Happy New Year !
As promised, the next chapter of the story !
Dog_in_the_Manger, I can't thank you enough for your beta-ing skills !You know I wouldn't post without you !
Chapter 3: Streets of Albuquerque.
Winter had slowly transformed the landscape into a neat mantle of snow, giving the atmosphere that particular feel of Christmas. When Stephanie was coming back home, walking through the streets of the Old Town, she could see parents carrying big bags filled with toys in the trunk of their cars, and sharing special looks with each other.
It's been two months since she'd moved to Albuquerque, and as Christmas Eve drew nearer, she missed her family and friends in Trenton. Her marshals were kind to her so far: helping her settle in a small but clean apartment and find a job, and Mary had proven herself more invaluable, when it came to shopping.
Sure enough, her life was very different here in New Mexico. She couldn't be a bounty hunter as long as she was in Witness Protection, and she had wondered for the first few days what she would do for a living. But one of the other marshals in the office, Delia, had found out that Steph had majored in business, and put her in contact with a charity that needed an administrative manager. Despite her doubts she whether she would succeed, and being pushed by Mary and Marshall, she had found herself being interviewed by a busy woman, who was more than happy to hire her. Stephanie had soon found out she would have much more to do than what her job description said, but was more than okay with it. The longer she was spending working, the lesser she was alone in the apartment, trying to forget she just couldn't pick up the phone to call her mother.
Of course, they talked once in a while, but never at the same time, or the same day, and the protocol was highly secured. It had to happen in an office at the Sunshine building, on a special phone that prevented any detection, and as Steph couldn't tell where she was or what she was doing now, she only mostly listened to her mother rambling about Melinda Woodraft marrying Jeff Brown, because she wasn't involved in a trial, or about Joe Morelli's new girlfriend, some kind of pediatrician. She usually finished the conversation in a worse state of mind than when she started. What she craved the most, though, was to have news from her other family – Connie and Lula, at the bonds agency. And of course, the guys at Rangeman. What had happened to Keno, Tank's latest kitten…? She tried not to think about Ranger or wonder why he hadn't found her yet. She kind of expected from Batman to move heaven and earth to find her – and protect her, the way he had during all these years.
Her phone buzzed, as she was about to cross the Rio Grande Boulevard, and she took a step back to take the call.
"This is Stephanie."
"Steph, it's Karen. I hope you can help me – Nelly's kid broke his leg and she won't be able to help me Christmas Eve. I know it's not one of your duties, but would you lend me a hand? I could ask Loren or Steve, but he worked last Christmas and Lo, well, she's coming in on New Year's Eve… I know it's a lot to ask, but would you think about it? Please?"
"Don't worry, Karen, I'll be there… " the rest of her phrase was lost in the sound of a big truck driving by.
"So you still walk? Haven't found the car of your dreams?"
"I have a bad history with cars… I'd rather not have one now."
"Oh, I'll see you tomorrow, then?"
"Sure. Bye."
Steph hung up, getting lost in her thoughts again. They used to call me Bomber… she thought, remembering all the POS of cars she had had over the years that had gotten bombed or destroyed. This thought brought back the memories of the guys from Rangeman, all of them. She had refused when Mary offered to take her to a car dealership she knew, to find a vehicle to help her get around. Steph didn't want to start again with buying old cars that would fall apart or explode any day. No. this time, she wanted to make sure things were good, save enough money, and buy something better. This was her chance at a better life – she had to take it. Better life, huh? How many friends do you have now? Is your life really better than it was in Trenton?
"Shut up!" she said to her inner voice, not realizing she had spoken it out loud. Several people turned and looked at her, intrigued by her behavior. Fighting the tears, refusing to let them fall, she composed herself and crossed the street. Her decision was made: she would spend Christmas Eve at the Old Town's Homeless Shelter.
-o-o-
"No we're not, Marshall. There is no way in hell I'm going to a seminar on handling stress. And since you're not Stan, you can't make me go!" Mary turned her head to look quickly at her partner, who was sitting shotgun in the black SUV, before she resumed her attention to the heavy traffic.
"Actually, he's the one who asked me to tell you. I'll have you know that the seminar is in Topeka, Kansas. It's often assumed, mistakenly, I might add, that the Capitol of Kansas is Kansas City, when in fact it is Topeka. Curiously enough, USS Topeka, a Los Angeles-class submarine, which happens to be the third ship the US Navy named after the city, was used in filming the second Transformers movie. It was stationed in the Laurentian Abyss to guard the dumping site of Megatron… "
Mary was about to launch into a tirade to interrupt Marshall's inane trivia, when her phone rang.
"This better be important, Delia! I'm about to kick Marshall's ass."
"Mary, you have to get to APD. Steph Vaughn is there. Is that important enough for you?" And without another word, Delia hung up the phone.
"Well, buddy, sorry to interrupt your master class about the Land of Oz. I hope Nancy Drew is not on duty today, because we have to pick Miss Jersey from APD," Mary said, turning their black SUV around, without any regard for other cars on the road, or the safety of her passenger.
"Again? What happened this time?"
"Don't know, don't care. We get her out of there pronto and bring her back. End of story."
"Mary, sometimes your caring is so overwhelming. And what will you write in your report? You know Delia will flag the incident and you know how much you like paperwork… "
"I hate this job."
"No you don't."
"Smartass."
"Mr. Smartass to you. So what will be this time? Care to hazard a guess? Or should I?"
"I shouldn't have agreed to take her. She's too much trouble." Mary sighed, watching her partner from the corner of her eye.
"Well, she had her bag stolen, walked through Occupy Albuquerque, helped a naked man get dressed," Marshall paused, counting off the incidents Steph had been taken to APD, "and I think I'm forgetting something…"
"Yeah, when a guy broke the window at the shelter, remember? She chased him down and put him on the ground."
