I'm back again! And, I have especially good news:

This story is already complete.

That means no waiting for me to get my butt in gear and finish it. No months and months between updates. I will have a regular posting schedule. I don't know yet exactly what it will be, but I'm planning for at least once a week, probably more.

This story is the third in my series - Disappearing Frost, The Cracked Badge, and now Parallel Secrets. You don't have to read the others to completely understand, but I have changed some minor things in my Hardy/Drew universe over the course of the series.

Please, PLEASE let me know what you think. Reviews truly do mean the world to me, even if they're constructive.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything your recognize. I do own a tiny three-foot Christmas tree!

PARALLEL SECRETS

Chapter One

Nancy and Frank were tired.

Tired of traveling. Tired of sleeping in beds that didn't belong to either one of them. Tired of staying away from each other.

The city of River Heights stretched out beyond Chicago as their plane made its descent. A patchwork of fields just barely turning golden nudged against the back of neighborhoods while downtown Chicago loomed in the distance.

Nancy knew that she should be used to flying with all of the travel she did for her work as a CIA agent, but she still couldn't quite get past the sinking feeling in her gut as the plane made a sharp turn, preparing to line up with the runway.

"You doing okay?"

Nancy turned to the tall, handsome young man next to her. He had graciously given her the window seat so she could watch her home come into a view. A shock of dark brown hair threatened to fall into his eyes. The messy look was foreign compared to his formerly tidy appearance, but she couldn't say she hated it.

"Yeah, I think I just need to get on the ground and walk around a little bit."

"Well, at least there's a bit of a hike to the baggage claim. We could make a lap around the terminal first, though, if that would help," Frank said, and Nancy could practically see the options running through his mind.

Just as the plane seemed lined up for the runway, it veered off again, ascending higher into the clouds once more.

"The pilot must have been waved off for some reason," Frank said, hoping to distract her.

Nancy managed a weak smile in response.

Frank reached for her hand and squeezed as the plane made another circle in the air. The scenery outside of her window turned blue as her side of the plane tilted up into the sky. Nancy took comfort in the warm skin enveloping her own, only resisting the urge to lean her head on his shoulder because she worried she'd hit her head upon wheels-down.

Finally the plane came around again, and Nancy doubted they would be waved off another time as the runway came closer and closer. The landing took her by surprise as the entire plane seemed to slam against the ground, shaking the passengers and dislodging some of the oxygen masks a couple rows ahead of them. The yellow cup-like things bounced on their plastic tubing, an ominous threat even though they were safely on the ground.

Nancy felt Frank laugh, a short sharp thing that moved his body. "Well, I can't say I've ever seen that happen before."

"Yeah, well, I can't say I've ever been in a plane that was put down that hard before, either."

"True," Frank agreed. "At least we're down now."

The seatbelt light flicked off with a ding and sleepy passengers jumped into action, unbuckling themselves from their seats and throwing themselves into the aisle, hoping to get off the plane as soon as possible.

Nancy and Frank sat back and let the others ahead of them go, seeing no reason to hurry up only to wait again.

As the final group of people in front of them moseyed off the plane, Nancy and Frank stood up and pulled down their carry-ons. Frank pulled out his phone to let his family know that they had made it to Chicago okay, relatively speaking.

He followed Nancy's red hair up the aisle as he listened to his phone dial.

"So, no spectacular mishaps, I trust?" his brother's voice said by way of greeting.

"That depends, I guess," Frank said with a laugh. "We circled the city a handful of times and Nancy turned a fetching shade of green." He barely jumped out of the way in time to avoid her backwards kick at his shin.

"That's not exciting at all," Joe said, disappointment coloring his voice.

"I'm not exactly sure what you were hoping for, but maybe you'll feel better that some oxygen masks dropped upon landing." They breached the gate door and Frank took a deep breath of the humid Chicago air, only barely cooled by the air conditioning in the terminal.

"Now that's more like it. Did you put them on?"

Frank almost laughed at the excitement in his brother's voice. "Not without you there backing me up."

"Man, you're practically worthless without me. You know that, right?"

"Absolutely. Just don't get into too much trouble while I'm away, got it?"

"Please. Since Con took over as police chief this place has been snoozeville. I'm thinking about going to the City just to wake up a little."

