So, I know some of you wanted to see the Hardy parents, but it just didn't quite fit in with the space I had. But they will be in the sequel, I promise! (please don't be mad at me!) And for those of you who don't remember Helen, she is Nancy's friend from the very beginning of the story.

I know there is more that you all want to know about Frank and Nancy. That's why there is going to be a sequel! Author follow me, or check the NancyDrew/HardyBoy stories for it!

Thanks again for all the wonderful support. You all are great, and I'm genuinely sad to close this story. I look forward to hearing from some of you on the sequel, and if not, thank you for the support on this story.

Disclaimer: I do not own Nancy Drew or the Hardy Boys

The sequel will be started in 1-2 weeks.

Well. The sad moment has come. Announcing...

The Last Chapter....

Nancy's heart skipped a beat as she saw Frank standing in the doorway, handsome face creased with worry.

"It went really well," Nancy smiled. "I'm going to call George again soon." Instantly Frank relaxed, his brown eyes filling with relief.

"That's great, Nan," he said softly.

"Frank, I need to talk to you," Nancy took his hand, trying to ignore the shock which went through her at the contact. "Listen, about our relationship…"

"You don't want to break up, do you?" Frank's brown eyes widened.

"No!" Nancy shook her head. "I just wanted to tell you that it's been amazing…"

Frank felt a rush run through him at those words.

"But," Nancy continued. "I need to set up my life with my kids. We need to get settled, and they need me to be there for them, especially with what happened with Tom. So I think we should take a small break."

"But…" Didn't Nancy just say that dating has been amazing?

"That's not what I mean," Nancy rubbed her neck with frustration at herself, taking in Frank's confused and hurt expression. How was she going to explain this to Frank? She took a deep breath and scrambled to make sense of her thoughts.

"Frank, I love you. I want to spend more time with you. I just need to get myself set up a little bit more. I need to make sure my kids are all okay, and get them settled in a new home and make sure they know I'll be there for them. After what happened with Tom, they might need a little time to recover. And…" Nancy hesitated. "I need to prove to myself that I can be independent. I know it sounds silly… but it's just something I need to do. I want us to have a more normal relationship, getting to know each other more, going on dates, you know? Everything with Tom kind of made things different. I want to get more serious, which means I need to set myself up for having a real relationship. And I think I need this before I can really take the next step." Nancy took a deep breath. "After all, you're going back to your job, so we'll be apart for a little while, which will give us some time to think through things," Nancy ended, looking at him pleadingly.

Frank felt himself relax at her words. It made sense, and she wasn't ending their relationship. She just wanted a little time to get her life in order.

That was okay. He was willing to wait until Nancy felt a little more comfortable. After all, it would be more than worth it.

And he had a feeling that when Nancy was ready, he would eventually get to be part of her family.

"I'm willing to wait. Do I still get to tell my coworkers that I have a girlfriend?" Frank asked, putting his arm around her. Nancy smiled, blue eyes lighting up.

"Absolutely. And make sure that you let all those fawning girls know that I'm in the picture now. They might still think you're still up for grabs," Nancy joked.

"Well they'll just have to face the fact that my heart is definitely taken," Frank murmured, pulling her closer.

3 Weeks Later

"Wow, Nancy, this is nice!" Frank looked around with a smile. "It's beautiful!"

Okay, the apartment was beautiful, but Frank thought the fact that Nancy was in it was what made it stunning.

"It was a great deal, I can't believe Vanessa found it for us," Nancy smiled, and Frank watch as she gazed around the empty room, her blue eyes lit up. He felt light with happiness. After New Years, Frank had to go back to his job in Cadon, and he had missed Nancy immensely. However, he also thought the time apart was good for them as well, giving them both a chance to process what had happened and return to their relationship refreshed. Nancy had also received her father's inheritance, and it wasn't a small sum.

Not even close.

The ensuing chaos included renting an apartment, filing a divorce, finding a family counselor, and registering for college classes in order to train to become a lawyer.

"Nancy, I've been offered a job in Oakfield." Frank decided to just get it out there. He waited nervously as Nancy spun around and looked at him with surprise evident in her expression.

"I know we decided some space was necessary while you got settled, but I miss you. I want to be closer to you, and the kids. I miss you. All of you," Frank said softly. Nancy's expression was unreadable. "I haven't accepted the job yet, I wanted to talk to you first," Frank said calmly. Inside, he was churning with emotion- so much of him wanted Nancy to accept. He felt the tug to be with her growing every time he left.

But he wasn't sure if Nancy felt the same way. Maybe the space they had enforced had caused her feelings for him to fade, just as it had caused his longing to grow.

But Tom's trial was over, and he was going to be in jail for a long time, so Frank was hopeful that Nancy might be ready to deepen their own relationship.

Not only that, but Tom had signed over his parental rights to Nancy and agreed to a divorce, being advised that his case was already looking pretty bad and fighting back wasn't going to lead anywhere.

So all the loose ends were basically tied up.

But… seeing Nancy hesitate suddenly made him feel afraid that she was reconsidering.

"So… You would live in town?" Nancy asked slowly. Frank nodded. "That… That's great!" Nancy's face spread into a smile. "So we'll be able to see you more often!" Nancy beamed, and Frank felt faint with relief. "The kids will be so excited when I tell them, Nick especially. He's always asking when you're coming."

"Really?" Frank felt a rush of pleasure. "Wait, you don't mind if I'm closer?"

"I'm happy about it. I feel ready to take the next step," Nancy smiled. Frank closed the distance between them in two paces.

