Author's Note: Just couldn't get this story out of my head. I, obviously, like a damsel in distress story. This story is rated M for a reason, lots of dark subject matter and violence. Please heed that warning going forward. There will also be tons of friendship and a touch of romance, later (much later). This is a tart pairing and we won't see much of Ranger or Joe, though neither of them are hurt in this story. I don't have ton of free time these days so will most likely only be updating this story once a week or so, normally I like to do more frequent updates but can't commit to that, sorry. As always I appreciate reviews, comments, and ideas. Thanks so much for reading!

Chapter 1 - Tank's POV

Hector, Lester, Bobby, and I were playing poker. It was our usual Wednesday night activity. We opened it up to anyone from RangeMan who wanted to come and other folks did come and go on occasion but the four of us never missed a week. We always met at my house, Bobby did the majority of the cooking, though Hector and Les helped out sometimes with that too.

It was a way that we all connected and let go. Meeting at my house meant that we didn't get interrupted by any RangeMan business and to be honest for just a few hours each week we kind of forgot about security and the military, and the ugliness we dealt with on a weekly basis. We kicked back told tall tales about women and played cards, no discussion about work was ever permitted.

We started playing weekly right after Ranger left for Miami about three months ago. The additional responsibility of running the Trenton office and wanting to change the atmosphere a little so we could have a more relaxed camaraderie instead of chain of command led to the games. It turned out to be a great thing for us and did allow the rest of the staff to see us as people not robotic commanding officers.

Steph even joined us on occasion. It seemed that if she announced that she was coming we had better attendance from the rest of the staff. She didn't always tell folks ahead of time and I had to admit that those were my favorite nights, the nights when I could have more of her attention to myself. She often stayed after everyone left and helped me clean up and it was in those moments that my feelings towards her grew by leaps and bounds. There was no denying her beauty and kind heart but there was so much else to her. I hadn't been man enough to admit my feelings, however; and now she was casually dating a firefighter. If he was dumb enough to screw up or set her free, I was ready to step in.

We were happily playing, Lester especially happy as he'd won the first few hands when there was a frantic knock at my door. It wasn't unusual for folks to come in a little late so I figured it was a fellow RangeMan joking around but still I grabbed my gun as I looked out the peephole to see who was there. Instead of one of the guys it was Stephanie and she looked like she'd been beaten, she had her coat and arms wrapped around her tightly her expression dazed and frightened.

I opened the door quickly, tucking the gun into the back of my pants. Her wide and frantic eyes met mine as I tried to quickly take her in. "Tank, help me." Her voice hitched as she stepped forward into my outstretched arms. She fell into me as I picked her up.

"Bobby!" I slammed the door behind me carrying her into my living room.

Steph's breath was ragged, her chest heaving with exhaustion as she wrapped her arms around my neck. "I don't think he followed me, but I'm not sure."

Lester and Hector heard her words and drew their weapons as they checked out windows looking for any threats. No one knew what was happening but the air was charged as we tried to figure out what happened to this women we all treasured so much and make sure we weren't coming under attack.

I laid Steph out on the couch as Bobby ran out to his rig to grab his medical bag, Lester and Hector covering him just in case. Steph's eyes were closed as she tried to catch her breath. I took a second to quickly scan her body. Her feet were bare and filthy like she'd walked miles on the pavement to get here, small scratches and blood dotting her toes. Her legs were bare, her coat coming to mid-thigh covering the rest of her body. Her fingers clamped around mine the second I set her down, obviously wanting to feel some connection. Her nails were broken and I could see scratches and defensive wounds marring her slender, pale fingers.

Touching her cheek I caused her to flinch and open her eyes. "It's okay Little Girl, it's just me, Tank. You're safe now." A tear slipped out of her blue eyes as she nodded at me. She leaned into my touch just a bit then, allowing me to calm just slightly. Her face had taken more than a few blows from someone's fists, her face was red and swollen, her lips cracked and bleeding.

"Little Girl, what happened?" My voice was barely a whisper as I looked into her eyes my mind racing between utter despair at her emotional and physical state and pure rage as I thought about the person who had done this to her.

Bobby knelt down beside her as Lester and Hector looked on, both of their faces anguished as they looked at the women who was their sister and dear friend. Lester looked at me, the anger simmering behind his eyes. "It's all clear." Despite not seeing any threat outside his body was on full alert as he stayed prepared for whatever might be coming.

I stood up and tried to move out of Bobby's way when Steph's grip tightened on my hand. "Stay close." She whispered as her eyes flickered between the four of us surrounding her on the couch.

