Got this idea that wouldn't leave me alone until I explored it, so I wrote it out. Since it doesn't fit any of the other ongoing stories, it'll be it's own stand alone short.
Let me know your thoughts.
Disclaimer: The Plum universe belongs to JE. The typos are mine.
Julie's POV
"Dad!" I screamed the warning, already knowing what was to come. Despite knowing the outcome, it still didn't make it any easier to prepare for it. Scrog was waiting, the fucking coward, to ambush my dad. "No!" I yelled just as my RangeDad stepped into view, hands up in the air to offer himself up in my place.
The gunshot rang louder than I remember and the sound of my dad hitting the carpeted floor after being shot in the chest sent a rumble under my quaking feet. There was so much blood oozing out of his chest. So much blood...
My heart hammered in my chest as I watched Scrog stalk closer, the glint in his eyes nothing more than pure madness.
"Hey!" I found myself shouting to get his attention, my hands wrapped around a weapon. Where the gun came from, I didn't know. One moment I stood unarmed and the next the gun was in my hand. "Stop!" I hollered hoarsely as I aimed as best as I could and pulled the trigger.
But it wasn't Scrog who fell to the floor after the gunshot cleared the air. No. Instead, it was Stephanie lying by my feet, bleeding out from a wound similar to my dad's in her chest.
"Stephanie!" She was supposed to be tied to the chair. How did she untie herself? "Talk to me!" I urged as I saw the spark that usually lights her captivating blue eyes fade out. "No!" I cried, noting that my dad had also stopped moving. "No, no, no!"
"My turn." Scrog said as his sickening smile spread across his face. He leveled his gun so I could face down the barrel at him. I swallowed, knowing this was the end for me too.
I awoke with a gasp, bolting up into a sitting position as I furiously rubbed a hand across my chest. My breathing was erratic and I was covered in cold sweat.
As I tried to normalize my breathing, I looked around the unfamiliar place. Confusion threatened to skyrocket my heartbeat once again when I noted I wasn't in my bedroom. Closing my eyes briefly to help reground myself didn't work. The bloody images flashed behind my eyelids, which caused me to snap my eyes open once again. My harsh breathing was the only sound in the otherwise silent room. Darting my eyes around seemed futile at first. It wasn't until long moments later that it dawned on me where I was: Rangeman Trenton.
Tears threatened to escape as I continued to work on calming down. It's been some time since I've had such a vivid nightmare. Before I could stop myself, I swung my legs over and placed my sock clad feet on the glossy hardwood floor. When my right foot knocked over my water bottle, I reached down with the intent to set it upright once again. Instead, I clutched the plastic to bring the bottle to my lips. Despite several desperate gulps of water, I still couldn't calm myself down. I just couldn't do it.
I turned on every light switch I found in my wake as I moved from my temporary guest bedroom to the master bedroom. Hesitation nearly doubled my heart rate when I briefly wondered if I'd be interrupting something. My mom and Ron can be a little loud sometimes. My Dad and Stephanie are probably on the same boat too considering their relationship became official/official not that long ago. Fear clawing at my chest, however, gave me the necessary shove to push their bedroom door open without further doubting my choice.
I stood in the open doorway as the hallway light spilled into the room to illuminate the two bodies sprawled on the big bed. They were both on their side and dad had his big arm draped over Stephanie's hip. They looked peaceful.
Stephanie was the first to show an outward reaction, her curly hair swaying as she jerked her head off her pillow.
"Julie?" Stephanie blinked as she pushed her curls off her face to look at me.
"I uhm…" Nervousness combined with the lingering fear as I struggled to explain why I had suddenly invaded their sanctuary in the middle of the night.
"Are you alright, Julie?" My RangeDad's deep voice startled me despite noting he was awake almost as instantly as Steph was.
