Chapter Five

Late Sunday morning, Frank was home studying for the bar exam and catching up on work for one of the partners in the firm. Carson and Hannah were attending church, allowing Frank to work in peace. Although he regularly attended church with his family years before, he only occasionally went to church since his mother's death. It was an act that was tough for him considering the memories of his family and he knew his mother wouldn't approve of her son missing church but Frank needed time to be alone. The events of the day before were still reeling through his head and he was having trouble concentrating.

Frank thought about everything Hannah told him that Nancy went through. It had to have been rough for her to lose the one she loved before they even had a chance to live a life together. He wondered what would have happened had he been with his family instead. Maybe he would still be with Callie. Frank thought about his ex-girlfriend, wondering where she was at that moment. Did she move on? Did she have the family and life she desired when she was with him?

A noise from the kitchen jolted him out of his thoughts. Frank glanced at his watch, seeing that it was too early for Carson and Hannah to be home. Just in case it was needed, he grabbed the first thing he saw: the hardbound law book he was studying from, and quietly slipped out of the room. Creeping down the stairs as silently as he could, Frank listened for more movement, hearing a cup being set onto the counter. He wondered who would be in the house considering it was Sunday. Frank stopped just before the landing, gauging as to where the "visitor" was.

Grasping the book a little tighter with the intention of wielding it as a weapon, he took a deep breath then jumped out, surprising the person and himself. A female voice cried out and the sound of a cup crashing to the floor echoed in the room.

"Nancy?" Frank said breathlessly, lowering the book. "What are you doing here?"

"Frank!" she cried in alarm. "You scared the dickens out of me! Why did you do that?"

"I thought someone broke in," he replied. "Your dad and Hannah aren't supposed to be home for another few hours. I didn't even think that you had a key to get in."

"Well, I do," Nancy mumbled. She looked down at the broken cup on the floor. "Oh, darn! Hannah's going to kill me. I broke a different cup two weeks ago!"

She grabbed a hand towel and carefully begin to clean up the mess. Frank set the book on the table and knelt next to her to help. The two silently cleaned up until Nancy spoke.

"I've got it, Frank," she replied then hissed, pulling her hand towards her.

Frank could see blood seeping between her fingers as she stood up and went over to the kitchen sink to run water over her wound. He finished carefully cleaning up the mess then walked over to help her.

"Let me see, Nan," he said gruffly.

Her mouth opened slightly though she didn't say a word as he gently took her hand and examined the cut. Nancy silently watched and waited, her mind going in all directions. She could smell his cologne, remembering that he used something similar to what Ned used before he died. Frank looked different to her, his face more chiseled, a five o'clock shadow evident along his chin as if he didn't shave that day. The white tank he wore beneath an open button-down shirt hugged his toned upper torso.

"Nancy?"

"Huh?" Blushing, she looked up at him to see that Frank was staring at her, his dark brown eyes full of concern. "Did you say something?"

"I asked if Hannah had a first aid kit?"

"Oh, right. Under the kitchen sink."

Frank nodded and knelt to look under the sink for the kit. After finding it, he used iodine to clean the wound then wrapped her hand with a bandage.

"Done," he replied with a small smile. Nancy watched as Frank put away the kit and throw away the trash.

"You didn't have to do that," she said softly, averting her eyes from him.

"It's not a problem, Nan," Frank stated, washing his hands.

Nancy snorted. "No one's called me that in years. Not since Ned…"

"I'm sorry about him," he said sadly, turning toward her. Frank bowed his head in guilt. "I'm sorry I wasn't here."

"I wasn't alone, Frank," she replied, her blue eyes watering. "I had Dad and Hannah…and Joe." Nancy paused, watching for a reaction though she couldn't tell what he was thinking. "Have you called him or your dad since you've been here?"

"No," Frank quickly stated, shaking his head. "I can't. Every time I pick up the phone, I remember the last words that were exchanged between us. I can't…take the rejection again."

"I think they'll surprise you, Frank," Nancy softly said, placing her hand on his arm. "Your dad…regretted the words the moment they left his mouth. He thought about looking for you but he didn't know if you'd reject him if he found you. And Joe…he's angry at you but not in the way you think. He's more upset because you left him behind. You both just lost your mother and he needed his big brother to help him get through it."

"Nancy, I…"

"Frank," she leaned in closer, looking into his eyes, "you can't continue being alone."

The two stared at one another, neither of them speaking for fear of ruining the moment. Frank could feel the warmth of her body near him, his emotions coming on full force. He wasn't sure if Nancy was feeling the same way but he somewhat hoped she was. They moved closer until an annoyed voice spoke from nearby.

"I hope I'm not interrupting anything."

Frank's and Nancy's heads swiveled to see a man with light brown hair standing by the door, his face etched with a mix of anger and annoyance. Her eyes went wide in surprise as Nancy quickly moved away from Frank.

"Owen!" she cried as cheerfully as she could muster. "What…what are you doing here?"

"Looking for you," he said curtly, his eyes boring into Frank making him feel slightly uncomfortable. "Where've you been?"

"I…I…" she stumbled, trying to find the right words to say. "I came here to get something."

