Author's Note:

I hope that everyone's weekend went well. Captain Marvel was really good and if you haven't seen it, it is definitely worth it. Anyway, thanks to all who left reviews for the last chapter. I'm glad to hear everyone is enjoying this one so far and there's so much more to come! To be honest, I wasn't even going to have a Nancy POV until much later but I felt that it was warranted at the end of the chapter. Hence, the reason why she has appeared so quickly. Well, I will leave you all that. Enjoy the chapter and don't forget to leave your mark to let me know you were here! Until next time (sometime this week, hopefully), later!

Chapter Three

Joe sat up in bed, awakened by the sound of a baby crying. He looked down at Vanessa and smiled. She was sleeping peacefully, her blond hair laid out in waves as she crushed her pillow beneath her. Although it was three in the morning and he had to get up to go to work soon, Joe slowly got out of bed so his wife could sleep a little longer. He padded down the hall to CJ's room. The room was decorated in muted tones of green, the animals watching him as if laughing that he was up so early.

As he walked up to the crib, Joe smiled down at the baby who looked up at him innocently, his cries stopping at the sight of a parent. Joe leaned over and picked him up, cradling the small child in his arms. Walking over to the changing table, he spoke soft words to his son, a moment that even someone like Joe would cherish and never want to end. After changing the diaper, the two went to the kitchen for a bottle from the fridge. While waiting for the bottle to warm up, Joe told his son about his day in soft tones, avoiding too much information.

"I figured you would be down here," Vanessa replied softly a little less than an hour later. Joe looked up and smiled to his wife, still holding their son. "How is he doing?"

"He's just fine," he answered, looking back down at CJ. The bottle sat empty on the table and the baby's eyes were closed, sighing in his sleep as he blissfully dreamed. "I didn't want to wake you so I took on feeding duty."

"Thanks," smiled Vanessa, sitting down at the table across from him. She noticed Joe's phone on the table, a text message on the screen. "Something going on this early in the morning?"

"Nah," Joe shook his head. He looked down at the phone and turned it off. "Dad sent a text to Frank and me about meeting at the coffee shop for breakfast in the morning. I guess he wanted to talk before actually going into the office."

"Are you okay?" Vanessa asked gently. "I mean about going back to work."

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?"

"You just seemed a little distant last night," she asked concerned.

"It's nothing."

"It doesn't seem like nothing."

"It's just…" Joe thought about it for a minute. He knew he couldn't say much since he didn't know if the house was bugged or not but there was something bothering him that he needed to get off his chest. "They kept that secret so long from me. I don't understand why they didn't even say a word for five whole weeks. I mean they came here to visit us and we went to Mom and Dad's a couple of times but not once did they mention anything about Nancy."

"Did they explain it to you as to why they didn't tell you?"

"They didn't but Sam tried to," Joe said sadly. He explained what Sam told him. "It hurt that they didn't confide in me like that. I don't blame you or CJ but it would have been nice to go in yesterday and know what was going on. They were so secretive for weeks."

"Maybe Sam was right though," Vanessa shrugged. "Your dad usually understands what is best for his sons and knowing that your mind was preoccupied with the arrival of a baby, he didn't want to overwhelm you. Besides, would you have been as attentive the past few weeks if you had known?"

"Probably not," he laughed. "I would have wanted to be out there looking for clues as to where she is."

"That's what makes you who you are, Joe."

"I miss her," he said softly, looking deeply into Vanessa's eyes.

"I know you do." She reached out and took his hand. "We'll see her soon enough and everything will go back to normal."

"God, I love you," he whispered. The couple stood up and he wrapped his free arm around her as best he could without waking the baby. "What would I do without you?"

"I shudder to think," Vanessa laughed, kissing him gently.

A few minutes later, after putting CJ back in his crib, Joe and Vanessa were snuggled in bed. She was asleep within minutes while Joe stared up at the ceiling thinking. What would he do if he didn't have Vanessa like Frank didn't have Nancy?

Fenton sat at the small table that morning, waiting for his sons to arrive. He scanned over his tablet again while drinking his coffee. A half-eaten muffin sat on the table in front of him though he thought he could hear it screaming his name for him to eat more.

"Good morning, Mr. Hardy," replied a quiet voice. Fenton looked up to see Wendy Crane standing in front of him, a kind smile on her face. A to go cup and paper bag were in each hand. "I don't normally see you in here."

"Oh, I'm just meeting Joe and Frank for breakfast," he said cheerfully though avoiding her eyes. "Thought it would be a nice change. Do you come here often?"

"I practically live here," she laughed. "Their pastries are to die for although I've had my fair share of good pastries. Plus they have big selection of teas. I'm not a big coffee drinker."

"Oh?" Fenton said, surprised. He didn't meet very many people who didn't care for a good cup of coffee. Wendy turned her head at the sound of the bells on the door and Fenton stared at her for a brief moment. He shook his head, thinking it was the trick of the light and when he turned back to her, Wendy was already looking back down at him.

