This is the sequel to 'Living on a Prayer' I was warning you about…and by its nature, it's AU, because Joe is still dead. Other than that, I don't think you need to have read LOAP for it to make sense.

I apologize for the delay, RL got in the way of my imagination and nothing was coming out. The only reason I am able to post today is Stayce. Thanks for your help at all hours of the day, your support and your friendship, Babe.

Thank you all for your reviews in case I forgot to thank you in person, I appreciate all feedback.

Disclaimer: All characters are borrowed from JE, the title is borrowed from Bon Jovi

Keep the Faith

Chapter 7

Lula got into the car and turned to me as soon as I climbed into the driver's seat. "Okay, talk."

I smiled. That was something Ranger would say. Ranger, master of the two-word sentences. I had a momentary image of him in my passenger seat instead of Lula, his body half-turned to face me, the corners of his mouth quirked up in that almost smile he did so well and the real smile only showing in his eyes. It hurt physically to imagine I would never see him like that again.

Then I kicked myself mentally and groaned. If I kept this pity party up, I wouldn't have time for anything else. Lula sent me a curious look but I ignored it.

I buckled myself in and started the car. "What are you in the mood for? Micky D's? Cluck in a Bucket? Pino's?"

"I like that new deli on Chambers, we can get Connie's Italian there, too," she said. I nodded. If we got take-out, I could talk to Lula and still get to RangeMan at a time that would allow me to put in a full day's work.

I plugged my cell phone in the car charger and took off. Late morning traffic was light as I cruised down Hamilton, so chances were good I'd get my talk in. As if on cue, Lula started again.

"So what was such a big secret you couldn't tell me in front of Connie?" she asked.

"I've been thinking, " I started. "Oh boy," Lula said and chuckled and I tried to send her a glare while not taking my eyes off traffic, but it didn't work, she didn't seem intimidated.

"I think I wanna give your plan a try," I told her as I cruised down Hamilton and cut my eyes to her. Lula nodded, "It's a good plan. I tried to tell Tank about all 'bout it last night, but we got distracted…"

"That's okay," I said and turned onto Chambers. "I'll have to talk to him myself anyway. You think he'll do it?" I did some creative swearing as a blue Honda cut me off so I missed a green light.

"He'll do it," Lula picked our conversation back up. "He may not know it yet, but he'll do it." I looked from the light I'd been watching to her. "What do you mean?"

Lula just smiled and I rolled my eyes. I'd trust Lula to withhold sex to get what she wanted, but I hoped that's not what she meant.

"You really think so? How about if I asked Lester instead? He really is single. Tank's Ranger's partner, Ranger'll never believe he'd…he'd…you know, put the moves on me."

Lula raised her eyebrows. "Put the moves on you?" She shook her head. "That's not how this is gonna work. And I know Lester's single, but he's a little too single, if you know what I mean." The light turned and I accelerated, entering the Burg.

It was my turn to raise my eyebrows in a silent question and she just looked at me. "He'd really put the moves on you, as you like to put it," she explained. "I don't know-know him, but he'd have a hard time keeping his hands to hisself if you told him you wanna play couple."

I'd had the same thought earlier, and Tank was my first choice too, but I had doubts. Tank and Ranger had known each other forever. "What if they have this guy code that makes them stay away from each other's ex's?" I asked Lula. She gave that some thought, then her eyes lit up.

"We're gonna start it slow," she explained. "Ranger broke up with you. I broke up with Tank. You both need someone to talk to."

Lula was so convinced it would work, it was hard to doubt her. "I'm gonna talk to Tank first thing," I said. "If he'll play along, I'll do it." Lula grinned. "He'll play along. I'll break up with him right now…" She dug into her purse and came out with her cell phone. I was trying to come up with more arguments, but Lula had convinced me. Even if Tank didn't play along, I was pretty sure he'd keep the plan to himself and wouldn't share it with Ranger. Probably.

