Eight Months Later

Nancy knew she was walking unusually slowly, as if her brain was struggling to tell each foot to take the next step, as if she was in a stupor, like she'd felt when she looked into Todd Baines' one good eye and saw nothing there. No emotions, no warmth. Just a vast empty coldness of nothing. She wracked her brain as she walked, trying to will her brain to forget the details when it simply wouldn't. Even eight months later, it still haunted her.

As newly chilled air moved the clouds, she let her eyes rest for a moment, feeling the ambiance of the street, hearing the sounds. The air around her was so cold, yet the trees were on fire. She smiled to herself at the inferno above her head. Frank had gone on to run an errand, though he wouldn't tell her what kind or where he was going, which raised a few red flags, though she liked to think she knew Frank more than well enough by this point. So, she trusted him when he said he wouldn't be long and that he'd meet her at the movie theater following her appointment, where following that, he wanted to take her out for a pizza and ice cream afterwards.

Nancy continued her walk to the plaza and tried to ignore the stares of several interested men as they eyed her figure in her brand new wrap maxi dress, the way the wind had that special way of tousling her fiery red locks into gentle loose waves about her shoulders. Her gait faltered when something huge and red smashed into the pavement a few feet in front of her and exploded. Nancy barely avoided being splattered in watermelon gunk.

Angrily, she tossed her fiery red waves over her shoulders, her hands on her hips and glanced upward, craning her neck to find herself staring at two adolescent boys, who were leaning out of an upstairs window at their apartment complex, laughing at the remains of the watermelon, and seemingly, at having almost hit the pretty redhead lady way down below.

They'd tossed the melon overboard and proceeded to shoot at it with Nerf guns, barely managing to miss the front edge of her new rose gold sandals and spattering her brand new purse with watermelon junk. Though her bag could for that matter also withstand probably getting messed up with pieces of melon, she didn't want to risk it.

It was one of the few things Hannah had given her the day she and Carson arrived home and Hannah had witnessed Nancy near tears and about to have a nervous breakdown, and had taken her shopping as a result to calm her down after a good cup of tea. It was a small dark brown leather purse the color of an espresso coffee, different than the kind she usually carried, but cute and feminine so Nancy accepted it.

With all its pockets and zippers, the perfect size for Nancy to replace the one she'd allowed to get ruined by tree branches in the woods of Casston, and then later her puppy Togo had gotten hold of the rest and had promptly torn the thing to shreds.

"Hey!" Nancy hollered, visibly cringing as she felt her father's temper begin to swell within the pits of her stomach. "Why don't you watch where you're pointing those? Someone could really get hurt! You want to shoot each other in the streets, then why don't you head on over to Lebanon?" she snapped, her crankiness manifesting.

It always reared its ugly head whenever she was angry or afraid, which was increasingly frequent these days, Nancy was ashamed to admit.

The young eighteen-year-old hopped over the spattered melon remains on the sidewalk, careful not to step in it. Her rose gold sandals were new and so help those kids if one shred of melon got on them and ruined them, Bess would be royally ticked at her and wouldn't forgive her for a long time.

On any other July early evening, Nancy would have smiled at the couples filling the sidewalk of the downtown River Heights plaza, where Frank had told her to meet him. She would have seen her future reflected in them, her hand being touched gently by a man who adored her and a shy smile playing on her lips. But not tonight.

Tonight, she tugged at the new dress both Bess and the Maurice's store assistant, a cute girl named Kelly, had sworn had looked so flattering when she'd tried it on. Now, Nancy wondered if Frank would think it was too much.

With each tug she gave, the front went lower, and so she stopped, her face flushing in embarrassment at the few interested glances from men her age shot Nancy's way. Nancy let out a heavy sigh and glanced down at her new outfit, thinking it was entirely too much for a first 'official' date with Frank, but Bess had insisted. With no time to catch the next bus to change, given she'd chosen to walk instead of taking her car, the young detective knew she was just going to have to wing it.

