Final piece of the "So Why Aren't You?" series. This piece follows 'Overstepping the Line'.

Frank kicked the door in and ran down the stairs to the basement. He almost ran Joe down on his way into the house. "Nancy!" Franked screamed.

Just forty-five short minutes ago, Bess had called Joe complaining that Nancy had missed their weekly ice cream date. Joe passed this information along to Frank, who remembered that Nancy was working a case close by. Nancy had been investigating a chemical plant owner for murder allegations by herself, something that did not sit well with Frank. Now Nancy was missing and hadn't been heard from in several hours. Without question, Frank had jumped on his motorcycle and gone towards the chemical plant Nancy was investigating.

The chemical plant had been empty from what Frank had found so far. It felt abandoned, as most of the doors were jammed shut or falling off their hinges. The walls were cracked. Windows had been boarded up for years and Frank had to kick in a window just to get into the building. Now he was running through the hallways, trying to find the woman he loved but never told the truth to. "Nancy!" Frank scream again. His throat hurt from the yelling. He knew yelling would give away his presence, but he didn't care. Nancy was his concern.

Frank rounded the corner after flying down another flight of stairs and ran into a large room with several large tanks containing various liquids. Some tanks were clear while others were made of solid concrete. A tank of the far left was filled with a green sludge, and another on the right with a blackish liquid. Frank yelled again for Nancy, but there was still no answer. All he got was the echo of his own voice.

He should have asked her out two months ago, when she was standing in his room looking as beautiful as ever. The last kiss they shared has been so perfect and so blissfully wonderful. Frank threw his hands into his hair in frustration. Maybe he shouldn't have left Joe out front to call for help…

Focus, Hardy. She needs you. She needs calm Frank Hardy. Focus. She's calling for you. "Nancy, I know you're here. I want to help you. I'm here to save you," Frank called out. "Not that you ever need any saving…" Frank muttered under his breath. Nancy was one independent gal.

Something behind the tank of green sludge caught Frank's eye. An empty tank sat behind the large green sludge tank. A large pipe was connected to the tank, and it appeared it had been recently sealed due to the lack of dust or grime on the top of the tank. Frank ran closer to the empty tank as his thoughts ran wild.

Frank pulled the flashlight from his pocket and shined it into the glass tank. A body was lying across the floor of the tank. She was wearing a light blue blouse and a pair of dark denim jeans with her favorite pair of high-heeled boots. Her titanium hair was strewn across her face and her bright blue eyes were closed.

Nancy!

"Nancy!" Frank started to bang on the glass tank. Was she breathing? Was she okay? Was she hurt? "Nancy, wake up!" Nancy didn't budge. Frank realized that the glass directly in front of her face was fogging up. She's breathing.

Suddenly, a large grinding noise echoed through the cavernous room. The sound of liquid running through the pipes could be heard. Suddenly, a brownish mud-like liquid flowed into the tank Nancy was trapped in. Frank started banging harder on the glass and screaming. Once the water covered Nancy's nose and mouth, she coughed and woke herself up. Nancy groaned and held onto her head. "Nancy!" Nancy turned and stumbled to her feet. She threw herself against the glass.

"Frank!"

"Nancy, I'm here! I'm going to get you out!" Frank started searching the room for something to break the glass with. He went for a steel beam and started running towards the tank. "Step back!" Nancy dodged to the side and covered her head. The steel beam had no effect on the tank and bounced right back.

"It's triple pane glass!" Nancy shouted. The water was up to her knees now. "You'll need something stronger!" Frank started running through the warehouse. He tried several steel pieces, a metal chair, and several tools left behind. The water had now reached Nancy's hips. "Frank, it's no use!"

"Nancy, you're going to get out of here! We're getting out of here! I promise," Frank said through the glass. Tears were pooling in Nancy's eyes.