Lula was still talking to Tank and I tried not to listen when I parked at the curb in front of 'Gary's Deli'. There had been a dry cleaner in the building before the new owner had gutted it, decorated everything in yellow and black and opened a deli. There were dozens of delis in and around the Burg, and Lula and I liked to try them all.

"Okay," Lula said when she shut her cell phone. "Told him you're gonna talk to him about it when you get in. I think he thought I was kidding." Great. Tank was going to think I lost my mind when I'd explain it to him. I'd have to think about it later.

Lula got a meatball sub and the Italian for Connie, I got a tuna on a Kaiser and sodas and chips for everybody and we carted our lunch back to the car.

My schedule was so messed up. That's what happens when you get kidnapped early in the morning, I guess. I'd planned on picking up Lula early in the morning, go after an FTA or two, then pick up Bob and go to work at RangeMan. Now that I was going to do lunch, the FTAs would have to wait.

We spread the food all over Connie's desk and dug in. Vinnie still hadn't come in, so I had some time to think about my strategy there. Harry hadn't given me a timeline, but I thought 'as soon as possible' would probably come close.

After lunch, I drove over to my parents' house to pick up Bob and show my mom I was still alive.

"I heard sirens. Were you in an accident? Is that why you haven't called?" mom greeted me and I sighed. "No, I'm fine. I just overslept this morning and I'm running late. I haven't had a chance to charge my cell phone."

"Do you want to stay for lunch? We have fresh cold cuts from Giovichinni's." Bob had heard my voice and almost knocked my mom over on his way out to greet me.

"I already had lunch, I'm on my way to work."

"Some work," Mom complained. "Ranger has you working well into the night and then you have to come in right the next day."

"Mom, Ranger didn't…" I bit my lip. Probably Ranger had told her I had to work late, that's why I didn't get a chance to pick up Bob the night before. "Ranger didn't ask me to come in, I want to. I have some cases to finish." I knew my mom wasn't really upset about my work. She preferred the office to bounty hunting. It still wasn't the kind of job she'd envisioned for me, but she'd stopped suggesting the button factory when I'd told her about RangeMan's benefits package. "Well then," she said now, appeased.

Mom and Grandma Mazur watched as I loaded Bob into the SUV's backseat and motored off. 'Harry, talk with Lula, pick up Bob,' I mentally checked off. I was catching up.

Lester looked up from the monitors when I walked into the control room a half hour later and a smile spread over his face. "Thought you forgot all about me," he teased. I smiled back, "Never," and handed Bob over to him. "He missed you," I told Lester and Bob looked up at Lester adoringly as if on cue. They would both be occupied for hours.

I put my shoulder bag into my cube, then I set out to get some coffee before I tackled my inbox. I glanced at the closed office door on my way to the kitchen and chewed my lip. I knew Ranger was in Boston, so Tank would once again be at Ranger's desk. I could talk to him in privacy, if I could muster up the courage to bring it up.

First I called Eddie to tell him not to worry about Harry or his men any more. He didn't like my explanation of "It's personal," but I finally convinced him I no longer needed protection.

I then spent three hours working on the background check requests in my inbox. Every time I sensed movement, I looked up, and I caught myself hoping it was Ranger. I didn't know what I'd say to him if I saw him, but I missed him after less than a day.

Bobby stopped by to make sure I was really okay after the 'stunt I pulled' in the morning, as he put it. I asked him if Tank was in and he nodded in the direction of Ranger's office.

Bobby had to leave on a call, Lester was busy monitoring an account and Junior was on a conference call. I had no one to procrastinate with. I convinced myself to talk to Tank by telling myself the worst that could happen was Tank laughing in my face, so I straightened my shoulders and crossed the control room to knock on the office door.

Tank was on the phone when I entered, but he motioned for me to come in and have a seat. It was ridiculous for me to be nervous about this, I realized. As far as ideas were concerned, this was far from the worst. I'd given it a lot of thought and I hadn't come up with anything better.

