1The Meeting

Chapter Four

"A Name"

A/N: Once again, I really don't have anything to say right at the moment, except that this is so AWESOME! to see my story up on the website. This is so cool. Ten points to anyone who can tell me what cool is. I know, but do you? Now let's cut the idle chatter, and you can go read my latest chapter. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: These wonderful characters do not happen to be mine, but here's what is: the ideas for this plot, my own card company (actually they're just cards I make up on the computer for my friend's bday's, but I write Lillie's Cards Inc, and then that little copyright sign thing, and say its my card company) my room (actually, my parents own it), uh...wow, I don't own much, do I? Well, I own a ton of trivial stuff. That's why my room looks like a tornado went through it...but there are no tornadoes in my part of the country...nope, no hurricanes much either. Every now and then but... Well, whatever. Just go and read my chapter now.

Frank's tv in his room went off. The lights went off. He heard a scream that sounded like Aunt Gertrude. He grabbed his flashlight and went out in the hall to find Joe standing there, also with a flashlight. "Come one, Joe," he said. "Let's go to the basement and check the electric box."

"Right behind you," Joe said.

They switched on their flashlights and headed to the basement. They made their way to the electric box and opened it up. "Hm, that's strange," Frank commented.

"What is," Joe said, looking over Frank's shoulder.

"Someone flipped the switches," he explained, as he flipped them back to the 'on' position.

"Probably Nancy's stalker." Joe commented.

"Yeah. Let's go make sure everyone's alright," Frank said, heading up the stairs. They checked on their parents and aunt, who were fine, but when the got to Nancy's room, they found her laying on the bed, her hands and ankles tied up, and tape over her mouth. They rushed over to undo the bonds, which were not tied very well at all.

"Thanks, guys," Nancy said gratefully, then reached into her pocket and pulled out a slip of paper.

"What's that and what happened," Joe asked.

"When the lights went off, a guy grabbed me. He slapped a piece of tape over my mouth and threw me onto my bed. He tied my ankles and wrists up, slipped this piece of paper into my pocket, and was gone, just like that. The window's open, and it wasn't before. That's probably how he got away.

"Tell us what the note says," Frank urged.

Nancy read the note aloud. "'Are you afraid of the dark, Nancy,'"

"And you're sure it was a guy," Frank asked.

"Definitely. He was about seven inches taller than me, and built like a football player.

"Are you alright, Nancy," Fenton said, entering the bedroom. Joe showed him the note and related to him what Nancy had told them. Then Fenton remarked "They got in through the basement door. Picked the lock. Since the basement steps are right next to the upstairs steps, it would have been easy to get by everyone downstairs. And Nancy's room is the first door upstairs, so he wouldn't even have to get by you two."

"And my back was to the doorway," Nancy said ruefully. "I never saw- or even heard him coming."

"Do you want to call the police, Nancy," Fenton asked.

"No, its fine. Let's go look for clues, and then we can go sightseeing."

"Let's go then," Frank said, heading toward the basement.

"I'll go with you," Nancy volunteered.

"And I'll go work my charm with the neighbors and see of any of them saw anything," Joe announced. Nancy socked his arm on the way out.

Twenty minutes later, Nancy and Frank had turned up nothing, and went up to Nancy's room to look around for clues up there and wait for Joe. They found nothing, but Joe did. He said a neighbor had seen the Hardy's lights go out, and that then a car pulled up at the street in front of their house had left quickly. "She said it was a 2000 Saturn. A metallic silver one. There was an Enterprise sticker on it, so it was rented."

Frank was already headed towards his room to get online and find out who rented the car. "Nancy," he asked. "When did you get the last note in River Heights,"

"Thursday, a few hours before I left."

"So it was most likely rented between Thursday afternoon and this morning," he concluded, typing away. "Ah ha," he suddenly exclaimed. "Only '00 one metallic silver Saturn was rented this past week. It was by a guy, but don't you think he'd have to have an accomplice? If you were grabbed seconds after the lights went out, he wouldn't have had time to do both. He must have had someone turn out the light for him."

