Short update. :) Enjoy.

NO FOR THE UPDOODLETEENTH TIME I DON'T OWN NANCY DREW OR THE HARDY BOYS, DANGIT.

Nancy barely forced her eyes to stay open. They were tired and parched, and her mouth and skin were too dry. The sun was beating down and heating up everything around them already.

She shifted on the horse to look at Frank. Biting her lip, she eyed the blood crusted on his cheek from the cut.

"What the ****?!"

Whipping her head around, Nancy caught sight of the speaker. He was another cowboy, and he was standing at the entrance to a canyon. His hands were on his hips, and he looked angry.

Walking up to the group, he gestured at Nancy and Frank. "What," he growled, "are they doing here?"

"They knocked out Tyler and Dylan. Couldn't have them reporting horse thieves," Frank's captor muttered.

The stranger, who looked to be the big boss, barked a humorless laugh. "Reporting, Ed? Who would they report to? Shoulda let 'em just keep the guys for a few hours. Ya coulda freed them later and then no one would have been the wiser."

"Well, we didn't, Wyatt," the man on the horse with Nancy grouched. "So whaddaya want us to do?"

"Only thing we can do right now is get em to the hideout. Storm's comin in and it ain't fixin to be just a light sprinkle. We'll be moving out later. By the time they get back to civilization we'll be long gone. And Cody? Get the horses into the cave, wouldya?" Wyatt walked off, his spurs clanking.

"Like that was even a question," Nancy's captor, who was apparently named Cody, rolled his eyes and kicked an exhausted Gypsy into motion. She felt bad for the small mare.

Looking up, Nancy saw that the sky was indeed getting dark with foreboding clouds.

Suddenly she heard a wild yell from up the hill on the left. Something was hurling down the hill straight towards them!

Frank stared in surprise. After tumbling rapidly, the figure skidded and then stopped at the feet of Check, who snorted in alarm.

Joe rolled over onto his back and Frank thought he saw a stupid grin underneath all that dust, but he couldn't be sure.

"How dare you get captured without me? Seriously?"

Frank gave a laugh. "Hi."

Joe got to his feet with his hand up, since both Ed and Cody had their pistols trained on him. "Don't shoot, guys. I'm not running. See? I'll walk right beside you since the horseys look tired. If I must have a gun sticking into my back every step of the way, I will, but I don't guarantee to be a happy camper."

Ed hopped down to tie Joe's hand behind his back. Joe obstinately refused to show any sign of emotion.

Nancy was smiling impishly. "This is going to be so much fun, Joe!" she called out cheerfully, her red hair blowing around her face in the canyon as they rode slowly on. "We get to be prisoners of a gang of real live horse rustlers! What could be better?"

"I've seen worse," Joe commented.

"So why the grand entrance?" Frank asked, curious.

"Finally found you. After waking up all alone, I might add. I was spying on you and was planning ways to spring you guys later, but I kid you not, I saw a mountain goat."

Nancy raised an eyebrow. "So?"

"A DADDY mountain goat. A very angry, very territorial mountain goat. Might I add that tomorrow I probably won't be able to sit down? You have no idea how much a head-butt hurts. You'd have yelled too! And to be pushed off of a steep hill no less?" Joe explained passionately.

"Only you, Joe," Nancy chuckled.

"Yeah, well I'm not doing it again. Next time instead of trying to save your butts, I'm going to save mine – LITERALLY."

"TMI, little brother," Frank grinned.

"Would y'all just freakin shutup fer cryin out loud?" Cody groaned.

The three detectives burst out laughing, to the bewilderment of their cowboy captors.

There, a little bit more humor to brighten up your day. ;) It will get more serious as we go along.

Stay tuned for...

"Joe!"

Nancy whipped around at Frank's shout. The air was still filled with the roar of the rockslide, and the ground was shaking.

Turning, she ran back into the could of dust. She couldn't see. Couldn't breathe.

"Frank?" Nancy screamed.

His hand suddenly grasped her arm, and he was pulling her, forcing her to run with him. They burst out of the dust cloud and stared, panting and wide-eyed at the massive wall of rocks blocking the cave entrance.

"D-did Joe," Nancy managed, trembling.

"I think so," Frank choked.

Dun dun DUNNNN! :D