Bat Cave Challenge #3: Conversation between Tank and Ranger about Steph

By Luisa

Rating M (just in case)

Set right after TBO

Tank watched Ranger get out of his car and slowly walk to the elevator. On the monitor he could see the toll the last couple of hours had taken on him. He knew Steph was okay because he'd been listening to the police scanners all night. But the possibility that it could have ended differently, and the odds it should have ended differently were all too evident on Ranger's face when he came into the control room.

"Man, you look like shit. What the hell happened tonight? One minute I heard Lester reporting on Steph making it to the wedding shower okay and the next minute I heard she disappeared."

"Slayers grabbed her from the parking lot and took her to their 'Initiation Circle'."

"Fuck! Is she alright?" Tank asked as he worried that maybe the reports had been wrong.

With pride in his voice, he replied, "Yeah, she's holding up pretty well considering she almost got gang raped and killed. Can you believe she actually smiled and cracked a joke when Morelli and I found her? I'm telling she never disappoints." Ranger gave him a small smile. "When I got there I thought I would find her freaking out, but she was just standing next to Sally Sweet waiting for help to arrive, as if being surrounded by dead Slayers was an everyday occurrence."

"You mean you weren't the one to save her? And what the hell was Sally Sweet doing there?" Tank asked confused. He'd heard someone had made it just in time to rescue Steph but he hadn't gotten any details. He'd just assumed it was Ranger since nine out of ten times…it was.

"No I didn't. By the time I got there the Slayers were down and the cops were arriving on the scene." Ranger replied with his voice filled with remorse.

"So the cop saved her?" Tank asked incredulously.

"No. The drag queen did." Ranger snorted.

"The drag queen…you mean Sally saved her?"

Ranger nodded.

"How the hell did the drag queen get involved? Wasn't he singing at the wedding shower?"

"Yeah that was the plan but he and the band were taking a smoke break when he saw the Slayers grab Steph. He tried to run after them but his red gown and four inch heels didn't let him get very far." He couldn't help but smile at the image of Sally in action.

"So then how did he end up on Stark Street in time to save her?"

"He didn't want to risk losing sight of her, so he jumped into the school bus he drives and went after them himself. He'd lost the car that had taken her, but luckily he remembered the kids he bussed talking about the park on Stark and what the Slayers used it for. He figured it was the most likely place they'd take her, so he headed over there while he called half of Trenton's law enforcement.

Sally drove his bus right into the circle taking down every Slayer he could until he stopped in front of Steph, then he came out of the bus blazing, Uzi in hand, shooting everything and everyone in sight.

As soon as I heard the call on the scanner, I jumped into the Turbo and hauled ass towards Stark, but I was all the way across town and I wasn't sure I was going to make it in time. I don't think I've ever been so freaked out in my life. I knew that if someone didn't find Steph quickly she wouldn't stand a chance of surviving. I think I blew every light in the city. What should have taken at least twenty minutes I did in less than ten. Thank God he was right and got there in time." Ranger involuntarily shuddered at the thought of what would have happened to Steph if Sally wouldn't have gotten there when he did.

Tank didn't know what to say.

"I let her down man. If it wasn't for Sally, she would've been tortured and killed."

Tank's head snapped up and he locked eyes with Ranger. "That's bullshit! You can't expect to be that little girl's personal rescue hero."

Ranger shook his head. "No. I should have had her watched more closely…been more forceful about her staying put. I let my guard down. I should have watched her myself. Then she wouldn't have been kidnapped."

"You're so full of crap! There is no way that you or anyone else could have prevented what went down with the intel we received. We all thought Junkman was in jail and that she was safe, so stop beating yourself up about it." Tank shook his head in frustration before he continued, "Shit. Steph and Lula have referred to you so many times as Batman that you're starting to believe you're really him. Well, news flash…no matter what they think, you are NOT a fucking superhero!"

"I know that!" Ranger growled.

"Do you? Do you really? Ever since you met that little girl you've been trying to live up to the whole mysterious superhero persona."

"Enough."

"Please Ranger that badass voice may work on the rest of the men, but it doesn't work on me. Remember, I knew you before the word 'badass' was even in your vocabulary."

"Just drop it Thomas."

"Oh so I've struck some kind of nerve because you're calling me Thomas now."

Tank watched as Ranger tried to control his temper. Knowing he was pushing his buttons. It amused Tank to see how a little girl from the Burg affected Ranger. In all the years he'd known him, he'd never seen him react to a woman like he did to Stephanie. Ranger had always been a bit emotionally distant with women and after his disaster of a marriage with Rachel he closed off even more. It wasn't that he didn't go out with women because frankly they fell at his feet, but he never gave them more than physical pleasure…well that was until Stephanie came along.

