Disclaimer: I do not own the characters created by Janet Evanovich. I just really really wish I did! I am just using them in this story. I only own Carmella, but you can have her if you want her!

Carmella yawned and sat up in the bed. Harry's arm was still resting on her stomach protectively. It was nice. He rolled onto his back and blink.

"Good morning sunshine." Carmella chimed happily.

"Mornin'." He muttered and sat up, glancing over at the clock. "We've got an hour until school." He stated. Carmella nodded and climbed out of bed. She walked over to her bag and pulled out her change of clothes. Harry excused himself to go and use the bathroom. Carmella quickly changed into a pair of jeans and a tight black strap top. She was trying to put her necklace on when Harry walked back in.

"Hey could you give me a hand with this?" She asked. He walked over and brushed her hair out of the way. His hands were warm on her skin. She bit her bottom lip and tried to think innocent thoughts. He slowly drew his hands away.

"There you go." He said, clearing his throat. Carmella nodded.

"Thanks." She muttered and walked into the hall. Alex and Dan were sat at the table eating cereal and watching cartoons.

"Hey there Miss Mañoso. What, may I ask, were you doing in Harry's room?" Dan grinned. Carmella raised an eyebrow.

"I was just getting dressed. Wait that came out wrong…" She muttered. The two guys laughed and showed her where all the breakfast food was. Harry joined them halfway through 'Grim and Evil'.

"Wouldn't you love it if the Grim Reaper was really like that?" Dan asked. Carmella nodded. Harry looked as them as if they were insane.

Alex drove them into school as Carmella's car only had two seats. The girls were all sat under a tree in the grounds of the school when they arrived. Mandy jumped up and walked over to them as Alex parked the car. She threw her arms around Carmella.

"Where the hell have you been? We've been so worried; some of the guys who work for your dad called us last night and said you'd gone missing. I didn't know what to think, especially after that guy in your building and everything you've said about James…" She trailed off. Carmella smiled.

"I'm sorry you were worried. I just went to stay with the guys. Things at home have been a bit…strained lately and I had to get out." She explained. Everyone else had joined them by this time and they were all nodding sympathetically. As they were chatting a black SUV rolled to a stop at the front of the school.

"Oh shit!" Carmella hissed and hid behind the others. As she suspected, her dad and Tank climbed out the car and walked straight towards the Goths.

"Have you heard anything from Carmella since yesterday?" Tank asked straight off. Estella shook her head.

"I haven't, no. Sorry." She apologized. Ranger walked closer to them and stared Harry in the eyes. He shifted uncomfortably.

"Are you sure about that?" He said dangerously. Harry gulped and nodded. Then Carmella felt her leg cramp and she overbalanced. Tank walked around the teenagers and saw her sprawled on the ground. He raised an eyebrow then looked back at her friends.

"Any of you want to re-think your answers?" He asked. Carmella groaned. Then she scrambled to her feet and took off running across the field. She knew it was stupid. She knew she couldn't really outrun her dad and Tank, but right now she didn't want to talk to either of them. She heard footsteps running behind her and in a matter of seconds; she'd been tackled to the ground by Tank.

"Oh son of a bitch!" She yelled as pain shot into her stomach. He rolled off her as she clutched her middle. She looked up at her dad and Tank.

"You bastard! You've broken my ribs! They're still weak from last time they were broken and you buggered them up!" She shrieked. Tank winced.

"Sorry." He muttered. Her friends ran up to them and Harry stooped down to help her up. She gave a shriek of pain as pain ripped through her stomach. Her dad hadn't said anything to her. She wasn't even sure he was looking at her.

"Do you want us to take you to hospital?" He whispered. Carmella nodded.

"It's ok, she can come with us." Tank said. Carmella glared at the two men.

"No way. You stay away from me." She hissed at them and allowed Harry to help her back across the field. Alex had run ahead and had the car started. Harry opened the passenger door for her and then clambered in the back to find Mandy already strapped in. They tore out of the car park and headed towards the hospital. When they got there, Carmella was surprised to see Stephie was there in the waiting room. She looked up in surprise when Carmella walked in.

