Thank you so very much for your kind reviews. I appreciate all your thoughts! Please let me know what you think.

Merry Christmas everyone!!!

A special thanks to Stayce for brainstorming with me and helping me spell. You da best, chica!

I borrowed the title from Bon Jovi, not from the story.

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters, just the plot. And sadly, there's no money in the plot.

Rating: R for adult language and situations. Then there's the angst and the drama…read at your own risk.

Living on a Prayer

Chapter 6

When I woke up I immediately knew something was wrong and I tried to struggle through the fog of unconsciousness. My head was throbbing. I slowly opened my eyes, but the blackness remained, it was totally dark.

It took me about a minute to remember what had happened. I had opened to hotel room door without checking the peep hole because I'd expected room service and the creep had forced his way in. Then I'd holed myself up in the bathroom, ironically like I'd imagined it earlier. I didn't know what happened then, but now I was in some black hole. I tried to stretch and realized my hands and feet were tied, rendering me stuck in a fetal position. Breathing was kind of hard because I had something stuck in my mouth. The smell of motor oil and the hum of an engine made let me know that I was most likely in the trunk of a car. I tried to move my hands, but since I was hogtied, they wouldn't move. If I stayed like this any longer, my limbs would cramp up and fall asleep, I was sure.

It didn't take a genius to figure out the stalker had tied me up and kidnapped me. My worst nightmare had come true. I was lucky I'd taken the time to dress after the shower; I could be in my flimsy nightgown, freezing my ass off.

I listened for any sounds of traffic or people, but all I could hear was the engine of the car I was in.

Fighting panic, I made myself take long slow breaths through the nose. I knew that if I hyperventilated now, I'd pass out. Part of me welcomed that possibility, I wanted to sleep through this and flash-forward to the end.

How long had I been unconscious? Someone must have seen us leave; it can't go unnoticed when a guy carries a body around. Then that same someone might have alerted hotel security. Ranger would find them upon his arrival and get all the details to follow me.

But obviously, no one had stopped us yet, we were driving.

From the lack of stops and turns, I figured we were on a highway or country road, definitely outside the city.

I tried to remember the creep's face, tried to match it to anyone I knew. He had such a forgettable, nondescript face that it was possible I'd met him before. But I had no idea who he was.

I remembered the last time I was tied up in a trunk. That time Scrog had kidnapped me, even though I'd been wearing a transmitter and Ranger had all his Merry Men on the watch.

Since Scrog'd needed cash, I'd convinced him to go after an FTA who at some time had stolen a lot of money. Joe had found me, a bomb strapped to my middle. I almost choked on a sob when I remembered the look on his face.

That made me remember why I was doing this. Somehow, I had to get him to tell me what had happened. If he had murdered Joe, I had to kill him. I had no clue how to do either of those things, but at least it was a plan.

The car slowed down and made a turn, maybe taking an exit. I didn't know how much longer the ride would last, but I was preparing for its end.

When the car stopped, I closed my eyes and went immobile. If he believed I was still knocked out, he may be less careful.

I could feel a rocking motion, then a door slammed. Men's voices carried over to me. I didn't know if I should try to make some noise and blow my cover or stay still. What if it was a radio I heard?

The trunk opened before I could make a decision.

"You tied her up like a Christmas turkey!" A man said chuckling.

"Shut the fuck up!" The creep said and pulled on my hands, trying to get me closer to him, I figured.

I hadn't thought about the possibility there could be more than one person. How would I ever overwhelm two, without any weapons? And for all I knew, they could be armed to the teeth. My odds weren't good.

"Doesn't look like she's going anywhere," Number one said, "Let's get it set up and then you can take her in. I need to get back to work."

Creep grunted in response, but let go of my hands. I could hear their footsteps as they walked away, but otherwise there were no sounds but the wind and some birds in the distance.

I opened my eyes when I thought I was alone and craned my neck to see over the trunk's edge.

The first thing I noticed was that I had no idea where I was. The car was parked in a small driveway leading to a narrow street. I could make out a house about half a mile down the street, no other signs of life. This could be Trenton, or any other place in Jersey, but it could just as soon be another state. I couldn't hear or smell the ocean, so I was pretty sure we weren't on the Jersey shore anymore. The sky was overcast, so I couldn't tell what time it was, except that it was still day time.

If I knew how long I'd been unconscious, I could estimate if we were still in Jersey, not that it would make any difference. Unless someone had seen us leave, no one would find me here.

