A/N: This is a short story that's been sitting on my hard drive for a while, waiting to see the light of day. Because it's Valentine's Day, I decided to go ahead and post it, because the fluffiness of this story seemed fitting for such a fluffy day! It's set in my Holiday universe, as a prequel to Sleepless in Chicago. The first chapter takes place during the Super Mystery Secrets of the Nile, on the plane ride to Egypt when everyone is getting familiar with the aliases they are to assume. You don't need to have read the book to be able to read this -- all you need to know is that Frank, Joe, Nancy, and Bess are going undercover as married couples. And I'm sure I don't need to explain what the pairings are!

Disclaimer: Frank, Joe, Nancy, and Bess don't belong to me; nor does the book Secrets of the Nile (other than the tattered copy that I own). I've simply borrowed the characters and the scenario from the book to write my own take on them. I promise none of the characters were harmed in the making of this story, other than possible toothaches from the sheer fluffiness of it all. Also, this is in no way, shape, or form meant to imitate KimmyD's amazing Filling in the Blanks series. She's written her own Secrets of the Nile story, with a different scene from the book, which is just incredible -- if you haven't read it already, I strongly encourage you to do so!

Now on to the story…and Happy Valentine's Day, everyone!

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The manila envelope was clearly marked with a name that was not his own: Cole Addison. But that would be his name for the unforeseen future, at least until he and his friends were able to lure out the terrorists that were targeting the real Addisons. And he would have to get used to the fact that the beautiful, intelligent woman seated in the airplane seat next to him was going to be his wife for that unforeseen future. For not the first time, Frank Hardy wished that he could be more like his brother, that he could approach this assignment lightly, that he could avoid being affected by the woman that he was supposed to have this fake intimate bond with. But the unfortunate truth was, he had always been affected by Nancy Drew. They were good friends, but there was a line between friendship and something intangibly more that they were always teetering on the edge of. And now, her proximity was making that line blur, and the illusion that they were weaving of a happily married couple was tempting him to leap far over that line and pretend that it never existed in the first place. And those, he knew, were very, very dangerous thoughts.

Frank's fingers smoothed over the bump protruding from the manila envelope in his hands. More dangerous territory, he thought to himself. Deliberately ignoring that bump for the moment, he reached into the envelope and pulled out a flat sheaf of papers instead. This was the detailed information about the roles they were to be assuming, everything from childhood memories to adolescent mishaps to how the couples ultimately met. Frank knew that paying attention to these small details was absolutely critical, that to become Cole Addison and play the role adequately, he had to know the man inside and out. So he poured all of his attention into the papers before him and tried to ignore all thoughts of the woman next to him. For the most part, he succeeded, and when he felt he was sufficiently acquainted with his alias as well as the remainder of the Addisons, he tapped Nancy on the shoulder. She turned to him, breaking her gaze away from the clear blue sky outside of her window, and gave him a bright smile. Which pretty much wiped Frank's brain clean.

"Uh…" Dammit, Hardy, get a grip, he chastised himself. So much for focusing on the case.

It was his fingers involuntarily tightening on the papers he was holding that reminded him of why he had gotten her attention in the first place. He thrust the papers at her, not gracefully, but as if they had somehow started burning a hole in his hand.

"Here," he said. "These are our bios."

Smooth, Hardy, real smooth, he chastised himself. Not only had he just made a completely normal moment completely awkward, he was now apparently being short with Nancy for no reason whatsoever. Luckily, she hadn't noticed his odd behavior or just chose not to comment on it, because she took the papers from him without a word and immediately began looking through them. Frank released an inward sigh and stretched his long legs out in front of him, tilting his head back and closing his eyes, trying to allow himself a brief moment of respite.

All too soon, however, he felt a tap on his shoulder himself, and as he opened his eyes, he saw Nancy handing the papers back to him. He took them from her silently and was about to slip them back into the manila envelope when another thought occurred to him. Reaching into the pocket behind the seat in front of him, he retrieved the sports section from the newspaper that he had been reading earlier in the airport. He slipped the bios inside the section, making sure to tuck them in carefully so that the white edges of the papers weren't showing. Then, when he could postpone the moment no longer, he reached into the manila envelope in his lap and withdrew two plastic Ziploc bags, taking extra care to maintain his matter-of-fact expression, lest Nancy happened to look his way.

Each bag contained two small square boxes and had been written on with black permanent marker: one bearing the names of Cole and Rebecca Addison, and the other Cooper and Nikki Addison. Why Agent Kimball had felt the need to specify which rings should go to which couple, Frank didn't know. Maybe he knows our specific ring sizes, he mused. That thought sent a sudden, unexpected shiver down Frank's spine. Can't be, he thought to himself. That information's way too personal, even for the State Department. Still, the thought left a feeling of unease that he couldn't quite shake. But Frank was acutely aware of Nancy's presence, and he didn't want to alarm her over what might be nothing. Nor did he want her to misinterpret the expression on his face and think that he was freaked out over the thought of their wedding rings. No, not their wedding rings, Cole and Rebecca's wedding rings. He and Nancy were not married, Cole and Rebecca were.

