A/N Everything you recognize belongs to Janet Evanovich. Thank you to Kathy's amazing beta skills, Heather for all her sound advice and encouragement and Lisa who did a little of both! Without you all, this story would not have happened.

~Chapter 11

***May 6th

I didn't have any trouble waking to my alarm the next morning. Well no more than normal. I was showered and dressed and out the door at 7:30 am. I arrived a little before 8 at the diner and proceeded to Bucky's table.

"Just in time Stephanie," he says. "You remember Phil and Ronnie." He states, introducing me like I'm his date. Ugh.

"Bucky, you know why I'm here..." I start but he cuts me off.

"Yes, and I will come with you right after you have breakfast with us.".

Oh well, who am I to turn down pancakes, I think as I sit down next to Bucky. He has left room in the booth for me to sit, the little shit. I guess I AM dating Bucky Martin. FML, as I try not to think of all the times I didn't go out on dates with Joe and how Ranger makes an effort to make sure I know we're not dating. I decide to make the best of my circumstances and chat with the three men I find myself sharing a meal with.

After correcting Bucky more times that I can count that this wasn't a date, I find myself back at the Bonds Office handing Connie my body receipt.

"Have you heard the rumors?" Connie asks me.

"Which one? The one where I'm getting back together with Morelli or the one where he broke up with me because I'll make a terrible mother or the one where we're going to have a makeup baby together?" I ask.

Connie snorts and starts to say something and I cut her off.

"It's bullshit and I had to turn off my phone because of it. I'm sure my mother has my voicemail full with questions and complaints. I'm thinking of joining witness protection. Do you have any contacts with them?" I ask her disgustedly.

"How was your date with Bucky?"

I flash her a quick smile, thankful for the topic change. "Does this make me an escort? I just had breakfast with a guy and made 500 dollars." Joining in on the joke, Connie snorts and responds "Probably"

"Where's Lula?" I ask, noticing none of her crap is spread across the office.

"She told me last night that she wasn't coming in today. She's taking a mental health day." Connie says as she pulls out her nail polish. I will forever associate the Bonds Office with the smell of nail polish.

"I want a mental health day." I tell her.

"You and me both, sister."

"You can't take a day off. The office will fall apart without you." I tell her, glancing at Vinnie's door and grimacing. She laughs and snorts in agreement.

I leave with my check in hand, heading to the bank. As I start to get in my car, I see a black SUV pull in and I wait to see who it is. Tank and a new guy I don't recognize get out and I yell out "Hi". Tank replies with a head nod and keeps walking, forcing the rookie to follow. That's a little strange, Tank usually smiles and says hi. I also expected him to introduce me to the new guy but nothing. Hmmm. Maybe he's having a bad day.

I check my balance and am pleased to see that I have over 7k in there. I promised Val 3k so I have a little cushion for the next few months. Finally, I can breathe. I have been so stressed trying to scrape together money to help. I don't have much but what I do, I'll gladly share with her. I don't withdraw the money for Val since we haven't rescheduled our lunch date yet and I don't want that kind of cash sitting around.

I go home happy that I have no outstanding skips. To celebrate, I crawl into bed for a nap. I got up early so I deserve it, I justify.

I wake not feeling like I slept at all. I try to pull myself out of my funk. The last few days I've been feeling off. I was nauseous after my chicken meal and even threw up the next morning. I thought at the time I had food poisoning but I've also been really tired. Maybe I'm getting sick. If not then my physical symptoms are matching my mental health crisis. Maybe lunch needs to be chicken noodle soup and OJ?

Connie calls me and tells me three new skips have come in and I decide to swing by the Bonds Office to pick them up. I don't want to sit around my apartment all afternoon wondering if I'm getting sick and I could always use the cash. I can't wait until I can go shopping again. Mamma needs some new shoes.

Ranger appears out of the blue and strolls into the Bonds Office as if he's been around all along. He's been radio silent for three days and I don't know if he's heard any of the drama that unfolded while he was away. He's not plugged into the Burg gossip per say but I can't be sure. Things are a little awkward so he may know something.

"Connie, Babe." He says in way of greeting.

Connie replies to his greeting with a friendly "Ranger, good to have you back."

I stand there silent. I don't smile or anything. I'm trying to get a feel for him. Is he playing games with me? I don't want to hear the 'my life doesn't lend itself' bull crap so I just steel myself for the pain, pain that I know is coming. I stare trying not to give away any thoughts swirling through my head.

He squints his eyes, assessing me. A minute passes and no one speaks. He turns to Connie, "Is he in?" gesturing his head toward Vinnie's closed door.