My neck and shoulders hurt from the effort and since I was unable to move the rest of my body, I just fell back again. Where I was panicking earlier, I now had to fight the wave of fear and despair that threatened to crush me.

I heard footsteps approach and closed my eyes. At the very least, I wanted to delay confronting my kidnappers as long as possible. Maybe they'd slip up and talk about where we were or call each other by their names.

"Get her out. I need my car." This was the first guy talking and I was trying to place the voice. It sounded familiar somehow.

I was pulled forward by my wrists and almost screamed in pain.

"You need help? She looks pretty heavy."

"Watch your mouth!" Creep said, "She's perfect!" Oh boy. My stalker was delusional. There are a lot of things I am, perfect isn't one of them.

He hauled me out of the trunk and threw me over his shoulder. I had to bite my cheek so I wouldn't grunt.

"So we're good here?" Number one asked. "Get lost." My stalker said. Clearly they weren't close friends.

I heard a car door slam and an engine start, then gravel flying as Number one took off. I felt the temperature change as I was carried inside the house.

I opened my eyes since he couldn't see my face and could see worn hardwood floor and battered furniture. The house had an unlived-in feel to it. It wasn't dirty, but felt neglected, though I couldn't say why. It somehow matched my kidnapper's creepiness.

I was carried through another door, then he stopped and I closed my eyes as he heaved me off his shoulders onto a soft surface. A mattress, I figured. The room had a musty smell to it.

I felt cold steel against my ankles, then heard a ripping sound as my feet were no longer tied to my hands. Good, I thought, he was untying me. There was hope after all.

I had to fight nausea as I felt his hands slide up over my body and he sat down next to me. He caressed my shoulder, then let his hand glide down to my arm until he held my wrist and cut through the tape. Pretending to be unconscious became harder with every second I could feel his hands on my skin.

"Wake up, my angel." He said softly and I could feel my skin crawl. "It's just you and me now, the way it was meant to be."

I couldn't suppress a groan and his hands stilled on mine.

"Angel? Hang on one second, I'll be right back." I could feel his weight lift off the mattress and then I heard his footsteps. I opened my eyes slowly, taking in my surroundings. I was in a bedroom, on an old-fashioned four poster bed. There were two bedside tables and an oak drawer chest next to an overstuffed chair. The linens, curtains and bedside lamp shade were all in the same pastel pattern, the kind my grandmother used to have in her old house.

A morbid thought crossed my mind and I was hoping I was wrong. Please God, I thought, don't let this be the house of an old couple he killed so he could use it.

I heard him return and quickly closed my eyes again. He sat down next to me again and started rubbing something onto my skin.

"This will hurt a little, my angel, but it's necessary." Before I had time to be scared, he ripped the remaining duct tape of my hands and I would have howled in pain if my mouth had been free. As it was, my lips strained against the tape and added to the pain.

I looked up at him, my eyes watering.

"Don't be afraid, Stephanie, Daddy's gonna take care of you. Here," he said and moved his hand towards my mouth. I tried to flinch back, but he was faster and caught the tape, ripping it off like a band aid. This time, I did howl.

"Shhhh, Angel, it'll only hurt a minute." He said in the same soft voice as he held me down by pressing his hands into my shoulders.

My face was burning, I was sure he'd ripped of a couple layers of skin. My mind was racing, trying to come up with the best strategy.

Should I try and fight him? Should I pretend to be playing along? I couldn't see any weapons on him, but from his grip on me, I could tell he was stronger. And the panic I had to fight against made it hard to think straight.

"You'll feel better in a little bit." He said and released my shoulders to bend down. My eyes widened when he came back up and I realized he was now holding a syringe, but before I could process what I saw, he stuck the needle into my thigh through my pants.

"I promise I'll take care of you." He said, dropping the syringe and studying me. "You're mine now and I'm yours."

His face became blurry and I had a moment to wonder what he had injected me with before I passed out.

The first thing I noticed when I woke up was a pounding headache. Fireworks were exploding behind my closed lids. For a second I was trying to remember what I'd been drinking to cause such a hangover, then it hit me. When I tried to rub my eyes to ease the pain, I realized my hands were cuffed to the bed posts.

I opened my eyes slowly. I was alone in the room. My feet were shackled as well; I was lying spread-eagle and butt-naked on the bed.

I gagged and had to fight back the urge to throw up. He had undressed me! He had seen me naked, and God knew what else he'd done. In this position, I was completely helpless, he could do whatever he wanted whenever he felt like it.

