Author: PTBvisiongrrl
Title: Ranger’s Little Girl, Chapter 13/? (previous chapters are available through the CTD, and on/through my blog, http://ptbvisiongrrl. Rating: PG-13; may change
Spoilers/Warnings: None.

Disclaimer: I only borrow, I do not own….

Again, I apologize for the long breaks between updates. No one is probably even reading this anymore- but I’ve found that writing about Ranger’s rebellious daughter is a great therapy for dealing with my own preschool-going-on-teenage defiant daughter. So- this chapter is a result of a summer’s worth of being stay-at-home mom. And there’s a few other ideas already perculating for other chapters. Thanks if you’ve hung in there! As always, if you can spare a few for a comment, most appreciated!

Chapter 13

Stephanie was torn for a moment. The look on Joyce’s face was priceless, and so few people ever got one up on Joyce that she had trouble taking Ana to task for her language or rudeness. The Burg girl in Steph wanted to take the victory and walk away; the mature adult role model wasn’t sure how to correct her charge, but knew she had to. Regretting it mentally, she ignored Joyce’s fish-on-land facial expression and wheeled on Ana.

"Ana Manoso! That is not acceptable, no matter how much of a bitch Joyce is!," she stated firmly, trying to keep the smile at calling Joyce names to her face in a completely acceptable way to herself. Another interior cringe, though, knowing that she herself has been in Ana’s place more than once in her life, calling an adult on how he/she acted but discounted because of her age. A second cringe, then, when she saw the storm pass over Ana’s face, preparing for a scene. Quickly refocusing Ana’a anger on Joyce and not herself, she barked, "Apologize right now, young lady!"

Ana’s jaw clenched so tightly that Stephanie could see the muscles twinge- and again reflected to herself how much alike Ranger and Ana were. Ana remained silent, though, her eyes coolly meeting Stephanie with a challenge glinting in them.

Steph had been bullied by many more frightening opponents in a battle of wills before than Ana, Joyce being the least of those. For Christ’s sake, a god-damned street gang had tried to rape and kill her. I can handle a teen-age girl, Steph mentally repeated like a mantra. Knowing that she could not lose this on, Steph dug in. Crossing her arms in front of her, Stephanie narrowed her eyes and prepared for battle. Times like this, she wished she had half of Ranger’s presence; he seemed to have Jedi powers of persuasion. "Tell Joyce that you are sorry you called her a bitch, even if she deserved it."

"That’s lying," Ana spat back, her head cocked at that arrogant teenage angle. "I don’t lie."

Joyce’s face went red during this exchange, and Stephanie could see Joyce building up a head of steam. Joyce was not a kid person- unless the kid was an almost-of-age male she could manipulate. Whatever was going to come out of Joyce’s mouth was only going to inflame the situation, Steph was sure, and she could only deal with one crisis at a time. Correcting Ana could be done anywhere, and might best be done away from the quickly gathering crowd. A quick decision reached, Steph’s stun gun was out and pressed against Joyce’s arm before Joyce even noticed it. Joyce hit the ground with a loud thunk, knocking boxes of shoes in all directions and her huge gun falling out of her concealed back holster to clatter on the floor.

The gun barely stirred the crowd; the twitching and drooling brought about by volts running through Joyce’s body got more. Sparing a moment to holler, "Get an ambulance! She’s having a seizure!" Steph grabbed Ana’s arm and pulled her toward the Macy’s exit leading into the mall itself. Ana trailed reluctantly, her angry face somewhat displaced by a shocked expression. The stupor of surprise didn’t last for long, though; the sullen pre-teen mask was back once they hit the food court and Steph let go. Not even bothering to try and break through the attitude, Steph headed directly for the coffee place and ordered a half-dozen Boston cremes. Not Tasty Pastry quality, but any bakery in an emergency.

Ana trailed behind Steph by a half dozen feet or so, enticed by the chocolate but not convinced yet. Sitting down at a nearby table, divvying up the donuts onto unfolded napkins, Steph motioned to the seat across from her. Deciding to treat Ana like a young adult and not a child, She struck up a conversation instead of a lecture. "Can I talk to you?" she asked Ana evenly, her voice as emotionless as she could make it.

Ana took a moment to decide, then pulled the opposite chair out and sat down heavily. It was a concession, a minor one, but a concession none-the-less. Stephanie noted it and breathed an internal sigh of relief. She didn’t think Ranger would like hearing about his daughter running off or Steph having to stun-gun her to get her home. Worse yet, being personally escorted home by Trenton’s finest after causing a public disturbance. "I appreciate that you stood up for me, but that wasn’t right."

Ana’s mask of defiance melted into disbelief. "But she disrespected you! And you didn’t do anything!"

"Joyce has been my arch nemesis since kindergarten," Steph stated calmly, not bothering to hide the contempt for Joyce in her voice. "She’s said far worse, and I’ve gotten back at her much better, than anything in that little exchange." Taking a bite and catching the dripping cream with a finger, Steph licked it off and leveled her eyes to Ana’s. "And that’s my battle, not yours."

The Boston Cremes lay untouched on Ana’s napkin. Shifting to lean back in her seat, she raised her chin and directly met Stephanie’s eyes. "I didn’t get any back for you," Ana said, lapsing into ghetto, something Steph didn’t know she knew. "I got my own back. She called me a brat and insulted my dad." Holding Steph’s eyes a moment longer, she turned her attention back to her napkin, muttering under her breath. For once, Steph knew the mutterings weren’t about her. "She’s a low class puta."

Stephanie was fairly certain that was a curse- but let it pass, deciding she’d ask Lester later. "Whatever she is, she’s not your concern."

"It’s cause I’m a kid that I can’t insult her, even though she insulted me…" Ana attempted the tried-and-true generational war tactic.

"No," Steph firmly stated through delicious cream. "It’s because you’re a better person than she is."

Still staring at the donuts, but at least picking one up, Ana refused to look at Stephanie. "Would my father would take that? No-"

Impatiently, Steph shoved the rest of her last donut into her mouth and talked around it. "No, but he would cut her off with a dirty look. He doesn’t have to stoop to disrespect to make someone do what he wants. He just gets their cooperation- that’s the kind of guy that he is."

"That’s cause he’s all GI Joe and everyone is afraid of him," Ana stated, shoving in her own donut.

"That’s just for the really scary guys." Steph wiped her mouth carefully, trying to appear lady-like as she suddenly realized she had pounded back three days worth of calories out in the mall.

"Whatever." Ana mumbled again, but finished her donuts, anger still radiating off her. The ride to the house was a quiet and tense one, neither of the car’s occupants wanting to talk. Storming into the house quietly- almost like a thunderless rain storm- Ranger spied them as they entered, standing in the doorway to the kitchen, a bowl of salad in his hand.

"No bags from the mall?" he questioned wryly.

Seeing Ana head directly for her room, Ranger knew it had been a bad afternoon. He pulled Steph down into a kitchen chair, turning the dinner he had been cooking down to simmer. Rubbing her shoulders, Ranger sighed and asked. "What did she do?"

"Nothing that bad." Steph sighed and leaned into the strength of Ranger’s hands. "That feels good," she mumbled before drifting off into a comfortable silence. As minutes dragged on, her body began to respond to Ranger’s ministrations. Trying to distract herself, she summarized the mall visit, including Ana’s Spanish mutterings.

Ranger’s expression darkened. "You need to learn some Spanish, querida."

Stephanie raised an eyebrow, waiting for a translation.

Ranger brushed a kiss against her temple and began the lesson. "Puta is…"