"Ugh. This is what I get for allowing myself to be Bess's mannequin," she sighed, glancing at her reflection in a nearby mirror of a clothing boutique's shop window. Her new dress was an indigo floral blue maxi wrap dress with flouncy short sleeves, patterned with tiny flowers on the bodice, and a knotted tie at the waistline and a femme flowy high-low bottom hem, the very epitome of femininity, and quite honestly, the last thing Nancy would have chosen to dress herself even, but even she had to admit, Bess had good taste.

The outfit looked good on her. Nancy sighed again and glanced down at her feet, wiggling her toes in her new rose gold open toed sandals. She would have just preferred jeans and a nice top for a casual date to a movie and out for pizza afterward, but no, Bess just had to dress her up to look nice for Frank.

Nancy frowned. She knew better than most that Frank could care less what she wore, but Bess refused to let her leave the store until they found the perfect outfit. The detective let out a heavy sigh, checking her phone for messages before plunking it back into her bag that she wore slung over her body since it was a crossbody, the one item Nancy refused to let Bess have any control over whatsoever, despite Bess's insistence the new purse her housekeeper had picked out for her was cute. Hannah, Carson's housekeeper and old friend, found it for her while out browsing the Saturday morning farmer's market to replace the one that had gotten eaten by Casston's woods and then later, Togo had gotten into the rest and had torn the thing to shreds.

It wasn't anything special, really, though Nancy liked the embroidered patterned owl on the front of her new purse, and Hannah had told her owls were the symbol of wisdom, which she appreciated her efforts to make her feel better.

She accepted the gift graciously, and promised to take good care of it, knowing it would take a lot more than a few unruly tree branches and wood brush or her little bulldog puppy to put a hole into her new bag. She would make sure of it, especially given it was a gift from Hannah. The dark brown color would go with most of the outfits in her closet, and with plenty of zippers and pockets for all her things, and a key-ring clip on the outside let her clip a mini hand sanitizer and mini flashlight to her bag.

Hannah had given her a cute little blue and pink owl keychain off one of her own Sakroots bags that gave the bag a little pop of color and a feminine vibe, so that helped. . Nancy glanced at her reflection and sighed. Her fiery red hair had been gathered into a loose bun, allowing for a few tendrils to escape and frame her face, the bun at the base of her neck fastened together with a blue flower clip, courtesy also, of Bess, and her makeup.

She waited on the bridge that overlooked the canal, away from the noise. Nancy had been especially jumpy lately, more prone to frequent nightmares. Almost every night since their return to River Heights, she dreamed of Baines' face. How there had been nothing there, expressionless. Faceless.

One night, she'd woken up in hysterics and it had taken Carson and Hannah both to calm her down and coax her out of her closet where she'd taken refuge, feeling confident that Todd had escaped the sanitarium where he was undoubtedly going to spend the rest of his life imprisoned.

Given that Frank was still a few minutes late, Nancy decided to go for a walk, careful not to stray too far from the movie theater, heading towards the park. There was no one else in the park but an old gent who appeared to be reading a newspaper. Nancy paused at the gate, the greenery was already charcoal and two dimensional and the gray path was melting into the night. She shivered.

It sure was cold; now that jacket Hannah had tried to force on her didn't seem like such a bad idea. Across the park cut ten minutes off her trip towards the movie theaters, to safety, where hopefully, Frank was waiting for her at the front of the movie theater, more if she ran.

But that man, just sitting there, how does he even see the print? She resolved to walk quickly, her rose gold sandals moving quietly over the tarmac until she stepped on a twig or dried leaf left over from the fall. She didn't want to stare but her eyes kept flicking to the man, so still, so decrepit.

Now that she was closer his attire was discernible from the darkening gloom. As she approached, she locked her gaze dead ahead, but once she reached his bench, he was gone. Nancy felt a cold chill travel down her spine as his gaze, hidden behind a pair of black sunglasses, met her gaze, and she hated not being able to read the emotions in the man's eyes, given they remained hidden. She liked to be able to tell what a person might be thinking or feeling at all times. Call her paranoid, but there was no changing that little quirk about the young sleuth.

The young woman felt her fingers curl instinctively, almost protectively so over her purse. The last thing she needed right now was to get robbed in the park in the evening, which, by all accounts and purposes, would be easy enough for this man to do, she supposed, given Frank hadn't met her yet.