Nodding, I moved to stand behind the couch, keeping her hand in mine. It allowed me to stay close something I wanted to do and something she obviously needed while also giving Bobby some room to work.

Bobby looked at her, his hands resting on the couch next to her body. His eyes were compassionate as they met hers. "Bomber, can I look you over? Where are you hurt?"

She looked at him and gave a brave smile as she nodded. She didn't say anything and as much as I knew that I needed to extend as much patience and tenderness as possible to her, I was itching to know the full details so I could take care of whoever had done this to her.

Bobby started feeling her scalp no doubt looking for any signs of a concussion. He worked slowly and carefully, Steph flinching occasionally, her eyes full of tears. Using his penlight Bobby carefully pulled open her swollen eyes and tested her reflexes. "It doesn't look like you have any signs of a concussion, Steph." He smiled at her, his hands resting on her shoulders. "Can I look at the rest of you? Can you tell us what happened?"

Steph's eyes looked at him for a second then moved to look at Hector, Lester, and I. Her vulnerability was palpable in the air around us. We all wanted to ease her mind, but Hector spoke up first. "We can leave you alone with Bobby, Chica. The rest of us don't have to watch." Steph was a modest woman and Hector was right to offer her some privacy though admittedly it would be hard for me to leave her right now.

Her grip tightened on my hand as her breath increased. She was getting more upset by the second. Lester jumped in quickly, she was his best friend and it was no doubt killing him to watch her in such a state. "Beautiful, just tell us what you need, what you want and we'll do it. We can turn our backs, we can leave or we can stay. Whatever you need, just tell us." He spoke for all of us I gave her hand a small squeeze, my thumb running over her knuckles trying to reassure her silently that I would do whatever she needed.

"I don't know, I don't know what I need." Her voice was shaking as her eyes held mine. "He said Damien paid him to hurt me." The words came out of her just before a giant sob and tears fells from her cheeks. Damien was the firefighter she had been dating and the news that he had put her in harm's way forced a low growl from my throat, I heard other growls too and knew that Damien was going to be in a world of hurt before the night was over.

Lester stepped back, pulling his cell phone from his belt. I knew without asking that he was calling the RangeMan control room to have Damien picked up as quietly as possible. We didn't have the full story yet but we would get it from Steph as she was ready and we'd be sure to make Damien fill in any holes while we avenged whatever harm he'd done to her.

Bobby touched Steph's neck gingerly, there were a few scratches there that he cleaned gently but still the sting of the antiseptic made Steph hiss. "I'm sorry, Steph. Can you tell us who hurt you? How he hurt you? I just want to make sure you're okay, honey. Just want to take care of your injuries and make you feel better." Bobby was a superb medic but his compassion with Steph when she was injured never ceased to amaze me. He always took time to wait for her permission to touch her and explain everything in detail knowing that she did better when she understood everything and had some measure of control over what was happening.

She shook her head, her mind obviously racing and trying to make sense of whatever trauma she had endured tonight. Bobby's hands gently touched her arm and pushed up the sleeve of her coat watching her closely for any signs of resistance. He wasn't going to push her beyond her comfort zone but he was concerned and wanted to examine her for injuries. As the sleeve slid up we all saw obvious hand shaped bruises around her wrist and forearm.

Sliding his hands up her shoulders, Bobby placed his hands on the collar of her coat. "Bomber, can I take your coat off, look at the rest of you? I won't hurt you, you know, you're safe here." His hand rested against the top of her head as he searched her eyes and tried to give her comfort.

She let go of my hand at the question, folded her body up into a fetal position and turned her face into the back of the couch. She was crying and simultaneously breaking all of our hearts. My mind was racing with all the possibilities, I wasn't a stupid man, I'd worked in the military and with scum on the streets long enough to know what she'd most likely been through tonight but I kept hoping that she'd somehow been spared from the ultimate ugliness and violation.

All those hopes of denial on my part when out the window when she spoke next, her voice thick with tears but still a whisper. "I'm naked under my coat." I looked at my friends and watched as each of their eyes flashed with anger, their hands curling up into fists at their sides. No one wanted to scare the woman on my couch any more than she already was so everyone was exercising as much control as possible to keep their rage coiled up inside but we all knew what was simmering under the surface.

I ran my knuckle down her cheek, she opened her eyes and made eye contact with me. "Stephanie, were you raped?" The question sent chills throughout my body and I could see the rest of our friends rolling their shoulders and necks at the bristling question. Despite not wanting to ask we needed to know, needed to know what kind of care to get her and what kind of hell we were going to unleash on Damien and the man who'd done this to her.

