Nancy was about halfway down the ladder when she realized she'd let her coat with Morgan.
Her first thought was to go back and get it. But one look up the icy ladder made her change her mind.
"Come on, Drew." she said to herself "You've got to get help."
She hated leaving her friends. She hated doing this alone. But she needed George to stay with Morgan in case Jake found out that one had escaped. There was no telling what that man was capable of. And Nancy knew that if he got her mad enough, George could knock him out flat.
She gritted her teeth as an icy blast went straight through her sweater. She fought off the urge to start shivering uncontrollably, knowing that it would be impossible to keep her hold on the ladder if she did.
She slowly lowered her foot down onto the next rung, but when she went to put her weight on it, her foot slid straight off. She gasped as she suddenly jolted down. She tried to keep a hold with her hands, but they couldn't take the sudden weight and slid right off the ice.
With a scream she pitched straight towards the ground. But at the last moment, she managed to grab onto the last rung of the ladder, bringing her to a sudden stop.
She cringed as her knees slammed into the steel wall. But she was alive.
She took a deep breath and looked down at the ground that was about ten feet down "That went quicker then planned." she laughed nervously to herself "Okay. Just drop." she mentally counted to thr\ee then forced herself to release the ladder. A heart beat later she was laying in the snow. She let out a small laugh of relief "I am spending way to much time making snow angels." she pushed herself up and looked around then hurried in the direction towards all the lights.
"What are we going to do?" Bess sobbed into Joe's arms "They're out there somewhere!"
"Bess. Don't forget. Nancy and George have been in worse situations than this." Joe smiled "I'm sure they're fine. Right Frank." he looked around for his older brother "Frank?"
Frank was staring out a window watching as the storm became more and more fierce.
"Frank?" Joe said slowly "What's up?"
"Nothing." the older Hardy answered, not turning from the window.
"I'm sure they're fine." Joe offered.
Frank smiled "I know they're fine." he turned to face his brother "Nancy's too stubborn to be anything else."
"Except knocked out." Joe added with a grin "I'm surprised she'd not immune to hard objects or chloroform."
"I'm surprised none of us are." Frank chuckled "We've been hit with both enough."
Joe nodded then looked down at Bess who had fallen asleep against his shoulder "Maybe the storm will let up soon."
"Yeah. Maybe."
Nancy pushed through the wind as fast as she could. But every blast seemed to cut her straight through. Snow and small pieces of ice slapped her in the face. It seemed like she'd been walking for an eternity. Every step was forced as the snow continued to pile up beneath her.
More than anything she wanted to see Frank running towards her. She wanted to feel his warm arms wrap around her. Protecting her from the cold wind and ice. What the biggest feeling she had, and the one that completely terrified her, was that she wanted to lay down and go to sleep. But she knew if she did, she'd never wake back up.
She pressed on towards the lights in the distance, which had now become a blur due to all the falling snow. Sometimes she had to squint just to make it out. An occasional street lamp also helped illuminate the way.
Several more frozen minutes passed as and pushed through the snow. The only thing keeping her going was the thought of her friends stuck in that old, cold warehouse. And the thought of being able to look into Frank Hardy's warm brown eyes again.
"Come on, Nancy." she said to herself "Keep going. You're almost there."
But right at that moment, everything went pitchblack. She halted and looked around. The lights were gone. The streetlights were gone. The only thing she could see was the snow suddenly flying into her face "No." she took a small step back "Please no." she took several more steps forward, then the ground suddenly disappeared from beneath her and she went tumbling down a snow caked hill.
She gritted her teeth as she pushed herself to her knees and looked around. Which way was she supposed to go?
A sob caught in her throat as she covered her face with her hands. The snow hit her from every direction, but she didn't even care. She was lost in the middle of a snowstorm, and there would be no one to help til it was too late.
It had been four hours since Bess had come running in telling them that the girls had been kidnapped.
Frank just continued to stare out the window. Even after the snow and fog had completely covered it.
Joe had stayed where he was on the couch, letting Bess sleep against him and watching his brother stare into space. He had no idea how Frank always stayed so calm. Honestly, if it wasn't for Bess, he'd be pacing the room right now.
The only thing that alerted Joe to the fact that Frank was worried, was that small muscle in Frank's jaw that kept twitching.
