So I finished reading Secrets of the Nile in one day :3 Whoops. I LOVED IT.

This one has been sitting on the drawing board for a while. I'm not 100% happy with it but it's here.

I'm also not a Callie hater, but her and Nancy do not like each other canonically so I think that's fun.

Some mentions of the books here and there and a little bit from Captive Curse.

EDIT: This was rewritten as of January 2020!

Nancy Drew tapped her fingers nervously on her knee as the plane touched the ground. The captain announced their arrival in Bayport, New York. She'd been excited for this trip for several months until the very moment she landed. Something in her filled her with dread, and she hoped the plane would just turn back around to River Heights.

Ned had transferred to the University of Bayport after finishing two years at Emerson. Nancy hadn't seen him in six months and she'd missed him a lot until the last few weeks. The move had separated them further physically and emotionally. Nancy thought that once she saw him again, all of her feelings would come rushing back and everything would be okay. Her heart was confused and her head hurt more.

As her thoughts drifted from Ned, a different brunet boy came to mind. Nancy shook her head. She kept telling herself there was nothing between the two detectives, but her heart told her they were star-crossed. Nancy had her boyfriend, Frank Hardy had his girlfriend. That was that.

Nancy wondered what had become of the Hardy Boys lately. She had fallen out of touch with them over the last few months, much to her distaste. Last she'd heard, Joe was still dating Vanessa, and Frank was still with Callie. Nancy and Callie had never fully gotten along, but they tolerated one another.

Nancy stood from her seat and grabbed her suitcase down from the luggage bin. She made her way from the plane down to the curb, where Ned was supposed to be waiting for her. When Nancy arrived, she didn't spot Ned's car anywhere, so she sat on a stone bench and waited patiently. Twenty minutes passed before a familiar white car pulled up. Nancy smiled and gathered her things as Ned climbed out of the car. "I'm so sorry I'm late Nance!" Ned jogged over and grabbed Nancy's bags. He leaned down and kissed her cheek. "Traffic was awful."

"That's okay. I'm just glad to see you," Nancy replied. Ned looked tense. His tie was slightly out of place and his hair a bit askew. Nancy tucked the observation away for later. "You look stressed."

"Huh? Oh, gosh no. Well, you know how school is and I just finished midterms, so I guess I'm trying to catch up on sleep still," he replied with a chuckle. He closed the trunk after tucking Nancy's bags away and climbed into the car. Nancy jumped into the passenger's seat and smiled at her boyfriend. He didn't even turn to look at her.

"Everything else going okay?" she pried. Ned nodded.

"Yeah, of course! School is going well and I've been busy at my job." Ned carried on about his personal life. Normally Nancy was interested, but today she couldn't help but check out. Something was wrong. Her detective gut knew to be on her guard, and her gut was never wrong. She tried to snap back in to Ned's story. "Anyway, what's new with you pumpkin?" Nancy's head snapped to the left to look at her boyfriend.

"Pumpkin?" Pet names were a rare commodity from Ned, and they certainly weren't pumpkin.

"Oh yeah, I just thought it was cute. You know, your birthday is around the Fall and stuff?" he explained. Nancy wasn't buying it, but she wasn't going to let that show.

"Oh, sure," she lied through her teeth. Nancy was checked out for the rest of the drive.

The two arrived at Ned's apartment a little while later. Nancy grabbed her bags while Ned was checking his phone. Let it be known that Nancy Drew needed no man, but it would've been courteous for Ned to give her a hand. She carried her stuff from the car to the elevators while Ned smiled at his phone and texted away. "Something funny?" Nancy asked with a disapproving tone. Ned shook his head, still not looking up.

"No. My roommate just texted me an inside joke. Sorry," he apologized and guided Nancy into the elevator, still not offering a hand. It was very un-Ned-like to not be a gentleman. He was always the overly chivalrous type, something Nancy found flattering. In addition, they hadn't seen each other in over six months. He should be more excited to see her, right? Something was up.

"Got it. How is the roommate?"

"Paul? He's great. We get along really well. He really likes Callie a lot," Ned said before biting his lip. Nancy raised an eyebrow as the elevator went up.

