Doubt (Chapter 6 - This Year's Love)
Title:Doubt
Author:glasheen25
Pairing/Characters:Nancy/Ned, Nancy/Frank
Series:post-files
Word Count:2889
Rating:R
Summary:In the first instance Ned misses his flight, missing Nancy's birthday in the process. In the second instance Ned makes his flight, arriving on time. How a seemingly inconsequential event could lead Nancy's life in two completely different directions.
Spoilers:None
Warnings:None
A silvery-blue moon shone in through the open curtains, the mostly cloudless sky glistening with stars above. The beginnings of the cruel Friday evening traffic were already starting to rumble, the night alive with the irate beeping of horns and the continuous hum of the steady stream of cars. The weather certainly wasn’t making things any easier; the snow hadn’t eased off in days and despite the best efforts of the city’s maintenance crews, the streets were ice-glazed blankets of snow.
Gratefully kicking off her ill-chosen stilettos, Nancy sank down gracefully onto their bed, her cheek soft against the cool linen as she sought solace in the comforting quiet. Work had been hell. A kind of predictable hell, where all the days and weeks rolled into one continuous nightmare, where she was never challenged to do more or think beyond the next bulging file towering awkwardly on her desk, demanding to be poured over and scrutinized for every exacting detail until Nancy felt like she was going to scream. For weeks she had convinced herself that things would get better, forcing a smile and mustering some sort of false enthusiasm in front of her father and Ned. Sometimes she couldn’t even bring herself to do that, simply shrugging half-heartedly whenever Ned even broached the subject of her internship. Today though, she had freedom. Baker & McKenzie was closing for the Christmas holidays and even Nancy was surprised at the ridiculous level of heady jubilation she felt at the prospect of a whole, glorious week freed of the mundane existence of her office duties.
Sprawled out lazily on the bed, Nancy allowed her gaze to drift lazily around the room. Painted almost entirely in soft grays and blues, the house was a labor of love, having being rescued from almost total dilapidation by Nancy and Ned. When they had initially purchased the Victorian redbrick, the wallpaper had been peeling in slow, miserable strips off the walls, the paintwork chipped and grimy. Predictably, Edith had clucked in dismay at the deplorable state of the house, wondering why they had chosen to live so close to the city in a house that was, in her estimation at least, completely unsuitable for family life. There wasn’t even a garden, she had sighed miserably. And though Nancy didn’t say as much to Ned, that had been at least part of the attraction. When she had first got engaged, people’s eyes had been drawn immediately to her ring finger, where they had cooed and gushed over her engagement ring, pleading to be allowed to try it on and marveling at how beautiful and sparkly it was. Now their gaze was drawn instinctively to her stomach and Nancy wondered if she wasn’t being a little paranoid when she sensed their almost immediate disappointment that her hands weren’t cradled around a carefully rounded belly.
Clutching a pillow to her chest, Nancy ran her fingers thoughtfully through her hair, wondering if she shouldn’t start setting it into careful little rolls. The evening was ticking away and Ned would be home soon, and he was rarely patient with the time it took her to arrange her hair in curls. They were due to attend an elaborate Christmas themed party hosted by some of Ned’s wealthy clients that night and Nancy couldn’t help but feel excited. The event promised to be a spectacular affair, the food sumptuous and the champagne flowing. Ned’s job was demanding, the hours long and despite their best efforts, Nancy couldn’t remember the last time they'd had a fun night out together. A day’s shopping with Bess and George had resulted in the pale blue dress hanging in the wardrobe, the kind of dress she knew her husband would love, the silky material draping dangerously low on the back.
Hearing the familiar sound of Ned’s key in the lock, Nancy pulled herself up in the bed happily, running her fingers hastily through her bed rumpled hair.
“Hey Nan,” he greeted her with a smile, sitting down on the bed beside her and enclosing her in his arms. “How was your day?”
“Good, now you’re here,” she sighed contentedly, resting her head against his shoulder and relishing in the moment of closeness between them. Being with Ned, being his wife felt so right that she couldn’t imagine living any other life and her minor irritations with her job suddenly seemed insignificant to how perfect their life was in every other respect.
“You know, crime rates are going to double when you finally qualify as a lawyer,” Ned informed her soberly, his fingers trailing idly over her arm as he gazed at her with mock-seriousness. “I, for one, would definitely commit a crime if it meant I got to have you as my lawyer.”
