Disclaimer: I don't own anything.
A/N: Thanks for all the reviews!
In response to Katie Janeway's question, yes, Togo was from the original Nancy Drews (some of them, anyway. In some stories he wasn't there and he's also changed from various types of terriers to a pit bull!)
Caroly, I can't believe I forgot about Hannah! That was a good suggestion, but Hannah doesn't really fit into my story (at the moment, anyway.) For simplicity's sake, let's just say she's ...er... visiting a sick aunt. Thanks for the reminder!
Nancy was stunned for a moment as the snake watched her with beady black eyes. She could hear the blood pounding in her head. She wanted to open her mouth to scream, but she knew that the slightest movement could make the snake strike.
Luckily for her, at that moment Togo scrambled onto the end of the bed, diverting the snake's attention. Before its sharp fangs could touch the dog, Nancy grabbed her pillow and pressed it on top of the snake, grabbing Togo and leaping out of the bed. The snake worked itself free of the pillow, and Nancy seized that opportunity to scream.
Frank Hardy hadn't been asleep. He was alert; on his guard. He heard some movement down the hall, but just assumed it was Togo. When he heard Nancy scream, he jumped off his bed and raced down the hall, his heart hammering. What if he was too late?
Frank burst through her bedroom door, taking in the gruesome sight of Nancy, clutching a bloody letter opener while a wounded snake writhed on the bed.
Time seemed to pass in slow motion as the dying snake lashed out at Nancy. She jerked back, away from the bed, stumbling. Frank caught her and they both edged away from the bed.
Time returned to its normal speed as Joe appeared in the doorway. He was alive, but whether he was also awake, alert, and enthusiastic was debatable. His eyes widened, however, when he saw the snake in its death throes. It hissed and gurgled in agony, bathed in its own blood. Finally it stopped moving, and its shiny eyes clouded over.
Joe's attention shifted from the dead snake to Nancy, wrapped in Frank's arms, her hand still clutching the bloody letter opener. There was blood splattered on her hands and arms, too.
Frank looked down at Nancy, only loosening his grip on her slightly. "Are you okay?"
Nancy gave a shaky laugh. "None of it's mine." she replied, referring to the blood. In her mind, she was screaming 'Pull yourself together!' How was she going to do that when she was trembling uncontrollably?
Joe looked impressed. "You killed that all by yourself?"
Nancy glared at him defiantly. "Of course! Who do you think you're dealing with?" she snapped, obviously taking his surprise as an insult.
"I only meant that thing's got to be four feet long!" Joe defended himself.
"Joe?" Frank looked at Joe significantly. Joe got the message and went to leave. Before he reached the door he stopped. "Are you going to need help cleaning that up?" he asked, nodding at the bloodstained sheets.
"No. There's no way I can sleep in here tonight. If I can sleep at all." Nancy's voice was timid this time. Her brain was working overtime trying to keep her from going into shock. She was grateful that Frank's arms were steadying her.
Joe looked worried but nodded and left. After a while, Frank spoke. "Are you cold?"
"Huh?" Nancy came out of her daze and realized that she was, in fact, shaking violently. "No." she answered his question, and then added, "I guess my nerves are just shot." She glanced at the snake's corpse and shuddered.
Frank's arms tightened around her, and a wave of emotions broke over Nancy. Fear, shock, relief, desperation, fatigue... She muffled a sob, trying to keep them in check.
Frank rubbed her back, trying to calm her down. He hadn't realized how much he had missed holding her until just now. He shook the thought out of his head. Nancy came first; he could contemplate that later.
A few minutes later, Nancy had regained some of her composure. Frank offered her his handkerchief, which she used to wipe the blood from her hands.
Nancy decided to sleep on the downstairs couch. A couple minutes later, she and Frank were sitting on the couch, Togo at their feet. Nancy briefly wondered if the snake had gotten there by accident. No, she realized, it had to be the stalker. Frank had identified the snake as a copperhead, and very poisonous. Her thoughts were jumbled; it seemed like ages since she had had a good night's sleep.
