Filling in the Blanks - Secrets of the Nile

Author's Note: So, I know it's been a really long time since I've posted anything on here, either in this series, or my other one. I sincerely apologize. It's never my intention to start something and not finish it. However real life has a way of upsetting to apple cart and taking my focus off of writing. I try to accomplish my goals of working on these pieces, but it's not always possible. This one, I began a little over a year ago, along with a piece on Shockwaves, and a full on Secrets of the Nile. This is just a snap shot of the ending, what I wanted to happen after the end of the book.

This story picks up at the infamous scene and continues from there. Once again, I'm telling this story from Nancy's point of view. I find it easier to write as her, than about them, if that makes any sense. You'll get a glimpse at Frank's POV when I finish tweaking Shockwaves. It's much harder to write Frank's voice, than Nancy's.. but I hope I can do it justice. It's still giving me minor problems, which is why I'm posting this one instead. This one has been my baby, and I went through several different scenarios before deciding on this one. I hope you enjoy reading it, as much as I enjoyed writing it!

Disclaimers: I don't own Nancy Drew or the Hardy Boys. They belong to a powerful publishing house that I could never afford to meet in court. :) Now, on to the story...

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Frank touched my arm ever so slightly and pointed to the balcony. "Want to get a little air?

"That would be great," I told him.

The view from the balcony was breathtaking: the moon and stars, the twinkling lights of the Luxor, and the vast darkness of the desert beyond. There was a cool breeze, which made me shiver.

"Cold?" Frank asked, putting his arm around me.

"A little," I admitted. I nestled closer to him, enjoying his warmth. "You know, I'm really glad we caught Krieger and Mahfouz and found Darius and Leila, too. But I wish…" my voice drifted off wistfully.

"What?" Frank nudged me gently.

"I wish we didn't have to leave this place." I didn't want to tell him the real reason why – that I wasn't ready to say good-bye to the special fantasy we'd shared of being husband and wife.

He didn't say anything, but instead, turned me around so that I was facing him. He put his hands on my shoulders and gazed deeply into my eyes. I began trembling all over, and not from the cold. My thoughts were all in a torrent – all I could think about how desperately I wanted him to kiss me.

Then in a mad, heart stopping moment, he drew me closer and our lips met. The kiss seemed to go on forever. When I finally came to my senses and pulled away, I whispered, "Frank… that is, what I mean is… the case is over. We don't have to pretend we're a couple anymore."

Frank eyed me carefully. "I wasn't pretending," he said slowly. "Were you?"

How could I answer that? I looked down at my feet and took a deep breath. "No," I said finally. "I wasn't pretending, either." I looked up and met his gaze. "But we have to face reality, though. This relationship can't go anywhere. Ned and Callie are waiting for us back in the States."

Frank continued to stare at me for a long moment. I started to worry about his reaction when he spoke. "You're right, Nancy. As much as you mean to me, I'm in love with Callie."

"And I'm in love with Ned."

Just then Bess popped her head out the balcony doors. "Come on in, guys. Room service delivered all this fantastic food, and we're having a big celebration party - " then her hands flew to her lips. "Oops, am I interrupting something? Do I have bad timing or what? I'll go away, okay? Look, I'm gone." Her head disappeared and the doors closed quietly.

"Oh, boy," I chuckled. "She's going to grill me about this all night."

"And what are you going to tell her?' Frank asked.

I smiled up at him. "I'm going to tell her that you and I are friends – really great friends – and nothing more."

"Sounds good to me," Frank told me. He held out his arm. "Come on, Drew – how about we join the party? We've got a lot of celebrating to do?"

I grinned and took his arm. "You've got it, Hardy."

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Later that evening, Bess and I were getting ready for bed and I stood in front of the dresser mirror running a brush through my long hair. Bess had just climbed into the bed when she looked over at me, "So, is Frank a good kisser?" she teased.

I momentarily stopped brushing my hair as I stood there in shock at her question. Regaining my composure, I turned to face her. "Excuse me?" I asked incredulously.

"You heard me," Bess smiled. "I know I interrupted something earlier, and I'm sorry about that by the way."

"You didn't interrupt anything, Bess," I insisted, returning to my task at hand.

"You still didn't answer the question, Nancy."

I sighed, setting the brush down on the dresser. I knew that Bess wasn't going to let up until I told her what really happened out there on the balcony. I walked over to the edge of the bed and plopped down next to her. "The best," I whispered with a grin.

Bess let out a small squeal. "I knew it!" she exclaimed. "Details, Nancy. Details!"

"There's really nothing to tell, Bess. We… we just got caught up in the fantasy for a moment, that's all," I insisted.

"You two have been looking rather cozy all week," she observed. "It probably wasn't much of a stretch."

"Bess, it's not like that. Frank and I are just great friends. Really great friends, and well… we crossed a line we shouldn't have." 'More times than we should have,' I added silently to myself.

"Just really great friends don't kiss practically every time they see each other," Bess smiled.

"Once, Bess," I lied. "And you witnessed the tail end of it."

