"I'll take Paul, you check on Nan," Joe ordered and took off running
towards the street.
Frank rushed towards and knelt down next to her, while she attempted to sit up. "You okay?" he asked worriedly.
"I'm fine," Nancy promised him. "I'll be sore as hell tomorrow, though. The floor is harder than it looks," she managed to joke.
Frank offered her his hand and helped her to her feet. He pulled her in a warm embrace and whispered, "You scared me."
"You scared me, too," Nancy replied. She pulled back from his embrace and smacked him solidly on the arm. "That's for taking off after the nut job yourself."
"Hello, Pot, this is the Kettle calling," Frank snorted. "Need I remind you that because you took off by yourself, is how we ended up in this position?"
Nancy sighed. "Point taken," she acquiesced. "The silver lining to this whole night is that we're both okay."
Just then a few of Chicago's finest burst through the doors that led from the lobby. "You're late," Nancy dead panned as the police hurried towards the couple.
"What happened?" Detective Kinnan asked. She motioned for the two officers behind her to survey the scene at the garage entrance.
Frank and Nancy quickly filled the Detective in on what had transpired moments earlier.
The detective sighed as she listened the story. When the two were done explaining themselves she fixed a steely glaze on Frank. "I could call your supervisor and take your badge for what you did tonight. It was foolish and plain dangerous going after the suspect without backup. Especially since you were aware of his violent history."
Frank clenched his jaw as he received the reprimand. "I know. I'm sorry," he said forced himself to say.
"But the suspect was subdued by us after he evaded your men," Nancy said, defending Frank's actions, although not approving of them, either.
"I didn't say I was reporting him," Sarah Kinnan answered. "I said I could."
"Thank you, ma'am," Frank replied, sincerely. He knew his decision had been a rash and emotional one, but he felt at the time like he had no choice.
"We're going to need another statement from you two," Detective Kinnan told them. She picked up her walkie talkie and radioed for another officer to come and take down their information.
A few seconds later, the three saw Joe come rushing back up into the garage. The blonde Hardy was out of breath and sweating, despite the cold temperatures.
"Did you get him?" Frank asked his younger brother.
Joe shook his head in a negative response. "No," he rasped. "He's gone."
"Gone?" the three chorused in unison.
"What do you mean, gone?" Sarah asked the young man in front of her.
"Just what I said," Joe panted. "He's gone." He wiped the sweat off of his brow before continuing. "When I got out to the car, the passenger side door was open and there was no one inside. I thought I saw him running down the street, so I took off after him. When I caught up with the person I was following, it wasn't him."
Nancy and Frank shook their heads in disbelief. "He can't be far," Nancy protested. "He's got a bullet hole in his shoulder and he's on foot, for crying out loud."
The brunette picked up her radio once more and alerted all officers in the building of their missing suspect. That task completed, she replaced her radio back on it's clip and returned her attention to the three in front of her. Detective Kinnan rubbed a hand over her tired face. "Okay boys and girls, I'm placing the three of you under 24 hour police protection until we catch this guy."
"Not necessary," Frank interrupted. "We're staying at the Hyatt over on Wacker Street, not at her apartment. He has no idea we're there."
"Frank's right," Nancy continued. "So far, he's only been to my apartment and here. He has no way to trace us to the hotel."
"Fine, have it your way," Sarah relented. "Just let us handle this, and I promise that we'll get him." Frank, Nancy, and Joe all glanced at each other but didn't say anything.
Moments later, another officer walked up to the four. "This is Officer William Culbertson. He'll be taking your statements. I'm going to go get an update from some of the other officers out front and then start on the ungodly amount of paperwork that you three have caused to me to have to fill out tonight."
The trio of friends chuckled slightly and said goodnight to the Detective. "Call me if you need anything," she offered before walking away.
Joe reached into his pocket and grabbed the card she had given him earlier. He flashed a smile at her and "Got it covered."
Nancy and Frank stared at Joe who was obviously flirting with the officer. But before they could question his actions, Officer Culbertson pulled out his notepad and began asking questions of his own.