"Callie? Callie Shaw?" Nancy asked curiously. Since when were they so chummy?

"Oh, no! Different Callie, from work. I'm trying to get them together. You've always been a subtle romantic, maybe you rubbed off on me," he said with a chuckle. Ned finally grabbed her suitcase from her hand as the elevator doors opened. Nancy hummed. Something was very, very wrong.

"Where does Paul work?"

"Oh, with Callie and I at the insurance office. We all go to school together as well," Ned explained. He could see Nancy's suspicion in her stare. "Hey, why don't you set your stuff down and we can go down to that ramen place I've been talking up? I can imagine you're starving," he said as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders. She relaxed and smiled. Perhaps she was overanalyzing things again.

"Sure, that sounds great." Ned unlocked his apartment and swung the door open for Nancy. She walked in and looked around the small place. A small hallway led off to three doors; two led to bedrooms and one led to a bathroom. A small living room with a couch and a TV sat straight ahead. The kitchen was on the left, which was a small wraparound set up with a small island. A bowl of fruit was the only colorful object in the apartment. Everything else was dull grey or plain beige. There were a lot of photos of Paul and his girlfriend, but very few of Ned. Nancy couldn't find a single photo of herself.

Nancy stepped down the hall to set her bag down with Ned closely behind her. She set her bag on the neat side of the bed and noticed a photo on the nightstand. It was of Ned, a shorter man who, based on the photos from the hallway, was Paul, and another woman. Nancy looked closer and recognized her, but decided to keep quiet about it. She turned to Ned after he rolled her suitcase up to her side of the bed. "Let me grab my coat and we can head out," he said with a smile. Nancy nodded and grabbed her purse. Ned offered her his arm and she took it hesitantly. They walked out of the apartment together.

The walk to the ramen shop was short, but uncomfortable. Nancy could definitely sense there was something Ned was hiding. It was as if the Ned she knew and loved was gone and was replaced with a stranger she once knew from a case long ago. The word 'loved' bounced around in Nancy's head. Did she still love Ned? Of course she did, she thought. Ned was her boyfriend, her one and only. But her head started to hurt the more she tried to convince herself, and her heart hurt even more. This was not her Ned.

The couple arrived at the counter and was seated immediately. Nancy felt her cellphone and her pocket and feigned a gasp. "What's wrong?" Ned asked with concern.

"I left my phone in your apartment! I forgot to tell my dad I got in okay. I'll just run down and grab it," Nancy said as she started to stand. Ned went to stand with her.

"Let me go with you," he started, but Nancy put her hand up.

"I'll be okay. It's just a few buildings down. Besides, there's a line starting to form outside. I'd hate to have to wait for a spot; this place smells delicious," she reassured with a smile. Ned nodded and handed his apartment key to her.

"Okay, well be safe. I'll wait for you to come back before we order," Ned assured her before she took his key and walked out of the restaurant. The dread of guilt was growing in the pit of her stomach, but she had to get some snooping done. Nancy was itching to know what was going on.

The detective took the stairs up to the second floor and unlocked apartment number 263. She cracked the door open and closed it quietly behind her. After she didn't hear any other noises, Nancy started with the fridge.

The first thing she took notice of was the amount of schedules tacked to the fridge. Paul and Ned's school and work schedules were up. In addition, a third set of school and work schedules was up, belonging to the woman in the photo on Ned's nightstand- Callie Shaw. Nancy tried to swallow the bitter taste in her mouth, she really did. But she thought of the snappy tone Callie took on with Nancy during her last case with the Hardy's and her blood boiled again. She had no right to speak to Nancy that way and definitely did not treat Frank well enough-

Nancy snapped her thoughts back to the fridge. She took note that certain dates were highlighted, and that Paul did not work in the insurance office but a mechanic's shop instead, and that Callie did work with Ned in the office. She hummed quietly to herself before turning and heading for Ned's room. As she passed Paul's room, the door swung open and she took a step back in shock. The man on the other side of the door looked shocked as well. "Oh, hi."

"Hi. I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to scare you," Nancy explained.

"That's okay. You must be Ned's friend that was coming to visit for the weekend." Friend. "I'm sorry, I thought you were Callie." Callie. Nancy bit her lip.