"I see you found something." Owen turned to her, his eyes burning with anger.

"I…I didn't know Frank would be here."

"Sure."

"She's telling the truth, Owen," Frank piped in cautiously. "I was upstairs when she came in and I didn't know it was her."

Before Owen could retort, Hannah and Carson strolled in through the back down and stopped when they saw the three of them. The two could feel the tension in the room and cautiously entered. Carson looked at Nancy and smiled.

"Nancy!" he said in a calm voice. He went over to her and wrapped his arms around her body. "What brings you here this morning?"

"I…I just came by."

"Oh," Hannah smiled, her eyes watching Owen intently, "won't you stay for lunch then? We're having sandwiches and salad."

Nancy began to speak but Owen interrupted her. "We have plans," he said abruptly. He grabbed a hold of her hand and pulled her away from Frank.

"What plans?" Nancy asked innocently as she followed him.

Owen whirled his head around. "My parents, remember?"

"Oh," she said, her eyes wide in surprise. "I…I forgot that it was today. Couldn't we stay though?"

"No! My parents are expecting us. We need to go."

As Owen pulled Nancy out the door, Hannah, Carson, and Frank heard her say goodbye before the door slammed shut.

"What does she see in him?" Frank cried, angrily. He waited, watching Hannah move to the refrigerator and Carson shake his head.

"You'd have to ask her," the father said sadly. "She needs to make her own choices, even if it's a bad one. She'll come to realize who he is sooner or later."

"I'll start making lunch," Hannah announced, changing the subject. "Are you hungry, Frank?"

"I guess," Frank answered, staring at Carson. "Why don't you intervene?"

"Now is not the time to talk about this," Carson answered with a stern look. "She's bent on marrying him and I will support it…for now. Just let it go."

"But it's a mistake!"

"I know that, Frank! I know she's going to make the right choice but I can't do anything without causing her to push away from us! Now, please, leave it alone."

"Fine," Frank grumbled. He turned toward the table and grabbed the book as he walked to the stairs. "I must be the only one here who knows the type of person Owen really is. I lost my appetite, Hannah. I'll eat later."

There was a stone silence in the room with the exception of the sounds of Hannah making a sandwich. She stopped and set the knife on the counter, glancing at Carson who stared at the floor.

"Why didn't you say it?" she demanded.

"Say what?"

"I know you, Carson Drew," Hannah pointed a finger at him. "You don't like Owen anymore than I do but you won't do anything to stop Nancy from making one of the biggest mistakes of her life!"

"I know that, Hannah!" he cried then lowered his voice. "You know Owen's father has a finger on the firm. If I step in to break up Nancy and Owen, he'll press down and destroy everything that I built. I can't do anything. My hands are literally tied! It has to be Nancy that makes the decision. End of discussion. I don't want Frank to know that either. It's none of his business."

"It is his business if it means that Owen could some day be his boss," she pointed out. She restarted the sandwich, slapping mayonnaise on the bread as if she were had a grudge against it. "I don't understand why you don't do something, Carson. Even if it's something simple."

"Hannah," Carson said softly, wrapping his arm around her, "there are things that you will never understand about me but one thing is for sure, just because you can't see it, doesn't mean I'm not doing something."

Hannah stopped, her eyes moving toward him with curiosity. He gave her a knowing look but said nothing more as he walked out of the room. The housekeeper's mouth dropped open slightly before she slowly continued making the sandwich. She realized there were things going that even she didn't know about. She just hoped that it ended well for the family.

Owen opened the car door for Nancy and waited until she got in before going around to the driver's side. He silently started the car and put it into gear, looking behind him as he moved onto the street. He didn't say anything until they were about a mile from Nancy's father's house.

"What were you thinking?" he asked, angrily.

"What do you mean?" Nancy answered politely though there was a hint of fear in her voice.

"I mean about you being alone with another man!"

"Frank is a friend," she explained. "I told you I didn't know he was there!"

"Of course, you didn't know he was there!" Owen spat sarcastically, turning down a street. "You told me before about this so-called 'friend' you say he is. He's no more your friend than your boss. You told me you were angry with him because he left you behind without saying a word. Who was it who comforted you when your husband died? Hmm?"

"You weren't the only one, Owen. I had friends who were there for me."

"And where are they now?" he sneered, glancing at her. "And now that he's here again, you're almost fawning over him!"

"I didn't have anything to do with bringing Frank here!" Nancy cried, her own anger rising. "That was my father who did that! I should be thanking him though because I realized how much I missed having someone I can talk to!"

"You have me!"

"I know but I can have another friend other than you!"

"I forbid it!"

"Excuse me?" Nancy turned toward him, her face aghast.

Owen pulled over to the curb and put the car in park. He turned toward her, his face stern. "I do not want you to be around Frank anymore. He is not your friend! You and I are going to be married in less than a month and I am not going to be undermined by a former lover of yours!"

"Frank was never a 'lover' of mine!" she shrieked. "We were good friends and solved cases together along with his brother. That's it! There was never anything between us because he had a girlfriend and I had…Ned. We respected each other which is more than I can say for you!"

