A/N: Hello everyone! Here's another chapter, thank you SO MUCH to everyone who is reading and to those of you who have taken the time to leave a review. I really appreciate it! Also, in this chapter I use a little bit of a language I know nothing about, so I really hope I don't offend anyone with my rudimentary skills. :) Also…the word "schwein" means "pig". :) Enjoy!

Quintessential Bliss

Chapter Thirteen

"It went well," Fred walked into the surveillance room where his wife was monitoring the cameras in the Livingston house.

"Good, so we're on schedule then?" Beatrice turned to look at her husband.

"Yes, we'll be ready for phase two once he recovers from tonight," Fred sat in his chair and widened the view on the front of the Livingston house. "I wonder how long it will take him to get home."

Beatrice turned and smiled at her husband, "You sound too happy about that Fred."

"I know," Fred laughed and then his eyes narrowed when the struggling Frank and Callie with an intoxicated Joe between them came into view.

"Well, look at the Good Samaritans," Beatrice murmured.

"They've gotten awfully friendly fast, those four," Fred commented as they watched Frank haul Joe up the stairs.

"Well, they do live right across from each other," Beatrice pointed out.

"Yes," Fred agreed absentmindedly.

They watched the different screens, the front door where Frank fell against the wall because Joe tripped on the threshold. The stairs where Joe tried to lay down and go to sleep and finally the bedroom where Frank helped Joe get into bed beside Nancy.

"Maybe I should do some research, see if he needs a hospital or something," they heard Frank say to Callie.

A few minutes later the screens flickered a few times and then went fuzzy. "What's going on?" Fred asked.

"I don't know," Beatrice leaned forward and started typing furiously. "Something is jamming the signal.

"Where is it coming from?" Fred asked.

"I don't know, somewhere offsite. It's affecting the entire compound. All cameras are out," Beatrice continued typing.

"Well, can you fix it?" Fred demanded.

"I'm working on it," Beatrice replied in clipped tones. "Calm down."

Fred snorted, "Calm down she tells me!" Fred threw his hands up in the air, "Unser ganzer Betrieb ist an Risiko, Frau!" he nearly shouted the words he was so frustrated.

Beatrice turned slowly to face her husband. Staring at him levelly she said, "I understand that our operation is at risk, schwein. And my name is not 'woman'."

"Just fix the damn cameras!" Fred jumped out of his seat and began to pace around the room.

"If you had gone to school like I had you'd be able to fix the damn cameras yourself, schwein," Beatrice murmured to herself as she got back to work. A few minutes later Fred settled down in the chair next to his wife, "If you ask me how much longer it is going to take Fred, I will kill you."

Knowing that his wife meant every word Fred bit back the question that was forming on his lips and instead came up with a different one, "What's for dinner?"

Beatrice laughed, "Pork."

From his position at the end of the bed Frank could watch both Joe and Nancy for any signs that one of them might need him. After much protesting he had finally talked Callie into going home and getting some rest, knowing that there was no point that both of them miss out on a night of sleep.

Leaning forward in his chair Frank rested his elbows on his knees and his eyes made the same tireless circuit they had made all night. Starting with Joe he watched his brother's face carefully for any signs of pain or discomfort, after a few minutes he'd shift his eyes and do the same with Nancy.

Inevitably his eyes would fall on the bandage on Nancy's forehead and he would wince, she was sure to have one hell of a headache when she woke up.

Frank sat up straight when Joe shifted in his sleep and moved closer to Nancy. His eyes narrowed when Joe's arm lifted and draped itself across Nancy's waist. "I hope your hangover hurts little brother," Frank murmured and rolled his eyes when Joe just sighed in contentment.

His legs were beginning to get stiff and sore so Frank stood up and walked to the window, looking out on the street below. Checking his watch for what felt like the thousandth time Frank realized they only had a few hours left of not being watched.

Looking out the window again Frank's eyes scanned the street and his eyes fell on a bush in Joe's neighbor's yard. "Damnit!" Frank swore and ducked quickly out of the way. There had definitely been someone down there looking up at the house; he had seen the flash of a lens. Had they seen him? Had they gotten his picture?

Swearing quietly to himself over and over Frank debated over whether or not to risk another look. Taking a chance Frank peered cautiously around the curtain and saw a dark figure rushing down the street. "Stupid!" Frank whispered loudly, "Stupid!"

He should have known better than to stand in front of a window in a neighborhood full of cameras. Of course with the surveillance system down someone would come to watch the house, it was an amateur mistake.