“Cute,” Nancy retorted playfully, kissing him softly on the lips before pulling him down beside her. “What about if I did this?” she asked him with a sly grin, pulling her wool dress up over her head and exposing the coral pink underwear underneath.
“I’m pretty sure a lawyer is not meant to do that,” Ned managed jokingly, his eyes eagerly drinking in the expanse of tanned flesh.
“Does that mean you want me to put it back on?” she whispered, gasping as Ned reached out and ran his fingers reverently over her skin.
“What do you think?” he demanded huskily, pinning her hands under his, Nancy arching her back in pleasure as he pressed his lips to hers.
A luxurious shower later and her limbs gleaming with recently applied lotion, Nancy pinned up her hair into an elaborate chignon, tiny swirls of red-blonde escaping down her back. “Does it look okay?” she asked her husband anxiously, suddenly wishing she’d made a last minute appointment with the hairdressers or at the very least, consulted Bess’s expertise.
“It’s perfect,” Ned assured his wife absently, his attention mostly focused on the nightly news report.
“You didn’t even look,” Nancy accused Ned with a mock-glare before abandoning her perch in front of the mirror to join him on the bed.
“Nan, you always look beautiful, so why would this time be any different?” Ned replied with an appeasing smile, kissing her softly before draping an arm lovingly over her bare shoulder. “But, you’ve got to look at this. There’s been another murder.”
“You’re joking,” Nancy retorted disbelievingly, though she wasn’t sure why she was so surprised. This had been the fifth murder in under a week in Riverside and the media was saturated with reports of the brutal killings, the bloody details spilled over the cover of every newspaper and television report.
“Thank God you didn’t apply to the FBI,” Ned sighed gratefully, his grip on her tightening protectively as the camera focused in on a scene of total carnage, the bloodstained walls a testament to the horror that had transpired there only hours earlier. “You could have been involved in all this.”
“I know,” Nancy replied, her tone more wistful than she’d intended. If Ned noticed, he didn’t say anything, dropping a final kiss on her head before heading over to the wardrobe to finish getting dressed for the party.
--
“Morning, Nancy,” Ned greeted his wife with a mug of steaming coffee, Nancy cruelly awoken by a blast of early morning sunshine, its effect on the freshly fallen snow almost blinding.
“Ned Nickerson, close those curtains right now or I will kill you,” Nancy moaned irritably, the coffee little consolation for the torturous effect the sudden brightness was inflicting on her head.
Nancy had slept in her underwear, her nightgown tossed lazily on the floor among the other scattering of clothes, and her hair was still in the confines of the hasty chignon, the pins no doubt contributing to the burning pain in her head.
“This is all your fault anyway,” Nancy pouted, spying the lipstick smeared glass lying on the floor beside the bed, the gold-labeled bottle of champagne balanced precariously on the edge of the bedside table. “I can’t believe you convinced me to open that second bottle of champagne.”
“I don’t remember you complaining,” Ned shot back with a teasing grin as he rummaged in the closet for a clean shirt, Nancy taking the opportunity to gaze appreciatively at her husband’s bare, tanned chest.
Carefully untangling a pin from her red-gold hair, Nancy pulled back the sheets and gazed at Ned with what she hoped was an enticing expression. “Come back to bed, baby,” she murmured temptingly, the strap of her pale-blue bra slipping down her shoulder. “We can spend all day in bed together, like we used to. It will be fun,” she added seductively, reaching out and catching his hand in hers, Ned laughing as she pulled him onto the bed beside her. Kneeling up, Nancy wrapped her hands around his neck and kissed him deeply. “See,” she murmured knowingly, her blues eyes gazing into his as they kissed softly.
His expression apologetic, Ned pressed his lips to hers one last time before reluctantly pulling away. “I would love to spend all day in bed with you, Nan, but I’ve promised my mom we’d have lunch with them today. In fact, we’re already late,” he said, wincing when he caught sight of the time. “Jump into the shower, work your magic with your make-up and I’ll meet you in the car in ten minutes.”
“Lunch,” Nancy retorted, horrified, as she kicked reluctantly out of her cozy nest of blankets, her head throbbing in protest. “I can’t believe you are springing this on me. You’d better think of something good to make this up to me, Ned Nickerson. And that something can’t be sex,” she added as an afterthought, calling after her husband as he made his way down the stairs.
