Disclaimer: I do not own and am not affiliated with Nancy Drew, the Hardy Boys, or any of the characters associated with them
Disclaimer: I do not own and am not affiliated with Nancy Drew, the Hardy Boys, or any of the characters associated with them. I also do not own or am affiliated with any pop culture references that I may choose to include.
Author's Notes: And now for something completely different.
For clarification purposes, Nancy and Frank are 19, Joe is 18. Also, there are a lot of things that are introduced that are going to need explanation. That will all come eventually, so if you're confused, you can ask about it, and I'll be glad to try and help, but you're probably supposed to be at this point.
The days keep coming without fail
A new wind is gonna find your sail
That's where your journey starts
Joe struggled to wrap and hold a towel around his waist as he hurried to answer the phone. The water from his shower had barely been turned off when he had noticed the ringing, and given that he was the only Hardy at home, it was up to him to answer it. The only problem was that he couldn't seem to locate the receiver. Joe was fumbling around the stacks of magazines and other assorted junk on the living room coffee table when the answering machine kicked in.
"Hi, you've reached the Hardy residence. We're not here right now, so if you could leave your name, who you'd like to speak with in regards to what, and your phone number, and we'll get back to you as soon as we can."
The machine beeped and familiar feminine voice started to speak as Joe finally spotted the base of the receiver peeking out from beneath a throw pillow on the couch. "Hi everyone. It's Nancy. Drew. Just in case you know any other Nancies...I was just calling to see if--,"
Joe triumphantly retrieved the phone and turned it on. "Nancy! Hi."
"Oh! Hi, Joe." Nancy greeted, sounding slightly bewildered. "Did you just get in?"
"Oh, no. I was in the shower and then I...couldn't find the phone." Joe ran a hand through his still dripping hair, making it stand on end.
"Ooh the shower." Nancy teased. "How's the wet look working for you?"
"Nance, you know that all looks work great for me."
"Right. You're the ideal specimen of the male figure."
"And don't you forget it." Joe paused. "So, how are you? I mean, how are you holding up?" He started to slowly walk through the living room aimlessly as a way to occupy himself; he knew that sitting on the couch while soaking wet would only earn him a lecture from his mother, and he felt awkward just standing there.
Nancy sighed. "I'm doing all right, I guess. It's been a few months now so I'm getting used to everything. The house is a bit lonely now, but every tries to drop in a lot."
"That's good. And you know, if you ever don't have anyone around and need to, you can call. Everyone here is more than happy to talk to you."
"That's actually kind of why I called."
"Then aren't you just lucky that I'm home then. What's on your mind?"
"Well, one thing that my dad always wanted me to do was to go out and have some fun that didn't end in my mortal peril, so I'm trying to get around to doing it, and I planned this whole vacation."
"I'm sensing a but." Joe started upstairs to his room to get clothes, starting to feel slightly awkward to be on the phone in nothing but a towel.
"Bess and George were supposed to come because they're on spring break, but Bess broke her leg, and won't really be able to do anything, and George needs to stay to help her out, and now I'm stuck without anyone to vacation with. So I was calling to see if anyone in your neck of the woods wanted to join me in three days for a trip. It's short notice, I know, and I completely understand if no one can, but--,"
"Where are we going?" Joe asked as though it was nothing. He started to get dressed. "What climate should I pack for?"
"Seriously."
"Of course, seriously. I think I'm the only one who can, since Frank's off at school with his spring break already in the past, but I'm there. I mean, if you want me to be."
"That's a stupid comment. Of course I want you to be there. That would be great. But don't you need to ask your parents?"
"Pssh." Joe dismissed, starting back out of his room now that he had a pair of jeans on. "Maybe as a formality, but my parents want me out of the house. Without Frank around to keep me in control they are so sick of me." He started to towel off his hair as he went down the stairs into the living room. "So how should I pack? Warm? Cold? Wet? Dry?"
"I don't know. What would you suggest for this? Joe Hardy, you just won the Super Bowl. What are you going to do now?"
Joe grinned. "I'm going to Disneyworld."
"I know, it's kind of cheesy and childish but--,"
"Are you kidding? It will be a blast."
"Well, I figured if there's one place that even I couldn't find a case, it would be the happiest place on Earth."
"I don't know...I've heard rumors that Mickey has been up to no good."
"Well he better shape up because I'm not getting involved." Nancy paused. "I've got to get going, but I'll e-mail you all of the details tonight so you can give your parents a heads up. Hey! I still have a spare ticket. Do you think Vanessa would want to come?"
Joe winced. "No, that would probably be a bad idea. Me and her in the same vicinity...they'd either kick us out or put us on stage to take over for Scar and Simba during the climatic finish."
