Title: Unexpected Developments (Working title only)

Author: OleMissGal

Disclaimers: Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys are not mine. I'm just using them to amuse myself, and hopefully others. I'll relinquish them when I'm done. The characters are copyrights of The Stratemeyer Syndicate and Simon and Schuster.

Summary: Nancy Drew travels to Bayport to see her boyfriend, Frank Hardy, and to attend Joe Hardy and Vanessa Bender's wedding. Nancy has some startling news, that is all to soon overshadowed by a threat to stop the wedding, and possibly end Vanessa's life.

As Nancy Drew stepped off of the plane and into the jet way, her nervousness increased dramatically. This was her first trip to New York since she and Frank Hardy had become a couple two months earlier. He had visited her once in Chicago since the messy breakup and subsequent case involving Ned. She wasn't nervous at the prospect of spending the weekend with Frank, it was what she had to tell him that scared her to death.

The end of the jet way was in sight and Nancy valiantly fought back the tears and plastered a smile on her face. As she stepped out into the terminal, she took one look around the bustling airport and managed a genuine smile. It felt great to be back in New York; she had always loved the city that never slept. Nancy was excited at the few things that she and Frank planned on doing, after his younger brother Joe's wedding the following night.

The airport billboard signs showcased marketing for new Broadway shows, one of which Frank had gotten tickets for. Passing the posters, she took a quick detour into the ladies restroom to check her appearance. She sat her carry on bag on the counter and sighed at her reflection in the mirror. Nancy pulled out her brush and ran it quickly through her strawberry blond hair. A quick swipe of lipstick and she was back out into the packed terminal.

Making her way down the long terminal of JFK Airport, Nancy reflected on the past two months that she had shared with Frank. The most prominent memory was when he admitted that he loved her that night at the bar. She had been thrilled beyond belief, when he had finally uttered those words. Now, it was a daily occurrence to hear them, but it still didn't make them any less special.

A cheerful masculine voice shouting her name, broke her out of her reverie. She looked ahead and saw Frank's tall, lean frame waving at her from across the security checkpoint. 'You can do this, Drew' she told herself, shifting her bag from one hand to the other. Waving back, she weaved through the throngs of people to get to Frank.

Before she could even set her bag down, he had enveloped her in a bear hug. Frank crushed her against him and whispered in her ear, "God, I've missed you."

Nancy pulled back slightly as she looked up into his handsome face. "I've missed you, too," she said sincerely. She stretched up brushed her lips against his, in a soft kiss hello.

Frank took the bag out of Nancy's hand and wrapped his arm around her waist. He directed them to the escalator that led to the luggage carousels. "Tired?" he asked her, noting the look on her face.

Nancy nodded yes. "I was up at four a.m. to catch the early flight. And the baby crying in the seat behind me, made sure that I didn't get any sleep on the plane," she grinned ruefully.

"Well, you have plenty of time to rest before the rehearsal dinner tonight," Frank reminded her. "We don't have to be at the church until six tonight."

Turning her head to glance at him, Nancy raised her eyebrows in question. "You're forgetting about the lunch that your mother and Aunt Gertrude have planned for the girls today."

"That's right," Frank replied. "Well, you can still get in a nap before we have to be at my folk's house, or you can rest after the lunch."

Stopping in front of the luggage carousel for her flight, Nancy grinned at him and shook her head, "The only way that you're going to let me nap is if you leave the house."

Frank blushed and dropped a kiss on top of her head. "Can't blame a guy," he laughed.

Nancy shook her head in amusement, but it was true. On his last trip to Chicago, she and Frank spent more time in the apartment, than outside of it. Not that she minded, of course. However, today she was in dire need of a few hours of sleep.

The buzzer sounded and luggage began to appear on the conveyer belt. As the crowd rushed forward to claim their bags, Nancy spotted hers almost immediately. "How's that for lucky?" she grinned. "First bag out." She moved forward to grab the bag when she felt Frank's hand on her arm.

He shook his head and walked over to the carousel to retrieve her luggage for her. He deftly grabbed the moving bag and made his way back through the crowd. "Just this one?" he asked.

