A/N: Thank you all for your fabulous reviews; your feedback is much appreciated!
Nancy's memories had not returned by the time the ship docked in Luxor the next afternoon, but the doctor discharged her into Frank's care with strict instructions and the number of a specialist in Cairo to be consulted if she didn't start making progress on her own. While Nancy and Frank were with the doctor, Joe, Bess, and Susannah scanned the crowd of deboarding passengers for Kimball and Mahfouz, to no avail.
The cab ride from the docks and the dinner they shared at the hotel restaurant were tense and quiet as they all avoided talking about the cases in front of Nancy. Frank could tell from his brother's expression that Joe had some interesting news to share, but he didn't say anything until they were standing in front of their suite of rooms in the hotel. The girls went in first, and he could hear them exclaiming over the luxurious furnishings as he and Joe hung back in the hallway.
"Susannah knows Kimball." Joe said without preface. "We described him to her and she says his real name is John Krieger, and he used to be hers and Darius' boss." He went on to explain to Frank everything Susannah had told him about Krieger's position as head of the Aquarius Group, an engineering company that was attempting to get a contract with the Egyptian government to search for underground water sources in the desert so that development could move away from the country's one major water source: the Nile.
"The connection between Krieger and Darius is too obvious to ignore." Frank mused. "They must collaborating on something, probably something illegal. It would explain why they happen to be hitting all the same cities at the same times."
Joe shrugged. "That's what I thought, but Susannah seems convinced that Darius wouldn't be in on anything shady."
"...Besides kidnapping." Frank reminded him flatly, and Joe nodded.
"Besides that."
The door to the suite opened and Bess slipped out to join them in the hall, unease written all over her face. The brothers looked at her questioningly.
"Rebecca"—she said pointedly—"is unpacking her things"—looking at Frank—"in your room. Just a heads up."
Frank winced. He'd been trying not to worry about what would happen when bedtime rolled around, figuring that Nancy could start getting her memories back at any time, and that they would cross that bridge if and when they came to it.
Which it appeared they had.
"O-okay." he said, only stuttering slightly. "That's no big deal, huh? I mean, you two can handle bunking together for a night, right?"
Bess and Joe exchanged dubious glances. "Uh, sure." Bess said.
"We can be grownups about this." Joe affirmed.
"Absolutely." Bess repeated. "So... just to be clear, we're just... not going to tell her that she's not Rebecca Addison and she's not married to you."
Frank hesitated. On one hand, he really thought they should tell her. Pretending to be the Addisons to the rest of the world was fine as an undercover mission, but pretending to Nancy felt like the worst kind of lie. On the other hand...
"The doc specifically said not to stress her out while her brain is healing." Joe spoke up. "Which part of 'your entire identity is fake, your friends have been lying to you, we're chasing a kidnapper, we accidentally smuggled a bomb into the country, and we could be arrested at literally any time, so please don't check our story with the authorities' do you think would be most soothing for her?"
"Point taken," Bess said, "But have you given any thought to how betrayed Nancy's going to feel when she's herself again and she realizes we've been stringing her along all this time? Not to mention how awkward it's going to be for Frank."
"Frank's handled more dangerous undercover gigs than sharing a room with Nancy." Joe said, although Frank privately thought he might be wrong about that. "But I guess it's up to you, bro."
"I... I can handle it. We don't tell her tonight, not unless she remembers on her own." Frank decided, sounding surer than he really felt.
"Fine." She didn't say anything more, but Frank could hear the misgivings in Bess' voice. When she reached for the doorknob to reenter the suite, he stopped her with a gentle hand to the shoulder.
"You know I would never do anything that I thought would hurt Nancy." he said quietly. This, at least, he knew to be true. The way he was feeling about Nancy these days, hurting her was the last thing he ever wanted to do... the only problem was that in this case, he really didn't know which course of action would keep her safest.
Bess shrugged. "After everything we've all been through together, I trust you, Frank. And Nancy..." she gave a little whistle, "She doesn't say it, but she thinks you do no wrong." She finished with a little lopsided smile. "I guess we're trusting you again."
She slipped back into the suite and Joe looked after her, a scowl on his face. "I didn't think it needed to be said that you weren't going to take advantage of the amnesiac."