She didn't know why that man had seemingly taken an interest in her, or what he was doing here, but the fact that he'd managed to give her the slip unnerved her. Nancy swallowed past the lump forming in her throat and glanced around. No sign of him, she thought, heaving a dejected sigh. Still, she could not shake the feeling of unease and that brief shadow of doubt that pricked at her heart. Like something was wrong.

Deciding she needed a distraction, Nancy sauntered over towards the old bridge that connected the park with the downtown shopping plaza. The lake-side air was pungent with the fragrance of jasmine. This was no natural basin filled with melt water, but the luxury addition to a formal garden by an earl with both copious leisure time and money. The man who had built the park's garden was something of an eccentric businessman.

On his death he bequeathed it to a charity to run for their benefit. For a small fee tourists and locals alike could escape the traffic and the frenetic movement of people. Nancy stepped closer to the edge and crouched down. From six feet up the surface was an opaque green, but from just two it was clear enough to see the plants and life below the surface. She had expected the highly colored Japanese Koi Carp and she wasn't disappointed, if anything Nancy was impressed.

They were huge and numerous, each about as long as her arm. Nancy gazed across the wind-ruffed surface to the lily pads in bloom, their white or magenta petals catching the breeze. She inhaled slowly. Peace. Her own little piece of heaven in small-town urban River Heights.

It was worth it coming here many times over. Worth the annual membership fee.

She glanced around at the several hundreds of initials and poorly drawn hearts etched into the old bridge's woodwork. Dubbed the Kissing Bridge by the high school and college kids of River Heights, it had a reputation. Nancy furrowed her brow into a frown at some of the names.

A few she recognized, but most…she didn't, and briefly, she wondered what would happen if she were to carve her and Frank's initials into the wood, a permanent addition to the bridge.

Though it was no secret in a town the size of River Heights, almost everyone knew who Nancy was.

And now that she had been officially dating Frank for a solid eight months, well…everyone knew who he was too. Nancy continued her leisurely stroll through the bridge, almost at a snail's pace, glancing around at all the names.

This was it, where her actions had led her. For better or worse, she was here now, waiting on Frank Hardy, who was going on around two minutes late, but then again, considering how many times she'd been late for a date with Ned, she let it go.

It was in this moment that she knew she loved Frank. Like really, genuinely loved him. It was a strange feeling, foreign to her, one she knew she'd never experienced with Ned, not once. They'd been dating almost nine months now, but with Frank, it felt natural. Like she didn't have to try or hide or alter any aspect of her personality.

He loved all of her, exactly the way she was. She couldn't ask for anything more than that, really. Nancy furrowed her brow into a light frown as she thought of Maine. She didn't want to go back to that horrible place in her mind, where bad things and memories dwelled.

But sooner or later, she'd have to go back. She was tired of running away. Nancy knew that tragedies, especially shared traumas, were a finicky thing. Some bound others to a place, while others drove them away.

But she had a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach that hers and Frank's were unique, something shared for them. Just them, and them alone.

Which, in its own twisted kind of way, she supposed, was kind of romantic. She scoffed, rolling her eyes and made to turn away when a man's voice caught her from behind, a familiar voice. "Looking for these?" he asked, and Nancy felt a genuine, happy smile creep onto the corners of her mouth, stretching wide into a white smile.

She turned around to find herself face-to-face with Frank, who had seemingly been watching her, looking effortlessly handsome in jeans and a black and red plaid shirt, his arms folded across his chest as he leaned against the bridge's railing for support. "For what?" she asked, feigning innocence.

Frank smirked in that classic Hardy way that didn't reveal his teeth. He merely gestured toward the spot where he stood. "For these…" He unfolded his arms and knelt towards the bottom of the bridge, pointing near the railing. "I took the liberty of adding our forever names. Or at least…I hope so. Take a look."

Nancy knelt at his level, having to shift her purse to the other side of her body so it wasn't in her way. She inhaled a sharp breath that pained her lungs. Her ribcage, even after all this time, sometimes still screamed and ached whenever the weather would change, or when she'd have a nightmare. Her gaze slowly drifted toward where Frank was pointing. "Frank…" she whispered hoarsely. Her smile grew even wider. Etched into the wood with careful precision were their initials. F.H and N.D.