"That's all," Nancy responded. She double checked the tag to make sure it was really her bag, and then picked up her carry on once more. It was promptly taken from her hand again, and slung over Frank's shoulder.

"Always the gentleman," she teased, watching him shift the carry on and get a grip on her suitcase.

Grinning back, Frank replied, "Anything for you."

During the car ride to Frank's apartment on Long Island, Nancy had chatted with Frank about a myriad of topics as she gazed out the window at the passing scenery. She marveled in the beauty of the ocean and the quaint towns that littered the landscape.

After a long moment of silence, Frank reached over and touched Nancy's hand. "Nan," he asked, "are you okay?"

"Hmm?" she responded absentmindedly, taking in the beauty of their surroundings.

Frank laughed lightly as he repeated his question. "I asked if you were okay. You seem to be lost in your own little world over there."

"Just thinking," she replied, turning to flash him a dazzling smile.

"About?" he prompted.

"I'm sorry, Frank," Nancy told him. "I guess I just have a lot on my mind."

Frank glanced at her quizzically before focusing his attention back on the road. "Care to share?" he inquired.

Nancy sighed and turned her head to look back out the window. "Not right now," she admitted.

Squeezing her hand, Frank reigned in his desire to press her for more information. He had discovered recently when something was bothering her, that she would open up to him when she was ready to talk. "Well, whenever you want to talk about it, I'm ready to listen," he reminded her.

"Thank you," she said sincerely, squeezing his hand in return. She turned to face him once more and smiled, "You're too good to me." She shook her head slightly to clear the thoughts that were clouding her mind. Deciding to change the subject she raised an eyebrow and asked, "So, do I need to be worried about Joe's bachelor party tonight?"

Frank laughed and told her, "Not a chance. I might come stumbling home at three in the morning, but that's the only thing you need to be worried about. If I were you, I'd be more concerned about Vanessa's party tonight. I overhead Joe complaining to her that if Callie could hire a stripper for her party, he should be able to have one at his."

Chuckling in response Nancy said, "Sounds like something your brother would say." She cocked her head in question. "You got him one anyway, didn't you?"

Frank momentarily lifted his hands off the steering wheel in mock protest. "Guilty as charged. But I will say in my defense, it was the only way to get him to stop complaining about it."

"Sure, Hardy," Nancy teased.

Just then, Frank made a left hand turn off of the main road and onto a side street. The small neighborhood was comprised of mostly condos and townhouses, with Frank's being one of them. As he turned into the driveway, he pressed the button on the remote garage door opener and announced, "Home, sweet home."

Once the car was parked, Frank jumped out and retrieved her bags from the trunk. He guided her towards the door leading into the house and opened it for her.

"Wow," Nancy said, stepping into the beautiful condominium. She glanced around the sparkling kitchen, which afforded her a view into the spacious living room and said, "I'm impressed so far."

Frank stepped in front of her and motioned for him to follow her. "Come on, I'll give you the grand tour."

Nancy stopped momentarily in the quaintly decorated living room to look out at the small backyard. Trees were scattered around the tiny space, but it still resembled a real backyard, not a few squares of grass. A patio housed a few chairs, a small table, and of course, a grill.

She continued on, following Frank down a narrow hallway. He paused and opened the first door on the left. "This is the office," he told her.

"You should call it your library instead," Nancy joked. Frank had always been a voracious reader and the books that lined bookshelf after bookshelf reiterated that fact.

"It needs a fireplace and some leather winged back chairs to be called that," he laughed.

Shutting the door, he moved to the right of the hallway and opened the second door. "Guest bedroom." The room was light and airy, housing only a bed, small dresser, and night stand.

"So this is where I'll be bunking for the weekend, huh?" she grinned.

Frank shot her a mock dirty look and replied, "Not a snowball's chance in hell, Drew."

Nancy reached up and gave him a quick peck on the cheek. "Calm down. You know I was just teasing."

"You'd better be," he grinned, smoothing away a stray piece of hair from her forehead. Turning away, he motioned to the last door at the end of the hallway. "That's the guest bath there," he informed her. He turned around and led her back into the living room. A staircase was situated at the front of the room, directly opposite the front door.