Okay, so maybe he was a little freaked out.

Trying to maintain some vestige of control over his thoughts, Frank placed the bag labeled for Cooper and Nikki on top of the sports section and folded the newspaper over it. Then he leaned across the aisle towards his brother.

"Hi, guys--having fun?"

Before Joe could even reply, Bess beat him to it.

"Definitely. I think I'll fly first-class from now on."

Frank couldn't help but grin in response to her infectious enthusiasm. A whole new wardrobe, first-class seats -- this was definitely Bess' kind of case. And his little brother didn't look like he was minding the blonde girl's company one bit.

Frank extended the folded newspaper to Joe. "By the way, here's the sports page."

Joe gave him a look that clearly said, "Are you stupid?" Luckily, his mouth was slightly more tactful. Slightly.

"Your memory is going, right? You know perfectly well that I--"

Frank resisted the urge to smack his clueless younger brother with the rolled up newspaper. Of course he knew that Joe had read the sports page in the airport -- that was the only section of the newspaper his brother ever read, besides the comics. Frank shoved the paper at his brother and gave him a look that plainly said, "You're the stupid one."

"Take a close look," Frank hissed, opting for tact himself.

It took his younger brother actually opening the paper and catching a glimpse of the jewelry boxes to finally get it. Frank nearly laughed out loud as his brother tried to cover up his mistake. Well, better late than never, Joe, he thought silently.

A quiet gasp next to him drew Frank's attention back to Nancy, and he turned to look at her. Apparently, she had grown impatient and had finally decided to open up the ring boxes herself. And it was no wonder that she had gasped. The round diamond was nearly blinding in its brilliance, catching the sunlight streaming through the window and shattering it into a starburst of colors. It was very large -- though Frank was no diamond expert, he gauged it to be two carats, at the very least. On either side of the center stone were two smaller diamonds -- smaller in comparison, but still larger than average. The band was completely plain, made of a bright yellow gold. It was a stunning engagement ring, and from the look on Nancy's face, she was well and truly stunned.

"Put it on," he suggested, because she still wasn't saying anything, and her silence was starting to become unnerving. Eyes wide, she gently tugged the ring from its satin holdings and slipped it onto the ring finger of her left hand. She then thrust her hand towards him, whether seeking approval or a compliment, he didn't quite know. But as he fully took in the sight of the diamond ring on her finger and the implications of it, he felt his chest tighten. He didn't know where his next words came from, whether the thoughts that were about to follow had been there all along or just suddenly materialized, but the words slipped out of his mouth before he could stop them.

"It isn't you."

Frank knew she mistook his meaning when a look of hurt crossed her features, and he impulsively caught her hand in his before she could pull it away.

"Nan," he said softly. He stroked his thumb over the soft skin above the ring, trying to find the words to explain what he had meant.

"It's the ring. It's all wrong for you. An engagement ring for you…it shouldn't be flashy, it should be elegant. It shouldn't have a round diamond, because that's too common, and you're anything but." He spoke quietly, an image formed in his mind's eye. He no longer focused on his words, but on that image. "Your ring would be sleek, bold. Set in platinum, because platinum is forever, and you're a forever kind of girl. A smaller diamond, maybe square, but just as beautiful. Surrounded by sapphires, because they would match the blue of your eyes. That's the kind of ring that would be perfect for you, Nancy, not this one."

Nancy's slender fingers curled into his, and her blue eyes shimmered. "How do you see me so well?" she whispered softly. Her words gave Frank a jolt. He hadn't been aware of how much he might have revealed, how much of himself she could now see.

As he was desperately trying to think of a way to answer her, to extricate himself from the precarious position he had placed both of them in, he caught sight of the flight attendant making her way down the aisle, taking dinner orders. He released Nancy's hand and gave her what he hoped was a casual smile. "We should put these ring boxes away before the flight attendant sees them," he said, quickly pulling out his own wedding band and putting it on. But he didn't miss the flash of disappointment that crossed Nancy's face before she carefully schooled her own features. She opened the last jewelry box and pulled out the wedding band, a plain circle of yellow gold, that matched the engagement ring perfectly. Slipping the larger ring off her finger, she placed the two rings together and then slid them back on again. He watched this silently, an unnamable feeling twisting his stomach in knots. The flight attendant finally reached them, and they both placed their orders -- smoked salmon for him and crudités for Nancy. As the flight attendant walked away, Frank couldn't help but sneak a quick glance at Nancy. Her head was bent, and she was staring at the rings on her finger, lost in silent thought. The setting sun glinted over her bowed head, turning her reddish blonde hair to a brilliant gold. And suddenly, that unnamable feeling he felt had a name.

Regret.

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