Tiny tendrils of panic curled up in my stomach and I was trying very hard not to cry. Now I remembered what he'd done to me, my thigh was burning. I realized my head could be hurting for a variety of reasons, the last time I'd passed out, he didn't have to drug me, I was hit with the bathroom door.

I tried to move my hands and feet, they would only give a couple inches each. To make matters worse, I had to go to the bathroom.

This wasn't happening, I prayed. This was just a very realistic dream, but none of it was happening. I would wake up in Joe's arms and find out it was the worst nightmare of my life.

If it wasn't for my throbbing head, I could almost have convinced myself.

His voice startled me out of my thoughts.

"You're awake, Angel!" he said cheerfully as he approached the bed.

He had changes his clothes and was now wearing a grey sweatshirt and jeans, looking even more like John Doe than before.

Was he a former FTA? I'd probably taken in dozens of guys, it would make sense that I'd forget one. But it didn't feel right.

"Who are you?" I finally asked when I gave up on remembering.

His eyes widened. "You don't know?" Surprise and shock were written all over his face for a moment, then they were replaced by anger.

"How can you not know!!! I've taken care of you so many times!!!" He screamed. He was standing about five feet away from me and I realized I'd asked the wrong question.

He could kill me a hundred ways in the position I was in, and I'd just made him angry.

I closed my eyes, I certainly didn't want to see what he was going to do to me, and was surprised when he stormed out of the room.

I could hear him yell and slamming furniture around, then glass shattered as he uttered a blood-curling scream.

Dear God, I prayed, please send Ranger a sign, and let him know where I am. I promise I'll be good, I'll go to church every day, just please.

When I was a kid, my mom had often tried to explain to me that prayers didn't work that way. I was hoping she was wrong. What made her the expert on God?

I was still promising God whatever it took when the creep returned.

"I'm sorry about that, Angel," he said, "But you've made me very angry." His voice had returned to normal. This time, he'd managed to control himself. I may not be that lucky again. I'd have to be careful not to make him angry.

"Now apologize to Daddy and we'll forget it happened."

"I'm sorry." I said. Truer words were never spoken.

"That's better. You see, I am sure you know me. Why do you tease me so?"

I didn't know what to say. I was lying naked and bound, at his total mercy. I still had no idea who he was, but that was not the most important thing at the moment. Surviving was.

"I didn't mean to tease you. It's just that…I have a terrible headache and I really need to use the bathroom."

He stood perfectly still as if he was thinking about what I'd just said. Then he let his eyes wander over my body and I shivered involuntarily.

"What would you like me to call you?" I asked when he didn't say anything. It was the only thing I could come up with. His eyes lit up.

"Oh, Stephanie, you can call me whatever you like. Once we're a family, I hope you'll call me Daddy." He was smiling, as if he saw us as a happy family in his mind. I was going to call him Daddy over my dead body, I thought. As to what I'd like to call him, asshole, creep, bastard and lunatic came to mind.

"But I understand if you want to surprise me. Just Teddy is fine for now. All my friends call me Teddy, you know that."

I suspected not many people called him Teddy. Maybe his mom. But this conversation was going well; he seemed a lot more relaxed now. And if I'd had any doubts about his sanity, the fact that he was having a normal conversation with me while I was tied up naked in bed told me he was a couple county lines away from sane.

"Teddy, may I use the bathroom?" I asked, trying to make my voice sound submissive. My spidey sense told me he'd go for that, he liked to be in control.

Teddy looked embarrassed. "But of course! I'm sorry, where are my manners?"

That was a good question, I thought as I bit back a scoff. I thought I deserved an award for my performance here so far. The only thing I wanted was to bite off his head, and here I was, asking him politely if I could go pee!

He pulled keys out of his pocket and grabbed a robe off a chair next to him before he knelt by the foot of the bed to unlock the shackles.

I forced myself not to yank my feet away when he touched them, and it took all my willpower not to kick him.

He unlocked all four shackles, taking his time caressing each limb before setting it down on the mattress.

When he was done, he held the robe out to me. I tried to think of the best way to overpower him, but as soon as I sat up, the room was spinning. Whatever he had given me, it hadn't worn off yet. My escape plan would have to wait.

"Take it easy, Angel, you're still tired from the journey." He said and I almost grimaced. Journey, my ass. I was drugged up and playing my part in his deranged fantasy, I thought, but bit my cheek instead of saying anything.

