OMG GUYS I LITERALLY READ THE LAST RESORT IN ONE DAY OMG AND SECRET OF THE NILE IS BEING SHIPPED RIGHT NOW OMG I MIGHT DIE I'M SO HAPPY.

No real inspiration for this one. Just felt the need for some more Frank/Nancy(:

EDIT: This was updated on 1/6/20! The section for '24' was replaced!

Mentions of Kapu Cave up ahead!

~6~

Six-year-old Frank Hardy sighed as he saw the sign that read 'River Heights: Next Exit'. He didn't understand why his father felt the need to drag him and Joe along on a business trip to River Heights. Although he'd never been here before, he couldn't imagine a more boring day. The small town seemed quaint, but it didn't seem all that exciting. There was no hustle and bustle like Bayport could offer.

His father soon pulled into the driveway of a two-story house. There was a blue roadster in the driveway next to another black car. His father climbed out of the car and motioned for the boys to join him. Joe hopped out, rather excited to be out of the car and somewhere new. Frank rolled his eyes at his five-year-old brother.

"I am meeting one of my closest friends today," Fenton said as he ushered the boys toward to door. He rang the doorbell and Frank waited on the porch just as calmly as his dad did. Joe wasn't willing to sit as still. He looked into the window by the door curiously. Frank wandered over to his younger counterpart.

"Joe, that's rude," Frank explained. Joe shrugged.

"I wanna see what's inside. And dad said there was a girl here," Joe continued, curiosity written all over his features. Frank rolled his eyes at his brother. Girls, girls, girls with Joe. Frank would much rather hear about his father's cases. Besides, girls had cooties.

The door opened to reveal a woman with light orange hair. She smiled widely when she saw the man on her doorstep. "Fenton! It's so good to see you, come in!" The woman continued as she stepped aside to let them in. Frank's father hugged the woman and kissed her cheek. "You must be Frank. You've grown so much since the last time you were here," she said as she looked over Frank. "And you must be Joe. It's nice to meet you." The boys bashfully smiled and waved.

"It's been too long, Kate. Frank didn't even remember River Heights from all those years ago. I doubt he'll remember Nancy. What has it been, five years?" Fenton asked. Carson walked in at that moment.

"Good to see you Fenton! Please, have a seat," Carson said as the three adults sat on the couches by the piano. Frank stood by the door, not exactly sure what to do. Joe ran over to admire the piano without a second thought. As Frank looked over at Joe, he was able to see through the large window in the back. There was a girl sitting in the backyard with a notepad in her lap. She focused on the notes intensely, but what caught Frank's eye was the magnifying glass sitting right next to her. No way. Girls can't solve mysteries or be detectives.

"Perhaps you'd like to see Nancy again, Frank," Kate said with a smile. He looked over at the woman smiling at him. Nancy must be the girl outside. Frank nodded with a smile, not really remembering the first time he met this Nancy girl. Once Joe heard mention of a girl, he began listening intently. He followed Kate and Frank out the backdoor and into the small backyard.

Frank and Joe walked over to the girl. Now that Frank had a better look at her, something about her was vaguely familiar. She had longer reddish-orange hair like her mother and blue eyes that were focused on her notes. "Hi," Joe finally voiced. Nancy's head shot up.

"Oh, hi. You must be the Hardy's. I'm Nancy Drew," the girl said with a wide smile that Frank rather liked.

"Yeah. Hi," Frank said with a smile. "I'm Frank, and this is my brother Joe. What are you working on?"

"A mystery," Nancy answered. Frank's heart leapt a beat as he sat down on one side of her. Joe instantly sat on her other side, much to Nancy's surprise. "Do you wanna hear about it?"

"We wanna help," Joe said excitedly.

"Our dad is a detective. We love mysteries," Frank said, barely a few inches from her face. Nancy smiled at both of the brothers.

"Okay! Well my neighbor's cat disappeared last night without a trace. She's a white cat with black stripes named Poppy. She likes trees a lot." Nancy flipped through her notes quickly. "But I already searched the trees at the house and didn't find any sign of the cat," Nancy said disappointingly. Frank frowned.

"Did you look in any of your other trees? Like, in someone else's yard?" Nancy's eyes lit up.

"Gosh, I hadn't even gotten there yet! Good idea Frank!" She quickly hopped up with her magnifying glass and notes. Joe looked up into the tree they were leaning back against.

"Guys, I think I found the cat," Joe said. The three looked up into the tree to find the cat peacefully asleep. Nancy's face reddened.

"Oh my gosh, I'm so dumb!" Nancy complained. Frank looked over at her with a smile.

"Maybe you just needed a fresh set of eyes," Frank replied. Nancy smiled.

"There's some rope in the shed! Maybe we can use that to get her down," Nancy said with a smile. Frank nodded and Joe continued to keep watch over the cat. Nancy returned with the rope, looking at the strong branch next to the cat suspiciously. Frank had the same idea.

"You're smaller. Joe and I can lift you!" Nancy nodded eagerly. Jeans were definitely a good choice this morning.

Nancy threw the rope over the tree branch and Frank and Joe caught the rope. She had one end tied to her wrist, hand securely on the rope, while Frank and Joe had the other end to lift her up. Nancy nodded to the brothers, who began to pull together.

Before she knew it, Nancy was sitting on the branch by the cat. She snatched the cat up in her arms. "Gotcha!" The cat purred loudly, but didn't seem too disturbed. She looked at the ground dizzily. "This is kinda…high," Nancy said quietly. The cat leapt out of her arms and ran down the tree quickly. Nancy frowned, trying to figure out how to get down. Frank and Joe hadn't thought this through either.

"Can you climb?" Joe asked. Nancy bit her lip.

"I'm not sure where to put my feet," Nancy admitted. Frank handed the now useless rope to Joe and walked over to the base of the tree. It wasn't the best climbing tree, but it would do. Frank started climbing until he was sitting where the cat was moments ago.

"Ok, just follow my lead," Frank said calmly. He followed the path he took to get up the tree back down. Nancy watched and mimicked him until she was on the ground again.

"Thanks Frank for saving me!" Nancy declared as she hugged him. "And thanks Joe for helping me find the cat!" Nancy hugged Joe as well.

Needless to say, she was rather disappointed when her detective buddies got into their car on their way home to Bayport.

~10~

Nancy sat under the now even taller tree and wept. She didn't care how dark it was outside. Her father knew where she was, and that was good enough for Nancy.

Nancy, Mom isn't coming home.

Her father's words still hadn't sunk in from a week ago. She'd almost cried through the whole funeral only hours ago.

A dark figure was walking toward her. In a moment of vulnerability, Nancy cowered back against the tree with a whimper, trying to wipe her tears and show a sliver of strength. The figure continued to close in on her until they were sitting by her side against the tree. She noticed the messy brown hair and instantly calmed down. Frank Hardy was by her side.

No words were needed between them. Even though she didn't remember their first meeting when they were both just a year old, she certainly felt like she'd known him all her life. His warmth made her realize how cold it was outside in the dark. "I'm sorry Nan," Frank said quietly. She nodded, even though he couldn't see her. After a few minutes, Frank made a move to get up and go back inside, but Nancy reached out and stopped him.

"Stay," she pleaded. Frank smiled.

"I'll be right back," Frank said. She reluctantly nodded and let him go. She knew he wouldn't go far, as the Hardy's were staying at the house for a week or so to help her father keep life in control. He came back with a cup of hot chocolate for her and a blanket. Nancy smiled weakly and took the cup from Frank.

"Thanks," she murmured. Frank sat down next to her and wrapped the blanket around the both of them. Nancy snuggled closer to Frank and sipped her hot beverage. She offered him the cup. "Would you like some? I promise I don't have cooties," Nancy said with a small laugh. For Frank, it was a relief to hear her laugh again. He smiled and took a small sip from the cup.

"I believe you. Thanks," Frank said.

The next morning, Frank and Nancy were found tucked into Nancy's bed, warm under all the blankets.

~14~

Nancy sighed in content as Frank continued to rub her feet as they rested in his lap. They were supposed to be looking over case notes, but her feet had been aching too much from her last case (which consisted of a lot of walking and running, mind you) and Frank was tired of hearing her whining. Joe shook his head.

"Good Lord you two," Joe said as he looked over more pictures from the case. Nancy's head shot up and she looked in his direction.

"What?"

"You look like quite the cozy couple over there," the young blond teen explained. Frank huffed as his younger brother.

"At least I'm trying to solve a problem here," Frank replied. Joe's mouth fell open at such a statement.

"Excuse me?! You're rubbing a girl's feet- no offense Nancy- while I'm trying to solve a kidnapping! Who's the productive one here?!" Joe said while hiding a smile. Frank smiled and rolled his eyes. Nancy chuckled at Joe.

"Awww, are you jealous that I get a foot rub?" Nancy asked while laughing.

"Not jealous over one from Frank," Joe muttered. Nancy chuckled and retracted her feet from the older brother's lap and turned back to the case notes.

"Alright alright. Thank you Frank," Nancy said with a smile. "Back to the case."

~17~

"Nance?"

"Mmm?"

"I'm really sorry," Frank admitted. He was tied up against her just as she was against him on the floor. They were deep in a cold basement, waiting for their kidnapper from Frank's case to come back and finish them off. Nancy leaned her head back onto Frank's shoulder.

"For?"