He grinned, running his hand through his dark hair and offered a sheepish smile. "I wasn't sure which uh…initial to put for you, you know, so I figured…"

But his grin faltered as Nancy swiped his pocketknife out of his left jeans pocket where she knew he'd always kept it safe and carved something beneath it. "You just got one thing wrong, Hardy," she joked, working carefully to carve her intended message into the wood, feeling very much like a vandal but then again, countless other couples before her had done this so it was fine, she guessed. She pushed aside thoughts of vandalism aside. "There," she breathed, standing and wincing at the pain in her ribcage that sent a flare up her spine. Frank was at her side, a hand around her waist before she even registered it had happened. "Now it's perfect," she replied.

Frank squinted his eyes and had to kneel again, and Nancy let out a little shiver of pleasure as he moved to see what she'd written underneath his handiwork as his hand trailed from her waist and wrapped around her leg. Nancy smiled wryly as she heard his own sharp intake of breath as he looked at what she'd written. Underneath Frank's attempt, she had written her own. F.H. and N.H in a huge heart. She'd have a few splinters to pull out later, but they were worth it.

"Someday that'll be you and me, when we're ready for it. Few more years. I know," Nancy added, before he could open his mouth to protest, "Please don't doubt my convictions, Frank. I know what I want. You," she whispered. "Just you. I have for a while now," she whispered quietly as he stood to stand next to her, seeing the stupefied expression on his face, his hand having automatically found its place at her waist. "And now that it's officially on the Kissing Bridge for the rest of time, now you have to kiss me." She smiled and folded her arms across her chest, not expecting nor anticipating that Frank would do it. Warm lips pressed against hers.

Nancy's eyes widened and it took approximately one point three seconds to realize Frank was kidding her and a further three point eight seconds to realize that she's kissing him back. She didn't think he would really kiss her here, on the Kissing Bridge. But he did. Was. Her eyes fluttered shut and, in the darkness, she saw light exploding. His lips were chapped, and her bones are aching and she can taste the metallic tang of blood, having bit her tongue in surprise at the sudden movement from Frank to kiss her, but she didn't care because all she can focus on was the liquid warmth that is quickly spreading through her body.

He pulled apart first, and Nancy was surprised to see a pained look in his eyes. Frank cringed. "Was I really that obvious?" he asked, sounding hurt.

"No, no," she corrected quickly, "it's just that…I might have um…overheard you talking to Joe and your mom about it last week when I came over for dinner." She stuck out her bottom lip in a slight pout and bit it in hesitation as the smile on Frank's face faltered and he grew solemn as he looked at her. "You mad at me, Frank?"

Frank looked as though Nancy had slapped her. He looked quite flustered, and the expression on his face would have been comical if the subject matter weren't so serious.

"How…" he stammered, seeming to need a moment to find his words. "How could I ever be mad at you, Nance? But…" He hesitated, turning away from her and leaning his arms on the bridge's railing. "Are you…are you sure?" he asked.

"Positive. I've known for a while now, Frank, so don't worry about it. You and I know better than most. We're old souls. Besides," she grinned, hoping to ease the weight of whatever burden he was carrying on his shoulders, "we have a movie to catch, Hardy. We don't want to be late for that, do we? You've been talking about seeing this movie for the last four weeks!" she answered immediately without even having to think on her answer. She let out a sigh and moved to stand next to him, resting her chin in her hands as her elbows supported her weight as she too leaned against the bridge rail.

Frank smiled, though Nancy could tell he was waiting for her to elaborate. Nancy decided now was as good a time as any to speak her mind, for quiet moments like this one in their line of work were rare and kind of hard to come by.

"You asked me a while ago to try to share my feelings about you, Frank. Falling in love with you was the easy part; it's admitting to myself that it happened that's hard. I've had these defenses for so long and you didn't even notice them. I guess…they were meant for other people and you had your own door all along. I could ask why, but what's the point? You're here and I'm glad, even if I'm sometimes imagining a distance between the two of us...instead of seeing you right there."

