Disclaimer: No, unfortunately, I do not own the Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew, or anyone from any of the books. However, I think I did create the pale, nose-ringed, jean-clad, black-hooded, mystery man. Right?

Wow! So many reviews! It's exciting! Thank you so much, everyone! I'll try my best not to disappoint. I probably won't be responding to any reviews directly, but perhaps indirectly, through my story. As for the Nancy/Ned, Nancy/Frank, Nancy/Joe-inspired reviews… we'll all just have to wait and see what happens (not even I know that right now). I'll do my best!

Chapter 3

Frank turned on the light between the two double beds. "Joe, get up."

Joe groaned, rolled over, and pulled his extra pillow over his face. "What?" came his muffled voice.

"We've had another visitor, or the same visitor," he replied.

Joe slowly peeked out from under his pillow. Squinting, he said, "Nancy?"

"Hey, Joe, sorry to wake you, but our athletic friend has been lurking outside your door again." Nancy sat down on the edge of the other bed.

Joe sat up. "What now?" He looked up at his brother.

"Well, I guess there's only one way to find out," he said, as he examined the outside of the envelope. It was just like the previous one. Opening it, he looked inside. One single piece of paper. He pulled it out and read it, frowning.

"What's wrong?" Nancy asked, getting up to look over Frank's shoulder. There she saw the exact same piece of paper from earlier, with the same message, except added were two new words.

The note now read, "Go home… Or else."

When no one said anything, Joe got out of bed and took the note from Frank. "Oh. I see. That's new," he said, frowning as well. "What, are they trying to conserve paper, or something?" He handed the note back to Frank and sat down on the edge of the bed, deep in thought.

"This is pretty strange. Has this kind of thing ever happened to you guys before?" Nancy asked, only to get two negative responses. "Hm. Either they are worried about paper conservation or they feel pretty creative."

Neither Nancy nor Frank could sit still, so they began pacing. Nancy stopped. "Is there anything you haven't told me about this case? Or maybe about the anonymous tip you received?" she asked.

Frank ran his hand through his hair. "Not really. We still don't know much ourselves. That's why we decided to chance coming here. It was the only lead we've had in a while." Frank finally sat down in one of the chairs in the corner of the room.

"Okay, then tell me everything you do know," Nancy said, sitting in the other chair. Frank hesitated for much longer than Nancy thought he should. Normally he wasn't so tentative about sharing information with her. "Frank?" He just looked at her with indecision.

Joe too, was a little perplexed by this. Since when did his brother not want to get Nancy Drew involved in one of their mysteries?

"What exactly is going on here? I got back to the table at dinner, all three of you were acting weird, then I see Ned giving you this really peculiar look tonight, and now you won't tell me anything else about your case? What's up, Hardy?" Nancy gave Frank a look to rival that of Ned's from earlier.

Frank closed his eyes and sighed. "I promised Ned that I wouldn't get you involved. I know that the two of you have been having it pretty rough recently, and he just wants there to be a time when the two of you can be together, without you having to run around solving a mystery." He looked up at her. He felt tired suddenly.

"And he said this to you?" Nancy asked.

Frank shrugged slightly, "More or less." He looked away.

Joe sat up straighter. Now he understood exactly what had happened at the Chinese Restaurant.

It was Nancy's turn to sigh. "I see. I really don't know what to say. What you said is true, but I didn't think Ned would feel this strongly about it. I mean, you guys need all the help you can get, right?" She looked between the two of them. Frank just sat there, while Joe, who was about to nod, glanced at his brother and changed his mind.

Frank's slightly impassive look was replaced by a wry smile. "I did tell him I wouldn't get you involved," he looked at her. She was about to say something, but he stopped her, "I also told him that it was ultimately up to you. If you want to risk it and think he can handle that, then by all means." He paused. "Because, honestly, we really could use the help."