"Me too." Frank leaned forward and gently kissed Nancy, feeling his pulse increase at the contact. After a couple moments they broke apart and smiled at each other.

"Really, I just want you around so I can have some extra muscle for moving boxes." Nancy wiggled her eyebrows at him.

"Don't even try that. I think you could handle almost any box," Frank crossed his arms, a smile slipping onto his face.

"So what's the job?" Nancy slipped her arm into his.

"I've got an offer to be the head detective for the Oakfield Police Force. I'm actually pretty excited about it. Oakfield is larger than Cadon, so I'm expecting some more challenging cases. And the pay is even better," Frank grinned.

"Wow! Congratulations!"

"How about dinner to celebrate?" Frank suggested with a smile.

"Sounds great," Nancy beamed. Suddenly her expression became more serious. "Frank, I wanted to talk to you. I want to back and visit River Heights, see if I visit George and Bess and see whether Hannah is still around. I want the kids to see where I grew up, and visit Dad and Ned's graves. Would you come with us?" Nancy asked.

"I'd love to. When are you thinking about going?" Frank asked. Nancy's blue eyes glinted mischievously.

"This weekend, Joe told me you were off work," she smirked. Frank's mouth fell open with astonishment. Then he shook his head and smiled.

"You did your investigating well, Drew."

"Always. But can we do one thing before we leave?" Nancy was suddenly serious.

"Anything," Frank promised.

"Awesome," Nancy smiled, and Frank could tell she was scheming by the sparkle in her eye.

"So, what is it?"

"Do you think she'll be here?" Nick asked, swinging Nancy's hand in his. "Do you think she'll remember me?"

"Yes, she'll remember you," Nancy smiled, walking up to the small rundown house. "We're going to hope she's here, but it's not for certain."

Nancy glanced back at Frank, whose handsome face split into a smile as he caught her gaze. Zoe was happily holding his hand and telling him all about her new preschool class.

"Here we go," Nancy said brightly, inwardly nervous. She knocked firmly on the door. After a moment, the door creaked open and a young woman peeked out nervously, dark hair falling around her pretty face. Seeing Nancy, the woman's eyes widened.

"Nancy!"

"Helen!" Nancy hugged her friend tightly, feeling her thin form tightly against her own.

"How are you?" Nancy asked finally.

"I'm alright." Helen glanced at Frank questioningly.

"This is my boyfriend, Frank Hardy," Nancy smiled, taking Frank's hand and pulling him forward. He caressed her shoulder lightly then gently shook Helen's hand.

"Helen!" Nick pushed to the front and gave her a huge hug.

"Nick! Oh, and Zoe, and Lizzy!" Helen beamed, giving them all a hug. "You all look amazing!" she said softly. Nancy saw the dark bruise on her shoulder as her shirt shifted slightly for a moment. "Why don't you come in? Charly and his folks are out at the moment," Helen offered, readjusting her baggy shirt.

"Alright," Nancy agreed, smiling at her friend.

Nancy went into the kitchen with Helen to make tea, while Frank and the kids stayed in the small worn down living room.

"Nancy, you look amazing! And you have a boyfriend! Does that mean..." Helen looked at her questioningly.

"Divorced. Tom's in jail actually, and I got full guardianship of the children." Nancy smiled. "I ran into Frank and he and his brother helped me financially so that I could leave with the kids. I couldn't have done it without them. And Frank..." Nancy trailed off and blushed.

"Nan, that's great!" Helen beamed, her gentle face lit up with a wistful happiness. "I've never seen you so happy before! How are you managing now?"

"I'm going back to school to become a lawyer. I know I can do it." Nancy told her. "Frank's going to take a job in town as a detective with the Oakfield police force, so he will be around a fair amount to help out with the kids."

"Wow, that's awesome! Frank seems like such a nice guy," Helen commented, putting the kettle on the stove.

"He is," Nancy agreed. "Sometimes too nice for his own good," she grinned. Then her smile faded. "How are you, Helen?" Nancy touched her arm lightly. Helen sighed.

"I've missed you so much. Things are okay here. But Charly's folks both work, so they're gone a lot, and they don't really like me. And Charly..." Helen trailed off, biting her lip. Nancy hesitantly pulled up Helen's sleeve and surveyed the dark bruises. She felt her blood begin to boil.

"Come with us," Nancy urged. "You don't have to stay with him."

"I've never been like you, Nancy. I could have left at any point, while you were stuck with Tom because you were trying to take care of your kids," Helen said slowly. "I've always been scared and ashamed, and part of me still loves Charly. I don't want to be alone."

"Helen, you deserve so much better," Nancy said softly, repeating Helen's words from long ago back to her. "We have an apartment, an extra room. You could stay with me and the kids, get a job... If you don't mind it being a little crowded, we'd love to have you. You wouldn't be alone."

"Really?" Helen looked up at Nancy. "What about Charly?"

"It'll work out. I promise," Nancy said seriously. "You have a right to live your own life."

For a second Helen stared down at her cup of tea, as if the answer would somehow appear in the dark liquid. Nancy watched her face and the emotions scampering across her face, fear, shame, excitement, uncertainty. Then Helen looked up.

"Alright. I'll come with you," she agreed, uncertain expression changing to determination. As Helen ran upstairs to pack, Nancy went into the living room and leaned against Frank, watching absentmindedly as Nick, Zoe, and Lizzy played on the floor.

"Is she coming?" Frank asked, wrapping his arm around her.

"Yes," Nancy murmured. "Are you ready for this?" she asked, letting Frank wrap his arm around her.

"Absolutely."