A few hours later, after stopping at a late night diner, the trio found themselves back at the hotel. Once they had gotten Joe checked in, they headed up to Frank and Nancy's room to finalize their action plan for the following day.
Nancy reclined on the bed leaning against Frank while he gently massaged her sore muscles, and Joe relaxed on the loveseat as they discussed their plan.
"So, tomorrow," Nancy sighed tiredly, "We'll check on Amy and see if she can give us any leads of where Paul might be hiding out."
"Ned might be able to offer some ideas too," Frank pointed out.
"You're right," Nancy replied, as she relaxed into Frank's soothing touch.
"Actually," Joe stated, "If I can use your computer in the morning, bro, I can access the agency's files and compile a list of properties that Paul and his brother own. That will at least give us a jumping off point."
"Sounds like a plan," Frank answered.
Joe yawned and stretched as he stood up from the couch. "I'm gonna go all Van so I can listen to her yell at me for not calling earlier. Then I'm going to bed."
Nancy laughed at Joe's predicament. "So you've gotten yelled at by two women tonight, huh, Joe?"
Joe shot a pointed look at his brother. "I told you she'd yell at me."
"You're still alive, aren't you?" Frank laughed. He knew his brother had been right, when he said that Nancy would be worried and would take it out on Joe.
Joe smiled slyly at Nancy as he walked towards the door. "I'd watch out if I were you, Frank. That one's got a temper. Stay as far away from her bad side as you possibly can." He quickly ducked out the door as he saw Nancy pick up a pillow and aim for his head.
Frank chuckled as the pillow flew across the room and landed where Joe had been standing. "Night!" they heard Joe call from the hallway.
"Even though he is a pain in the neck, I'm glad he's here," Nancy commented.
"He did save you tonight," Frank commented, still massaging Nancy's shoulders. "Even though I almost got you killed," he added softly.
"We both pulled some foolish stunts, tonight," Nancy admitted. "But we're still here."
Frank placed a soft kiss on Nancy's neck as he continued his ministrations. "It was too close for comfort tonight, though."
"I know," Nancy sighed, as she thought about the night's events. She had been scared to death when she saw Paul and Frank grappling for the gun. She could only imagine how he felt watching her being taken hostage while having a gun pointed at her head.
Nancy groaned as Frank's hands hit a particularly sore spot on her back. "As good as this feels, I think I'm going to go soak in the tub for while."
Frank released his hold on her and Nancy stood up from the bed. "While you're in the bath, I'm going to go hunt down the conference administrator and let him know why I won't be attending tomorrow."
Nancy turned around as she heard Frank's words. "I forgot all about your conference," she said. "Frank, I don't want you to get in trouble with the department. Go to your workshops. Joe and I can do some leg work tomorrow while you're in your classes."
"No way," Frank protested, standing up and putting his hands on her shoulders. "Not after what we went through today. I plan on calling my Captain first thing in the morning and explaining the situation to him. He's a pretty understanding guy. Plus, there's another guy here from my department as well. He can fill me in on what I miss."
Nancy's blue eyes looked up at Frank's deep brown ones. She saw the insistence in his expression and knew that he wouldn't change his mind. "Fine." Nancy stretched up and gave Frank a light kiss on the lips. "See you in a few."
Thirty minutes later Frank returned to the hotel room and noted that the bathroom door was still shut. He knocked lightly on the door and called her name. "Nancy?"
Getting no answer, Frank knocked again, this time louder. "Nan, you okay?" he called out. Again, Nancy didn't answer him. Frank was getting concerned, so he opened up the bathroom door and peeked his head inside. He saw her fast asleep, reclining in the bathtub. Her reddish blonde hair piled on top of her head which was resting against the cool tile.
Frank chuckled softly to himself for being so paranoid and quietly walked over to the bathtub. 'The events of the past day must have been harder on her than she let on,' he thought to himself as he made his way to her side. He briefly let his eyes wander over her sleeping form that was hiding beneath the rapidly disappearing bubbles, before placing a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Nan, wake up," he called softly.
