Disclaimer: I don't own them I just have a lot of fun writing them!
Pitaqueen: Good job on noticing that!
Katie Janeway: Thanks for all of your support!
Lord Dreadnault: If you're reading this then I want to tell you to get that new chapter up that you've been working on. I've been waiting to read the next chapter for a while.
Frank and Nancy had carefully looked over the missile careful not to trigger anything that would be around. "Frank I think that I found something." Nancy carefully removed a piece of paper that was tightly wedged ion the crack.
Frank looked over her shoulder to see what it said. "ESACEHTFFOYATS," over and over on the paper.
"That doesn't make sense." Nancy said more to herself than anyone else.
"I know that it doesn't but it sounds like we are being warned off the case." Frank told her out loud.
"I know." She didn't understand exactly what was going on bit she knew that did look awfully familiar. 'Where have I seen this before?"
"What is it Nan?" Frank asked. She had been like this since they found the paper in the missile.
"I don't know Frank. There is something about the way those words were written that seemed awful familiar to me and I can't put my finger on it." Just as she said this Joe came up to them.
"What have you found out since we last talked?" Nancy was tired. She hadn't slept the night before.
"I'm hungry can I tell you over lunch?" He asked.
"Sure." Nancy chuckled. Only Joe would be hungry at all hours like this.
"Nancy what's..." he had started to ask until he saw a blond walk across the parking lot with a tight skirt and a halter top.
"Joe?" Frank asked when his brother didn't finish his question. He followed his gaze and groaned. "You will never change."
Nancy turned off the car and shook her head. "No he won't." She agreed. He needs to find a girl that will make him chase her.
Nancy went in reserving a table of three for them. Frank and Joe were trailing behind. "Hey, bro, how are you holding up?"
"I'm doing better." Frank answered. He felt like disappearing sometimes when he thought about what happened to his fiancée.
"Why don't you let anyone help you?" Joe asked to his big brother. He had been avoiding this subject with his brother but he knew that they wouldn't be able to skirt around it anymore. They had to face the situation because he didn't know how much longer they could go on like this. He missed the old comraderie that they used to share.
"Guys, come on our table is ready." A female voice interrupted the conversation.
"Coming Nan." Joe called.
"Okay Joe what do you have?" Nancy asked after they ordered their food.
"Well I know that this terrorist group that we are dealing with doesn't like the second, or Chauven as he refers to himself. The man that had been talking while I was hiding behind some of the crates said something about him being paranoid." Joe looked at Nan.
"He should be paranoid. I don't understand how he became second so fast. It's only been three years." Nancy had paled as they talked about her former fiancée.
She shouldn't have to go through this. Nan would have been better off if he had been killed in front of her very eyes. Frank looked at her and wished that he could help her with her pain.
The table had just gone 10 degrees colder and it wasn't because it was beginning to get chilly outside. Joe was looking at his brother and their friend. I hope that the people that have hurt them never get to them because I don't know how to help them.
The waitress showed up then with the food. Joe did a double take when he looked at her. It was the same woman that he had seen earlier go into the restaurant. He turned all the Hardy charm that he could. "Hi," he looked at her name tag, "Melissa, would you like to join us?"
Frank and Nancy broke out of their thoughts when they heard this. The waitress looked at him like he was crazy. "No I have to work. Thank you though." She politely smiled.
"Looks like you found the perfect girl Joe. The one who ignores all your charms." Nancy commented with a ghost of a smile. The depressed feeling that was hanging around the table slowly disappeared.
Frank laughed at Nancy's comment and Joe scowled. "Hey, I haven't been on a date in a month because we have been working." He defended himself.
Nancy had to laugh about that. "Only a month Joe?" She half asked as he choked on the shrimp that he had ordered.
The depression that had been running around the table was gone now and Nancy told them all about her goddaughter. She told them about Bess's husband to be and that before she had left Bess had told to be sure that they were done with their work on time to be at the wedding.
"We didn't bring anything to wear for this wedding that she is getting ready to have. We didn't even know that she was getting ready to get married." Joe whispered.