Lunch at the Nickerson’s was generally an unnecessarily complicated affair, involving many elaborate courses followed by an array of lavish desserts. It was a worrying thought; today Nancy doubted in her ability to keep even a single glass of water down. Rummaging resignedly in her closet for a suitable dress to wear, Nancy felt her stomach give a sudden, violent lurch. Racing to the bathroom, she made it just in time, the contents of her stomach spilling all over the toilet.
--
The Nickerson household was the epitome of Christmas cheer, gently flickering candles and brightly colored cards cluttering up every free surface and the sight made Nancy feel suddenly guilty; her own attempts at creating a festive atmosphere had extended solely to decorating their Christmas tree.
“Here, let me take your coat, Nancy,” Edith offered, beaming as she bustled around the couple, evidently enjoying the fuss. Shrugging off her warm purple coat, Nancy wondered if she had imagined the disapproving look on Edith’s face when she regarded Nancy’s slim-fitting dress. Unfortunately, she had not. “You’re not eating enough, Nancy,” she declared disapprovingly, shooting a glance in Ned’s direction as though accusing her of similarly starving her son. “You’re looking very thin. I’ll have to have you both over for dinner more often, put a little color in those cheeks.”
“It’s just work, you know,” Nancy offered in an offhand manner, not having the heart to tell Edith that her pallid complexion had less to do with under eating and a lot more to with her overindulgence in alcohol the night before.
Lounging on the sofa with his father, Ned was escaping relatively easily, Nancy noticed with a patient sigh, a football game playing on the television commanding their almost full attention. “Dinner will be ready in five minutes,” Edith called out in warning to her son and husband as she disappeared into the kitchen, Nancy grateful for the momentary respite.
The dinner table was immaculately set with festive silver and white linen, a red-ribboned holly wreath gracing the centre of the table. Taking a deep breath, Nancy eyes the steaming bowls of food worriedly. Eating while hung-over was a delicate balance; too much food and she ran the risk of getting sick again, too little and she would insult her host. Determined to do neither, Nancy spooned food onto her plate with careful deliberation, her efforts rewarded when she saw Edith shoot her an approving smile.
“I suppose you’re keeping up with all the developments on the murders in Riverside, Nancy?” James enquired politely as he spooned some mashed potato onto his plate.
“Well it’s a little hard not to,” Nancy replied with a shrug as she gratefully accepted a glass of water from Edith. “You can’t turn on the television or pick up a newspaper without hearing about it.”
“It’s frightening,” Edith cut in with a forceful shake of her head. “I was talking to Lillian Carter in the supermarket the other day and she was telling me they were thinking of relocating to their house in the country while all this was going on. She’s an old neighbor of ours,” Edith directed helpfully at Nancy before taking a delicate sip of wine from her glass.
“That woman’s a pain in the ass,” Ned commented wryly, earning him a disapproving look from his mother. “She’s probably loving this. She probably killed all those people just to give her something to gossip to her book club friends about.”
“Not so long ago you would have been in the thick of the investigation yourself, Nancy,” James winked jokingly at Nancy as he relaxed back in his chair. “Maybe if you were on the case the murderer would have been caught already and we could all breathe a sigh of relief.”
“I doubt that,” Nancy returned modestly, her cheeks blushing red at the compliment. “But I’m sure the police will get whoever is doing this soon. At the rate the bodies are turning up, they’re bound to make a mistake soon.”
“Let’s hope so,” James declared optimistically, pouring himself another glass of wine.
“Laurel rang with some news last night,” Edith announced cheerfully as she served slices of chocolate cake onto delicate plates, Nancy cringing as she sensed instantly where this conversation was going.
“Oh,” Ned enquired lightly, unwittingly falling into Edith’s trap, as he eagerly spooned big chunks of cake into his mouth.
“She’s pregnant,” Edith informed them excitedly, regaling Nancy and Ned unnecessarily with the specific details of Laurel’s pregnancy. “She was wondering if you two had any news but of course, I had to tell her no,” she sighed dramatically before blithely turning the conversation to the subject of their upcoming kitchen renovation.
Though neither referred to it, Edith’s pointed comment lingered between them on the long journey home. And even that night as Nancy rested lightly against Ned’s chest, the bedside lamp casting shadows eerily on the wall, things remained strained; the sheer effort at avoiding the inevitable baby discussion was more exhausting than the conversation itself.
