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. 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 36: Skirmishes

Stephanie's POV:

Once we were alone, Ranger lifted me in his arms so he could carry me into the bathroom. He spent the next few minutes showing me there was more than one way to take a shower. As I flew over the edge, I cried out as hot water cascaded over my body, and the sensation made it that much more… It was everything. When he finally shut off the water, we were both methodically clean and I'd been thoroughly loved.

It didn't take long for me to dry off and slip into an outfit of black jeans, socks, Doc Martins, and a black tank top. Over the tank top, I put on a gray oversized blouse, unbuttoned and tied at the waist with the sleeves rolled up. I brushed my hair before pulling it back into a ponytail. I was just finishing up with my makeup when I felt something creeping in from the shadows. I looked around, but I didn't see anything out of the ordinary. Still…something was urging me to find Ranger. I was getting ready to call out to him, when something grabbed me from behind.

I whipped around to see Ranger stride through the door. The look on his face was fiercer than I'd ever seen before.

Suddenly, Micha, Hector, and Bree entered the room as well.

Bree stepped forward, placing her hand in mine. I felt strange, as if there was a stirring inside of me. My eyes widened, and I looked at Bree. She winked and whispered, "It's okay, Ina. You're safe. We're here and we'll protect you." (mother)

I felt such a warm, immense love coming from her.

Just as I was beginning to think everything would be okay, the darkness slithered back; this time, it brought others.

Bree's eyes changed before me. There was a golden glow to them, similar to the way Bobby's had changed when he talked to Mary Alice. She turned in the direction where the darkness felt the strongest, placing herself between it and me. Her hair had been left loose, and it was blowing in all directions, as if it was an incredibly windy day outside. The fact that we were inside and there were no windows open was beside the point. She was wearing the outfit I'd only seen a couple times before. Micha said once that it had belonged to Raine's mother and Raine had indicated that he intended to give it to Bree when she was old enough.

Bree looked like an Indian princess in the outfit. She was wearing a white, short-sleeved, buckskin dress with fringe. There was a belt of the same material around her small waist, and the dress was just long enough to cover what it needed to for modesty's sake. She also wore a pair of white moccasin boots with fringe. There was a necklace around her neck that looked like a dream catcher of sorts. She was stunningly beautiful, and looking at her standing there with her hair whipping like it was, I realized for the first time the incredible power she held within her.

She raised her eyes toward the ceiling, chanting in the language I'd been hearing in bits and pieces over the past ten years as she and Micha taught it to me. I knew she was being buffeted by the evil that was making its way inside the building, and I wanted to place myself in front of her and protect her. The moment I tried, her head moved slightly, and I knew she wanted me behind her. I gave her my best 'Burg-girl glare, and although a smile graced her face, she never took her eyes off some distant image that I as yet couldn't see.

Abruptly, she was pushed violently back, and I thought she'd fall, but Ranger stepped forward and stood between Bree and me so he offered another barrier between me and whatever was here with us. At the same moment that Ranger stepped between Bree and myself, I felt Micha step in behind me and knew Hector was falling into line behind him.

Bree started chanting a song that I remembered her singing when she was younger. I'd never quite gotten the full meaning of the song, but whatever was slithering toward us was not happy about it. I felt the force buffeting her even more.

There was an oppressive air around us that became increasingly suffocating. I struggled for a moment, then heard a voice in my head telling me not to fight it. My eyes widened, and all of a sudden, the apartment was wall-to-wall people. They were all singing the song that Bree had started several minutes ago.

I was a little afraid when my dad walked into the room with Julie, Bella, and Mary Alice. The three girls moved between Ranger and me and clasped hands so they were standing in a line with their hands connecting them. They started neighing like horses, and I felt a weakening in the force that was buffeting Bree.

There was a loud popping noise, and I felt Diesel's presence, even though I couldn't see him.