"Did you guys have a fight or something?"
"We broke up right before your dad's funeral."
"Oh Joe, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said anything."
"It's not your fault. You didn't know. It wasn't exactly appropriate to talk about at the time."
"And we don't talk that much outside of cases." Nancy finished. "Well maybe this trip will be good for us. We could actually get to know each other past the basics."
"I think I might like that. I've heard rumors that you're good people."
"A couple of people have told me that you're not so bad yourself." Joe switched the phone from one ear to the other. "I'll let you get going, but I'll talk to you soon."
"All right. I'll talk to you."
"Bye."
"Bye."
Joe hung up the phone and tossed it back onto the couch. He was rather satisfied with himself. Being a good friend, and getting to go on a fun trip, all out of one phone call. Not bad for fifteen minute's discussion. Hopefully Nancy was right and they would get to know each other better; sure they were friends, but he knew that Frank knew her far better than he did. It would be nice to change that.
After a moment of reflection, Joe looked down and caught sight of the puddles of water he had trailed from the bathroom. He sighed at the prospect of cleaning it up. On one hand, it would mean work. On the other hand, if he didn't he would face the wrath of his mother.
"Nancy, where are you dear?"
Nancy started to straighten from her position bent under her bed, trying to reach a long abandoned bathing suit top that she wasn't entirely sure how it had gotten under the bed to begin with, when she heard Hannah's voice. She immediately regretted the action as her head collided with the bed frame. "Ouch." She scooted backwards before continuing her rise. "I'm up in my room, Hannah!" Still, she had managed to grab the blue bikini top, so the small bump on her head was worth it.
The top was tossed onto her bed, where a pile of other clothes sat waiting. Her suitcase was empty and open next to it, but Nancy was locating everything before packing. It helped her keep track of what she had and what she still needed.
"Well, what are you doing up here in the middle of the day?" The former Drew housekeeper asked when she arrived in the doorway moments later. "It's gorgeous out. At the very least you could be reading out back on the deck and getting some fresh air."
"I would, but I have to finish packing by..." Nancy checked her watch, "3:30 if I'm going to make it to Chicago in time to catch the 7:00 train to New York. Besides, I'll be getting plenty of fresh air in the next couple of weeks."
Hannah raised an eyebrow. "Going somewhere?"
"Just a small vacation." Nancy shrugged. She turned back to her pile of clothes, reviewing it carefully. She had everything except a dress in case they decided to do something that might require clothing a little more dressy. Deciding to save that item for last, she started to organize and fold.
"And when were you planning on letting people know about this trip?" Hannah stepped up next to Nancy, starting to fold with her.
"Well, I just told you a few seconds ago so...then." At Hannah's pointed look Nancy sighed. "I would have told you and everyone else sooner, but I only decided to go on the trip yesterday and I've had to figure out all of the logistics and stuff." She explained.
Hannah frowned, the motherly instinct that she held for Nancy shining through. "It's not like you to take a last minute trip. Don't tell me you've decided that it's time to take on cases again." The comment was not made in a disapproving manner. It was far from it; Nancy had yet to solve a mystery since the situation with her father and everyone was waiting for her to get back in the swing of things.
"No, it's just a vacation. I just...need to get out of here for a while. I've been in River Heights for nearly eight months now with only one thing to focus on. First it was Dad and taking care of him, and lately it's been sorting through all of his things...Now that I've finally cleared out his office and finished everything with those files, I've decided that it's high time I just high tailed it out of here and, as Bess would say, take a deep, cleansing breath."
"That sounds like a good idea. You need a little break from all of this. And New York might be the perfect city for it. Although why you need three bathing suits for a trip to New York City in March is a little beyond me. You can't be planning on spending that much time in the hotel pool."
"New York is only a layover thing. I'm spending the night with Aunt Eloise and then going to the airport bright and early for a flight to Orlando with Joe." Nancy stopped folding to look over at Hannah. "And before you ask, we're going to Disneyworld."
Hannah looked mildly amused. "Actually, I was planning on asking you why you were going somewhere with Joe. You two never struck me as being that close."
"We're not. No one else can come since the trip is so last minute, and his parents are dying to have him out of the house for his spring break anyway. For one reason or another they think he might get into trouble. Maybe we'll get to know each other a bit better, but mostly he's coming because I think a trip alone would be counterproductive."
"Well..." Hannah hesitated, deciding that choosing to word her next statement carefully, rather then just letting her opinion fly as was her more favored habit, might have a better result. "I think that you're doing things very logically. That always has been your nature."
Nancy sighed. "But?"
