Eddie Gazzara come over for Stephanie."

"So to make a long story short if Morelli pressed charges against Ranger than I would press charges against him. He didn't like that. He tried to attack Ranger and ended up getting extra incentive to get checked out at the hospital." I told them as I took a bite from my BLT

"I just don't..." my mother was still at a loss for words

"I didn't make Stephanie make that choice. I was willing to accept the arrest." he told her

"You would have kicked some prison ass! I wonder if they have a lot of fights in the showers? All of those hot naked bodies." My grandmother smiled as we all looked at her and rolled our eyes.

"It's not that I don't believe you Ranger. It's just that I have known Joseph his whole life. It's hard for me to imagine him doing these things." she reached forward and took a big drink from her milkshake

"I understand." he told her

"I know mom. I know it's crazy and I wouldn't believe it myself if it didn't happen to me. I don't know what has come over him but this is all true and this is who he is now." I agreed with her

"He's turned into a real horse's patoot." Grandma Mazur nodded as she dug into lunch

"Maybe..." my mother began and then shook her head. "No." she was firm "No more excuses. He won't be any part of our family ever again."

"Who are you?" I asked her as I tilted my head

"Well, your father's been telling me a lot of stories about Joseph that I didn't like. I know he likes Ranger and we know what your grandmother thinks." she smiled Mom actually smiled about Ranger.

"Thank you for giving me a chance to prove myself to you." Ranger told her

"No, you shouldn't have to prove yourself to me or anyone else. I'm sorry if I made you feel that way. You've always been very good to our Stephanie and that's all that really matters." My mother reached out and patted his hand.

I was sitting there with my mouth open just speechless. "Don't do that Babe you're going to make your jaw sore." Ranger told me as he gently rubbed he back of his hand against my temple close to my cheek.

"What's wrong with her jaw?" Grandma Mazur asked

"Small break. It will heal on it's own." I assured her

"Ain't this a pip? Stephanie's marrying a Latin guy and Helen and Frank are both actually happy about it." Grandma shook her head and gave a smile as Ranger and I laughed.

We talked some about the wedding and finished our lunch. I finished all of my milkshake when my mother announced she had to get home and work on dinner. Ranger stepped away to call Lester so he could take them home. "I'm sorry you're hurt." my mother told me as she took my hand

"I'm happy though." I told her as I squeezed her hand

"I see that." she smiled as we headed towards the door.

"You came home for lunch?" I gave Ranger a look of doubt after we said our goodbyes to my mother and grandmother.

"I came home for you. For moral support." he smiled as he hugged me gently. "Bobby told me you were looking good. Tank told me you were helpful and Chino is afraid of Lula but they did catch the FTA. Lester called me and told me about picking up your mother and grandmother and well...I got sick of everyone telling me. So I came straight to you."

"It's been a good day." I kissed him

"We need more of these." he agreed as he kissed me right back and I felt the heat. Our tongues danced as I pushed to make the kiss more intense. He gently pushed me back. "Not yet Babe." he smiled.

"Why not yet?" I asked

"I don't want to hurt you and it will be hard to focus on anything but you once you are naked." he smiled and then kissed me again.

"I know." I sighed

"I want to go check on some searches and get rid of some office stuff. What do you want to do?" he asked me

"Well, I could use a nap and then will work on the surveillance of Bill's Tavern after that." I told him

"I'll be in the building if you need anything Babe." he kissed me again and then was out the door.

I walked over to the couch and had just barely sat down when I jumped up as I watched the door swung open again. Hector came in with boxes and bags. "What's going on?" I asked him

"Shh!" he told me as he made a motion for me to lay down.

I listened to him and laid down. My eyes closed quickly and I was out. I was having a great dream about my honeymoon in an exotic location. I felt my arm being slightly rubbed and opened my eyes to see Hector. "What's wrong?" I asked him.

"Take" he said handing me something.

I took it and sat up realizing the lights were now on. I glanced at the clock and it read four-thirty. I noticed the TV screen in front of me and looked to see the opening scene for the game Grand Theft Auto. I looked down into my hands and found a game controller. Hector sat down beside me with a bowl of popcorn in his hands and nodded at me.

"Thank you." I told him as I started up the game.

We took turns back and forth playing the game and eating popcorn. We didn't really need to communicate with words we were having a great time and I didn't even notice when Ranger came in until he stood right in front of the TV. "HEY!" Hector and I both yelled at once.

Ranger moved away from the TV. He sat down on a chair and laughed. "Hector told me today he had an important errand to run for you Babe. I am guessing you mentioned wanting a gaming system."