"Nancy's her best friend." Frank pointed out. "If it were you with the memory loss, I'd defend your honor just as diligently."
"From Bess, you mean?" Joe smirked, clapping Frank on the back as they also headed back into the hotel room. "Thanks. What a pal."
As soon as they opened the door, Bess beckoned them over to the television set. A news broadcast was playing, and the reporter was Bishara Yasseen, an ex-girlfriend of Darius'. Susannah was translating the story from Arabic, and both Joe and Bess seemed excited to learn that Michael Nasser, a US senator, was also in Luxor for an important meeting tomorrow, followed by an evening banquet in his honor at the Victoria Hotel.
Figuring it must have something to do with the case, Frank looked around for Nancy. "Rebecca?" he asked, and Susannah pointed towards one of the bedrooms. With her safely out of hearing range, he asked, "What's so important about Senator Nasser?"
Joe and Susannah quickly explained about Nasser's connection to Krieger: Nasser was a supporter of the Aquarius Group's big proposed contract to uncover alternate water sources in Egypt, but the rumor was that he had recently rescinded his support, and the status of the project was uncertain.
"Darius, Nasser, and Krieger, all attached to the same project, all in Luxor at the same time. There has to be a connection between the three of them." Joe mused, and Frank was inclined to agree.
The bedroom door opened and Nancy stepped out, barefoot and wrapped in a silky, pale blue robe cinched tightly around her slim waist. Though it was neither revealing nor particularly suggestive, the sight of her in her sleep attire made Frank's mouth dry up. She reached for Frank's hand and cast a glance around at her companions. "What's going on out here?"
With one hand safely encased in hers, Frank waved the other one at the tv. "Just talking about Nasser's big banquet tomorrow night at the Victoria."
"You and your politics." She nudged him gently with her shoulder, and he remembered that Cole Addison was supposedly interning at a political think tank in Manhattan.
"Well, you know me." he said without thinking, almost missing the flash of sadness in her eyes as he realized that she didn't know him, not really. He tried to make up for his thoughtless comment with a gentle squeeze of her hand and a solicitous "How are you feeling, sweetheart?"
"A little tired." She smiled weakly and he knew he was forgiven as she admitted, "I was about to go to bed, but I could use some help changing this bandage first. Some of the tape is stuck to my hair."
"Of course." he said, feeling strangely relieved by the request. Wound care was easy; it was the rest of the night he was worried about.
"I, uh, guess we should all turn in anyway?" Susannah suggested tentatively. "We did plan a pretty long day of sightseeing tomorrow." They had originally planned to split up: one couple to track down Bishara with Susannah in hopes of getting a lead on Darius and Leila, one couple to hit some of the tourist spots in the hopes of seeing Darius or Krieger. Given that Nancy—Rebecca—was still in the dark about both of their cases, Frank wondered if a new strategy might be in order.
"Well, good night, guys." Joe waved halfheartedly at Frank, Nancy, and Susannah and took a few leisurely steps toward the other bedroom. Bess followed, catching Frank's eye for a moment. A look of understanding passed between them before she turned and went into the bedroom.
Still holding hands, Frank and Nancy retired to the large, luxurious en-suite bathroom. The supplies the doctor had given them were spread out over the white marble counter. Frank picked up the bottle of antibiotic pills she'd been given to prevent infection. "Did you take this already?" At her nod, he turned his attention to the bandage on her head. They both stood facing the mirror as he gently untangled her hair from the strips of medical tape securing the gauze and pulled the bandage off.
"Thanks." she said, turning around to face him. He heard her breath hitch as she realized suddenly how close they were standing. "Uh, I can—" She reached for the bandage but he pulled it back.
"Let me." It was the least he could do, and he hated to think of her in here trying to rewrap her head by herself. He leaned over and turned on the sink until the water ran warm, dampening a washcloth. When he turned back he found her perched on the counter, bare feet dangling, smiling at him shyly. He was abnormally conscious of the pounding of his own heart as he stepped between her legs and took her chin lightly in one hand, using the other to carefully clean the gash in her forehead. Needing to fill the silence, he asked, "How does that feel?"