"Did you talk to him?" I asked when Tank had hung up the phone. I'd meant to ask him if he'd talked to Lula and use that as the ice breaker, but I bit my lip before I could mumble a correction. I did want to know if he'd talked to Ranger.

"Who?" Tank asked and I rolled my eyes. He knew damned well who! "Ranger," I explained. Tank looked at me with his blank expression, it was impossible to guess what he was thinking.

"We had a conference call about an hour ago, why?" I thought his expression changed to slightly curious, but maybe I was just annoying him. I didn't know how much Lula had told him, but my guess was he hadn't heard anything about me from Ranger.

I was studying my hands now, getting uncomfortably embarrassed, but then I remembered how flustered Tank had been about the diamond stud he'd given Lula and that made me feel a little better.

I took a deep breath. "Ranger broke up with me and Lula thinks that if we pretend to be…to, you know…if you pretend to be interested in me it will get Ranger jealous." Now that I said it out loud it sounded pretty high school. When Tank didn't respond I looked up. He'd leaned back in the executive chair, his elbows on the arm rests, his hands laced together.

"Why'd he break up with you?" He finally asked. I knew I could have lied and made up reasons, but I decided to tell him the truth. I told him about the night Ranger'd come home and about the morning after, and then I told him about the day before when Ranger'd been in my apartment. I'd told Lula but she'd agreed I need a male perspective on that, it clearly didn't make sense to us.

I was studying the pens in the holder on the desk intently while talking, I just couldn't bring myself to look at Tank, it was too…weird, in a way. I was still getting used to talking to Tank about non-work related issues.

"So he did it to protect you," Tank summed up. "At least that's what he thinks," I cautioned and Tank nodded slowly. "Where do I fit in?"

'You're gonna help me deceive your boss and friend,' would have been the absolute truth but I didn't think that would have gone over well. "I need your help," I said instead. After all, that was part of the truth.

"I got that part from Lula," Tank said. "What is it you're trying to achieve with your plan?" Tough question. I hadn't actually thought that far ahead, so I just said the first thing that came to mind. "I want Ranger to see that I won't be waiting forever for him to pull his head out of his ass."

Tank didn't say anything, he just looked at me in a way that reminded me a lot of Ranger. The intense stare that makes you feel like they're looking right into your soul. They must have both taken the same course in the Army 'Stare downs 101'.

"Okay," he said after a long minute. Okay what? Was he agreeing to help me or just confirming he'd understood?

The phone rang and Tank looked at it but didn't pick up. "I can come back if you're busy now," I said, although I was wondering if that was Ranger calling. Since I worked for RangeMan there weren't really any 'classified' phone calls, I was a part of the team.

Tank cut his eyes to me, then he snatched up the receiver. "Talk," he said and kept looking at me while he listened.

"I can do the first and second shift, and I'll have Junior do the third," he said and now the corners of his mouth quirked up in an almost smile. "No," he said and I was tempted to hit the speaker button to find out who he was talking to and what about. "I'm not…we're not seeing each other anymore," Tank explained and I raised my eyebrows. He was already playing the game?

Tank winked at me before he said "All was quiet. I was over there anyway so I made sure the perimeter was secured." The almost smile turned into a grin. "Yes, she's here, but she can't take the shift either."

So he was talking to Ranger. I fought back the pang of guilt I felt for having Tank lie to him like that. I knew Tank would never do anything he didn't want to do.

"Did you just lie to Ranger?" I blurted out as soon as he'd hung up. Tank smiled at me and it lit up the whole room. "Wouldn't dream of it. I was Lula's taxi last night so I made sure no suspicious characters were lurking around. And as far as tonight is concerned, do you want to have dinner with me?"

