ONE NIGHT
Nancy Drew shivered as she turned up the heat in the car. It was three o'clock in the morning, and she was on a stakeout, closely watching the house of a man suspected to be in connection with the dealing of illegal weaponry. Jamieson Taylor had arrived home at one o'clock, and it appeared he had settled in for the night. The curtains were drawn, and it had been an hour and a half since any lights had been on. The phones of the house were bugged, but Taylor had not made or received any calls this evening. Nancy expected this to change shortly though, she had received intelligence that Taylor was set to make deal at five o'clock this morning, and that the buyer would be contacting him to set up the final arrangements.
A sudden noise startled her, and Nancy's senses heightened. She relaxed when she realized that it was just Joe Hardy murmuring in his sleep. She and Joe had been partnered to keep the front of the house under surveillance, while Frank and Brenda Carlton monitored the back of the house. Frank hadn't been too impressed about the arrangement initially, but realized that it would have to be him that was partnered with Brenda, as Joe and Nancy would probably kill her within twenty minutes. Besides, Frank figured that Brenda wasn't too bad when you got to know her. They had gotten along quite well before on another case they had worked on. Nancy watched Joe for a moment, and then frowned slightly as he shifted in his seat and cried out. Joe had taken the first watch, and now it was her turn. He seemed to be dreaming of something quite intense and Nancy debated waking him up. She didn't have to debate for long though, as Joe's cell phone rang, jolting him awake.
Joe sat up and brushed his messy blonde hair out of his eyes. 'Hello?' he said, sleepily. He glanced over at Nancy. "It's Frank", he mouthed silently, and Nancy nodded. Joe paused for a moment and listened. "No, I just woke up, but I don't think there's anything new to report," he said, looking at Nancy for confirmation. "No, nothing at all... how are things your way?" Joe inquired. After listening for a moment, Joe laughed. "Yeah, I don't doubt that. She's a talkative one! At least she'll keep you awake." After saying goodbye, Joe hung up and stretched back in his chair.
"Well, I guess it's my shift now," Joe said, still trying to fully wake up. His mind felt sluggish and he shook his head, as if trying to clear it. Nancy didn't reply, and Joe raised an eyebrow at her. "You ok, Nan?"
"Yeah, sorry," Nancy replied. "Just a little distracted."
"About?" Joe asked, trying to prompt her. Nancy hesitated, unsure whether to continue.
"Well, you were talking in your sleep before," she replied cautiously.
Joe shut his eyes again as the memories of his dream came flooding back to him all at once. Images of Iola and the explosion that had claimed her life rushed through his head, indelibly imprinted there. He heard her screaming and he tried to block the images and sounds. Joe forced himself to open his eyes again, trying to stop the onslaught of pain. Nine months had passed, and although Joe was beginning to come to terms with things during his waking moments, the dreams still pursued him relentlessly.
"I'm so sorry Joe, I shouldn't have mentioned it," Nancy said, her face concerned. She squeezed his arm gently.
"No, it's ok," Joe replied. "It happens a lot, I'm used to this now." Nancy thought about this for a moment, and wondered how someone could get used to feeling such pain and seeing such horrors every time they closed their eyes. It didn't seem possible to her.
"Besides," Joe continued quietly, "I'm glad you talked to me about it, rather than talking to someone about it behind my back. Every one walks on eggshells around me these days, worrying they are going to push me over the edge or upset me and no one talks about it to me. They just assume others can tell them what I'm feeling, how I'm feeling and how I should be dealing with this." Joe starred out the window, and fiddled with his hands. "I sound like I'm angry at everyone, but I'm not. It's hard to explain."
Nancy was a little surprised. She'd never seen this side of Joe before. "No, I think I know what you mean. When people don't talk about it with you, you can tell they are avoiding it and it only reiterates that it happened and brings back the memories?"
Joe nodded. "Exactly."
"People probably assume that you don't want to talk about it though," Nancy said. "They are probably scared of upsetting you or how you'll react." Nancy thought back to just after the bombings, Joe had been a wreck. She supposed that she would have reacted in the same way though if she had seen someone close to her killed the way Iola was.
"I guess so," Joe replied. He leaned over and gave Nancy a hug. "Thanks for listening Nan, sorry if I freaked you out a little before."
Nancy returned the hug. "It's ok, I just wanted to make sure you were ok, I was a little worried." Suddenly, even surprising herself, she leaned in and kissed Joe softly on the lips.
Joe pulled away and looked at her in shock. "Oh God, I'm so sorry Joe, I don't know what came over me, I shouldn't have done that!" Nancy started, but she was silenced as Joe pulled her closer and kissed her this time.
Thousands of thoughts raced through Joe's mind as he began to kiss Nancy more deeply. He knew he shouldn't be doing this, but it was nice to feel close to someone again after all these months. There wasn't a romantic spark between the two of them, it was more about two friends becoming closer in his opinion, although he did care a lot for Nancy.
Nancy was still reeling from her decision to kiss Joe, and even more so that he had kissed her back. He'd shown a different side of himself tonight, one that was more sensitive and caring, and she wasn't accustomed to seeing that. She had often wondered what all the girls had seen in Joe, other than his looks, and tonight she had caught a glimpse of that. She had a feeling that this was only seen when Joe was truly comfortable around someone.
Joe pulled Nancy closer to him, as his hands hugged her closely to his body. She touched his face gently, and then leaned in to return his kisses as they became more insistent. She knew she should stop, but there seemed to be an unspoken agreement between them that this was a one off and would never happen again.
Just then, the ringing of Nancy's cell phone broke the mood. Nancy and Joe pulled apart and she gave him a little smile.
"Hello? Oh hi Frank." She paused for a moment. "No, I haven't seen any action tonight," she replied, giving Joe a wink.
