A/N: Big thanks to everyone for reading. I have to warn you in advance, I'm not too sure about this chapter...so apologies if it isn't quite up to snuff. :( I love to hear your thoughts and I'm glad everyone seems to be enjoying the story!

Quintessential Bliss

Chapter 25

"They'll be moving Frank in the morning," Fenton informed Joe and Laura after speaking with the Gray Man.

"Are they sure he's stable enough to move?" Laura asked.

Fenton nodded, "Yes, the sooner they move him the better." He wrapped his arm around his wife's shoulders and turned to Joe. "You and Vanessa should go home and get some sleep." Before Joe could interrupt Fenton held up his hand to stop him, "They've given Frank a heavy sedative so he'll sleep comfortably through the night. You've been awake for God knows how many hours…I won't argue with you Joe. Go home and get some rest."

"What about you guys?" Joe challenged.

"The hospital has arranged some beds for us," Laura smiled and reached up to kiss Joe's cheeks and whispered in Joe's ear, "You've got a strong woman in Vanessa Joe and she wouldn't want you to know it, but she's dead on her feet. Get her home; she needs to sleep as badly as you do."

Joe glanced at Vanessa and saw that his mother was right and knew that she had played her hand well. If there was one thing that could distract Joe from leaving his brother it would be the health and safety of his fiancée.

"I'm just going to say goodnight," Joe said and ducked into Frank's room.

As he approached the bed Frank struggled to open his eyes, "Hey Joe."

"Hey," Joe sat down in the chair next to the bed and leaned forward so his brother could see him better. "Dad's kicking me out."

"Good," Frank laughed lightly before the laugh turned into a wracking cough, causing his face to screw up in pain. "You look worse than I probably do."

Joe chuckled but it was an empty hollow sound because of the obvious pain his brother was in, "Yeah right. I've always been the handsome brother, you know that."

"Sure," Frank smiled and closed his eyes. "Is Nancy here?"

Joe tensed, "Um, she left for a minute but I think she's coming back."

"I really upset her," Frank's voice was getting thick with exhaustion and the drugs.

"Naw, Nancy's tough. You didn't do anything."

"I can't…remember…I think that…upset her," Frank's voice trailed off and he was soon sound asleep.

Joe got up from his seat and looked down at his brother, "I will find the cure for this Frank and I will make the people who did this to you pay."

Meaning every word, Joe turned and left the room.

"Nancy?" Vanessa said as she and Joe rounded the corner toward the elevators and saw Nancy sitting in one of the waiting room chairs. "I thought you left with Bess and Chet?"

"No," Nancy stood up and stuck her hands in the pockets of her jeans. "How is he?"

"Asleep," Joe replied. "Come on, you need to sleep too. We'll drive you home."

"No," Nancy replied quickly and rushed on when she knew they were about to protest, "I'd like to say goodnight to Frank, even if he is already asleep."

"We can wait for you," Vanessa replied.

"No, it's okay…" Nancy shook her head. The thought of going back to the house she and Frank shared without him, when he didn't even remember her or their relationship was too much to bear. "My dad is…coming from his hotel in a minute to get me," she lied. She had just gotten off the phone with her father and told him she was on her way home to sleep.

"Okay, if you're sure," Joe looked at her with concern.

"Of course," Nancy smiled brightly and looked at her watch. "In fact, he should be here any minute."

"Well, call us if you need anything," Joe said and gave Nancy a big hug.

"If you'd like you could have your dad drop you off at our place," Vanessa offered, knowing how hard it would be for Nancy to spend the night alone in her and Frank's house.

"No," Nancy felt as though her fake smile was going to crack her face, "I'll be fine."

"I wish I knew what to do for you," Vanessa said as she and Joe pulled into the parking lot of their apartment.

"You're here," Joe squeezed her hand, "That's the important thing."

"I know you didn't want to leave Frank, I'm sorry," Vanessa said as she climbed out of the car.

"You're sorry?" Joe asked and came around the car to stand in front of her.

"I know you only left because you were worried about me," Vanessa frowned.

Joe laid his hands on the car, caging her in, "No, we both needed sleep. It was the smart thing to do. Speaking of sleep, let's go get some." He reached for her hand and together they walked up the stairs to their apartment.

Because it was dark and late and they were both so tired they didn't see the large stack of mail on their doorstep until they had practically stepped on it. "That's weird," Vanessa frowned, "I asked Anita to get the mail for us while we were gone. Why would she leave it on the front mat like this?" She started to reach down and grab it when Joe stopped her.

"Don't!" His voice had risen and was filled with panic. He reached down quickly and grabbed the stack of mail. All of it was the same size, all in the same white square envelopes and all with the same handwriting on them. He struggled with his keys as panic bloomed. He shoved open the front door and went charging into the apartment.

"Joe?" he could hear Vanessa calling his name but it sounded tinny and distant. He made a beeline for the stack of mail on the counter left by Anita and started rifling through it. Not now, not now, not now he said over and over again in his head. Not when Frank was so close to death, not when his world was upside down. He couldn't deal with this right now.

He pulled out a dozen more of the square white envelopes tucked in with the regular bills and ads. "Joe!" Vanessa's voice broke through his panic, "What's going on? What are you doing?"

Without looking at her Joe rushed out of the kitchen and headed straight down the hall toward the bathroom with Vanessa right on his heels. He slammed the bathroom door closed and locked it.

