Thank you, thank you, thank you for all your lovely reviews. As always, don't forget to keep giving me feedback! And anyone who favorites this story is automatically my best friend :) Keep safe and well, everyone.
This one is a big one! So, I hope you all like it!
Joe felt a bit overwhelmed, as he sat back and tried to take Bess in. She looked like an actual goddess, with the streetlamps behind her golden hair lighting it up, making a halo around her face.
The kiss... the confession. It was a lot.
"Anyway," she said, toying with an errant curl, "it was just... I just had to get it out there, you know. It's your choice, you know, what you want to do with that information. Our friendship is obviously really important to me, so if that's all you want, I can swallow my pride and stick with what we've got. I can. I just want-"
He touched her arm, touched by her self-conscious tone. "Bess, it's not that. It's... a lot, okay? I just need to think about all of this, because you're too important to be blase about. Blase, huh? Frank taught me that word. What do you reckon?"
She giggled. "It's very scholarly."
"I can teach you a lesson or two if you'd like-" Joe broke off. It was so easy to slip into the banter, the flirtation. But she needed something real, something tangible she could hold in her full hands. "Look, there's a lot going on right now. Dad, work, Nancy... but I like you, Bess. You know that. I want to see where this will go. Do you think you could feel your way with me?"
"Oh, I could feel my way with you any time."
"Do you wanna try that kissing thing, again? I'm sure it could persuade me?"
"I think so. It could definitely use some work."
As Joe and Bess finished their dinner and snuggled in the grass, Nancy and Frank were working. They sat on Frank's bed, looking over the photos they'd taken in the conference hall. The guard on duty had only given the foursome a short amount of time to search, and even Bess with her charm (mainly batted eyelashes and the odd squeeze of the guard's muscular arm) hadn't been able to buy them much more. So, Frank had meticulously photographed every object and angle. As he explained to Nancy, you couldn't be too thorough.
She wasn't so sure, as she glanced over the photographs that he'd uploaded to his laptop computer. There were a lot of photos of the spaces under the chairs. And she was sure Chircop's killer hadn't stowed a gun there. Her dad had been right. Anyone could have walked in with a gun and no one would have blinked.
"What's this?" she asked, coming across an image that showed her crouched on the stage. She wasn't looking at the camera, instead, her blue eyes were focussed on something out of frame. Probably out of sight. She was in such deep thought.
"You looked gorgeous," Frank replied with a shrug. "I know it's a weird time to notice something like that, but... it's hard not to. You're so beautiful, even when you're not trying to be."
Nancy supposed she did look alright in the photo. She was touched that he'd thought to capture the moment. And his words flooded her with warmth and affection. She let herself give him a small, soft smile. Then, shaking herself, she moved through the pictures. "I just… I don't get it. Chircop was vulnerable all the time, you know when he went off to do things. He left me alone so much. I never felt like I could guard him. He made it clear I was just there to check off a box for the FBI." She shuddered. "Why did they choose such a public place to execute him?"
Frank sighed. "I feel like it was a statement."
"Yeah, but to say what? None of the notes illuminated that, either."
"Well, Chircop must have known."
"I'm not so sure. He seemed like he was in the dark, as much as I was."
"Yeah, but how long was he receiving notes? Did he show you all of them? Did you really know the guy? You said it yourself, you thought he was odd, and he never really let you in. Maybe he was hiding something, after all-"
"Okay, Frank, I get it!" Nancy snapped. "I messed up."
Frank realized he'd pushed too hard. He grabbed her hand, tried pulling her to him.
But she resisted, so he let her go.
"Nancy, I get it, okay? I get that you feel responsible for this. But you can't. You just can't. Your boss made a calculated risk, by not taking those threats seriously, but shutting you out. What are you going to, tear yourself to bits because you couldn't read his mind?"
When Nancy jutted her jaw stubbornly, Frank sighed. "I know you, Nance. You'll work yourself to the bones, and you'll be no use to anyone. Look, our hands are full: my dad, your boss, this conference… emotions are running high, so we'll all have to preserve our strength."
"Right. And there's nothing in this for you?" Nancy demanded.
"Wait… what? What do you mean, Nance?"