Bess stared me up and down. "I can't believe my best friend is lying to me," she said, shaking her head.

Raising my eyebrows at her, I asked. "Why do you think I'm lying to you?"

"Because you are," Bess began. "You never said anything, but you know as well as I do that something happened during that avalanche at Mt. Mirage."

I looked away, not wanting to meet her gaze, which of course, gave me a way.

"I knew it!" she laughed. Bess raised one eyebrow, "So you don't deny kissing Frank when you two got snowed in on the mountain?"

"We thought it as a life or death situation," I protested weakly.

"Nancy, really!" Bess admonished. "Has there ever been a life or death situation the two of didn't manage to escape from?"

My cheeks reddened in embarrassment, as I recalled getting caught by the owner of the cabin, Pete. "It wasn't like that, Bess."

Bess eyed me carefully. "If I ask you a question – will you give me an honest answer?"

I bit my lip not liking where this was going one bit. "Sure," I finally admitted. Maybe being honest with Bess would help me come to grips with what was going on between me and Frank.

"If Ned and Callie weren't factors, would you want to be with Frank?" she asked gently.

I sighed audibly. "That's the problem, Bess. They are factors, so I can't let myself think about what things would be like if they weren't."

"But yet you two can't seem to stay away from each other, even though there are other factors," Bess pointed out.

I ran my hands over my weary face. "I know," I responded honestly. "It's like we have some weird magnetic pull that keeps bringing us together."

Bess laid a comforting hand on my shoulder. "I didn't mean to upset you, Nan," she apologized. "But whatever you and Frank have going on, you two need to figure it out. You're not being fair to the other people involved."

I let out a small snort at her comment. "We got the same advice from Joe on the beach that morning."

"I can't believe I'm saying this," Bess grinned, "but he's right. For once." Her smile slowly disappeared, and she regarded me cautiously. "What is your heart telling you, Nan?"

I sighed once more as I glanced about the room, looking for something to distract me. "I wish it was that easy, Bess," I answered finally. "But unfortunately my heart and head are stuck in this awful tug of war with one another."

"I didn't ask you what you thought… I asked what your heart was saying," Bess prompted.

"Right now it's about to pound out of my chest," I laughed, trying to break the tension that was mounting inside me.

At Bess's silence, I closed my eyes, not wanting to meet hers, and whispered, "Frank."

At my softly spoken announcement, Bess clapped her hands together excitedly. "Now we're finally getting somewhere," she grinned.

My eyes flew open and I shook my head at my friend's antics. "Once again, it's not that easy," I insisted.

"Why not?" she asked simply.

"Because," I pouted like a petulant child. "How do I know that's what he wants, for starters? And secondly, I do love Ned. And I know he loves Callie. How could we do this to them?"

"First off," Bess began, "you're the not the detective you think you are if you can't see the way that Frank looks at you. When you two are together, no one else even exists! And secondly, I know that you're in love with Ned, and he's in love with Callie, but I also think on some level you two are in love with each other – you just are both too damn stubborn to admit it."

I let Bess's words sink in as she continued on, "Besides, if you really do love Ned, letting him go when he's truly not the one you want to be with, is the right thing to do, and you know it."

I stood up quickly and picked my robe up off my bed. "I need some air," I informed her and quickly stepped out into the living room.

"Nancy!" I heard Bess yell, as I rushed passed a confused Joe, who was raiding the left over room service. I quickly let my self out onto the balcony and gulped in the cool night air.

"What was that all about?" Joe asked, walking over to Bess.

Bess sighed, and was about to reply when the door to the boy's bedroom open.

"Everything okay out here?" Frank asked.

Joe shrugged. "Beats me. I'm just as lost as you are."

Bess emerged from the confines of the bedroom and placed a hand on Frank's arm. "Go talk to her, Frank."

"What's wrong?" immediate concern played across his face, and he stared anxiously out towards the balcony.

Bess gave Frank a pointed look and replied, "The two of you need to talk."

"About?" Frank replied, still confused.

Rolling her eyes at Frank words, she replied, "The two of you are so dense sometimes it really scares me. You're the detective, what do you think is the problem?"

Frank opened his mouth to form a quick comeback, and quickly snapped it shut when the meaning behind Bess's words sunk in. "But I thought….she's the one that…." His voice trailed off, as he glanced over at Nancy's lithe silhouette illuminated on the balcony.

"Somebody want to fill me in?" Joe pouted to the two standing in front of him.

Ignoring Joe's outburst, she continued speaking to Frank. "That's the problem," Bess said gently. "You both have been thinking way too much. There comes a time when you should listen to your heart instead of your head."

Frank nodded silently and took a deep breath. He squared his shoulders and headed for the glass door that led to the balcony.

"Spill it, Marvin," Joe demanded as soon as his brother closed the door behind him.

"C'mon," Bess said, grabbing Joe's hand and dragging him into the girl's room. "Let's give them some privacy. I promise I'll fill you in on everything I know, but they don't need an audience right now."