Standard disclaimers apply...I don't own them but I sure wish I owned Ranger...

Chapter 1--The Final Argument

I thanked the police officer who had been elected to drive me home and trudged up the driveway to Joe's house. I knew I shouldn't be here, that it would only cause an argument, but I had been living here for the past couple weeks and most of my stuff was here. I opened door and braced myself as Bob the Dog raced towards me. I threw a biscuit from the dish next to the door and he ran in the other direction after giving me a sniff. Shit, I need a shower.

"Cupcake, what the hell happened? I got a call from an officer that you had yet another car blown up, why do you keep doing this?" Joe started in on me the minute I stepped into the living room. From his stance and the slurring of his words I would say that he had been drinking since he had gotten the call.

"Well thanks Joe, for calling to make sure I was okay. Thanks for coming down to check on me!" I argued back, sick of him not caring what happened to me, sick of having him constantly on my back for every little thing that went wrong in my job.

"I can't go to the scenes anymore. The looks I get and the money that gets passed around. It's embarrassing, I can't deal with the snickers at the station every time that you do something stupid."

"When I do something stupid? Seriously Joe, it's not like I ask for all this to happen to me." I was getting angrier with every word that went between us. Was it too must to ask to have a supporter and a fan instead of a critic?

"Cupcake, your job is just too dangerous. You should quit and settle down," Joe argued, waving his arms and raising his voice, "You can't keep living your life like this."

"Joe, I'm not quitting my job. I LIKE my job, why would I quit doing something that I enjoy?" I yelled back. It was the same argument we always had, cupcake quit your job, stay home, and have my babies. I had just gotten back from a job and I was covered in garbage, which isn't a new occurrence in my life. My car had also gone to car heaven tonight, yet another common occurrence in the life of Stephanie Plum. I was just not in the mood to deal with Joe or his pressures to fight into the Burg life.

"It's dangerous Stephanie! Don't you see that? You are constantly being stalked, blown up , and shot at! Not to mention the people you work with are crazy! Take a look at Ranger, he is fucking psycho!"

At sound of Ranger being brought up I got instantly ten times angrier. "Don't bring Ranger into this Joe, he has nothing to do with anything," I yelled back. I was sick of him dragging Ranger into our arguments. Ranger never hesitated to bleed money for me, protect me, come unlock me from a shower curtain rod, or give me a car even though I usually blow it up. Truth of it all, Ranger let me fly. Joe clipped my wings.

It was then that it dawned on me. I can't do this anymore, I'm sick of being put on a leash and restrained. "This is over Joe. I'm sick of the fighting, I'm sick of all of this!"

"Sick of all of this? Sick of all of this? Stephanie are you fucking kidding me? I'm sick of all this. The way everyone talks about how my girlfriend is blowing up cars and sneaking kisses in the alleyway with Rambo!" Joe was full blown yelling now waving his arms and turning redder by the minute.

"Excuse me? If you were embarrassed of me you should have taken care of this a long time ago!" I screamed storming up the stairs to pack up the rest of my stuff. On the way up I open my cell phone and punched speed dial one. By now tears were streaming down my cheeks and I could barely hold the phone to my ear.

"Yo."

"Ranger," I sobbed into the phone.

"Babe, babe what is wrong? Are you okay? Where are you?"

"I'm at Morelli's house. Can you come pick me up?"

"I'll be there in 5 minutes Babe okay?" I heard the click knowing he had hung up. Man, Batman needed to learn some phone skills.

I had just shut the phone and started to reach for my clothes whenever I realized Morelli was standing in the doorway. "Did you just fucking call him? You just fucking called Manoso! What the hell Stephanie? Are you fucking him on the side? Are you? I knew you were having sex with him." Joe reached for me grabbing my wrist and pulling me towards him. He was inches from my face and steaming red and I knew this was going to get ugly, really fast.

"Joe, let go of me now." I said trying to push away from him. He just gripped me tighter. Before I knew what was happening he had slapped me, hard across the face. My face stung and my head rolled from the force of his hand.

"You are mine Cupcake, not Manoso's and I refuse to let you leave me for him," he roared shoving me, hard, against the wall and slapping me again, this time harder than before.

"Joe, let go of me," I screamed, "I am not yours, and I never will be again!" I squirmed, trying desperately to get away from him, my face stinging, as he raised his hand once again.

TBC...this is my first attempt at fanfiction so let me know in some reviews!