The truth of the matter was that he thought Stephanie was good for Ranger. She accepted him for who he was and what he did for a living with no judgments. She was beautiful, smart, loyal and funny. She was a breath of fresh air because she didn't care about Ranger's money. But mostly he saw how much they loved each other. They both unknowingly lit up when the other was around. The chemistry between them was so intense that if they were electricity they'd be able to light up all of Trenton with it.

Now if he could only convince Ranger that he needed to go for it before it was too late.

"When are you going to stop lying to her and more importantly to yourself and tell her how you feel?"

"You don't understand."

"You're right I don't understand. You love her and she loves you. So why is it that you aren't together?"

"Who said anything about love? Besides, you know I don't do relationships. They're too dangerous for everyone involved."

Tank barked out a laugh. "You've got to be kidding me." He rubbed his head. "Come on Carlos, you can't be that dense. Whether you put a label on it or not, you've been having a relationship with Stephanie since the day you met her. It might not be the kind you want, but believe me it's a relationship."

"You're wrong. We're just friends."

"Yeah and I'm the Pope."

"She's with the cop."

"You're right she is with him. And I've never been able to figure that piece out, but I have a feeling that something you either said or did is the real reason she's still with him. But despite that fact she came to you to seek refuge, not him. Even when you aren't here, she seeks your help…your support…your presence to keep her safe. Don't you think that's a little odd for someone that has a cop boyfriend?"

Ranger shrugged and quietly replied, "Maybe, but she always goes back to him."

"Ah, so now we're getting to the heart of the matter…the cop. What you think he's better than you are?"

"No, but he's better for her than I am."

"You are so whacked. Where the fuck did you get the idea that he's better for her than you are?"

"Have you seen how he treats her? The way he belittles her abilities, how he yells at her in front of everyone, or how he wants to change her into a Burg clone? That's what you call being better for her?"

"He's what her parents want for her. He's who they expect her to end up with. Eventually she'll give in to the pressure."

"That's it? That's your excuse? That's the biggest fucking cop out I've ever heard. Since when has Stephanie Plum done anything because her parents want her to? If she listened to them she wouldn't have been bounty hunting for the past two years, not to mention half the other things she does…so try again."

"Look just back off. It's complicated."

"Complicated…that's your comeback? That's the reason you aren't with the woman you love?"

"I already told you, I'm not. In. love. With. Her. Don't put words in my mouth." Ranger barked out.

"Carlos, you don't have to say it out loud for me to know you're in love with her. I don't think I've ever seen you look at someone like you look at her. And you sure as hell don't realize how your whole body changes at the first sight of her. Not to mention the endless cars and money you bleed to keep her safe. You think none of us have noticed how you jump every time she calls?

Do you know how rare it is to find someone who knows who and what you are and they still love you? Don't be a fool. Go after her. She wants you, too."

"I can't do that to her. She would never be able to handle my lifestyle."

"Don't you see man, she already does."

Ranger's head snapped up to look at Tank. As he realized he was right, she did accept his lifestyle. She asked questions, but she never pushed him once he indicated he couldn't talk about something. And she didn't like it when he would mysteriously be in the wind, but she never gave him a hard time about it when he came back. She was just relieved and happy to see him again. Ranger's thoughts were interrupted by someone checking in with the control room.

"A blue and white has just dropped off Bombshell at her parents and it looks like she's in for the night. What do you want me to do now?"

"Ask him if the cop is with her."

"Is she alone?" Tank asked.

"Yeah, cop stayed at the scene."

Tell him that he can come in."

Ranger smiled. She didn't go back to the cop's house. Maybe Tank was right. Maybe this was his chance. Maybe they could make it work.

As he turned to walk out of the control room he said, "I'm off line for the next couple of days."

"About fucking time," Tank murmured.

"I heard that. And when I get back you and I will meet on the mat."

"What the fuck for?" Tank asked.

"Just because you're right, doesn't mean I'm going to let you get away with the crap you gave me tonight."

"Un-fucking-believable, I help you take your head out of your ass to get the girl and you want to beat me up."

Ranger gave him his two hundred watt smile. "Gotcha." And he left to go find his Babe.

A/N: Tank would love to know what you thought of his nudging Ranger. Will Steph be open to a relationship with Ranger or is he too late??? Ranger, Steph and Tank love reading your reviews, so please let us know what you think. Thanks again and I hope you enjoy!