After several more minutes Joe sighed "Frank! Would you punch something!?"
Frank just looked back at him "Why?"
"It would make me feel better."
Frank just shook his head then continued his stare out the covered window. He never would say anything, but he was worried. Really worried. With the attempts that had been made on Nancy's life. All the antagonist would have to do is chloroform Nancy and George and throw them into the snow. No one would ever find them until the snow thawed. And by then... it'd be too late.
"Why didn't I just tell her how I felt in Egypt?" Frank thought with a shake of his head "But she was so loyal to Ned then."
"Hey, Frank?" Joe asked quietly "Do you ever wonder where you and Nancy would be right now if you two had never dated Callie and Ned?"
Frank's eyebrows lowered. Could Joe read his mind or something? He slowly turned around to look at his brother. After a long moment, he sighed "Yes. Several times."
Right at that moment, the whole room went black. The two brothers looked up at the ceiling and Bess jumped.
"What happened?" She asked frantically.
"The storm cut the power." Frank answered.
"We're all going to freeze!" Bess cried.
"No we're not. They've got a backup generator." Joe said quickly "Right Frank?"
"Yeah." Frank said absently "Normally it would have kicked on by now. I'll be right back." he quickly walked out into the black hallways, went down the stairs and into the lobby, which was bustling with people demanding power.
"What's happened?" Frank asked.
"The Generator's damaged." A tall Irish bellboy answered "It won't turn on."
"Let me look at it. I know a bit about that kind of stuff."
"Hold on." The man weaved through crowd then reappeared a little bit later with a short balding man.
"I am Mr. Atkins." the man said "Manager of the hotel. O'hara said you think you can help."
"Yes, Sir." Frank nodded "And until then, I know it sounds strange, and I don't know why I feel like we have to do this. But tell everyone to put as many candles in the windows as they can without burning the place down. Turn on flashlights, do anything to get light shining out those windows until the power turns back on."
"Sounds strange, but will do." Mr. Atkins nodded at O'hara "Pass the order while I show him the generator."
"Yes, Sir." O'hara nodded then walked away.
It took Frank the better part of an hour figure out the problem. But the generator did finally buzz to life "Turn every light in the place on." Frank said, wiping his hands on his jeans "I don't care if people are trying to sleep. I want this place lit up like an over-lit Christmas tree."
"I'm afraid I don't understand." The manager said slowly.
"I don't either." Frank answered truthfully "But I've just got this feeling. So please..."
"Fine." the man nodded "We'll do it."
Three more hours passed, and the hotel had lights everywhere. Even the advertising lights on the roof had been turned on. It's bright beams penetrating through the snow and flashing up into the sky.
It was nearly two in the morning before the snow began to let up and the wind died down. There was a foot of snow on the sidewalk and roads. And slowly, lights began to come back on.
It wasn't too much longer after that that the police showed up.
The chief apologized for the delay, especially in a kidnapping case.
"We understand." Joe said with a nod "No one in their right mind would be out in this weather."
Then Bess started relaying the scene she'd experienced "I felt so stupid." she cried "I just stood there and watched my friends get captured when I should have done something!"
"There's nothing you could have done." Joe said gently.
"And if you had tried they may have gotten you too." Frank added "We wouldn't have known anything was wrong until the sidewalks got cleared."
"Thanks guys." Bess said with a small smile.
The front doors to the hotel suddenly burst open, blowing in cold air, snow... and a person.
Everyone in the lobby stared for a second before Bess, Frank, and Joe all said in unison "Nancy!?"
Frank was the first one to move. He ran over to her and pulled her shivering form into his arms.
She let out a breath of relief as she leaned into him "Frank." she said quietly.
He laid his chin on top of her soaking wet, freezing cold hair "What on earth are you doing out in this weather?" he asked.
"The snow wasn't... that bad... when I left." she said through chattering teeth "We... found Morgan."
"You did?" Joe asked shocked "Where is she? And George?"
"At an old warehouse." Nancy answered "Just north of here. About... thirty miles."
"You walked through that storm!?" Bess shrieked "Nancy! Are you crazy!?"
"Apparently." Joe shook his head.
Nancy shook her head "You'd have done the same thing, Joseph Hardy and you know it."
One of the housekeepers came running over with some blankets "Here, Miss."
