Love & Lies on Campus

Summary: When someone begins threatening the daughter of a prominent lawyer, Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys go undercover as law students to solve the case. Takes place several months after Nightmares and Dreamscapes.

Disclaimer: Nancy Drew and The Hardy Boys are not mine. But I love them as though they were my own.

A/N: I'm so happy to hear you guys are still interested in the story! Big bear hugs to those who reviewed Chapter 6—David Tai, Prismatic Iris, Li'l Albatross, hardydrew, intriguedndhb, PrincessSkywalkerOrgana, Shani8, Really Cinderella, Jabba1, Smithy, ariandula, Hanner Nanner, Silver Scorpion, ndhbfan, Emeralds and Rubies and KennaC. You guys rock!

Chapter 7

"Ned!" Nancy gasped, trying to regain her composure. Did he see what just happened? she thought frantically."What are you doing here?"

Ned's cold, unyielding expression didn't change. "I just came from a conference at The Oracle. Since Stanton Pike was on the way, I thought I might pay you a surprise visit. Looks like I was the one who ended up being surprised," he said darkly, meeting her eyes accusingly. "You didn't tell me Frank Hardy was on the case too."

"He's here with Joe," Nancy said quickly. "And I only found out when I got here." She smiled nervously and tugged on his sleeve. "C'mon, let's grab a cup of coffee."

"No thanks. I think I better go."

Nancy was confused. "What? But you just got here."

"Yeah, I just remembered I have a breakfast meeting with a client tomorrow." Ned shrugged indifferently, starting to walk away. "See you around, Nancy."

"Ned, wait!" she called, catching up to him. Ned abruptly turned back to her and the sudden anger blazing in his brown eyes stopped her short. He did, Nancy realized with a sinking heart. "Ned…"

"You lied to me," he practically hissed at her. "So how does it feel, Nancy? Seeing the one you love in the arms of someone else?"

Nancy was stunned. "What? Ned, I—"

He cut her off with a dismissive wave of his hand. "Please. Don't bother explaining." He turned away and stalked off into the night, leaving her standing there with tears welling up in her eyes. Between Frank and Ned, this was quickly becoming one of the worst nights of her life.

"Nancy?" A familiar voice broke into her thoughts. She swiped hurriedly at her eyes before turning around. Parker was walking towards her, concern written on his face. "Are you okay? Who was that guy?"

"Uh, yeah. That was…." Nancy trailed off and looked down at her feet. She didn't have the energy to think of a cover story for what had happened between her and Ned. "He's my boyfriend," she finished weakly.

"You wanna talk about it?" Parker asked quietly. She smiled wanly at him. "It's okay, Parker. You don't have to."

Parker grinned lopsidedly. "You know, I'm a great listener. My sister told me I should be taking up psychology instead. And best of all, I won't charge you." He waggled his eyebrows at her. "What do you say?"

Nancy laughed brokenly, shaking her head. "Okay. How can I say no to that?"

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"He asked you to marry him?" Parker repeated. They were sitting at one of the corner tables at Willow Lane. At her nod, he hesitated. "And… what answer did you give him?"

"I told him I'd think about it," Nancy exhaled. "Then he dropped by earlier for a surprise visit."

"Did you turn him down?" Parker carefully asked. "I saw him storm off, he looked pretty mad."

"No, we didn't even get a chance to talk about that." Nancy glumly looked out the window at the twinkling lights of the shops across the street. "Ned saw something on my face, I think. That's what made him mad."

"What did he see?" Parker asked curiously.

She remembered Ned's spiteful question. So how does it feel, Nancy? Seeing the one you love in the arms of someone else? Nancy blew out a breath. "The truth," she said sadly.

"I don't understand."

When Nancy remained silent, Parker said wryly, "You know, growing up with four sisters did not help make women any less of a mystery to me."

Nancy looked up and smiled. "Four sisters?"

"Yeah, and I was the youngest, too." Parker rolled his eyes, leaning back in his chair. "It was crazy. I think my dad was a little worried that with all the females surrounding me, I would turn out to be gay. I told him it didn't work that way." He paused. "I think."

Nancy laughed. "So where are your sisters now?"