"Everything all right?" she asked, concerned at the look he gave her.

"Yeah, just…it's nothing," he smiled.

"Well, then, I guess I'll see you later, Mr. Hardy," she said.

"Bye, Wendy," Fenton replied but she was already gone before he was done speaking. He thought about the strange meeting with her and what he saw though he still thought it was the lighting. Something else caught his eye, causing a bigger stir in him. A man sat across from him and although he seemed uninterested in what was going on around him, the man suddenly looked away when Fenton caught him staring. He didn't remember seeing the man before Wendy came up to him either.

"Dad?" another voice called, this time it was Frank. Joe was standing next to him. "Something wrong?"

"Oh, no, just a curiosity," Fenton replied, looking up at his sons. When he looked back at where the man was, he was gone. As he searched the room, Joe was mentioning food while Frank sat down.

"You coming, Frank?" Joe asked.

"Uh, no," his brother stated though he seemed distracted himself by something outside.

"Earth to Dad. Frank?" Joe said staring at the two. Then he mumbled something and walked away.

"What was that, Joe?" Fenton asked, looking back at the spot Joe had just vacated. He then noticed Frank who seemed to be in a daze. "Frank?"

"Yeah," he answered. Frank turned his attention back to his father, looking as if he didn't sleep well the night before.

"You okay?"

"Yeah, just didn't get a lot of sleep last night," Frank replied. "I have a lot on my mind."

"I know you do," Fenton sighed, looking at his son thoughtfully. "You can't let your emotions get the better of you though. I know you're worried. I am too. We just have to stay vigilant and continue doing what we're doing. Take it one day at a time."

"But what if doing what we're doing only makes things worse than they already are?" Frank asked sadly.

"Then we'll deal with it," his father stated firmly. His son still seemed to be deep in thought. "What's on your mind, Frank?"

"I got you just a regular coffee, Frank," Joe said coming up to them. The older brother looked as if he were about to say something but closed his mouth and looked away. Joe placed the cup in front of him and sat down, oblivious to the exchange that just happened. "You owe me five dollars, too."

"For a cup of coffee?" cried Frank, giving him a look.

"Yeah," Joe stated with a grimace, "and because I had to wait in line behind Miranda. She was eyeing something and wasn't paying attention to the line moving. I bumped into her and spilled the iced coffee she had in her hand. It got all over her blouse. You also owe her a date for that."

"What!" cried Frank. "Why would you do that?"

"I had to tell her something," Joe protested. "She was so angry I almost didn't recognize her. Geez, you would think a woman wouldn't be so upset over something like that."

"Aren't you married to one?" Fenton laughed.

"That's beside the point," Joe said. "Miranda is like a preying mantis waiting to bite the head off the next guy. Vanessa is nowhere near that sadistic."

"And you told Miranda that I would take her out on a date?" Frank mumbled. "Gee, thanks. Did you at least bring me something to eat?"

"Yeah, a donut," Joe said pulling the pastry out of the bag and handing it to him. He then pulled out a hot sandwich that he unwrapped in front of Frank.

"Hey!" cried Frank. "Why do you get that and I get this thing that doesn't even have sprinkles"

"Because you didn't tell me what you wanted!" laughed Joe. "Plus the agony of Miranda. You should be thanking me that I even got you something after that."

He was about to take a bite out of the sandwich when Frank snatched it out of his hands. "Hey! That's mine!"

"Older brother privilege," Frank said after taking a big bite. Fenton sat there laughing at his sons. Even though they were adults, the two still had their moments when sibling rivalry trumped maturity.

"You owe me a sandwich, Frank," Joe pouted, taking a sorrowful bite out of the tasteless donut.

"Next time, get two of them, then," Frank laughed, purposely enjoying the sandwich.

"That's enough, you two," Fenton finally said though still amused. "You two bring too much attention to yourselves."

"Why di you wat to eet us here waway?" Joe asked with a mouthful of donut.

"What was that, Joe?" his father asked, grimacing. "I was too distracted by the half-eaten, cakey mess in your mouth. Did we not teach you manners or were you raised in a barn and we didn't know it?"

"I think he just didn't listen as a kid," Frank laughed, crumpling up the sandwich wrapper.

"Like you're any better, Frank," Joe snarled.

"Okay, enough," Fenton said now annoyed. "I brought here because I received an email last night. After our excursion out of town yesterday, we've picked up a couple of shadows. Well, at least one of us has."

He handed the tablet to Frank and with Joe looking over his shoulder, the two brothers stared at the man on the screen. It was a close up but Frank expanded the picture to include the whole scene.

"Dad, this is in front of our building," he stated, pointing to the picture.

"I know," Fenton said grimly. "You wouldn't happen to recognize him, would you?"