"I'm sorry I guess we haven't been staying in contact very well with you guys since.." She stopped not feeling like eating anymore. "I'm ready to go home." She stated not thinking about the fact that they were out of town on a case.
Frank threw his brother a look that said, "Take care of everything in here and I'll take care of her. Joe understood and did just that.
Nancy knew that Frank would follow her out but didn't really want him to. "Frank, go away." She whispered.
"I can't do that Nan." He whispered as he wrapped his arms around her waist.
Nancy wouldn't admit that his arms brought her a little comfort anyways. "Why?"
"Neither of us can keep on like we have. You used to work with us quite a bit and then you stopped talking to us." Nancy started to say something but he turned her around and shook his head. "Let me finish." He stated simply and she didn't say anything. "We were chosen to work together because we work flawlessly as a team. We can't do that though if we don't get our problems solved."
"Look who's talking. Your fiancée was shot in front of you." Nancy whispered.
She saw Frank cringe at that comment. "I know but I won't help the situation either. Do you really think that Joe is going to allow us to not talk about this? I wouldn't even let him go on as long as we have without talking about what happened to Iola. I finally sat down and made him talk. He isn't going to allow it to sit any longer and I can tell."
Nancy was shocked. Frank had actually made Joe talk. If he had made Joe talk them what would Joe do to them?
"Okay ready guys." Joe looked like he was content.
"You must have finished eating everything else that was on the plates." Nancy said at the content look.
"Yep. Thanks to my brother and his girlfriend needing to talk." Joe waited to see what the reaction would be.
Frank clenched his jaw together. "So did you get the waitress's number?" Frank inquired as the three climbed into the rental.
Joe looked rather grim in a boyish way. "No. She told me that I was a jerk and that she didn't want to see me."
"Ouch. I bet she doesn't even know your name." Nancy started up the car.
"Well Romeo it will be alright. There are other fish in the sea." Frank could feel his brother's glare on his back.
"Where to now?" Joe questioned Nancy seeing that she was the one driving.
"We're going to the hotel to drop off your bags and then we have some leads to follow." Nancy answered.
On the drive to the hotel everything had become quiet as each of them was lost in his or her own thoughts.
At the hotel Nancy checked to see if they had any messages and as luck had it they didn't.
Joe carried his luggage upstairs and put it in their room. "Where does Nancy stay?" Joe asked out of curiosity.
"In here." Frank's answer was short and to the point.
"So have you and Nancy..." Joe began to say.
"Joe you have a dirty mind. This is the only room that they had." Frank retorted hotly before he could even finish such a thought.
Maybe I can trap them in a room somewhere and they actually have to talk. I know that they like each other and I want to see them together. Joe's thoughts were interrupted by Nancy coming in and dialing the phone. "Nan who are you calling?"
"Bess. I want to know that she holding up alright. Her wedding is in four days and I also need to get George to pick up my gown." She finished dialing. While the phone rang she pulled out her suitcase to get some clothes out that she would need.
"Hey, Bess, How are you doing?" Frank heard her and put on the speaker.
"Nan was I just switched to the speaker?" Bess's voice came over as Nancy put the receiver on the phone.
"Yeah, I think Frank wants to say 'hi.'"
"You're with Frank!" Bess exclaimed as she called for George. "Where's Joe?"
"I'm right here Bess." Joe sat on the other bed that was in the room.
"Joe, are you coming to the wedding?" Bess was almost squealing.
"We will definitely try." He promised.
"Hey, what about me?" I'm the one that has to fly them back." Frank acted insulted.
"You don't have to fly us back. I can fly just as well as you can." Nancy gently pushed him off the bed.
"What was that? I heard a thump in there."
"That was Nancy being mean." Frank threw Nancy a look that made her want to laugh. She knew that he would get her back later.
"Ahhhhhhhhhh, is poor Frank being pushed around by a girl." Bess was giggling over the line.
Joe was laughing silently at the two that were in front of him. He wondered what Frank would do to her later.