"Carmella? What's wrong? Are you ok?" She walked over to the battered teenager.

"I need to get x-rayed. Suspected broken ribs. Tank tackled me and my ribs aren't really the strongest since…y'know…" She trailed off. Steph nodded. Carmella smiled weakly.

"So what are you doing here?" She asked. Her surprise meant she wasn't here to see Carmella. Steph patted her stomach.

"Bambino check up. Carmella we have been so worried about you. Where did you go?" She asked exasperatedly. Carmella glanced over at Harry.

"I stayed with a friend. That's all." She replied, shrugging. "But I've got to say, dad didn't seem all that worried about me today. In fact he didn't even ask how I was; he wouldn't look at me when Tank got me. Seems to me that he just doesn't care." She added coldly. Steph sighed and was about to say something when the nurse called "Carmella Mañoso." Carmella stood, gave Stephie a final glance and followed the nurse.

The x-ray confirmed her suspicions, she had two cracked ribs. The doctor saw her and wrapped a thick bandage around her middle. She was given check up dates and told to take it easy. She met the others in the waiting room and noticed Junior leaning against a wall.

"Tank sent me to see how you are." He explained. Carmella lifted up her top to show the bandages.

"Two broken ribs. I've already had the 'we were so worried' lecture from Stephie so don't even bother. And before you even ask, no. I'm not coming home tonight." She stated. Junior nodded, he knew better then to try and stop her. They drove back to school and made it just in time for the beginning of drama.

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I watched Carmella walk out of the waiting room and sighed. I wanted to tell her that Ranger still loves her, that he desperately wants her to come home, that he's not the same when she's not there. But she didn't want to hear it. The only thing she'd told me was where she was staying. Not on purpose of course, but the way her eyes had flickered to Harry when she mentioned her friend had told me what I needed to know. If she didn't come home tonight then we could go and get her. A nurse called me in for my check up. My doctor came in all rainbows and smiled. She smiled when she said the babies where fine, she smiled when I couldn't make out the baby on the ultrasound and she smiled when I left. People who smile all the time make me nervous. I just feel like they've done something wrong and are trying to cover it up, like they've got something to hide. I wondered if this was why Ranger doesn't smile continuously. He's not hiding anything.

I mused on this thought on the drive home, stopping to get some proper food (such as doughnuts, Oreos and Twinkies). I found Tank and Lester in the control room throwing peanuts in the air and catching them in their mouths.

"It's good to see you guys take this job so seriously." I said grinning. Lester grinned and chewed his peanut. When the peanuts had run out, we decided to play something different. We put a length of string through the holes on three doughnuts and then tied each end of the string to opposite office walls. The rules are to eat the doughnut off the string without using your hands. For a while it looked like Lester was winning, until the doughnut fell off the string and landed, sprinkle side down, on his face. Tank was laughing so much he almost chocked on his doughnut. We were on our third doughnuts (Me-1, Tank-1, Lester-0) when Ranger walked in just as Lester's third doughnut fell off the string and hit him in the face. Tank and I burst out laughing, then noticed Ranger stood in the doorway looking unimpressed. Lester pulled the doughnut off his face and held it out to Ranger.

"You want some boss?" He offered, with huge chocolate sauce smudges and sprinkles smeared across his face. Ranger raised an eyebrow critically.

"I won't bother asking what's going on. It really is quite obvious. You've all gone mad." He stated. I giggled and pulled my doughnut off the string; causing Tank's to ping up into his face and Junior to burst out laughing. He rolled his eyes and slung an arm around my waist.

"I take it everything's ok then. By the way, you have raspberry toppings around your eye." He told me. I grinned sheepishly as he turned to walk out and walked straight into Junior, who stumbled back and looked down at the floor.

"Sorry boss." He mumbled. Tank looked at him

"Did you see her?" He asked. Junior nodded.