"No." My voice broke with the admission. "I…uhm…" My eyes squeezed shut as I worked on summoning up the courage to ask what I needed from them. Back home whenever I'm assaulted by the gory images of that night, I can simply go snuggle with one of my younger siblings. They're still too little to understand why their Big Sis is sometimes afraid of the dark. It's so normalized for them that they'll just automatically press their tiny back against mine in a silent promise to guard my six. It should be the other way around, but I've long ago accepted that it's not going to be the case for us. My siblings are so untainted by the bad things of the world and l'll do everything in my power to keep it that way.
"Julie?" My dad's voice carried over to me from across the room, worry clear in his deep tone.
"I…" I cringed at how my voice wavered when I spoke. You're sixteen! Act like it! My inner voice nudged me to just go for it. The worst that could happen would be for them to say no. "Can I sleep with you?" It took me a few tries to finally get it out in the open, because my voice kept cracking. Yet somehow I managed.
Stephanie's head bobbed as she quickly nodded, her curls whipping back and forth with the movement as she simultaneously scooted over to press her back against my dad's front. She pulled the covers back with her left hand while she also patted the space she vacated with her right hand.
"Thank you." I let out a big whoosh of air as I breathed out in relief.
Somewhat awkwardly I darted across the room and climbed onto the foot of the bed, crawling until my head hit Stephanie's pillow. I faced away from them, too embarrassed to look at their worry-filled faces. My eyes squeezed shut as I tried to normalize my breathing. I felt the covers drape over me, quickly followed my Steph's hand adjusting them to make sure I was fully tucked in.
No one said anything for several beats, but I could tell they were both waiting me out.
"Nightmare?" Stephanie asked as she ran her fingers through my hair, effectively pushing my straight locks off my face and neck. Guess when I didn't offer any explanation on my own her curious nature took over.
I nodded, unable to speak. The lump in my throat threatened to break me and crying was so not going to happen. Not tonight. Nope!
A big, heavy hand landed on my upper arm before his deep voice broke the silence. "Do you want to talk about it?" Dad ran his thumb back and forth across my T-shirt covered shoulder before giving me a strong, reassuring squeeze.
I shook my head forcefully. I didn't want to share my nightmare for fear of reliving it or making it a reality once again.
"Okay." The acceptance in her voice startled me. At home mom, Ron and my siblings are pretty used to this even if it doesn't happen as often now. But it's the first time my RangeDad and Steph are witnesses to my nighttime terrors. Then again they are the two other people who were also there that night and shared the experience. Of course they'd understand.
As my eyes closed again, I allowed their combined comforting caresses to lull me back into a dreamless sleep.
S&R
Ranger's POV
Waking up with Stephanie's ass pressed against my dick is always a great wake up call. Without thought, I had buried my face against the side of her neck. Her unique scent and the caress of her sleep tousled curls against one side of my face weren't out of the ordinary. The long, straight black locks splayed over Babe's pillow, however, were out of the ordinary.
I frowned, as I moved on to my last rep. Rachel allowing Julie to come visit and stay for a few weeks during her summer vacation is a rare occurrence. Even rarer was Julie barging into our bedroom in the middle of the night and asking to climb into bed with us. As I put more fire into finishing my workout, I wondered how long my daughter's been struggling with nightmares. Right after the whole Scrog ordeal, Rachel shared the struggles our daughter was going through. As the years have progressed, there's been less and less talk about Julie's trauma. My teeth clenched as failure to protect my daughter threatened to take hold and lead me into that dark place yet again.
"Wow! Who pissed you off?" Lester's annoyingly smug voice snapped me out of my musings as I returned the weights back to their appropriate spot on the racks.
Ignoring him, I grabbed my things and headed out of the gym. Sprinting up the stairs helped me burn off a bit more of my pent up energy, but not enough.
As soon as I opened the front door and entered the penthouse, the chatter of familiar voices easily reached my ears. Tossing my keys on the little silver bowl was done on autopilot as my feet quickly took me to the kitchen to join my two reasons for living.
"Hey, Batman." Babe's playful greeting caused Julie to snicker over a mouthful of egg. "Ella was up not long ago." Her invitation to join them, along with the cheerful energy between them helped ease some of my worry.
"Five minutes." I promised before turning on my heel to grab a quick shower.
