Disclaimer: Not mine.
A/N: A bunch of readers commented on this George/ Frank thing I hinted at last chapter. I, um, don't really know what I want to do with them yet... All I know is that George is an awesome character and she doesn't get enough credit in the books. I don't know why I don't use her much in my stories; all I can say is that I'm afraid she might take some of the spotlight off Nan! But whatever. As usual, please read, review, and enjoy!
"He's safe." Nancy reported, covering the phone with her hand. "He's with George."
Joe smiled faintly, seeing the tears threatening to spill out of her eyes. Relief? Or something else? "I told you he'd be fine. It takes a lot more than a huge, life-shattering, screaming-your-lungs-out argument to get rid of a Hardy." he cracked weakly.
"I've noticed." Nancy scoffed, trying to wipe her eyes casually. She heard George laugh over the phone and realized she was able to hear their banter. Bemused, she paused for a moment before saying, "George? Thanks for calling..."
"No big deal." George replied warmly. "And, Nan? Frank says he'll call you tomorrow. You guys need to talk. All three of you."
"I know." Nancy said. It took every ounce of her self control to restrain herself from apologizing to Frank through George. It was something she wanted to do in person. "What about Bess? Should I tell her Frank's back?"
She could practically hear George frowning. "It... might be better to leave Bess out of the loop until the drama plays out..." She suggested uncomfortably.
Nancy privately agreed. She didn't like to keep secrets from her best friend, but Bess was a notorious romantic, and Nancy didn't know if she'd be able to explain the Frank situation without having an emotional breakdown. "I guess you're right." she admitted. "Besides, it might be better if she gets to see Frank in person."
"Exactly." George agreed, still sounding a bit guilty about the decision. "Well, that's that..."
The girls finished the call. Nancy hung up the phone, only to pick it up again when it rang a second later. "Hello?" Joe watched her curiously as she twisted her face into a fake smile. "Mom, hi! Yes, of course we saw him..."
Ah, Joe thought. His mother. It was amazing to him that Nancy could talk to his father for hours, but she was never quite at ease with Laura Hardy. Gently, Joe relieved her of the phone. She smiled at him gratefully. "Hey Mom... No, Frank's not here. We had a big blowout. You really could have warned us that he was back..."
Nancy left the kitchen, sitting on the living room couch and resting her head in her hands. Joe joined her a few minutes later, leaning over the back of the couch to plant a kiss in her hair. "Can you believe it's only noon?"
Nancy laughed weakly. "What a day... Frank, George, your mother...
Joe moved to sit next to her on the couch. "Why does my mother go in the same category as Frank and George?" he wondered teasingly. "What has she ever done to you?"
Nancy sat back and considered. "Well, I'm not even going to talk about her non-warning about the whole Frank fiasco. Didn't she think about how Frank would react to the news that we were married? What was she thinking!"
"She means well." Joe assured his wife. His eyes sparkled. "And I thought you weren't going to talk about it?"
"Sorry." Nancy said, obviously still angry about the situation.
"You never answered my question." Joe reminded her. "Besides the Frank thing, what don't you like about my mother?"
Nancy blushed faintly. "Well, you know how she's always hinting about grandchildren every time we see her?" she asked.
Joe grinned.
"Well, when you aren't in the room, she gets a bit more... graphic." Nancy finished, trying to be serious, but unable to keep from smiling.
Joe chuckled. "That does sound like Mom..." He put an arm around her shoulders. "Well, she'll have Frank back to fuss over for a while, at least. She'll probably forget all about us for now."
"Maybe." Nancy said skeptically.
"Maybe," Joe whispered conspiratorially in her ear. "We should just give her what she wants..."
"Maybe." Nancy agreed coyly.
"Welcome to my humble abode." George announced, flicking on the light switch and tossing her keys on the table.
Frank followed her into the apartment. It was not huge, but big enough. A little messy, but not dirty. Looking around, he saw a bathroom, two bedrooms, a kitchenette, and a living room. "Nice place." he said, setting down his duffel bag. All he had with him was a few changes of clothes, a razor, and a toothbrush, as he hadn't had much time for shopping since his return.
"Thanks." George answered. She pointed out each of the rooms to get him oriented. "Sorry I don't have the bed in Bess's room made up; I wasn't really expecting to get visitors."
"No," Frank said quickly. "This is great. Compared with where I've been sleeping for the past few years, the couch is perfect." He looked at George. "I know I've been saying this, but thank you again."
George smiled amicably. "That's what friends are for. Now, can I get you something to eat?"
Frank realized he was still a bit queasy from his earlier encounter with his brother. "No thanks." he said uneasily, taking a seat on the couch. "I'm not really hungry."
George studied him carefully. "Okay...well, help yourself if you get hungry later." she told him, gesturing to the refrigerator. She moved to sit next to him on the couch. "You'll feel better once you've talked to them." she advised softly.
"I know." Frank replied. "Tomorrow."
"Tomorrow." George repeated. Then she grinned. "How about a board game? You still like chess?"
A rush of memories hit Frank.
Joe had never really liked chess; he had the logic but not the patience to play it. Nancy played though. They used to play sometimes, and although she was good, he beat her every time. Except once, when they were in the middle of a case in New York a few Christmases ago... he remembered the case vividly: they had gone to NYC to catch a couple of cat burglars and ended up foiling an assassination plot on the prince of Sarconne. He remembered how much fun he'd had on that particular case. Would he, Joe, and Nancy ever have another chance to have fun like that? Did Nancy and Joe even still solve cases?
A wave of sadness broke over him as he realized how isolated he had become from them.
"Or... did you want to be alone?" George asked awkwardly after a long pause.
Frank snapped out of his reverie. "No, no. Chess sounds like fun."
"Great." George said, going to get the chessboard. "I have to warn you, though, I'm not very good!"
She beat him. On the other hand, he was pretty rusty.
"How many were rescued?" the man in the dark hood asked sharply.
"Fourteen." the second man answered in Russian. "But they know nothing. They have no information to give to the network. There is no danger from them."
"I want them killed." Though he was short in stature, the first man's cold, authoritative voice and masked features made him intimidating.
"I'll send out our top assassins personally." The second man replied unflinchingly. "The fourteen prisoners will be dead by this time tomorrow."
"Not so fast." hissed the hooded man. "Thirteen. I want to kill the other myself."
"Personally?" the second man muttered. It must be an important kill if his superior desired to do it himself. "But why? Who is this man?"
"Do not ask questions!" the short man pulled out a pistol and aimed it at his questioner's temples.
The second man did not cower. "I should not have questioned your motives." he murmured calmly. "But I must know which of the fourteen you wish to kill."
The hooded man lowered his gun. "Very well." he said. He threw off his hood. Beneath it was the face of a young boy. "The target I want is Frank Hardy."
A/N: Okay, weird chapter, I know, but I needed some filler before my next one, which I hope to get up relatively soon (though I might try to finish the last chapter of LMM first.) As you can probably tell by the little conversation at the end of the chapter, I've decided to make this longer; I'll be adding in some mystery/action instead of the original healing-type theme I was going for before, so I hope that interests you! Please review.