I handed the controller over to Hector for his turn. "Well yes I suppose I did just ask him if we had a Playstation." smiled at him and batted my eyelashes.

"Well, now we do." he flashed a huge grin at me. "I have that meatball sub you didn't get to eat for dinner." he raised his eyebrows as he stood to show me the bag in his hand.

"I don't know who I love more right now. You or the sandwich." I swooned.

"You can't marry the sandwich." he laughed

"Yes, people would frown upon that." I got to my feet grabbed the bag and peeked inside. "Two? You're going to eat one""

He shook his head. "No Ella is bringing some salmon up for me. The other one is for Hector." he nodded to Hector who looked up. "I am going to take a shower. Save your game so we can get started on the surveillance on Bill's." he kissed the top of my head and went towards the bedroom.

Hector went down stairs after dinner and Ranger was explaining to me the surveillance. "In the war room they also have monitors set up. You will be watching screen one which includes two tables. I have screen two. Downstairs they have more screens. Hector is covering the bar area. So we have eyes and ears on the whole place." he pointed to the monitors and handed me a headset. "We are looking for anything unusual. We suspect someone skimming from the cash and someone dealing drugs. They may or may not be employees."

"So this is not just busy work? It's actual work?" I smiled

"Yes Babe, I need you. This is not pity work." he leaned in and kissed my cheek.

I smiled as we both sat back and put on our headphones. Both of my tables were currently empty so I had nothing to watch or listen to. I looked over at Ranger's monitor and he had two girls at one table and the other one empty. He was listening intently but suddenly looked up when he felt my eyes on him. I glared and he smiled "Babe"

Soon I saw some motion on my monitor. It was Big Dog and Carl Costanza. I smiled as they sat down together. The waitress came over and they ordered a couple of beers. I didn't think I would hear anything about drug deals or skimming from this table but I listened anyway since the other table was still empty.

"That Morelli is a real piece of work." Big Dog started as my eyes grew wide

"I still can't believe that he hurt Stephanie. Gazzara said she looked really bad." Carl spoke next as I winced. Ranger noticed and looked over. He patted my shoulder and took off his headphones.

I pulled one back so I could hear him. "You okay?"

"Yeah, they are talking about Morelli." I explained

"In a good way?" he asked. I shook my head and put the headphones back on while he was hitting buttons on his screen.

"What are we talking about?" Jimmy Lewis asked as he and Gazzara joined the others.

"What a piece of crap Morelli has turned into." Big Dog told him

"You should have seen him get laid on his ass by Ranger." Lewis smiled.

"He deserved everything Ranger gave him and more." Gazzara said as the waitress brought some beers before going back for two more.

"Did you see her?" Costanza asked

"Yeah, she looked bad." Lewis spoke while I bit my bottom lip

"Like what?" Big Dog asked

"Her jaw. She has a broken bone and it's all bruised up." Gazzara shook his head

"She has a sprained arm." Lewis added

"Ranger said other bruises too." Gazzara added as the waitress brought over beers for him ad Lewis

"So that's why Ranger demolished him?" Big Dog smiled.

"Hey!" Costanza called out to Scott Wood as he came to join them

"How's it going so far in the Burg?" Lewis asked him

"Pretty confusing. Everyone knows all of this history and I know nothing." he shook his head as the waitress came over again

"What's confusing?" Big Dog asked him

"My partner got his ass kicked and no one did anything." he told them

"He deserved it." Gazzara took a swig of his beer

"And that hot Bounty Hunter chic let's that scary Latin guy beat her up." he shook his head while I let out a laugh. Ranger looked over at me and raised an eyebrow but I just winked at him.

I glanced at my other table and it was still empty. All of the guys were laughing at the table until Big Dog spoke "That little hottie is Stephanie Plum and I suggest you stay far away from her." he took a drink.

"I don't understand any of it. Morelli is pretty screwed up though. He flips out over nothing and punches the closest wall to him." Wood shook his head as he got his beer delivered from the waitress. "He's hot headed and really freaking cocky. He thinks he walks on water."

"Blame the local old ladies for that. He is the only Morelli man that wasn't an alcoholic or a wife beater." Costanza explained

"Okay, here's the short history on him. He is a cheater just like all of the men in his family. He had a good thing and he cheated on her the whole time. I just found this out recently, because if I would have known I would have told Stephanie. She is my cousin." Gazzara told him I was glued to the screen like it was a soap opera. Ranger got up and I only glanced at him for a second. "He was just better at hiding it than the other men in his family."

