Disclaimer: I don't own, I just play with.
Note from Amy Lynne: See, I promised another chapter today and it happened! I noticed a few people have been asking for confirmation on whether or not this is a Babe or a Cupcake story, and quite honestly, I never actually planned for it to be either. I just sort of started writing it one day. Since I'm a Ranger-girl myself, a lot seems to tend to go towards him. I really just wanted this to be a lot like the books, where Stephanie is with both guys during the story and whatnot, but looking at my outline, I don't know if that's going to happen. It's pretty one-sided (I'm not going to say with who, but I'm sure you can guess).

When I woke up it was nearly noon. I rolled over out of Ranger's bed and made my way into the bathroom. I happened to catch a look at myself in the mirror and shrieked. I looked like hell in a hand basket. I quickly stripped my clothes and and stepped into the shower.

I let the hot water wash over me. Taking a shower always made me feel better and it gave me time to think about what was going on.

This stalker, Christopher, had gone from just wanting information on Morelli and Ranger to nearly killing Ranger and me. He made the jump fast. I couldn't figure out what had changed in the last day and a half that would make him decide that it was time to change his way of going about this. I had been with Ranger, most of the time. I'd been with Joe for a little bit. There was a lot of time for both of them unaccounted for. I really needed to figure out what type of case Joe was working on, maybe that would give me some clues. I knew that Ranger tends to help out the TPD and I wouldn't be surprised if they both happened to be working on something that was related.

Joe. Shit. I never called him to warn him about the killer truck driver.

I hopped out of the shower, wrapped a towel around myself and ran back into the bedroom. I was dressed in record time. I grabbed Lester's cell phone of the end table and called Eddie Gazzara. I figured I would pump him for information and then I would ask him to connect me over to Joe.

"Gazzara."

"Eddie, it's Stephanie."

"Hey, Steph. What's going on?"

"I need a favor."

"That's never good." He laughed at me. Good thing me and Eddie go way back or I probably would have been pissed.

"I need to know what case Joe is working on."

"Shit, Steph. Joe's boss doesn't even know what Joe is working on."

"I can make it worth it if you do some digging around."

"How worth it?"

"Has news gotten around the about what happened last night?" I knew that would get him.

"What happened last night?" Hook, line, and sinker.

"Let's just say, as long as it's kept quiet for the next day or so, I can tell you what's going to happen to the Turbo."

Eddie was silent for a minute. He was probably trying to figure out how long the news of me being present for the destruction of Ranger's Porsche could be kept a secret. Nothing is a secret in the Burg. Everyone knows everyone else's business. Gossip is the fuel that keeps people running. Well, that and the funeral homes.

"What happened to the Porsche?"

"Let's just say it didn't happen in Trenton and the cops weren't informed of it, so as long as you give me your word that you'll look into what Joe's doing, I'll wait to drop the bomb to Mary Lou and Connie. You know once they find out everyone will know about it."

"You got my word. Now what happened to the Porsche."

"Me and Ranger were coming back from Toms River and it got hit by a semi. There's no back to it anymore." Eddie started laughing.

"That's great. I can't wait to place that bet in."

"Well you better do it quick. If you wait people will wonder. Now, can you connect me to Joe?"

"Wait, you're going to tell Morelli about this? Shit, he's going to be freaking out and then everyone is going to know something happened."

"I'll make him promise not to tell. I'll tell him to leave the station."

After some convincing Eddie finally connected me to Joe. He wasn't at his desk. That made me a bit happy. Maybe then he wasn't at the station and it would be easier for Eddie to collect his money later. If he was smart he was placing his bet right now.

I hung up the cell phone and dialed Morelli's cell.

"Morelli."

"Hey, Joe."

"Cupcake."

"Listen, there's something I need to talk to you about. Are you at home?"

"Yeah, why? Are you going to come over?" Not in a million years. I was never going to hear the end of it with this one.

"No, I just thought it would be easier for Eddie to collect his money in a few days if you weren't at the station and wouldn't freak out in front of everyone. Probably best if you act like nothing is wrong until the news hits." There was silence for a few beats.

"Shit, Steph, what car did you blow up?"

"I swear it wasn't my fault!"

I got off the bed and walked out into the kitchen. The longer I was awake the more hungry I realized I was. I couldn't call Ella while I was on the phone with Joe, so maybe I would get lucky and Ranger would having something that I could munch on until then. If I was staying at the apartment, Ella had to have brought something up. I looked in the freezer. Yes! They had moved my ice cream cake up here.