“Are you really so against us having a baby?” Ned finally brought himself to ask, pulling himself up in the bed and gazing at her from his uncomfortable perch against the cast iron bed frame. Though there was no anger in his tone, Nancy couldn’t help feeling defensive, her body stiffening as she forced herself to meet his gaze.
“I’m not against us having a baby, per se,” Nancy insisted, her heart beating uncomfortably in her chest as she chose her words carefully. “I would love us to have a baby, one day,” she proclaimed, her focus as always on the far off, the distant future. “It’s just that with work and the house the way it is, I don’t think it’s the right time,” she finished lamely, knowing Ned would see her reasoning for the delay tactic that it was.
“I suppose,” Ned replied resignedly, but his voice held none of Nancy’s conviction. “It’s just that you should have seen you face when my mother suggested we might have a baby. You almost choked.”
“Ned, you know how your mother can get,” Nancy began “And I just wasn’t prepared for the ‘When are you going to make me a grandmother’ speech she loves laying on me, when I’m hung-over. It’s almost as though she senses my weakness,” she sighed with a rueful shake of her head, gratified when her comment earned her an amused smile from Ned. “Don’t worry, we’ll have lots of babies, ten if you want,” she gestured jokingly, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him deeply. “But it has to be when we’re ready and not when your mother or anyone else thinks we should be.”
“Okay,” Ned agreed with a smile, returning her kiss eagerly before reaching into the drawer of the bedside locker and handing Nancy an envelope. “I have something for you,”
‘What is it?” she asked curiously, turning the envelope over in her hands as though it would give her a hint of what was inside. The envelope was not colored or decorated or any of the things she would have expected if Ned had been giving her a gift, and that alone was intriguing. It was a plain brown envelope, standard office stationary and ripping it open, Nancy’s heart almost stopped when she saw the familiar crest of the FBI on the header of the paper.
“You’re serious?” she demanded in shock, the page gripped in her almost shaking hand. “You really think I should go for this?”
“I just want you to be happy.” Ned shrugged and Nancy threw her arms around him excitedly, feeling the most positive she had felt about their future in ages.
Author:glasheen25
Pairing/Characters:Nancy/Ned, Nancy/Frank
Series:post-files
Word Count:2889
Rating:R
Summary:In the first instance Ned misses his flight, missing Nancy's birthday in the process. In the second instance Ned makes his flight, arriving on time. How a seemingly inconsequential event could lead Nancy's life in two completely different directions.
Spoilers:None
Warnings:None
A silvery-blue moon shone in through the open curtains, the mostly cloudless sky glistening with stars above. The beginnings of the cruel Friday evening traffic were already starting to rumble, the night alive with the irate beeping of horns and the continuous hum of the steady stream of cars. The weather certainly wasn’t making things any easier; the snow hadn’t eased off in days and despite the best efforts of the city’s maintenance crews, the streets were ice-glazed blankets of snow.
Gratefully kicking off her ill-chosen stilettos, Nancy sank down gracefully onto their bed, her cheek soft against the cool linen as she sought solace in the comforting quiet. Work had been hell. A kind of predictable hell, where all the days and weeks rolled into one continuous nightmare, where she was never challenged to do more or think beyond the next bulging file towering awkwardly on her desk, demanding to be poured over and scrutinized for every exacting detail until Nancy felt like she was going to scream. For weeks she had convinced herself that things would get better, forcing a smile and mustering some sort of false enthusiasm in front of her father and Ned. Sometimes she couldn’t even bring herself to do that, simply shrugging half-heartedly whenever Ned even broached the subject of her internship. Today though, she had freedom. Baker & McKenzie was closing for the Christmas holidays and even Nancy was surprised at the ridiculous level of heady jubilation she felt at the prospect of a whole, glorious week freed of the mundane existence of her office duties.