"Frank?" Nancy whispered from behind him.

"Nancy!" Frank whirled around to find Nancy sitting up on the side of the bed, "Nancy, don't get up." In the excitement Frank hadn't heard Nancy moving around.

"No, I'm okay," Nancy looked up at Frank, "What's going on? Why were you swearing?"

Frank quickly told her about the person with the camera, "It was so stupid of me."

Nancy was quiet for a minute, "Well, maybe they didn't see anything."

"Yeah, maybe," Frank replied doubtfully and sat down next to her on the edge of the bed. "But how often in our line of work does that happen?"

"Not often," Nancy agreed.

"What should we do?" Frank asked.

"I guess just wait and see what happens," Nancy shrugged and then winced when it caused her head to pound even harder. "Ouch."

"Yeah, you're sure to have a killer headache," Frank leaned forward and brushed a light kiss across her lips. "I'm sorry you're hurt."

"It's Beatrice who will be sorry," Nancy replied angrily. "Who goes around and drugs random strangers?"

"Um, criminals?" Frank suggested.

Nancy chuckled a little bit, careful not to do anything that would upset her head, "Yeah, I guess you're right." She leaned in and gave Frank a longer kiss. She pulled back quickly looking panicked, "the cameras!" she whispered.

Frank quickly explained about the call to his father and looked at his watch, "So we have about two and a half hours until the cameras are back on line."

"Oh," Nancy looked over her shoulder at Joe, "He's okay?"

"Yes," Frank replied. "He'll have the mother of all hangovers, but he'll be okay."

"Will he be okay if we leave him for awhile?" Nancy asked.

"Sure," Frank shrugged, "but why?"

"There's just something I want to do," Nancy got shakily to her feet and Frank quickly stood up to help her.

"Are you sure you're okay to walk?" Frank asked nervously as Nancy swayed woozily.

"Yes," Nancy nodded her head in determination. They walked across the room and opened the bedroom door, "Leave it open, so we can hear Joe if he needs us."

"Where are we going?" Frank asked.

"Close," Nancy assured him and walked down the hall to the guest bedroom. "Leave this door open too."

"Okay," Frank was confused. "What are you doing?"

Nancy turned to smile at Frank, "You look absolutely exhausted and I've missed sleeping with you the last few nights. Give me your cell phone," Nancy held out her hand. Frank handed it to her and she quickly set the alarm for two hours. "So, we're going to sleep."

"Alright," Frank agreed since Nancy looked like she was about to topple over. They turned down the bed and climbed in together. Nancy curled herself against Frank's body and sighed, "Much better."

"Go to sleep Nan," Frank murmured and kissed her forehead. He knew there would be no way he would be able to sleep; what if his cell phone alarm didn't work? What if, for the first time in his life, he slept through the alarm? What if…

In a matter of minutes, he was asleep.

"There was someone in their bedroom," Fred said breathlessly as he rushed into the room where his wife was still working on the cameras. "A man, I'm almost sure of it."

"It was probably Joe," Beatrice replied in a bored voice.

"Standing up? At this time of the night, in the condition we left him in? Not likely," Fred pulled the camera off from around his neck.

"Then it was that neighbor guy, just making sure they were okay," Beatrice sounded uninterested.

Fred shook his head, "I don't think so. Something is going on."

"You're not James Bond, Fred," Beatrice laughed.

Fred ignored his wife and quickly plugged his camera into the computer. Pulling up the picture he had quickly taken of the bedroom window he squinted at it. "It sort of looks like Joe…in the bone structure and the face, but his hair is dark." Working fast he enhanced the image and enlarged it. "It's Frank Hardy, Callie Shaw's friend."

"Who cares? He's taking care of them, he didn't want to leave them alone," Beatrice shrugged.

Fred however had a hunch and so pulled up a simple search program. Typing in the name Frank Hardy he was surprised at the long list the search brought up. He clicked on one of them at random and read about Frank Hardy and his brother Joe taking their high school to a record three state basketball championships in a row.

Joe.

Frank Hardy had a brother named Joe.

Getting excited Fred scanned the rest of the article for a picture and smiled widely when a picture of two teenage boys, arms slung across the others shoulders came up. Fred read the caption, "The Hardy brothers aren't just great at solving mysteries, they're virtually unstoppable on the court."

"Bingo," Fred laughed and turned the computer so Beatrice could see. "I think we have a problem."