Joe was relieved that Frank wasn't cutting Nancy off completely. He thought he knew what was going on with Frank, though. Recently, he and his girlfriend Callie Shaw had decided on a break, for very similar reasons to those causing problems between Nancy and Ned. He probably just didn't want Nancy to go through the same thing.

Nancy thought for a moment. Then she got that look she always got, when coming up with a solution. "You know, I'm sure Ned wouldn't see anything wrong with me consulting. I could spend my days with him, as planned, and at night, you guys could run your ideas by me, along with any other information you come across." She was truly excited now. "That could hardly be considered being involved." Then, she made herself more comfortable in her chair, as if she intended on being there for a while. "So. Tell me," she looked back and forth between the two of them, once more.

Frank considered something just then. "On one condition," he said, raising his eyebrows. Nancy just tilted her head. "You tell us about this 'parking garage incident'."

Nancy crept quietly back into the room she was sharing with Ned. Glancing at the alarm clock, she noted that it was now four in the morning. She and Ned had agreed upon getting up around nine, in order to get a somewhat early start. They planned to visit the art museum that day and spend time just wandering around some of the shops and cafes downtown. However, she was sure that getting up around that time was going to be a chore in itself. She climbed into bed, fully expecting sleep to elude her, since her mind was whirring with thought, but fell asleep almost immediately.

Nancy awoke in complete darkness and quiet, and it took her a moment to realize where she was. When she did, she reached for the clock, sensing she had overslept. Twelve. What the…? She frowned and threw the blankets back, getting ready to call for Ned, until she became conscious of the fact that he was no longer in bed. It was then that she heard a key in the door. It opened and closed quietly.

"Hey, Nan?" Ned asked in a low voice. He squinted into the darkness. "Oh, you're awake." He walked across the room, sat some paper bags on the small table in the corner, and drew the curtains open. Nancy had to shield her eyes from the sudden brightness. Ned turned around. "Sorry 'bout that," he winced and went back to the bags he'd brought in with him.

Nancy got up and went across the room. "I thought we were getting up at nine?" she asked, glancing up at him.

"We were. I mean, I did. The alarm went off, but your eyelids didn't even flutter." He mouth formed a small smile, but he didn't look at her. "But, anyway, I thought you could probably use a little more sleep, since you were up so late." He pulled several packages from the paper bags and handed one to her. Now their eyes met.

She reached for the package, and they paused for a moment, before Ned let go of it. She let her eyes drop. She didn't know exactly what to say and fumbled around with a few words, until Ned placed a hand on her shoulder. "Hey, Nan," he said trying to get her to look at him again. She did. "Don't worry about it. I think I understand. I mean I don't know what happened, since I just woke up when I heard you creeping about at 4 AM." He sat down on one side of the table and began to unwrap one of the packages, revealing a sandwich, and then pulled two bottles of water out of another bag.

Nancy sighed and sat down across from Ned. "They got their note back," she said, simply. "I found it. You know me. I couldn't sleep and, when I heard something out in the hall, tried to ignore it, but I couldn't. The guy was basically gone by the time I got there." She paused. "I also found out about your little talk with Frank… and understand." She started unwrapping her sandwich and grabbed a bottle of water.

"So, is that the end of our vacation, then?" Ned asked, half-heartedly.

Nancy stopped. "No. Of course not, Ned. I did tell them I'd help, but through no actual sleuthing. Okay? You and I are here solely to see the sites. I've only offered my services as a consultant." Her eyes met his, as she touched his hand. "I really want this to work."

"I know. Me, too." He smiled. "Sorry you missed breakfast, but I thought I'd pick us up some lunch. Got some fruit here, too," he pointed at some of the paper-wrapped items.

They enjoyed their lunch and decided they still had time to go to the museum and a few shops before nightfall.

So, once again, let me know what you think… I really appreciate it. Don't worry, there'll be more… and it'll be (at least, a little) more exciting. Hope you enjoyed:)