Hello everyone! I'm back with a new story for you all! I'm still on a break, but all your wonderful reviews prompted me to pop this up as a little teaser. I'll post the next chapter of this story and chapter two of Titanic in a week or so.

Please let me know what you think! Don't forget to subscribe to this story and leave me a review! X!


Chapter One:

"I never thought I'd see the day when Nancy Drew became a homemaker," Frank Hardy teased.

He'd been watching his girlfriend with fascination for about half an hour, as she picked her way through a home décor store on Greenwich Avenue. She was holding up two cushions and scrutinizing them with an intensity generally reserved for her FBI cases.

She blushed and set aside the rejected cushion. "I'm sorry, I lost myself. I have to admit, this is kind of fun. I've never had the time or inclination to get into interior decorating."

"It's okay. I like seeing this side of you. It's softer."

"Mm. Like my stomach will be if we don't stop eating out so much."

"I've just been trying to make up for all those missed dates." He plucked a daisy from a display vase and tucked it behind her ear. "Besides, once you're back at work…"

He didn't need to finish his sentence. The last three weeks had been a whirlwind. They'd been staying with Frank's family in Bayport until they'd found a brownstone townhouse in Brooklyn's Williamsburg neighborhood. It was perfect for them both, with two bedrooms and large, sunny windows. They'd only spent a single night there, but Nancy had already set up an office space for herself in the smaller bedroom.

Frank would follow suit. He still had his job at the city prosecutor's office, but he was looking for something else. The problem was, he wasn't sure what he wanted to do. For the young man who had always been meticulous about planning out his life, the unknown was a concept that was equal parts exhilarating and terrifying.

Nancy checked her watch. "Speaking of plans… we'll be late for lunch with your brother if we don't hurry up. Joe's appetite waits for no one."


They met with Joe at an outdoor café near their new townhouse. It was a nice little spot. Nancy could see it being a regular stop on her route into work. Diners sat around on low benches amongst potted plants enjoying the warmth of one of the last afternoons before fall's cool set in.

"This is far too posh for me," Joe complained after greetings were out of the way. "I can't even pronounce any of the dishes on this thing! What's Roquette?"

"Arugula, rocket, Joe," his older brother said patiently. "It's a kind of salad."

"Right. Well, I'm not getting that then." Joe pushed his menu out of the way, nose scrunched up in disdain. "I'd like a cheeseburger, hold the lettuce. And a big ole chocolate milkshake," he told the waitress.

"So, Joe, what brings you to the city?" Nancy asked, hiding a smile at the guilty look on Joe's face as he tore his eyes from the waitress's curvy figure.

"Oh! I'm on an assignment for dad. Remember, he was talking about going on vacation with mom. They left last night to stay with some relatives in Ontario. To be honest, I think mom's going to try to convince dad to retire early. You saw how shaken up she still is after our last case. Anyway, I've been left in charge of this operation. I thought it would be way cooler, but it's mostly been paperwork. He asked me to deliver some stuff to a client this morning. And now I've got the rest of the afternoon off."

Frank tried to hide his annoyance. He adored his little brother, but he had limited time with Nancy, and he didn't exactly want to spend it with his sibling.

"Where's Bess?" Nancy pressed. One of her best friends had recently started dating the younger, more flirtatious Hardy and the two had seemed close just days ago when Nancy had been in Bayport. She was surprised to see Joe on his own.

"Her mom had to have surgery yesterday, so Bess has gone back to River Heights to help out around the house. Besides, she's got some stuff to do for your dad. It's all okay. Being with this guy," he pointed at himself, "is an all you can eat buffet. She's wise to pace herself."

The waitress returned with their drinks and stopped with her tray, hesitating.

"I'm sorry," she said after a beat. "I just... you two look so familiar!"

"Hmm?" Nancy was surprised. "Oh, I don't… Frank and me? Well, we've been in the papers a few times, I guess, but that was a while ago-"

The waitress clicked her fingers. "-no that's not it. You're my new neighbors!"

Nancy and Frank looked at each other in surprise.

"That's it. Did you move in yesterday? Into the nice gray brownstone on S 3rd, right? I'm good with faces. I wanted to say hi this morning, but I was on my way to work."

And then Nancy recognized the perky blonde. The young woman who looked to be in her early twenties had been returning from a jog or the gym when they'd briefly passed on the pavement in the morning. She'd been wearing pink tights and her long hair had been in a high pony. Now, it was in a braid down her back, and she was wearing an apron. But the friendly, freckled face was unmistakable.

"Yeah. That's right. I'm Nancy. And this is Frank."

"And I'm Joe," Joe butted in.

"Nice to meet you all. I'm Mia. I'll be back shortly. I've just got to grab your food."

Joe made a face. "Frank, you would move in right next door to a supermodel."

"I didn't even notice. I was too distracted," was Frank's response, as he squeezed Nancy's hand and she smiled at him, cheeks a little pink. "Besides, you're taken as well, Joe."

"I know, I know. I'm just kidding. This whole monogamy thing is still new to me. The guys have all been ribbing me about it. But I reckon it's about time I give being off the market a go. And Bess is brilliant. It's just… we're both so used to being… well, us. It's an adjustment being a proper, adult couple. And we don't want to label it just yet. Early days."

Joe looked self-conscious, as he rubbed the back of his neck, the ways guys do when they're uncomfortable. "Anyway, let's not talk about boring stuff. Frank, are you still going to quit your job? Have you worked out what you're going to do?"

Frank took a sip of his espresso. "I was approached by a recruiter this morning. Someone with the NYPD. They're looking for a legal liaison person. And I got a query from Homeland last week, something about cybersecurity. I haven't turned either of them down yet."

"If I knew you were interested in cybersecurity, I could have forwarded you onto the FBI. I still could. We're always looking for analysts," Nancy said.

"Thanks, gorgeous. I'm still figuring it all out. Oh, hey, Biff's just invited us for drinks this afternoon. I'm staying at his place tonight. But it'd be nice to meet up," Joe chirped.

Nancy nodded, but she'd become distracted by a notification on her phone. It was from a news app, with an update on a case she'd been following. A young mom had gone missing from her home in Bushwick just a week ago, right when Nancy and Frank had started looking at property in Brooklyn.

"Oh no," Nancy whispered.

Frank touched her arm. "What's up?"

"They found Leah Martin's body this afternoon."