Lightening danced across the room, and the feeling of energy building was strong. The room started getting hotter, and I felt a sense of confusion coming from the source of evil. It was like they didn't understand why they weren't able to destroy us and didn't understand how we were able to fight them on an equal footing.

A sudden roar sounded, and we were buffeted on all sides by forces we were unable to see. Bree raised her hands in front of her and crossed them in a strange fashion. I felt the force of the wind hitting us.

Julie stepped forward beside Bree, and there was a white light emanating off of her as she glowed. Although Bree's hair and clothing was still blowing with the force of the wind, Julie's hair and clothing was still. She raised her hand palm up, and the wind moved over her hand and turned into a tornado over the palm of her hand. Her eyes gleamed with an eerie light as she leaned forward and gently blew the twisting tornado hovering over her hand, and suddenly, there were screams and the evil presence moved away.

A feeling of rage closed in on us, and Mary Alice stepped forward beside Julie and waved her hands in the air. A small ball of fire appeared in the space between Mary Alice's hands, and just when I felt as if the rage was going to choke us, Mary Alice turned in a circle. When she was facing in the direction the rage was emanating from, she lobbed the fiery sphere between her hands. Suddenly, a wall of flames appeared in front of the far wall, and there were snarls and all sorts of animalistic sounds.

Bella stepped forward and started moving her hands up and down, rain falling from her fingertips.

My eyes widened at the sight.

Unexpectedly, little balls of fire started pelting our way. Bella's fingers moved faster and faster until she had a wall of rain between us and the little balls of fire being sent in our direction.

All three girls came together and stood with their hands in motion. The wall of rain moved from in front of us and became a torrential downpour of rain and wind heading on a collision course with the wall of flame that Mary Alice had sent toward the enemy. When the tornado wind and torrent of rain met the wall of flame, they started spinning together. Bree then lifted her palms up and started chanting in the Lakota language of her ancestors.

From inside me, I felt a warmth unlike anything I'd ever felt before. I moved forward, and when Ranger placed a hand on my shoulder, I shook my head as I met his gaze. He looked deep into my eyes, then he nodded before stepping with me beside the girls.

I lifted my chin and looked toward the wall of chaos. My eyes narrowed, and as I watched, a figure stepped forward. If I hadn't known better, I'd have thought the person before me was Diesel. He looked enough like him to be his twin.

I heard Diesel's answer to the unasked question in my mind. You're right. Delies is my dark half. We are, in fact, twins, even though he was born a year before me. Our mother was unable to conceive in the natural way. She underwent an experimental procedure that harvested several of her eggs, fertilized them, then froze them. Then the eggs were placed in her womb when it was thought her fertile period would produce the best chance for a baby. It was the second procedure that produced not one, but two viable embryos. She was a frail creature, and they thought it was best to freeze one of the developing fetuses for a future fertile period. When Delies was ten weeks old, she underwent the second procedure. Being born so close together, and possibly because there was some residual bond from being formed from the same embryo, we were the best of friends until what happened in Germany.

Delies sneered. "You're the weaker half. If you'd listened to me, we could've conquered the world by now. But you had to do what was right. Where will your right be when I blow you out of the water, brother?"

Diesel shook his head. "I'd rather be considered weak by you than to be part of your plans."

Delies looked at the girls, and I wanted to rip his face off. Somehow, I was able to hear his thoughts for what he was planning to do with them. What he planned was infinitely worse than what Tex had ever done to me.

He turned to me and smiled. "Ah…so we finally meet, Stephanie Plum. You've led me on quite a chase. You caused me to form an alliance with an animal to acquire you, and in the end, he wasn't able to do the job."

I stilled. I had a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach and knew what he was telling me was important. I tried to look as if I couldn't care less about what he was saying as I lifted an eyebrow and asked, "And with whom did you form an alliance?"