THE END.
Nancy Drew shivered as she turned up the heat in the car. It was three o'clock in the morning, and she was on a stakeout, closely watching the house of a man suspected to be in connection with the dealing of illegal weaponry. Jamieson Taylor had arrived home at one o'clock, and it appeared he had settled in for the night. The curtains were drawn, and it had been an hour and a half since any lights had been on. The phones of the house were bugged, but Taylor had not made or received any calls this evening. Nancy expected this to change shortly though, she had received intelligence that Taylor was set to make deal at five o'clock this morning, and that the buyer would be contacting him to set up the final arrangements.
A sudden noise startled her, and Nancy's senses heightened. She relaxed when she realized that it was just Joe Hardy murmuring in his sleep. She and Joe had been partnered to keep the front of the house under surveillance, while Frank and Brenda Carlton monitored the back of the house. Frank hadn't been too impressed about the arrangement initially, but realized that it would have to be him that was partnered with Brenda, as Joe and Nancy would probably kill her within twenty minutes. Besides, Frank figured that Brenda wasn't too bad when you got to know her. They had gotten along quite well before on another case they had worked on. Nancy watched Joe for a moment, and then frowned slightly as he shifted in his seat and cried out. Joe had taken the first watch, and now it was her turn. He seemed to be dreaming of something quite intense and Nancy debated waking him up. She didn't have to debate for long though, as Joe's cell phone rang, jolting him awake.
Joe sat up and brushed his messy blonde hair out of his eyes. 'Hello?' he said, sleepily. He glanced over at Nancy. "It's Frank", he mouthed silently, and Nancy nodded. Joe paused for a moment and listened. "No, I just woke up, but I don't think there's anything new to report," he said, looking at Nancy for confirmation. "No, nothing at all... how are things your way?" Joe inquired. After listening for a moment, Joe laughed. "Yeah, I don't doubt that. She's a talkative one! At least she'll keep you awake." After saying goodbye, Joe hung up and stretched back in his chair.
"Well, I guess it's my shift now," Joe said, still trying to fully wake up. His mind felt sluggish and he shook his head, as if trying to clear it. Nancy didn't reply, and Joe raised an eyebrow at her. "You ok, Nan?"
"Yeah, sorry," Nancy replied. "Just a little distracted."
"About?" Joe asked, trying to prompt her. Nancy hesitated, unsure whether to continue.
"Well, you were talking in your sleep before," she replied cautiously.
Joe shut his eyes again as the memories of his dream came flooding back to him all at once. Images of Iola and the explosion that had claimed her life rushed through his head, indelibly imprinted there. He heard her screaming and he tried to block the images and sounds. Joe forced himself to open his eyes again, trying to stop the onslaught of pain. Nine months had passed, and although Joe was beginning to come to terms with things during his waking moments, the dreams still pursued him relentlessly.
"I'm so sorry Joe, I shouldn't have mentioned it," Nancy said, her face concerned. She squeezed his arm gently.
"No, it's ok," Joe replied. "It happens a lot, I'm used to this now." Nancy thought about this for a moment, and wondered how someone could get used to feeling such pain and seeing such horrors every time they closed their eyes. It didn't seem possible to her.
"Besides," Joe continued quietly, "I'm glad you talked to me about it, rather than talking to someone about it behind my back. Every one walks on eggshells around me these days, worrying they are going to push me over the edge or upset me and no one talks about it to me. They just assume others can tell them what I'm feeling, how I'm feeling and how I should be dealing with this." Joe starred out the window, and fiddled with his hands. "I sound like I'm angry at everyone, but I'm not. It's hard to explain."
Nancy was a little surprised. She'd never seen this side of Joe before. "No, I think I know what you mean. When people don't talk about it with you, you can tell they are avoiding it and it only reiterates that it happened and brings back the memories?"
Joe nodded. "Exactly."
"People probably assume that you don't want to talk about it though," Nancy said. "They are probably scared of upsetting you or how you'll react." Nancy thought back to just after the bombings, Joe had been a wreck. She supposed that she would have reacted in the same way though if she had seen someone close to her killed the way Iola was.
"I guess so," Joe replied. He leaned over and gave Nancy a hug. "Thanks for listening Nan, sorry if I freaked you out a little before."
Nancy returned the hug. "It's ok, I just wanted to make sure you were ok, I was a little worried." Suddenly, even surprising herself, she leaned in and kissed Joe softly on the lips.
Joe pulled away and looked at her in shock. "Oh God, I'm so sorry Joe, I don't know what came over me, I shouldn't have done that!" Nancy started, but she was silenced as Joe pulled her closer and kissed her this time.
Thousands of thoughts raced through Joe's mind as he began to kiss Nancy more deeply. He knew he shouldn't be doing this, but it was nice to feel close to someone again after all these months. There wasn't a romantic spark between the two of them, it was more about two friends becoming closer in his opinion, although he did care a lot for Nancy.
Nancy was still reeling from her decision to kiss Joe, and even more so that he had kissed her back. He'd shown a different side of himself tonight, one that was more sensitive and caring, and she wasn't accustomed to seeing that. She had often wondered what all the girls had seen in Joe, other than his looks, and tonight she had caught a glimpse of that. She had a feeling that this was only seen when Joe was truly comfortable around someone.
Joe pulled Nancy closer to him, as his hands hugged her closely to his body. She touched his face gently, and then leaned in to return his kisses as they became more insistent. She knew she should stop, but there seemed to be an unspoken agreement between them that this was a one off and would never happen again.
Just then, the ringing of Nancy's cell phone broke the mood. Nancy and Joe pulled apart and she gave him a little smile.
"Hello? Oh hi Frank." She paused for a moment. "No, I haven't seen any action tonight," she replied, giving Joe a wink.
THE END.