Nancy's eyelids fluttered open at the touch, "What?" she asked still unaware of her surroundings.
"You fell asleep," Frank laughed.
"Great," Nancy groused sleepily. "I'm going to be one big prune when I get out."
Frank grinned at her as he held up the towel for her to step into. "Here you go, Sleeping Beauty."
Nancy lifted herself out of the tub and Frank wrapped the towel around her wet body, pulling her close to him.
"I'm getting you all wet," Nancy protested, returning the embrace.
"I don't care," Frank whispered huskily, as his mouth descended on hers. He reluctantly pulled away a few moments later. "You need your sleep," he reminded her.
Nancy nodded as she reached behind her and grabbed the towel with one hand. "We both need to get some rest," she replied.
Frank stepped back and motioned her out of the bathroom. "I'm going to jump in the shower, I'll be out in a minute."
Collecting her belongings Nancy made her way to the door. "Make it a cold one, or we really won't get any sleep tonight," she laughed.
"Cute, Nan. Real cute," Frank grinned back at her as she slipped out into the bedroom. He pulled the drain on the tub, and as the water flowed away he let his thoughts drift to what was happening between him and Nancy. He had been so terrified when Paul grabbed her. "It was all your fault, Hardy," he berated himself. If he hadn't gone off half-cocked chasing after Paul, that never would've happened. He would've never forgiven himself if something had happened to her because of the dumb move he made by taking after Paul on his own.
He shook of the morbid thoughts as the gurgling of the remaining water going down the drain caught his attention. Frank quickly disrobed and turned on the streaming shower. Underneath the tepid temperature of the water, he promised himself that as soon as the case was wrapped up, he was going to sit Nancy down and have a long talk about their newfound relationship.
A few minutes later, Frank had finished his shower and had changed into a fresh pair of boxers. As he made his way into the darkened bedroom, he could hear Nancy's soft breathing indicating that she was already fast asleep. He pulled the covers on his side of the bed back, and crawled inside. Laying on his side, he threw an arm around her waist and held her tight. Before drifting off to sleep, Frank said a thankful prayer that they had both escaped the evenings events unharmed.
Frank rushed towards and knelt down next to her, while she attempted to sit up. "You okay?" he asked worriedly.
"I'm fine," Nancy promised him. "I'll be sore as hell tomorrow, though. The floor is harder than it looks," she managed to joke.
Frank offered her his hand and helped her to her feet. He pulled her in a warm embrace and whispered, "You scared me."
"You scared me, too," Nancy replied. She pulled back from his embrace and smacked him solidly on the arm. "That's for taking off after the nut job yourself."
"Hello, Pot, this is the Kettle calling," Frank snorted. "Need I remind you that because you took off by yourself, is how we ended up in this position?"
Nancy sighed. "Point taken," she acquiesced. "The silver lining to this whole night is that we're both okay."
Just then a few of Chicago's finest burst through the doors that led from the lobby. "You're late," Nancy dead panned as the police hurried towards the couple.
"What happened?" Detective Kinnan asked. She motioned for the two officers behind her to survey the scene at the garage entrance.
Frank and Nancy quickly filled the Detective in on what had transpired moments earlier.
The detective sighed as she listened the story. When the two were done explaining themselves she fixed a steely glaze on Frank. "I could call your supervisor and take your badge for what you did tonight. It was foolish and plain dangerous going after the suspect without backup. Especially since you were aware of his violent history."
Frank clenched his jaw as he received the reprimand. "I know. I'm sorry," he said forced himself to say.
"But the suspect was subdued by us after he evaded your men," Nancy said, defending Frank's actions, although not approving of them, either.
"I didn't say I was reporting him," Sarah Kinnan answered. "I said I could."
"Thank you, ma'am," Frank replied, sincerely. He knew his decision had been a rash and emotional one, but he felt at the time like he had no choice.
"We're going to need another statement from you two," Detective Kinnan told them. She picked up her walkie talkie and radioed for another officer to come and take down their information.
A few seconds later, the three saw Joe come rushing back up into the garage. The blonde Hardy was out of breath and sweating, despite the cold temperatures.
