5.37 a.m., FBI Academy, Quantico, Virginia
Nancy's sneakers made a satisfying squelch as she completed her morning run, sprays of water and mud flying into the air and splattering haphazardly onto her bare limbs. It was a cold, hard morning; the sun had barely risen in the murky-gray sky and Nancy pushed herself even harder, panting with exertion as she ran against the force of the driving rain. Weather conditions had been unfavorable all week, the sky dark and stormy, rain battering the world below. A sudden misstep landed Nancy in a deceptively deep puddle, the icy water seeping into her sneakers.
Ugghh, she shuddered inwardly, the thought of a long hot shower the only thing keeping her on course.
Life at Quantico was excruciating and every day brought its own challenges. It was about pushing yourself harder and harder until you reached your limit, and then pushing yourself a little more, but this was all Nancy had ever wanted and even ten-mile runs and push-ups in the blistering cold weren't enough to dampen her enthusiasm.
"You slowing down, Drew?" a voice called out teasingly from behind her.
"Not on your life, Hardy and if I'm supposedly slowing down, then why are you behind me?" Nancy couldn't resist retorting with a sly smile, the words coming out in long, hard breaths.
"Good question," Frank shouted back, struggling to make himself heard over the howling wind. "That's something I'd better rectify then," he promised, putting on a sudden burst of speed and closing the distance between them until his arms were suddenly around her, his lips warm on hers as he pushed her roughly against a tree.
Nancy found it difficult to define her relationship with Frank; it had all happened so quickly. The night Nancy had chosen to betray Ned with Frank was the night everything changed, not least her relationship with Ned. Things had developed from there, tentative and uncertain. Under other circumstances, Frank would be considered a rebound, a fallback guy, but Nancy had known him for too long and had too much respect for him to allow herself to treat him in such a way. Maybe what they shared wasn't love, yet, but it was something, and that was enough for now.
"You're so beautiful," he murmured longingly, his lips finding hers again as the first rays of the sun gently touched the earth.
xxxxx
Nancy ripped her rain-sodden clothes off with a vengeance before stepping under the shower, enjoying the sensation of the steaming water as it warmed her icy limbs. She was exhausted; the punishing fitness regime combined with the freezing conditions outside were beginning to take their toll. The locker room was alive with the hum of softly muffled voices and the clang of locker doors being slammed shut, but Nancy drowned it all out, basking in one of the few moments of the day she could truly call her own. Closing her eyes, Nancy leaned against the shower wall, surprised when her thoughts drifted unexpectedly to her ex-boyfriend.
Ned. She hadn't allowed herself to think about him for so long; the memories were too painful and too upsetting. It had been far easier to vanquish them into the deepest recesses of her mind, where she wouldn't have to think about them, much less deal with them. Ned had been such an important part of her life for so long, and now he was gone. Nancy hadn't seen him since that night, and not for the want of trying. She had made countless phone calls, had paid numerous visits to his apartment, but all to no avail. It was over. Ned had shut her out of his life and she had no one to blame for it but herself.
Turning off the water, Nancy stepped out onto the cold, hard tiles, shivering as the cool air made contact with her bare skin.
It would never have worked anyway, Nancy consoled herself as she roughly towel-dried her hair. Ned wanted babies and marriage and stability, all the things Nancy was certain she did not.
"You coming for some breakfast, Nancy?" a voice called impatiently at her.
Her stomach growling in anticipation of food, Nancy shoved her bag into her locker before following her curly-haired roommate outside.
It was time for a fresh start, and she had that with Frank.
xxxxx
Preaching something about the importance of preserving the integrity of a crime scene, Agent Morgan's words barely reached her ears as Nancy sat in a daze in her forensics class. Her pen poised in the air, she glanced around the crowded auditorium, at the other students who were paying varying degrees of attention. The more dedicated listened intently, their heads bobbing up and down in unison as they endeavored to transcribe every word Morgan was saying; the more laid-back members of the room scribbled down a note or two at intervals. Today Nancy found herself resigned to the second category of students, the less interested ones, the more distracted ones, which was unusual because despite having vast prior knowledge on the subject, Nancy still found the field of forensics incredibly interesting.
