A/N: Standard disclaimers apply. Thanks for the reviews! This is a work in process so let me know what you think or where you'd like to see it go. :)

She knew he would never truly be hers but she didn't feel at all guilty feeding the fantasy while she was alone in his apartment. She felt safe, albeit lonely, as she climbed into his bed. She assumed her thinking position and was asleep nearly before her head hit the pillow.

Chapter 2: Another Brick in the Wall

Stephanie walked out of the elevator on five the next morning. Before she made it ten steps, someone picked her up in a big hug from behind, swinging her around in a circle, before planting a kiss on her poorly tamed curls as he set her down.

"Good morning Beautiful."

"Hey Les. Who is on Bombshell duty? I need a ride to my apartment. I am guessing that is where my car ended up." She was determined to avoid any conversation that might send her into another emotional tailspin. The guys had been great but being somewhat emotionally stunted, didn't know how to handle her emotional swings. She hated crying in front of anyone, especially the Merry Men.

"I have no idea what Bombshell duty is," Lester teased with an innocent look. It was widely known around Rangeman that it existed from time to time but they insisted on pretending that it didn't exist for her benefit. "I'll be happy to take you over there. I don't have anything more important than you," he said with a wink and that patented charm of his. He put out his arm and linked hers in it as he escorted her to the elevator.

Hoping to keep the lighten mood, Stephanie teased in return, "Are you using me in order to take the elevator, Santos?" knowing full well that he would have taken the stairs if they were not together.

Lester's face lit up with one of his gorgeous, 200 watt smiles. "Good to see you smile, Beautiful," he said as he kissed her temple and draped his arm around her shoulders in that suave fashion that he emanated. He ushered Stephanie out of the elevator and into one of the many shiny, black Rangeman SUVs. She thought about how many times she had borrowed a vehicle from Ranger. I won't be able to do that anymore. She mentally sighed, probably mentally. Okay, probably not since she caught Lester give her a sideways glance as he pulled the car out of the parking garage. He didn't push her to tell him anything. She loved that about him. He was the most talkative of all of the Merry Men but he seemed to always know when, and when not, she needed to talk. They simply rode in companionable silence. She used the time to help her gather her thoughts. She had to be careful what she said to him.

When they reached her apartment, he walked her up and cleared the apartment, per the usual procedure. Except it wasn't the usual this time. Or it was, depending on how you looked at it. As soon as she walked through the door after Lester, she gave a dejected sign. He did his ESP thing with her telling her to stand to the side of the door and not move. She nodded. Would you look at that? My ESP can tune into the Rangeman channel in a crisis. She tried to focus on what she could see from the door without exploring farther.

She stood just inside the door until Lester returned to give her the all clear. He faced her and placed a hand on each shoulder, bending down so that he was eye level with her. He waited until she brought her eyes from the floor to meet his before he started.

"Steph, everything will be okay. Let's do this this together, okay? Then we will talk about who this latest fan of yours is and what you'd like to do. Does that sound like a plan?" Lester said.

"Les, it isn't necessary to treat me like a child. It isn't like this is the first time my apartment has been destroyed," she responded.

"I know but you have been through a lot and this is worse than many of them," he stated, concern etched into his gorgeous face. The slashed mattress and couch cushions, the broken table, the whole damn trashed apartment she could take. She had dealt with similar things before, time and time again. This would be too much. He knew this might break her and his heart ached to show her but he respected her too much to hide it. He hoped the cavalry would respond quickly and quietly to the text he sent once he cleared the apartment. He held her hand and walked her to the kitchen. She lost it at the sight. Poor innocent Rex was lying dead on the kitchen counter. He was pinned to the counter top by a kitchen knife through his furry little belly.

"OH GOD! NOT REX! Who would do such a thing?!" she gasped as her legs fell out from under her. Lester caught Stephanie as she collapsed. He just sank to the floor and held her in his lap while she balled. The strong, fierce fighter he loved was reduced to pained and helpless in front of his eyes. The only thing keeping his rage in check was the clinging, sobbing woman he held in his arms.