"Frank…" she trailed off. Frank stopped panicking and looked at the woman across from him. "We're all out of luck. Time's up. Frank, I'm so sorry…"

"Nancy, please don't give up like this. Stay with me here," Frank replied as he pressed his palms up against the glass. He could see her beginning to break. He wasn't going to let her go like this. "You're going to get out. We've got a lot left to do here, Nance…"

"We?" Nancy asked, with some hope in her tearful eyes. She knew she was going to die, but at least it was in the company of her best friend.

"Yes, we. Nancy, I'm in love with you, so, so very in love with you. And I'm sorry this is the way you had to find out. I wanted to tell you sooner, but I couldn't do it. I was such a coward. You shouldn't have been with Ned. From the moment I kissed you in that cabin on Mount Mirage, I knew it should've been me."

"Frank…"

"Please Nancy, I have to tell you. You're my best friend. My soulmate. And once I get you out of here, you're going to be my girlfriend, and maybe some day, my wife. And we're going to have a small home in a small town and solve mysteries together for the rest of our lives. We're going to be a team Nan."

"Tell me about our home," Nancy begged from the other side of the glass. The water had now reached her chest. Nancy pressed her hands up against his, disappointed the glass was between them. Frank chuckled and looked down. He was biting back sobs of his own.

"I want the home to be like you- classy, cozy, comforting, and beautiful. It'll be one story, with a front porch and a gorgeous cherry blossom tree in the front yard. There will be flowers outside the home, which has a brick exterior and a cream colored roof. The kitchen will be country style, with white wooden cabinets-"

"-and a bar with light wooden barstools with white cushions," Nancy finished with a sad smile. "Light colored granite, and a small breakfast nook with a round table."

"There will be a fireplace with photos of family…"

"And a back patio with lights on it and a small table to eat breakfast together at," Nancy continued as a tear ran down her cheek. "I love you, too, Frank. I'm so sorry I couldn't tell you sooner. If I had just-"

"No. I'm going to get you out of here. We deserve a chance, Nancy." The water began to flow past Nancy's neck.

"Frank, I'm so sorry…" Nancy cried as the water covered her mouth. She pressed her face to the top of the tank to get the most air possible. "I love you," she sobbed before the water covered her face and hid her from sight.

"Nancy!" Frank shouted. In desperation to free her, Frank searched the warehouse again and caught sight of the metal chair. Running towards it, he snatched it up and got as far from Nancy's tank as he could. Placing the chair between him and the tank, Frank ran towards the tank and threw his body against the tank. He bounced off and onto the floor, but not before he made a crack in the glass tank. Despite the pain now coursing through him, Frank jumped back up and did it again. "C'mon Hardy, c'mon…" Frank ran again. And again. And again.

Frank's head was spinning. Nancy must almost be out of oxygen by now. Once again, he picked himself up off of the ground and dashed away from the tank to get some running space. Frank tilted the legs of the metal chair towards the glass tank and ran at the glass with his full force.

As Frank threw his body at the glass tank, a shattering noise drowned out his hearing as he fell through the broken glass. The glass tank broke and muddy water spilled all over the cold cement floor. Frank fell through the broken tank and onto the metal chair and broken glass. He groaned out in pain and his vision became splotchy. He rolled his body off of the chair and onto the shattered glass on the ground of the tank. He could make out Nancy's body lying next to him. "Nancy?" Frank croaked out. Nancy rolled over and choked up mud water.

"I'm okay, Frank. I'm here." Frank nodded and lay back on the broken glass. He could feel a cut bleeding out on his arm and a pain on his chest. Nancy crawled over to Frank who pulled her on top of him and held her close. Nancy sprawled out on top of Frank as both detectives gasped for breath. Frank determined that at least one of his ribs was broken, but he didn't care. Holding Nancy close was lightening the pain from all of his injuries.

"I love you, Nancy."

"I love you too, Frank," Nancy breathed out.