"You're invited to Frank." Bess finally subsided her giggling enough to talk.
"Bess I was wondering if you could pick up the dress I'm supposed to wear to you wedding." Nancy finally got the question out that she had originally called for.
"Yeah. I can do that." She paused for a minute when she heard the door open and close. "That's George with your goddaughter Nan."
"Ooohh, put them on the phone." Nancy heard the phone switch to speaker on the other end.
Frank and Joe looked at her surprised at the eagerness in her voice to speak to George and that baby that they had yet to see.
"Hi sweetie! How are you doing?" Nancy cooed as the two boys looked on in total shock. They had never seen her like this.
They heard some kind of jabber on the other end that not one soul could have understood if they wanted too. All they could get was Na as the baby obviously called her.
Nancy had completely forgotten about the two guys sitting in the hotel with her. She talked to her for a few minutes and then talked to George. "Hey, George, I was wondering if you could go down to my office and get a file faxed to me that I need."
"Yeah, I can. What about your boss?" George knew that Nan was much better than her boss and that he was only over her because he had been working on the force longer than she had.
"Tell him that I sent you. He'll only glower at you when you go into the office. He has the key though. I don't ever leave it unlocked when I'm not there." Nancy informed George.
"That won't be a problem then." George was glad that she could do something to help. "I wish you would let me help you more. Ever since you found out I was pregnant with my daughter you wouldn't allow me to."
"I don't want anything to happen to you George." Nancy responded. She could hear a tinge of sadness in the voice.
"I know." Now the conversation was getting way too serious.
"Hey, George, when do we get to see her?" Joe asked referring to her baby.
"When you bring my best friend back safe and scratch free." George announced over the other line.
"I can promise to bring her back safe but I don't know about scratch free." Frank spoke up.
"At least you can try."
Hey guys I wanted to put a cliffhanger in here but I don't think that worked out very well. I promise that I will leave you with one in the next chapter. I hope that this chapter wasn't too boring anyways.
Anyways you know the drill give me a good and honest review.
Pitaqueen: Good job on noticing that!
Katie Janeway: Thanks for all of your support!
Lord Dreadnault: If you're reading this then I want to tell you to get that new chapter up that you've been working on. I've been waiting to read the next chapter for a while.
Frank and Nancy had carefully looked over the missile careful not to trigger anything that would be around. "Frank I think that I found something." Nancy carefully removed a piece of paper that was tightly wedged ion the crack.
Frank looked over her shoulder to see what it said. "ESACEHTFFOYATS," over and over on the paper.
"That doesn't make sense." Nancy said more to herself than anyone else.
"I know that it doesn't but it sounds like we are being warned off the case." Frank told her out loud.
"I know." She didn't understand exactly what was going on bit she knew that did look awfully familiar. 'Where have I seen this before?"
"What is it Nan?" Frank asked. She had been like this since they found the paper in the missile.
"I don't know Frank. There is something about the way those words were written that seemed awful familiar to me and I can't put my finger on it." Just as she said this Joe came up to them.
"What have you found out since we last talked?" Nancy was tired. She hadn't slept the night before.
"I'm hungry can I tell you over lunch?" He asked.
"Sure." Nancy chuckled. Only Joe would be hungry at all hours like this.
"Nancy what's..." he had started to ask until he saw a blond walk across the parking lot with a tight skirt and a halter top.
"Joe?" Frank asked when his brother didn't finish his question. He followed his gaze and groaned. "You will never change."
Nancy turned off the car and shook her head. "No he won't." She agreed. He needs to find a girl that will make him chase her.
Nancy went in reserving a table of three for them. Frank and Joe were trailing behind. "Hey, bro, how are you holding up?"
"I'm doing better." Frank answered. He felt like disappearing sometimes when he thought about what happened to his fiancée.
"Why don't you let anyone help you?" Joe asked to his big brother. He had been avoiding this subject with his brother but he knew that they wouldn't be able to skirt around it anymore. They had to face the situation because he didn't know how much longer they could go on like this. He missed the old comraderie that they used to share.
