AN: Here's a little treat for all of you who are suffering withdrawal symptoms: A couple 'deleted scenes' – things that I considered for the plot but ultimately rejected for creative reasons. One can always argue for and against the inclusion of certain scenes (as well all see in things like movie DVD 'extras'), so the following are just some things I figured you'd want to read just for fun.

Scenes that did not make the cut: You'll recognize this scene from the night Nancy makes it back to Chicago. I'd initially planned on Nancy and the Hardys having a reunion right there, but amended it so that they had to wait a bit longer to see her again.

The set up: As soon as Nancy is done greeting her colleagues from the Department after arresting her partner Tom Morrison, the Hardys take that opportunity to talk to her, unlike what actually happened when Frank decided to wait...

"Ever since that night in New York, we've spent practically every waking moment trying to find out what happened to you," Frank said, trying to still the pounding of his heart. "We came to Chicago, looking for answers."

Nancy looked away. "I was so afraid that night," she said, her voice catching in her throat. "I knew you'd want to know why I was pretending to be a waitress named 'Molly'. So many people were hurt or killed because of me…I didn't want the same thing to happen to you two."

"I don't think you have to worry about that anymore," Frank said heartily. "What you did tonight…that was amazing."

"Thanks," Nancy replied with a smile. "I'm just utterly relieved it's all over. Having to set up a sting for my own partner…It wasn't easy."

"That's why you had to run, isn't it?" Frank asked. "You suspected that he'd killed Dr. Gray because she found out about what Dr. Stanely Vasek was doing, right?"

Nancy nodded solemnly. "Debra was worried about something the day before she was killed. We know now that she must have confided in Tom. She must have told him that she thought Dr. Vasek was on the take. It would only been a matter of time before she found out Tom was the arresting officer. She would have realised he was being bribed by Gus Marouelli, as well.

Tom obviously decided he couldn't let her live with that knowledge. I'm pretty sure he must have killed her that morning before he left for work. He tried to cover up her death to make it look like the work of the serial killer."

"And of course he had inside knowledge on how the serial killer operated," Frank breathed.

"Right," Nancy said. "But one thing nagged at me about that morning when I had a chance to think about it: when we arrived on the scene, Tom turned the thermostat up, and kept insisting that Deb must have been on her way out because it had been lowered, and that the house was freezing."

Joe snapped his fingers. "Which would have lowered her body temperature more rapidly, making it difficult to establish time of death!"

"Exactly," Nancy said.

Sergeant Mahoney called out to her. "Hey, Drew, we gotta roll! I know you can't wait to book your 'prisoner'!"

"I'll be right there," she called back. "Seems we're going to have to cut this short for now," Nancy said ruefully. "Frank; Joe, how do I thank you for putting your lives on the line for me?"

Before either could protest, Nancy said, "I know, I know – 'think nothing of it, I would have done the same for you,' right?"

"Right," Joe nodded with a grin.

"Absolutely," said Frank. A lump was forming in his throat.

"Well, I'll see you too later! After we're through processing Tom, I think I'm going to sleep for a month!"

Frank stared after her as she dashed off to join Sergeant Mahoney in the van.

That short farewell was so anti-climactic and disappointing! Joe put a supporting hand on his brother's shoulder. Frank wanted to shake it off in irritation, but knew the gesture meant Joe understood what he was feeling.

"Let's go, Frank," Joe said gently, "we're done here."

Frank wanted to linger behind, but knew that his brother was right. The van started up and slowly began to move off. Something inside Frank made him want to run after it, to tell Nancy he was here, that he was glad she was safe, and that he felt a little more than a simple crush for her, but he held back.

"Hey, Hardys," the driver of the surveillance vehicle called out to them. "We're moving. We're expected back at the station pronto."

"Okay, we're coming," Joe called back.

The Hardys were in mid-turn when the armoured police van exploded!

So you can probably see why I chose not to include this! Perhaps some of you think otherwise. Either way, I'm having fun sharing it.

Alternate ending: Here is an 'extended' scene I wrote after writing the original ending. The ending you all know is my original concept and I like it the best. The one here was written for kicks and is only slightly different. I make no claims to be a romance writer, and from this scene, you can all be the judge of that. I did not use it because I thought it was just too much for the characters at that early stage in their relationship. (But I'm just posting it for your enjoyment!)

"Excuse me," the woman said softly, sliding her sunglasses partway down the bridge of her nose, "but I was hoping you could help me find someone…"

Frank stood up hastily, his heart beating quickly at the sight of the young woman who seemed so familiar. "Sure, I think I can help you," he said anxiously.

"Her name is 'Molly Jenkins'," the woman continued, her piercing blue eyes looking up at Frank from under the dark lenses, "although I think she was also going by 'Marie Davenport', ' Dana Farrell', and 'Joan Foster'…but I don't think any of those were her real names…"

Frank strode over to her with hasty steps. He plucked the sunglasses off and took her face in his strong but gentle hands.

"Well," Frank said with a joyous smile, "something tells me we won't have to look too hard, Nancy Drew."

Frank brought her lips to his and they kissed, deeply, tenderly.

"I've wanted to do that for a very long time," he whispered softly to her when they at last separated.

"So have I," Nancy whispered back, "even though it took me a very long time to admit it."

Then Frank pulled Nancy back to him again, enfolding her in his hungry arms. She willingly melted into his embrace, savouring the warmth of his touch.

And it felt at last like coming home.

A/N: So there you have it! The whole nine yards. One final note: Some of you have expressed that it was slightly confusing with all the names I had that began with 'M' – because it was difficult keeping them all straight. True enough. It is confusing, and I apologize. It was a mean trick on my part. Because I wanted it to be a challenge to spot the good guys from the bad guys, I used that tactic to make it so that one had to really pay attention to which character was which. (Of course, that only ended up muddling things up more than they needed to be!) I'll keep that in mind for future stories…

Wait…I didn't just say 'future stories', did I? Oh, dear.

Once again, thank you all! You made this author feel extremely welcome and appreciated. I simply cannot express that enough. My heart is warmed by your positive comments and loyalty. I just may come back for more if you're going to be this receptive to what I write.