Family Gathering

By PTBvisiongrrl

Rating: PG-13 for now (who knows where it will go?)

SPOILERS: none, really

WARNING: language- a brief but good joe visit

Standard disclaimer: I own nothing, only borrow, play with, and return. Except for Ranger. I’m never giving him back.

Chapter Twenty-Two

Steph’s explanation had barely begun when the phone interrupted them. It was an internal ring, meaning Tank or one of the other guys was trying to get hold of Ranger. None of them would call unless it was important. Ranger pulled away from Stephanie and answered it. "Yo."

She smiled at the hint of normality. "I’ll tell her." The smile faltered at Ranger’s look. "There’s someone here to see you. He’s being a pain in the ass and very insistent."

"Morelli," she half-sighed.

Ranger nodded, while Abuela raised on eyebrow. "He wants to talk to you about your break-in."

"We both know that’s not it." Stephanie stated. "I don’t need to see him, Ranger. There’s nothing I have to say to him." She wrapped her arms around Ranger and hugged him. "There’s no place for him in my life now."

Ranger squeezed her back, a little relieved. He still feared that she would wake up and want out of this crazy magical nightmare, and Morelli would be the one she would call. "I understand that, Babe. But he’s being a nuisance, and I don’t want to have to shoot him to get him to leave."

Steph raised her eyes to meet Ranger’s. "You WANT me to see him?" Then her eyes narrowed. "You can’t send me back to him this time. I understand the risks of staying with you, and I’m willing to accept them. There is no happy ever after in the Burg for me, and I want it that way."

"I’m not sending you back to him, Babe. But right now, we don’t need a nosy cop." He leaned down and whispered into her ear. "Get rid of him for me, okay?"

After taking a minute to enjoy his closeness, she told Ranger, "Okay. Give me ten minutes." She took off towards the bathroom; Ranger wondered how many coats of mascara she would be layering on today.

"Is this wise, Ric?" Abuela asked in a low voice.

Ranger shrugged. "It has to happen sometime. Whatever I may think about how he’s treated her, he does love her. He won’t let her go without some kind of closure."

Abuela reached over to lightly smack him across the back of the head. "I didn’t mean it that way, Mr. One Track Mind. I meant that it might be better if he didn’t find out for sure that she’s staying here."

"He knows." Ranger held back a look of pride. "She always comes to me when she’s in trouble; he knows she’s in trouble. He has no doubt that she’s here, or I know where she is."

Abuela drew in a slightly disapproving breath. "He doesn’t know yet that she’s through with him. It could get ugly and stressful. Try to keep her calm-"

He nodded. "I know, Abuela. Stress and emotion will attract this psycho’s attention even more. I think that the risk here is worth it. If she breaks it off with him-"

Stephanie came back out into the room and interrupted him, "The building protections will work even better for me. I’ve thought of it, too, Abuela." She went over to the shorter woman and hugged her. "But I need to do this, for me and Ranger."

Another sigh, but her arms tightened around Stephanie. "Very well, dear. After this is taken care of, we will go looking for our stalker."

Smiling, Steph nodded. "Okay." Then she followed Ranger to the elevator and fifth floor, to see Morelli.

XXXXXXX

Tank had put Morelli in the conference room to cool off and wait for Stephanie to arrive. Bobby stood guard outside the room, in case Morelli got too impatient or the Bombshell, as everyone called her, took too long. He moved away with a barely perceptible nod, leaving Stephanie staring at the doorknob.

"What is it, Babe?" Ranger asked, laying his hand gently on her shoulder.

"Nothing he can say will change my mind, Ranger. But it might get a little noisy in there." She turned to look directly at him. "Don’t come in, okay?"

It cost him, but Ranger agreed. "But if you need me-"

"You’ll know." Steph gave a small, tight smile. Then she opened the door.

Joe was pacing the floor, looking rumpled and concerned. "Cupcake!" He crossed the room and enveloped her in a firm embrace. "I’ve been worried about you. I tried calling, but only got your machine or voice-mail, and you didn’t call back."

"I’ve been with Ranger," Stephanie put the words out there quickly, to get the explosive reaction out of the way so she could move on to the let-down.

"I figured as much." Joe exhaled sharply, but didn’t show his usual anger when the topic of Ranger came up. "I feel better knowing that you’re here. We still haven’t found out anything about your burglar."