"No, sorry. I'm Rebecca, Rebecca Addison," she said as she extended her hand.

"Paul Blancas," he said as he shook her hand.

"I don't believe I've met Callie. Is she a friend of Ned's?" Nancy asked curiously.

"Oh, Callie Shaw? She's Ned's girlfriend," Paul explained with a smile. Nancy did her best to hide her shock. She should have known by now, but with Callie? Of all people… "Do you know her?"

"Oh, not really. I think she might be a friend of a friend of a friend, that sort of thing," she replied with a light laugh. Paul nodded and laughed along. "Well, I just had to grab my phone. I should be getting back to my friend," Nancy said with a smile. Paul nodded and stepped past her into the bathroom.

"It was nice meeting you, Rebecca!" he shouted before giving a wave. Nancy waved in reply and headed out the front door of the apartment. She wouldn't dare get caught snooping by Paul in Ned's stuff, so she decided to head back to the restaurant before Ned got suspicious. She shut the front door and headed for the stairs.

Nancy approached their spot at the bar with her eyes on the back of Ned's head. She knew she should be more hurt that he was cheating, but perhaps all of her intuition had set her up to expect this. She held her head high until she came within earshot of Ned. He was on the phone with his back to her, and judging by his conversation, he was definitely unaware of her presence.

"No, I can't tonight. Nancy's here this weekend. Nah, just til Sunday afternoon, but I can't see you until Sunday night. Yeah, I love you too. Bye," he finished before setting his phone down. Nancy watched him put his head into his hands and sigh. She drummed up an idea and walked up to the barstool next to him. He smiled when she returned.

"Hey. Did you find your phone okay?"

"Yeah, I did, thanks." There was a pause before Nancy decided to tell one of the biggest lies she'd ever told. "Ned, I need to tell you something." Ned's face fell and he turned his full attention to her.

"Is everything okay?"

"I'm cheating on you," Nancy said boldly. If Ned could accept her lie, she would make an attempt to fix their relationship. If not, she walked, no exceptions. Ned looked shocked.

"What?"

"I'm cheating on you. I have been for a few months," she continued to lie. Ned tried to find words, but kept shutting his mouth and opening it.

"How, and who, and why?" he asked. He was sounding desperate. The guilt in Nancy's stomach grew.

"I was lonely without you, and I couldn't help myself," Nancy said with a sigh.

"Who is he?" Nancy didn't answer. She was fumbling through her brain. "Who, Nancy? Who?" he demanded.

"Frank Hardy," Nancy choked out. Instantly she knew it was the wrong answer. Ned's face turned sour.

"Frank Hardy," he venomously spat. "Are you kidding me Nancy?"

"I'm sorry Ned, and if you can forgive me, I want to work things out," she said as she met his eyes.

"Work things out? You can't be serious," Ned snapped. "You told me you guys were just friends, and I believed you!" Heads were starting to turn in the restaurant and Nancy definitely did not want to cause a scene.

"Ned, we should take this outside," she murmured quietly. Ned grabbed her arm and dragged her from the restaurant. They went around the corner and he finally let go. Nancy ripped away from him. "You are being ridiculous!"

"I'm being ridiculous? Nancy, we've been together for years! How can you do something like this?"

"I didn't! You did!" she yelled at the taller man. Ned took a step back. It was as if Nancy had slapped him.

"What?"

"I lied to you! I know about Callie!"

"Callie Shaw? Nancy, that's my friend and Frank's girlfriend!" he replied angrily. Nancy wasn't letting this go easily.

"No! Listen to me, Ned Nickerson!" Nancy had never snapped at him that sternly before. It threw Ned for a loop. "I may not have been the perfect girlfriend for the past few years, but I did not deserve to be cheated on! You are dating a detective, Ned! I know you are cheating on me! If you had accepted my lie, I would have accepted the truth about you and Callie and helped to fix the situation. But you couldn't. So I'm walking," Nancy said. She felt her emotions run high as the tears started to leak from her eyes.

"Nancy, wait a minute, I can explain! Things just got carried away and we missed our significant others when you guys were away on a case and she just understood…" Ned trailed off.