"Did you get him?" Frank asked his younger brother.
Joe shook his head in a negative response. "No," he rasped. "He's gone."
"Gone?" the three chorused in unison.
"What do you mean, gone?" Sarah asked the young man in front of her.
"Just what I said," Joe panted. "He's gone." He wiped the sweat off of his brow before continuing. "When I got out to the car, the passenger side door was open and there was no one inside. I thought I saw him running down the street, so I took off after him. When I caught up with the person I was following, it wasn't him."
Nancy and Frank shook their heads in disbelief. "He can't be far," Nancy protested. "He's got a bullet hole in his shoulder and he's on foot, for crying out loud."
The brunette picked up her radio once more and alerted all officers in the building of their missing suspect. That task completed, she replaced her radio back on it's clip and returned her attention to the three in front of her. Detective Kinnan rubbed a hand over her tired face. "Okay boys and girls, I'm placing the three of you under 24 hour police protection until we catch this guy."
"Not necessary," Frank interrupted. "We're staying at the Hyatt over on Wacker Street, not at her apartment. He has no idea we're there."
"Frank's right," Nancy continued. "So far, he's only been to my apartment and here. He has no way to trace us to the hotel."
"Fine, have it your way," Sarah relented. "Just let us handle this, and I promise that we'll get him." Frank, Nancy, and Joe all glanced at each other but didn't say anything.
Moments later, another officer walked up to the four. "This is Officer William Culbertson. He'll be taking your statements. I'm going to go get an update from some of the other officers out front and then start on the ungodly amount of paperwork that you three have caused to me to have to fill out tonight."
The trio of friends chuckled slightly and said goodnight to the Detective. "Call me if you need anything," she offered before walking away.
Joe reached into his pocket and grabbed the card she had given him earlier. He flashed a smile at her and "Got it covered."
Nancy and Frank stared at Joe who was obviously flirting with the officer. But before they could question his actions, Officer Culbertson pulled out his notepad and began asking questions of his own.
A few hours later, after stopping at a late night diner, the trio found themselves back at the hotel. Once they had gotten Joe checked in, they headed up to Frank and Nancy's room to finalize their action plan for the following day.
Nancy reclined on the bed leaning against Frank while he gently massaged her sore muscles, and Joe relaxed on the loveseat as they discussed their plan.
"So, tomorrow," Nancy sighed tiredly, "We'll check on Amy and see if she can give us any leads of where Paul might be hiding out."
"Ned might be able to offer some ideas too," Frank pointed out.
"You're right," Nancy replied, as she relaxed into Frank's soothing touch.
"Actually," Joe stated, "If I can use your computer in the morning, bro, I can access the agency's files and compile a list of properties that Paul and his brother own. That will at least give us a jumping off point."
"Sounds like a plan," Frank answered.
Joe yawned and stretched as he stood up from the couch. "I'm gonna go all Van so I can listen to her yell at me for not calling earlier. Then I'm going to bed."
Nancy laughed at Joe's predicament. "So you've gotten yelled at by two women tonight, huh, Joe?"
Joe shot a pointed look at his brother. "I told you she'd yell at me."
"You're still alive, aren't you?" Frank laughed. He knew his brother had been right, when he said that Nancy would be worried and would take it out on Joe.
Joe smiled slyly at Nancy as he walked towards the door. "I'd watch out if I were you, Frank. That one's got a temper. Stay as far away from her bad side as you possibly can." He quickly ducked out the door as he saw Nancy pick up a pillow and aim for his head.
Frank chuckled as the pillow flew across the room and landed where Joe had been standing. "Night!" they heard Joe call from the hallway.
"Even though he is a pain in the neck, I'm glad he's here," Nancy commented.
"He did save you tonight," Frank commented, still massaging Nancy's shoulders. "Even though I almost got you killed," he added softly.
"We both pulled some foolish stunts, tonight," Nancy admitted. "But we're still here."
Frank placed a soft kiss on Nancy's neck as he continued his ministrations. "It was too close for comfort tonight, though."