"What about telling him you're not seeing Lula anymore?" Tank looked around the office, "Taken literally, I was telling the truth. Do you see her here?"
I hadn't expected him to change directions that fast. "I didn't even know you agreed to help me," I pointed out. Tank shook his head slightly. "Neither did I. Spontaneous decision." I had to keep my jaw from dropping. I would have bet Tank never did anything spontaneous. "I thought you thought Ranger was just protecting me…"

Tank's shoulder moved a fraction of an inch, a RangeMan shrug. "He is. But he's not just my boss, he's my friend. And right now, he's acting like an ass and needs to be called on it." My face must have revealed my confusion because Tank chuckled.

"More'n one way to skin a cat," he explained. "You need protection, but not from him." He sighed, stood up and walked over to the visitor's couch behind me, mumbling something I couldn't hear. I got up slowly. He'd agreed. It was a crazy plan and Tank had agreed. I decided to leave it at that for now, even though I was still confused. Maybe he'd change his mind if I asked more questions, it was best to figure it out myself.

Tank was searching through a duffle that sat on the couch. He turned around when I passed him on my way out. "I have a stakeout," he said, his gun in hand. "Pick you up at 7?" He winked at me again and I had a feeling this was the Tank Lula saw on a regular basis. He was still scarily tall and big, but his smile was genuine, making him look more like a big teddy bear than a grizzly.

"Seven," I confirmed and left the office, resisting the urge to lean against the closed door to sigh or maybe pump my fist. All eyes in the control room would be on me, and I couldn't risk anyone guessing the truth. Ranger might ask around before he confronted Tank, so he and I would have to be 'in character' from now on. I almost giggled as I walked back to my desk to attack the search requests that had accumulated.

At a quarter of six, I logged out of the search program and looked at my emptied inbox with some satisfaction. I knew it would be full again by the morning, but for now, I had a sense of accomplishment. I really liked this job, but I was glad I still had bounty hunting on the side so that I could get out of the office when I felt like the walls were closing in on me.

I grabbed my purse and went looking for Lester and Bob. The last I'd seen them, Lester had taken Bob out for a walk at the end of his shift. I found them both in the kitchen, both eating sandwiches.

"Thanks for babysitting him," I said as I put Bob's leash on. "Anytime," Lester said and petted Bob's head. "We had a good time."

Tank had left the office shortly after our talk and I hadn't seen him since, but I was sure he'd keep our 'date'. I had less than an hour to change and get ready, so I rushed to get home, took Bob for a quick walk, took an even quicker shower and managed to be ready at seven on the dot. I was wearing jeans and a white shirt and I hadn't had the time to put much effort into my hair and make-up, but I looked okay.

I filled Bob's bowls and dropped a grape into Rex's food dish and by the time I turned from Rex's cage to Bob, Bob's bowls were empty.

I'd called Lula from work to give her the good news and she told me it was bound to work since it was her idea. I hoped she was right.

When the doorbell rang a minute after seven, I even checked the peephole. Tank had changed into a light blue polo shirt and jeans and I had to look twice to make sure it was him. In the years I've known him, I'd never seen him in anything but black.

"We're gonna stay here for a couple minutes," he said as he brushed past me. I grabbed two beers out of the kitchen and followed him. He was grinning when I joined him in the living room. "Why are we staying here?"

"It may take a couple minutes for the control room to catch on to my car's location," he explained. "Have to make sure it makes the report." He winked at me again and sat down on the couch.

Apparently, he'd already given the plan more thought than I had. "Good idea," I acknowledged. "Do you think Ranger thinks you're here?"

Tank took a long pull from his beer. "He might. I pretty much told him I was here last night and since I told him I knew what you were doing tonight, he probably thinks I'm here again." He cut his eyes to me. "I think he may be curious enough to check with the control room, have them locate my car."

It seemed too easy. I didn't think Ranger would automatically assume Tank was with me. I took a sip of my beer and sat down on a chair since Tank pretty much filled up the entire couch. "Did you talk to Ranger after I was in your office?"

"No."

"So what makes you think he thinks you're here?"