He smiled his evil smile, and you could see his thirst to injure me in any way he could. I was determined not to react, no matter what he told me, but what he said nearly made me fail in my efforts. I forced a blank look to mask my face and held it there with every fiber of my being as he said, "I had to seek out Tex ten years ago. His job was to break you and then hand you over to me so I could use you to carry my young."

It was all I could do to remain emotionless. There was no way this son of a bitch was getting anything from me. I lifted my chin and met his gaze. My voice was cold as I told him, "You failed."

Rage took over his face as he snarled and said, "I'll have control of you! I'll succeed!"

I smiled coolly and said, "Not likely. You're destined to failure. You see, Delies, you don't scare me."

I moved toward him and felt his glee as he watched me walk closer. I could feel Ranger's concern for me, but something was telling me this was how I needed to play it. I felt Ranger's touch in my mind and welcomed him. As I moved toward Delies, he moved toward me. Finally, we were nearly toe to toe.

I smiled mockingly and said, "As a matter of fact, you won't make it out of this alive."

Delies reached out to touch me and swiftly pulled his hand back and froze. His face quickly changed from his natural color to a near purple one as he screamed in rage, "No!"

I smiled sardonically and told him, "Oh yes!"

He dove toward me, and I countered by bringing my knee up to make contact, introducing his gonads to his tonsils. I hastily stepped back toward Ranger, and suddenly, the fight was on.

Ranger stepped in front of me, and he and Bree were the ones directing the action. It was poetry in motion watching them work together to destroy those moving against us. The actual fight didn't last long. Twice, Delies made an attempt to get to me through the others, and both times, Mooner, Sally, and Randy repelled him. The fight was over as quickly as it had begun, and when it ended, not only was Delies dead, but so were all of the followers that had come with him.

The guardians took care of the cleanup. Ranger took out his phone. He was getting texts from all the guys reporting in about the skirmishes in their areas.

Randy directed some of the guardians to different areas to assist with the cleanup.

Vinnie took a call and turned to look at Ranger and me. He stepped over and spoke in a lowered voice, "Rachel and Robert are downstairs in the lobby, demanding to see Julie. Carl Costanza and Big Dog are with them."

I took hold of Ranger's hand and our eyes met. I wanted him to know I was with him the whole way.

Julie's voice was small and scared as she asked, "I won't have to go with them, will I?"

Ranger turned, winking at her before saying, "No. That'll never happen. As a matter of fact, I'm going to make sure they'll never be able to have any influence over you ever again."

I looked at Bree, and she smiled, nodding, silently letting me know she'd stay with Julie till we returned.

I winked at her before heading down to the lobby with Ranger.

Lester's POV:

I headed to the secure bunker with Ram to protect what we coined as the "normals." As much as I wanted to be with Ranger and the others fighting these bastards, Ranger insisted Ram and I would be the ones to protect those without power, so that's what we did. I'd been following Ranger's orders for years, first in the military and then when he brought me on board with him here at Rangeman. He'd proven himself over and over again, but I didn't need that to tell me he was a great leader. The fact that he was my cousin as well never came into the mix.

Ram and I were at our station when I felt a pull like I had the time Bree was under attack at the safe house. I had an overwhelming desire to go to her. I was mentally cursing Ranger for sticking me here because I couldn't do anything to protect the ones that were important to me. Suddenly, there was a feeling of darkness encroaching on us, and I glanced at Ram, only to see he seemed to be peering at something a short distance away.

I was about to ask him a question, when he turned and softly said, "Incoming."

I nodded, readying myself. As we stood there between the normals and the evil on the other side, a figure appeared to walk through the door in our direction. My eyes narrowed as I watched it materialize fully in front of us. I was a little pissed to recognize Devers walking forward with another man that, although I knew I'd never seen him before, felt oddly familiar.

Ram spoke in a tone softer than a whisper as he said, "It's Torez. He's the one Bree must have hit, the one that's been searching for Stephanie."

I gave a barely there nod of my head as I watched the two of them move forward.