"Guys, come on our table is ready." A female voice interrupted the conversation.
"Coming Nan." Joe called.
"Okay Joe what do you have?" Nancy asked after they ordered their food.
"Well I know that this terrorist group that we are dealing with doesn't like the second, or Chauven as he refers to himself. The man that had been talking while I was hiding behind some of the crates said something about him being paranoid." Joe looked at Nan.
"He should be paranoid. I don't understand how he became second so fast. It's only been three years." Nancy had paled as they talked about her former fiancée.
She shouldn't have to go through this. Nan would have been better off if he had been killed in front of her very eyes. Frank looked at her and wished that he could help her with her pain.
The table had just gone 10 degrees colder and it wasn't because it was beginning to get chilly outside. Joe was looking at his brother and their friend. I hope that the people that have hurt them never get to them because I don't know how to help them.
The waitress showed up then with the food. Joe did a double take when he looked at her. It was the same woman that he had seen earlier go into the restaurant. He turned all the Hardy charm that he could. "Hi," he looked at her name tag, "Melissa, would you like to join us?"
Frank and Nancy broke out of their thoughts when they heard this. The waitress looked at him like he was crazy. "No I have to work. Thank you though." She politely smiled.
"Looks like you found the perfect girl Joe. The one who ignores all your charms." Nancy commented with a ghost of a smile. The depressed feeling that was hanging around the table slowly disappeared.
Frank laughed at Nancy's comment and Joe scowled. "Hey, I haven't been on a date in a month because we have been working." He defended himself.
Nancy had to laugh about that. "Only a month Joe?" She half asked as he choked on the shrimp that he had ordered.
The depression that had been running around the table was gone now and Nancy told them all about her goddaughter. She told them about Bess's husband to be and that before she had left Bess had told to be sure that they were done with their work on time to be at the wedding.
"We didn't bring anything to wear for this wedding that she is getting ready to have. We didn't even know that she was getting ready to get married." Joe whispered.
"I'm sorry I guess we haven't been staying in contact very well with you guys since.." She stopped not feeling like eating anymore. "I'm ready to go home." She stated not thinking about the fact that they were out of town on a case.
Frank threw his brother a look that said, "Take care of everything in here and I'll take care of her. Joe understood and did just that.
Nancy knew that Frank would follow her out but didn't really want him to. "Frank, go away." She whispered.
"I can't do that Nan." He whispered as he wrapped his arms around her waist.
Nancy wouldn't admit that his arms brought her a little comfort anyways. "Why?"
"Neither of us can keep on like we have. You used to work with us quite a bit and then you stopped talking to us." Nancy started to say something but he turned her around and shook his head. "Let me finish." He stated simply and she didn't say anything. "We were chosen to work together because we work flawlessly as a team. We can't do that though if we don't get our problems solved."
"Look who's talking. Your fiancée was shot in front of you." Nancy whispered.
She saw Frank cringe at that comment. "I know but I won't help the situation either. Do you really think that Joe is going to allow us to not talk about this? I wouldn't even let him go on as long as we have without talking about what happened to Iola. I finally sat down and made him talk. He isn't going to allow it to sit any longer and I can tell."
Nancy was shocked. Frank had actually made Joe talk. If he had made Joe talk them what would Joe do to them?
"Okay ready guys." Joe looked like he was content.
"You must have finished eating everything else that was on the plates." Nancy said at the content look.
"Yep. Thanks to my brother and his girlfriend needing to talk." Joe waited to see what the reaction would be.
Frank clenched his jaw together. "So did you get the waitress's number?" Frank inquired as the three climbed into the rental.
Joe looked rather grim in a boyish way. "No. She told me that I was a jerk and that she didn't want to see me."
"Ouch. I bet she doesn't even know your name." Nancy started up the car.
"Well Romeo it will be alright. There are other fish in the sea." Frank could feel his brother's glare on his back.
"Where to now?" Joe questioned Nancy seeing that she was the one driving.