"Good." she breathed, before screwing her eyes shut in embarrassment. Frank almost chuckled as a pink blush joined the purples and browns of the bruises on her face. "I... I mean, the cut hurts. But not because of you. You're doing good." she clarified. "This is... nice."
"Good." Frank said. He wrung out the washcloth and picked up the antiseptic cream, applying it to the wound with a cotton swab just the way the nurses had done it. He was hyper-aware, now, of her eyes watching him as he focused on his task, and he nearly jumped when he felt the side of her foot brush against his leg just below his knee. It took him another moment to realize that the slight up and down movement was an intentional caress, and then it was his turn to blush.
That must have evened the playing field, or broken some kind of spell, because she laughed, leaning forward and wrapping her arms around his neck. "Some honeymoon activity, huh?"
"You said it." Frank kept a tight leash on his own amusement as he quickly applied the sterile gauze pad and rewrapped the bandage. Nancy, laughing, draped all over him, not in her right mind... it was a very dangerous combination. "There. What do you think?" he said, securing the last loose end with a piece of medical tape.
She twisted around to look at her own reflection. "Well I don't think I'll be winning any beauty contests anytime soon." she answered ruefully, her eyes fixed on the mottled bruises emerging from the white headband of her bandage. "But you did the best you could with what you had."
He wanted to protest that she was beautiful, but tempered the sentiment significantly. "The bruises aren't that bad."
"You have to say that." she grinned, and then pulled him close for a kiss.
This time, it was all he could do to not kiss her back and for a moment he just stood like a statue while her lips moved against his. But the thought of Bess—all her talk of trust, of the betrayal Nancy would feel when she got her memory back—had him pulling back.
Puzzled, she scooted forward on the counter and Frank automatically put his hands around her waist to guide her to the ground, which had the unfortunate effect of landing them in an intimate embrace. He yanked his hands back too quickly, and there it was again, that flash of hurt in her eyes.
"What's wrong?" she asked.
"N-nothing." he said, stepping away from her and meandering a few casual paces out of the bathroom only to find that they were now in the bedroom.
She followed him out, going over to the queen-sized bed and turning down the covers. Then she turned to him and slipped off the blue robe, tossing it over the end of the bed. Underneath she wore a matching blue silk nightgown that fell to just above her knees. She sat down the bed, still eyeing him worriedly. "You sure?"
Frank froze, suddenly panicked. She wasn't asking him for anything, not even issuing an overt invitation, but somehow, just sleeping next to her felt like he was taking advantage of the situation.
"What's wrong?" When he stayed frozen in place, she started to become self-conscious, then defensive. "What? Have... have I not worn this before or something? I can't remember." She was blushing violently now. "It's what I had packed."
He had to say something. "Stop, wait, it's not you, you look... wow."
She tugged the comforter over herself and folded her arms. "It must be me." she said. "You can't always act this weird."
He had to smile at her reasoning. Classic Nancy. "Just feeling a little... antsy, or something."
"And I can't help you with that?" she said with concern.
"I'm just worried about you, that's all." Frank promised. "Your concussion's still not totally healed, your memories haven't come back yet... I just think you should be using this time to get some more rest."
She looked suddenly upset and Frank realized he'd said the wrong thing. "It's my head, my memories, you think I'm not freaking out about this? Because I am, and all I want from you is to tell me that it's okay, that you're going to be with me through this stupid mess, that you love me anyway!"
Her fear and misery were like a punch to Frank's gut. What else could he do but reassure her? "It will be okay. I'm not going to leave you."
She waited, eyes wide, for him to make the third statement. "...Cole?"
The sound of his undercover alias was like having a bucket of cold water poured over him. He couldn't accept meaning from anything Nancy said to him right now. She wasn't talking to Frank Hardy. She was talking to her husband, Cole. Turning away, needing to be somewhere else for a moment, he dug through the drawers and grabbed his own pajamas—a ridiculous matching set like Rock Hudson would wear in a Doris Day movie—and disappeared back into the bathroom.
Pull it together, Hardy, he told himself as he changed and brushed his teeth. She is hurt and confused and she needs you right now, and you're just making things worse. Still, he waited several minutes after he saw the bedroom light go out to open the door, hoping against hope that she might have just fallen asleep.