"But I think it's high time you let some of that logic fly out the window. Maybe going on the trip alone wouldn't be the best thing for you, but I don't really think that just going with the only person available will be that great either. If you ask me, you should have gone alone, put yourself out there and met someone, or waited a little bit until someone else was ready to go with you."
"You and I both know that I wouldn't do that." Nancy went back to packing. "In either case." She paused. "No. I'm happy doing things this way. It will be fun. It will be a change. And even though I know Joe, I don't really know him know him, so I get to have a friend around and still be meeting someone new. This is what I need Hannah. And I think that it will work out well."
"As long as you're happy."
Joe lazily tossed the travel sized can of shaving gel into his cart as he moved through the Bayport Target. He had been surprised to learn while packing that, despite his various travels over the years, he was lacking in nearly all of the necessities besides clothing. Given the choice between a somewhat late-night trip, or waiting until he got to Florida and having Nancy stop so he could purchase everything, Joe had made the decision to head out before it got too late, and he was now engrossed in viewing the aisle that held everything one could possibly ever need, in travel size form. After a moment, he realized that he had passed by the bin containing the small tubes of toothpaste, and he took a step backwards, and collided with someone.
"I'm so sorry." He apologized as he heard something clatter on the ground, and started to turn around. "I wasn't paying attention at all and when I..." Joe trailed off as his eyes came upon a familiar face. "Vanessa."
"Joe." Vanessa said with a hard tone.
In the awkward silence that followed the greeting, Joe took the opportunity to look over his ex-girlfriend. Despite the fact that they lived in the same town and went to the same school, due to what he was sure was mostly their skillful friends, the two had not seen each other outside of sitting on opposite sides of the classroom, and had yet to speak a word to each other in the months since their breakup. He glanced down at the floor, where a hanger holding a tiny bathing suit had fallen. He knelt down to pick it up. "How are you?" He finally asked quietly, handing the hanger back over.
Vanessa grabbed it quickly, scoffing. "I'm fine. Not that it was an issue five months ago, or anything."
"Vanessa I--,"
"Look, I'm really not in the mood for the whole big attempt at an apology right now." Vanessa cut him off. "Let's just get the whole polite small talk thing out of the way so we can get out of here."
Joe, defeated, nodded. "Fine." He doubted that it was going to end politely, but he refused to be the one to turn it ugly, so he would go along with what she wanted.
"So you're going on a trip." She eyed the contents of his cart.
"Yep."
"Do you have a case?"
"Vacation. With an old friend."
"Anyone I know?"
"Nancy Drew."
That was when the situation exploded. "That is so typical of you. I can't believe that you would even do that to your brother. Does he even know?"
And while everything may have seemed clear for Vanessa, Joe had no idea what she was talking about. "Do what to Frank? What does he have to know?"
"That you're going on some romantic vacation with the girl that he's practically in love with."
"It's not going to be a romantic vacation." Joe was really fighting to keep control of his temper at this point; he didn't enjoy being accused of things and it generally put him in a choleric mood. "It's just two friends trying to--,"
"You know, it was bad enough to find you and that girl, but to think that you're willing to hurt your own brother like this is just--,"
"Hey! You need to stop making assumptions. You don't even know what was going on between her and me and if you think for one minute that I would--,"
"Excuse me, folks?" A red-shirted employee at the end of the aisle cut in to the argument. "We're going to have to ask that you either, take this argument outside or stop entirely and finish your shopping in a civil manner?"
"That's fine." Joe put a hand on his cart. "I was just leaving." He started pushing down at of the aisle, his toothpaste forgotten.
"Thanks again for bringing me to the airport Aunt Eloise. But I really would have been fine taking a cab."
Nancy's aunt rolled her eyes at the thought. "Don't be silly Nancy. It's bad enough that I didn't pick you up at the train station when you got in last night. Besides, if this is going to be my only opportunity to see you for a while, I'd like to actually get a visit in."
"I'm sorry that I haven't been in contact better. I've just been sorting through all of dad's things."
"I know. I didn't really expect much else after the funeral. You've always been independent. But, I will say that I've never been happier to have a country with a crazy, unreliable airline industry."
Nancy shrugged. "I guess it can have its benefits."
"I just can't believe that O'Hare didn't have a single flight to Florida."
"Weirder things have happened. Maybe I was just supposed to see you for a while. How has work been?"
"Oh, absolutely crazy. Thing's have just been chaotic ever since we had to fire all the secretaries a few weeks ago."
Thoughts? As a warning, while I have this planned out, it's not pre-written, so the updates won't have any real schedule. And the rating is for later chapters, the beginning is probably going to end up pretty tame.