She swallowed hard to quell the frog forming in her throat. It was rare for her to speak her mind, but Nancy found that when she was around Frank, she didn't even have to try, so she said as much, hoping to ease the burden he carried on himself. "You're one of the coolest guys I've ever had the pleasure of knowing. And now dating," she added, a coy little smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. "You don't even have to try, Hardy, it's surreal," she joked, and he smiled at that.

"I try really hard for you, actually," he confessed sheepishly, reaching up a hand and moved to brush back a lock of red hair that had fallen from her bun out of her eyes. Frank hesitated. "I just want to know…who you want to be with, Nan."

She cringed. She knew he was still thinking of Ned, even after all this time. The two men's friendship hadn't been the same since Nancy had chosen Frank over Ned.

Not that she expected things to go back to normal but…in truth, she didn't really know what she expected, but in the eight months of dating Frank, she'd seen Ned exactly two times, once in the grocery store and the other around town when he'd come home during a holiday break since he didn't have any classes, and both times had hurried to avoid Ned as fast as possible.

She'd learned from none other than Bess that Ned was seemingly now in a long-distance relationship with none other than Megan Grunhild, which at first, Nancy had been utterly surprised by, but the more she thought about it, it wasn't all that surprising to her really. As long as Ned was happy.

She knew she certainly was with Frank. Nancy would have liked to think that they all could have been friends, but it just wasn't possible. Not for her, and certainly not for Frank, though he would never come outright and admit it, the gentleman that he was. They avoided each other.

Maybe that's for the best, she thought sadly and let out a tiny tired sigh.

"I'm right here where I'm standing, Frank," she murmured, feeling the heat creep to her cheeks as she blushed and glanced down at her sandals, kicking a pebble into the canal with the edge of her toe. "I'm not anywhere else. I promise…"

"We're stuck with each other, Drew," Frank promised, pulling her close.

"Always." Nancy tucked back a wisp of red hair back behind her ear and glanced up at Frank. She didn't bother hiding the smile that crept onto her face. "But…please," she begged. "When the time comes, let me help pick it out, won't you? Don't take Joe," she giggled, thinking of the horrible shenanigans Joe could get Frank into if the younger Hardy brother ever took Frank shopping for a ring someday. "Let me come. Or take Dad. I think he'd like to help you pick. Or your dad, maybe…" She tapped her chin, playfully lost in thought, though she knew Frank was dead serious. "Frank?" she asked, noticing he was looking strangely pale.

"I sort of…already picked it out. That's where I went today for my errand," he confessed, his face reddening the more he talked about it. Nancy thought it was adorable. "But I haven't bought it yet. But don't worry it's not that expensive, it's only like a hundred bucks," he stammered, noticing Nancy's face flush. "It's—it's at Kay's, a—and I haven't showed it to you yet because I know it's only been eight months, but I feel like it's been longer when I...when I'm with you."

"It has," she agreed, nodding her head. She was relieved to hear that Frank felt the same way. "Why didn't you tell me, Frank?"

He shrugged his shoulders, looking surprised. "You never asked," he answered simply, to which Nancy had no argument. She couldn't really argue with that logic.

Nancy clung to his shirt, her fingers curling into fists around clumps of his shirt. "What's it like?" she pleaded, biting her bottom lip in a slight pout. "Did you ask Bess for advice? Do I at least get to see a picture of what it looks like?" she asked, suddenly growing suspicious at how relaxed he looked.

If she had thought Frank Hardy was white before, it was nothing compared to how he looked now as his girlfriend prodded him for details on what he was planning. Well, daydreaming about, more like.

But...they were still so young, and he wanted to do it the proper way, which for him, meant a few more years. He wanted to wait until Nancy was a little bit older, though they both knew the other was not going anywhere without the other anytime soon. But still. He knew they needed to wait.

Nancy furrowed her brow into a slight, teasing frown as she bit her bottom lip in a playful pout. "C'mon, Frank,' she pleaded. "Show me? Please?" she teased. If he'd dragged Bess along to get ideas, there's no telling what she would have picked. It was no secret among their group that Bess's tastes were vastly different than Nancy's, and for a moment, Nancy found herself afraid he'd done just that.