"Don't talk to me like that!" he growled, raising his hand slightly. Owen lowered it when he saw the defiant look on her face and spoke again in a lower voice. "That is not what it looked like to me. Are you sure there's no hidden feelings that you're not telling me about?"

"N-no," Nancy stammered, shaking her head. Her thoughts went to Frank. There was nothing between them, just as before. Right? But her heart fluttered earlier when she looked into Frank's eyes, almost as if a spark that was dormant before had suddenly ignited. "There's nothing."

Nancy looked at Owen, whose face was red with anger and resentment. She suddenly didn't want to be in the car anymore. In fact, she didn't want to be anywhere near Owen at the moment. Her mind was telling her to get out of the car but her body wouldn't move.

Suddenly, Owen's face went calm though his lips were still pursed. "I trust you, Nancy," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. He leaned over and kissed her cheek before cupping her chin. "Don't ever do that to me again."

The man put the car into gear and pulled away from the curb. Nancy knew he was angrier than she had ever seen him before but she wondered what his reasoning was to ending the conversation. Owen didn't seem like the type to end it the way he did. As he continued toward the other side of River Heights where his parents' house was located, Owen remained quiet.

Nancy turned toward her window, ignoring him as she watched the world go by. She saw children playing in yards, chasing one another in a game. Smiling, Nancy yearned for a family though she never thought she would have one. Ned was all she ever loved and wanted to spend the rest of her life with him. He supported her as a private investigator and then as a journalist. Ned knew it was important to her to continue her career which was why they didn't start having children right away. But his death brought their dreams of a family to a crashing halt.

Once Joe left after Ned's funeral, Owen was there but it took a while for her to get to know him. Eventually Nancy thought she would finally have that family she wanted with Owen. Now though, Nancy was thinking of something else…of someone else. Her heart changed the moment she found out Frank was back and she knew that her Owen would never support her the way Ned or even Frank would. The man was showing who he truly was with his jealousy and anger and Nancy did not want to continue being with him because of it. She just needed to find a way to get out of the whole situation before she walked down the aisle.

Author's Note:

I am so sorry for not getting this out last week! It was a crazy one with lots of attitude from students and I also had a sinus infection, neither of which helped in my writing. Yay me. What a week though! And now we're down to the final days of school for me. Can't wait until Friday! I get a few days off with no kiddos at home which I'm hoping to get a few things done around the house. But don't worry. I'll make sure to get out some chapters while I'm at it. I hope that everyone's Memorial Day was good. It was beautiful here, with a nice 85 degree weather and sparkling pool to lounge in! But also, to remember those who paid the ultimate sacrifice to our country. God bless them and their families. And thank you to those who currently serve or have served. So, we finally meet Owen. I'm sure none of you are liking him, which is completely the point. But now you also know more as to why Carson doesn't say anything directly to Nancy about not approving Owen. But he always has something up his sleeve so keep that in mind. We'll find out more on his family later. I had something different for the end of the chapter which would have introduced Owen's family but I realized that it was taking too much away from Frank. It's his story. Not Nancy's. Though the interaction between her and Owen was necessary to show her own thoughts at the moment especially after the whole Frank encounter. And there will be more coming with Fenton and Joe so just be a little patient on that end. Thank you for reading the previous chapter and a special thanks to those who left reviews for it! You know how much I love reading your thoughts and theories on the story! Some of you are close to the right idea while others give me new ones! Keep them coming, if you can! To Margaret, yes, Joe needs to be set right and we will see how that goes in the future. Nancy is getting there though, as evident in this chapter. To max2013, Carson may not be doing something directly but he's there for his daughter when she needs it. Frank is still on the sidelines of repairing his severed ties, especially with his family but it's coming. And Owen is definitely one who I don't care for but I love writing characters like him for some reason. I don't know. To the Guest, thank you for reading! I'm glad that the last chapter explained Nancy's outburst a little better. She was angry at Owen but took it out on Frank. Joe's behavior is more along the lines of being left behind but we'll go into that later. To ErinJordan, thank you! To Candylou, you are correct about them sitting down in a civil manor but again, more to come. To Drumboy, yes, Owen is definitely a rebound. I'm sure this chapter gave you even more reason to hate Owen. He's a predator in every sense of the word and Nancy puts up with him because she doesn't want to be alone anymore along with her grief of Ned. To Savvy, Owen's departure is eminent. To Novembershowers, welcome back and thank you for reading! To caseykam, I know it's hard to not see Frank and Joe as a team. It's hard for me too since I'm rereading a lot of the old supermysteries but I'm sure in the future, that may change. Nancy and Joe are just good friends but he's not there all the time. There's more to come on where there relationship came from and why they're close. To Elizabeth, I know I killed off Ned before in a previous story...wait, a few of them actually. Anyway, I didn't really want him dead but there is a reason behind it that I haven't explained yet. You know me though, I never really thought Nancy and Ned were really all that great as a couple. I do want to thank you though for continuing to read the story. I do appreciate you and everyone else who supports it by reading. Well, that being said, I hope that you enjoyed the latest chapter and if you will, please leave a review to let me know what you think! Have a great day and God bless!