"Yes." Connie replies at the same moment Vinnie opens the door to step out.

"Ranger, thanks for coming," he says and ushers Ranger behind the closed door.

Connie looks at me and says. "High bond skip."

Oooh, maybe a distraction job for me and more money? I say to myself. Connie laughs and I figure out that I said that out loud. Crap. I really need to get control of my mouth!

Ranger has to leave in a rush so he doesn't have a chance to lure me into the alley. Oh well, I need to get my life under control before I can determine if I want to stay the course and continue to pursue a someday with Ranger or if I need to circle the wagons and pick up the pieces of my shattered heart. I can acknowledge that I'm in love with him and that I have been for a long time. I know that if he said the word that I would... shit. I can't even finish that thought. I had to face that when the safety net that was Joe Morelli, went away. I had to admit that I was using Joe to protect me from Ranger devastating my heart. With Joe in the picture, I didn't have to admit to myself that I was completely and totally head over heels in love with Ricardo Carlos Manoso. I feel trapped by my feelings and don't know what to do about it.

I spent the afternoon distracting myself by chasing my skips and got 1 of the 3. While I was actively chasing skip number 2, literally running down the street, I noticed that my bra was making me sore. I'd been running for about a block trying to catch Mr. Jamison when I wondered if my bra had shrunk and was now too small. See, I knew running would kill me, I smile to myself because if not, I'd cry for not being able to catch a 75 year old man. FML

***May 7

When my breasts were more sore the next day, I start to panic. This can't be from a short run and a defective bra. What else do I have? I'm tired, sleeping more now than I did when I was a teenager...Suddenly, I remembered the conversation I had with the girls several days ago about Samantha Winters and her pregnancy symptoms. Little spots danced in front of my eyes and I automatically put my head between my knees. I concentrate on my breathing. I can't be. I'm on the shot. I get that it's not FOOL-proof but do I really have to be the FOOL? Crap! After much internal debate, I decide that the grown up thing to do would be to take an over the counter test and see what it says. No need to panic now. What can I do to take my mind off of this potential life crisis? Shopping! Crap, I can't spend any money. I can shop without buying! Right? That's what I'll do. I take a road trip out to King of Prussia Mall. I window shop for a couple of hours. As a reward for not spending any money I buy a cookie from that really good place by the food court. I hate that I have to come out this far. I have to get far enough away to get a test, otherwise my mother will hear about it before I get the test out of the box. I pay cash at the drug store and stop and get an iced coffee for the drive home. By the time I get home, I'm a nervous wreck, the coffee didn't work. I read that the most accurate results are first thing in the morning so I'll just wait until then. I hate waiting! I think of the quote from The Princess Bride. I say it a few more times trying to get Inigo Montoya's accent down. A movie. A movie will take up time. I pull out the big guns, I put in Ghostbusters to try to distract myself. It doesn't work so I put on my tennis shoes and go for a run. If I'm miserable I may as well make it complete.

I wake the next morning with a queasiness in my belly. I say a quick prayer that I'm mentally giving myself these symptoms when I go into the bathroom to do the test. This is the longest three minutes of my life!

FFFUUUUUUCCKKKKK. I stare at the faint plus sign indicating a positive test. How did this happen? Am I just in the minority or did I do something wrong? I know for a fact that it's Rangers. I haven't slept with Joe since around the new year so unless I'm four months pregnant, not likely judging by my still flat stomach, it has to be Ranger's. What's he going to say? Will he be angry? Happy? Wow, I don't think I have ever seen him happy. I wonder what that looks like? Things are awkward but this conversation would be awkward regardless. The morning after the deal was awful. Ugh! I'm so scared. What am I going to do? I have to get away. I pack a few things and call the office on my way out of town. I tell Connie I have to take a few days for an impromptu vacation. I joke that I need a mental health day. Isn't that the truth? I need to get a handle on this. I may not have a clue what I'm going to do but I know this, I can't figure it out in Trenton. I need the beach.

RPOV

I sit at my desk trying to go through the paperwork that piled up from being away but I can't concentrate. Nothing feels right. Seeing Steph at the Bonds Office yesterday, I still can't get a handle on what's going on with her, nothing's felt right since the NYC distraction. I have a bad feeling. Is she back with the cop? Rumors say yes. I was initially angry that she was fucking him but I have no claim on her. I have to call out my own hypocrisy since we aren't in a relationship, she's free to do whatever or whomever she wants. I'm just irritated that she wasn't exclusive with me and it seems that she's back with him anyway, so it doesn't matter. At least that's what I'm telling myself, and what's this about a make-up baby with Morelli? WTF? It doesn't make sense, she seemed to want more from me these last few months. I had to back off several times so she wouldn't get the wrong idea or read more into our casual hook ups. She never outright said anything and we didn't exactly go over the ground rules again. I assumed she was okay with just having sex when we had time. Did that make her run back to Morelli? She has no problem stopping my advances when she goes back to him.