"Ranger and I were checking out information that this newest stalker was in Toms River. He wasn't. On the way back we got hit by a semi and the Turbo is done for."

Joe started mumbling to himself. I started cutting myself a piece of cake.

"And you told Eddie this information, why?" Oh, shit. He knew something was up. Joe knew that I hated the fact that the police bet on what I was going to destroy next, so the fact that I had given Eddie inside information on what to bet on had sent his cop-radar off. I should have known better to mention that.

"He called in a favor. Said things had been dull lately and wanting to know if I was hiding something." That wasn't a total lie. And as long as it wasn't a total lie I'm sure I could make it sound not as bad if I was called on it later.

"If the guys find out that you told him this they are going to have both your heads."

"I know." I took a bite of ice cream cake. "Which is why you need to act like everything is okay, but I thought that you might want to be on the look at in case you see a semi. It got on 195 heading towards Belmar, but if it was after Ranger and me, then there's a chance that the someone is after you, too."

That was the complete truth. I would hate it if Joe got hurt. I couldn't help it, I still cared about him. Who knows, even after all the shit that's said and happened between, no matter how many times we break up and how 'final' they may seem, something always brings us back to each other. It could be our history, it could be the fact that we love each other, or it could be that we're both incredibly stupid.

"What did the semi look like?" Now what kind of question was that. Like I had time to check it out while it was hitting the car. I'm lucky I didn't pee myself.

"Optimus Prime."

"Cupcake, this isn't a joking matter."

"I know, Joe. I didn't really get a look at it. All I saw was the grill and next thing I know, bam! The cars spinning."

"Why can't I have a normal girlfriend?" I resisted the urge to scream that we were no long dating, but decided that that probably wasn't for the best.

"Joe, come on. Can you just wait until I let this information hit the grapevine before you start freaking out in front of people?"

"Sure."

"Listen, I need to call Ella and ask her to bring me some lunch, so I have to go. I don't have my phone back yet, this is Lester's, so I'll call you if I need anything. Lester probably wouldn't like you calling his phone."

"Who's Ella?"

"Ranger's housekeeper. Gotta go, Joe. Bye."

I hung up. My stomach growled. I had just eaten some ice cream cake and my stomach still wasn't happy. Sheesh.

&&&&&

After I ate lunch (grilled cheese and tomato soup), I headed down to the control room. I really needed to go check and see if there were any skips at the office, this hiding from stalkers stuff was never good for my bank account.

"Ranger said not to let you leave," was what Bobby told me when I asked for a set of keys.

"Ranger was here?" And he didn't wake me up? That wasn't very nice of him.

"Went up and checked on you, dropped off your bag, then him and Tank left to follow up on a lead. He was up in the apartment for a while, figured you were talking."

Now I was pissed they had a lead on the guy who was stalking me and tried to kill me last night and they didn't even tell me what they had? Not to mention that he was actually up in the same apartment with me and didn't bother to tell me what was going on. I don't remember waking up, what's wrong with my Ranger-sense? Either way, Ranger was being a jerk and I was going to let him know about it. Too bad Bobby was keeping my cell phone at an arms length.

"It wasn't a lead on your guy. Big money skip for Vinny." Damn Merry Men with their ESP.

"Listen Bobby, I'm not just going to sit here and wait until Ranger gets back. I have to go to work, too. Please, just give me a set of keys to any car and I'll be careful. I'm only going to the office." Bobby tossed me my phone.

"If the boss gives you the okay, I'll give you your stuff. I'll be damned if I feel his wrath because I let you just walk out of here."

I glared at Bobby and dialed Ranger.

"Yo."

"Yo yourself. What's this I hear about me not being able to leave RangeMan?"

"For your own protection."

"I have to go to work, too, ya know."

"I was at the office earlier. No skips for you."

"Oh, well I'd still like to see Connie and Lula. And I should catch up with Mary Lou. And I haven't talked to my mother since the dinner with all of us." I looked down at my cell phone screen. Yup, there were messages. "She's been leaving me messages. She probably thinks I'm dead in a ditch somewhere."

"Babe, just stay where you are." I breathed out. For a second there I thought he was going to say 'please', and if he did, there was no way that I was going to be able to argue with him.