"You had your chance and you blew it. Good luck with Callie," she said coldly. Nancy turned from Ned and stormed back to his apartment. She marched up the stairs and swung the door to the apartment open. She'd left it unlocked after her snooping adventure. Nancy haphazardly grabbed her luggage and stormed back out the front door. She slammed it shut before Paul could even register her presence.

Nancy Drew strutted down the street. She didn't know where she was going or what to do. She was confused, frustrated, and just hurt. Tears stung her eyes as she pushed her way down the road. Perhaps a local motel would have availability…

Nancy's thoughts were interrupted when she crashed into a stranger. The contents of her purse scattered across the sidewalk and she groaned. She crouched down and quickly apologized to the man. "That's okay, let me help," he said as he crouched down to help her gather her things. Nancy's heart rang. She knew that voice anywhere. Her head shot up and she met soft brown eyes and a comforting smile.

"Frank," she choked out. She'd never been so glad to see him in her life, and he had rescued her from death countless times. Frank's soft look met her broken eyes. His smile turned into a frown.

"Nancy Drew. You look like you've just taken on a case with a thousand suspects and you're ten clues behind and you've got a day to solve it," he tried to joke with her. Nancy choked on her laugh and managed a smile. Frank finished picking up her belongings and noticed her luggage. "Well at least your luggage made it with you this time!" he teased. Nancy nodded and sniffled, trying to conceal her emotions. Frank took her suitcase question and offered his arm to her. She took it gratefully and squeezed tightly. "Where are we off to?"

"I'm not sure. I'm in town until Sunday afternoon. I'll probably end up crashing at a motel for a few days until I head back to River Heights," Nancy said with a shrug. Frank hummed in thought. He could definitely tell this had something to do with Ned. He knew that Ned attended the University of Bayport with Callie, his current girlfriend. But the look on Nancy's face crushed him. Something must have gone wrong.

"Nancy Drew, in Bayport and sleeping in a motel? I won't have it. Come stay with me," Frank insisted. Nancy's heart thumped.

"You wouldn't mind?"

"Not at all," he told her with that boyish smile she'd always loved. Nancy finally felt at ease and nodded.

"That would be great, actually. It's nice to see you again," Nancy admitted and the two started walking.

"You too. What puts you in Bayport?"

"I came to see Ned," Nancy admitted with a sigh. Frank frowned with her.

"I know that tone of voice," he said.

"What tone?"

"That tone. Relationship trouble. You sound just like you did on the phone in Germany, when you and Ned had that argument back then?" Nancy had forgotten about that completely. Frank had been the most supportive person in her life, despite the hesitation in his voice when he said they were good together.

"You know me too well, Frank Hardy," she said with a laugh. They walked to Frank's car and he got her bags settled. They climbed in together and took off down the road. "I hope I didn't interrupt any plans."

"Not at all. I was heading downtown to meet Joe, but he can take a raincheck," Frank said as he turned onto a smaller street.

"How's Callie?" Nancy suddenly asked. She regretted the question the minute it slipped from her lips.

Frank's face scrunched up in confusion, as if he was contemplating what to say. "Callie is… okay. Things have been a little tense these past few months. She's been a little more demanding. I'm happy to help her with anything, but she's heavily relied on me emotionally lately. It's not like her. She's been distant and clingy at the same time. It's just strange," he said. "We haven't been spending a lot of time together lately since she's so busy with school and her office job. But when I do get to see her again, things just feel… off," Frank explained. Nancy tried to focus on the guy who'd held a piece of her heart for so many years. "Maybe you can take on my case, Detective Drew. I'll give you as many clues as I can," he said with a laugh. Nancy smiled along weakly as the car pulled into a parking garage. She was going to have to tell him eventually.

The car stopped in a parking space and Frank climbed out to help her with her bags. Together, the detectives walked up a set of stairs and down the hallway. "So you moved out? From home?"

"Just temporarily. I'm trying it out to see if I like it. Plus the place is a little closer to the police station. I'm just interning there, but it's nice to think I might have a foot in the door," he explained as they stopped at a white door. Frank unlocked the apartment and swung the door open for her. Nancy carried her belongings in and set them down by the door. Frank's apartment was small, but quaint. Photos of friends and family adorned the walls. Nancy caught sight of a photo of herself, Bess, and the brothers in Egypt. She smiled faintly.