Not even thinking about it, Nancy leaned against Frank's chest. Frank squinted down at her; stroked the hair out of her eyes, but she was already fast asleep.
The first thing Nancy thought the next morning was, 'Time to let the dog out.' Her next conscious thought involved memories from last night rushing back... threatening phone calls...strawberry syrup...large poisonous snake in her bedroom... All ending with her falling asleep on the couch next to Frank.
At that last thought, her eyes popped open. She felt a warm blush spread from her head to her toes as she realized that she was leaning against him. She tried to get up. If she could get up without waking him maybe she could avoid a situation with the potential to be more embarrassing than the one she was already in. She carefully lifted her head off of his chest and lowered her feet to the floor. Almost there... She stopped short as she felt his arm around her waist. At this, she didn't know whether to laugh or cry. She gently freed herself and stood up. As she stepped away from the couch her eyes were drawn to the sleeping figure. In his sleep, Frank looked so peaceful and vulnerable and... cute.
Togo's frantic pawing on the back door brought Nancy back to earth. She crossed the room and opened the door for the dog, who rushed outside. She closed the door, then yawned and shook her head. Since when did she have this bizarre fascination with watching people sleep? And this wasn't just a person; this was Frank Hardy, her kinda-maybe-sorta-almost-ex- boyfriend.
What was with him anyway? He came to River Heights last summer and was so darned caring and thoughtful that he made her fall head over heels in love with him. He even made her think he loved her too! Then, one night, he came to her and told her that it was all a mistake; that he loved Callie Shaw, his Bayport girlfriend. Then he just left!
And next year, what does he do? He comes back to River Heights, of course! And again, he acts so considerate and sweet that she was falling for him all over again! What was wrong with him? Couldn't he be satisfied with breaking her heart once? Did he really need to come back and do it again? More importantly, what was wrong with HER? Hadn't she learned her lesson the first time?
She glanced back over at him and her stomach twisted. Apparently not. Another glance confirmed it. No, she had not learned her lesson. Well, she decided, she wouldn't let him know that. He would not catch her with her defenses down again!
By now, Nancy desperately needed an aspirin. All of the emphatic sarcasm and war metaphors flying around in her head were giving her a migraine. Fortunately, the appearance of Joe distracted her, and her headache subsided.
"Morning, Joe." Nancy said.
"Morning." Joe replied. He wisely refrained from saying anything about Nancy's apparent fascination with his brother, as well as avoided comments about their sleeping arrangements.
Nancy directed Joe to the assorted breakfast foods. She herself, however, would be surprised if she ever ate again. "I'm just not hungry." she assured him.
Half an hour later the three teens were all up and dressed.
Frank was trying to persuade Nancy to eat. "Really, Nan, you should at least eat something." He looked down at her, concern in his eyes. "Are you feeling all right?" he asked gently.
Nancy was annoyed at the look he was giving her. He was genuinely worried. About her! Well, she thought, she was in better shape now than she was when he left her alone last summer. Why should he worry now? she thought bitterly.
The doorbell rang and a resigned looking Frank squinted through the peephole. Seeing Nancy's friend Bess Marvin, whom he had known for a while, he opened the door.
Bess stepped inside. When she saw Frank, she looked utterly confused. Then she gave him a half-smile and walked past him, into the kitchen with Nancy.
In a surprised tone, she asked, "Was that Frank Hardy?"
Nancy gave her a look. "No, it was Celine Dion." Then she rolled her eyes. "Of course it was him."
Bess frowned. "You've gotten really sarcastic lately, you know that?" Then her curiosity made her shake off her confusion. "I knew it was him! What I meant to say was, 'What is he doing here?'"
Frank was amused. Why was she talking about him like he couldn't hear her? He was standing not eight feet from her! "Joe and I are helping Nancy out on a case." he explained.
"Oh. A case." Bess said, disappointed. She looked at Nancy, "Does that mean you'll be going on your blind date tonight?"