But Frank's presence was distracting, as was his hand, which had strayed onto her knee and was now working its way up her thigh.
"I have a plan," he whispered softly, and Nancy could feel the force of his gaze on her. "Meet me tonight."
"Okay," she agreed, daring to flash Frank a smile before turning her attention back to her studies.
"So you agree, Ms. Drew?"
Hearing her name, Nancy's head snapped up. She had no idea what Agent Morgan was talking about; her face flushing at the expectant, impatient look in his eyes.
"How do you expect to ever take charge of a crime scene if you don't know the basics? This is important, Ms Drew. Learning the color of Mr. Hardy eyes isn't. Understood?"
Mortified, Nancy nodded shortly, lowering her eyes to her book, unnervingly aware of the sea of faces that had turned around, whispering and gazing at them in quiet amusement.
When all had gone quiet again, the class's attention refocused on the do's and don'ts of crime scene investigation, Frank reached over and squeezed Nancy's hand gently. "My room, tonight," he whispered softly, and Nancy's heart soared.
xxxxx
Tonight, even the way he had said it, had sent shivers down her spine. His face had been so close that Nancy could almost feel the sensation of his lips, warm against her skin. He had spoken of plans, making it all sound very mysterious and romantic, but Nancy was well aware of his true intentions behind the words, and it mostly revolved around his bed, the floor, the wall, anywhere he could and would have her. Life was simple here; there were no restaurants, no fancy clothes, and Nancy hardly bothered with makeup. In a way it was better, more honest. They couldn't hide behind menus or cloak their feelings for one another in the darkened confines of a movie theater. They had each other and that was enough.
Initially they had reveled in keeping their relationship a secret, stoically practicing restraint, keeping their distance during the day, all the while sneaking stolen moments, the time apart making their time together all the sweeter.
Her hair damp, Nancy walked the short distance to the male dorm, not bothering with a jacket, thoughts of Frank sufficient in keeping her warm. Satisfied she wasn't in danger of being spotted, Nancy knocked discreetly on his door, smiling in delight as she was pulled swiftly inside and pinned against the wall.
"So, no John?" Nancy observed happily, wrapping her arms tightly around Frank's neck and responding willingly to his advances.
"Some family trouble," Frank shrugged distractedly, his fingers entangled in Nancy's hair as he pressed his lips against hers. "You know, I've been looking forward to this all day. Being with you here is becoming very distracting."
"Distracting, how?" Nancy asked softly, pulling her lips away from his and gazing into his eyes, smiling.
"Well, when we were out on the firing range today, all I could think about was what you were wearing under that shirt," Frank admitted with a slow smile, Nancy hardly daring to breathe as he kissed her neck softly, his fingers gently unbuttoning her shirt. "I missed every shot," he chuckled as the last button came undone, her shirt falling slowly to the floor.
"Is this what you imagined?" she managed with difficulty, mesmerized by the sweetness of his touch.
"It's even better," he murmured longingly, taking her in his arms and laying her gently on the bed.
Afterward, Nancy and Frank lay sprawled on the bed, legs and arms intertwined as they gazed at one another in contemplative silence.
"I can't wait until we're out of here and we can stop all this sneaking around," Frank said softly, smoothing an errant hair out of her face.
Nancy and Frank had never discussed the notion of their future before, not that she hadn't considered it. Nancy was growing closer to him than she'd ever expected and although they hadn't labeled their relationship, she felt like his girlfriend. They were a good fit; they both had common interests, a common goal which bound them, joined them together. There would be no fights about missed vacations or long hours spent apart, because he was like her.
"We might even get assigned to the same field office, maybe get a place together," he suggested, a touch of uncertainty in his voice.
"That would be great," Nancy found herself saying, and then his mouth was warm on hers, the night still and quiet around them as she melted back into his touch.