Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews. This chapter has gone through many many revisions, I think I finally got it to a point I like. One more thing about this universe: the 70s show plus the 36 Supermysteries books are basically canon, but with Frank and Nancy single, we need to talk about the time frame. Frank, Joe, and Nancy have known each other for about three years. Since Nancy has been out of commission for six months, it breaks down to them running into each other once or twice a month depending on the length of a case. Hence plenty of time to get to know one another.
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Frank had retreated to his room. He sits at his desk elbows resting on the top of his head in his hands. He felt lost, he should have known something was amiss when he hadn't heard from her in over two months. But he figured she just had her head buried in a case. That was Nancy, she forgets everything, even food when she finds herself in a mystery. It's one of the things that he both loves and hates about her. He respects the way she solves her cases, but he always worries about her safety which always seems to take a back seat to everything else when she investigates. And now it seemed all his worry was justified, and he hadn't been there to save her.
"God Nance, why do you always have to be so stubborn. You couldn't have told anyone what you were up to? I know you had to be working on something or you wouldn't still have been in L.A." Frank pauses and purse's his lips. Wait the last letter he had gotten from Nancy when was that.
Frank gets a box from underneath his bed and places it on the desk. He opens the box and starts arranging the contents on the desk. There are a couple of photographs in card paper frames, a bundle of letters, a few badges and tickets (some used some not) for various conventions and events, and lastly a gold wedding band.
Frank opens one of the picture frames, it shows him and Nancy gazing at each other with the stars in the background. Frank doesn't know how but somehow Joe managed to take this photo before he made either his worse mistake or his best move, depending on the day he reflected on what happened in Egypt. He hadn't told her he loved her, but he had said he was tired of pretending not to have fallen for her. She had said she felt the same, then came the buts. They had decided to let things stay the way they were, with the knowledge that the subject could be revisited at a later date.
Frank picks up the ring and puts it in his pocket before moving on to the bundle of letters. He removes the rubber band holding them together and shifts through them till he finds the one he is looking for, it was dated a week before she disappeared. Like most of Nancy's letters, this one is written half in code, below her neat handwriting, was his scrawl. It was a way for them to practice their skills on one another. He smiled as he recalled that it had taken him about a week and a half to decode this one. She had used a few different ciphers to try to throw him off.
He skimmed over the letter looking for anything that might tell him something about her last few days or weeks. Then he found it.
… while reviewing my files on Keller for the trial I think I found something bigger. I'm not quite sure what. For now, I'm going to stay in L.A. and look into it. I'll let you know what I find.
Yours,
Nancy
Just as Frank finishes reading the letter the door to the room opens and Joe walks in. "Calmed down yet?" Joe asks, leaning against the frame of the door.
Frank runs a hand through his hair and turns to face his brother. "Are you going to tell me to give up too?"
"No, you idiot," Joe says as he crosses the room. "Don't forget she's my friend too. We'll do this together."
Frank nods his head, "thanks, Joe." Frank then hands Joe the letter, "Nancy was working another case in L.A. a week before she disappeared."
As Joe reads the letter Frank starts placing things back into the box. He places the lid on the box as Joe finishes. Joe frowns, "So Nancy had already worked a case involving someone named Keller, who she was testifying against. And she believes there might have been something else going on."
"Yes, and she didn't tell anyone because she didn't have anything more than a hunch yet, or at least that's how it comes off to me."
Joe gives Frank a small smile, "Well you're the resident expert on all things Nancy Drew."
"Think you could leave off the teasing for a while?" Frank asks his brother half-heartedly.
Joe's grin gets larger. "Well considering you keep a box of letters, pictures, and mementos from cases with her I'd say it's highly unlikely. Really Frank you make this way too easy."
Frank's ears turn red, "I'm glad my lack of love life brings you so much joy."
Joe shrugged, "I prefer to think of you as a living case study of what not to do."
"… Joe," Frank starts to change the topic away from his non-relationship, "when this is done. I'm going to ask for time off from the Network."
Joe straightens up and looks at his brother in concern, "but you love our work. Why …"
"We've both worked enough kidnappings to know what it means when the ransom isn't asked for." Frank's left-hand forms a fist and turns back to face his desk. "There are going to be things for her to work through. And … and I want, no I need to be there." Frank reaches into his bottom desk drawer and pulls out a small square cardboard box.
"Don't take this the wrong way, but isn't that something that Nancy and maybe Carson gets to decide?" Joe asks gently.
Frank gives Joe a wry smile and chucks him the box. "I've been waiting a year and a half for Nancy to decide. I love her and I'm going to find her. Then I'm going to make sure she at least doesn't do something stupid like getting kidnaped or murdered a week after she gets out of the hospital because she just had to stick her nose into an art theft. So, you with me or not?"
Joe caught the box, the gold embossed lettering said Wolf Brothers Jewelers. If this is what he thinks this is then, Frank is taking Nancy's disappearance better than expected. Joe puts a hand on Frank's shoulder and squeezes it, "Course I'm with you. And I think you're wrong about the art theft." When Frank raises an eyebrow Joe grins, "with Nance, it's statistically more likely to be a blackmailer."