"Let's see… Mary—she's the oldest— is living in Connecticut with her three kids. Darren, her husband, runs a bookstore in town. Karen is a pharmacist who lives in Bethesda; Emma moved to Australia to become a preschool teacher, and Debbie is currently working on her doctorate in Molecular Biology at Harvard."

"Wow," Nancy said. "Are you close to all of them?"

"Just Karen," Parker replied. "She let me get away with almost everything when we were younger." He grinned. "Gillian reminds me of Karen, I think that's why we hit it off so well."

"It must be hard to see Gillian go through this ordeal," Nancy commented.

Parker sobered. "Yeah, it is. I remember the note that was slipped under her door, she stepped on it on her way out the next morning before I pointed it out to her. She tried to laugh it off as a joke, but I knew she was scared." He shook his head. "I can't imagine anyone who would want to hurt her. You have to catch this guy, Nancy."

"Well, that's why we're here." Nancy frowned. Something was vaguely nagging her at the back of her mind, but she couldn't pinpoint what it was.

"There you guys are!" a female voice exclaimed.

Startled, the two of them looked up. Gillian and Frank were standing by their table. "We were on our way to grab a bite next door when we saw you," Gillian said happily, slipping her hand into Frank's. Nancy looked away.

"Nan, are you okay?" Frank asked her in a low tone, taking in the distressed expression on her face. His eyes flickered to Parker, his jaw tightening.

"I'm fine," she replied shortly. She couldn't help the wave of anger that washed over her upon seeing Frank with Gillian. She pushed back her chair and got up. "I better head back, I'm pretty beat. Thanks for the coffee Parker."

"Can I walk you back to the dorm?" Parker and Frank asked in unison. Surprised, they glanced at each other. Frank's eyes narrowed imperceptibly. Gillian raised an eyebrow.

"No thanks," Nancy said, pulling on her coat. "See you later, Gillian." She left quietly, three pairs of eyes watching her go.

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Nancy opened her eyes. The digital clock on the nightstand read 3:04 AM in glowing red digits. She groaned and rolled over, flinging an arm over her eyes. It had taken her over two hours to drift off into a restless sleep, and now that she was awake, she doubted she would be able to fall back to sleep again.

Her stomach suddenly grumbled, reminding her that all she had for dinner was coffee and a chocolate chip cookie. With a sigh, she got out of bed. Maybe she could get some crackers at the vending machine downstairs. She threw on a robe over her tank top and shorts and glanced over at Gillian's still form in the other bed, her breathing deep and even. She crossed over to her roommate and gently shook her shoulder. "Gillian? I'll just run down to the vending machine for a midnight snack. I'll be back in a second. Will you be alright?"

Gillian blinked sleepily up at her. "'Kay," she mumbled and rolled over, drifting back to sleep almost immediately.

"I'll lock the door behind me and take my key," Nancy whispered. Gillian snored softly in answer. She picked up her key and silently left the room.

Nancy padded down soundlessly the stairs to the second floor. The long, dimly-lit hallway leading to the students' lounge was deserted at this hour and she involuntarily shivered as she remembered this was where Gillian was attacked. She wondered where he was now. Was he lurking in the shadows, waiting for her to pass by so he could reach out and grab her too?

Stop it Drew, you're being paranoid, she chided herself, but her footsteps quickened just the same until she reached the lounge. A lampshade by one of the couches was thankfully open, its soft light bathing the room in a comforting glow.

Nancy walked over to one of the vending machines in the corner and studied their contents. After a few seconds she fed a bill into the slot and punched the button for cheese crackers.

Just as she was about to bend over and grab the package from the withdrawal slot, she suddenly heard the unmistakable sound of soft footfalls behind her. Her eyes widened and the hairs on the back of her neck stood up. Before she could move, a strong pair of hands gripped her upper arms, immobilizing her.

"Hello Nancy Drew," a rough, distorted voice laughed mockingly in her ear, sending chills down her spine.

A/N: Wanna hear something weird? I wrote this chapter with Ned and Frank in mind, but when I finished writing it and went back to reread the whole thing, I was surprised to notice a strange spark between Parker and Nancy. lol. Thoughts? Suggestions? :) Thanks!