By the time I reached the bedroom, I had my sweat soaked shirt off. As soon as the en suite's door was closed, I shed the rest of my clothes. Stepping into the glass encased shower, a small grin escaped as I remembered the previous day's pleasurable activities Babe and I engaged in.
Without Babe tempting my control, my cleansing was efficient and quick. I dressed in my usual black cargos and T-shirt. Adding my usual boots and weapons, I finally left the bedroom to join my girls in the kitchen.
"Good morning, Dad." Julie waved me over as she reached to uncover my plate. As I took my seat across from my daughter and next to Babe on the kitchen island, my eyes scanned over them in detail. Babe was wearing her usual outfit outside of her Rangeman uniform. Her white fitted T-shirt was a stark contrast to my black one, but somehow fit her. Babe's always been a beacon of light into my darkness. Instead of opting for temptingly short shorts, Babe went with her well worn jeans. A smirk tugged at the corner of my lips as I reached for my fork, already knowing that she's going to complain about her choice the moment the scorching Trenton summer sun hits her delicate skin.
Julie on the other hand wore a dark grey T-shirt that was an appropriate wear for her teenage years. And like Babe, she opted for comfortable jeans. My eyebrow arched in question when I put the pieces together.
Babe always claims that I can read her mind, but it goes both ways. When she noticed my shift, she offered up the answer before I could voice the inquiry. "Julie, do you want to be the one to ask your dad?" Babe shot her a conspiratorial grin before reaching for her coffee cup. Those expressive blue eyes locked with mine over the brim, silently communicating that she already has valuable intel. Warmth spread through me as I placed my hand on her right thigh, squeezing above her knee in gratitude. Babe's naturally welcoming persona never fails to get people to open up and talk to her to share things they normally wouldn't say out loud. When her hand landed over mine, returning my squeeze, it was Babe's way of acknowledging my appreciation.
"Well, uhm..." The sheepish smile gave me an insight into the introverted side my daughter likes to hide. She's usually very social and outgoing and it's times like these that remind me that she isn't as grown up as she wants us to so desperately believe. "Stephanie shared that the Tasty Pastry has this new donut..." Julie bit her bottom lip, quickly shooting a side glance at Babe for support.
"You just had breakfast." I said with mock confusion. "You seriously can't still be hungry." I scoffed for extra effect as I took a healthy bite of my egg white omelet.
"There's always room for dessert." Babe valiantly defended.
I continued eating as if I still needed extra convincing to indulge their request. It's cute of them to ask me to tag along considering Stephanie could have just as easily snuck them out for their little treat. Let's not forget that more than one Rangeman would have gladly tagged along on their covert operation.
"Plus, Stephanie says they usually sell out of their new creation and well..." Julie's shrug as she beamed at me reinforced that I'd always give these two whatever they asked of me. "It's still early." My daughter's childish glee over a simple pastry gave me hope that perhaps not all was lost. My daughter shouldn't have to trudge through what I've had to and I'll do everything in my power to ease her load.
Once I finished my food and drank my unaltered coffee, I felt the heat of two sets of eyes follow my every move.
"So?" The hopefulness in my teen daughter's voice exuded her pent up energy. I allowed the smile to break my blank face as I remembered how energetic she was as a toddler. Always ready to move on to her next adventure and never afraid of the big, muscular man that was so absent from her everyday life.
"Oh, I think you broke him." Babe teased as she stood, collecting dishes before moving to load them in the dishwasher.
"You two ready?" I asked, watching with delight as Julie bolted out of her stool to hurriedly help Babe clear our used dishes.
"Yeah, we're ready. Right, Steph?" From the corner of my eye I saw the not so discrete nudge she gave Babe's ribs.
"We sure are." Babe agreed as she closed the door and set the cycle. "Let's roll."
Julie exited the penthouse ahead of us, with Babe following close behind. But before she could reach the open doorway, I wrapped my arm around her waist to halt her movements. My free hand cupped her right cheek as I leaned down to claim her lips in a scorching kiss. Our liplock was quick, yet full of passion. I poured as much feeling into it as humanly possible.