"Funny girl, this one…"
"Five times in two months, that must be some kind of a record…" Mary muttered under her breath, wondering what happened this time.
-o-o-
"We have a hit."
"Where?"
"Not where, who."
Ranger looked at his second in command with a blank face. "Explain."
Tank sighed and sat down in the visitor's chair in Ranger's office, removing a sheet of paper from a folder before sliding it across his friend's desk.
"This is the woman who paid for the rooms at the motel in Indie." The sheet of paper turned out to be a sketch artist drawing. "Hal found her photo from the Marshals Service Graduation Ceremony. Her name is Mary Shannon, and she was with the Fugitive Task Force out of the New Jersey office of the Service, until her reassignment in 2002. New office location is classified."
"WitSec. We just need the location."
"Ranger, we can't take Bomber out of WitSec. We'll have all of the Marshals Service on our asses, and it would be too dangerous for her, if the Farlicorne find out she's back here."
Ranger's eyes turned black with determination. Tank had seen these eyes several times in high-risk missions.
"Find her. Wherever she is. Find the marshal."
Sighing, Tank hefted his huge body out of the armchair, and headed for the door. He paused, turning to look straight into his friends' eyes. "One thing Steph wouldn't allow you to do is take away her freedom and her right to choose her life."
Without saying another word, he walked out of the office, to Hector's nest, feeling the eyes of the Rangemen on his back.
-o-o-
Chaos was reigning supreme at the wide office of the Albuquerque Police Department. Busy detectives were on two phone lines at the same time, while uniforms kept coming in and out. Sitting in a chair in front of the detective in charge of her file, Stephanie was patiently waiting for Mary and Marshall to arrive. It wasn't the first time she had had a close encounter with the police here in Albuquerque, but it was the first time the detective in front of her frowned, seeing that Mary Shepperd and Marshall Miller were to be contacted whenever Stephanie Vaughn was involved. Steph saw Detective Chaffee stiffen at the mention of the marshals, and the brunette was eager to understand why. The detective wasn't answering her questions, and Stephanie decided to wait, looking through the windows. Albuquerque was so different from Trenton. There was this feeling of the Wild West, of wide open space, of freedom that suited her well. No need to justify each and every action, no 'Burg gossip mill, no pressure to get married…
Suddenly, everything in the office quieted down. From the other end of the large space, Stephanie saw two familiar figures. They made their way though, passing by the desks, not caring in the slightest about the looks that they were attracting, as they seemed to be bickering. As usual, Steph thought. There was something special with these two, she had noticed a while ago. They always seemed to be arguing or bating each other, but there was no hint of malice in their actions. It was as if Stephanie was a spectator at a well-established show. The connection between Mary and Marshall was just something she would have liked to explore a bit further, as she thought there was much more to it than was meeting the eye.
"Not Topeka. I'll go to Hawaii, but certainly not to Topeka. That's a no-go, Marshall. End of discussion." Finally making it to Detective Chaffe's desk, Mary turned to the red-haired woman and asked, "What happened?"
Steph felt the tension building around her, among the three law enforcement officers. She couldn't put her finger on it precisely, but there was something to have a closer look at. But now was not the time. She needed more information.
"I did nothing wrong, Mary." Steph said, rising up from her chair. "I was talking on the phone with my boss, when that guy," she pointed to a young man, who was being questioned by officers, "tried to take my phone!"
Mary closed her eyes and sighed, awaiting the disaster that never failed to follow Stephanie.
"And what did you do exactly, Steph?"
"Well it's my phone; I wasn't letting him take it. So I might have hit him with my bag. And now he's pressing charges! Can you believe it?"
From her left, Steph saw movement, and before she realized what had happened, Mary was in front of Steph, using her own body as a human shield, her Glock in her hand. Marshall had the young man immobilized in an arm-lock and putting him face flat on the nearby desk, while the detectives who were questioning the perp were still seated.
"Security still at its top efficiency here…" said Mary, holstering her gun.
"I can't let you say that Mary… "started Abigail, her hands on her hips, her cheeks turning as red as her hair.
"This woman is crazy!" shouted the young man. "She hit me with a cinderblock!"
"Please don't tell me you have cinderblock in your purse," said Mary, sounding angry before turning to face Stephanie.
"Why would I carry a cinderblock in my bag? I don't have much there. My make-up, two Tasers, and the book about the city that you gave me, that's all."
Mary put her right hand to her forehead, trying to prevent the migraine that would inevitably come from the paperwork involved with this case. From the corner of her eye, she saw Marshall bringing back the young man to the detective in charge of the case.
"Two Tasers? Why would you carry two Tasers in your bag? "
"Once, I my Taser ran out of the charge. So I now carry one more for safety. Surely, you can understand that."
"Jesus, Mary and Joseph. No, Steph, I don't. I have a gun and I can use it. Grab your purse, we're leaving." Mary turned to make one more snarky comment about the efficiency of the APD, "Well, if this wasn't a ton of fun… "
But Abigail wasn't listening; she was engrossed in her talk with Marshall.
"And what should I say? That I don't want you going out of town again? I can't believe, your job comes first, again. And what would you have me tell my parents? 'Sorry, my fiancé is in Kansas with his partner?' "
"Abs, we'll talk about this later, okay? It's not the place." Abigail turned her head, losing her focus on her fiancé, only to realize that they were the center of attention of the office.
"Well, if the two of you are done with the reenactment of Desperate Housewives, maybe we can go?" Mary added, reaching for Steph's arm, and heading toward the exit. She couldn't hide the smirk on her face; everything wasn't perfect in paradise. Maybe there was hope after all.
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