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

Warning: Adult Situations

Chapter 34: Friday, August 26th, 1000-1300

Ranger's House

Alvez' POV

This morning, the BAU is meeting at Ranger's house. House isn't an appropriate word for the building. Calling his home an estate or mansion is more appropriate. I look at his home and feel a pang of jealousy. I know that his security company is hugely successful, but I can't help shaking the feeling that our government paid for this house. The government offered me a contract for black ops but being a mercenary for hire didn't sit well with me. I prefer to chase down the bad guys and put them in jail, which is what I did as part of the Fugitive Apprehension Team and now the BAU. But to each his own. If it weren't for men like Ranger, our world would be a much more dangerous place.

We decided to move our base of operations from Miami-Dade PD to Ranger's home after a raid went wrong yesterday. We received good intel that two persons of interest in the bombing of Ranger's car were holed up in a small building on the outskirts of Miami. We coordinated a sting with MDPD and Rangeman. When we arrived, we discovered that it was a set-up. About fifteen men were waiting with more ammunition then us. Once we noticed the men, Ranger immediately moved his men to the front line and within minutes had a coordinated plan of attack ready. His men moved with stealth precision, and we managed to capture six men, but the rest managed to flee. The men we caught are nothing more than pawns, gang bangers hired for the job, which is why the rest of the crew sacrificed them to us. In the meantime, because a cop of MDPD didn't listen to Ranger's instructions, they are lying in the county morgue. When Garcia searched Officer Cristian Juez, we found a lot of money in his accounts that they did not earn while working for the police department or through any other legal channels. We then concluded that he was collateral damage.

Emily spoke with Chief Toledo and explained our suspicions to him about some of his men. He was hesitant to agree with us, but in the long run, saw that we were right. As far as his men are concerned, we are off the case, on our way back to DC with no other leads panning out. Instead, our headquarters are now at Ranger's sprawling estate.

A formidable Hispanic woman opens the door for us when we arrive. "Buenos dias. Welcome to Mr. Manoso's home. My name is Maggie. I'm his housekeeper here and at Rangeman Miami. Please let me know if you have any special food or drink requests and I will make sure they are here for you. Don't be shy; before you say no, let me tell you that Mr. Manoso pays me very well to keep his business and home stocked. It is no problem for me. Please, come in, and I will show you the house, and then the command center."

"Buenos dias, Senora. My name is Luke Alvez. Here is SSA Emily Prentiss, our unit chief, SSA David Rossi, Dr. Spencer Reid, SSA Jennifer Jareau, SSA Matt Simmons, SSA Tara Lewis, and Penelope Garcia."

"Pleasure to meet you all. Now please, follow me." Maggie says as she leads us through his home. I see the view out of his back windows, and I am in awe. He sure knows how to pick the house.

"There's a bathroom here behind the stairs, another one off the kitchen, and a third one located in the gym. Over here are the living and dining areas. If you follow me outside through the kitchen, I'll take you to the guest house." She shows us where the dining room and the living room is. When we enter, Ranger and Stephanie are in a reasonably passionate embrace and kiss. Maggie walks over to Ranger and hits him upside the head.

"Puede que no sea tu tía de sangre, pero no creas que no llamaré a tu abuela para decirle que no estás tratando a tu mujer con respeto. Hasta que le pongas un anillo en el dedo, mantén las manos fuera." She says to Ranger. I have to hold in my snicker, as does Emily. The rest of the team is looking at us, but we won't share what we heard. (I may not be your Aunt by blood, but don't think I won't call your Grandmother to tell her that you're not treating your woman with respect. Until you put a ring on her finger, keep your hands off.)

"What are you going to tell Abuela, Tia Maggie?" A young Hispanic woman asks. She is beautiful, with long dark brown hair and brown eyes that are the color of caramel. Her skin is the same mocha color as Ranger. She must be one of his sisters.

"Mariela, I'd like to introduce you to the members of the Behavioral Analysis Unit of the FBI." Ranger states before introducing each of us. "This is my baby sister, Mariela. Mariela is here to stay with Julie while Stephanie and I are working on the case."

I glance over at Spencer, and I see that he is smitten with Mariela. I see her look at him appraisingly.

