When Frank was eight years old, his mother died in a car accident. There was always some suspicion about whether or not it wasn't really an accident, whether or not it was related to one of his father's cases. Frank knows what his dad thinks about it.

But before Laura Sanchez Hardy died, Frank used to watch his parents dance.

Laura had been a professional ballroom dancer, Fenton had met her when he was undercover one evening, chasing down a lead on a mafia case, and she'd completely swept the young detective off his feet.

There were many nights in Frank's childhood where he would crawl out of bed and sit on the stairs and watch his mother and father dance around the living room to the sound of Sinatra, Ray Charles, and Johnny Otis. They were so in love, even now that he's grown up and his memories of his mother are fuzzy and fading, he remembers that.

All he wants is that same kind of love for himself.

Sitting here at the bar watching Nancy and Ned dancing to Donna Summers, he sees everything he wants for himself. Frank doesn't want to be jealous. He just wants.

Ned sees the look in Frank's eyes, sees the longing, the desire. He's known Frank is in love with Nancy since before he met him. The descriptions of Frank in Nancy's letters, the dialogue from their interactions… Ned's not stupid, he knows what it is to be in love with Nancy Drew.

A normal guy would be pissed. A normal guy would pull Frank Hardy into an alley or back room and give him a reason to stay away from another man's girl.

Ned is not a normal guy though, and even if he was, Nancy is not a normal girl. Ned could never fool himself into believing that Nancy belonged to him, if anything it's the other way around. He is hers for as long as she wants him to be. If she needs more than what he can give, he'll do whatever it takes to make sure she gets it.

He swings Nancy closer to where Frank is leaning up against the bar and spins her around to push her toward Frank with a wink. The look on Nancy's face is surprised at first before breaking into the soft smile she always gives Frank, so similar to the one Ned knows is reserved for him. Frank seems panicked as Nancy wraps her arms around his neck and pulls him onto the dancefloor.

There's something about the way Nancy feels in his arms, she feels like home. She always has.

Her hair smells like flowers as she rests her head against his shoulder, Frank feels too big for his skin, awkward, clumsy, sweaty because he's nervous. Ned Nickerson probably never feels this uncool.

"Stop it."

Nancy's voice startles him out of his panic, and Frank looks down to see her peering up at him from beneath her eyelashes.

"Relax, Frank. Enjoy the moment."

The song changes from Donna singing "I love to love you baby" to the Jackson 5's Michael singing "Just call my name and I'll be there" and Frank pulls Nancy closer in his arms and thinks that no matter what happens, he will never love anyone else as much as he loves the woman in his arms.

There are a few things that everyone generally agrees are scary. Giant spiders for instance; very scary. Also, zombies, dolls, and demon possession and that's just looking at what the movies are saying these days.

Frank is of the opinion that Nancy Drew's "this asshole is going down" face should be added to the list.

"Nance, we can't just go busting in there to find a clue. There's too many goons around, we need to wait until they leave."

Maybe it's Nickerson's influence, (okay so it's definitely because of Nickerson) but lately, Frank's been a lot more careful about sleuthing. Getting caught and then getting rescued and having your ass kicked by your partner's boyfriend loses its charm after a while.

Nancy actually growls at him, never once taking her eyes off of the door to the warehouse that contains all of the evidence they need to take down the exotic animal smuggling operation being run out of River Heights' port. "Fine. But we're not leaving without evidence."

Frank sighs and leans back in his seat. He hates stakeouts. Endless waiting, watching goons pick their noses and catcall unfortunate female pedestrians… it's not his thing. Nancy, however… Nancy thrives on stakeouts. She says she does her best thinking while waiting for something else to happen.

Three hours, a cheeseburger, and two Hershey bars later, Frank is halfway between reality and the Land of Nod. Nancy has been monitoring the enemy troop movements, making notes in the chicken scratch she calls handwriting. Her hair is sticking up in all directions from continuously running her hands through it in frustration. There's a smear of ketchup on her shirt and gray pencil dust on her fingertips.

She looks gorgeous.

His eyes are half-closed, a sleepy, amused smile on his face when suddenly Nancy sits straight up and then throws herself at him.

"What the fu-" Frank manages right before her lips crash onto his. Her seatbelt is unbuckled so she slides over into his lap easily, her elbow only hitting the horn once.

"They saw the car," Nancy murmurs between kisses. "Two of 'em headed this way to check us out." Her hand slides through his hair, and god now is not the time for his dick to be getting interested. "We're just two college kids making out, they'll go away."

As far as deflection tactics go, kissing is definitely one of the better options. Frank just hopes that Nancy doesn't feel just how much he's enjoying it.

A burly, scowling dock worker taps on his window and they pretend to be surprised as they break apart, Nancy once again hitting the horn on the steering wheel.

"Listen, punk, this is a restricted area. You and your girl need to find yourselves another hot spot, okay?"

Frank pretends to be frustrated while Nancy noisily protests their eviction with some B.S. about the perfect harbor sunset view being oh so romantic.

"Do I look like I give a shit, princess? Get outta here!"

Frank starts the car and hollers a "Fine! Whatever, man, don't get your panties in a twist!" as he rolls the window back up. Nancy flops back into the passenger seat as he speeds off before the guy can take a shot at his tires.

"So close, fuck, we were so close."

Frank glances into the rearview to make sure they're not being followed as he tries to console her, "We can come back, you got a lot of info already, we can come back."

It's only after he drops Nancy off at her place and is driving home that the fact that he just made out with Nancy Drew in his car really hits him.

He doesn't talk to her for three days, he's so busy panicking about the car incident. Frank knows that there's no way she didn't notice how enthusiastically he responded to her, the way his arms had wrapped around her, his hands carding through her hair as his hips pressed up towards hers, the hardness in his jeans seeking the friction of her body.

There is no way she doesn't know how much he wants her now, and he cannot bear to face her.

On day four, his doorbell rings and she's standing there patiently with a smile on her face.

"I'm in love with you," Nancy says simply, and his heart flies straight off of a cliff and into the ocean of too many feelings to name.

"Ned knows," She continues, as calmly as if she were discussing the weather and not the fact that she feels the same way about him as he does about her. "I'm in love with him too, Frank. I love you both and I want you both and I've felt greedy and shameful for wanting more than I should but I know you want me too and…" Nancy pauses, pulls her lower lip between her teeth, tears at the flesh there, almost making it bleed with sudden insecurity; anxious in the light of his stunned silence.

Her hand stretches out to touch his face and he breathes in deeply, almost gasping, when she touches him, "Ned understands, he told me so. He understands and he's okay with it. Frank, do you understand?"

Nancy is not like other girls, she could never be like other girls, she gives so much and she needs so much. Her heart is big enough for two, she would require two hearts in return.

"I understand," Frank replies in a voice he barely recognizes as his own. "I understand, Nance."

He reaches for her, pulls her into his arms, and presses his forehead to hers, "I'm okay with it too."