An alternate universe fan fiction starring Stephanie Plum and a Merry Man. Most characters belong to Janet Evanovich. I'm just having some fun.

Chapter 1

My name is Stephanie Romano. I was the youngest daughter of Frank and Helen Plum. My sister Valerie lives in California with her second husband Howard. Her first husband left her for their young, barely legal babysitter. I'm 35 years old. I work for Rangeman Miami as a researcher and client liaison. My mentor Ricardo Carlos Manoso is a Cuban Adonis. If I wasn't still in love with Jeremy, I would have spent at least one night in Ranger's bed.

When I was 16, I was raped behind the eclair case in Tasty Pastry. In order to escape the abuse I suffered at my mother's hands, Dad sent me to live with Aunt Adrianna in Jacksonville Florida. She treated me as though I was her daughter, not her niece. After living with her for a few months, I started feeling more like my happy go luck self. I had so much to live for when I suddenly doubled over in pain.

Aunt Anna was an ER nurse and thought I had appendicitis. I was rushed to the hospital where I miscarried Joe Morelli's spawn. As we waited for the gynaecologist she asked, "Why didn't you tell me you were pregnant? We wouldn't have ridden the horses for the last few weeks."

Crying, I said, "I didn't know. My periods were never regular. It was common for me to skip a few months before I got the next one. I'm a failure and disgrace, just like Mom always said."

"You are very brave. Not many women are able to cope emotionally after being raped. The therapist was impressed with your inner strength and ability to overcome such a traumatic experience. You are my Wonder Woman." She hugged me as I grieved the loss of my innocent child.

The doctor released me the following day, confident I wouldn't hemorrhage after the D he performed. I was uncomfortable during the next few days, but it wasn't as painful as being raped. Aunt Anna and I talked about my experience.

Late one night, Aunt Anna said we needed to talk. I sat beside her on the couch as she shared her story. "Your dad was his best friend, but he never trusted his friend to keep his hands off me. A few times he would leave your dad to play pool in your grandparents' basement to look for me. One day, I screamed. Your Grandpa and father caught him trying to break into my bedroom. It was the first time I ever saw your father fight. He punched his former best friend in the face, breaking his perfect Italian nose. I was around your age when I was beaten and raped after I tossed trash into the theatre dumpster. He told me he had been following me for months, hoping to catch me alone. Your dad usually picked me up from work and helped me toss the trash. That night, your father went on a date with Helen Mazur. She wanted to be with that other man, but dated your father hoping to make him jealous. After school, she bragged in front of her crush about going on a date with Frank Plum. If only she understood the consequences of her actions. When it came time to pick me up, she coaxed your father to have sex. Being a red blooded male, he jumped at the chance. As she willing gave up her virginity, mine was taken from me."

"Is that why you asked Daddy to send me to you? Who was he? The man who hurt you?" I asked.

"Yes, that's one of the reasons. The main reason was because the man who raped me, raised his sons to follow in his footsteps. His son, Joseph Morelli raped you. Like you, I became pregnant with his child. Your father had already joined the Army and was to leave for training in three weeks. Your Grandmother suspected my pregnancy and sent me to live with her sister Maria. The day before your father left, Helen told him she was pregnant. My father and your Grandpa Mazur forced them to get married before he left. Helen was visiting when I gave birth to a beautiful girl. Within hours on that same day, Helen gave birth to her stillborn daughter. She was devastated. The midwife swapped our babies, claiming mine was stillborn and hers was alive. Valerie is really your cousin. When Valerie was one, Helen discovered she was pregnant again. Your father was on leave that summer. They were hoping for a boy. Imagine her displeasure when she discovered you were a girl."

If Valerie was actually my cousin, why did mom love her more than me, I wondered. I must have asked that question out loud. "You fell off the porch onto a knife laying on the ground. I think you were only three at the time. Valerie planted knives in the front garden hoping to ward off evil spirits. When you were injured she cried, 'But Joe said it would keep my sister safe.' You received your first blood transfusion that day. In order to have complete medical records, your mom asked for them to type Valerie's blood. The nurse commented how much Valerie resemble the Morelli daughter Cathy. After a careful dinner invite and a saliva sample gathered via a Kleenex, your mother discovered Valerie was Anthony Morelli's biological daughter. Six weeks later, on the day she received the results, Valerie became her favourite daughter."

I raised my eyebrows, wondering why. I asked, "Why would she favour Valerie if Anthony was her father?"

Aunt Anna laughed. "Don't you see? Helen was in love with Anthony Morelli. He married Angie after getting her pregnant. She had something she always wanted... his child."

"Why did you decide to tell me your story? Was it because I was pregnant too?"

"No my darling girl. I received the results of the biopsy I had last month. They discovered a malignant tumour in my right breast. I have stage two breast cancer. Radiation and Chemotherapy start in September following surgery. It's the reason I had you obtain your driver's license. You'll need to drive me to my appointments. We'll work on finishing your GED this summer."

She knows me too well. I wouldn't be able to attend classes and take care of her. Quitting school would have been the obvious choice for me. My Aunt's treatments were more important than my education.

On October 11, 2001, the day before I turned 18 and 4 months before she turned 40, my Aunt Adrianna lost her battle to breast cancer. I had a very difficult call to make. Using my new cell phone, I called Dad.

After a few rings he answered. "Pumpkin, is that you?" I was prepared to give him a sarcastic answer when I realized it was the first time calling him from this number.

"Yes Daddy, it's me," I cried.

