Chapter One:
Disclaimer: I don't the Hardy Boys or Nancy Drew, or any characters associated with either.
Author's Note: Even though each piece of this chapter is focusing on a different character or set of characters it all takes place at the same time, within the same few minutes. This is being done as a personal writing challenge, but anyone else who want to take it on is welcome. If you do though please let me know how it goes, I'd like to know how much trouble other people would have at this type of thing. Please read and review.He aimed the gun and nobody seemed to notice, but then the gun was hardly a large one. It didn't need to be, his aim was good enough that he wouldn't need more than the one shot that his gun held. In a matter of seconds it would be over, Mayor Hill would never be in the senate. She'd be buried in the cemetery during the campaign! With a cold smirk on his face he fired right at the Mayor's heart.
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"Yes Mayor Hill, I do think you have a good chance for the senate. Though from what Mr. Drew says the senate may not be ready for when you hit them, he has some horror stories about facing you across the court room. I'm almost sorry I'll never get the chance." Said a prominent young up and coming attorney as he walked with the mayor out of the River Heights city hall. There were still news cameras everywhere from the announcement earlier in the day that the Mayor of a fairly small town was running for the senate.
"Are you sure you aren't just saying that because your wife supports me Mr. Nickerson?" Mayor Caroline Hill asked teasingly, laughing when Ned Nickerson glanced over to where his wife was walking out with her father, Nancy did indeed support Caroline Hill for senate. Just as she had supported her for mayor.
"Actually I just want you out of the Mayors office so one of my candidates can win for once." He responded teasing right back, in the past year since he had started working at city hall Ned had come to like and respect the Mayor. And since Carson Drew was dating her, Ned ended up seeing more of her than he would have under normal conditions.
"Nancy and I have been monopolizing the race a bit haven't we?" Caroline said with a laugh, "I don't know what I would have done without Nancy on my campaign team." she added thinking back to the first time she had won. Nancy had had to clear her name after a slanderous newspaper story had been printed that had connected her to a fencing operation which she was certainly not affiliated with.
"Lost." Ned said certainly, "Lost the first race, and probably gone to jail." he added having also drifted back to that point in time. Suddenly something in the crowd caught his eye, then he heard a gun shot.
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"Dad… I'll be fine! It's not like it'll be the first case I take in Arizona! Besides, it's only a theft not a murder or anything like that." Nancy said to her father as they left city hall a few moments after Ned and the Mayor, she noticed all the people who were still hanging around after the press conference earlier but didn't think much of it since the news crews always stuck around after a press conference hoping to get an exclusive.
"I know honey but I'm worried, after all it seems like just yesterday that I was walking my little girl down the aisle! I thought you'd take some time off to get used to married life." Carson Drew said to his daughter, in actuality he knew it had been nearly two and a half years since her wedding and that she had not taken many cases since then since she had been focusing on getting the proper permits for opening her own agency. He just wasn't entirely sure how he felt about his little girl turning such a dangerous passion into a real career. Sometimes he wished she and Ned would slow down and start a family already, but they were both so focused on their respective careers that he knew it wasn't likely in the near future.
"Dad…" Nancy said affectionately kissing him on the cheek, "I'll be fine." she repeated simply. She scanned the crowd again but this time she saw something that made her breath catch, a gun pointed right at Mayor Hill! She started running but was still over a yard away when the gun went off, and she saw Ned throw himself in front of Caroline Hill. "No! Ned! No!" she screamed as she saw him fall.
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Laura was washing the dishes from her lunch with Fenton, it was nice when he was on a case and could spend some time with her rather than just catching something from a restaurant near his agency. It got a bit lonely sometimes, especially when Gertrude was off visiting someone like she was now.
Fenton came up behind his wife and encircled her waist with his arms. "Why don't we leave the dishes for later?" he murmured near her ear before kissing her cheek.
"Fenton… What if the boys came over?" Laura asked though she wasn't entirely sure she cared herself, she turned around in his arms so that she faced him.
"They're on a case remember? They probably won't spend much time at home never mind visiting anyone. Besides Callie is probably going to be pretty annoyed if Frank for one can't figure out what a married couple does behind closed doors." Fenton said as he started working her towards the bedroom slowly.
"And Joe?" Laura asked teasingly before she kissed her husband.
"I'm pretty sure he's figured it out too considering how many girlfriends he's gone through over the years." Fenton said. Laura's laugh was muffled by Fenton's kiss, after a second she wasn't laughing anymore either.
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"What are you watching Frank?" Joe asked his brother as he came back into his apartment carrying a box of pizza with two boxes of donuts on top of it, the donuts supposedly being the reason he had gone out to get the pizza rather than have it delivered. If he was out anyway it was perfectly reasonable that he stop by a donut shop and get a box, or two. Besides if he'd had it delivered he'd have had to help with the research they had to get done for the case they were currently working on, and he'd always hated the research side of detective work.
"News, apparently the mayor of River Heights is planning on running for the senate." Frank said as he turned around to look over the back of the couch at Joe, "You got donuts and pizza? That one is just a weird combination little brother." he said. He had been listening to the news while he looked through some files for the case they were currently on, Joe was supposed to be helping with this but he had decided an hour and a half before that he needed food and after that there had been no stopping him from going out the door after it. Which meant that Frank would be spending lunch with his brother rather than his wife for the third time this week, but hopefully he'd be done with all this paperwork before dinner or he'd be in the frying pan.
Joe made a face at Frank then nodded at the TV, "They're showing a live feed from River Heights." he said as he came around one side of the couch to set the pizza and donuts down on the coffee table beside the files. Then the sound of a single gunshot made his him look at the TV in shock.
Frank had all ready been watching the screen when the shot rang out but the camera didn't catch the shooter. All hell had broken loose on screen and people could be seen running and screaming everywhere, but one scream in particular could be heard above the all others and made their blood run cold even as the news crew cut the feed.
"No! Ned! No!" Cried a voice that even just over two years, even when it was distorted by so much pain and fear, either would recognize in an instant.
Frank's breath had frozen in his throat when he'd heard Nancy's voice, but Joe's hadn't. "Oh god." Joe muttered looking slightly sick, the pizza and donuts now lay as forgotten as the files on the table.
Author's Note: Ok, I realize that this is far from being a long chapter but hopefully in this case length isn't necessary for drama. I also know that there are a lot of you that will hate what I just did to Ned, but look at it this way: at least he got hit while he was doing something noble. In a large portion of the half-formed plots for fan fictions that run through my head he cheats on Nancy or something even more despicable. Besides the idea for this story has been floating around my head for awhile now so I had to at least try to write it. Please review.