"I am fascinated by the work you do. My brother told me a little bit about how you solve crimes. I'm going to school with a double major in Criminal Justice and Psychology. Agent Rossi, I read a few of your books. They are riveting. I would love to talk to you about what you do. I would enjoy working on a team like yours." Mariela said without taking her eyes off Reid.

"Mariela, they will be here for dinner. You can talk to them then. Until that time, we have a lot of work to do. Is everything okay with Julie?"

"Julie's sleeping. She's still a little shaken up by the other day. She also misses Tommy. When are the doctors releasing him?"

"Monday, hermanita."

"And?"

Ranger looks to Steph, and she nods her head. "Javi is working on having Stephanie, and I named as his temporary guardians. I don't want him going to a state facility."

"Did you tell Julie?"

"I told her Javi was investigating the possibility. I don't want to get her hopes up."

"Is it going to be permanent?"

"I don't know. Now, Mariela, we can discuss Tommy's future more at length later tonight. But right now, we need to get to work."

"Okay, Carlos. I'll let you get to work. I'm going outside for a swim. I have the monitor with me in case Julie wakes up before I finish my swim."

"Ocean or pool?"

"Pool. I know better than to go into the ocean without someone with me."

With that, Mariela leaves the room. "I'm sorry about that interruption. My sister loves trying to find out anything that she can report back to my other sisters and my mother. She's on a mission to learn every secret I have during her stay here."

Emily responds, "that's fine. It gave us a moment to stop gawking at your home. It's a beautiful house you have here, Ranger."

"Thank you. I don't spend much time here. Up until the incident, Trenton was my base of operations. I only used the house when Julie would visit with me, so she didn't have to be around my men at my office. I have a penthouse apartment there, which is where I normally stay." Ranger said.

"We are heading outside to what is normally our guest house, but for now, it's our command center. In the guest house, we have a fully operational kitchen, two full bathrooms, one-bedroom, and a large common room, that currently has several laptops, whiteboards, and a couple of conference tables set up. They are hooked into my secure network, being routed and backed-up in Trenton. Hector has every encryption and security feature on our network that is available, and some that I don't think anyone else knows about, so whatever information we access is secured. Garcia, if you go in there, Hector will help get your equipment connected." By now, we are standing outside the guest house.

Garcia looks a little shell-shocked at Ranger addressing her directly and quickly moves into the house. I see that someone moved his couches to the edge of the room. Our work stations consist of a few card tables with tablets at the ready, legal pads, pens, pencils, highlighters, and any other office supply we might need. There is a portable whiteboard along the wall of the common room. On what I can only presume is a small dining or kitchen table are a spread of fresh fruit, cheeses, cake, cookies, drinks, and other snacks. I could get used to working here.

Maggie joins us a moment later, addressing us. "Ladies, I have some products here, mostly upstairs for Julie and Stephanie, but if you need anything, again, please let me know, and I'll make sure to stock the bathrooms here for you. Also, there is a basket of hair ties, brushes, combs, and other products. Feel free to use whatever you need. I have extra toothbrushes available in case you need them.

A moment later, Garcia comes towards us from the other end of in the room, heading over to the table to get a cupcake and some soda. "In the words of Annie, I think I'm gonna like it here."

Stephanie starts laughing, and Garcia immediately blushes. "Oh no, did I say that out loud?" Garcia asks.

Stephanie responds, "I thought I was the only person who had no filter between my brain and my mouth."

"Babe," Ranger says, sounding amused.

We recap everything we know and get to work digging into Teresa Grizoli's history. I see a monitor sitting on a table, and I'm wondering why. I know that there are no babies here, so I'm a little confused. Suddenly, we hear a bone-chilling scream. Ranger and Stephanie immediately jump up from their seats and run out of the guest house into the main house. Ranger is pulling out his gun from some location on his body. I see Hector and Lester come rushing in from the kitchen and follow Ranger and Stephanie to the house. About ten minutes later, they all return to the guest house, with Julie in tow.

"Hey Julie, you look like a girl who can use some hot chocolate with marshmallows?" Tara states. I'm a little confused with why she's asking her that.

"OMG! That sounds so yummy right now. Stephanie, will you make me some? Agent Lewis, do you want a mug?"