Nancy sighed. Bess had been trying to set her up since last summer. After several blind dates, Nancy had met no one whom she was interested in seeing again. Ever. However, tonight was not a good night for a blind date. The stalker could be back, and she had to be ready for him.
Bess watched Frank out of the corner of her eye while Nancy considered. He was trying to look like he didn't care one way or the other, but he was failing miserably.
"Bess, tonight's really a bad time for me. Would you mind letting him know?"
Bess swore she heard Frank let out a breath. Nancy didn't seem to notice.
Nancy laughed, "I'm such a terrible person, I don't even remember who I'm supposed to be going out with in the first place."
Bess grinned. "Alright. I'll call him. His name was Bobby Wilson, though. A friend of a friend. Oh, by the way," she continued, "I found this on your doorstep." Bess handed Nancy a large white envelope.
Nancy's breath caught, and she looked at Frank. He examined it for a moment. "I don't think it's a bomb." he told her.
Bess gasped. "A bomb!"
Frank shook his head. "Not a bomb." He looked at Nancy, his brown eyes mirroring caution. "Do you want to open it, or should I?" he asked gently.
In response, Nancy picked up the envelope and opened it to reveal a smaller, brown envelope, addressed in a scrawling hand to Miss Nancy Drew. The crimson ink did a good imitation of blood.
Nancy opened this envelope, too. She pulled out a sheet of ordinary white paper and read the message aloud. "Nancy, congratulations. If you are reading this it means that you are not dead. Yet." The opening sent a shiver down her spine.
She read on. "The snake was a gift from me. Although being the pretty, smart, talented girl that you are, you had probably already figured that out. I know that your friends, the Hardy boys are there. Say hi to Frank and Joe for me. I'm not worried; they can't help you."
Nancy looked up at her friends as she read the last sentence. "No one can."
A/N: Okay, there's chapter five. What did you think? I don't even know whether I like or hate this chapter. Please review! Please, please, please?
A/N: Thanks for all the reviews!
In response to Katie Janeway's question, yes, Togo was from the original Nancy Drews (some of them, anyway. In some stories he wasn't there and he's also changed from various types of terriers to a pit bull!)
Caroly, I can't believe I forgot about Hannah! That was a good suggestion, but Hannah doesn't really fit into my story (at the moment, anyway.) For simplicity's sake, let's just say she's ...er... visiting a sick aunt. Thanks for the reminder!
Nancy was stunned for a moment as the snake watched her with beady black eyes. She could hear the blood pounding in her head. She wanted to open her mouth to scream, but she knew that the slightest movement could make the snake strike.
Luckily for her, at that moment Togo scrambled onto the end of the bed, diverting the snake's attention. Before its sharp fangs could touch the dog, Nancy grabbed her pillow and pressed it on top of the snake, grabbing Togo and leaping out of the bed. The snake worked itself free of the pillow, and Nancy seized that opportunity to scream.
Frank Hardy hadn't been asleep. He was alert; on his guard. He heard some movement down the hall, but just assumed it was Togo. When he heard Nancy scream, he jumped off his bed and raced down the hall, his heart hammering. What if he was too late?
Frank burst through her bedroom door, taking in the gruesome sight of Nancy, clutching a bloody letter opener while a wounded snake writhed on the bed.
Time seemed to pass in slow motion as the dying snake lashed out at Nancy. She jerked back, away from the bed, stumbling. Frank caught her and they both edged away from the bed.
Time returned to its normal speed as Joe appeared in the doorway. He was alive, but whether he was also awake, alert, and enthusiastic was debatable. His eyes widened, however, when he saw the snake in its death throes. It hissed and gurgled in agony, bathed in its own blood. Finally it stopped moving, and its shiny eyes clouded over.
Joe's attention shifted from the dead snake to Nancy, wrapped in Frank's arms, her hand still clutching the bloody letter opener. There was blood splattered on her hands and arms, too.