"Getting you into this mess," Frank said quietly as he leaned against her shoulder. The two detectives were now eye to eye, somewhat uncomfortably and awkwardly.

"It's not your fault. I volunteered to explore the creepy basement with you," Nancy said with a chuckle. It didn't lighten Frank's mood. Nancy sighed. "Hey. We'll get out of this. I promise. Joe is already looking for us, and he has Bess with him. We're going to be okay," Nancy said as she lightly pecked his cheek. Frank smiled and pecked her cheek in return. It was nothing more than a friendly gesture between the two of them.

"I still feel guilty," Frank said and sat back up. Nancy did the same and leaned the back of her head against the back of his. She squeezed his hand, ignoring the squeeze of the ropes that banded their hands together behind their backs.

"Relax Frank. This isn't your fault at all. We'll figure this out. We're detectives. We can do this," Nancy continued to say, although her voice shook. It wasn't looking good for them, with cuts all over Nancy's cheeks and a large wound in Frank's shoulder. Both detectives had splitting headaches from the beating they took earlier. Frank suddenly chuckled. "What's so funny?"

"I remember when we met in your backyard- back when we were six- I thought you were so pretty. But I saw your magnifying glass and thought that there was no way that a girl could solve mysteries." Nancy laughed lightly. "Guess I was pretty wrong there," he said.

"Yeah," she replied.

"I'm really glad I was wrong too," Frank said. "There's really no one I would rather have down here than you," he said. Nancy felt the heat rise to her cheeks.

"Me neither," Nancy replied with a smile. Knowing she needed to focus on something other than the cute brunet boy tied to her, Nancy's eyes scanned the dark room in search of something sharp. There was a glimmer of something across the room. "There's something in the corner of the room over there. Could it cut us loose?" She felt Frank shift to look.

"Maybe. How do you suggest we get over there?" There was a pause between them. "If you pull us with your feet, I might be able to push us with mine," Frank suggested. Nancy didn't see any other way out.

"Yeah, let's try that." Inch by inch, they managed to make it over to what turned out to be a pile of gardening tools in the corner. With a shovel, they succeeded in cutting the ropes between them and stood slowly. Frank's hand found Nancy's in the dark without hesitation. Their fingers were entwined as they turned to each other. Frank ran a hand gently over the cuts on her face.

"Are you okay?" Nancy nodded, trying to keep herself from leaning into Frank's touch with thoughts of Ned. She gently reached her hand up to run her fingers over Frank's wound. He hissed quietly.

"Are you okay?" Nancy asked.

"I'll be fine. We need to worry about getting out of here first." The two teens explored the basement best they could in the dark until they found a secret passageway that led back upstairs. They stumbled into the new room, looking up to see Bess and Joe talking to the cops and their kidnappers being hauled away. Bess and Joe smiled at the sight of them alive and ran to embrace them.

The fact that Nancy and Frank stayed hand in hand didn't go unnoticed by Bess or Joe, who looked at one another with a knowing smirk.

~20~

Frank yawned as the movie he was watching finished. He was comfortably dressed in sweats and a loose t-shirt. His hair was disheveled after the frustrating day he'd had. He'd decided he'd call Nancy tomorrow and ask for some guidance. Of all the weekends his parents were gone and Joe decided to spend the night with Vanessa…

A knock on the door interrupted his thoughts. Frank looked at the clock mysteriously. It was 1:45 in the morning; who could possibly be here now? Frank figured that Joe was home from Vanessa's early and forgot his house key. He walked over the door, unlocking it and opening it.

"Hey, how was-" His words stopped when he realized it wasn't Joe on the front porch. No, it wasn't Joe at all. It was someone shorter, with gorgeous long red hair and broken blue eyes. "Nancy." All it took were the tears in her eyes and the broken look on her face to know what happened. Frank carefully wrapped his arms around her and she clung tightly to him.

He caught the sight of her blue roadster in his driveway and realized she'd driven here all the way from River Heights. He sighed and picked her up with one arm under her knees and one under her back and kicked the door shut behind them. He carried her to the couch he had just been sitting on. Frank sat with Nancy on his lap as she continued to cry. He calmly ran a hand through her hair and kissed the top of her head.

Frank figured he could pass the news about him and Callie on to her after he killed Ned.

~23~

Nancy ducked again as a bullet went whizzing by. She was panting and exhausted. Her and Frank had been at this gang for what felt like hours. Frank had finally fixed her cell phone and called the police, but being in the middle of nowhere in an old factory he didn't know how long it would take the police to get here. Frank was running out of bullets in the handgun he carried with him, and the gang seemed to have endless ammunition. Frank crouched down next to Nancy, both sleuths having their fair share of scratches, bumps, and wounds.