"Two broken ribs. She said she'd already seen Steph and had the 'we were so worried' lecture and that she wasn't going to come home tonight." He recited "That was all she said, then she walked off." Tank looked incredibly guilty.

"This is so screwed up. When she got here she was so energetic and quick witted. But now, she's done a complete turn around. This custody battle has got to her more than she's letting on. Maybe she needs proper help." He suggested. Ranger shook his head.

"No way, I'm not sending my daughter to a shrink. She'll be fine." He said adamantly. I rested a hand on his shoulder.

"Ranger, she thinks that you don't care about her anymore. She said that today you didn't even look at her. Carmella's been through a rough time and she really needs you. She needs to be settled." I said softly, not sure if Ranger would appreciate the other guys hearing that. His expression didn't change, but his eyes told a different story. He did care, if anything he cared too much. But he didn't let on. He just nodded and walked out. Tank sighed.

"Well that wasn't at all depressing. Jeez, Carmella's going to be mad with me. I can't believe I broke two of her ribs." He said guiltily.

"Hey man you were doing the right thing." Junior said comfortingly. Tank nodded.

"Yeah but you're about four times her size and body mass. Let's face it buddy, you're not exactly a stick insect." Lester said, grinning widely. Tank glared and shoved him out of his chair. I got out my chair and quietly slipped out the room after Ranger. I found him in the offices on one of the computers. When I got closer I saw he was searching for houses in the local area.
"You're right Steph, she needs to be settled. This building…it's not as safe as I thought it would be. She needs a home, not an office." He said without even looking up. I took a step closer and saw all the houses were in the millions price range. Impressive. Then a thought struck me. A rather selfish thought, but a thought nonetheless.

"So you two will get a proper house?" I asked. Ranger nodded. "Um, so would it be ok for me to keep living here?" I asked sheepishly. Ranger stopped typing and swivelled in his chair to look at me.

"I guess you could stay here if you want. Though I was thinking you might like to move in with Carmella and me."

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They stood in the drama hall waiting for Andy, he was late as usual. Carmella was still clutching her side and wincing gingerly. It hadn't done her any good when Meredith had ran and given her a hug when she'd walked in. Anthony Morelli sidled up to them, smiling slyly.

"What are you up to Morelli?" Carmella asked suspiciously. He grinned.

"I saw the little fiasco this morning and came to see if you were ok. And what trouble you'd got yourself into. Those guys were fucking scary." He said, grin still firmly in place. Carmella sighed.

"Two broken ribs. And I wasn't in trouble. Well, not that kind of trouble. I just left home last night and didn't tell anyone where I was going. The guys were my dad and his…um…his sidekick Tank." She replied, not sure Tank would be impressed with the label sidekick. Anthony grinned at her.

"You're quite the rebel aren't you?" She laughed.

"Well, I try." Estella walked over to them and leaned over to Carmella.

"We can't be bothered with this; do you wanna hit the shops?" She asked. Carmella shrugged then nodded.

"Sure, sounds good." Anthony grinned and rested a hand on the small of her back.

"I'll see you later." He whispered and walked off to join his football friends. Estella linked her arm with her and they walked out the hall with the others. Alex, Mandy, Harry and Carmella went in Alex's car while the other four went in Estella's car. Mandy turned to look at Carmella, grinning.

"I apologize if we're leading you astray, but Andy wasn't going to show. One of the kids in class saw him going into an old classroom with the French teacher, Madam Lewis." She grinned "I bet you were such a good girl in Miami." She laughed. Carmella grinned.

"I wouldn't say that. I was expelled from my last school." She admitted sheepishly. Mandy burst into a fresh wave of laughter. Harry and Alex looked impressed.

"What did you do?" Harry asked. Carmella grinned with pride.

"Blew up a toilet in the boys' bathroom." Alex had to pull over because he was laughing so much. Harry grinned.

"You're really very different to how you come across." He said admiringly.

"What can I say? I'm a bad girl."