"If I give us this if I cuddle up with you right here and now, we can pretend there's nothing else going on. We can focus on us, just like you've always wanted."
Frank wasn't sure how to respond to that. "That's not-"
"Yeah? Well, I've got work to do. We clearly don't see eye to eye on things, so I don't know why I expected you to understand this." Nancy got up, donned her jacket, and marched to the door. Her eyes flashed as she glanced back at him. "There's a reason we had problems, Frank, and a few nights in won't fix them. I think I just need some time to myself."
"But the cases-"
"Will get solved. But I think we need some time apart."
Frank was staring moodily at his comforter and his copies of the photos in turn when Joe waltzed in over an hour later.
"Why do you look so happy?" he asked.
His words might have come out a little jagged because Joe's eyes immediately narrowed. Before Frank could put the conversation in reverse, Joe was throwing a cushion at him.
"Gee don't take it out on me, because you couldn't get laid! And I know you came up short because you're still in this room AKA the ultimate bachelor pad. If you must know, Bess and I had a nice night out. And she might have sprung a kiss on me. Happy?"
"A kiss?... Wow. Congratulations."
"Thanks. I'm still not sure what I'm going to do with it. She seems to want me, like, you know, the real deal, the whole meal. And I'm still not sure about the long haul. But… I'm tempted." Joe focussed on his older brother. "But that's my problem. Seriously, why the long face?"
"You know, the usual. I think I underestimated Nancy… again. She's all tied up in knots."
"Yeah, well... you both are. This thing is an emotional rollercoaster, and not in a good way. But you should be on it together, through all of it, ups and downs."
"I know. But… I don't know how to do it her way. I can't. When I'm hurt and down, the last thing I want to do is be alone. I want to reach out. But whenever I get too close, she pushes me away. I feel like it's just me. Tell me it isn't?"
"It isn't, bro. Bess and George have stopped asking if she wants help. They just show up, nowadays. Maybe you should take a page out of their book."
"Yeah. Right. I feel like that would make things worse. Besides, I don't want to keep pushing, being the one to try and break down those walls. I want her to want to be with me, for her to want to help me because this is killing me too. I'm struggling, just as much."
Joe walked to the window and looked out into the darkness. "I know, bro. I can't stop thinking about him. I should be thinking about Bess. I am, but Dad's there, in the back of my mind. He's a tough guy, but is that enough? I'm worried he's out there all alone. And if he needs help, how can we when we don't even know where he is?"
Nancy knew, as soon as she left Frank's hotel, that she'd made a mistake. She wanted to turn around, to tell him she'd made a fool of herself, but then she'd be putting the focus on them. And she really needed to look at the case some more. Besides, it wasn't just her case anymore. His dad could be in danger, and there was literal blood on her hands. Everything was so much bigger than her relationship.
But it always was. She was an FBI agent. There would always be a case, something that needed her attention. And she would always be putting Frank aside until she had the time. Was that a sustainable practice? Nancy wasn't so sure but she didn't know how else they could make it work.
She'd send him a text later, she decided. She'd apologize, whatever she needed to do.
As she walked, trying to clear her head, she became aware of a car, silently moving behind her. Maybe they were lost? But Nancy couldn't see any windows down. They were all raised, tinted, obscuring the driver's features. That alone made her skin prick.
She raised her phone, feigning a glance at the time. Instead, she took a quick snap of the number plate. As she did so, her phone began to ring.
The driver was obviously spooked because they sped up and into the night.
"Thanks, Finn," Nancy said. "I think I owe you one."
One the other side of Chicago, Fenton Hardy wrestled with his bindings. He wasn't sure what time it was, but he could tell it was late. Shadows formed in the creases of the room, and his stomach grumbled. He was surrounded by takeout boxes, but it had been days since he'd seen a crumb. But he wouldn't speak. Even if it meant he starved.
"You can't break your thumbs again, Fenton," a voice said, as the door opened. A shadow filled the empty space. "So, I'd stop struggling, preserve your strength. I've got pizza."
"And you can shove it where the sun don't shine," Fenton snapped.
"That's a shame. You're growing weak."
"And tired of your bullshit."
"Yeah, well, I've already killed one guy this week, so I'd recommend you put a lid on it. That's unless you want a bullet in you, just like the last guy."