Sprawled out lazily on the bed, Nancy allowed her gaze to drift lazily around the room. Painted almost entirely in soft grays and blues, the house was a labor of love, having being rescued from almost total dilapidation by Nancy and Ned. When they had initially purchased the Victorian redbrick, the wallpaper had been peeling in slow, miserable strips off the walls, the paintwork chipped and grimy. Predictably, Edith had clucked in dismay at the deplorable state of the house, wondering why they had chosen to live so close to the city in a house that was, in her estimation at least, completely unsuitable for family life. There wasn’t even a garden, she had sighed miserably. And though Nancy didn’t say as much to Ned, that had been at least part of the attraction. When she had first got engaged, people’s eyes had been drawn immediately to her ring finger, where they had cooed and gushed over her engagement ring, pleading to be allowed to try it on and marveling at how beautiful and sparkly it was. Now their gaze was drawn instinctively to her stomach and Nancy wondered if she wasn’t being a little paranoid when she sensed their almost immediate disappointment that her hands weren’t cradled around a carefully rounded belly.
Clutching a pillow to her chest, Nancy ran her fingers thoughtfully through her hair, wondering if she shouldn’t start setting it into careful little rolls. The evening was ticking away and Ned would be home soon, and he was rarely patient with the time it took her to arrange her hair in curls. They were due to attend an elaborate Christmas themed party hosted by some of Ned’s wealthy clients that night and Nancy couldn’t help but feel excited. The event promised to be a spectacular affair, the food sumptuous and the champagne flowing. Ned’s job was demanding, the hours long and despite their best efforts, Nancy couldn’t remember the last time they'd had a fun night out together. A day’s shopping with Bess and George had resulted in the pale blue dress hanging in the wardrobe, the kind of dress she knew her husband would love, the silky material draping dangerously low on the back.
Hearing the familiar sound of Ned’s key in the lock, Nancy pulled herself up in the bed happily, running her fingers hastily through her bed rumpled hair.
“Hey Nan,” he greeted her with a smile, sitting down on the bed beside her and enclosing her in his arms. “How was your day?”
“Good, now you’re here,” she sighed contentedly, resting her head against his shoulder and relishing in the moment of closeness between them. Being with Ned, being his wife felt so right that she couldn’t imagine living any other life and her minor irritations with her job suddenly seemed insignificant to how perfect their life was in every other respect.
“You know, crime rates are going to double when you finally qualify as a lawyer,” Ned informed her soberly, his fingers trailing idly over her arm as he gazed at her with mock-seriousness. “I, for one, would definitely commit a crime if it meant I got to have you as my lawyer.”
“Cute,” Nancy retorted playfully, kissing him softly on the lips before pulling him down beside her. “What about if I did this?” she asked him with a sly grin, pulling her wool dress up over her head and exposing the coral pink underwear underneath.
“I’m pretty sure a lawyer is not meant to do that,” Ned managed jokingly, his eyes eagerly drinking in the expanse of tanned flesh.
“Does that mean you want me to put it back on?” she whispered, gasping as Ned reached out and ran his fingers reverently over her skin.
“What do you think?” he demanded huskily, pinning her hands under his, Nancy arching her back in pleasure as he pressed his lips to hers.
A luxurious shower later and her limbs gleaming with recently applied lotion, Nancy pinned up her hair into an elaborate chignon, tiny swirls of red-blonde escaping down her back. “Does it look okay?” she asked her husband anxiously, suddenly wishing she’d made a last minute appointment with the hairdressers or at the very least, consulted Bess’s expertise.
“It’s perfect,” Ned assured his wife absently, his attention mostly focused on the nightly news report.
“You didn’t even look,” Nancy accused Ned with a mock-glare before abandoning her perch in front of the mirror to join him on the bed.
“Nan, you always look beautiful, so why would this time be any different?” Ned replied with an appeasing smile, kissing her softly before draping an arm lovingly over her bare shoulder. “But, you’ve got to look at this. There’s been another murder.”
“You’re joking,” Nancy retorted disbelievingly, though she wasn’t sure why she was so surprised. This had been the fifth murder in under a week in Riverside and the media was saturated with reports of the brutal killings, the bloody details spilled over the cover of every newspaper and television report.
“Thank God you didn’t apply to the FBI,” Ned sighed gratefully, his grip on her tightening protectively as the camera focused in on a scene of total carnage, the bloodstained walls a testament to the horror that had transpired there only hours earlier. “You could have been involved in all this.”
“I know,” Nancy replied, her tone more wistful than she’d intended. If Ned noticed, he didn’t say anything, dropping a final kiss on her head before heading over to the wardrobe to finish getting dressed for the party.