Devers gave a sneering smile as they stopped before us. "We know your secrets, and we have what we need to destroy you."

Ram and I stood at the ready, our blank faces firmly in place.

Unexpectedly, Vince moved up from behind us and came to a stop between Ram and me. He shook his head and spoke softly. "This isn't you, Torez. You were one of the good guys. You're one of the guys that fights for the underdog, not the guy who goes over to the enemy. Your body is dead, man. They cut you up and harvested your organs to place in their own people to use your knowledge against us. Don't let the bastards win, man. Refuse to live on in them and be true to yourself."

The man looked confused for a moment, and then there was a red tinge to his eyes as he smiled evilly before saying, "Nice try. We've incorporated this one fully into our makeup. You'll not get through to him with your pitiful attempts."

The two moved toward us, and we readied ourselves to engage the enemy. Before we were able to get the fight underway, Stephanie's mother stepped into the room from behind us. I glared at Vince for not making sure the door was secure. He shook his head, and I could see there was a hint of surprise in his eyes.

Mrs. Plum stepped forward, a strange look on her face. She was glaring, but it wasn't your run-of-the-mill glare. This was like a glare on steroids. That woman looked ferocious, and I wouldn't want to meet her in a dark alley with her looking like that.

She stepped in front of us, her glare morphing into a cloyingly sweet smile, and lifted her chin. "So you're the one I have to thank for bringing Stephanie back to Trenton? How lovely that she's back here where she belongs. I just have to thank you for sending her home."

She stepped toward Torez, holding her hand out to him.

I saw the confusion on his face and thought to myself, Welcome to the club, buddy.

He took a step closer to Mrs. Plum and guardedly took the hand she had out to him.

All of sudden, in a blur of motion, she came forward and brought her knee up into his privates, causing Torez to scream in pain as his family jewels were rammed up into the back of his throat. He fell to the floor in a fetal position, and once again, Mrs. Plum's face morphed into the freaky glare as she roared, "That's for targeting my baby, you bastard! Don't ever try to hurt my baby again, or the next time, I'll do more than knee you in the privates!"

I looked to the other guys and wondered if my eyes were as wide as theirs as we took in the way she'd laid him low.

She turned, smiling nicely at the three of us, nodded, and joyfully said, "They're all yours, gentlemen. I think I got my point across."

She headed back into the recesses of the bunker, leaving us with the two men.

We smiled, letting the beasts inside us free to come to the party as we stepped forward to play. When we'd finished, the two men, as well as the others who'd come to help them, would never give anyone a problem again. As if by magic, four of the robed figures we'd heard were the guardians showed up and said they were taking care of the cleanup.

Tank's POV:

Bobby and I were on the fifth floor with several of the guys when we felt the darkness approaching. We moved together, communicating silently. Suddenly, the stairwell door opened at the same time the elevator opened. Roland stepped forward with several others we didn't recognize, but we knew they belonged to the enemy. We moved forward, and the battle was on.

One of the men from the enemy team started throwing frozen shards of ice our way.

Woody stepped forward, and a wall of flame went up between us and the enemy, illuminating the ice shards as they disintegrated.

The battle was fierce, even though it was short-lived. When it was over, several people in robes that we'd learned yesterday were the guardians said they were there to handle the cleanup. We left them to it and went about assessing the damage.

Bobby was patching up the guys that had gotten hurt, and as much as I wanted to check on Ranger and the others, I stayed where I was and handled the fallout at our location.

When Junior told me there were visitors in the lobby, and just who those visitors were, I pulled Bobby and we headed down. I knew Lester would be joining us as well once he learned who was putting in an appearance.

Bobby and I exited the stairwell, and sure enough, there was Lester coming out of the elevator.

Ranger and Stephanie were already standing in the lobby in front of the two cops and the dead guests walking. I heard Lester's growl as he got his first glimpse of the two civilians behind the cops.

We stepped forward and flanked Ranger. We were ready to act in any way he needed us to.