He padded over to the other side of the bed in the dark, easing under the covers slowly. He had just closed his eyes when he felt her make a slight movement.
"Did we have a fight?" she asked quietly. "Are you mad at me for something? Losing my memory?"
He thought about ignoring her and feigning sleep, but he just couldn't do that. "What? No." he answered. "No, I'm not mad at you. What happened to you wasn't your fault."
More rustling from the other side of the bed, and he could suddenly feel her eyes on him. Sure enough, when he opened his eyes she was propped up on her elbows, pinning him with her gaze. "There's something you're not telling me."
Frank was torn between amusement and the panic that criminals must feel when Nancy had their number. "Rebecca—"
"Yesterday after I was hurt Cooper acted like he didn't think it was an accident." she continued. "He said something about someone named Kimball. Cole, are we in danger?"
Of course. She can't remember her own name, but a brief remark from Joe just moments after regaining consciousness, that she remembered. Frank sighed. He and the others had agreed that they wouldn't tell Nancy the truth unless she started remembering on her own, but it seemed like the time had come to give her some answers... even if she wasn't remembering things so much as deducing them. "We didn't tell you because we didn't want to put unnecessary stress on you, but you're right. We don't think your accident was an accident."
In the soft glow of the moonlight, he could see her expression: worried, but also proud. "Tell me."
"Rebecca..." He knew he was about to cave. The question was, how much should he reveal?
"I need to know." she insisted gently. She gave him that little smile that played havoc with his heart rate. "I can handle it, Cole. I feel brave."
"You are." he told her, shaking his head fondly. "You're amazing." Taking a deep breath, he told her about finding the bomb parts in their suitcases, about how Kimball was really Krieger, about Susannah, Darius, and Leila, and their connections to Senator Nasser. The only thing he left out was the part about their real identities, instead letting her think that the bomb parts had been planted on them at random.
"Well that explains a lot." Nancy said when he was finished. "Like why our friend Susannah is sacking out on our couch during our honeymoon. Gosh, that poor woman."
"Yeah." Frank agreed. She seemed to be taking it well, processing the information calmly rather than letting it overwhelm her. Maybe they'd underestimated her.
"And you don't think the police can handle this?" Nancy asked.
"We've... tangled with the authorities a bit already." Frank said truthfully. "Darius is an Egyptian citizen and Susannah isn't, so she's having a hard time getting support from the government to get Leila back. And as for the bomb, we don't have anywhere near the kind of proof or reputation we'd need to get police cooperation on something like this."
"And since we smuggled the bomb, it's our duty to stop it from being used." Nancy finished softly. "Wow."
"Don't be scared." Frank very nearly yielded to the desire to touch her, but managed not to, curling his hands into fists instead.
"I'm not." she said, eyes sparkling. "Do you really think we can pull this off?"
That startled a laugh out of him. "Well, we've made a good team in the past."
"I wish I could remember..." Nancy sighed, leaning back on her pillow.
"It'll come back." Frank said again, realizing, to his surprise, that he was saying it with just the tiniest bit of sadness. Despite being worried about her mental state, he was enjoying the closeness with Nancy... and he was starting to see that she truly was Nancy, no matter what she called herself. "And I'll be right here with you until it does."
"...In sickness and in health?" she asked, looking up at him plaintively.
"Something like that." Frank said.
She turned her face away from him, and the moonlight painted her neck and bare shoulders with a silvery glow. "Hold me?" she asked.
Unable to reject her again, not in this, the matter was settled. He scooted up behind her and wrapped his arms around her, and she leaned into him, fitting against him perfectly. She closed her eyes contentedly, and the familiar feelings of guilt stirred in him. Back home in the States he had a girlfriend, and she had a boyfriend. If Callie and Ned could see them now they would never understand.
"Hey," Nancy said, probably sensing the tension in him even half-asleep. She could always read him better than anyone else could, except maybe Joe. "It'll be okay."
Truth be told, Frank didn't see how it was possible for this to have a happy ending, but there was nothing he could do about it now. Resting his head next to hers on the pillow, he tried to relax and enjoy lying here with Nancy.
He doubted the chance would ever come again.