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

Warning: Adult language, adult situations.

Chapter 12: August 20th, 1900-2030

Hospital

Ranger's POV

We just got done listening to what those animals did to my baby, my little girl. They stole her innocence; they fucked her like some common whore. But that isn't what killed me the most. What hurts the most was that the man, the person who I thought would be better for my little girl, who I thought would love her and keep her safe, allowed them to fuck her. He kept his mouth shut while they hurt my innocent daughter but sang like a canary once they touched Rachel. That bitch. I should never have given in; I should never have agreed to her terms. I know I never hurt her. Everything we ever did was consensual. I never raped her, but her husband allowed my daughter to suffer. If he weren't already dead, I'd kill him now.

I'm not sure when I zoned out, but Stephanie is bending down, in front of me, her hands on my hands. I shake my head, realizing that she's talking to me. "Carlos, Julie needs you to focus. Carlos, come back to us."

"Babe," I reply. "I'm sorry, Julie, I'm not upset with you. I am upset with the men who hurt you, and with Ron for allowing them to do so. What did you want to know?"

"Why didn't Rangeman come, Papi?"

"Because somehow the alarm was never turned on or it was overridden. The alert from you hitting the panic button never showed up on our monitors. Hector is looking into it, Princesa. I'm sorry. I'm sorry I ever allowed Ron to adopt you, I'm sorry I wasn't there to protect you from Scrog, and I'm sorry I failed you again tonight. I love you, Princesa." I lean over to kiss my daughter on her forehead. Then I get up. I need air. I need to punch something or someone. I have too much pent-up rage. I walk out of the hospital, down three blocks to the beach. I walk about five feet off the boardwalk, staring at the ebb and flow of the ocean. I'm standing there at least fifteen minutes before I feel that tingle on the back of my neck that signals Stephanie is near. I know she feels it too. It's almost like we have a connection to each other; that when we get close, our souls recognize each other.

"Carlos, are you okay?" She asks before taking my right hand in her left. I glance at this woman who is my world, trying to determine why God placed her in my dark life.

"No, Babe, I'm not."

"You know it's not your fault. You are not to blame for the way Rachel and Ron treated Julie. You couldn't have changed anything."

"No, Babe, you're wrong. I could have changed everything. I should never have given up my rights to Julie. I didn't want to give her up, but Rachel forced my hand. I knew at that moment that she was a cunning bitch. She used me, and I allowed her to use me."

"Carlos, what do you mean?"

I look at Stephanie, seeing the confusion in her eyes. I sigh. Yes, I sighed. It's time someone else aside from Lester finds out what Rachel did to me.

"Rachel wasn't a one-night stand. We were secretly dating for about a year when I came home on that leave. I was head over heels in love with Rachel, at least I thought I was. The night that we conceived Julie, I proposed to her. I gave her a small diamond ring, a plain solitaire set in 14-carat gold. It wasn't even a carat. It was the best I could afford at the time. I was planning on being a career soldier. I wanted the Rangers because it was the best way for me to rise in the ranks, and maybe someday, work at the Pentagon. When Rachel told me she was pregnant, I was happy. It wasn't expected, at least not by me. As much as I wanted a family someday, I didn't feel that at twenty-one I would be a good father. Rachel and I got married sooner rather than later so she would be covered by my Army health insurance. I was lucky enough to be home for Julie's birth, and spend the first month of her life with her and Rachel. I was at peace, happy with my little, unexpected family. Julie was a wonderful baby. She rarely cried and was happy. She would look at me with her beautiful brown eyes like I was the best person in the world. No one ever looked at me that way before, and no one did again until you came into my life.

"When I came back from my first deployment after her birth, I found Rachel fucking some guy from the base. She didn't expect me back until the next day, but our debrief was faster than anyone expected. That's when we decided to get a divorce. I told you, Babe, I don't share, and I don't deal with infidelity. About a year and a half later, she told me she was marrying Ron. Ron was willing to adopt Julie, and she wanted him to adopt her. He was the man I caught fucking her that day. I didn't want to give up my rights. I told her no. She then showed me a series of pictures and the results of a rape kit. When we were together, we sometimes had rough sex. When I come back from my deployments, I'm always extremely tense, with a lot of pent up anger and energy. I've learned, over the years, to get rid of that energy with meditation or to work out, but back then; I used sex to get rid of the energy. Rachel was always willing, and it would be fast and rough. After one such night, she went to the local hospital, claiming her boyfriend raped her. They performed a rape kit on her, showing evidence of recent sex, and got some of my DNA from when I performed oral sex on her. I used a condom, so there was no semen. She had pictures of bruises that I left from my hands holding her, along with love bites on her body. It looked like she was a victim of sexual assault. If I didn't know that I left those marks, I would have thought someone raped her. Rachel threatened to press charges against me if I didn't give up my rights to Julie.

"I had no choice. My career with the Army was taking off. Since the incident happened during my enlistment and on base, I faced a court-martial. If I had gotten dishonorably discharged, I wouldn't stand a chance at making something of myself. I'd have to give up my dreams of the life I wanted. I didn't have a choice. It was my future, everything I dreamed of that was at stake. I wouldn't have the ability to provide for Julie the way I wanted to and have been able to, thanks to my government contract and Rangeman. I relented and gave up my daughter. I always continued to send Rachel money because I wanted to have a chance to know Julie at some point. I wanted the opportunity for my parents to see their granddaughter. Giving my money to Rachel gave me the ability to see her a few times a year. I didn't know that they treated her so badly. I didn't know that they hated her. Had I known that, I would have moved heaven and earth to have her in my custody sooner. She could be whole right now, safe and sound, instead of recovering from that torture she experienced."