"I'll be on the next flight okay? Where are you?" he inquired.

"Memorial Hospital," I barely whispered.

"See you in 5 hours. Stay where you are. Grandpa, Grandma and I will pick you up."

"Okay Daddy, I'll wait with Ronnie. She promised to wait with me."

Dad arrived nearly 7 hours later. His plane from Newark departed nearly an hour late. I was nearly numb when he finally pulled me into his arms. "I'll miss her too Pumpkin," he whispered as he comforted me.

He stayed until the day after her burial. Grandpa and Grandma decided to move to Florida to stay with me. They found their daughter-in-law to be exhausting.

A few months later, on a rainy Saturday night my life was forever changed. On our way back from Miami, a transport truck veering into our lane. Grandpa was unable to prevent what happened next. I was laying on the back seat asleep when the truck hit us head on. That night, I lost my Grandpa and Grandma Plum. Other than a few scrapes and bruises, I was completely fine.

I called Daddy's cell phone, but it went directly to voice mail. Since I didn't have Valerie's phone number, I was forced to call home. Helen answered, "You've reached the Plum residence." Her voice was shrill and obviously phoney.

"May I please speak to Frank Plum?" I asked politely.

"I'm sorry. Mr Plum away, selecting new recruits to train for the Rangers. May I take a message?"

"I guess. Please inform Mr Plum his parents passed away late last night in a head on collision. Thank you. Goodbye," I barely squeaked out. My own mother didn't recognize my voice. The one person I needed most was unavailable. For the first time in the last 2 years, I felt truly alone.

I met Jeremy Richards the day I buried my grandparents. He was visiting his grandparents' grave next to me. We started talking about our grandparents. He told me how he lost them several years earlier on a highway just outside Jacksonville. A drunk driver veered into their lane, killing everyone upon impact.

I told him about the accident a few nights earlier. "When I heard the news of their death on Sunday morning, I had to visit my grandparents' grave. I miss them. They were my biggest supporters when I joined the Army. When they died, my parents decided to support my decision too. I was glad to have my family back." We talked for a few more hours before exchanging phone numbers.

Jeremy was the first man I had sex with after the rape. I've dated a few men, but I was always too frightened to take the relationship to an intimate level. With Jeremy, it was very natural. He was very gentle and made sure I was both mentally and physically prepared before sex.

After a few months of dating, Jeremy received the call. Out of hundreds of applicants, he was selected to train for the Rangers. If he passed the training, he would be deployed immediately for a special ops mission. "Stephanie, sweetheart, I leave for training in a few weeks. I can't leave until you agree to be my wife. Steph, I love you. Will you marry me?"

"Yes Jeremy, I will marry you."

Jeremy and I got married the night before he left for Rangers training. I was still 18 and Jeremy was 21. Given the secrecy of his missions, he made me promise not to take on his last name. To protect me in case an enemy decided to use me as payback. The Rangers are an elite group of men specializing in black ops. We spent the night making love before he reluctantly left our bed at 5 am. That was the last day I saw him. On his first mission, Jeremy went MIA and was assumed to be deceased.

My mother and sister were angry I married Jeremy instead of Joseph Morelli, that bastard. I wanted to use Jeremy's last name, but I remembered my promise. His mother allowed me to use her maiden name instead. The morning of his deployment, Felicity and Brian Richards received a call from Jeremy. He asked them to take care of his wife. It wasn't long before we discovered I was pregnant.

I was afraid of losing our baby. What if I miscarried this one too? Grabbing my camera, I photographed the positive pregnancy test.

After our wedding, Felicity gave me 2 empty scrapbooks. She said it's to keep a record of our life together. Once a month we worked on a few pages. In the small scrapbook window I place a picture of us on our wedding day.

The next page has a picture of him in his Army uniform. He looked very handsome. His mother created that page. She added more pictures she was given from his training and post mission. The next page was a tribute to our wedding day.

I carefully cut out letters spelling 'Baby Richards.' The pregnancy test photo was placed near the top. A copy of the first sonogram was placed in the centre along with the due date. I never saw myself as being a mother, but I had a great support team. Once every month, mum and I would create a few more pages. I concentrated on baby pages, including baby bump pictures. Mum created pages revolving around our family. We wanted Jeremy to feel a part of this process.

During the last few months of pregnancy, I was placed on bed rest. Dad, Brian, purchased an adjustable bed to allow me to sleep in a slightly inclined position. I was thankful for his thoughtfulness and generosity.

Mallory and Curtis Romano-Richards were born at 35 weeks. They remained in the NICU for one week after their birth. Felicity was completely enamoured with her grandchildren. I tried to nurse the babies, but they were too hungry for my body to keep up. We decided to bottle feed them after the first month.

Mum and Dad were very supportive. They enrolled me into online classes to further my education. Most courses I completed online, but a few required classroom instruction. Mum babysat on those days.

Two years after his disappearance, his family agreed with the Army and arranged his funeral. Reluctantly, I attended the funeral. In my heart, I knew he wasn't dead. I held onto the hope he will return to me one day.

I continued my education. The thought of Jeremy dying motivated me to achieve my goal. In my heart he was still alive, but if he wasn't, I needed to find a job to support our children.

After receiving my undergraduate diploma, I decided to complete my masters. While I attended college for my MBA, Mum watched the twins. I was extremely lucky to find Jeremy and his family. His parents were very supportive of my life choices. On the day of graduation, our children and his parents were cheering for me.