Well, Happy 2013! It's been a pretty good year for me so far. Of course, we're only a day in... So this chapter is really short, and it's more fluff and filler than anything else. So I'll cut you a deal like I usually do with short chapters Leave a review and the next chapter will be up tomorrow/tonight depending on how things go! (is that evil of me? I'm not sure if that really follows fanfic etiquette. Let me know if you'd like to stop being bribed to review) Hopefully next chapter will include some action!

Thanks for putting up with me. And all the reviews! And the Favs and follows! It is soooo encouraging!

Disclaimer: I do not own Nancy Drew or the Hardy Boys

Trying to fall back asleep, Frank could only think about one thing.

Nancy.

The fact was stupid and cliché and it made him feel like a teenage boy again instead of a grown man. But she kept flashing through his mind, Nancy playing with her kids, Nancy with her hands on her hips with a stubborn expression, her laugh, her smile...

He had to face the facts. He was falling in love with Nancy Drew.

But it had to be the last thing she needed. All Nancy was trying to do was get her feet on the ground so that she could get her family in a stable environment. After Tom, he wouldn't blame her if she didn't trust people anymore. And she definitely wasn't going to want to be in another relationship. What would she think if she knew?

Frank made a mental note not to tell Joe his realization. He would never hear the end of it if he made that mistake.

His thoughts went back to Nancy, and her story. It seemed so unfair that she had lost everything. And still she had managed through it somehow, trying to do her best. He found his admiration of her growing as he thought about how she loved and protected her kids.

Groaning, Frank turned onto his other side, trying to get comfortable. He knew two things for sure. The first that he was falling in love with Nancy, and the second was that he couldn't have a relationship with her.

More importantly, Tom was out there, and he seemed bent on some sort of revenge. Frank was determined to stop him.

"Nancy, the police are looking for him, but last night he got away," Joe told Nancy at the breakfast table, glancing at the children playing in the living room. The broken window was boarded up. "But we filed a case against him, and there's a warrant for his arrest, and we have a restraining order."
"That's great," Nancy said, but the enthusiasm was a little forced. She felt Frank's gaze, and avoided looking at him.
Truth to be told, she had spent a lot of the night wondering what on earth she was doing, and was exhausted. Now that they were safe, she needed to figure out how to move on. On top of that, both Nick and Zoe had woken her up in the middle of the night at different times after they had had a nightmare. She was beginning to feel worried about what she was going to do, and about the fact that Tom knew where they were. She didn't want to have to borrow money, but it was looking like it was going to be inevitable. The thought just made her tired.

"Mommy, look at this stuffed animal," Zoe ran up and held a fluffy plush rabbit up.

"Very nice, Zoe," Nancy smiled. Zoe ran back to where she was playing with Nick and Ivan. Lizzy was also sitting there hugging a fuzzy blanket and laughing as Nick made stuffed animals bounce around her.

"Mommy, can..." Zoe stopped and shyly looked at Frank and Joe. Nick was standing next to Zoe with a conspiratorial grin.

"What is it Zoe?" Nancy asked. Zoe stood on her tiptoes to whisper into Nancy's ear. Nancy smiled.

"I think we can do that."

"What?" Joe asked curiously.

"We can't tell you!" Nick said triumphantly.

"It's a surprise," Zoe nodded.

"A surprise?! Are you sure you can't tell me?" Joe raised an eyebrow, making Zoe and Nick giggle.

"No, silly, or it wouldn't be a surprise," Nick laughed.

"Yeah, c'mon, silly," Frank grinned at his brother.

"Frank gets to know," Zoe decided. Nick nodded in agreement. Joe let his mouth fall open in an exaggerated pose of hurt. Nick and Zoe laughed.

"Nancy, your kids are hurting my feelings," Joe complained. Nancy grinned.

"No, no, you can't know because it's a surprise. But you'll know later, so you don't have to be sad," Zoe explained earnestly, taking him seriously.

"Well, alright," Joe sighed, and Zoe patted his leg comfortingly.

About half an hour later Nancy, Frank, Nick, Zoe, and Lizzy were all seated around the table with paper and colored pencils, markers, and crayons strewn all over.

"And then you cut out a flower, an' you draw one thing that you like about the person..." Zoe was explaining to Frank.

"Or something you're thankful for," Nick added.

"And then, we tape the paper flower to a stick, so when you have a lot, it makes a whole bunch," Zoe finished.

"It's called a thankfulness bouquet. We do them for people we're thankful for," Nick said, focusing on his drawing of spaghetti. "That's why we're doing it for Joe and Vanessa."

"And Ivan," Zoe added.

"Wow, what a neat idea," Frank said, touched. He glanced at Nancy.

"Yup. It's Mom's idea. We do them for each other on birthdays, and we've done one for Helen," Nick nodded.

"Who's Helen?" Frank asked, starting to draw a picture of a house on a cut-out flower shape.

"She was our neighbor, but she moved," Zoe said.

"She's really nice. Once we got to stay at her place overnight like a sleepover, because Charly wasn't home. That's why we made her the bouquet." Nick glanced at Frank.

"Charly was mean," Zoe said solemnly. "Look Frank, I'm drawing a stuffed animal." She held up her messy picture on the flower cut out.

"That's beautiful," Frank smiled. Zoe bashfully smiled at the compliment.

Nancy, watching Frank across the table, felt a strange rush of emotion. Watching the kind man interact with her children...

Nancy, no. You can't be involved in another relationship. You know the last two ended badly. You're not ready for that.

Still, Nancy just wanted to put everything with Tom behind her and start over. You know he doesn't like you, he's just trying to help you, Nancy told herself.

Frank gave her a concerned look, and Nancy quickly smiled at him, trying to look as though everything was alright.

When they were done making the thankfulness bouquet, and Nick and Zoe were presenting it to Joe and Vanessa, Nancy pulled Frank aside.

"Hey Frank, I need to go back to the apartment to pick up our stuff. We do have some stuff that I want, some of the kids' toys, I have a couple things I want..." she said quietly. "I didn't have enough space to grab it all the first time. I already asked Vanessa, and she said she'd be able to watch the kids while I go."

"I'm coming with you."

"Frank, don't worry about me, I just need a ride," Nancy huffed.

"Alright. But I'm coming up there with you," Frank insisted. Nancy felt a stab of irritation. Didn't he think that if she wanted to, she could handle things? If she didn't have kids there to protect, she felt that if she had to face Tom, she would be able to.

She had made up her mind about cutting off her relationship, and she was planning on following through with it. She didn't plan on letting Tom knock her around anymore.

Not that he'd get the chance.

"Nancy, please. We already know he's after you.," Frank frowned.

"Frank, I'm not a weak thing that needs to be protected," Nancy folded her arms. "Now that the kids are safe here, I'm not planning on letting him do anything. If I run into him, I'll just call the police."

"Nancy, I don't think you're weak. I would insist on accompanying Joe if he was possibly going to run into this man. Tom could be armed, or drunk, which would be dangerous for anybody. Nancy, believe me, I don't think you're weak," Frank said softly, staring intensely into Nancy's eyes. Nancy decided that his reasoning made sense.

"Okay, fine," she gave in. "Let's go."

Please review! Update might be tonight or tomorrow depending on how things go! Yes, I am bribing you to review. Please tell me if you find that annoying :)