Without a sound, Bobby materialized in the kitchen. "I think we need to sedate her Bobby. I don't think she can take it. Who is here?"

"Cal and Hector are at the door," Bobby replied but didn't take his eyes off of the sobbing form in Lester's arms. She hadn't even been aware he was there while he assessed her. She was shaking uncontrollably and gasping for breaths. He pulled open his medic bag that he brought into the kitchen with him and prepared a syringe. Even the stick of the needle didn't register to Stephanie. "Okay, let's get her back to Haywood," he said as he picked her up out of Lester's arms to carry her out of the apartment.

Lester stopped to talk to Hector and Cal on his way out. "Cal, process the apartment. Pull in another guy if you need help talking to the neighbors," he said before turning to Hector and addressing him in Spanish. "Upgrade her window and door locks. A child can still break in here but do the best you can. I want a camera at her front door and looking at the fire escape. See if Cal can talk Dillon into a camera at the entry doors. If not, do it anyway, invisibly. Give her as much privacy as we can but I want a clear view for each. Once Cal has processed the scene, pack up anything salvageable and bring it to Seven. Tell Ella what she needs replaced and have her take care of anything else. We will worry about cleaning up later in case the police want to do a walk through when we turn over the evidence."

"He will pay, slowly," Hector responded venomously in Spanish.

"There will be a long line my friend," Lester said with equal fire as he hurried out after Bobby.

Once back at Haywood, Bobby helped Ella settle Stephanie into Ranger's bed while Lester headed down to five to report to Tank. Unbeknownst to her, she hadn't been left alone the whole time she was asleep. Once Hector had returned, he wouldn't leave her side. It was just like Stephanie to take a hardened killer that most people feared and turn him into a devoted follower that would stop at nothing to protect her. Hector, the former gang-banger with a collection of ink tears proving his deadly past transgressions, sat by her side the entire time. She had a long list of volunteers that came in and out to peek in to check on her but he refused to give up his post.

When Stephanie finally awoke, Hector came to her side immediately. Try as she might she couldn't function. Without a word he helped her into the bathroom and shut the door to the toilet. He busied himself in the larger part of the bathroom drawing a bath for her. When she hadn't come out by the time the tub was full, he knocked on the door to check on her. Not receiving an answer, he opened it to find her sitting on the floor, hugging her knees silently crying.

"Estefani?" Hector asked quietly. His heart broke when he saw the despair and sadness in her baby blues. He scooped her up and carried her to the side of the tub. He helped her undress and ease into the warm bubbles. If he was straight, he'd be head over heels for this girl but as it was, in a way, she had stolen his heart anyway. Over the last few months, they had been closer after Stephanie discovered his closely guarded secret. He, contrary to everyone's assumption, spoke English. It was far from a perfect mastery but the two of them did just fine. He was happy to let everyone assume but always perceptive, she saw what few others, including the men he worked with on a daily basis, had figured out.

After he had washed and conditioned her hair, he helped her scrub herself clean and rinse off. By the time she stepped out and wrapped the towel around her, she felt almost human again. She was going to make it through this.

"Hector?"

"¿Sί, carina?"

"Gracias," she said in a small voice as she sat in front of the vanity while he combed through her curls.

"Por supuesto, of course," he responded. He kissed her head and held out his hand to her. "Let us see what Ella has for you to eat." She was about to tell him she didn't want to eat anything but her stomach took that exact moment to growl. Hector chuckled. "What does el jefe say? Time to feed the beast?" This earned him a small giggle, half-hearted as it was, it still warmed his heart.

Stephanie ate mindlessly as she went through the last week's events. She needed to escape. It was all too much. She was not one to run but this was different. She'd come back but she needed a time out from her life. More importantly, she needed to be on her own, even if it was only for a while. She was resolved.