"No way, Drew," he answered quickly, turning away from her, seemingly embarrassed to look her in the eyes. "Not till I'm ready to ask," he joked, but just as soon as his own playful grin had emerged, it vanished to be replaced with his usual somber look. "I just…didn't want to scare you away with this, Nance. I know most would consider us way too young to start thinking about...that," he emphasized. "But...all my life I've been afraid, Nance. Afraid of people rejecting me when they find out what I do for a living, and even if they didn't, then still losing them."

Frank let out a sigh and turned back towards her to look her in the eye. "But when I was faced with the idea of losing you forever, when Todd...took you," he answered with some hesitancy, and even he winced as he watched Nancy flinch at Todd's mention.

Nancy said nothing, waiting for him to speak. She knew he needed to say whatever was on his mind. She nodded mutely, showing him she was listening.

Frank swallowed and continued. "It made me realize there's one thing I would regret more than anything else in this life, and that's me not telling you the truth about how I feel about you, Nancy Drew," he said, his voice growing stronger as he seemed to find his resolve. Nancy drew in a breath and held it. "I can't help it. I know the odds are stacked against us and we'd be risking everything. In some ways, you could say we already are, but there's no one else I'd rather take that leap with, Nan."

"I know," she whispered, barely feeling as she painfully twisted her hands together, weaving her fingers nervously in between her knuckles. "I feel the same way, Frank." Nancy sighed, her shoulders slumping in defeat and she pouted, knowing her side of the argument was fruitless and he wasn't going to let her see what he had picked out for her, when the time came for him to think about asking. "I understand, Frank. But…I'd like to see it. When—when you're ready, and not a moment before," she answered, thinking that, given they'd been dating not even a full year and they were still quite young, it'd be a few more years.

Frank gave a curt nod, signaling he understood. "When the time is right," he promised her. For Frank, however, that could be tomorrow, or in the next five years.

Nancy kind of hoped to date him for a few more years before they progressed to the next stage. Which, eventually, maybe this summer now that she had Jessica's 'thank you' payment in her bank account, she would move out, into an apartment.

She didn't want or need a whole lot of space, given how often she traveled. Besides, her dad would undoubtedly like to have the house back to himself, and Hannah would love having the extra space. She made a mental note to revisit that as an option later, after their movie. Maybe Frank would even move in with her in a few more months. After they'd been dating at least a year. She was insistent on that. Nancy knew you could only ever truly get to know a person over time.

It was when you were comfortable together and real, when you talk in that way that best friends do, that things were right. Just as she and Frank talked every single day, but it was so much more than that. She was able to relax around Frank, and somehow, she knew that whenever she was with Frank, it was all going to be okay in the end.

The young woman chanced a glance at her boyfriend out of the corner of her eyes as he wordlessly took her hand in his and steered her back towards the plaza where the movie theater and all the shops were. There was so much in Frank Hardy's silence, so much that he wouldn't say.

Nancy could tell just by his expression there was a lot going on in that mind of his, but she knew better than to ask, because if she did, he would just say he was thinking of how pretty she was. And it would be the truth. He noticed her staring and flashed her that smile that he knew and everyone else who knew the couple well enough by this point that Nancy Drew couldn't resist.

Whenever he smiled at her, Nancy felt safe with Frank. Protected, even if he did keep his secrets. In time, just like with everything else, she knew he would share them. Loving Frank didn't give her the right to know every single one of his pains and doubts and fears, to rummage through the wreckage of his thoughts. Some scars, and Nancy knew this better than most, were invisible.

The detective knew Frank carried his share. Without a word, she slipped her hand into his and they wound through the plaza towards the movie theater.

Just the two of them, happy, connected. Together. As it should have been.

Before Frank could drag them into the theater, some creature movie was playing that he'd been waiting months to see and Frank was fortunate enough that Nancy also happened to be a fan of these types of movies as well and in fact encouraged such viewings, she stopped him. "Wait," she pleaded. He paused, turning and regarding her in silence, confused. Nancy reached up and traced his bottom lip with the tip of her finger. Nancy had a strange urge to bite it, to kiss it, to say skip the movie and pizza afterward and just go somewhere and hide, just the two of them, watch the stars in the night sky in the park.