He draped the robe around me and took my elbow to help me up. I cringed inwardly at his touch and told myself to get over it already. Apparently he was into touching me. If I cringed every time he did it, I was going to give myself an aneurysm.

I turned out I needed his guiding hand, I was very wobbly on my feet. He aided me in such a professional manner that I had to wonder if he'd done this before.

He led me out of the bedroom into the hallway I'd seen earlier. Off to the right was a bathroom, tiled from floor to ceiling in pink. It was small, the width of the bathtub on the far end, with a toilet and a sink on the left.

"Thank you," I said, still playing polite helpless Steph, "You're very good at this." I nodded towards his hand on my elbow.

"Yes." He nodded eagerly, "I love my job. I'd never had a patient slip or fall on my watch."

He smiled as he led me through the door, then he released my arm and closed the door, whispering "Take your time, Beautiful."

He'd finally given me a clue! He'd said 'patients'. That meant he probably worked at a nursing home or hospital of some sort, helping people get around. "Think Stephanie!" I said out loud and smacked my head. The piercing pain I got in response made me regret that immediately. A look in the mirror over the sink told me I had hit the egg size bump on my forehead.

I groaned when I saw the rest of my face in the mirror. I had dark circles under my eyes that looked like they were drawn on with black paint. My mascara was smudged halfway down my cheeks, which stood out in stark white contrast. My hair stuck out in spiky tufts that would have made any punk rocker jealous.

He'd told me to take my time, so I did. After I'd taken care of my urgent needs, I started the shower.

There was a small window over the tub, but not even my niece would have fit through it. Teddy knew what he was doing; he would have left me here alone if he thought there was a way out. I realized it was dark out by now, so I'd spent the entire day with the creep.

There was toilet paper, a piece of soap at the sink and a couple towels on a holder, other than that, the room was bare. I would have preferred shampoo and conditioner, but I was beyond caring as I stood under the shower and washed and scrubbed.

I was pretty sure we were alone in this house. There was an upstairs, but I hadn't heard him going up yet. The bedroom he held me in was downstairs, as was this full bathroom, which confirmed my earlier suspicion this was an elderly person's home.

Somehow, I had to snoop out the rest of the house, maybe find a phone. There had to be a phone. But I'd need Teddy to leave the house. And it wouldn't be any good if he tied me up.

I tried to come up with a plan, but my head was killing me and made it very hard to think.

By the time the hot water ran out, I was still clueless. I dried myself and ran my fingers through my hair to tame it a little, then I put on the robe Teddy'd given me and sat down on the toilet. Let him think I need time to groom, I figured.

I sat with my elbows on my knees and my face in my hands until he knocked on the door.

"Are you ready, Angel? Dinner is on the table."

I groaned. Although I was hungry, the thought of sharing a meal with the creep made my stomach turn.

"Just a minute." I said and got up. I checked my appearance in the mirror; the shower hadn't changed it all that much. Except now I was without makeup.

When I opened the door, I almost bumped into Teddy who was standing inches from the threshold.

"Are you hungry, Cupcake?" He said, a smile playing around his mouth. I almost slapped him for calling me what only Joe had ever called me. This asshole didn't deserve to use any of Joe's words.

"You don't mind if I call you Cupcake, do you?" He asked, obviously noticing my shocked expression. "Or do you prefer Angel?"
"Angel is much better." I croaked and forced a smile. "It's what you call me, it's unique."

He seemed pleased with that argument and took my elbow again. If he called me Cupcake one more time, he was going to die.

"I've made spaghetti," He said, leading me through the hallway into the kitchen, "I know how much you like Italian. It's another thing we have in common." Apparently, he didn't know as much about me as he thought. I liked any food I didn't have to cook myself.

He pulled out a kitchen chair for me and let go of my arm as I sat down.

The kitchen was small, with old mid-range appliances, but everything was spotlessly clean. Kind of like my mom's kitchen.

Teddy put a plate of spaghetti with meat sauce in front of me and I immediately covered my mouth with my hand at the smell.

"I'm sorry." I mumbled as I pushed back the chair and rushed out of the kitchen back to the bathroom. I didn't actually have to throw up, but I was hoping he'd think I did.

Two minutes after I'd slammed the bathroom door shut and made some gagging noises, he knocked on the door.

"Are you alright, my angel?" I wasn't even in the same universe as alright. I didn't think I'd be alright as long as he lived. I flushed the toilet and told him I'd be right out.

I practiced my best miserable face in the mirror, washed my hands and met Teddy in the hall.

