I officially H-A-T-E school, work, and everything that keeps me busy. I can never just sit down and write! Oy.

NancyAustin, Stork Hardy, and centaurdy jackson007, thanks for the positive reviews! :)

sparkles321 and Baltimore Raven, love ya. ;)

max2013, you always manage to make me laugh somehow! The funny thing is you're not trying to be funny. You just type out this positive review, but your wording is so concise that I just can't help imagining a computer geek on the other end! lol

Guest, haha don't scream. Breathe! Breathe! *beeeeep* He's dead Jim. ;) Anyway. Thanks for the review! Yeah, I definitely agree, it's hard for me to write them so bad at riding horses when they're so yummy and manly and mmmmm. They're so awesome. But, this worked out best for the story. Don't worry, I'll try to make up for it in other areas! And yes, I already have something planned for that. And I hope I can pull it off without making Nancy too much of a damsel in distress. I like it when she is because Frank is so attractive when he rescues her, but honestly it's just so awesome when she's strong and can kick butt and save the Hardys necks! :D

GJFH, loving your reviews! Yeah, I really need to make the chapters longer. And update more frequently. So I apologize in advance, because this one is rather short too. Seriously, I reeeeally want to post a lot more and I'm trying but my schedule is haywire! :) And yes, GO JOE! I love Frank, he's so yummy. But I also crush on Joe because he's just so awesome!

Enough jabbering from me. Virtual nutella to those who read this whole thing. I don't own Nancy Drew or the Hardy Boys! Seriously? How dumb are you? Do I look like a millionare?! ;)

Love ya'll!'

Nancy stirred, hearing a noise outside. She rolled over sleepily and started drifting back to sleep. Probably just a squirrel.

"You idiot!"

Hearing the voice whisper outside, she froze, suddenly wide awake. Listening hard, she silently crawled to the front of her lean-to.

Silhouetted by the moonlight were two figures, standing by the horses about fifty feet away. Nancy squinted. They were guys from the looks of it. What were they doing out here?

She didn't have to wonder long. One of the figures swung up onto one of the horses, which whinnied frantically at the rough, unfamiliar rider. The man cursed and in one quick motion, kicked the horse's sides. Hard.

If he had been wanting to accomplish anything by that, apparently it had been ruined. The horse, which Nancy could now identify as Check, Joe's palomino. Check was bucking wildly.

While the men were distracted by the bucking horse, Nancy slipped into the nearest lean-to.

She shook Frank's sleeping figure. Feeling him draw in a breath to groan at her, she firmly clapped a hand over his mouth. "Quiet," she hissed. "There are horse thieves out there stealing our horses, Hardy! I suggest," she removed her hand from his mouth and put both hands on her hips, "that we get out there. Now."

Frank rolled onto his knees and nodded. "Get Joe?" he whispered.

"We don't have time. They may be gone by then."

"Alright. Let's go."

They slid through the night silently. Making their way from shadow to shadow at along the edge of the meadow, they made it to the trees right beside the horses. The two thieves had just gotten Check under control, and the second one was busy mounting Bart, with Gypsy's reins in his hand.

Frank and Nancy both grabbed sturdy sticks. The one Frank held was about two feet long, rather thick, with a knot about six inches before it ended. Running her hands down hers, Nancy smiled grimly. It was a smooth, sturdy oak limb. Or maybe it was actually from a young oak trunk, since it was about as tall as she was and only about an inch and a half thick.

The men turned the horses around, facing away from the two detectives.

Perfect.

They burst from the trees. With one lightning fast move, Nancy whipped her oaken pole up, and she heard a sharp crack as it broke on the man's head. The end of the pole when hurling to the ground, right before it's victim also hit the ground with a distinct thud.

Breathing hard from the adrenaline rush, Nancy turned to help Frank if he needed it.

He had managed to knock the other thief to the ground, but had lost his grip on the stick. Now both were in an intense fistfight, rolling over each other on the ground. The moonlight shone off of Frank's rugged, messy hair that was currently falling forwards into his forehead, since he was on top again for the moment. His perfectly angled jaw was clenched tightly, and he delivered a last blow to the man's head, finally knocking him out.

Nancy was still standing there staring at him. Frozen and speechless. Instead of helping, she'd just watched him fight, held riveted because he had suddenly looked – well – breathtaking.

"Got him," Frank panted, jerking Nancy out of her daze.

Returning to her normal self, she flashed a smile at him. "Good job. Now we need to find some way to tie these guys up."

"I don't think so, lady."

They both whirled at the sound of the tough sounding voice. Someone pressed a hand over Nancy's mouth hard from behind, and used their other hand to press the cold metal barrel of a pistol to her temple. Right as Frank opened his mouth, another thug grabbed him from behind in the same way.

Fear and surprise pulsed through Nancy's veins, and she stared wide-eyed and helpless at Frank.

This had gone down fast.

Frank watched in horror as Nancy was grabbed from behind by a large man who immediately pressed a cocked pistol into the side of her head.

It wasn't long until he was being held in exactly the same manner.

The two men dragged Frank and Nancy towards the horses. Frank tried to dig his heels into the ground a little bit, but his efforts were futile. This guy was huge.

He winced as Nancy was thrown roughly to the ground. Her captor deftly tied her hands behind her back with what looked like narrow leather strips.

Indignation coursed through him, and he desperately wished he could protect her.

Then a huge mass slammed him into the dirt, the impact jarring his teeth. Frank hissed in pain as a rock ripped a gash in the skin near the top of his cheekbone.

"Was that really necessary?" Frank bit out as the thug wrenched his arms behind his back and began tying his wrists.

"Shut up," the man leered.

The two men loaded their unconscious comrades onto Bart. Then Frank was heaved onto Check and Nancy was thrown roughly onto Gypsy. He smiled a little when he heard Nancy's thug curse at her. He would bet money that she'd managed to kick him.

Mounting up behind their prisoners, the men rode away into the darkness of the trees.

Yawning as the sun hit him full in the face, Joe opened his eyes sleepily. He was officially sore. All over. In places where he didn't even know there were muscles.

After vigorously stretching (and moaning in pain and self-pity), he emerged from his lean-to.

"Time to wake up! Rise and shine, we have a big day! Yes, that's right! A day full of glorious horseback riding and getting lost and following stupid directions and picking up mysterious cowboys, and… and…"

He trailed off, speechless. The lean-tos were empty. Frank and Nancy were gone. And so were the horses.

"Guys?"

No answer.

Joe began walking. "Did I, uh, miss something here?"

Poor Joe. He's so out of the loop.

Read and review! (: