Disclaimer: Everything familiar belongs to JE and the creators of Criminal Minds

Warning: Adult Situations

Chapter 2: August 20th, 0500-0600

Stephanie's POV

Bang Bang Bang Bang

Whoever is playing the drums needs to stop. I'm trying to sleep here. I wake up, realizing someone is at the front door.

"Joe, who's at the door?" I ask, turning over to my right side to look at Joe.

"I don't know. I'm going to find out. Stay in here." Joe orders. Damn him. Doesn't he know I don't follow orders?

I get up and stand by the bedroom door, trying to determine if I can make out the voices.

"Manoso, Santos, what the fuck are you doing pounding on my door at five am?" I hear Joe ask, clearly irritated at being awakened at five in the morning on his day off.

"I need to speak with Stephanie, now," Ranger answered.

"Well, she's sleeping," Joe responds.

"Joe, who is it? Is everything okay?" I yell downstairs, knowing that Ranger is at the door.

"Babe." I hear Ranger's voice, calling me to him.

I run down the stairs, not even pausing to put a robe on over my t-shirt and my Victoria's Secret sleep boxers, or should I say Ranger's t-shirt.

"Ranger, what's wrong?" I ask once I get a good look at his face. I can tell that he's hurt, scared, and incredibly angry. I have a strong urge to wrap my arms around him, to hold him, to console him, my Batman.

"Can we talk in the kitchen, please," he asks me.

"Of course," I reply, taking his hand and leading him to Joe's kitchen. We walk through the swinging door towards the table and chairs, where Ranger collapses down on one of the chairs, his elbows on the table supporting his head in his hands. I stand next to Ranger hugging him from the side. He turns his face into my chest, and I feel his sobs escaping. I move, so I am standing in front of him, resting my head on his, kissing him on the top of his head while rubbing small circles on his back. I know whatever brought him here is bad news. I fear it has to do with Julie.

"Ranger is Julie okay?" I ask, hoping my fears are unfounded.

"No, Babe, she's not." I hear him reply softly, his voice full of emotion and pain. He seems to steady himself, sitting up straighter, pulling me on his lap in the process. His right arm is around my back at my waist, while his left is holding my hand.

He takes a deep breath and continues, "I received a call about an hour ago from the Miami-Dade Police Department that Julie is in the hospital having emergency surgery. As her next of kin, I need to fly down to Miami immediately to oversee her medical care. When I asked them what happened, I expected to hear that she was in a car accident or something like that. For them to be calling me, Rachel had to be incapacitated. What they told me was enough to make me lose the contents of my stomach. Some animals broke into Rachel's home last night. They knocked Ron out by hitting him on the head with some object. They killed Rachel and Ron's two children. Ron Jr. was only eight, and Joselyn was eleven. They slit their throats. I guess it's a small favor that they died instantaneously, probably without even knowing what happened. At some point, more than one person raped Rachel, then they…they…Julie too, Babe. When they finished with them, they killed Ron and Rachel, then shot Julie. The bullet didn't kill her, only injured her. The neighbors heard the gunshot and called the cops, but by the time the cops and Rangeman Miami arrived, it was too late for the Martines. Only Julie survived. Rangeman only monitors the house alarm, fire alarm, and CO alarm. Their house alarm never went off; Ron and Rachel didn't put it on last night. Stephanie, Babe, please come with me to Miami. I don't think I can face Julie alone. I need your help, Babe. I need someone to keep me grounded if we find the pendejo who did this to my baby girl."

Even before hearing what Ranger had to say, once I found out Julie was hurt, I was going to go with him. I talk with Julie at least three to four times a week, either on the phone or by e-mail. She's a charming, brave, and caring young woman. I will do everything in my power to help her heal. I'm holding back the tears that want to escape, pushing the bile rising in my throat back down. I need to be strong for Ranger.

"Of course, I'll go with you, Carlos. I'll do anything for you or Julie." I tell him.

He looked up at me, surprised. "Babe, you called me Carlos."

"I'm sorry. Given the circumstances, Ranger sounds too formal. You don't mind?"

"No, Babe. You can call me Carlos whenever you like."

"Let's go tell Joe. He's not going to be happy."

"No, he's not, Babe." I make to get up, but Ranger holds me firm on his lap. "I need another minute, Stephanie. I feel out of sorts, out of control. I don't know what to do. I'm a man of action, and right now there is no one for me to go after. You ground me, Stephanie. You give me the anchor I need to calm down so that I can think things through carefully."

I return Ranger's embrace, and we sit there, giving each other comfort. Finally, he nudges me off his lap. When we return to the living room, I decide to make my escape upstairs and leave Ranger and Lester to explain the situation to Joe.

"Let me go upstairs and change. I need to pack a few things. Can we stop by my apartment?" I ask Ranger.

"Yeah, Babe, we can. The plane with my brother won't arrive for another ninety minutes. Please don't take too long. If you forget anything, I'll buy it for you in Miami." Ranger informs me.

I run up the stairs into the bedroom to grab a change of clothes. Then I go into the bathroom. I close and lock the door, not that it will work to keep either Joe, Ranger, or Lester out of the bathroom. I strip out of Ranger's clothes and get into the shower. Shit, Ranger's clothes. I wonder if Joe has put two and two together yet. Oh well. Once the water is cascading down my face, I allow my tears to fall. It feels cathartic, releasing my emotions, especially knowing that I need to keep myself together in front of Ranger. I've never seen him this scared or this upset before. I mean, he was crying. God, poor Julie, I can't imagine what she's going through right now. I quickly stop my crying, wash my hair and body, then get out of the shower. I dry off, putting on black yoga pants and a blue stretchy t-shirt over a lace bra and thong set. I put some gel in my hair to tame the curls before throwing it up in a ponytail. I put on three coats of mascara for courage, blush, and lip gloss. I look in the mirror, determining that I look as good as I'm going to get in the short time frame and begin to gather my toiletries. I'm not sure how long we'll be in Miami, so I have to go prepared. I dump everything on Joe's bed, then grab his small duffle bag from the closet. I throw my toiletries in the side pouches, then pack my remaining clothes and shoes, which amounts to two days of dirty clothes and one set of clean clothes. I need to stop at my apartment for more clothes.

As I begin to make my way downstairs, I hear the guys talking, apparently about me. I stop dead in my tracks, eavesdropping on their conversation.

"When Stephanie and I share a bed, I wake up to find her on top me, or I have her wrapped in my arms. She doesn't wear boxers with my t-shirt when she sleeps in my bed. I can't tell you how many times I've tried to monopolize on her pre-coffee fog, but she has Burg guilt. If she were my woman, I wouldn't be willing to let her go to another state with another man who wasn't her father, brother, or grandfather, for ANY REASON. You're willing to let her go. Tell me, who's going to be in your bed tonight? Terry? Joyce? Gina? Connie? Robin?"

What?! Terry, Joyce, Gina, Connie, Robin? What the fuck is Ranger talking about, Joe and I are exclusive, aren't we?

I hear Ranger continue, "Yeah, Joe, I know all about your side-pieces. Don't worry; I won't tell Stephanie. I would never hurt her like that. But, if she ever asked me directly, I'd tell her in a heartbeat. While she's with me in Miami, think about what you want. I don't think that it's Stephanie. When you make up your mind, put her out of her misery and allow her to be free to be with a man who loves her for who she is, who doesn't want to change her. That man may not be me, but that's for her to decide."

I decided that I've heard enough. Once things get settled with Julie, I'll have time to question Ranger or Lester about what I overheard just now. When Lester notices me, he clears his throat to end their conversation.

"Joe, I hope you don't mind I'm borrowing your bag. I didn't want to throw my stuff in the laundry basket. I think I have all my clothes and toiletries. If I missed anything, I'm sorry. Thank you for letting me go to help Julie."

Joe comes over to me, placing his hands around my waist, clearly trying to mark his territory. The only time he shows PDAs is when Ranger or the Merry Men are around to witness them. "I'll be waiting for you to return. I love you, Cupcake." He says before kissing me.

"Me too. I'll call you either later today or tomorrow. Bye, Joe." I reply, unable to say the three words that I know aren't true.

Lester takes the duffle bag from me.

"Babe," Ranger says before extending his hand to me. I take his hand, following him out the door to his Cayenne, never looking back at Joe or his house.

I climb in the backseat, shocked when Ranger climbs in next to me. Lester takes the wheel. If he's surprised by Ranger's actions, he's not showing it. "Off to your apartment, Beautiful?"

"Yes, Lester. Thanks."

The ride from Joe's to my apartment takes about eight minutes in the early hours of Saturday morning. While we are driving, there I ask Ranger why we're waiting for his brother.

"My brother, Javier, is an attorney who practices family law. I'm not sure what Rachel and Ron have set up regarding Julie's custody should both predecease me. I think Ron's sister gets custody. With Rachel and her other children gone, I won't let Julie go. I'm going to file for custody of my daughter. It's time I take responsibility as her father. I know the road is going to be long and hard ahead of us, but I want to be there to protect her as she heals. Babe, I'm planning on staying in Miami for at least three to four months, possibly longer, depending on Julie. You are free to stay as long as you like. You can work for the Miami office if you need to do something, and I can pay for your apartment. Whenever you want to return to Trenton, let me know, and I'll set it up. I don't know if I'll ever return to Trenton full time. Julie will decide where we'll live."

"Ranger, I understand. Julie is your daughter and is your primary concern. Know that I am here for the both of you as long as you need me. If I overstay my welcome, please let me know. Before we decide if I'll work for Miami or not, let's find out how Julie is doing." I reply as we pull into my lot.

Lester parks in the prime spot that is never available when I pull into the lot. Damn parking karma. I hear Ranger chuckle.

"Out loud?"

"Yes, Babe. Come on, let's go." Ranger gets out of the SUV first, then helps me out. I grab the duffle bag. He looks at me inquisitively.

"Most of the clothes I had at Joe's were dirty. I need to exchange them for clean clothes." Ranger nods then takes the duffle bag from my hand. We enter the building. Ranger takes pity on me and waits for the elevator. Once we reach my door, he hands me back my duffle before unlocking my door and sweeping my apartment. I think he might find a dust bunny or twenty. I roll my eyes behind his back. He comes back to the hallway, motioning for me to enter my apartment.

"Babe, where's Rex?" He asks.

I pause, sigh, then respond. "Rex died last week. I buried him in my parent's backyard. He was about four years old, which is old for a hamster."

"Babe, I'm sorry," Ranger said before kissing my forehead.

I go to my bedroom, taking my dirty clothes out of the duffle bag and dumping them in my overflowing hamper. I sigh again. I start grabbing shorts and lightweight pants from my dresser, t-shirts, and sweaters from my closet, a few sundresses, and two black dresses. I take one pair of black FMPs, my flip-flops, sandals, and an extra pair of sneakers. I then go to my lingerie drawer, grabbing all the clean bras and panties. While I'm in my bedroom, Ranger is clearing out the food in my fridge, though I doubt any of it is edible at this point. I decide to grab a few nighties and teddies from my "special" drawer and add them to the bottom of my bag. Then I add the rest of my clothes on top. Finally, I pack two t-shirts to sleep in, knowing that more will be available for me in Miami. I grab a few more toiletries from my bathroom, along with my hair dryer, curling iron, and straightener. Wait, Miami is more humid than Trenton. I put the straightener back.

By now, Ranger is impatient. "Babe, are you ready? We need to leave for the airport."

"Yeah, I'm ready," I reply, as I show him my two duffle bags and one garment bag.

"What's in the garment bag, Babe?"

"Funeral attire."

Ranger takes three steps to me, then pulls me in for a bone-crushing embrace. "In case I forget to tell you, thank you for helping Julie, thank you for coming with me, and thank you for helping me to get through this nightmare. I love you, Babe."