Disclaimer: See first Chapter.
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"Thanks Stephanie."
My head shot up, "For what?"
"For not accusing me of being the selfish, ungrateful, brat that I behaved like out there."
I smiled, "Kid, if I'd been half as smart and together as you when I was thirteen I might have made something of my life by now."
She laughed, "At least with all of us in it, it's never boring…" she added cheekily.
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That had been one whole hour ago. We'd finished eating, and I'd gone to the back staircase and made my way down; conscience that by this time the living room should be empty.
I'd entered it cautiously and when I'd seen it was empty I'd run to my room and nearly slammed the door shut behind me.
So here I was sitting on my bed, still kinda hungry with my head kinda achy and very tired and extremely worried.
I couldn't make the worried feeling go away. Everyone was back, and sure it looked like Ranger had been shot, but he was fine. Everyone was fine.
I tucked my knees under me and laid my chin on them.
I'm not sure how long I sat like that, with no thoughts really running in my head. My eyes staring blankly ahead, when the there was a knock on the door.
I blinked, as if waking up. Slowly I stood from the bed. The knock came again, I opened the door.
Tony.
His dark eyes were twinkling and he had a bruise on the right side of his face and a cut on his forehead.
"Meeting in ten minutes." He said, then turned around, ready to leave.
"Wha-? Wait!" I called out, suddenly confused.
He turned around and arched an eyebrow….
Great, it's a family trait…
"Yeah?" He asked.
"What does that mean? I mean… to me?"
He smiled, "It means: in ten minutes you should be in the security room for a meeting."
I shook my head, "I don't think that… that's probably not a good idea."
He walked back to me, "Look, Steph, I've been approached by my wife, my sister, and my mother all telling me you were an angel today; not to mention that you are currently completely up to date not only on our family history but on the events that have brought us all here…which means you have a right to find out what happened today, which means you should be at the meeting."
I nodded, "Yeah, I agree but it's just that… I don't think Marcu-"
"Don't worry about Marcus."
"He doesn't like me."
"It's not personal."
I couldn't help it, I rolled my eyes, "That's what Tan- Eddie said when I complained to him that no one would tell me anything."
Tony grinned, "You know you wanna come, and it's not a big deal. Mom can handle Marcus if he throws a fit."
I grinned too, imagining the small woman dominating the Navy Seal. My smile faded, "Where's Rick?"
Tony grinned wider, "He's gonna be so pissed, Lane sedated him… again." His eyes narrowed a little before he continued, "You know he's not going to be at the meeting. If you come, you can go upstairs afterwards and tell him about it."
My eyes narrowed, "Are you bribing me?"
"Only if you can be bribed."
I sighed, "Okay, I'll go."
"Great, be there in te- no it's more like seven minutes now."
He was walking away again.
"Tony?!" I called.
He turned around, "Yeah?"
"You're okay?" I asked. It was a dumb question; obviously he was okay, butit just… it slipped out.
He smiled, a very kind smile, "Yeah, Ed and me were smart enough to not get shot or slashed with a blade."
"Uh… good…"
He laughed this time, "See ya in six, angel."
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AngelHe'd called me angel.
Great that's just what I need, another nickname.
Now I'm not just a freaking Cupcake, or a Babe, or even stinkin' Bombshell… now I'm an Angel too.
Just Great.
The security room door looked intimidating. It always did, but I refused to so much as pause as I opened it, knowing that they were all probably watching.
I went down the stairs, and just as I suspected the entire family, minus the kids, Veronica, and Ranger were sitting around the table.
"What is she doing here?" Marcus snarled when I walked in. I glared at him, jeez he was rude.
"Tell me this isn't why we waited," He continued.
Mama-Bat stood up, "It is exactly why we waited, and I suggest you shut up Marcus, before you say something I'll make you regret."
"Mother-"
"Don't mother me, Marcus," she hissed at him as she took my arm, pulling me towards the table, "Stephanie is welcome here, and if you have a problem with it, Tony is just as capable of briefing us as you."
"Not only just as capable, but it would be more advisable… seeing as he's in one piece." Lane hissed from the table.
Marcus turned his glare on her, "I'm fine."
"You're an idiot."
"Don't get mad at me, 'cause I didn't let you stick me with that needle."
"You need to get some sleep."
"Do you wanna know what happened today or not?"
Mama-Bat had pushed me into a seat while the brother and sister argued.