"I had a few drinks with Damien. I was a little tipsy, I couldn't fight him off like you all taught me, I tried but he was too strong and I didn't have my stun gun or panic button because I thought I would be with Damien all night." She wasn't answering the question directly but her rationalizations and almost self-blame confirmed my suspicions. Not taking care of her was a big enough offense for me to beat Damien to a pulp but intentionally putting her in harm's way meant that he was going to face a very long, painful death.

Despite the anger I felt, I forced my voice to be gentle and calm while I talked to the tiny, frightened woman on my couch. "Little Girl, you didn't do anything wrong. We just need to know what kind of care to get you. You can tell us anything and you know we won't let anyone hurt you now." I took a deep breath and met her eyes again, wanting to reassure her that she could tell us. "Did he rape you?"

She moved to sit herself up with a wince, her body obviously aching. She curled up into the corner of the couch, trying to keep herself covered with her coat, her fingers were wrapped around my forearm as she kept my hand in her lap. We all watched her with baited breath, we all knew what was coming but still tried to brace ourselves for her answer.

"Yes, he did. I was raped. When he was done with me, I ran all the way here." Her answer came out in a long whoosh of air. She started to sob and shake uncontrollably. Her words and the sight of her so broken caused a pain inside me like I'd never known, worse than any torture or injury I had previously endured.

I couldn't take it any more and moved to sit next to her on the couch, hoping that she'd let me comfort her in some way, let me wrap my arms around her. I put my arm around her shoulder and was surprised but pleased when she climbed onto my lap. She pulled her knees up alongside her and made herself as tiny as possible against my chest. Her arms wrapped around my waist, her hands fiercely gripping at my sides as she cried into my neck. I sshed and rubbed her back, whispering words of comfort and promising her that she was safe now.

Bobby stood up and started making phone calls. I assume he wanted to have a rape kit run but didn't want to do that himself, wanted to get her specialized care and that he knew the right person to contact for that. Hector and Lester sat on either side of me on the couch, each of them reaching out for Steph cautiously not wanting to scare her but at the same time needing to find a way to touch and reassure her and themselves at the same time.

I knew we all wanted more of the story, wanted to know details about her attacker, how far she had run to get here and how she knew Damien had set her up for this brutal attack. However, getting her medical care was the most important thing at the moment. I didn't want to lose too much time in getting the information we needed but at the same time I didn't want to force her too much or too quickly to give us information. Too much had been forced on her tonight and I only wanted to give her comfort and safety.

"Bomber, I called your gynecologist." Bobby knelt in front of us again. I knew the gynecologist had already been vetted by Bobby and knew that it was a good choice. "She's going to meet us at her office in 15 minutes and she'll examine you. Is that okay?"

It was a smart choice on Bobby's part, the gynecologist wouldn't be required to report it like an emergency room would and we could keep this out of the 'Burg grapevine as well as keep the police out of it and handle her rapist our way.

"Will you all stay with me?" She looked at each of us, needing reassurance that she was going to be safe.

Hector smiled and leaned forward slowly to kiss her forehead. "Of course, Chica. You'd have to shoot us to make us leave you alone right now." He smiled trying to joke but we all knew he was deadly serious. There was no way we were going to leave her side tonight.

Steph nodded and moved slowly to get off my lap and stand up. I stood up with her wanting to make sure to give her tired body any support it might need. When her feet touched the ground she hissed and leaned back into my body. I picked her up cradling her against my chest, "What is it Steph?"

"My feet. They really hurt and burn." Bobby moved quickly to examine them, his jaw clenching as he reined in his emotions.

"You have quite a few cuts on your soles, Bomber. How far did you run in your bare feet?" He grabbed a few antiseptic wipes to clean off the dirt and hopefully disinfect the cuts.

"Damien had taken me to The Bluemoon. I guess I ran all the way from there, I don't know how far that is." Steph was completely dazed as she spoke but I took it as a good sign that she was willing to give us information and was glad for every detail or lead we could follow up on quickly. Still the Bluemoon is over five miles away and the fact that she ran all that way on city streets in her bare feet only served to increase the rage boiling in my bloodstream.

I carried Steph out to the rig, keeping her in my lap in the backseat, Bobby sitting next to us. Lester drove as Hector called RangeMan headquarters. I heard him speaking rapidly in Spanish ordering teams to be sent to The Bluemoon. No one wanted to make Steph the center of any gossip but at the same time we knew every soldier inside RangeMan would want to help get who ever had hurt the woman who drew us all together as family.