Chapter Six

Jeanne Ellen POV

We brought Steph's and Zoë's bags into the house, and I showed them to the little pool house we had out back. It had two small bedrooms, a bathroom and a lounge area, but no kitchen other than a wetbar with a mini fridge. It wasn't suitable to live in permanently, but it would suffice for Steph's visit. If I succeeded in convincing her to move back home to Trenton, I'd help her find somewhere more appropriate to live.

This morning, I had decided against going after my skip, choosing to go shopping for Steph and Zoë instead. I still had time and I could pick him up later. Today, I was taking a day off for my family. I bought Zoë a bunch of toys and things to do, and I had bought some welcoming décor to make Steph feel at home too. She loved flowers, so I had a few vases scattered around with her favourite tulips, peonies, and sunflowers.

There was a big comfy couch in here before, but I bought a TV for Steph too. And she likes to drink tea, so I bought an electric kettle and an assortment of her favourite varieties. She'd be comfortable, and anything she was missing would probably be in the main house.

When she took a tour and saw everything, she gave me another hug, thanking me with a little quaver in her voice.

We moved into Zoë's room and while Zoë was playing with some of her new toys on the floor, Steph started putting her things away in the tiny closet. When she was done, she stashed the suitcase on the closet floor, and we moved into her room so she could unpack herself.

She started talking quietly while she put away her clothes. "So, I talked to Richard today. I had to tell him I was taking Zoë out of the state, because he'd probably take the opportunity to accuse me of kidnapping if I came here with her without letting him know. Anyway, he said he's moving back into the apartment, but I have his 'permission' to take a couple weeks here as a holiday, then he expects me back with him and to 'look the other way' if he has sex with someone else to meet his needs because 'I'm not more willing' to do the things he wants." Steph made liberal use of air quotes during her recount of their conversation and her face revealed her disgust at her husband's words.

"He must be completely cracked if he thinks that's a viable option," I said, fuming inwardly. Never was my nickname for Steph's husband more apt than it is right now.

"Yeah. I need to find a kickass lawyer who will wipe the courtroom floor with him, because there's no way I will be going back to him. And I want primary custody of Zoë, none of this joint bullshit. I know he loves her but he works so much that he spends very little time with her. Do you know she hasn't once asked where Daddy is or why we're here and he's not?" She shook her head. "I want to punch him in the face."

I laughed. "Speaking of lawyers, I've been asked to pass along an offer to you."

She raised her eyebrows in that cute way she does when she's really trying, and failing, to raise just a single eyebrow in inquiry. I suppressed a grin and continued, "Ranger, you know, Tank's partner? Anyway, Ranger offered the use of the Rangeman lawyer to take your divorce case. He won't take any of The Dick's crap and I'm sure he'll be up for the challenge."

She frowned slightly. "He doesn't even know me. Hell, I barely even know your husband. Why would he offer me a free lawyer?"

"Because we're all family. Ranger is Tank's family, I am Tank's family and you're my family. And we take care of our own."

"I don't know, Gigi. That makes me feel a little weird. I can't afford to pay him."

"Listen, Doll. You know even without Tank, I do pretty well for myself. And I would help pay to get you out of this travesty of a situation even without the Rangeman lawyer. But he's a good lawyer and why not accept the help when it's freely offered? I know you have a hard time accepting help from anyone, but please just think about it, okay?" I threw in a 'please' because I know that's a surefire way to get Steph to agree to things. I'm not above manipulating others to do what I want, though in Steph's case it's also for her own good.

She blew out a breath noisily. "Fine. I'll think about it. I do need a lawyer soon." As soon as she said that I knew I had her and I worked to hide my grin from her.

I changed the subject. "Does Sheila provide paid vacation, or is this all unpaid?"

"It's one week paid, one week unpaid," she replied.

"That's what I thought. Do you want to earn some money while you're here?"

"How can I do that when I have Zoë?"

"Rangeman could use some help with research. They're really busy right now. I told Tank how nosy you are and how once you get onto a mystery, you are like a bulldog with a bone who doesn't let go until you solve it. Once you learn how to use the programs, you can probably even do it at night, and maybe even bring a laptop home to do it here. If not, I can listen for Zoë for you while you're at work."

"While I'm a little alarmed at your description of me, I must admit it sounds like a pretty good fit. Tank thinks it's a good idea?" she asked.

"He thinks it sounds great. It would help him a lot. By the way, I was wondering if you are okay with Tank knowing everything that's going on? He does know the general gist, but if we're discussing things in the evening, I'd rather not have to separate from him to keep it secret," I explained.

"It's fine if he knows. Maybe he'll have a different perspective on things too, as a man."

"He probably will, he's a very strategic thinker," I said a little proudly. "Want to help me prepare dinner?"

She shrugged. "You know how good my cooking is. If you want to trust me around dinner, I'm happy to help."

I laughed and slung my arm around her. "Let's get Squirt and go make dinner. I promise, you won't mess it up. I'll teach you and I won't be like Helen when I do."

A/N: This is going to be a long story, and with so many changes to make up their AU world, I'm spending a lot of time building it up and establishing the background facts. I hope you're not bored so far.