"Yeah, maybe you could actually take Vanessa out on a real date."

Joe made a sound of discouragement. "If she'd ever let me."

"I believe in you, little brother. Just wait - you'll be married before I even get back."

Frank had to pull the phone away from his ear to keep from going deaf from Joe's peals of laughter.

"Oh, that was a good one. And on that note, I'm going to let you get back to your more exciting life."

Joe was still laughing when Frank heard him hang up. Frank shook his head, already wondering how his brother would survive without his guidance.

"Do I want to know?" Nancy asked as they stepped through security on their way to baggage claim.

"No. Just... Joe."

"Enough said."

Frank pulled his girlfriend - and it felt so good to finally be able to use that word - out of the foot traffic to lean against a wall as they waited for the conveyor to start up.

Nancy's hair had mostly fallen out of its ponytail on the plane, so he tucked a lock of it behind her ear. Leaving his fingers resting against her cheek, he asked again how she was feeling.

"Really, I'm okay. It was just a bit of a bumpy flight," she said, relaxing into his touch.

Frank was just about to lean in for a kiss when three beeps signaled the start of the conveyor. He sighed and leaned his forehead against hers for a moment instead, breathing in the sweet scent of her. He still couldn't entirely believe that he was here with her in her hometown, on vacation. He'd never before been in River Heights without Ned being practically glued to her side. He couldn't wait to get started on this new chapter in their lives.

Nancy gently nudged him backwards. "We better go grab our luggage before someone mistakes it for theirs."

Frank grinned and shook his head. "Okay, fine. We can get me a new suitcase."

They had debated at length the pros and cons of having the standard black suitcase that Frank's had for years and the purple polka dot pattern on Nancy's. Frank argued that part of their jobs was to be as inconspicuous as possible, and that luggage that blended in aided in that. Nancy hated that it was impossible to know whose was whose without checking tags, taking up important time and space in the overall luggage claiming experience.

Nancy grinned back and headed over to the moving conveyor, a slow train of everyone's possessions. Immediately she plucked hers from the procession, throwing Frank a smug look as he glanced at the label on several nondescript bags. Finally he located his and pulled from the line.

"Ready to go find Dad?" Nancy asked, holding out her free hand to him.

The reality of his new situation slammed into Frank. It wasn't Carson Drew on the other side of those sliding glass doors. It was his girlfriend's father. That changed the rules in ways he wasn't even sure of yet. he looked down at the outstretched hand, then up at the face of the woman he was pretty sure he loved more than anything. Taking a deep breath, he pressed his palm against hers.

"Definitely."

"So, did they get in okay?"

Joe finished downing the remainder of Coke in the can before answering his mother. "There may have been a small mishap with oxygen masks..."

"What?" Laura Hardy asked, wiping her hands and poking her head out from the kitchen in surprise. "What exactly do you mean by mishap?"

Reclining against the couch in his parents' living room, he turned to his mother and smirked. "They're fine. The pilot just set the plane down a little hard. They were heading into the terminal when we spoke."

"Joseph Hardy," she said sternly, but a smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. "Are you staying for the night?"

Before Joe had a chance to answer, his father, Fenton, came out of his office and into the living room.

"Don't you have a home of your own?" he asked his son, swatting his shoulder.

"Actually I do. In fact, it's about time I head back over there. One of my neighbors keeps trying to sneak one of his crazy cats into my apartment and claim it's mine. If I find another chewed up magazine on my front step it is on."

"What's on? The magazine turns on?"

Joe stared up at his father. "What? No. Just... no. You need to watch TV or read a book written sometime after 1980."

Fenton slid a grin over to his wife as she turned back to the stove. "Whatever you say, son. I guess you'd better get to it."

Joe was still shaking his head at his ancient parents as he drove his car through Bayport to get to his apartment. He was driving along the main downtown road to the other side of town when he happened upon flashing lights across the street.

Most days he wouldn't have thought much of it, but the location of these particular law enforcement vehicles worried him enough to pull over and get out of his car.

His heart went into his throat as his suspicions were confirmed - the police were at the Flower Patch, the store Vanessa's aunt owned.

The glass window in the door had been shattered and door left wide open, swinging on its hinges.

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