--
“Morning, Nancy,” Ned greeted his wife with a mug of steaming coffee, Nancy cruelly awoken by a blast of early morning sunshine, its effect on the freshly fallen snow almost blinding.
“Ned Nickerson, close those curtains right now or I will kill you,” Nancy moaned irritably, the coffee little consolation for the torturous effect the sudden brightness was inflicting on her head.
Nancy had slept in her underwear, her nightgown tossed lazily on the floor among the other scattering of clothes, and her hair was still in the confines of the hasty chignon, the pins no doubt contributing to the burning pain in her head.
“This is all your fault anyway,” Nancy pouted, spying the lipstick smeared glass lying on the floor beside the bed, the gold-labeled bottle of champagne balanced precariously on the edge of the bedside table. “I can’t believe you convinced me to open that second bottle of champagne.”
“I don’t remember you complaining,” Ned shot back with a teasing grin as he rummaged in the closet for a clean shirt, Nancy taking the opportunity to gaze appreciatively at her husband’s bare, tanned chest.
Carefully untangling a pin from her red-gold hair, Nancy pulled back the sheets and gazed at Ned with what she hoped was an enticing expression. “Come back to bed, baby,” she murmured temptingly, the strap of her pale-blue bra slipping down her shoulder. “We can spend all day in bed together, like we used to. It will be fun,” she added seductively, reaching out and catching his hand in hers, Ned laughing as she pulled him onto the bed beside her. Kneeling up, Nancy wrapped her hands around his neck and kissed him deeply. “See,” she murmured knowingly, her blues eyes gazing into his as they kissed softly.
His expression apologetic, Ned pressed his lips to hers one last time before reluctantly pulling away. “I would love to spend all day in bed with you, Nan, but I’ve promised my mom we’d have lunch with them today. In fact, we’re already late,” he said, wincing when he caught sight of the time. “Jump into the shower, work your magic with your make-up and I’ll meet you in the car in ten minutes.”
“Lunch,” Nancy retorted, horrified, as she kicked reluctantly out of her cozy nest of blankets, her head throbbing in protest. “I can’t believe you are springing this on me. You’d better think of something good to make this up to me, Ned Nickerson. And that something can’t be sex,” she added as an afterthought, calling after her husband as he made his way down the stairs.
Lunch at the Nickerson’s was generally an unnecessarily complicated affair, involving many elaborate courses followed by an array of lavish desserts. It was a worrying thought; today Nancy doubted in her ability to keep even a single glass of water down. Rummaging resignedly in her closet for a suitable dress to wear, Nancy felt her stomach give a sudden, violent lurch. Racing to the bathroom, she made it just in time, the contents of her stomach spilling all over the toilet.
--
The Nickerson household was the epitome of Christmas cheer, gently flickering candles and brightly colored cards cluttering up every free surface and the sight made Nancy feel suddenly guilty; her own attempts at creating a festive atmosphere had extended solely to decorating their Christmas tree.
“Here, let me take your coat, Nancy,” Edith offered, beaming as she bustled around the couple, evidently enjoying the fuss. Shrugging off her warm purple coat, Nancy wondered if she had imagined the disapproving look on Edith’s face when she regarded Nancy’s slim-fitting dress. Unfortunately, she had not. “You’re not eating enough, Nancy,” she declared disapprovingly, shooting a glance in Ned’s direction as though accusing her of similarly starving her son. “You’re looking very thin. I’ll have to have you both over for dinner more often, put a little color in those cheeks.”
“It’s just work, you know,” Nancy offered in an offhand manner, not having the heart to tell Edith that her pallid complexion had less to do with under eating and a lot more to with her overindulgence in alcohol the night before.
Lounging on the sofa with his father, Ned was escaping relatively easily, Nancy noticed with a patient sigh, a football game playing on the television commanding their almost full attention. “Dinner will be ready in five minutes,” Edith called out in warning to her son and husband as she disappeared into the kitchen, Nancy grateful for the momentary respite.
The dinner table was immaculately set with festive silver and white linen, a red-ribboned holly wreath gracing the centre of the table. Taking a deep breath, Nancy eyes the steaming bowls of food worriedly. Eating while hung-over was a delicate balance; too much food and she ran the risk of getting sick again, too little and she would insult her host. Determined to do neither, Nancy spooned food onto her plate with careful deliberation, her efforts rewarded when she saw Edith shoot her an approving smile.