Frank looked down at Nancy, only loosening his grip on her slightly. "Are you okay?"
Nancy gave a shaky laugh. "None of it's mine." she replied, referring to the blood. In her mind, she was screaming 'Pull yourself together!' How was she going to do that when she was trembling uncontrollably?
Joe looked impressed. "You killed that all by yourself?"
Nancy glared at him defiantly. "Of course! Who do you think you're dealing with?" she snapped, obviously taking his surprise as an insult.
"I only meant that thing's got to be four feet long!" Joe defended himself.
"Joe?" Frank looked at Joe significantly. Joe got the message and went to leave. Before he reached the door he stopped. "Are you going to need help cleaning that up?" he asked, nodding at the bloodstained sheets.
"No. There's no way I can sleep in here tonight. If I can sleep at all." Nancy's voice was timid this time. Her brain was working overtime trying to keep her from going into shock. She was grateful that Frank's arms were steadying her.
Joe looked worried but nodded and left. After a while, Frank spoke. "Are you cold?"
"Huh?" Nancy came out of her daze and realized that she was, in fact, shaking violently. "No." she answered his question, and then added, "I guess my nerves are just shot." She glanced at the snake's corpse and shuddered.
Frank's arms tightened around her, and a wave of emotions broke over Nancy. Fear, shock, relief, desperation, fatigue... She muffled a sob, trying to keep them in check.
Frank rubbed her back, trying to calm her down. He hadn't realized how much he had missed holding her until just now. He shook the thought out of his head. Nancy came first; he could contemplate that later.
A few minutes later, Nancy had regained some of her composure. Frank offered her his handkerchief, which she used to wipe the blood from her hands.
Nancy decided to sleep on the downstairs couch. A couple minutes later, she and Frank were sitting on the couch, Togo at their feet. Nancy briefly wondered if the snake had gotten there by accident. No, she realized, it had to be the stalker. Frank had identified the snake as a copperhead, and very poisonous. Her thoughts were jumbled; it seemed like ages since she had had a good night's sleep.
Not even thinking about it, Nancy leaned against Frank's chest. Frank squinted down at her; stroked the hair out of her eyes, but she was already fast asleep.
The first thing Nancy thought the next morning was, 'Time to let the dog out.' Her next conscious thought involved memories from last night rushing back... threatening phone calls...strawberry syrup...large poisonous snake in her bedroom... All ending with her falling asleep on the couch next to Frank.
At that last thought, her eyes popped open. She felt a warm blush spread from her head to her toes as she realized that she was leaning against him. She tried to get up. If she could get up without waking him maybe she could avoid a situation with the potential to be more embarrassing than the one she was already in. She carefully lifted her head off of his chest and lowered her feet to the floor. Almost there... She stopped short as she felt his arm around her waist. At this, she didn't know whether to laugh or cry. She gently freed herself and stood up. As she stepped away from the couch her eyes were drawn to the sleeping figure. In his sleep, Frank looked so peaceful and vulnerable and... cute.
Togo's frantic pawing on the back door brought Nancy back to earth. She crossed the room and opened the door for the dog, who rushed outside. She closed the door, then yawned and shook her head. Since when did she have this bizarre fascination with watching people sleep? And this wasn't just a person; this was Frank Hardy, her kinda-maybe-sorta-almost-ex- boyfriend.
What was with him anyway? He came to River Heights last summer and was so darned caring and thoughtful that he made her fall head over heels in love with him. He even made her think he loved her too! Then, one night, he came to her and told her that it was all a mistake; that he loved Callie Shaw, his Bayport girlfriend. Then he just left!
And next year, what does he do? He comes back to River Heights, of course! And again, he acts so considerate and sweet that she was falling for him all over again! What was wrong with him? Couldn't he be satisfied with breaking her heart once? Did he really need to come back and do it again? More importantly, what was wrong with HER? Hadn't she learned her lesson the first time?