"So he was dating Stephanie Plum?" Wood asked

"Dating, living together, breaking up, ,engaged, yelling and screaming. Yes." Big Dog laughed

"Yelling and screaming?" Wood looked confused and then took a drink.

"She is a bit entertaining. She blows up cars and buildings. She brings in dead guys and often gets covered in garbage and other things. She always brings in her man though." Costanza stopped to take a drink. "Whenever we called Morelli to give him a heads up on an explosion or some trouble she had gotten into he would only show up to yell and scream at her. It was hard to watch."

"I mean like she is standing there shaking having just had a car blown up or someone shoot at her and he is flipping out on her." Gazzara shook his head

"And the Latin guy?" Wood asked

"That's Ranger Manoso. He is an ex Army Ranger and not someone to mess with. He is in tight with the Chief and Juniak. He always protects Stephanie. He is the first one on the scene when something happens or he is calling us because he has saved her." Gazzara informed him.

"He doesn't yell." Big Dog smiled as he finished his beer

"Nah, they are like a movie scene all wrapped up in each other. Reminds me of when my wife made me watch the Notebook." Costanza rolled his eyes

"So why did he hit her?" Wood was confused

"You are way off." Lewis told him "It was Morelli. She dumped him and he did something stupid. We don't know the details but it must have had something to do with her coma."

"Coma? What the hell? Am I trapped in a daytime drama?" Wood laughed

Ranger came back to the couch and handed me a bowl of popcorn. "Thank you." I told him as I glanced at the other table that was still empty.

"Yeah so then she woke up and now she's engaged to Ranger." Costanza said finishing the story I must have missed.

"So, she's not married? Still technically single." Wood smiled.

Big Dog laughed "You saw what Ranger did to Morelli right?"

"Yeah he really messed him up. Broken ribs, broken nose, broken cheek bone, and broken arm. Not even mentioning the little scrapes and bruises. They are keeping him in the hospital a couple of day watching for a concussion. They said the break in his arm is so bad he might need surgery" Wood told them as he finished his beer

"I'm surprised he didn't kill him." Lewis shook his head

"Steph probably asked him not to." added Gazzara as I nodded and stuffed more popcorn in my face. Ranger slid a diet coke over to me. I never even noticed him getting up.

"But I would never lay a hand on her, so I wouldn't have to worry about that guy." Wood told them

"Uhm Wood, I would steer clear of her. Ranger is not someone to play with and he has always protected Stephanie." Costanza warned as the waitress came over and he ordered a second round.

"She doesn't need protection from me." Wood smiled "If I could just get my hands on her I know I could get her to fall for me."

Suddenly I noticed the table fill next to them fill with three girls. One was Marilyn Russo, another was Gwen Holmes and I didn't recognize the third. They both had been a couple of years behind me in High School. I didn't expect them to do anything bad sitting next to the off duty cops but I made a mental note to keep checking in on them.

"That Ranger guy did seem a bit scary." Wood agreed

"A bit?" Big Dog laughed

"He has killed people. He has been through more crap than we may ever see." Gazzara added

"As far as Morelli? He got into some bar fights in his youth and probably when he was in the Navy." Lewis added

"Morelli has completely fucked up his life. The mob is pissed at him because he screwed over Grizzoli's daughter." Lewis added

"Was she as hot as the bounty hunter?" Wood asked as the waitress came over with the next round

"She's a butter face." Big Dog laughed "Everything looks good but her face."

Everyone laughed and I gave a smile. I tuned into the other table. "Morelli's single" Russo said

"Yeah, but he's a mess. He screwed over Plum and got his ass kicked by that Spanish hottie." Holmes shook her head.

"That guy who always wears black? He is freaking hot." the girl that I didn't know added

"I'd do 'em." Russo added as I rolled my eyes and took some more popcorn.

"Not if I got to him first." Holmes told her and all three of them laughed.

"Maybe that chic will blow herself up and then one of us can jump on that fine man." the girl I didn't know giggled "I read about her in the paper."

I drank some of my soda as I rolled my eyes again. "Damn, when he walks into a room I am freaking drooling." Russo fanned herself with her hand.

"Yeah, we were sitting in Mario's last night and he came in. It was lot hot sex walking." Holmes agreed

"He went right up to Morelli and called him out. It was the hottiest thing I have ever seen." Russo told the girl

"I want a man like that to defend me and be jealous over me" Holmes looked away wistfully.

"Why did he call him out?" she asked

"Apparently Stephanie decided to go back to Morelli and when she told Ranger he flipped out. So Ranger was calling him out." Holmes told her

"I heard Morelli beat up Stephanie and Ranger was after revenge." the girl I didn't know added

"Damn, I wish Mr. tall dark and handsome would defend me like that." Russo smiled as she drank her mixed drink.

