Chapter one: Forced Family
Six weeks ago:
Morelli, Stephanie, and Ranger were underground and lost. "Great. Where are we?" Morelli complained as he walked. It felt like they were moving around in circles. All the walls and the ground looked the same. The natural low lighting allowed them to see some features, but not enough to determine where they were.
"I think we are underground somewhere. Look at the stone walls, and the ground looks like dirt. It is like we're in a cave or something," Stephanie said, offering her interpretation of their location. "I just don't know where we are or where this cave will lead us. Ranger, do you have any idea at all as to where we are?" she asked.
"Not a clue, Babe," Ranger replied. He knew how to navigate the sewers, but this area was not a place he had visited before. Ranger moved his flashlight to illuminate the walls.
"Cupcake, you are close, right?" Joe asked her as he reached around to find her hand.
"Yeah, right behind you," Stephanie said. When Ranger shone his flashlight on Morelli's back, Stephanie touched him to prove her location.
"Don't worry, Morelli. She is right in front of me," Ranger told him. Ranger wanted Morelli to know he was watching her back. Morelli was relieved that Ranger was protecting Stephanie.
It was then when they got hit from behind, and everything went black. Morelli and Ranger woke up in shackles. They looked around the space and saw Stephanie lying on a bed. Her arms raised above her head. She was attached to the headboard using soft restraints. Her feet had the same type of restraints attached but to the footboard. Stephanie was relieved to feel the clothes on her body.
"I have a bad feeling about this," Morelli mumbled. He rattled the shackles as he tried to grab the pick from his pocket.
"Babe, are you okay?" Ranger asked her while he assessed the situation. He noticed both Stephanie and Joe were wearing clothes, but he was as naked as the day he was born.
"Yeah, but what is going on?" Stephanie asked them, lifting her head to look at the men. She reflectively licked her lips when she saw a naked Ranger. Joe happened to be looking for something in his clothes and missed her reaction.
"Not a clue, but I have a feeling that we are here because of Stevens," Ranger told Morelli and Stephanie.
"Why do I always get into this shit?" Stephanie quietly asked. She was tired of getting kidnapped by her FTAs.
"Our main focus is to stay alive," Ranger said. He knew Stevens was unstable. The man was impulsive. They would have to tread lightly to make it out alive. Ranger wondered what demands Stevens would make to save Stephanie from harm.
"Yeah, I will agree with that," Morelli said aloud. "I don't have my weapons or my lock pick."
"Right," Stephanie said, suppressing the urge to cry. She always focused on staying alive, but she got trapped with Batman this time.
They noticed the room was the same as the cave, with stone walls and a dirt floor. The only difference was the stones got painted a pale pink. Stephanie noticed the restraints that confined her to the bed. She tried to wiggle her hands-free but had no luck. "I can't get free," she told Ranger and Morelli. "They are too soft to be handcuffs, but I can't loosen them either."
"Yeah, I don't think we are getting out of here anytime soon," Ranger said. He looked at Morelli and Babe restrained on the bed. Ranger felt helpless to get them out of their predicament.
Just then Stevens walked in, "Okay, I would not even try to escape from those shackles, boys," he said, pointing to the wall. Ranger and Morelli then noticed that arrows were aiming straight at them.
"Yeah, if you try to pick the shackles, you both will be hit with arrows. If you touch the shackles, you will get shot with arrows. Okay, this is what is going to happen. Morelli, you have a choice. I can take this lovely lady here and continue to take her until she is pregnant with my child. Or you can speak up and have Ranger take her and continue to take her until she is pregnant with a child. But either way, she will end up pregnant, with who is your choice," Stevens said.
"You are sick, Stevens," Ranger said, then spit on his boots. Whatever decision Morelli made, he felt it did not bode well for his survival. Watching someone have sex with Stephanie would drive him crazy.
Ranger looked at Morelli, and he returned his gaze. "Can you give us a couple of minutes, please?" Morelli begged Stevens. They had a few things to discuss.
"You have two minutes to talk it over," Stevens said as he walked out of the cell. Stevens knew they would pick the second option.
"Okay, we are in trouble," Morelli told everyone.
"Joe, I don't want to get pregnant by Stevens. You must choose Ranger; you both said our main focus was and is to stay alive. If this is the only way to stay alive, you have no other choice. You must choose Ranger," Stephanie said, fighting back her tears.
"Promise me, Ranger, that when the both of you get out of here, you will take care of her," Joe pleaded.
"You have my word Morelli," Ranger said in front of Stephanie.
Just then, Stevens walked back into the cell. He walked up to Stephanie and ripped off her shirt. Stevens did the same thing to her bra, skirt and underwear. Without waiting for Morelli's decision, Stevens lay on the bed beside her. "Now, don't struggle, and this will be easier. Stephanie tried to squirm away from Stevens, but it was useless. The restraints prevented her from getting away from him. "Well, I see you want to do this the hard way."
He nodded to one of his men, who approached Stephanie with a syringe. The man put the needle into Stephanie's arm. Ranger and Morelli looked at her and watched her stop struggling. "That is better, don't worry, you two, it is only mivacurium, a paralyzing drug," he told her. Stevens stroked her stomach. He moved his tongue from her navel to one of her breasts and started to suck on her nipple. Morelli and Ranger watched as Stevens moved his hands up one of her thighs. He stood up and removed his pants and underwear.
"Stop,'' Morelli screamed. "I want Ranger to be this kid's father," Morelli said. Steven's men unlocked Ranger's shackles.
"If you try anything stupid, Stephanie will pay," Stevens threatened Ranger close to his face.
Ranger crawled up the bed, positioning himself on top of Stephanie. He kissed her softly on the lips. "I am sorry, Babe," Ranger whispered and positioned himself at her entrance.
"Don't blame yourself for this, Ranger. Please, I don't want him to be the father of my baby. Do what you must to get us out of here," Stephanie groggily whispered.
Ranger wiped a tear from her eye. Ranger kissed her softly on the lips. "I love you," he whispered as he entered her. After he peaked, Stevens had his men re-shackle Ranger. After Ranger was shackled again, Stevens left them alone.
"Ranger, we both know that once Stephanie gets pregnant, Stevens will release you. My instincts say that I'll be staying behind," Joe said.
"Are you saying what I think you are saying?" Stephanie asked.
"Yeah, that is exactly what I am saying. Stevens will not leave any witnesses; I am as good as dead," Morelli told them.
Stephanie looked both at Ranger and Morelli, and she started to cry again. She didn't understand how Stevens would leave no witnesses yet let her and Ranger live. There must be more than meets the eye.
Once a day, Stevens would enter the cell and repeat the process from the previous day. He would approach Stephanie and ask, "Do I have to drug you again, or will you cooperate?"
Stephanie would shake her head no. "Good." Stevens took off his pants and started to play with Stephanie. He would find her sweet spot every time. Stevens would suck on one of her breasts until he heard Morelli say stop. The men would then unlock Ranger's shackles, and Ranger would have to take over. Stevens would watch Ranger with longing in his eyes. Stevens wanted what Ranger had.
Ranger looked at Babe. "It is okay, Ranger. I don't blame you or Joe for this. I blame him," Stephanie whispered. Ranger had entered Stephanie at least a dozen times since they got captured. He knew that the chances were good that she was already with his baby.
"I am sorry, Babe," Ranger kissed her hard on the lips before he entered her again. He knew what was happening. Shawn Stevens was watching with a crazy grin on his face. "You are no longer Joe Morelli's," Stevens would tell her afterwards.
Stevens's men would tear Ranger away from Stephanie. They would put Ranger in shackles again. After Ranger was secure, Stevens released Stephanie. He would let his men follow Stephanie as she walked naked into the makeshift bathroom. The men would get close to Stephanie while in the washroom. So close that they would lean against her, invading her space. She could feel their hardness as they pressed against her. Stephanie would see the boxes of new home pregnancy tests, and then she saw all the negative ones lining the counter. "Please, let this one be positive so all of us can get out of here," she told herself. Stephanie peed in a cup, removed a new pregnancy test, put it in the cup and waited. A few minutes later, she saw the two lines.
She left the bathroom with the positive test and shoved it into Shawn's face. "Happy now?" she growled. Stephanie wanted to go home.
He took the test from Stephanie to shove it in Ranger and Morelli's faces. "Nice Job, Ranger. You are going to be a daddy. Since I am feeling generous, I will let Ranger and Stephanie go, but you, Morelli, on the other hand, get to stay with me," Shawn Stevens said.
The men threw Ranger's ripped pants to him and released him from the shackles. He pulled them on. Stephanie looked at Stevens with hate in her blue eyes. Ranger picked up his shirt and pulled it over Stephanie's head to cover her body. "Good bye, Joe." Stephanie walked up to him, and gave him one last kiss."I always did love you Cupcake." Joe replied before Ranger and Stephanie left the cell. "You have my word Morelli" Ranger told him
"My men will show you both out," Stevens said, wearing a huge grin.