"Fine, if I'm not allowed to leave, I'll just have to invite them over here. Just imagine what Grandma Mazur will do when she checks out your apartment. Not to mention Lula. The two of them together and nothing is safe. They'll be in your underwear drawer before even you have time to stop them." I could hear Bobby behind me trying not to laugh.

"Take Bobby with you. Please, don't try to loose him." Disconnect.

Okay, so I won a small battle. I turned to Bobby.

"Looks like we're going out." He just stared at me.

"We?"

"Yep. I'm supposed to take you with me."

"We're not really going to your parents house, are we?" I laughed.

"Do I look suicidal?"

&&&&&

I had given Bobby a nice, long, boring, dull, and any other word like that day.

We stopped by the office and Connie confirmed that there were no skips out for me. Then her and Lula spent twenty minutes drilling me on why I had another one of the Merry Men following me and why I smelled of Bulgari. It was all I could do keep them I bay, so what did I do? I teased them. I mentioned that I had some good gossip that no one in the Burg knew about yet, and that when the time arose they would be the first to know.

"Uh huh. Yous sleeping with Batman, ain't you?"

"Oh God Lord your pregnant. Is it Ranger's or Joe's baby? Do you know? Could it be either one? Are you going to need a DNA test?"

"Shit, are you gonna take them on Jerry Springer and confess?"

"Are you going to marry Joe? Will he still marry you if it's Ranger's baby? I mean, he's a good guy, but come on."

It went on like that for another twenty minutes before I finally had them convinced that it was nothing like that. I was a bit surprised that they didn't think of the cars, but I just let it go. No need to give them any ideas.

After that Bobby and I stopped at Pino's for some food. It was dinner time and I didn't know if Ranger and I were supposed to eat together or if Ella was cooking. I figured if she was, I would have to change into a pair of sweats, because there was no way that I was missing out on that. It was nice and quiet. None of the Merry Man talk much. I tried getting him to say something by asking him questions, he just gave me the blank stare. I was getting sick of him not talking and finally threatened to turn him over to Grandma Mazur when he cracked. It wasn't quite twenty questions, but it was interesting. I found out Bobby is originally from Denver. Who would have thunk it?

We headed back to RangeMan around six-thirty when my phone started ringing. My mom. I knew that I had to bite the bullet and answer, she was probably having a nervous breakdown.

"Hey, Mom."

"Stephanie! Where have you been? You didn't blow up another car, did you?"

Not technically. "No, I didn't blow up another car. I'm staying somewhere safe while Ranger and Joe try to find the new crazy person that's been after me."

I sat and let my mother ramble on about how other people's daughters didn't have stalkers trying to kill them for about ten minutes, then we pulled up to the gates of RangeMan.

"Listen, Mom. I'd love to talk longer, but I have a meeting with Ranger and his men to talk about what's going on and how to handle it. I'll give you a call tomorrow." Okay, so that was a complete lie, but my eye was starting to twitch.

"You will not call me tomorrow, I know you better than that." She had me there. "It's fine, as long as you promise that you're still coming on Saturday." Saturday? What the hell was Saturday? My not speaking must have been a clue to my mother. "Please tell you didn't forget about Mary Alice's birthday party." Oh shit. Yes I did.

"Of course not! I would never forget her birthday party! Uhhh, what time and where is it again?" My mother started mumbling.

"Noon, at the park."

"And this is just family, right?"

"Stephanie! Everyone will be there! Everyone! Mary Lou is coming with her kids, people from the police department. Everyone we know! Everyone we know, Stephanie! You have to be here, and you can't have any crazy person with you! What will people say if you start shooting someone during your nieces birthday party?!"

"I promise, Mom. I'll be there."

"And you won't have any crazy people with you?" I couldn't really promise that, but apparently my mother didn't understand that with my job you can't control the crazies.

"Nope, not a single crazy person." I could hear her sigh.

"Don't forget to pick her up a present." And my mother hung up. She actually hung up on me. Urg.

I looked over at Bobby. We were still sitting in the car, and he was smiling at me. He found all of this amusing. Of course he did, he didn't have to go to a birthday party with everyone in the Burg. All those kids, all those people asking me when I was going to settle down and have a family. My eye was already twitching and I felt like I was about to break out in hives.

"Don't laugh, or I'll personally ask for you when Ranger demands that I take someone with me." That shut him up.