When the reached the top of the landing, Nancy marveled at how much larger the house was on the inside than it had seemed from the outside. There was a large alcove to the right of the stairs that housed a entertainment center with a comfortable looking couch. "I spend most of my time up here," he said. "That's why the t.v. and all are up here instead of the living room."

"It's cozy," she commented as she followed him back across the landing and into the large master bedroom. "I wish my bedroom was this big," she complained, glancing around the large space. The room was tastefully decorated with a decidedly masculine flair, but it also seemed very inviting. Two doors, one leading to a bathroom and the other to a large walk-in closet were on the left wall. Expansive French doors were on the far wall, that led to a fair sized balcony.

"Jealous now?" he teased. "Wait until you take a peek at the bathroom." He pointed to a door on the left side of the room and waited for her reaction at seeing the space.

It didn't take Nancy long to return to the bedroom and say incredulously, "A jacuzzi tub?" She marched over to the bed and sat down with a dazzling grin. "That's it, I'm not leaving this room."

Frank walked over to the bed and sat down next to her. "Now that sounds like a plan," he murmured, his lips meeting hers in a searing kiss.

Softly moaning at the contact, Nancy pressed closer to him. With his lips still pressed to hers, Frank shook his head and reluctantly untangled himself from her arms. "As much as I want to continue this, you said that you wanted to take a nap, remember?"

Desire coursing through her veins Nancy sighed in defeat. "I probably should," she admitted. Smiling at him coyly she asked, "Nap with me?"

"I'll lay down with you until you fall asleep," Frank agreed. "I need to run to the shop and pick up my tuxedo for tomorrow. I'll do that while you nap."

"Fair enough," Nancy replied, stifling a yawn. She crawled up to the top of the bed and punched a pillow before laying her head down.

Frank stood, only to return a few seconds later with a blanket. He covered Nancy and then laid down beside her. She snuggled close and he wrapped his arm around her shoulders. Dropping a kiss of her forehead he whispered, "I love you."

Sighing in contentment she replied sleepily, "Love you, too."

It didn't take long for Nancy to fall asleep. As soon as Frank was sure that she wouldn't wake up, he gently removed his arm and rearranged the blanket across her sleeping form. Quietly, he made his way down the stairs to retrieve her bags from the kitchen. As he picked up her bags, he heard her cell phone ringing in her purse.

Frank made the quick decision to answer it, knowing that it could very well be work calling for an assignment, even though she was technically taking a long weekend off. He fished the phone out of the purse and pressed the talk button. "Hello?"

"Nancy Drew, please," a professional sounding female voice came over the line.

"She's actually taking a nap right now. May I ask who's calling?" Frank replied.

The voice on the other end laughed slightly. "This is Sherry from Dr. Walter's office. I'm just calling to confirm her appointment for Tuesday morning at 9 am."

"Okay," Frank answered, making a mental note of the message. He wondered absently what the person on the other end found so funny about Nancy napping. He glanced up at the clock and noted that it was nine forty- five Eastern time, which made it only eight forty-five in Chicago. Napping at that time of the morning did sound kind of ridiculous he thought.

The voice broke Frank out of his scattered thoughts. "Don't worry dear, the fatigue will go away by the end of this trimester."

"Trimester?" Frank managed to choke out in shock.

"I know, it does seem like a long time, but pregnancy takes a lot of energy out of a person. It, like the other symptoms, will pass soon enough. Don't forget to remind her of her appointment," the kind voice informed him.

"I won't," Frank said weakly. "Thank you." He quickly disconnected the call and sagged back against the kitchen counter. 'Pregnant?' he thought incredulously. 'Nancy's pregnant?' 'I can't believe she hasn't told me,' he thought angrily. As soon as the thought crossed his mind, he berated himself. He instantly remembered her somber mood earlier. She was obviously waiting to tell him, so that they could concentrate on the wedding festivities before she dropped the bombshell.

Frank ran a hand over his face and sighed. He wanted to run upstairs and wake her up and talk to her, but he decided to let her rest. In a haze, Frank grabbed his car keys and cell phone off the counter and headed to the garage.