"Morelli is a complete loser now and everyone knows it except the old people. They all still think he walks on water and it's all bullshit." Holmes shook her head.

"What?" the girl asked confused

"Please, they could find some chic lying in the street with him above her covered in blood and they would say she deserved it. Angie Morelli was at Italian People's Bakery telling everyone who would listen that Stephanie was a whore and had her new boyfriend beat Morelli up for no reason." Russo shook her head

"Even my mom thinks she deserved it." Holmes shook her head

"Wow! That makes no sense." the other girl was confused.

"All of the old bitties in this town think the Latin hottie is a dangerous thug and Morelli walks on water." Russo added as I gave out a sigh. I tuned back into the cop table.

"So you're saying there's a chance until she is officially married?" Wood was asking the others as Gazzara rolled his eyes

"No way in hell she is waking away from Ranger." Costanza laughed

"If he found out how you felt you would need to go into witness protection." Lewis added as I heard Ranger give out a laugh. I looked over at his monitor and saw he had the cop table up and I smiled

"Well, I wasn't planning on telling him. Maybe I will catch her out alone and ask her to dinner." Wood told them

"Good luck with that." Big Dog lifted his beer to him.

I went back to the girl's table. "She's a total loser yet she can land the two hottest guys in the Burg?" the girl I didn't know shook her head

"She's not even that pretty." Russo agreed as Ranger shook his head

"Maybe the hottie will get sick of her. Have you seen the cars he drives?" Holmes raised her eyebrows

"I would love for him to give me a ride in his Porsche and then I would give him a ride he would never forget." Holmes said and all three girls laughed as I spit out my soda.

Ranger leaned over and slid off my headphones. "You know not none of those girls compare to you."

"You're listening?" I ask him

"Yes, the other tables are boring and the guys are helping to monitor. We picked a bad night with the cops there. We might have better luck when they leave. But the conversations are pretty interesting." he smiled.

"Yeah everyone thinks that you are hot and dangerous." I rolled my eyes.

"Except for Wood." he laughed "Should I be worried?"

"Well, he is kind of cute." I teased as he gave me a questioning look. "But I am kind of committed to you." I smiled

"Kind of?" he raised his eyebrows

"Maybe a little more than that." I leaned over and gave him a quick kiss

"A little?" he leaned into me and have me a sexy deep kiss.

I moaned as he pulled away "Maybe a lot." I breathed

"Yeah I think he better stay away from you if he wants to keep his 'cute' face." Ranger tucked some of my hair behind my ear.

"Get back to work." I told him as I slid the headphones back on.

"So tell me again why we didn't arrest that Ranger dude?" Wood was asking

"Because then we would have to arrest Morelli." Lewis explained as another round came.

"So she was willing to let him get off to protect her man?" Wood asked

"Yep." Big Dog answered

"That's a loyal woman right there. hmm maybe things won't work out for her and Ranger." Wood was staring off

"Seriously man quit need to get over it. He would kick your ass in two seconds." Costanza laughed

"I was a Navy Seal. I know some things too." Wood told them

"Well, if you think you can handle him go for it. But I still don't know if you could handle her." Gazzara told him as they all lifted their bottles

"Oh, I know I could handle that little hottie." Wood gave a big smile. I turned back to the girls.

"She's a whore, she was sleeping with three or four guys at once." Holmes was saying

"Oh yeah. Morelli's Grandma Bella told my mom all about Stephanie Plum" Russo nodded

"So, she is a whore. She got her boyfriend beat up by her new boyfriend?" the girl I didn't know asked as Holmes nodded "What a bitch."

"And it's not her boyfriend. He is her fiancee. I head the ring on her finger is ten carats." Russo nodded

"You think it's real?" the girl asked

"Who knows? I can't imagine him giving her a fake ring. I just can't imagine her deserving the real thing." Holmes laughed

I made a big sigh and Ranger put his hand on my knee. I looked up at him and he smiled. "It's real and you deserve bigger.." he winked and got a smile out of me. I tuned back into the boys.

"The Morelli's are bad mouthing her all over town. The old bats think he walks on water. I feel bad for Steph." Gazarra said

"She is tough." Big Dog told him as Costanza nodded

"I like my women tough." Wood smiled as the others laughed

"I'm going to catch a cab, anyone want to split the ride?" Big Dog asked

"Yeah, I gotta get home before Shirley has a fit." Gazarra agreed

"Me too." Costanza added

"Think I'm going to stay for one more round." Lewis held up his beer to call the waitress over.

