A/N: Hello, everyone—long time no see! I've missed using this account and since I've gotten back into the ND fandom about a week ago, I decided that I would come and write some more. :) I hope that you enjoy this story. And it's going to be more than one chapter and I really hope that I actually finish it (I know I'm bad at starting stories and not finishing them and I apologize profusely; it's something that I need to work on!).

Please give me some feedback. If you send hate or are disrespectful, your review will be deleted, but as long as you're nice (you can still point out flaws, say that I need to work on some things, etc.—a.k.a. I actually want you to give me constructive criticism, that would be great), I won't delete your review. Knowing the Clue Crew, though, you won't be rude. We're such a respectful fandom for the most part, and I love it. :)

Let me know if you're interested in more!

"I'm only saying that you can't just run around, solving case after case, all willy nilly like this, Nancy!" Ned yelled exasperatedly.

Ned and Nancy had been arguing for the past 20 minutes. Ned came over to pick Nancy up for their first date in months (because Nancy had been solving two difficult mysteries, and a handful of other tiny cases), only to find her packing. When he asked what it was for, she said it was for a case in another city, so she had to leave as soon as she could. It was then that he realized that she had actually forgotten about their date. She was in town; she could have had a nice dinner, and maybe even have seen a movie, with Ned, but she decided to get wrapped up in a new case that she didn't even have much information on yet.

It was now that Ned had finally had enough of Nancy running off to solve cases and he kind of just blew up at her. He felt awful, but Nancy deserved—and needed—to know the truth about his feelings, and this was as good of a time as any.

"I just don't get where this is coming from, Ned!" Nancy shouted back. She sat down on her bed for the first time since the couple had started arguing. She looked down at her lap and played with her fingers. Calming down slightly, she said quietly, "You've never seemed to have a problem before and now you're worrying beyond the extreme."

"I know," Ned sighed, sitting down next to his girlfriend. "But you've had to see this coming. I mean, you are a sleuth after all, aren't you?" he teased, making Nancy smile which in turn made him start to grin slightly. "Seriously, though, Nan. I love you; I promise you I do. But that's one of the reasons I'm upset right now, okay? You are about to put yourself in harm's way for the sake of a case, which it isn't even your duty to solve, and you don't even care. You like it. And the older we get, the harder and more dangerous your cases are getting. I know you love helping people and the adrenaline rush you get when you're facing danger head on is your favorite feeling in the world, but someday you're going to get so hurt that you can't solve cases anymore. Or what if I lose you completely? I really don't want to lose you, Nan."

"I know, babe," Nancy responded, kissing her boyfriend on the cheek. "But like you said, I enjoy helping people and I love the feeling of being in danger. Those are two of my favorite things. Asking me to stop solving cases is like… It's like asking a doctor to not try to save someone. It just doesn't work."

"Unless the order comes from a higher up," Ned added.

"And you, sir, are not a 'higher up.'" Nancy grinned.

"I know I have no power over you whatsoever. You do what you want to do whenever you want to do it, which is why I'm not asking you to stop solving cases. I love that you help people and that these cases make you happy, but I don't like thinking about the danger you're constantly in and I also don't like seeing you when you're hurt. It hurts me."

"I know it does, but this is what I enjoy and this is what I do, because I'm Nancy Drew, and I'm a sleuth. You can take it or leave it; it's up to you," Nancy replied tiredly.

"I don't want to leave you, Nan, but you have to admit that there are problems in our relationship, like—"

"I know," Nancy interrupted, "I know we have our problems, as does every couple. It's nothing we can't get passed."

"What if our problems are with our personalities, things that we can't change?" Ned asked.

"We can change if we need to," Nancy said in a way that she hoped was firm. She was trying to keep her voice steady and herself together. For the moment, she was doing a good job at it.

"Nancy, we can't change who we are completely. Okay? You are competitive and persistent. You never give up on anything. And if that means skipping seven dates in a row with your boyfriend of four years? It doesn't matter; you don't give up. And that's who you are, Nancy, and it shows your priorities, and I'm not even in the top five."

"What do you think my top five priorities are, Ned?" Nancy inquired, both hurt and curious.

"Well, sleuthing in all of its glory is number one, of course. Then comes snooping around. Then comes helping people. Staying as safe as you can while still getting your blood rushing is next on the list. And then comes, well, you know…" Ned answered.