In the office, she didn't even speak to me and the tension coming from her was high. She needs money again. I heard her comment about wanting another distraction. She already has a nice paycheck coming from the NYC distraction. Is she in trouble? I need to look at her finances. Something is going on with her and I need to know what it is. I need to make sure to step away if that's what I need to do.

I haven't been around for a few days. I went to Miami for a couple of days and spent another day in Boston to cool off from finding Morelli leaving her apartment. I can ask the men but I don't want them to think we're more than what we are. I need to talk to her directly. I need to find out the truth. I check the app and see that Steph's headed toward the coast.

This is concerning. She doesn't just pick up and run to the beach without notice unless it's very nice out or she needs to decompress. It's overcast and supposed to rain later and the high is low 60's. Not beach weather. Is she running? A mini vacation is not the remedy for money problems. Did she go with the cop? A vacation? That pisses me off more than it should. I want to figure out what she's up to so I head over to her apartment and let myself in.

I open the door with practiced efficiency. Upon first glance, nothing seems out of place. The only thing is the rat. It's missing, cage and all. So she intends to stay longer than a day hence the missing rat. I check her closet and drawers and notice a few things missing. On closer inspection, I see that she's taken casual wear, nothing formal. In a last minute decision, I check the bathroom to see what toiletries she's taken and my world stops spinning. "What the fuck?" I say out loud as I focus on the results of the pregnancy test she's obviously just taken. The wrapping is in the garbage along with the box. The directions are still laying on top of the toilet. Steph was always adamant about not wanting a child. What the hell happened? Fuck. It could be Morelli's. I can't believe this is happening. She had the fucking shot. I shut down my emotions. I don't do emotions. Was this a set up? I know Steph has been cash strapped. I know that she's been watching every penny. Could she? All the memories of Les and Kelsey flash before me. I can't even follow that train of thought but then JE's words come crashing back in my head...'any woman with a uterus would trap a man if she were desperate enough'. No! I can't wrap my head around this. I've opened myself up to this by being careless. By trusting her. Did I not learn anything from Les? Or Rachel? I have to cover my ass since I surely wasn't covering something else.

I drive on autopilot trying to mentally list all of the things I need to do.

1. Set up a timeline of everything that's happened since we started fucking.

2. Look into her doctor's appointment and make sure she got the shot.

3. Call my attorney and start the ball rolling to protect myself from a worst case scenario.

4. Check into her bank history and do a deep dive into her finances.

5. Run a new background on her. Any suspicious activity?

6. Find out if the cop has left town. If they're celebrating a make-up baby.

I mentally list the options in my head as I arrive back at Haywood in record time. As I arrive on five, I see Tank out on the floor talking with one of the new guys.

"In my office NOW! Get Les and Bobby." I bark as I text Hector and tell him to come as well. Since I texted Hector in English, he'll probably guess at the urgency. Not many people know that Hector is quite fluent in English. He wouldn't be an effective hacker if he wasn't.

In three minutes, all are assembled and I quickly explain what I've discovered.

"Steph is pregnant and it could be mine. She told me she had the birth control shot back in March. The first thing she does when she finds out she's pregnant is leave for Point Pleasant and rumor has it, she's back with Morelli. Also, she's been desperate for cash lately. I need you to look into everything she's done in the last six months." I bark out individual orders keeping the timeline and my attorney for myself. All four men were stunned. I know the feeling, I think ruefully. How could this be happening again? "Meet in conference room 5 in 30 minutes." I command and that spurs everyone to move.

Conference room 5 is the smallest of all 5 and the most used. It's on the fifth floor and only accessible to current core team members and special guests including Hector. No one from the outside is allowed on the fifth floor or this room unless special permission is granted. This is where we usually have weekly core team meetings so it has every bit of technology that the larger rooms have. It's dark with rich wood accents, an oval table, with eight chairs and smart boards on both end walls. Plenty of room for the five of us to set up the command center. Thirty minutes later I nodded for Hector to begin. He informed us that Steph was seen in Dr. Sarah Davidson's office on March 7th for a pregnancy test. It was negative. No notes or billing charges for any birth control.

"FUCK!" I scream as I hit the desk and make everything jump. Bobby suggests there's a chance she is using her former pills and asks how long ago she had the prescription written. Hector goes back to his laptop and Bobby gets up to look over his shoulder. A minute later Bobby looks at Hector and then frowns.