"Wow." Babe breathed, smiling coyly at me as she blinked her big blue eyes up at me. "What was that for?"
"Thank you." I said sincerely as I gave her another quick peck while I nudged her out of the penthouse before Julie came back to get us.
The elevator ride down to the underground garage was filled with Julie's excited chatter. In the light of day, whatever spooked her the previous night had been shoved back into a deep corner of her mind. I made it my new mission to talk with Rachel to address how we could further help our daughter.
"Hi, my beautiful ladies." Lester greeted in his usual playful manner as we walked towards my parked vehicle. "Where you headed?"
"We're going to get donuts!" Julie replied in excitement as we reached the side of my truck. "Want to join us?"
Lester stopped short on his way to his fleet SUV. "I'd love to, but I'm going out on patrol with Zip." His head shake of disappointment was not all for show as he indulged Julie. "But bring me back one of those new donuts." The mischievous cheeky smile he plastered on his face should have been enough warning for what was about to come out of his unfiltered mouth next. "Just don't let Stephanie eat it!" He joked as he darted off, ducking his head as if Babe would go after him to claim revenge for the insinuation with a solid punch.
"Hey!" Babe protested, her mock indignation echoing back to us as she joined in on the joke when Julie giggled at Lester's antics.
The drive to the Burg was uneventful. Parking and going inside of the Tasty Pastry was also not out of the ordinary. Well, not out of the ordinary for Babe. I'm not a regular in any bakery, much less one in the Burg.
"Oh my gosh! These are so good!" Julie praised as she shoved the last of the pastry into her mouth, chewing with abandon on our short walk back to our parked vehicle.
"They are." Babe agreed, shooting me a playful look as she too bit down on her treat. "Mmmm." The delighted moan and the discrete heated look she shot me as she rounded the front of the truck was a very Babe move.
"Babe." I warned as I held her sparking blue gaze. Playing with fire will get her burned and yet it doesn't seem to deter her.
"You should try one, dad." Julie joined in, oblivious to the heated undertone Babe had just unleashed.
And just like that the ugliness of the word reared its nasty head into what should have been a simple outing with my two gals.
The distinctive crack of a bullet splitting the air, piercing the sound barrier nearby engulfed our vicinity. An unfamiliar female scream was drowned out by another gunshot. My instincts took over, dropping the box of assorted junk food that was destined to make it to the break room on five hit the asphalt with a whimpering thud. My arms wrapped around Julie as I dove us down for cover.
Julie's horrified eyes searched my face as I reached for my weapon, my senses on high alert.
"Stay." I ordered, knowing in the back of my mind that whatever progress she'd made might just crumble and regress her back to that fear that enveloped her just last night.
Fuck. I thought as I crouched around the bed of the truck, my fingers fumbling with my phone to sound an alert to get us back up. I didn't want to further risk safety, especially with my daughter along for the ride.
Chaos had erupted all around us, making it harder to identify the source of the attack.
"Babe?" I called out when I saw Stephanie's distinctive curly ponytail splayed on the worn asphalt of the Tasty Pastry's parking lot. She'd managed to roll herself facing the truck, her back to me as I crouched towards her. "Stephanie?" I called, my voice wavering without my consent when she didn't respond.
"Is Stephanie okay?" Julie's emotion filled voice floated to me from under the truck. Our eyes locked as I knelt by Babe's side. "Oh fuck! No, no, no, no!" Tears streamed down her face as she pressed herself to the ground, squirming her way to crawl under the lifted truck.
Fear threatened to derail my composure as I realized that whatever Julie was seeing couldn't be good. Carefully, I turned Babe onto her back. My chest felt heavy and it was difficult to breath when I took in the blood soaked cotton. The pristine white T-shirt she was wearing just moments ago was now soaked in crimson.
"Babe." I choked out as my chest constricted with pain at seeing my wife bleeding out in my presence. My worst nightmare was becoming a reality, plunging me into a free fall of epic proportions.
Babe, stay with me. Don't leave us.