Lane stuck her tongue out at him, and Lucas, who was sitting next to her, pulled her off her chair and onto his lap.
"Ssssshhhh," he said in her ear, "you can get'm later…"
Soft laughs went around the table.
"Okay, okay, enough, I want to know what happened." Mama-Bat.
"Victor's goons picked her up around three am. We never even had a chance of finding her before them. Lucky for us, they were idiots who couldn't believe their blessing and decided they wanted to call it in to their boss immediately."
"You picked up the call." Lacey stated.
"Of course." Tank.
"You don't have to be snooty about it," Lacey.
He grinned.
What followed was Marcus trying to give what sounded like a formal briefing and his family interrupting with snide or cocky or simply silly comments.
He was getting increasingly annoyed and I got the feeling that was the point. He informed us that it was easy getting a trace on the call, even easier finding where it had originated, and way too easy getting in.
What had been a little more difficult was getting out… mostly because Veronica had refused to corporate and had decided to scream.
That had been the point where the goons had descended upon them and the struggled had ensued.
They had never been in any actual danger, he assured. To which Lane commented that the gash at his side stated otherwise. He insisted that they'd had everything under control and Lacey called him a idiotic-moron who obviously didn't know the meaning of under control.
I, however, remained absolutely silent. I wasn't going to get yelled at. I was going to sit here, and wait until I was allowed to leave, and then leave.
Everything went silent suddenly, and I realized that I was being stared at.
I looked around, completely lost, "What?" I asked softly.
Mama-Bat smiled ruefully at me, "Lane commented that Marcus should thank you for keeping his son's occupied all day."
My eyes flew to Marcus, he didn't look happy.
"No, no, he doesn't… I mean… they're great kids… awesome kids actually… I kinda even had fun." I stuttered a little but overall I think that was a good statement.
He said nothing, no one said anything, I was starting to sweat. I wanted food.
I'm beginning to think I may have an eating disorder… either that or should've eaten more than chips and yoo-hoo today.
"Thank you for watching my boys, Stephanie."
I almost blushed, there was something in the way he said that, in the dark eyes that made me feel like he'd just given me an extraordinary compliment.
I shook my head not exactly meeting his eyes, "It was no problem at all… I didn't even actually watch them, they're so great…"
Lacey chuckled, "You don't have to cover it up, Steph, we all know the boys are a handful."
I frowned; these people obviously didn't know what handful meant, "No really, they were great. All of them, so great actually that if that's the result of working on discipline I'm definitely doing it with mine."
For some reason that produced huge grins on everyone's face; everyone except Marcus of course.
"The family wouldn't have it any other way." Lacey responded.
Huh?
"I think this meeting is over." Suzie said standing and pulling Tank with her, "I'm sure we could all find more interesting things to do with the rest of the evening."
The way she pulled Tank out of the room left no doubt on anyone's mind of what they'd be doing…
Everyone at the table groaned and made faces and grinned. They made crude comments and Suzie crossed her eyes at them before they disappeared up the steps.
It would be so easy to fall in love with this family.
The thought struck me out of no where and left me open-mouthed.
"You okay, Steph?" Tony asked me as he shared a look with his wife.
"Uh… yeah… I just… uh… yeah… I'm fine…" Great more stuttering, I shook my head, "Probably I should get another yoo-hoo."
"Probably you should let mom make you a sandwich, then down the pills I'm going to give you, and go to bed." Lane.
"That's not a bad idea," Mama-bat jumped in, "Come on, I'll make sandwiches; one for you and one for Ricky. You can take it up to him."
She was up and out of the room before I could process her words. When I did, I looked to Lane, "I don't want pills."
She sighed, "Okay, but if the paingets worse tell me." I nodded.
She stood, "You come on… you're going to bed." She said glaring at Marcus, "And don't argue 'cause I'll get mom to hold you down while I stick you."
His eyes narrowed as he allowed her to pull up out of the chair and towards the door, "You wouldn't."
"Of course I would."
"No you wouldn't…. you're gonna need someone to protect you when Rick realizes what you did…"
She grinned up at him, "Steph will protect me." She said and looked over at me with a wink.
They were at the door, "You comin Luke?"
Her husband was on his feet so fast, the chair rocked, "Right behind ya…" he said, wrapping his arms around her waist.
There was more laughter and as the trio made there way awkwardly up the stairs with Lane latched on to the back of Marcus's shirt and Luke and pressed up against Lane's back.
Tony and Lacey followed soon after, they too were teasing as they went up. I was left with Ralphie.