"Thank you." Frank took a couple of them and wrapped them around her, then pulled her back into the warm security of his arms.
She closed her eyes and leaned against him. This was feeling way familiar. The last time she had been like this, Frank had kissed her, thinking that they both might be dying soon.
She shook off the thought and just stood there. She heard Frank release a deep breath and his grip around her tightened.
She couldn't help but wonder if he had been worried. But even as she stood there, she knew the answer.
Bess finally couldn't stand it anymore. Even thought she was enjoying watching the two, but she had to do it "Nancy!"
Nancy looked over at her friend and smiled, then pulled away from Frank, pushed the blankets off of her shoulders and went to hug her friend.
"I was so scared!" Bess said "I saw you and George get kidnapped! I... I didn't know what to do! I..."
"Bess." Nancy said quickly "You did fine. We found Morgan and also know that Jake is the one behind it."
"But who's the accomplice?" Joe asked.
"I don't know." Nancy answered "I... just don't know."
"Young Lady," The police chief said, stepping forward "Can you give us directions to that warehouse? I think our snow team can make it."
"Sure." Nancy nodded. She quickly told them everything from how to get to the building, to where the girls were and who had done it.
"Thank you Ma'am." The chief nodded "Hopefully, we'll have them returned before the sun comes up." then he and his deputies left.
"How did you get here?" Bess asked "I mean... through the blizzard!"
"I had been following the lights." Nancy answered "Then the power went out." she shook her head "I thought I was doomed. I fell and got all turned around and mixed up. I felt like quiting right there."
Frank raised a curious eyebrow "Why didn't you."
"Well, I was sitting there, and when I looked up, I saw some lights starting to flicker like a whole bunch of candles and flashlights." she shrugged "It was hard to see, but just enough to know where I needed to go. Then... I don't know. An eternity later this bright something suddenly lit up. Lights were bouncing off the clouds. It looked like an over-lit Christmas Tree." she laughed "Then I found out it was this hotel! I couldn't believe it!"
Frank nodded slowly "That explains a lot."
Nancy suddenly yawned as the heat from the furnaces and the events of the evening began to set in.
"You'd better get to bed." Bess said sternly.
"I'm not going to argue." Nancy said with a tired smile "I'm beat."
Joe grabbed Bess's hand "We're going to go celebrate with an ice cream sundae and a piece of cheese cake."
"Only you would want ice cream in this weather." Frank said with a shake of his head "Have fun." He and Nancy watched as the couple disappeared, then Frank turned to Nancy and swept her off her feet.
"Whoa!" Nancy cried, her arms instinctively going around his neck "What are you doing?"
"Carrying you upstairs because I still don't trust the elevator." Frank said, walking towards the staircase.
"I can walk, you know."
"I know. But you just walked thirty miles through a snow storm. I can manage twelve stories." he sent her a smile and started up the stairs,
Nancy could tell by that look on his face that there was no use arguing with him. And she didn't know how, but he managed to carry her all twelve stories without having to stop for a break.
But all too soon, he sat her down outside her door.
She inserted the key and pushed her door open, but before she went in, she looked up at him "I didn't get a chance to thank you."
He cocked his head slightly "For what?"
"For saving my life again." She answered "The second I saw the candle lights and the flashlights I knew where it was coming from." she touched the side of his face "And I knew who had done it too." she smiled "You're the only person I know that is so in synch with me that... you know when I'm in trouble. Even when you're not anywhere near." she shook her head "I... guess I never should have gone investigating without you."
"Nancy." Frank chuckled slightly "If you must know, I watch you leave."
"What?" she looked up to meet his gaze.
"I saw you leave from my window." Frank said "I knew you were going to go investigate again. It's just who you are." he shrugged slightly "I guess I could have followed you. But you would have gotten upset and all that stuff you do when you think people don't trust you. And I do trust you Nancy." he looked her straight in the eye "You're perfectly capable of handling yourself." he took a deep breath "It's one of the things that I... love about you."
Her eyes widened "What?"
"You're independent and strong and smart." Frank said quickly "And I... I love you."
(UPDATE! Dun dun duuuuun! Sorry for the delay. So, I present a little longer chapter to make up for the longer delay. Thanks for all the F-F's and R's! Laterz!)