Breathing heavily he began frantically ripping open the letters, with each letter the words getting progressively more aggressive and threatening. He barely heard Vanessa calling to him through the closed bathroom door as his eyes scanned the single sentences written inside the cards. You should have died. I hope you hurt forever. How DARE you ignore me? You will suffer. I will make you pay in pain and fear. You will DIE. There were pictures of him, pictures from the news article about the torture he endured in that dark warehouse. Joe on his knees, a look of devastation on his face and blood pooled at his feet.

"Joe!" Vanessa pounded on the door. "Joe, open the door!"

Joe pushed his hands through his hair staring at the pile of ripped up envelopes on top of the bathroom counter. He was shaking violently and simply breathing in and out felt like tiny daggers piercing his chest.

He stepped back slowly, his eyes never leaving the horrifying pile of mail on the counter. When his back hit the bathroom wall he slowly slid down until he was sitting on the floor, completely unaware of his tear stained face. "No," he murmured over and over again. "I can't deal with this right now."

Outside the bathroom door Vanessa stretched up on her toes to reach the bathroom door key on top of the door frame. Shoving it ruthlessly into the lock she fumbled with it for a few seconds before finally hearing it click free. She shoved open the door and rushed to Joe's side. "Joe!" she ran her hands over his face and down his arms. "Are you okay? What's going on?"

Joe buried his face in his hands and shook his head, "I don't know. I don't know what I did. What did I do? What did I do?"

Vanessa looked over her shoulder at the pile of white paper. She stood up slowly and picked up a crumpled card and gasped when she read the single threatening sentence. "How long have you been getting these?" She whispered and read another one.

"I don't know," Joe's voice was shaky, "a few months I guess."

"A few months?" Vanessa tamped down on the anger that rose inside her, Joe didn't need that now.

Joe leaned his head back against the wall and watched as Vanessa picked through the pile, examining each threat and looking at the pictures included in some of the cards. "At first I didn't think that much of it. When the pictures started coming with the cards and I started to receive them more frequently…" his voice trailed off.

"Did you tell Frank?" Vanessa asked.

"No," Joe replied.

Vanessa turned and sat down on the floor beside Joe and pulled his head over to rest on her chest. She ran her fingers through his hair; something she knew helped to soothe him. His body was still tense but after a few moments he began to relax.

"I can't deal with this right now Van," Joe said after a few silent minutes. "I need to be focused on Frank and figuring out how to cure him." He sat up and looked at her through haunted eyes. "I don't want to tell anyone about this."

"Joe," Vanessa began to protest but Joe interrupted her.

"No, I don't want anyone to know," Joe shook his head vehemently. "You have to promise me Van, no one finds out about this."

Vanessa worried her bottom lip with her teeth, "But Joe, maybe they could help…"

Joe was shaking his head again before she could finish, "No, not right now."

"When, when will it be a good time?" Vanessa demanded.

"When Frank is better," Joe replied stubbornly.

Vanessa got up off the floor abruptly and strode to the sink; "Joe, this isn't something you can handle on your own!" she picked up a handful of the cards.

"I'll tell them when Frank is more stable," Joe said standing up too. "Please Van."

Vanessa sighed and against her better judgment said, "Fine. But you have to promise me that if you get another one of these you'll tell your dad."

"Vanessa," Joe gestured at the letters, "I think it's obvious that I'm going to get another one."

"Fine," Vanessa threw up her hands in frustration. "At least let me know if you get another one."

"I will," Joe promised. When Vanessa looked at him doubtfully he added, "I promise."

Vanessa sighed and stepped forward to wrap her arms around him. "You asked me to marry you Joe and that means that I want to be here for you no matter what and that I want you to trust me no matter what. I love you."

"I love you too," Joe replied but his eyes stayed locked on the pile of cards resting in the bathroom sink.

The man on the infomercial had been mildly entertaining an hour ago, but as the second hour of the Incredible Magic Mop started Nancy found that everything the man said was hilarious. She was sitting in the same hard chair in the waiting room, her head angled painfully so she could see the TV mounted in the corner.

She hadn't meant to watch the infomercial but the idea of getting up and changing the channel had been too involved for her sleep deprived brain to comprehend. So instead she settled on listening to the Incredible Magic Mop's many features.

By the time the second hour had finished the sun was just starting to come up and Nancy had decided that she needed to get an Incredible Magic Mop. Maybe she'd get one for Laura for Christmas.

The though of Laura Hardy and Christmas had a lump lodging itself in her throat. Because she had been able to zone out with the infomercial Nancy hadn't obsessed about Frank in two hours. Of course, he had been on her mind but she hadn't felt like panicking. Now that the smiling host was saying his goodbyes it was all Nancy could think about.

She stood up from her chair and realized that every part of her hurt. Her back was cramped, her legs were cramped and her head felt like a bowling ball. She yawned and stretched, hoping to work the kinks out of her body due to a night spent in a hospital chair.

"Nancy?"

At the sound of her name Nancy whirled around to see Laura Hardy standing at the doors to the Intensive Care unit. "Mrs. Hardy…good morning," Nancy brushed her hands over her hair self consciously.

Laura frowned at the use of her formal title, something Nancy hadn't used in a long time but she ignored it and asked a more important question. "Have you been here all night?"

"I…well," Nancy shrugged and looked outside, "I…didn't want to miss Frank before he was moved."

Laura started to scold the poor girl before she realized that Nancy was standing on a very thin line between hysteria and keeping it together. She took a deep breath, "I guess its good you're here. Frank has been mumbling your name all night. He asked for you this morning when he woke up."

"He did?" Nancy couldn't help but feel hopeful.

Laura nodded. "Come on, let's go see him."