Frank entwined his fingers with his girlfriend's and gave her a smile. She raised an eyebrow in return. More bullets flew above them. Frank turned quickly and got a few more shots off before ducking down. "What're you smiling about?" Nancy asked curiously.

"Just you," Frank replied. It was incredible to Nancy that Frank had time to think about her while they were being shot at by three gang members. She smiled at her boyfriend before giving him a quick kiss. "We've got this, right?" Frank asked, not looking at her. Nancy nodded.

"Yeah, we've been in worse spots."

"Do you love me?" Frank asked. The sudden questioning confused Nancy.

"Of course Frank."

"Then will you marry me?" Frank asked, finally turning to her with a serious look on his face. Nancy's mouth fell open.

"Frank…"

"I don't wanna wait any longer Nance," Frank said, panting with Nancy from both the gunfire and the question. Nancy smiled cheerfully.

"Yes. Yes I will," Nancy replied happily. Frank smiled and kissed her, holding her as close at their wounds would allow. The two broke off, still smiling widely. "Your timing is terrible, Hardy, and so very romantic," she said with a laugh and sarcasm. Frank rolled his eyes.

"As soon as we get out of here, I'll show you how romantic I can be."

~24~

The sea breeze kissed Nancy's warm cheeks and blew her hair back lightly. The sun shined brightly off of the golden sand and crystal water. Frank watched her from the doorframe to their balcony. His heart thumped as he admired his wife. "Much nicer when we don't have a case, isn't it?" Nancy turned to see his smirk. He joined her at the railing.

"Well, I'm not sure if what you did really counts as a case. You just roamed across the Hawaiian beaches and collected shells and fished. I was in the rough of the jungle, hiding from beasts and getting my hands dirty," she replied and bumped hips with her husband. Their honeymoon to Hawaii had been peaceful this past week, and Nancy wasn't really sure if she wanted it to be over.

"Hey, I could have died in that lava tube-"

"-if it wasn't for me saving you," Nancy finished for him. Frank leaned down and kissed his wife gently. "I wish we could just enjoy paradise forever."

"We do get to. It might not look like this, but we get to wake up next to each other every day now, start every day together, and spend evenings curled up with one another. It's going to be perfect," he said as he took her hand in his own.

Nancy couldn't deny that a life with Frank Hardy by her side was going to be paradise.

~28~

Doctors rushed around the bed and the white lights hurt Nancy's tired eyes. Her breathing calmed down as Frank squeezed her hand and kissed her cheek. His calm words filled her ears as he wiped the sweat off her forehead and pushed her bangs to the side. He kissed her forehead as her breathing finally returned to normal. "Nancy, you're amazing," he said happily. She managed a weak nod in return. After all that, she better damn well be amazing.

"Would you like to hold her?" Nancy couldn't register where the voice was coming from, but nodded eagerly when she managed to make out a pink blanket. She sat up in the bed and reached her arms out. Frank sat on the edge of the bed by her with one arm around her tired shoulders. Nancy was breathless as she saw the young girl in her arms. She smiled widely as tears pricked her eyes.

"She's ours Nancy," Frank said, almost disbelievingly.

"Cheyenne Rose Hardy," Nancy said. Frank smiled widely.

"It's perfect," he replied tiredly.

"Would you like to hold her?" Nancy asked Frank. He smiled, almost feeling as if he wasn't worthy of holding their child. Frank reached out and Nancy handed Cheyenne to her husband. She smiled greatly; seeing their daughter in Frank's arms melted her heart. Joe, his wife Vanessa, and Bess stepped in together only moments after.

"Oh, she's beautiful. Congrats to both of you," Bess said, wrapping Frank in a one armed hug before embracing her best friend. Joe placed a hand on his older brother's shoulder as he smiled down at his new niece. Vanessa reached her hand out and instantly the young girl grabbed ahold of her finger.

"Awww, she's adorable!" Vanessa exclaimed as Cheyenne played with the wedding ring on Vanessa's finger.

"Congrats bro. I know you'll be a great dad," Joe said. Frank smiled up in admiration, tears in his eyes.

"Thanks Joe."

"Would you like to hold her Bess?" Nancy asked quietly. Bess grinned and nodded. Frank carefully passed their daughter to Bess as she sat down.

"What's her name?"

"Cheyenne Rose Hardy," Frank said, still not able to wipe the smirk off his face. Bess carefully passed her to Joe, who took Bess' seat when she stood. Frank pecked Nancy's cheek once again before her eyes began to slip shut. He knew she was exhausted.

He smiled at her, thinking of how twenty-two years ago, she was just a girl with a magnifying glass to him, looking for a missing cat. Now look at everything she had become.

Their new family was his everything.

I hadn't planned on some of these little sections to be so long! Not sure how I feel about it…