"I know," Nancy sighed, as she thought about the night's events. She had been scared to death when she saw Paul and Frank grappling for the gun. She could only imagine how he felt watching her being taken hostage while having a gun pointed at her head.
Nancy groaned as Frank's hands hit a particularly sore spot on her back. "As good as this feels, I think I'm going to go soak in the tub for while."
Frank released his hold on her and Nancy stood up from the bed. "While you're in the bath, I'm going to go hunt down the conference administrator and let him know why I won't be attending tomorrow."
Nancy turned around as she heard Frank's words. "I forgot all about your conference," she said. "Frank, I don't want you to get in trouble with the department. Go to your workshops. Joe and I can do some leg work tomorrow while you're in your classes."
"No way," Frank protested, standing up and putting his hands on her shoulders. "Not after what we went through today. I plan on calling my Captain first thing in the morning and explaining the situation to him. He's a pretty understanding guy. Plus, there's another guy here from my department as well. He can fill me in on what I miss."
Nancy's blue eyes looked up at Frank's deep brown ones. She saw the insistence in his expression and knew that he wouldn't change his mind. "Fine." Nancy stretched up and gave Frank a light kiss on the lips. "See you in a few."
Thirty minutes later Frank returned to the hotel room and noted that the bathroom door was still shut. He knocked lightly on the door and called her name. "Nancy?"
Getting no answer, Frank knocked again, this time louder. "Nan, you okay?" he called out. Again, Nancy didn't answer him. Frank was getting concerned, so he opened up the bathroom door and peeked his head inside. He saw her fast asleep, reclining in the bathtub. Her reddish blonde hair piled on top of her head which was resting against the cool tile.
Frank chuckled softly to himself for being so paranoid and quietly walked over to the bathtub. 'The events of the past day must have been harder on her than she let on,' he thought to himself as he made his way to her side. He briefly let his eyes wander over her sleeping form that was hiding beneath the rapidly disappearing bubbles, before placing a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Nan, wake up," he called softly.
Nancy's eyelids fluttered open at the touch, "What?" she asked still unaware of her surroundings.
"You fell asleep," Frank laughed.
"Great," Nancy groused sleepily. "I'm going to be one big prune when I get out."
Frank grinned at her as he held up the towel for her to step into. "Here you go, Sleeping Beauty."
Nancy lifted herself out of the tub and Frank wrapped the towel around her wet body, pulling her close to him.
"I'm getting you all wet," Nancy protested, returning the embrace.
"I don't care," Frank whispered huskily, as his mouth descended on hers. He reluctantly pulled away a few moments later. "You need your sleep," he reminded her.
Nancy nodded as she reached behind her and grabbed the towel with one hand. "We both need to get some rest," she replied.
Frank stepped back and motioned her out of the bathroom. "I'm going to jump in the shower, I'll be out in a minute."
Collecting her belongings Nancy made her way to the door. "Make it a cold one, or we really won't get any sleep tonight," she laughed.
"Cute, Nan. Real cute," Frank grinned back at her as she slipped out into the bedroom. He pulled the drain on the tub, and as the water flowed away he let his thoughts drift to what was happening between him and Nancy. He had been so terrified when Paul grabbed her. "It was all your fault, Hardy," he berated himself. If he hadn't gone off half-cocked chasing after Paul, that never would've happened. He would've never forgiven himself if something had happened to her because of the dumb move he made by taking after Paul on his own.
He shook of the morbid thoughts as the gurgling of the remaining water going down the drain caught his attention. Frank quickly disrobed and turned on the streaming shower. Underneath the tepid temperature of the water, he promised himself that as soon as the case was wrapped up, he was going to sit Nancy down and have a long talk about their newfound relationship.
A few minutes later, Frank had finished his shower and had changed into a fresh pair of boxers. As he made his way into the darkened bedroom, he could hear Nancy's soft breathing indicating that she was already fast asleep. He pulled the covers on his side of the bed back, and crawled inside. Laying on his side, he threw an arm around her waist and held her tight. Before drifting off to sleep, Frank said a thankful prayer that they had both escaped the evenings events unharmed.