She glanced back over at him and her stomach twisted. Apparently not. Another glance confirmed it. No, she had not learned her lesson. Well, she decided, she wouldn't let him know that. He would not catch her with her defenses down again!
By now, Nancy desperately needed an aspirin. All of the emphatic sarcasm and war metaphors flying around in her head were giving her a migraine. Fortunately, the appearance of Joe distracted her, and her headache subsided.
"Morning, Joe." Nancy said.
"Morning." Joe replied. He wisely refrained from saying anything about Nancy's apparent fascination with his brother, as well as avoided comments about their sleeping arrangements.
Nancy directed Joe to the assorted breakfast foods. She herself, however, would be surprised if she ever ate again. "I'm just not hungry." she assured him.
Half an hour later the three teens were all up and dressed.
Frank was trying to persuade Nancy to eat. "Really, Nan, you should at least eat something." He looked down at her, concern in his eyes. "Are you feeling all right?" he asked gently.
Nancy was annoyed at the look he was giving her. He was genuinely worried. About her! Well, she thought, she was in better shape now than she was when he left her alone last summer. Why should he worry now? she thought bitterly.
The doorbell rang and a resigned looking Frank squinted through the peephole. Seeing Nancy's friend Bess Marvin, whom he had known for a while, he opened the door.
Bess stepped inside. When she saw Frank, she looked utterly confused. Then she gave him a half-smile and walked past him, into the kitchen with Nancy.
In a surprised tone, she asked, "Was that Frank Hardy?"
Nancy gave her a look. "No, it was Celine Dion." Then she rolled her eyes. "Of course it was him."
Bess frowned. "You've gotten really sarcastic lately, you know that?" Then her curiosity made her shake off her confusion. "I knew it was him! What I meant to say was, 'What is he doing here?'"
Frank was amused. Why was she talking about him like he couldn't hear her? He was standing not eight feet from her! "Joe and I are helping Nancy out on a case." he explained.
"Oh. A case." Bess said, disappointed. She looked at Nancy, "Does that mean you'll be going on your blind date tonight?"
Nancy sighed. Bess had been trying to set her up since last summer. After several blind dates, Nancy had met no one whom she was interested in seeing again. Ever. However, tonight was not a good night for a blind date. The stalker could be back, and she had to be ready for him.
Bess watched Frank out of the corner of her eye while Nancy considered. He was trying to look like he didn't care one way or the other, but he was failing miserably.
"Bess, tonight's really a bad time for me. Would you mind letting him know?"
Bess swore she heard Frank let out a breath. Nancy didn't seem to notice.
Nancy laughed, "I'm such a terrible person, I don't even remember who I'm supposed to be going out with in the first place."
Bess grinned. "Alright. I'll call him. His name was Bobby Wilson, though. A friend of a friend. Oh, by the way," she continued, "I found this on your doorstep." Bess handed Nancy a large white envelope.
Nancy's breath caught, and she looked at Frank. He examined it for a moment. "I don't think it's a bomb." he told her.
Bess gasped. "A bomb!"
Frank shook his head. "Not a bomb." He looked at Nancy, his brown eyes mirroring caution. "Do you want to open it, or should I?" he asked gently.
In response, Nancy picked up the envelope and opened it to reveal a smaller, brown envelope, addressed in a scrawling hand to Miss Nancy Drew. The crimson ink did a good imitation of blood.
Nancy opened this envelope, too. She pulled out a sheet of ordinary white paper and read the message aloud. "Nancy, congratulations. If you are reading this it means that you are not dead. Yet." The opening sent a shiver down her spine.
She read on. "The snake was a gift from me. Although being the pretty, smart, talented girl that you are, you had probably already figured that out. I know that your friends, the Hardy boys are there. Say hi to Frank and Joe for me. I'm not worried; they can't help you."
Nancy looked up at her friends as she read the last sentence. "No one can."
A/N: Okay, there's chapter five. What did you think? I don't even know whether I like or hate this chapter. Please review! Please, please, please?