"I'll stay." Wood told them as they said their good nights.

"Have a good night." Big Dog said as they stood up.

"Catch you later." Wood told them as I went back to the girls.

"When Morelli is healed up I am going to get on that." Russo smiled

"Screw that loser. I am going to get my dad to hire Ranger's company to do security for his warehouse. Then I will wear tank tops and lure him in with my boobs. My boobs are much bigger than hers." Holmes said and they laughed.

"I think I need to figure out where this Ranger hangs out. Maybe I can catch him in a bar. A few drinks and he's mine." the girl I didn't know added as I rolled my eyes.

"Besides, all of our boobs are better than hers. She has no body." Russo smiled

I felt Ranger reach over and put his hand on my breast. I looked up and he mouthed the word "Perfect" and I rolled my eyes.

I went back to the guys "I gotta admit I've had a thing for her quite some time." Lewis admitted.

"I thought I saw you checking her out when we were at that guy's place." Wood smiled

"Can you blame me?" Lewis raised an eyebrow.

"Even with the bruises on her face she was hot. I couldn't help picturing that body on top of me." Wood drank some more beer as I heard Ranger breath out a deep breath.

"I don't know how that guy could get tired of her, but maybe she will get tired of him." Lewis looked away wistfully.

"I can see why Morelli would lose his mind. If I had her there would be no way in hell I would let her go." Wood nodded

I went back to the girls "Seriously I am going after him the next time I see him out at a bar." Holmes was saying

"I have seen him out at some bars before and it's screwed up because if Stephanie is there she is flirting with other guys. I feel bad for him." Russo said

"It's a distraction job." I mumbled as I rolled my eyes and Ranger gave a small laugh

"Well, he needs a real woman who knows how to handle that hot body." the other girl said "It's going to waste on that bitch."

"I bet he has a great package." Holmes laughed

"Hell yeah." Russo added as they toasted

"To the whole package." the girl said

I went back to the boys as I rolled my eyes.

"So the next time I see her I am definitely going to say something." Wood told him

"I think I'll wait until Ranger is out of the picture. Sometimes he goes away for weeks and even months at a time." Lewis wiggled his eyebrows.

"I am sure she will not be hanging out with Morelli." Wood said as they both laughed and I went back to the girls

"This place is kinda dead. Let's go check out Mario's." the girl I didn't know suggested

"Yeah, I can pick up some guy and close my eyes and pretend it's Ranger." Holmes laughed as I glared at the screen.

"Hopefully a guy drunk enough to not care that I am calling out Ranger's name." Russo smiled as the girls stood up and tossed some cash on the table. I gave out a sigh as I tuned back to the boys.

"Well, maybe Ranger is not as big and bad as they all think. I bet Morelli was a drunk mess when he kicked his ass." Wood suggested

"I don't know about that, like I said I would wait till he went out of town." Lewis smiled.

"I have definitely added her to my spank bank." Wood said as they both laughed.

"I'm going to call an Uber." Lewis told him

"Sounds good, I'll catch a ride with you." Wood agreed as they asked for the bill.

"That waitress has a nice ass." Lewis told him

"Yeah but no Stephanie." Wood smiled as Lewis nodded his head. They both laughed

They dropped some cash on the table and went off camera. I took off the headphones and laid against the back of the couch. Ranger took of his and laid back next to me. "It looks like I need to keep body guards on you if i have to go out of town, They will need to literally guard your body." Ranger smiled

"And I will have to worry about women with big boobs chasing after you." I sighed

He leaned in and kissed me "Two of them have fake boobs babe. Your boobs are perfect for me." he kissed me again.

"Well they all still want you and your hot body. If they ever found out about your package they would be following you around like dogs in heat." I rolled my eyes

"They're never going to see my package." he gave out a short laugh

"They better not." I glared at him.

He leaned in and kissed my neck right below my ear. "Now I have to worry about two more cops chasing after you." he whispered in my ear.

"Oh really?" I teased

"At the risk of pissing you off I will happily tell them you are mine and you belong to me." he whsipered

"Mmm" I moaned

He kissed me again and then I turned and caught his mouth with mine and he gave me a deep kiss. Finally he pulled away and we both had to catch our breath. "Babe"

"Mmmm" I moaned again

"Go take a shower and get in bed. Let me check out the bar a little more and then I will take cold shower before jumping into bed." he smiled

"Okay, we will follow Dr. Bobby's orders. Just remember as soon as he clears me I am going to demand a day in bed." I warned him

"At least a day!" he smiled at me