Take A Chance On Me

Chapter 13

'Now you two lovebirds, I would love especially if you two weren't all over each other,' Joe couldn't hold back his chuckles. It was especially weird for his brother to be all over a girl but yet it seemed quite right with Nancy Drew. She was the one that everyone saw with Frank, no matter how long it would take them to actually see it.

'Oh Joe leave them alone! They are in love for crying out loud! It's only taken this long for them to get together,' Laura chuckled to her youngest son as Nancy and Frank walked slightly ahead of them.

'Joe you should've been there in Egypt with us. It was just the two of us in that hotel room,' Nancy slowly stopped Frank in his tracks and started adjusting his collar. 'Actually maybe it was a good idea you weren't there. It was just me, him, alone finally.' Nancy flattened out Frank's collar and looked into his caramel brown eyes. The entire world around them vanished around them and it felt like it was just Nancy and Frank. He leaned in slowly but steadily, she met him half way.

'Oh come on! Just for two seconds you keep your hands off each other please for our dignity! People might see us!' Joe coward behind his mum. Laura wrapped her arm around Joe's.

'Please Joe, we've all been waiting for this for a very long time. Just let them be! Besides, remember how many times have we had to watch you and some of your girlfriends. Just imagine all the face sucking they had to endure.' Joe coward even more as Nancy chuckled into Frank's shirt. Frank wrapper his arms around his girlfriend and kissed her head repeatedly.

The four adults continued to walk down the street towards the Festival of Lights that was happening. They walked around, people watching and a quick snack break from Joe. As they were sitting down, sharing a couple of small baskets of onion rings, music started playing around them.

The DJ boomed over the speakers; 'This next song is dedicated to one lucky lady out there. This next song is for you Nancy Drew!' Nancy looked at Frank with eyes wide open in surprise. 'Take A Chance On Me' started booming over the speakers. Nancy grabbed Frank's hand and took him to the dance floor. Laura and Joe watched them in awe.

'He really does love her doesn't he?' Joe asked his mother, as he rested his head on his mother's arm. Laura could only picture her sandy blond haired son back as a 9 year old, looking at his slightly older brother in awe playing with the same strawberry blonde haired girl, asking exactly the same question.

'Yes, I believe he really does and I think that she loves him just as much and I think that they have loved each other for a very long time, it just took them both about 14 years to realise it.' Laura kissed Joe's hair. 'Now we better go up there and dance with them before Nancy requests another ABBA song.' Laura took her youngest sons hand and drags his tall, lean frame to the floor and joins the lovebirds.

The song comes to an end and they all face the DJ and clapped as Frank kissed Nancy's head. Over the commotion, the four didn't hear the footsteps coming up behind them. Nobody noticed Ned pull out the knife that was concealed under his black hoodie. He was a couple of inches shorter than Frank but even then, he could still plunge the knife deep into the side of his abdomen. A loud scream erupted from Nancy as she felt Frank slump over her shoulder.

'Call an ambulance Laura! Joe run after him!' Nancy laid her partner on his back. She brushed hair out his eyes and looked over his body. Obviously there was the stab wound but she wanted to check everywhere else. The whole family had put on bulletproof vest thinking that Ned would stick to his M.O. but obviously he went straight for the main target. A tear ran down the side of her face and fell onto his cheek. 'Honey, baby. I'm here ok? Stay with me baby! Honey, Mum is getting an ambulance ok? Baby just stay with me until then. I love you too much to lose you.' Nancy kissed Frank and could feel him kiss r back passionately.

'Baby, I'm here. I just have a stab wound in my side but that's ok. Is,' Frank exhales in pain. Another tear roles down Nancy's face.

'It's ok honey. Mum is calling an ambulance. I'm going to be right here with you besides; when has a little stab wound ever stopped you anyway?' They both chuckle.

Suddenly, everyone around them flees the immediate area. Nancy covers Frank instinctively from the immediate danger. She looks around and sees that it's the assailant. He came back. He came back to see the damage and he did not like what he saw.

'How can you protect him? You didn't even come after me instead you protected that little bitch.' Nancy slowly got up after she heard who's voice it was. the one that had been terrorising her and her loved ones. Her hands shook with anger.

'How DARE you Ned Nickerson!' Joe and Frank looked at each other with the same expression of 'oh he messed up real bad this time this time, there is no coming back.' Ned recognised the look the brothers gave each other and dropped his hand only slightly but still stood firm.

'How DARE you call Frank Hardy that. He is more of a man than you'll ever be. You could never shine a light next to what that great man has done not only for me but for the greater good. He has spent most of his putting away bad guys and without a second thought has risked his life for not only Joe but for me as well. Yes you are still studying to be a lawyer and you were going to become a hell of a good one at that but now you've just ruined your entire future you dickhead.' Nancy finally stopped yelling at what was left of Ned and his dignity.

'But he ruined us Nancy. He ruined what great dynamic we had. We were a team, we had our futures planned out until he came along. We had a thing going,'

'NO NED! You ruined it. You were the one that slept with another woman. Did you not think i would find out?' A single tear started rolling down her face.

'Yeah you chose the wrong person to cheat on bro,' Joe interrupted.

'Shut it Joe. Wrong moment to interrupt bro,' Frank chuckled at Joe then winced in pain. 

'This man right here, this absolute gem that you stabbed has always been in my life and always will be. It's not his fault nor is it my fault. You've always had a problem whenever we were on a case together instead of explicitly said anything so I never changed. You know what you did? Instead of asking me if i was cheating on you, you go and cheat on me anyway. Did you really think that lowly if me that i would cheat on you? Yes i have always found Frank attractive, since i was 9 but we were together Ned. Me and you. Not me, you and Frank. Me and you. We were a team until you decided to go and cheat on me. You know what else? I did sleep with Frank in Egypt. After a found out that you were cheating on me and told her that I had left you.' Nancy was crying at this stage. Tears were flowing were freely flowing down her face and she didn't bother to wipe them away.

'Honey come here. Baby come here, sit next to me.' Frank gestured next to him.

'That's what makes them work mate. He always looks out for her even though he's literally got a knife in him, he always puts her before himself and vice versa. You mate, never understood her or her side of things. She has always put mysteries and solving crimes in front of everything and you just wanted her to settle down so you can could focus on your dreams even though there was nothing holding you back.' Joe spat. 

'She laid all her love on me though,' Joe grabbed his cuffs and grabbed Ned's wrists.

'Great, now that he's said that I'll have to change my ringtone,' Frank groaned. From behind them Joe buckled over in pain and the sound of footsteps running away as red and blue sirens filled the area.