Tank grinned. "I turned down the surveillance shift and told him I knew you couldn't do it either. He asked if I needed time to spend with Lula and I told him we broke up." He shrugged. "I guess I'm hoping he fills in the blanks and gets the wrong idea."

"I don't know," I said. "That's a lot of assuming, I don't think Ranger'd think you…and I…forget it, I think it was a dumb idea." All of a sudden I couldn't see how Ranger would ever think Tank and I would get involved. There was no way it could work.

"You only think that because you don't know the background. It's been years since it came up, but this one time, I told Ranger I'd make my move if he didn't."

"On me?" I asked incredulous. Tank nodded and drank some more of his beer, "He needed a kick in the ass, and that did it. I don't think he's forgotten." He waggled his eyebrows at me and I felt like I'd stumbled into an episode of the Twilight Zone. Who was this person that looked like Tank? He sounded like Lester's twin brother. Maybe Lula knew this side, that's why she'd been so sure he'd do it?

I took a sip of my beer. I was going to argue Tank's point, but then I realized I didn't need to. Even if Ranger didn't believe the charade, it wouldn't come back to haunt me, since I never said anything to him. And Tank hadn't told him anything either, it was all a matter of interpretation.

"Okay," I said slowly. "Are we still going to dinner though? Or will it be enough if your car is here?"

Tank thought about that for a beat. "Can I see your purse?" This time I knew what he was talking about. "I still have a tracker in it."

Tank smiled again. "Good. Then we take my car. Don't forget your bag." I shook my head as I followed him to the door, wondering if it was right that he was enjoying the idea of fooling Ranger so much. I mean, had he considered the consequences? Did they make shipping crates large enough to fit him in? What if Ranger hacked him into pieces before shipping him to some third world country when he found out?

I told Bob not to wait up, grabbed my shoulder bag and followed Tank into the hallway. Tank's cell phone chirped just as I'd pushed the call button for the elevator and he'd given me a look for not taking the stairs. He took the call and I noticed again how much his phone manners were like Ranger's: he answered with 'Talk,' then listened, gave one-word orders and disconnected without saying anyhing even remotely like 'goodbye'. I wondered who'd gotten it from whom.

Tank suggested a steak house and I was all for it because it was different. I couldn't remember the last time I'd been to the 'Outback'.

We ordered, and even before our blooming onion arrived, Tank's cell phone rang again. This time he smiled when he glanced at the readout. "That was fast," he said and hit the button to talk.

"Having dinner," Tanks said after a second, replying to what was said on the other end. The wink he sent me told me it was Ranger. Tank winking was weird, but no weirder than spending an evening with him I guessed.

They exchanged a few more two-word sentences, then Tank hung up. "Boss needs a report first thing tomorrow," he said as he put his cell phone away. He was grinning again. "He just had to call to tell me right now, rather than send me an email."

"You think he knows I'm with you?" I asked. Tank nodded, "I could tell."

Lula had been right. Not only had Tank agreed to help me, he was enjoying this. I figured Ranger had found out we were at the restaurant together, but was he curious or actually jealous? Jealous, I repeated the word in my head. That word didn't fit Ranger. I couldn't see him get jealous, and that wasn't what I wanted anyway. The fact that Tank had once told him he'd hit on me if Ranger didn't was a bonus, whether he'd been serious then or not. I was pretty sure we'd get Ranger's attention.

Our drinks and appetizers were served and we busied ourselves eating and drinking. Mostly I was eating and Tank was sipping his cranberry and soda. I didn't really know much about Tank, so I asked him where he grew up and went to school, first date kind of stuff. Even though this wasn't a date of course.

He told me he was from Louisiana, which explained his first name Pierre, and that he'd quit college after two years just like Ranger. He'd met Ranger in boot camp and they'd been best buds ever since, although he didn't use that term.

By the time I had my dessert and Tank was drinking a coffee, I'd learned more about him than in they years I've known him before. And I'd had a really good time in the process. I could see why Lula enjoyed being with Tank so much, why she always smiled when she talked about him. He was a great guy to be with.

