So this little project here involves stories from both the games and the books. Hopefully I don't spoil too much for anyone who's behind!

Frank stepped into the house he had almost long forgotten. Instantly it smelt like her. The house was pristinely kept- not a book or paper out of place. Hannah must be out of town, Frank thought as he headed for the stairs to tuck his bags away. As he carried his luggage up the stairs, his eyes fell on several family portraits. There was one in particular he liked- a 12-year-old Nancy Drew stood proudly next to Hannah and Carson holding a massive pumpkin. The leaves in the background of the photo explained that it had been Fall, and the witch on Nancy's shirt explained that Halloween had been right around the corner at the time. He grabbed the photo from the wall and decided to bring it to Nancy later.

Frank hauled his luggage into his room and set it by the bed. He wandered down the hall to Nancy's room.

Once he opened the door and stepped inside, it was as if he had taken a step into her mind. The walls were bright yellow and the furniture was white, creating a cheery effect in the room. On the left, the closet door was closed, but the shelf of her knick-knacks was on full display. Each little piece had come from a previous case. Frank skimmed carefully, trying to pick an artifact to bring to her. He eventually picked up a green tiki mask, recounting their time together in Hawaii.

As Frank searched the rest of the room, he felt as if he was learning more than he'd ever known about Nancy. He'd never examined her room so closely. He looked to where the picture of Ned normally was, but instead it had been placed face down. Frank walked over and set it back up. "Another familiar face will be good for her when she comes home," he muttered aloud.

That had been another thought harboring in his mind. Nancy had reached out for him, not Ned. Where was Ned in all of this? Why hadn't he been invited to stay at the Drew residence instead of Frank?

Frank had always had a bitter taste in his mouth when the subject of Ned came up. Frank saw himself as a good guy, one who wouldn't step on Nancy's timeless relationship with Ned Nickerson. He'd almost slipped multiple times in putting his own feelings before everyone else's. His memory drifted off to that time he was sitting in his own room on the phone with Nancy, who was in Germany.

It's…good to see you two back together.

The bitter and foul taste in his mouth after those words had been unbearable. And more recently, when he feared for her life while she was in Colorado, he'd almost told her he loved her. One couldn't imagine the relief he'd felt after the voicemail cut him off too soon. It was too bold of him to do such a thing to her.

Frank's eye landed on a doll sitting in a chair next to the bed. It had been the one from Egypt, bought during their time as a married couple. Frank had been able to replace the doll after their adventure. He grabbed the doll from the chair and put it into his backpack, along with the mask and photo. In addition, Frank grabbed a change of clothes for her.

He looked back over at the photo of Ned and hesitated. Frank knew this could be a chance to change everything. He was going to be the prime caretaker for Nancy. He ultimately had the power to decide what she would remember and what she wouldn't. He could change everything…

He gave a heavy sigh and grabbed the photo of Ned. It was unfair to Nancy for Frank to pick and choose pieces of her life. In addition, he also grabbed the scrapbook from Nancy's desk involving all of her past cases. Knowing she liked to read, Frank grabbed a book or two from the bookcase outside her room and started to head down the stairs with his backpack full of trinkets.

As he reached for the front door, his cell phone rang. Frank reached into his pocket for the device. "Hello?"

"Frank! Did you make it in okay? You must be exhausted from the red-eye flight last night," the bubbly voice asked. There was no mistaking that voice.

"Yeah Bess, I'm alright. Just a little tired. How're you holding up?"

"Oh, I'm okay. I got to see her yesterday. She's really out of it. She's not the Nancy you remember. She seems sad, and broken. It's so depressing to see her this way. I just hope that you can maybe help her more than George and I could."

"George was there too? Carson said Nancy was having a hard time with it."

"Yeah, Nancy is. You can tell she's just upset. She's frustrated that she can't remember anything, and sad that all of her memories have vanished. I think she just needs some of that Hardy charm to get her smiling again," Bess teased. Frank gave a low chuckle.

"Well, I'll see what I can do. Carson asked me to grab some stuff from the house to help Nancy remember who she is. Maybe next time you visit her, you could bring pictures or knick-knacks?"

"Yeah, that sounds like a great idea! Maybe George and I can make that cake she made over at Shadow Ranch that she liked. I bet the food at the hospital is less than satisfactory," Bess joked.

"That sounds perfect, Bess. Did they have any idea of when she'd be released to come home?" Frank asked as he leaned on the staircase. He was get fidgety in his rush to see Nancy.

"Not yet. I think they're waiting to see how she does with you. She's been asking about you, Frank." Frank felt his heart jump into his throat.

"She's been asking about me? What about me? What kind of questions?"

"Whoa, okay, slow down Hardy. I can see your feelings toward Nancy haven't changed." Did everyone know about that now? "She's just been asking when you were coming. I think it's a little bit of that old Nancy spirit. She knows you're her next clue and she's eager to investigate."

"Well I'm about to head over now to see her. I'll have to call my cab first, so I've gotta go."

"Oh, don't bother! The cab service here is awful. Take Nancy's car. Carson must've forgotten to tell you. She keeps her keys by the front door on the coatrack." Frank looked to his left to see the keys hanging next to him.

"Sounds even better than a cab. I'll check in with you later, okay?"

"Okay. And Frank? Go easy on her. Make sure you keep her calm. The nurses already know how eager she is to get away from the hospital. Don't rush her."

"Of course. Thanks, Bess."

"Anytime, Frank. Bye." Frank hung up his phone and grabbed Nancy's keys. He stepped out into the sunlight and locked the front door behind him. He hung the spare house key on his house car keys and walked over to Nancy's prized blue roadster sitting in the driveway.

He'd always had dreams of driving this car with Nancy by his side. The wind blowing in her hair and that smile upon her face, it all seemed so perfect- too perfect to be real. Frank got into the driver's seat and started the car up. He dug through his pockets until he found a slip of paper with an address on it. He punched the numbers into his phone and started up the car. He gave a heavy sigh and looked at his bag sitting next to him in the front seat. He looked down at his left hand, where a gold band still occupied his ring finger as it had over a year ago.

As he pulled away from the driveway, he wondered what had happened to Nancy's ring. Had she thrown it away? Judging by her packrat habits, he imagined it was tucked away somewhere with mementos from her other cases. A little pang in his heart made him wonder if she still wore her wedding ring, too.

His thoughts centered on Nancy and Nancy alone. The thirty-minute drive to the hospital felt like a week. He missed every stoplight and seemed to catch every second of traffic from the streets of River Heights.

Frank's stomach began to churn. What if Nancy hated him? Would she blame him, since his name was the only thing she remembered? What if Nancy had only asked for him to send him away?

Frank shook his head. He hoped their friendship meant more than just that.