Both brothers shook their head. Frank thought for a moment then looked back up at his father. "Who took this photo?"

"That was taken last night," his father explained. "Right around the time that you left the office. There were no other pictures and the email said that Joe and I didn't have anyone follow us when we left last night. He waited specifically for you, Frank. I'm wondering if someone thinks you know something."

"Do you?" Joe asked, staring at his brother.

"No," Frank said quickly. Joe gave him a skeptical look. "No, I would have told you if I knew anything. You told me not to keep secrets anymore when it comes to Nancy. Everything I know either you know or they're only hunches and even those are far-fetched. Dad, who took the photo?"

Fenton said nothing as he took the tablet and went to the email. When he handed it back, he let the email do the talking. Frank read the screen and shook his head. He had a feeling it was her but the proof was there. Nancy was in town and from the look of the photo she took, she was feet away from him and he didn't even know it. Frank looked out the window and down the street to where the office was. She had to have been in the shadows between the two buildings across the street from Hardy Investigations. He wondered if she was staying nearby to keep an eye on them.

"You two may not have recognized the man but I did," Fenton said. Frank looked back at his father, his thoughts still running through his mind. "He was in the news a few months ago for assault. This Jack Treyford is picking the worst of the worst. This man is not much better than Dixon which means that you need to be careful as to what you do, Frank. You can't go running off alone anymore, even if it's to go home."

"But, Dad," he protested, "if he didn't do anything last night why would he do anything later?"

"Frank, I'm not having it," Fenton said. "You either go home when we do or you go home with someone else. I don't care if it's Miranda Billings at the moment, even though I don't trust that woman as far as I can throw her."

"Fine," Frank said angrily, keeping his voice down. "I guess I'll have a babysitter every time I need to leave the building. What's next? You telling me that I can't go out on assignments?"

"Actually, yes," his father nodded grimly. "I'm not taking any chances and neither are you. If these people have a sudden interest in you, then they know Nancy is here. They're trying to get to her through you. Besides, you can see if any one of our new people drop their act and reveal themselves inadvertently. You never know what might come out of just being talkative. And I want you to take Miranda out on Friday."

"Seriously?" Frank threw his hands up. "What is with you guys and my love life anyway?"

"It has nothing to do with that," Fenton said. "You might be able to get information from her. She sees everyone that comes in and out of the building. She might have seen something."

"Yeah, and she might just be our mole, Dad! You said it yourself that you don't trust her!" he cried. It was a good thing that the coffee shop was noisy or the Hardys would have been giving people fodder for gossip. Frank noticed someone in the corner of the room who seemed interested in their conversation but he turned to his father without saying anything about him. He rose from his chair to leave. "I am not going to be the bait for this!"

As Frank left the room, Fenton sighed. Joe quietly sat, staring at the table. He understood his brother's frustration but their father was right. Frank was just going to have to deal with it one way or another.

Frank crossed the street, darting in and out of traffic and headed toward the office. He didn't see the man who was watching them earlier follow him out the door. His frustrations blinded him as he walked into the building, his shadow heading to a parked car just outside. The lobby was quiet with the exception of Miranda who was talking on the phone.

"I will have someone return your phone call when they can," she said quickly when she noticed him come in. "Yes, I will and thank you so much! Have a great day. Bye."

Frank was just about past her when she called to him sweetly. He turned around to see her smiling at him as she leaned over the high desk where she stood. Miranda must have changed her blouse for the stain from her iced coffee was gone. "Hey, there, handsome," she simpered, leaning further toward him. Frank looked away, annoyed that his brother and father would set him up to go out with a woman like Miranda. She noticed his demeanor and her smile dissipated. "Did I say something wrong?"

"Uh, no, Miranda," he stammered, looking around for some kind of help. "I…I just…"

"Yes," she said quickly. "Is Friday, okay?"

"Huh?"

"You're buying me dinner, right?"

"Oh, right, yeah," he said nervously.

"Great," she smiled. "Meet here at 7:30 then?"

"Sure." Frank quickly walked away not knowing what really happened. He let out the breath he was holding once he was in his office and the door was closed. Now all he had to do was avoid Miranda until Friday which could prove to be much harder than it really was. Still, Friday was only a few days away and in those few days, Frank could easily find the mole and forget Miranda even happened.

Walking over to his desk, Frank sat down and pulled out the photo he kept hidden in his desk drawer. It was of him and Nancy taken in China months before by his friend, Richard Cheng. Frank wondered if Richard was still in China but knew he couldn't contact the man even if he wanted to. Sighing, he stared at Nancy, missing her smile, her touch. Frank thought about the moment he saw her when he came into the village square. Nancy was more beautiful than ever even if a scar marred her face. As he put the photo away, he wondered where she was at that moment and if she was thinking of him as well. This whole situation needed to end because, now more than ever, he wanted to be with her always.