"Ranger’s working on that, too. That’s why I’m staying here." Steph was still waiting for the yelling to begin.

"Good."

"Good?" she asked. "You aren’t bothered by that?"

A look that was hard to describe crossed his face. "Would it matter if I was? You’ve never listened to me before, Cupcake. I guess I’ve just finally learned."

"What’s really up, Joe?" Stephanie was glad to avoid a confrontation, especially now, but confused by it as well.

"I’ve got something to tell you, and you aren’t going to like it." Joe pulled her down into a leather wheeled chair and leaned on the table next to it.

Her stomach roiled. "What is it?" she asked tersely, half-guessing already.

"Do you remember Karen Gorsky?" he asked, refusing to meet her eyes.

So that was it. "You want to break up with me? That’s what all this is about?" Steph almost laughed. "We were on a break anyway, Joe. You can see anyone you want to."

"Well, it’s a little more than that." Joe looked at his feet, sighed, and drew his eyes up to meet hers. "Uh, Karen and I are getting married in two weeks. She’s pregnant. I wanted to tell you before the Burg grape vine did."

Air whooshed out of Stephanie’s lungs and she got light-headed. "How pregnant?"

Joe had the balls to look offended. "Two months. I didn’t cheat on you."

She wasn’t really as upset as she thought she would be. Breaking up with Joe was already done for her; it was like a sign that her and Ranger were meant to be. Her vision refocused and she tried to smile at Joe. "I hope you two are happy together. Really."

Joe looked mollified and shamed. "I’m sorry, Cupcake. I do love you."

"I know, Joe. But sometimes- it’s just not enough." Steph stood up and gave him a hug. "I would like us to try and stay friends. It might not work that way- but-" She brushed a friendly kiss on his cheek. "I’ll miss you."

"Me, too, Cupcake." Morelli looked sad. He always had more invested in the relationship than she was, she acknowledged. "But I didn’t just come to say good-bye. Grandma Bella wanted me to pass on a message."

The chills went up Stephanie’s spine. The old woman had always seemed like a mean spirited kook, yet everyone still feared her eye. Steph’s new-found understanding of the world told her that it meant Bella probably had real Power, or had at one time. "Oh?"

Joe frowned. "She’s crazy, you know that right? All the evil eye and shit?"

Steph held back an eye roll. Didn’t she wish she could still write off all that as simple shit, not to be believed? "Yeah, I know. What did she say, anyway? Anymore coffin visions for me?" Please, no, she mentally chanted.

"She made me repeat this back to her, so that I got it right." Joe shook his head. "Don’t get all freaked out about this, okay?"

Steph’s heart began racing, but she played as cool as possible. "I won’t. I’m just curious. After all, I’m not Grandma Bella’s favorite person. Why would she bother?"

"Sometimes she gets insistent like this. The doctor says its just senility, obsessing over weird shit that doesn’t make sense." Joe shrugged. "I humor her ‘cause I love her."

"So what was the message?" Steph bit back impatience.

"From beneath you it devours." Joe frowned. "And she said to watch yourself. The past is a living thing that influences the present."

It had the sound of prophecy, to her ears. Trying to commit it to memory, she asked, "Was there anything else?"

Joe wanly smiled. "She said to tell you to stay away from the wedding, or she’d put the eye on you."

Steph almost laughed. "I wasn’t expecting an invitation. Maybe to the christening."

"So you’re okay with this, Stephanie?" Joe looked unsure.

"Yeah, I actually am." Steph squeezed his hand. "I was going to tell you that Ranger and I-"

"It was only a matter of time." Joe actually didn’t look too upset. "I saw it, tried to ignore it. He’s a crazy mother-fucker, but I know he’ll take care of you. At least as much as you’ll let anyone take care of you." He shoved off the table and headed for the door. "See ya, Cupcake."

"See you around, Morelli."

Steph waited for Joe to leave the floor before coming out. Ranger was waiting, his eyes concerned. The tension in his shoulders relaxed a little when he saw that her eyes weren’t red and puffy. "Babe?" he questioned.

"Let’s head back upstairs, Ranger." She smiled broadly at him, a smile that reached her eyes. "Grandma

Bella sent us a message."