"Her last birth control pill order was over two years ago. The order was for one year so it's doubtful that she had been using her pills since the doctor's appointment, they would have been long gone." Bobby says sadly.

"She lied to me." I say to the group. How could she do this? That's what we're all thinking. The whole,' I'm not ready for kids and I don't know if I will ever want to have a baby' narrative was a lie. A distraction. I look around the room. All five of us feel the same betrayal.

"Her finances are suspicious. Her credit card spending is down and her savings currently has 7k in it but I noted several withdrawals over the last several months totaling about 6k, 3k each withdrawal. The withdrawals are taken in cash so there's no trail. The only other thing that's suspicious is that Steph was declined a personal loan for the amount of 10k." Tank adds.

"Did it give any reasons why she was declined?" I ask. A few minutes and several keystrokes later, Hector says, "Oh shit! She was declined because she had no collateral. She listed you as a cosigner but never got your signature and didn't follow up with the bank's request for one or the other."

"Why the hell wasn't I notified she tried to get a loan using my name?" I ask, fury building.

"Since you didn't sign, it was declined early, it wouldn't show on your credit report. Funny though, if it had, it would be the only thing that would show." Hector explained knowing that for my safety, I was a ghost. No financials would ever show up under my name. Everything I own personally is done through several layers of protection and shell companies. I have ten times that in cash sitting in multiple accounts. I would have just given her the money. Rangeman is separate. I set it up to have distance from me personally. The property and assets owned by Rangeman is more connected to my name than my personal accounts though.

"How the hell did she get my social security number?" I ask and no one answers. I know the answer. When she evaluated the company to make recommendations on improvements, she had access to a lot of private documents including my net worth. She seemed shocked and uncomfortable when she saw it but I guess that was just an act. She's been playing us all along. I put the date the loan was declined, April 19th.

"Les, where is Morelli now?" I ask, hoping he's neck deep in a gang war on Stark.

Les takes a deep breath and reports. "He's not at work. He called in sick today." The room fell silent leaving us all to determine what this means.

"So are the rumors true?" I ask not that it really matters. I'm so done with this relationship, it can't end fast enough.

"I can't confirm, but Burg rumors are that they have been back and forth for the last several months and that she's pregnant with Joe's child." Les reluctantly admits confirming what I had heard as well.

Fuck is the only word that fits. I've been played and the feel of it burns my gut. I don't know what her next play is but I'll be ready. I take a deep breath. I'll have plenty of time to take out my aggression on the heavy bag in the gym.

We spend the next several hours working and I fill in the timeline. I have the dates of when Steph and Joe supposedly broke up, when we started fucking, when she lied about the shot, when I saw Morelli leaving her apartment.

"It's most likely not even mine." I blurt out. This is so unlike me, I don't blurt anything out. I need to lock this shit up. Thank God these are my brothers and we all went through something similar with Les. "Hector, get word out that Stephanie is no longer under my protection. I will issue a directive to the staff. No one is to have any interaction with her. Observe and report only. I don't know what her next move is but I'm going to cut her off at the knees." I say. No one crosses me. Just then, Ella pushes a cart in with sandwiches and light refreshments. She pauses and I know she has heard the last sentence out of my mouth.

"What's happened to Stephanie?" she asks.

"It seems that Stephanie has gotten herself pregnant on purpose. She's been lying to us for months." I tell her.

"What? No way. I don't believe it," she says as she shakes her head. I love my Aunt but she's too trusting. She has a big heart and only wants to believe the best in everyone. She leaves as we get back to work on the timeline.

We talk about comments she has made over the past several months. During a distraction, Les tells us that she made a big deal about saying what a great liar she is. We add it to the timeline and save a copy of the audio clip to the Betrayal folder. This is the folder that will contain all of the pertinent information regarding this. Fitting title, I'd say.

"Tyler heard a conversation from Lula and Stephanie about having a bat baby as a cure for money troubles." Bobby begins. "I was sitting in the car when Tyler overheard part of the conversation. Tyler didn't know who they were talking about when he got back in. He didn't know that they call Ranger Batman." Bobby adds.

"Is it on tape?" I ask and Bobby nods his head.

"Add it to the timeline." I tell him. "On the surface, it looks as if she's going to make a play for money." I add. "If she does, I'll be ready."

By the time we break up, it's close to midnight and I check her trackers. She's in Point Pleasant and I'm pretty sure Morelli's there too, probably celebrating. I punch the wall and as I do, I remove that thought from my head. No point in dwelling on anything unproductive. I'm a big boy and I can handle this. I have a meeting with my attorney at 0800 tomorrow and I'll be prepared with my offer if the cheating Stephanie Plum tries to pass this baby off as mine. I don't think the lying Stephanie Plum knows quite who she's dealing with.