"We're going to the hotel to drop off your bags and then we have some leads to follow." Nancy answered.
On the drive to the hotel everything had become quiet as each of them was lost in his or her own thoughts.
At the hotel Nancy checked to see if they had any messages and as luck had it they didn't.
Joe carried his luggage upstairs and put it in their room. "Where does Nancy stay?" Joe asked out of curiosity.
"In here." Frank's answer was short and to the point.
"So have you and Nancy..." Joe began to say.
"Joe you have a dirty mind. This is the only room that they had." Frank retorted hotly before he could even finish such a thought.
Maybe I can trap them in a room somewhere and they actually have to talk. I know that they like each other and I want to see them together. Joe's thoughts were interrupted by Nancy coming in and dialing the phone. "Nan who are you calling?"
"Bess. I want to know that she holding up alright. Her wedding is in four days and I also need to get George to pick up my gown." She finished dialing. While the phone rang she pulled out her suitcase to get some clothes out that she would need.
"Hey, Bess, How are you doing?" Frank heard her and put on the speaker.
"Nan was I just switched to the speaker?" Bess's voice came over as Nancy put the receiver on the phone.
"Yeah, I think Frank wants to say 'hi.'"
"You're with Frank!" Bess exclaimed as she called for George. "Where's Joe?"
"I'm right here Bess." Joe sat on the other bed that was in the room.
"Joe, are you coming to the wedding?" Bess was almost squealing.
"We will definitely try." He promised.
"Hey, what about me?" I'm the one that has to fly them back." Frank acted insulted.
"You don't have to fly us back. I can fly just as well as you can." Nancy gently pushed him off the bed.
"What was that? I heard a thump in there."
"That was Nancy being mean." Frank threw Nancy a look that made her want to laugh. She knew that he would get her back later.
"Ahhhhhhhhhh, is poor Frank being pushed around by a girl." Bess was giggling over the line.
Joe was laughing silently at the two that were in front of him. He wondered what Frank would do to her later.
"You're invited to Frank." Bess finally subsided her giggling enough to talk.
"Bess I was wondering if you could pick up the dress I'm supposed to wear to you wedding." Nancy finally got the question out that she had originally called for.
"Yeah. I can do that." She paused for a minute when she heard the door open and close. "That's George with your goddaughter Nan."
"Ooohh, put them on the phone." Nancy heard the phone switch to speaker on the other end.
Frank and Joe looked at her surprised at the eagerness in her voice to speak to George and that baby that they had yet to see.
"Hi sweetie! How are you doing?" Nancy cooed as the two boys looked on in total shock. They had never seen her like this.
They heard some kind of jabber on the other end that not one soul could have understood if they wanted too. All they could get was Na as the baby obviously called her.
Nancy had completely forgotten about the two guys sitting in the hotel with her. She talked to her for a few minutes and then talked to George. "Hey, George, I was wondering if you could go down to my office and get a file faxed to me that I need."
"Yeah, I can. What about your boss?" George knew that Nan was much better than her boss and that he was only over her because he had been working on the force longer than she had.
"Tell him that I sent you. He'll only glower at you when you go into the office. He has the key though. I don't ever leave it unlocked when I'm not there." Nancy informed George.
"That won't be a problem then." George was glad that she could do something to help. "I wish you would let me help you more. Ever since you found out I was pregnant with my daughter you wouldn't allow me to."
"I don't want anything to happen to you George." Nancy responded. She could hear a tinge of sadness in the voice.
"I know." Now the conversation was getting way too serious.
"Hey, George, when do we get to see her?" Joe asked referring to her baby.
"When you bring my best friend back safe and scratch free." George announced over the other line.
"I can promise to bring her back safe but I don't know about scratch free." Frank spoke up.
"At least you can try."
Hey guys I wanted to put a cliffhanger in here but I don't think that worked out very well. I promise that I will leave you with one in the next chapter. I hope that this chapter wasn't too boring anyways.
Anyways you know the drill give me a good and honest review.