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I pulled up outside the bonds office and walked in. Connie and Lula looked up at me and grinned.

"Hey girl, long time no see! Last I heard you were living with batman and batgirl." Lula grinned. I laughed and sat on the dung sofa. Connie looked at me.

"So are you here for FTA's?" She asked. I shook my head.

"Sorry I'm trying to take it easy. I don't think being a bounty hunter is the most suitable of jobs at the moment. I was wondering if you needed help with filing or anything office like." I asked. Connie smiled apologetically.

"Sorry, we've got it covered here." I sighed. I hadn't really expected anything else.

"Oh well, always worth asking. I'm going to hit the shops." I announced and started towards the door. Lula dropped her files and jumped up.

"Hold on there, I'll come with you." She announced and grabbed her purse. Connie frowned.

"On second thoughts Steph, it looks like there is an office job going seeing as Lula's about to get fired. Lula pouted.

"The hell I am. We'll get you a present." She promised and followed me out of the door. We drove to the mall and managed to get a parking space reasonably close to the shopping centre itself, which is quite a rare feat.

We'd been shopping for just over an hour when we decided to go and get something to eat. We were sat in the food court when we heard some loud laughter and clapping. Lula suddenly pointed to a table and said

"Hey, isn't that Carmella?" I shook my head.

"It can't be. She's in school." I said adamantly.

"Think again girlfriend, she's right there." Lula said stubbornly. I sighed and looked around. Carmella was sat at a table with her friends.

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Carmella laughed as Alex balanced the seventh French fry on his nose. Mandy applauded and grinned widely. Dan grinned.

"Ok Mand, now you have to eat the fries off Alex's nose." Carmella and Caz were crying with laughter.

"No way, she'll bite my nose off." Alex mumbled. Mandy glared, leaned over and picked three of the fries up with her nose. They were all laughing when there was the sound of someone clearing their throat behind them. Alex spun his head to see who it was, sending the remaining fries flying off in various directions. They all looked up and saw Steph stood there looking very unimpressed. Carmella grimaced as Stephie glared at her.

"Carmella what are you doing here?" She asked. Carmella shrugged.

"We're just having lunch. We're allowed to leave school to have lunch." She lied quickly. Steph raised an eyebrow disbelievingly.

"Nice try. Carmella your father is worried sick about you. We all are."

"Yeah? Well you're all doing a great job of pretending not to care, I've got to say." She replied coldly. Steph sighed and walked off. Estella whistled.

"Woah, ice queen." She muttered. Carmella shrugged.

"Are we done here? I want to get some new clothes."

By the time they finished shopping; Carmella had another new wardrobe, with all the clothes approved by Estella. It was also the end of school. The group said their goodbyes and went their separate ways. Harry said it was fine for Carmella to stay another night so she went back with them. After dinner and a film, they all turned in for the night. When she was sure everyone was asleep, Carmella got off the sofa and tip-toed into Harry's bedroom. He looked up when she walked in and smiled. Without asking any questions, he pulled back the duvet and Carmella climbed into the bed next to him and they fell asleep.

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Ranger paced up and down the control room.

"What am I supposed to do? If I don't go and look for her she'll accuse me of not caring. If I do go and look for her she'll say I'm being overprotective." He said, obviously frustrated. The guys all shrugged.

"Go and get her." I said "I'm pretty sure she's staying with her friend Harry. He lives in the apartment block opposite the restaurant we were in on Saturday, I remember him saying." I told them. Tank nodded.

"Steph's right man, you've got to go and get her." He agreed. Ranger nodded.

"Ok, let's go."

Ranger, Tank and I drove to the apartment block in silence. The streets were dark and there were hardly any other cars. We pulled up outside the building and a quick conversation with the handy man told us that four teenage boys lived in the top apartment. We took the elevator up and Tank knocked loudly on the door. A boy I didn't recognize with scruffy brown hair opened the door, bleary eyed.