My meeting with my attorney has been enlightening. He asked if he could consult a family law partner in his firm and I agreed. I want this air tight. Against my better judgment, I'm going to offer her money in the unlikely event the baby is mine. It's the last thing that I want to do but there's no way around it since it seems she really is pregnant. I have a clause that she has to prove it's mine first. I check her trackers again and see that she's still in Point Pleasant. Good. I need to cool off a little more before I see her. If I thought I was pissed at her before, it was nothing compared to now.

The mandate to the men didn't go over well. They were pissed at first but then rumors of betrayal eased the tension and anger at her started to take hold. I'm thankful the men have my back.

***May 9

The days are going fast as we all continue to add information to the timeline and the file. The final copy from my attorney isn't due for another two days. That works for me. I could use two more days to cool off.

Steph's trackers went off the evening of the 11th and I'm alerted that she's on her way back to Trenton. I'm still not ready to see her and I'm trying to mentally prepare myself for the confrontation.

The morning of the following day, I receive the contract and am ready to see Stephanie to present my offer. I'm not sure how to contact her when my phone dings with a message from her.

From Steph: I need to talk to you. It's important.

From Ranger: Haywood 7pm

From Steph: See u then

So if I thought she was innocent in this whole mess, I would have been mistaken. It looks like I am the target of her get rich quick scheme. Why would she be so quick to tell me the news?

I hear a report from the men that she had trouble bringing in Mooner of all people. She really is incompetent, I'm seeing her in a new light now, unfiltered. My men arrived late and just stood back and watched. She narrowly missed getting arrested and a car fire nearly destroyed another one of her shit cars. I'll pull the report when it's complete to add it to her file. What the hell is she doing bringing in skips when she's pregnant anyway? Reckless!

***May 10

SPOV

I'm still in Point Pleasant. I planned on giving myself a total of three days. Three days, I did nothing but think and I'm a lot closer to figuring out what I'm going to do. I came to some surprising conclusions. First, I'm going to keep the baby. As scared as I am, I can't bring myself to have an abortion. I guess it's a combination of Catholic guilt and curiosity. I want to see this person who didn't ask to be created. How would he or she look? Act? My major concern is that I'll be a terrible mother. I can learn though. I can learn from people like Ella and Mary Lou, even Val is a good mom. Second, I'm not going to just disappear. Life on the run is tough and I don't want that for me and the baby. Third, I'm going to tell Ranger as soon as I get back but what I'm going to say is still a mystery. Fourth, I'm going to find a new job. I can't chase skips while I'm pregnant. It's much too dangerous.

The drive back the next evening has made me more confident in the four decisions that I have made so far. I need Ranger for the rest. It all depends on what he wants. I pull into my parking lot and carry my bag and Rex's cage up to my apartment. It's dinner time and I'm exhausted. I usually go to bed around 9:00pm. If I push it, I can make it until 10:00 but no later. I guess that's one of the many changes I will experience through this. I really hope the next few days go well. I know I need to schedule a doctor's visit but I want to keep this quiet a little longer. I read online that you need to start seeing a doctor at eight weeks so I have a little time. I had a pregnancy test when they gave me the shot and it was negative plus, I just started to have symptoms so I have to be very early in this. This also guarantees the baby is Ranger's.

I finish putting my stuff away and order food delivery from a local restaurant. I want greasy cheese but unfortunately for me, I've discovered that this munchkin doesn't like it. The munchkin is okay with sugar though. Thank goodness! I don't think I could go 40 weeks with no grease and no sugar. After dinner, I showered and called my mom. I had talked to her once while I was away and promised I would call when I got back. It took a lot of effort to convince her that the Burg rumors were started by Joe and even though one part was right, it was all just rumor. I did not tell her I was really pregnant and who the father is. Things are still a little awkward since the accident when I refused to see anyone. Mom promises me she will dial back the crazy when it comes to me getting back together with Joe. I really don't think she cares who I end up with, just someone, well someone that isn't Ranger. Little does she know that she's going to be related to a little Ranger. Wow. That is still so strange to think about. There's going to be a little piece of me and Ranger running around this world. Yikes. I hope he's a strong brave hero like his dad. Same everything. That thought makes me happy. I really, really hope everything goes well tomorrow. I'm planning on stopping by the Bonds Office and talking to the girls. I have to give my notice and I'm not looking forward to that. I know how nosey they are and they'll ask a million questions and I can't afford anything hitting the grapevine before I have a chance to tell Ranger.