He looked genuinely concerned. I figured that he'd taken his fantasy to the next level. In his mind, I'd become his by my choice and he was now looking out for me.

"Are you alright?" He asked again, reaching out to tuck a strand of hair behind my ear. I was quite proud of myself that I suppressed a flinch this time.

"I'm not feeling so hot…" I said, my voice barely above a whisper. "The last couple days were…"

"I know," he cut me off. "You're as excited as I am. I promised you I'd free you and here you are. Of course you're overwhelmed."

That was a gross understatement. I felt real tears spring to my eyes as I realized what he'd meant.

"I think I'm sick." I pressed out. Actually I knew I was sick, sick of him! But right now, I needed him to believe I was weak and no threat.

Teddy frowned and touched my forehead as if to check for a fever.

"You're cold as ice!" He exclaimed. "Let's get you back to bed, Angel." He took my elbow again and led me back to the bedroom.

"Teddy, can I ask you a favor?"
"Anything, Angel, you know that. I'd do anything for you!"

"Can you not tie me up again? My wrists still hurt and I may be sick again." I said this in the most pained voice I could manage and I was leaning on his hand as if I could hardly keep myself upright.

He pulled back the covers and let me lie down.

"I'll bring a bucket. I don't want you sleepwalking in this strange house, Angel, you might hurt yourself."

I mentally rolled my eyes. So much for plan A.

He pulled my right wrist up and clicked the handcuffs around it. "This will do." He said as he pushed my hair off my forehead and planted a kiss on it. I swore that if I ever got out, I was going to bathe in Clorox.

"Sleep now, Angel." He said and left.

I sighed. Apparently, it would take more to make him trust me. We both knew I wasn't about to sleepwalk. But playing along so far had been exhausting, I didn't know how much longer I could hold back.

When he appeared minutes later, I had my eyes closed pretending to sleep. I heard the clunk of him putting the bucket down and then he left.

The asshole hadn't even given me a painkiller for my headache, probably I was going to lie awake all night.

On the bright side, he wasn't lying next to me. The thought of his body next to mine made me shiver.

I'd hoped to get a chance to send him out for some Advil, but since he tied me up even when he was in the house, that wouldn't have done me much good.

I tried to remember what Joe's told me about insane criminals, how the FBI dealt with them. Unfortunately, the memory of his words came with the image of his face as he said them and I choked back a sob. Sadness settled over me and I suddenly couldn't come up with a reason to stay alive. Why shouldn't I just die trying to kill this asshole? Wouldn't that reunite me with Joe?

I ran my free hand over my face to wipe away those thoughts, reprimanding myself for even going there. This train of thought wouldn't help me.

I sighed and tried to think of a productive way to get out of the situation. What did I have and how could I use it to my advantage?

Clearly, he was obsessed with me and clearly, he was delusional. If I played into his delusion, would he fall for it or would he become suspicious?

It was hard to think with my head throbbing and my stomach growling, and I was exhausted. But if I gave up now, he'd win.

I pulled on the handcuffs and moved my wrist to see if I could wriggle out of them, but they were fastened tightly. I sighed. The only way I could get out of them was to gnaw my hand off. That wasn't going to happen.

On to plan B, I thought and drew myself a mental to-do list. First off, I had to get him to talk. I still had to find out if he was the real thing. If he had killed Joe. Who he was didn't matter half as much. I didn't care, as long as I got revenge. What was the right punishment for destroying my life? Certainly not a fair trial and jail time.

I smiled at the images my mind displayed, all involving Teddy's slow and painful death.

Okay, I thought and did some mental knuckle cracking, we have a goal. All that was left was to flesh out the details to achieve it.

The problem was that I had to do it on my own. If Ranger knew where I was, he'd have shown up by now. With no way to contact him, I couldn't expect his help. Probably he had every Merry Man searching, but from what I'd seen of the neighborhood, they were searching for a needle in a haystack.

I had to tread carefully though, he'd already displayed his temper once. For all I knew, he could have a gun stashed away somewhere. Even unarmed, he was stronger. This one, I had to win with words. I'd have to swallow my pride and everything I believed in and pretend to be his.

In the morning, I'd wake up a reformed person, I decided. I would tell him I'd had time to think about it and see things his way. He was so full of himself, if I could pull off an Oscar-worthy performance, I'd have him.

I felt as if a huge weight was lifted off my shoulders with my plan all fleshed out. The smile playing around my lips would probably have made Morticia Addams proud as I finally fell asleep.

TBC