His lip felt kind of chapped under her feather light touches, but Nancy could not bring herself to care. She gazed so intently at each divot of that lip, as if Frank's lip could map out ancient seas and their future life plans together and tell her everything she didn't know. And Nancy found that she didn't want to look up. Because the detective knew that if she looked up, she would find herself at the mercy of questioning eyes, pleading, begging to know what the hell she was doing.

Nancy wasn't at liberty to say, because she simply did not know herself. The only thing she did know was that Frank Hardy had, perhaps without meaning to in the moment, had seduced her senses and she could no longer think straight or rationally.

She lifted her gaze slightly to look into Frank's eyes and just that was enough.

His lips met hers gently. His lips were warm and tasted slightly of mint, he'd obviously been chewing gum earlier. Frank's hands drifted downward coming to rest and grip almost painfully tight on her waist, hers locked Frank's neck, pulling him down slightly. When they broke apart for air, Nancy rested her forehead against his and gathered some much-needed oxygen. Frank's smirk told her everything, and Nancy smiled back, sinking into his hold.

"Now what, Frank?" she whispered.

Frank took a step back slightly to reach into his jeans pocket. "Well, Nan, I think I promised you that date eventually, didn't I? I'm just sorry it took me eight months to plan it, but I promise you, it's going to be worth the wait, Nance. I swear it!" he teased excitedly, showing the movie tickets. "Shall we?" he asked, holding the door open for Nancy, who smiled and followed him, unaware that someone was watching their every move, or more particularly...Nancy's….

The man sat seated in a coffee shop just across the window, the expression on his face behind his black aviator sunglasses that hid most of the features of his face was currently one of disgust, as though he'd been forced to endure something unpleasant.

And for those that were nearby him, he had. He'd watched the troublesome prickly detective and her little boyfriend for quite a while now. A few months.

Their first date had been cracking sidewalks and watery sunshine that struggled past the clouds. Over Dairy Queen blizzards, Nancy Drew and Frank Hardy had made several loops of their block. How many, neither of them could quite recall.

But he could. He'd watched. Ten loops. On the first few circuits, the talk had been shy, though he knew better than most how familiar these two were with each other, though they seemed to go through the motions, almost becoming familiar with one another and then each of them backing away, especially the redhead.

It was as if she was seemingly afraid of commitment. The man snorted. He knew she'd picked an appropriate life partner, for that's what the Hardy fellow was to her. Another few circuits of that first date and they knew more about one another than many members of their own family, their fingers entwined in a loose grip.

On the final loop around, Frank had pulled Nancy Drew close into a kiss that stopped all her anxious thoughts about their new relationship dead in their tracks. The two of them both knew in that instant they'd found their other half and that fate had dealt them a dangerous hand.

But if only they knew just how much…

His gaze was unwavering and unabashed. Those dark cold eyes behind black sunglasses did not travel up to her face or down to her sandals, but they followed her as if really focusing on something a couple of feet further away.

Perhaps his introspective nature leads him to be locked in thought as he observed, it was hard to know. But he made no gesture of recognition, no raised hand or stiff nod.

She quickened her pace to the front door of the River Heights movie theater and melted into the Friday night crowd of people arriving for entertainment. He sneered as the Hardy boy quickly followed suit, and the door swung shut behind them. The man watching let out a heavy sigh and pulled out his phone.

The boss, at least, was going to be pleased to hear this news, after months of searching for this seemingly harmless girl who had, at least according to his employer's words, ruined his life several times over. After months, almost going on a year of searching now, they had found her.

"About damn time," the stranger grumbled, still staring across the street at the movies.

The mysterious man, who was something of a watchman, slumped against his seat. It was cold but less so than back home. His eyes followed the puffs of his breath as the sun faded and dipped below the horizon and the temperature grew cooler.

A few years ago, he thinks it was five now, but he was kind of starting to lose track, he had been hired by his boss and not once had he laid eyes on him, except for the one time, who told him he had a job to do. In the past, cars with blackened windows approached with drivers he knew, no new guys unless he received a file on them.