"No, actually, I don't know. What comes fifth, Ned? Because I would have to say my friends and family—which you are a part of—are also in my top five priorities," Nancy responded coolly.

"I was going to say Frank Hardy…" Ned mumbled, just loud enough for Nancy to hear.

"What?!" Nancy asked incredulously. "You think Frank Hardy is the only person in my top 5 priority list? Really, Ned? I'm not dating him; I'm dating you. Frank and I are just friends, nothing more, and even then, we aren't the closest people on the planet. Stop being so impossible."

"I am not being impossible. Is it wrong to be worried about my girlfriend constantly putting herself in danger? Is it wrong to be jealous of a guy who makes googly eyes at my girlfriend every time they're in the same room as each other? Is it wrong that the same guy is also really good friends with my girlfriend and therefore I'm even more jealous? The thing that would be wrong is if my jealousy got to the point where I told you to never hang out with Frank again, to never even look at or think about him again. I'm jealous, but that's a human emotion—something some of us have. The wrong thing would be if I acted upon it. ...maybe I shouldn't have even said anything. Maybe that was wrong. I don't know. But I'm not going to ask you to stay away from him. Get closer to him if that makes you happy, because that's what I want, Nan; I want you to be happy, no matter what that may take. And the only thing that is actually wrong with this, Nancy, is the fact that I never told you sooner. I admit, I'm to blame there. Okay? I've been having this frustration and worry for a while now, but I love seeing you happy and I've always been so ready to wait for you, so I never said anything until I couldn't take it any longer. I should have opened up to you about this sooner, and I'm sorry—I really am—but you needed to know now, Nancy. I needed to tell you. If not before this, it needed to be now."

"First of all, Ned, I do have human emotions. If you can't see that I'm holding back tears right now, maybe we shouldn't be together, because it's obvious that you don't care. And second of all…" Nancy paused and sniffled slightly, wiping away the tear that escaped her right eye. Thank you for having the decency to tell me, but you could have done it so much gentler."

"Nancy, you can handle anything the world hurls at you. And sometimes, I'm not so sure that wording things gently is the way to go with you. Sometimes you're so brass and calculating that letting emotions get in the way and saying things as kindly as possible I have to be kinda harsh. Not rude—I never want to hurt you—but I can't just go around sugar coating things for everyone, especially not for you. You deserve better than that, Nancy," Ned answered honestly before sighing yet another time.

"Well, maybe I also deserve better than you," Nancy retorted.

"What, Nancy?" Ned questioned, anger, confusion, and hurt all evident in his voice.

"I said, maybe I also deserve better than you."

"Why would you say that? You know that's one of my biggest fears—something I'm really insecure about. You can't just bring it up like that." Ned was evidently hurt and starting to go into his shell and Nancy felt horrible and her face immediately softened.

When Ned was upset or if he was just having an off-day—it didn't need to be a bad day, just not a good one—he would essentially start shutting down. He would be quieter, apologize a lot more, and try to stay out of the way. Not that he was usually loud, mannerless, or a brute. He just became an even milder version of his already mild self.

"I am so sorry, Ned. I just got so wrapped up in the heat of the argument." Ned didn't respond. "And I know that there's no excuse for me to have said such a heartless thing, but I honestly didn't mean it. Please look at me, Ned. I love you and you're a great boyfriend. What other boyfriend would put up with my antics? Who else would wait for me? What other guy out there would be as honest, trusting, and trustworthy as you? Because I can't think of a better guy. And I can count on you, Ned. I always can."

"What's done is done, Nan. You said that and you can't take it back."

"But I didn't mean it, Ned. Believe me when I say I didn't."

"Well, you said it, so there is some part of you that obviously meant it. And because there's even a part of you who has doubts about not only our relationship, but about me and my worth, I don't think I should stay here or with you."

"Are you breaking up with me?" Nancy asked, having another tear drip down her face.

"Yes, Nancy, and I'm sorry. I hope this is all worth it." With that Ned got up and walked toward Nancy's bedroom door. Before leaving, he turned to look at her and said, "And good luck on your next case."

After that last sentence, Ned left Nancy's room. "I love you," she said as loud as she could, but with still trying to keep herself from crying—from feeling human emotion—it was not very loud at all. So there Nancy sat, all alone on her bed.

She heard her front door open then close, and that's when she lost it. She finally allowed herself to start crying. She just let her boyfriend and one of her best friends go, and that wasn't something a person handles well—not even if that someone was as badass as Nancy Drew.