Tank and I had also agreed on some guidelines. He told me he agreed to help because he considered me a 'good thing for Ranger'. He didn't go into detail so I figured that was as close as Tank got to sharing feelings.

"I know what Ranger's doing, and I know why he's doing it," Tank said. "He just has the wrong approach to it and telling him point blank wouldn't work. That's why we're doing this." I just nodded. Although I didn't know what Ranger was doing, I agreed he was doing it wrong.

"But I won't lie to him. Not for you or anyone else, so if we're doing this, it has to be smart, not deceiving." He'd looked me in the eye while saying this and I could tell he was serious. I didn't want to lie to Ranger either and I'd always hated playing games with people's feelings, so I agreed.

So now I'd spent an evening with Tank and Ranger knew about it. Big deal. There could be a hundred reasons why we went out to dinner, it didn't have to mean Tank was coming on to me.

"When is Ranger coming back from Boston?" I asked Tank in the car on the way home. "Always comes back to Trenton Friday, even when he's planning on being there the following week," Tank said. Today was Wednesday. I'd have to talk to Lula to plan my next moves.

"Would he come back early if he thought you and I…you know…?" I asked but I already knew the answer. Tank looked at me briefly before focusing back on the road. "I know," I answered my own question, "he wouldn't come back unless there was an emergency. I guess I was just hoping."

Tank parked in my lot and turned to me. "The first thing you have to understand is that Ranger's actions do not reflect his feelings. He does what he needs to do, not necessarily what he wants to do." I wanted to tell Tank I knew all this but he held up his hand to stop me. "The reason I'm helping is I think he needs help deciding what he needs to be doing." He must have read the confusion in my face because he kept explaining. "I don't know if you believe him, why you think he left, but it's not because he thinks or feels differently about you. You need to know that."

That was easily the most emotional speech I'd ever heard from Tank, and I didn't know how to respond. "Let's talk upstairs," he said and got out, jogged around the car and opened the passenger door for me.

His cell phone rang just as we entered the lobby and he motioned for me to go ahead as he answered it, so I took the elevator up by myself.

Bob rushed to the door as soon as I'd unlocked it and almost made me lose my balance when he leaned against me. I dropped my shoulder bag and picked up his leash to take him for his last walk of the day.

"Hello Stephanie," a voice spoke from the darkness of my apartment and I almost jumped. I wasn't surprised Bob hadn't 'warned' me, I knew he could be bought with a treat. Joe's always said Bob would holed a burglar's flashlight for a hot dog.

The voice sounded familiar, but I couldn't place it right away. Before I could reach the light switch, my hand was swatted away, Bob was pulled away and I was shoved into the dark apartment. Now my surprise switched to fear.

"You don't need light to die," the voice said theatrically and I would've rolled my eyes if I hadn't been so scared. There were two of them at least, since the voice was still coming from the direction of my living room whereas the hand that had swatted me was close by.

Tank would be here any second, I figured, all I had to do was buy some time. He'd come up after the phone call, and Tank's phone calls never took more than a minute. While part of me hated needing to be rescued yet again, the part that wanted to survive was stronger and I prayed for Tank to get his ass upstairs.

But what if there was a RangeMan emergency, surely that would take precedence over playing this game? What if he had to leave and would call me from the car? I just couldn't let myself go in that direction, I had to focus on counting to 60, surely Tank would come barreling in then.

"Move," another voice said from behind, startling me out of my thoughts, and shoved me again.

"You think you're so smart, don't you?" I heard from in front of me just before I could make out the shape of a man.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, finally finding my voice. The only response I got was a slap in the face that made my head jerk to the side so far it hurt double. I'd counted to 35.

TBC

A/N: Who do you think is attacking Steph? And will Tank be there to save her? Or should Steph find a way to save herself? More importantly, do you think Tank and Steph should continue their little game???