Tara glances at Ranger, who nods imperceptibly, before answering. "Why thanks for offering. I'll take you up on your offer. I hope you don't mind me crashing your party, Steph."

"No. The more, the merrier. Maybe we can pair it with my best friends, Ben and Jerry."

"Babe, that stuff will kill you."

"Please, I know you'll make me run an extra mile or two tomorrow morning, so don't worry about it," Steph replies, rolling her eyes. Julie, Tara, and Stephanie head into the kitchen.

"Julie had another nightmare. She wakes up screaming from them every time she closes her eyes. I don't think she's slept more than two hours at a time since coming home. Dr. Belliveau, her therapist, says it's normal, but she's not doing anything to help her. She wasn't this bad after Scrog. Do you think Agent Lewis can help her?" Ranger asks, concerned for his daughter.

"Tara is a talented forensic psychologist. While she spends most of her time studying the minds of serial killers and other criminals, she is excellent at reading people and getting into their heads. Julie seems to trust her, which will help. Sometimes, knowing the minds of the criminals helps her to connect with the victims in a more intimate way, which will lead to them sharing their fears more openly." Rossi responds.

"I know as a parent it's hard to see your child suffering, but she will heal. Knowing that you are a few feet away from her and that you are here, supporting her fully, will help her to get better faster than someone else." JJ says.

Emily adds, "Julie killed Scrog, right?" Ranger nods his head. "In her mind, she conquered the bad guy, the one who caused her and her family pain. Julie did it to save your life, Stephanie's life, and her own. But this time, she was unable to save her family. She survived. I'm sure that there is a survivor's remorse that is making her recovery harder. You need to share the progress of the investigation with Julie. When we catch these men and finally punish them for what they did if she feels that she has played a key role in finding these men, and those behind the scenes, she will heal more quickly."

Garcia comes in from the other room with Lester and Hector on her heels. "We found something you need to see. Luscious Lester, please ask Hector to put our information on the screen."

I see that Garcia's banter amuses Lester, and he responds, "Sure thing, Picardias." (Baby doll)

In less than a minute, Hector has whatever they discovered up on the screen. We see the image of a man who appears to be talking on the phone.

"The video is from the Martine house, from a different camera than the one that caught Julie's attack. It looks like it could be from the master bedroom." Garcia continues.

"It is from the master bedroom. I'd recognize that mirror anywhere." Ranger confirmed.

"We can hear his end of the conversation. I'm going to play it for you now."

Video

"Viper, we have a problem. I'm not sure how you want me to handle it."

"One of the kids, she's Ranger's daughter. She had a picture of them together and a newspaper article from the Trenton Times in her diary. If we kill her and Ranger discovers our involvement, we're dead."

"Yes, ma'am. We'll take Manoso's daughter out, as per our orders."

The unsub hangs up the phone and paces in the room. The man picks it up, scrolling through the phone's contacts until the unsub places a call.

"Shark, it's Cobra. One of the kids here is Manoso's kid. Viper wants us to kill her, but I don't think it's wise. Manoso can cause us too much trouble."

"Shoot to wound, not kill. If Julie bleeds out, she bleeds out. Okay. I got it. Make sure you tell Viper the change in plans. I value my life too much to get into her bad graces."

We watch as the unsub sighs, then he lifts his ski cap while looking in the mirror. Ranger and Lester catch a glimpse of the man, both responding. "Son of a bitch."

"When I get my hands on him, I swear I will kill him." Ranger states.

"But I don't understand why he would betray Julie."

"Hector, ¿dónde están los archivos de la investigación de Stephanie sobre los empleados de Miami? ¿Ya lo había corrido él?" Ranger asks Hector. (Hector, where are the files from Stephanie's investigation into the Miami employees? Did she run him yet?")

Hector returns to the other room, then comes back in, handing Ranger a file. "Estoy imprimiendo más copias para todos los demás, jefe," Hector responds. (I'm printing more copies for everyone else, Boss.)

Bobby, their medic, enters the room. Ranger hands him the file, and he responds. "Is this the one behind what happened to Julie?"

"Yes," Ranger responds his voice deadly cold, void of all emotion except anger.

"How are we going to nail his ass?" Bobby replies.