"Hi, I'm Stephanie. Those stairs were a terror weren't they?"

Nancy nodded, setting her suitcase back down on the floor. Looking up she smiled at the friendly girl, trying to hide the fact that she was panting a little. "I've never seen stairs so steep." She confessed.

The girl nodded knowingly. "All the stairs here are like that."

Nancy shuffled over to the nearest unclaimed bed and sat down, taking Stephanie in. She was very tall. Even sitting on her bed Nancy could tell that the beds here weren't long enough for the girl. That plus, her extremely slender figure, made Nancy think of a the tree dryads in a Greek mythology picture book she had owned once. Long amber hair tumbled down her shoulders in loose curls. And her perky smile lit up her whole persona.

"Thanks for the warning. I'm Nancy. Nancy Drew." Nancy held out her hand.

"Still Stephanie." Stephanie replied shaking Nancy's hand politely. "So you're an American too huh?"

"Yeah, I'm from River Heights."

Stephanie shrugged apologetically. "I have no idea where that is."

"That's okay, it's a small town in New Jersey."

"I'm from Spokane Washington." There was a pause and Nancy knew that Stephanie was trying to think of another question to keep the conversation going. "So... Nancy Drew." Stephanie's smile sharpened wickedly. "What brings you to Europe's sin city?"

"Uh..." Nancy blinked. That was definitely not the question she expected to follow. "Spring break with my boyfriend and some of our friends. What about you?"

"I've been backpacking for the last two months. This is actually my last stop before home." Stephanie let out an audible sigh, flopping down on the mattress. Whether it was a relieved sigh or a of disappointment, Nancy couldn't decide.

"Well, that's neat..." Nancy didn't know what else to say. She stowed her suitcase under the bed. Good thing I brought a suitcase lock, she thought to herself looking around to see that there was nowhere to keep her things locked up.

"Do you and your friends have dinner plans?" Stephanie asked, sitting up quickly.

"Not that I know of..."

"Good. Because there's this amazing place not too far from here called Pancakes!"

Nancy couldn't but smile at the girl's apparent enthusiasm. "Let me guess... they serve pancakes?"

"No. They serve Pancakes! There's a difference. Believe me."

"Alright, let me ask my friends."

Fortunately the boys were eager to try these Pancakes! And the five of them made their way through the busy streets towards the Pancake! place. Nancy was pleased to see that the restaurant was literally named Pancakes! (exclamation point included). The restaurant was quaint but small, with the kitchen in front and the eating area up a set of stairs on a platform.

"Table for five?" The waiter, dressed in jeans and a white t-shirt asked.

"Yes please." Nancy replied, and they followed him up to the few tables.

Stealing a chair, the five of them were able to squish comfortably.

"Whoa, dude! Look at the menu!" Joe demanded jabbing his finger at one of the items. "They have cheese pancakes! Like pancakes with real cheese in them!"

"That's usually what cheese pancakes mean." Frank pointed out, eyes already skimming his own menu.

"I think I should warn you." Stephanie told them.. "The pancakes here aren't like American pancakes."

"How so?" Ned inquired, his eyebrows furrowed with slight confusion.

"They aren't fluffy. And they're less sugary. And well, they aren't American pancakes." Stephanie answered. "It's hard to explain. Just don't expect American pancakes."

"Totally ordering cheese pancakes." Joe sighed happily. Another one of his hobbies was try out weird foods.

Nancy looked down at her own menu. There were so many different types of pancakes. Apple cinnamon with real apple slices, chocolate pancakes, raspberry pancakes, Joe's cheesy pancakes... She didn't know what sounded the best. In the end, she ordered Apple cinnamon pancakes. Both Stephanie and Frank ordered chocolate pancakes. And Joe got his cheesy pancakes. While Ned, much to everyone's surprise, also cheesy pancakes.

"When in Rome..." Was his only response.

Dinner was a fun affair, and Stephanie proved to be an excellent addition to the group. She and Joe traded puns, which happened to be another one of Joe's random hobbies, for a while. Then she and Ned started talking about good places to visit while here.

"If you want to visit the Anne Frank house, get in line an hour before it opens." She advised him. "The lines are so long that they reach the horizon."

She even got Frank to laugh while entertaining the group with a story about this previously haunted Ryokan she had stayed in while in Japan. "Even though it hasn't been haunted in years, it still was the creepiest place on earth, I promise you."

After dinner, they all went back to the hostel and placed a rousing game of Egyptian Ratscrew in the hallways, using a deck of cards Stephanie had brought along.

By the time they were done, Nancy's hand was slightly red and her watch said that it was a little past midnight. They all said goodnight and turned in.

Nancy was almost asleep when she heard Stephanie's soft voice. "Thank you Nancy Drew."

Author's Note:

Hey everyone! Fun fact: Pancakes! is a real restaurant in Amsterdam. And they really do serve cheese pancakes. I didn't try them, but from what my friend who did try them, they were really good.

Also, River Heights is Nancy Drew's hometown. In this fan fiction it's set in New Jersey. I tried to research where it actually is... and there are so many different suggestions that I just picked one. I chose New Jersey because it's the home to Harriet Adams (aka Carolyn Keene).

And just because I feel like it, another fun fact: The stairs in Amsterdam are ridiculously steep and just a bit scary.

As always, I don't own Nancy Drew. But I am a fan.

Thanks for your support!