"What's his name already, Frank," Nancy begged.

"Oh, sorry," he said sheepishly. "Daniel Rogers. Ring any bells?"

Nancy's face went white. "Did you say Rogers?"

"Yeah, why," Frank asked.

Nancy sank down to Frank's bed. "There's a lot of history between Daniel and I- none of it good. Danny's dad, Philip Rogers, is my mom's murderer." This got a gasp from Frank and Joe. "My mom had also put his mom in jail, shortly before she was murdered. Danny and I got along okay in school okay I guess. We went through elementary and middle school together, and go to high school together now, and we've pretty much decided that it's okay not to hate each other, since what happened wasn't either of our faults. Last year, a little before Ned and I met, I found out that his best friend, Tony, had a huge crush on me. Bess, George, and Laila, well thought Tony was a pain, and even though I told them I thought so too, I really didn't think he was that bad. Not really boyfriend material, but still, a pretty cool guy. Anyway, they thought it would be fun if we kind of messed with his head a little." Nancy sighed and shook her head.

"What next," Joe urged.

"Well, they did just that. They dropped a ton of hints that I liked him too, even though I begged them not to, that it was too mean. Finally, he got the courage to ask me out. I told him I'd think about it, and get back to him in the last class of the day, one of the only two classes we had together- the other was homeroom at the beginning of the day. Anyway, during lunch that day was the day I met Ned. Well, Tony saw me and Ned at lunch that day, and in our last class, when I told him no, he said he would've guessed after seeing us, but he still looked crushed. Tony's never really been the same since, hardly even talks to Danny anymore. I guess Danny sees it as my fault."

Flashback

"So, Nancy," Tony went up to her as they were leaving science, their last class of the day. "What do you say? Are we on for Saturday night?"

"Tony," Nancy began, putting her hand on her arm. "I'm sorry, but I really don't like you in that way."

"But...but Bess, George and Laila all said you liked me and that you talked about me a lot."

"Tony, I apologize for them. They were just screwing with your head. I was considering saying yes so that you wouldn't feel too bad, but, well, I met someone at lunch."

"Yeah," Tony said. "I kind of noticed that."

"You were watching me at lunch?"

"Well, yeah. I'm kinda crazy about you."

"Tony, that's sweet, but let's just be friends, okay?"

Tony smiled slightly. "Yeah, friends," he said, and then Nancy walked away to get to her locker so she could catch up with Laila to go to Ned's football practice.

Daniel Rogers had seen and heard the whole thing.

End Flashback

"Do you think Daniel's trying to get back at me for Mom putting his mom in jail, and Dad putting his Dad on death row? He got the death sentence, you know."

"Could be," Joe said. "But next time he comes around, we'll be ready. Now let's pick up Callie and Iola and go sightseeing!"

Later that night, Nancy got in bed, exhausted from the long day, and wondered what would happen next. Little did she know that it was being planned right at that moment.

A/N: Sorry I had the possible solution come up only in chapter four, but it will take a while to catch em. I changed the story genre, because it had originally been Mystery/General, but, well, here's the scoop. This isn't my original version of The Meeting. As I was reading my original version and typing it up, I decided I didn't like the way it sounded, so while typing, I've been making lots of changes. My original version is completely different, and even though the outcome is pretty much the same, the motive is different. The Elizabeth Drew thing and the Tony thing were definitely not part of the plan, but they just came to me as I was typing it up. Everything will still work out, trust me, but I was thinking that when I'm done posting this version, I should also post the original, continuing it under this story, but I will name the chapters Original ch 1, etc. Tell me if you think I should do that. Oh, and don't forget about the Cool thing. Whoever gets it right can tell me something they would like to see happen in one of my next stories, and I will do it.

Also, sorry I didn't update yesterday, but it was a Sunday, and I'm not allowed online on Sundays.

Lillie's Quote of the Day: 8/22/05 Topic: Leisure

"I am never less at leisure than when at leisure, nor less alone than when I am alone."

-Scipio Africanus

g2g. ttyl. i wuz here. Love Ya Lots, Bye