Chapter 7
"Hi Sweetheart." A voice purred into the telephone.
Ned immediately recognized it as Gabriella. "Gabriella, we are not together anymore. Please stop calling me that. Do you need something?"
"Oh, Ned. I am so sorry. Forgive me?" she said in a fake voice.
"No and please stop calling me." Ned said quietly. "I have to go to practice. Goodbye Gabriella."
"FINE! If that is how you want to be, so be it. Go protect your precious Nancy Drew; you never know what might happen." Gabriella said in a gruff voice. She didn't give Ned a chance to respond and hung up.
Ned shot up from where he was sitting and ran to his car. Gabriella had to be involved in this mystery somehow, and Ned had a feeling she wasn't going to stop at anything. Even murder.
He speed down the highway to the wedding planning office, and sprinted into the building.
"Whoa speed racer." Nancy said playfully when Ned ran into her. "Were you that anxious to see me?" she teased.
Nancy had a playful glint in her eyes and Ned couldn't help but wonder why he had let such a gorgeous, smart-- what was he doing? He was supposed to protect her!
"Nan, you are coming to my house now." He said seriously.
Nancy nodded at the tone in his voice. She realized that something was either wrong or he had a break through in the case.
They rushed to Ned's car after gathering Nancy's things and began to drive to Ned's apartment.
"What's up Ned?" Nancy asked, interlacing her hand with his.
"Gabriella is involved somehow in this mystery somehow and" Ned sighed. "She inadvertently warned me that something bad might happen to you." He finished softly.
Nancy wasn't surprised that Gabriella was playing a part in the theft. "I'm sure nothing bad will happen to me Ned. She was probably just trying to scare you." She said gently.
Ned pulled into his driveway and turned the car off. He turned towards Nancy and placed his hand on her cheek. "I know, "he said giving her a small smile. "But I don't want anything to happen to you. The other day, when I saw you unconscious…Nan, I love you too much to let anything hurt you."
Nancy turned away suddenly. He had said those words to her so many times in the past, and yet he was the one who ended up hurting her the most. "It never stopped you before." She whispered.
Ned saw tears running down her face. "What are you talking about Nancy? I've always cared about-"
"If you cared, you wouldn't have broken my heart all those years ago. You-you wouldn't have proposed to another girl." Nancy said softly, finally looking into his eyes. "You promised me when you proposed to me, when I was 18 that I was going to be the first person you proposed and the last. Did that mean anything to you?"
Ned leaned down and kissed her. "What do you think?" he asked softly. "Fate worked its magic. I think that promise is going to be kept if you agree."
Nancy took his hand "Are you hinting at a proposal Nickerson?" She asked smiling a little.
Ned grinned and opened his door. "I guess you're going to have to stick around and see for yourself, huh?"
He ran inside and Nancy hobbled after him. She finally caught up to him after limping all over his apartment and she jumped on his back. He spun her around and threw her one the couch. She held on to his shirt, causing Ned to fall on top of her, being careful of her leg. After having another laughing fit, Nancy reluctantly calmed down and said, "Ned, I think we better work on the case, which would require you to get off of me."
Ned grinned "I kinda like this position, Nan. I don't think I'm going to get up."
"Well, Neddie, what if I give you a kiss?" Nancy asked in her best Gabriella voice.
Ned gave her a dramatic sigh. "Oh, fine." Ned said mockingly. "But you have to promise to never call me Neddie again."
Nancy pulled Ned's head down gently and kissed him. "It's a deal Nickerson. Now let's get back to that case."
Author Note: Sorry for the long delay! This is pretty much just a filler chapter, but I hope you enjoy it. Please Read and Review!