Great, my victim.
He was staring at me intently when I shifted to face him.
"Mom's waiting for you." He said.
I sighed.
"You wanna see Rick, don't you?" He asked.
"Yeah…"
He stood.
"Can I ask you something, Ralphie?"
He nodded, his eyes were warm and twinkly and his lips ready to smile.
"Why doesn't Marcus like me?"
The twinkle faded.
"I mean I could understand if it was you… I did kinda physically harm you and stuff… but I've hardly even talked to him… and he really can't stand me and that's not that unusual, although it's typically psycho's or criminals or skanky-husband-stealers that don't like me… the point is I usually know why someone hates my guts, but with Marcus I'm drawing up a blank."
"It's not that he doesn't like you, it's more along the lines of him being cautious about you."
"Cautious about me!" I squeaked.
Ralphie nodded.
"He's a Navy Seal! I can't even get the stun gun to work when I want it to; and I'm a complete spaz with a gun; not to mention I prefer jelly donuts to… well anything that involves physical fitness; and-"
Ralphie's laughter cut me off, "Jeez Steph," he said between breaths, "… how the hell are you a bounty hunter??"
I shrugged, smiling a little at his laughter, "I'm really lucky, and I have this habit of just… tripping over clues or suspects and I've got friends who are really good with guns and physical fitness."
The laughing got harder.
"What?" It was getting kinda annoying.
"I always thought… that…" he was taking deep breaths, "that Rick exaggerated when he told stories about you…"
"Stories about me?"
He nodded, "Blowing things up and sitting dead people in patio chairs and finding feet in your refrigerator and dropping off dead guys at the police station …"
"Hey that's not funny…"
He nodded, "Yeah it is." His laughing was under control and reduced to a huge grin. "Marcus just doesn't want you blowing anything up while you're here."
I pouted, "He doesn't like me."
Ralphie stood, "Don't worry about it. Marcus has his own issues. We all love you and Mom's probably done with your sandwich by now."
I sighed and stood. He was right; it wasn't my problem if Marcus didn't like me. Let him work it out.
Upstairs in the kitchen Mama-Bat was placing two plates with sandwiches on a tray.
"Oh, you don't have to put it on a tray I can carry it up like that."
She turned to smile at me, "What about the glasses?"
Good point.
"Uh…"
She laughed, "Rick told me I freaked you out by putting the McDonalds on a tray."
I blushed, then scowled, "He talks too much."
She went about finishing what she was doing, "I made Turkey for Ricky, he's been on a health food craze lately…"
"Lately?" Ralphie interrupted from a stool before stuffing a cookie in his mouth.
She didn't look up, "Four years is nothing in the grand scheme of things…" she amended before continuing, "I made you something more along the lines of actual food."
I grinned, "Thanks, four years huh?"
She looked up and rolled her eyes, "Apparently the body is a temple and we're all rigging it with explosives."
I shrugged, "Gotta go somehow."
She laughed, moving off to the huge refrigerator.
"So what do Marcus and Tony do for a living?" I asked not caring which of the two answered me.
"Marcus works for the FBI and Tony is a U.S. Marshal." She answered nonchalantly.
Jeez, overachievers.
Ralphie threw his head back and laughed, I cringed.
"I have to stop doing that," I muttered.
"No way," Ralphie said, "…it keeps things interesting."
Mama-Bat laughed, "Overachiever huh?"
I nodded, a little sheepishly, "Well it's true; Seals, Rangers, Marines, Doctors, Lawyers then add Security Specialist, U.S. Marshal and FBI… it's like the list of what I wanna be when I grow up before you grow up and realize you have to work to get there."
She laughed, then asked,"How good are you with trays?"
I swallowed, "Uh… I can manage…"
Liar.
Last time I'd held a tray I'd dumped the contents on my sister.
She handed it to me. I moved away stiffly, the glasses weren't very full, but just in case.
I heard Ralphie laughing behind me and would have shot him a look if I'd dared to turn around.
I used the back stairs because they were closer to the kitchen and I didn't have to turn as much.
I found Veronica's room and went to the door next to it.
Hmmmmm, how to open the door.
I hadn't thought about this part.
The door was opened suddenly, from behind.
"Go for it girl," Ralphie said from behind me, I could hear the grin in his voice and remembered that he'd interrupted us last night.
"Consider yourself glared at." I hissed at him.
He laughed as I walked in. I heard the door close behind me.
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