The kitchen was straight ahead. The living room was furnished with a coffee table and a couch. A bookshelf and desk took up the other corner. The door to her left went into Frank's bedroom and eventually led off into a bathroom. Frank plopped down on the couch and gestured to the seat next to him. Nancy snuggled up to his side without hesitation. Nancy and Frank were not strangers to friendly cuddling. They had always recognized the importance of their significant others, but sometimes they needed one another for physical support. They wordlessly understood each other, whereas Ned and Callie required an explanation and even then didn't understand fully sometimes. "So, what happened?" he asked as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

Nancy hesitated a few moments before she answered. Frank's thumb absentmindedly traced shapes on her shoulder. Nancy fought the urge to shiver. "I came up for the weekend to see Ned. We hadn't seen each other in six months, and I thought things were going okay. But when I came up here, I couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. Ned just wasn't himself. Things felt off," she started. "Then I started noticing that he was good friends with this other girl. There were pictures of her in the apartment and her schedule was on the fridge. When I went back to the apartment without Ned-"

"To snoop," Frank interrupted playfully. Nancy nudged his shoulder with a pout.

"Yes, to snoop. I ran into his roommate, who had no idea who I was. But the roommate called this other girl, the one in the photos? He called her Ned's girlfriend." Frank's face fell.

"Aw, Nance, I'm so sorry."

Nancy started to think about Frank's situation. Perhaps this wasn't the best way for him to find out. But Nancy definitely couldn't sit idly by and let Frank be cheated on. She wasn't that kind of friend. "But there's no clear definitive proof that he's cheating on me with her I suppose… maybe the roommate just got confused. But Ned pretty much confessed, but I haven't heard her side of the story yet…"

"Nancy, don't play that game with me," he started and look down at her. "I get the feeling you know more than you're letting on. C'mon, you know you can trust me. What are you hiding Drew?"

"I think Ned is cheating with Callie," Nancy confessed and took a deep breath. Frank's face morphed into confusion.

"Callie? My Callie?"

"Yes, Callie Shaw," Nancy clarified. She bit her lip, waiting to gauge his reaction. He looked as if he was trying to take it all in.

"You're sure?"

"Ned pretty much confessed to it, and he certainly didn't deny it," she started, "but I haven't heard her voice or seen them together in person yet. I'm not sure what to believe," Nancy said as she put her face in her hands.

"How did you get him to confess?"

"I falsely told him I was cheating on him. I decided that if he could accept my made-up actions and forgive me, I could do the same for his very real mistakes. But he didn't accept my lie, so I called him out on his side relationship and walked." Frank hummed in reply and thought for a minute. He still wasn't sure where to go from here.

"Who did you tell Ned you were seeing in secret?" Frank asked after a moment. Nancy swallowed the lump in her throat.

"You," she squeaked out quietly. To her surprise, Frank chuckled. He shook his head and pulled her closer. "What's so funny?"

"My girlfriend is cheating on me… with your boyfriend. C'mon, even you must find that a little amusing," he said. "What are the odds?"

"1 to 93, I figure," Nancy replied. The two looked at one another and laughed. The two detectives knew they had funny methods of coping with troubling emotions and glad that they thought the same way.

"Well," Frank said once their laughter died down, "I'd better call Callie. In the mean time, why don't you order us some pizza? I'm starving," he suggested. His stomach grumbled loudly right after, as if on cue. Nancy chuckled and nodded.

"Sure." Nancy stood from the couch and Frank watched her go. Perhaps this was a blessing in disguise, he thought. His heart had been after Nancy for years. Maybe this was the universe pushing them together. Frank suddenly had an idea.

"Hey Nance," he said, stopping her in her tracks. She turned to face him. "Can I take you out to lunch tomorrow? As… whatever you want to be," he asked, leaving the day up for interpretation. Nancy smiled.

"Sure, I'd like that. It's a date," she said before moving to the kitchen to order pizza. Frank grinned widely. Things were going to be okay, and their old friendship was about to blossom into something new. Frank's heart was already on the mend.