"What?" He mumbled. Tank pushed him to one side and we walked into the apartment. There was a bed made up on the sofa but no one was in it.

"Hey you can't just barge in here, who the hell are you?" The boy mumbled. A bedroom door opened and a boy with white hair stuck his head out. I recognized him as Alex.

"Mike what the hell is going on?" He asked, then saw Tank and Ranger and muttered "Oh shit…" Ranger walked over to him.

"Is Carmella here?" He asked. Alex gulped and nodded. "Where is she?" Ranger asked. Alex shrugged.

"I dunno, she was on the sofa as far as I know." He said nervously.

"Hey didn't she come out of Hazza's bedroom this morning?" Mike asked as he poured himself a glass of water. Alex grimaced. Dan walked out of his room with Cassandra standing behind him. Alex looked at them and grinned.

"Hey Caz, what are you doing here? Though I think I can guess." He laughed. Caz blushed and smiled.

"Hi Mr Mañoso. What's up?" She said politely.

"We're just looking for Carmella." I replied. She shot a nervous glance at Alex.

"They know she's here Caz." He muttered. She groaned.

"'Mel's gonna kill us." She muttered and walked back into the bedroom with Dan following her. Ranger looked at the last bedroom door that hadn't been opened and pushed it open forcefully.

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Carmella opened her eyes as the door crashed open and saw her dad stood in the doorway looking furious.

"Oh shit…" She muttered and shrank further back. Harry mumbled and opened his eyes.

"Princess what's…oh fuck." He whispered as he saw Carmella's dad and Tank walking into his room.

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I stared in shock at the two teenagers. Harry scrambled as far away from Carmella as he could without falling off the bed. Ranger stormed over and pulled Carmella out of the bed by her wrist. She struggled and tried to pull away.

"Dad we weren't doing anything! We were just sleeping, nothing happened. Let go you're hurting me!" She yelped and tried to dance away. She was wearing her 'boys are stupid' pyjamas and her hair was huge.

"Steph get her bags." Ranger instructed. I nodded and grabbed all her stuff including, I noticed, a few shopping bags. Carmella was still trying to pull away from Ranger and was trying to bite his hand at the same time. Tank took her things off me and swiped her car keys off the kitchen table.

"Papa get off me! This is illegal, its kidnap or assault or something!" She shrieked. I ran in front of them and opened the apartment door.

"Dad let me go! Thanks for letting me stay you guys, I appreciate it and I'm sorry about this." She called to the guys, who all replied that it was fine and she could come and stay whenever. Tank shut the door behind us and we got into the lift. Carmella was still trying to pull away from her father and was glaring. Ranger still looked furious. When the lift reached the bottom, Tank went down to the garage to get the car Carmella had taken, while Ranger, Carmella and I went to the SUV. He practically threw her into the back of the car. When we got back to the building, she jumped out the car and practically ran out the garage. Ranger sighed.

"She hates me." He stated. I rested an arm on his shoulder.

"She doesn't hate you. She was just embarrassed in front of you and her friends, she's just angry. She'll be ok, just give her time."

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Carmella slammed her bedroom door and threw herself onto her bed. After pummelling her cushion she burst into tears. Her bedroom door opened and her dad walked in. She turned away from him but he still came in and sat on the bed next to her. She tried to ignore him as he started to brush the hair off her face.

"Carmella I've been so worried about you. I didn't know what to think yesterday when you just left. You could have been picked up by anyone. James or…anyone else. I'm sorry about the way I reacted back at your friends' apartment and I know you're growing up but…you're only fifteen and I don't want you to get into anything you might regret. I know what it's like to grow up too fast." He said softly.

"I'm tired. I need to go to sleep." Carmella whispered. Her dad was quiet for a while, then he stood and walked out, shutting the door behind him.

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Many thanks to everyone who read this chapter, I hope you all approve! Love it? Hate it? Please Please PLEASE review! As always, any suggestions and/or comments are welcome. Thanks to everyone who reviewed to the last chapter! I'll try to update ASAP. Arigato!