Disclaimer: I do not own Nancy Drew, the Hardy Boys, or the characters associated with them.

Author's notes: Well…we have come upon the conclusion of our epic journey. Unfortunately that time has come. At this time I would like to thank all the reviewers for all of your kind words.

I would also like to clear up a question that was asked of me.

The title of the story, Human, came from two sources, the first of which was the conflict that Nancy was struggling with the entire story in realizing that she wasn't a super-human that could save everyone. The second of the sources was the song "Human" by Josh Joplin Group.

And now…without any further distraction…the conclusion of Human.

And Now Back to Our Vacation...No. I Said Vacation Not Case... Yes There is a Big Difference...OK Maybe There's Not

Only a second after the explosion Nancy pushed herself up and off of Joe, turning and starting to run towards the now burning boat. Not more than three or four steps into the run her foot caught on the dock, sending her down to collide with it. She grunted as she landed, splinters digging into her palms and knees. She struggled to get to her feet, but the first attempt failed miserably and she fell back down. It was in the middle of her second attempt that she felt strong arms encase her around her shoulders. Nancy knew that it was Joe before he even spoke. It was rational that it would be Joe; it was the only rational thought in her head.

"Nancy, calm down." Joe spoke through clenched teeth as he held the struggling detective in a situation that was all too familiar to him. She didn't need to say anything for him to know that Frank was on the boat. Her reaction was enough. "There's nothing you can do."

Nancy pulled herself away from him falling forward once more. "No! We can still get to him!" She made the statement with her voice straining against her emotion as she finally made it to her feet. "We can still save him!" She tried to run forward again, but her feet still weren't completely compliant.

Joe was on his feet just as quickly, his arms wrapping around her form before she could fall again, pulling her upwards so she would still remain on her feet. "No Nance, we can't." He wrapped his arms even tighter against her struggling. His eyes caught site of the burning wreckage and he could feel his heart sink even further, his throat tighten, and tears pool in his eyes. "There's nothing we can do. Frank is…he's gone."

She only tried to pull away until his sentence was completed. Then her body went slack in acceptance. "It was supposed to be me." She spoke softly, turning to face Joe while still in his arms. "I'm the one who was supposed to be on the boat." Nancy put her hands against his chest, her head landing in between them.

Joe started to lower her to the ground carefully. It was partially for her, because he doubted how long her strength would hold out, and partially for himself, because he could feel his own legs weakening as the situation became more and more real. As he sat he moved one hand so it was pressing against the back of her head, holding her closer. He could feel her tears starting to soak through his t-shirt, and he wanted to be able to say something to help her, but as each second passed he himself got further and further from any reality.

"Hey who died?"

Nancy pulled her head away slightly at the familiar voice. "You did." Her head came fully away, and she turned towards the water, the source of the voice. "Oh my god! Frank!" She pushed away from Joe once more.

Joe turned just as quickly, looking to the water where he could see, hanging on the edge of the dock, his brother. A weight lifted off his body and he felt a huge smile go across his face. Frank had a cut or two on his forehead that were bleeding, but he was alive, which was a big step forwards from where he was only moments before. He watched with great relief as Nancy slipped over the edge of the dock and into the water, so she was treading water next to his brother, and then pulled him into a kiss.

The kiss lasted for a few moments before Nancy pulled away, bringing one hand out of the water and using it to slap Frank. It wasn't at her full strength, but she knew it was enough to sting a little. "If you ever scare me like that again I swear I will kill you myself."

As soon as the sentence was out of her mouth Frank was pulling her into a hug. "Well if I ever scare myself like that again I'll probably have to let you." He paused, looking at her tearstained face. "Hey…I told you I was gonna be fine."

"Yeah, well, it's my turn to be human for a while." Nancy offered, wiping her face ineffectively. "How did you even pull this one off?"

Frank released her from his arms starting to pull himself up unto the dock. "I was almost untied when you left, and I had some pretty good motivation to finish the job. Once that was done I broke my way through that window and I swam." Once on the dock he reached over and started to pull Nancy up.

Police and other officials were starting to swarm the dock, but it wasn't bothering the three detectives as they were reuniting. As soon as Nancy was on the dock Frank stood and found his brother, offering him a hug. "Hey, you're getting me wet." Joe remarked although the contact was more than welcome."

"I think you can deal Joe."

A day and a half later Bess, Joe, Frank, and Nancy were sitting on a Florida beach. Joe was sitting in one chair, watching a game of football being played in front of him, and debating with himself if he wanted to join or not. Frank and Nancy were lying on a towel, with Nancy leaning her head against Frank's chest. They were both reading. Bess was sitting in another chair, simply closing her eyes and tanning. "See? This is how you relax and spend a vacation." She informed. "Right guys?" But she didn't get a direct answer.

"Did you hear that?" Nancy was the one to ask the question but both she and Frank sat up.

"Uh guys?" Bess pulled her sunglasses off.

Frank scanned the beach. "There." He stopped and pointed towards a woman who appeared very distressed.

Bess sat up and spoke in a warning tone. "I don't like where this is going."

"That guy stole my purse!" The woman they were watching yelled.

Joe was the first to be out of his seat and chasing after the man she had pointed too.

"This is not proper vacationing behavior!" Bess yelled after him with a roll of her eyes.

Nancy laughed a little as she watched Joe tackle the pickpocket. "Bess, by now you should have realized that when you vacation with us this is what you get."

The end.

To clear one thing up about Swenson, he was caught. Joe and Bess called the police and had them meet them at the Aquatic Center and Bess pointed Swenson out to them and he was arrested. This took place right before the explosion. I couldn't find away to fit the explanation in without killing the mood of the scene so I just added it here.

I would also like to add a final thank you to all reviewers.

Thoughts on the story?