Ranger turned around and walked up to Stephanie. The two of them followed the men once they were out of their underground cell. "Here, you will need this." One of the men chucked a cell phone to Ranger.
Stephanie and Ranger watched the men walk away. Ranger looked around to find his bearings, but all he saw were woods. "Babe, any clue where we are?" Ranger asked.
"No," she replied. She looked at the wooded area surrounding them. "All trees look the same to me." Stephanie started to cry. Ranger grabbed her and held her close. He looked into Stephanie's eyes before using the phone to call Rangeman.
"Hey, Boss. We have been looking for you for a month and a half. I'll get a trace on the cell you are using. Give me a moment," Lester said. "We got you located by the old wood processing plant. Help is on the way to you now. Stay put, and is Stephanie with you?" Lester asked gently.
"She is here with me," Ranger said. "Make sure to bring a couple of blankets with you."
"Sure thing," Lester said. Lester was relieved they managed to find Stephanie too. The men missed her more than Ranger.
"When we are back at Rangeman, we will get you examined," Ranger told her. Ranger and Stephanie looked at each other, they knew what had happened, and they both knew it was too late. No emergency birth control would work. It was too late for Stephanie if she was pregnant. It was exactly what Stevens wanted. Stephanie could get an abortion, but being a Catholic, it was against her belief.
"What about Joe?" Stephanie asked. She was scared Morelli inadvertently traded his life for hers.
"We will get him back somehow. For now, let's get to safety," Ranger gently said. A few minutes later, a Rangeman SUV pulled up, and Ranger and Stephanie climbed into the back. They looked into each other's eyes. They knew deep down that Joe Morelli was dead. Morelli was right when he said that Stevens would not leave any witnesses. Ranger and Stephanie just refused to say it in the open.
Hector and Hal were there as well. "What the hell happened?" Hector asked when he saw Stephanie wearing Ranger's shirt. He looked at Ranger, who was wearing shredded cargo pants with no shirt because he gave it to Babe. Who was wearing it? Ranger grabbed a couple of blankets from Hector and wrapped Stephanie in them. He would make sure that she was cared for first. He would keep his promise to Morelli.
"What is today's date?" Ranger asked.
"April 11th. You, Stephanie, and Morelli have been gone over a month," Hal replied.
Ranger looked over at Stephanie. He saw she was shaking. Ranger pulled her into his arms as they drove towards Rangeman. When they arrived inside the garage, they exited the SUV. They entered the elevator to get to the infirmary. "We will be in the med wing," Ranger informed them. He pressed the M button for the med wing.
They walked into the infirmary to see Bobby. Both Ranger and Stephanie noticed the sterile room that reeked of chlorine bleach. Ranger picked Stephanie up and put her on one of the medical beds.
"Thank god you two are alive," Bobby said. He noticed they had lost weight. They looked malnourished and dehydrated.
"Bobby, take care of her first," Ranger said.
Bobby saw Stephanie wearing one of Ranger's work shirts but nothing else. "Steph, I am sorry, but I have to take some blood," Bobby said as he removed the supplies from the drawer.
"Enter," Ranger said when someone knocked on the door. Tank entered to confirm his boss and Stephanie had returned. He noticed Stephanie on the Medical beds. She was sitting upright on it.
Ranger climbed on the bed to sit behind her. He put his arms around her, holding her tight. "Look at me, Babe. Don't look at the needle." Stephanie turned her head and relaxed in Ranger's arms. She squeaked as Bobby came up with the needle.
Stephanie concentrated on Ranger's brown eyes. After the blood sample was drawn, Bobby asked, "Do I need to do a rape kit?"
"No. Stevens was smart. He made me have sex with Stephanie multiple times. If she is not pregnant with my baby, I will be extremely surprised," Ranger said.
"Okay, you are next, Ranger," Bobby told him.
"We have to get Morelli out somehow," Ranger told Bobby after explaining what happened.
"We will, but we can't do that until you and Stephanie get released from my care. So now get up on the damn table." Bobby told him. He collected a sample from Ranger too. Bobby wanted to ensure they weren't drugged. It would also help determine what nutrients were immediately required.
Stephanie was in a Johnny, looking at Ranger as he got up on the exam table. She let out some deep breaths. "Okay, here is what is going to happen. You both have to get counseling for what you've endured during your capture. Stephanie, if you are pregnant."
Before Bobby finished, Ranger jumped in. "Then I will marry you, Babe, and we will raise this child together," Ranger told her. "You will not be in this alone. I will be there with you. That is why Morelli chose me to be the father of this baby. I promised Morelli, and I intend to keep my promise."