So, this last time, when a new car had approached with a new face in the windshield and who wordlessly handed him a thick file on this Nancy Drew girl, his heart rate had soared to an almost sickening rhythm and bile washed up his nicotine layered throat. This was what he collected the generous checks for. Years of boredom possibly leading to a sticky end. But in the end, what better choice did he have? The boss had saved his skin, more than once, and for that he owed him, and if he wanted him to find this Nancy Drew character, who the boss man seemed to hate so much, with every fiber of his being, then who was he to argue?

His assignment was quite simple, really. Find the girl. Call the Boss. Report back to him, and he'd take care of the rest.

"Take care of the rest he says," he growled, scowling and feeling his brow furrow into a deep frown that created lines on his already lined forehead and a groove near his mouth. "More like I'll do all the work while the boss sits pretty, and for what? To get revenge over this...this teenager? Boss Man must be nuts after all that time in the slammer," he spat, disgusted, shaking his head in disgust at the turn of events his life had taken. The man grumbled to himself as he dug into his coat pocket for his phone and flipped it open, dialing the boss's number. A throwaway cheap thing.

The boss answered on the fourth ring. "Tell me the good news," he breathed out raspy, a voice that made the watchman, whose name was Ken, cringe. Like nails on a chalkboard, brought on by years of smoking or something, he had to guess. Not that he really cared one way or another what his employer sounded like. As long as he got paid. "Tell me you found her. This better not be another false alarm, Ken. If it isn't her…, and this is just another mistake on your end, there's going to be hell to pay. You know not to fail me..." The note of desperation in his voice was clear. Though not greater than the anger. His tone was clipped and hard, and Ken found himself afraid even on just a phone call, when his boss was probably miles away on the other side of town. Ken scowled and stifled a growl of frustration as he looked down at his hand, at the white and red jagged lines of the scar on the front of his hand. His constant 'reminder' of his last 'mistake' at failing to recognize the Drew girl.

If he's even here yet, he thought darkly. He quickly shot back the dark swirling vortex of bad thoughts that were swimming around in his mind and shoved aside such thinking with an irritable wave of his hand, though he knew his boss couldn't see it. "Yes, boss," he breathed into the phone, and he could almost hear the audible sigh of relief coming from the other man's voice on the other end of the receiver.

"Are you sure?" he demanded, suddenly sounding irate. "There can be no mistakes, Ken!" His voice had risen an octave and now sounded slightly suspicious.

"Trust me, boss. She's here in River Heights. I saw her just now. We got her…" Ken could not stop the smirk from forming on his face as he promptly ended the call before his employer could so much as bark another unkind order at him, flipping the phone shut closed, stuffing it in his coat pocket, burying his hands in his pockets for warmth, and whistling an impressive tune to himself as he strode away from the little cafe and the movie theaters, where he'd sat outside waiting for three hours.

At last, they had her...

Nancy Drew's days were numbered. The girl was as good as dead…

Author's Note: And that's a wrap for Nancy Drew the Curse of Black Lake. I hope you have enjoyed this alternate universe where everyone in Nancy's world survived this latest adventure! At least all the main characters anyways, and Nancy's friends. Stay turned for Nancy's next adventure which I will be posting the first chapter of her sequel on Saturday: Nancy Drew and the Mystery of the Silent Visitor. It's totally not my best title ever, but I'm not good at coming up with creative titles. In fact, if anyone has a better title in mind, feel free to shoot me a PM or put it in the comments below because I suck at titles and naming chapters. I think for future stories, I won't be naming my chapters lol! In Silent Visitor, which takes place in this same alternate universe with Ned out of the picture and are completely different from my other Nancy stories for the fandom that I've posted in times past, Nancy and Frank are adjusting to their new relationship and both are still reeling from the events that surrounded their last case and the dealings of Casston and Todd Baines, mass murderer of Maine. Seeking a quiet summer, Nancy gets more than she bargained for when asked to help clear the name of one of their friends, and she goes undercover in a job in a quaint little cafe as a waitress to help clear the friend's name, as well as to pass the time and supplement her income and save up money for a end-of-summer beach trip only to find more than she bargained for when she starts receiving threatening notes from an unidentified man who seems entirely too fast for her to catch, and well-timed accidents point towards the restaurant being a victim of sabotage...with Nancy as the suspected culprit.

Postings for that story will be twice a week, on Tuesday's and Saturday's. See you in Silent Visitor! :)