“I suppose you’re keeping up with all the developments on the murders in Riverside, Nancy?” James enquired politely as he spooned some mashed potato onto his plate.
“Well it’s a little hard not to,” Nancy replied with a shrug as she gratefully accepted a glass of water from Edith. “You can’t turn on the television or pick up a newspaper without hearing about it.”
“It’s frightening,” Edith cut in with a forceful shake of her head. “I was talking to Lillian Carter in the supermarket the other day and she was telling me they were thinking of relocating to their house in the country while all this was going on. She’s an old neighbor of ours,” Edith directed helpfully at Nancy before taking a delicate sip of wine from her glass.
“That woman’s a pain in the ass,” Ned commented wryly, earning him a disapproving look from his mother. “She’s probably loving this. She probably killed all those people just to give her something to gossip to her book club friends about.”
“Not so long ago you would have been in the thick of the investigation yourself, Nancy,” James winked jokingly at Nancy as he relaxed back in his chair. “Maybe if you were on the case the murderer would have been caught already and we could all breathe a sigh of relief.”
“I doubt that,” Nancy returned modestly, her cheeks blushing red at the compliment. “But I’m sure the police will get whoever is doing this soon. At the rate the bodies are turning up, they’re bound to make a mistake soon.”
“Let’s hope so,” James declared optimistically, pouring himself another glass of wine.
“Laurel rang with some news last night,” Edith announced cheerfully as she served slices of chocolate cake onto delicate plates, Nancy cringing as she sensed instantly where this conversation was going.
“Oh,” Ned enquired lightly, unwittingly falling into Edith’s trap, as he eagerly spooned big chunks of cake into his mouth.
“She’s pregnant,” Edith informed them excitedly, regaling Nancy and Ned unnecessarily with the specific details of Laurel’s pregnancy. “She was wondering if you two had any news but of course, I had to tell her no,” she sighed dramatically before blithely turning the conversation to the subject of their upcoming kitchen renovation.
Though neither referred to it, Edith’s pointed comment lingered between them on the long journey home. And even that night as Nancy rested lightly against Ned’s chest, the bedside lamp casting shadows eerily on the wall, things remained strained; the sheer effort at avoiding the inevitable baby discussion was more exhausting than the conversation itself.
“Are you really so against us having a baby?” Ned finally brought himself to ask, pulling himself up in the bed and gazing at her from his uncomfortable perch against the cast iron bed frame. Though there was no anger in his tone, Nancy couldn’t help feeling defensive, her body stiffening as she forced herself to meet his gaze.
“I’m not against us having a baby, per se,” Nancy insisted, her heart beating uncomfortably in her chest as she chose her words carefully. “I would love us to have a baby, one day,” she proclaimed, her focus as always on the far off, the distant future. “It’s just that with work and the house the way it is, I don’t think it’s the right time,” she finished lamely, knowing Ned would see her reasoning for the delay tactic that it was.
“I suppose,” Ned replied resignedly, but his voice held none of Nancy’s conviction. “It’s just that you should have seen you face when my mother suggested we might have a baby. You almost choked.”
“Ned, you know how your mother can get,” Nancy began “And I just wasn’t prepared for the ‘When are you going to make me a grandmother’ speech she loves laying on me, when I’m hung-over. It’s almost as though she senses my weakness,” she sighed with a rueful shake of her head, gratified when her comment earned her an amused smile from Ned. “Don’t worry, we’ll have lots of babies, ten if you want,” she gestured jokingly, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him deeply. “But it has to be when we’re ready and not when your mother or anyone else thinks we should be.”
“Okay,” Ned agreed with a smile, returning her kiss eagerly before reaching into the drawer of the bedside locker and handing Nancy an envelope. “I have something for you,”
‘What is it?” she asked curiously, turning the envelope over in her hands as though it would give her a hint of what was inside. The envelope was not colored or decorated or any of the things she would have expected if Ned had been giving her a gift, and that alone was intriguing. It was a plain brown envelope, standard office stationary and ripping it open, Nancy’s heart almost stopped when she saw the familiar crest of the FBI on the header of the paper.
“You’re serious?” she demanded in shock, the page gripped in her almost shaking hand. “You really think I should go for this?”
“I just want you to be happy.” Ned shrugged and Nancy threw her arms around him excitedly, feeling the most positive she had felt about their future in ages.