Together, the two detectives limped out into the sunlight. Nancy shielded her eyes as the bright light rained down on her. Frank coughed and winced in pain as Joe ran over. Police cars were parked all over outside and officers were running towards Nancy and Frank. Paramedics pushed past Joe, who had a massive look of relief on his face, and took ahold of Nancy and Frank separately. Frank grimaced in pain and Nancy reached out for Frank as they were separated. Joe ran over to Frank as the paramedics examined him. "You don't know how glad I am to see you," Joe sighed out. Frank nodded.

"I told her, Joe," Frank confessed as the paramedics slipped off his sopping wet shirt and examine his broken rib. Joe's expression changed to a look of confusion.

"Nancy? You told her…" Joe's sentence trailed off as he glanced at Nancy, who was watching Frank intensely. "Oh my God, you told her. What did she say?" Joe eagerly asked. Frank gave a lopsided grin up at him. "Well it's about damn time," Joe grinned back. "I'm going to go check in with her." Joe sauntered on over to Nancy, who was sitting just a few yards away. "Hey lovely little redhead," Joe teased, making Nancy crack a smile.

"Hi Joe. It's really good to see you," Nancy said weakly.

"I just thought you'd want to know that they caught the guy you were after. The police arrived just as he was slipping out the backdoor. The guilt was written all over his face," Joe said as he sat down next to Nancy. "I also just thought you'd want to know that Frank talks about you in his sleep," Joe continued, making Nancy chuckle.

Joe had always been the one to lift her spirits in tough times. Sometimes he felt like the older brother to her, despite Nancy being a whole year older than he was. "I'm glad he finally spoke up. Sorry it took you being in extreme danger for him to tell you."

"Don't worry Joe, I heard everything I'll ever need to hear in those moments," Nancy replied as she gazed at Frank, who returned a weak smile.

"Are you sure you don't want us to come home? We could be there in a few hours," Laura Hardy asked once again.

"No mom, really. Nancy and I can handle it. I just wanted to call and make you aware of the situation. We're both just shaken up," Frank replied. His parents had gone away for the weekend, so it was just the two brothers in the house along with Nancy currently.

"Okay, well you take it easy on that broken rib. There are plenty of painkillers in the closet in the hallway if you need them. The guestroom is all clean if Nancy wants to sleep in there," Laura said, sort of slyly tacking on the latter part. "She is staying over, right?"

"Yeah mom, it's too late for her to head home and we're both exhausted. We'll see you on Monday, okay?"

"Okay dear, take care of yourself. Please call if you need something. Your father and I just want to make sure you're okay."

"Of course, mom." Frank looked up to see Nancy in his doorway, wearing a tired smile. "Bye," Frank said before hanging up. He was very distracted by the beautiful woman standing in his room. Her hair was damp from the shower she'd taken and she was wearing Frank's sweats and t-shirt- she looked much better in his clothes than he did. "Hi," Frank started.

"Hi," Nancy replied, slightly hesitant to come into the room. Frank moved from his desk to his bed.

"Care to lie down with me?"

"I don't want to hurt your rib," Nancy hesitated.

"You won't." Nancy stepped into the room and shut the door behind her. She lied down next to Frank as Frank gently draped an arm over her. "Is this okay?"

Nancy nodded. "Yes." Frank leaned forward and kissed her forehead.

"What about that?"

"Yes," Nancy answered again. "Thank you for saving me. I owe you my life," she said, finally realizing what Frank had done just for her.

"I know you would've done the same for me. You don't owe me anything," Frank said with a smile. Moments later, his smile faded. "About what was said while I was trying to rescue you…"

"I meant every word. The kitchen has to have cute barstools, or no deal," Nancy cut him off with a light smile. Frank chuckled as he felt his cheeks heat up.

"You are something else, Drew."

"Guess you'll learn to live with it, Hardy."

The next morning, when Joe creaked open the door to check on Frank, he found both detectives, fast asleep in one another's embrace.