hardy boys fan fiction
TRIAL BY FIRE
hardy boys nancy drew fan fiction
by
PiperMerlyn
Chapter 10
hardy boys fan fiction
THE CHAPTERS
"So?"
"What?"
"Exactly. What are you scheming?"
"What's it to you?"
Ian Ramsey gave an overdramatic sigh. "You owe her, pal."
Marc snorted. "Duh."
"So..." Ian said in a patient voice. "What are you going to do?"
"I don't know yet."
Adrian grunted. "Well, she's not here right now, so..."
"What?"
"Stop that." Erick shook his head. "Obvious, really."
"You stop that."
Savannah grinned. "It has to be devious."
"And better than what she did to Marc," added Kari.
"And," said Ian, with a wicked look in his pale blue eyes. "Priceless."
Marc sighed. "It would be easier if she was home. I could make all her cats disappear."
"What're you, a magician?"
Kari sighed. "He means bring them to my house and give Casi a sob story about carnivorous whales. Marc, you know I'm allergic to cats."
"I thought whales were carnivorous."
Ian heaved a sigh. "They eat fish, Adrian, not cats." He glanced at Marc. "Sounds like you've done that one before."
Marc shook his head. "Thought about it. Never done it. Yet."
Erick rolled his eyes. "Any more bright ideas?"
"The computer," said Savannah.
Erick turned to look at his girlfriend. "I doubt the computer would have any bright ideas. HAL 9000 it's not."
Ian snorted. "He didn't have any bright ideas either."
Savannah shot both men a glare. "No, no,no. Tell her the computer crashed."
"Oh man, she'd freak," said Marc, perking up.
"Exactly."
Adrian shook his head. "We can't do that. What about her stories? She'd do more than freak, she'd kill all of us."
Savannah grinned. "Oh but I have a plan."
"Uh-oh," muttered Ian.
Erich punched him in the arm. "Shut up."
Marc leaned forward. "So what's the plan?"
Savannah's grin widened. "Wouldn't you like to know."
***
"Quinn." Catherine settled in her seat. "Have I ever met him?"
Casi shook her head. "I never even saw him again. I guess he left."
"Hey." Joe sat down at their table. "Everything's squared away. This time tomorrow, I'll have the Bentley back."
Casi nodded. "Good. I won't have to play chauffeur anymore."
"Great. Nobody needs a demolition driver for a chauffeur anyway."
"Whoa, time out." Catherine sighed. "You two behave."
Casi ignored her sister. "You'd rather be stuck in a ditch?"
Joe shrugged. "Been there, done that."
Catherine groaned. "You two are worse than kids, you know that?"
Casi glared over at her. "You want to walk back?"
Catherine smirked. "Been there, done that."
A familiar-looking waitress came up to them. Joe recognized her from the last time he'd been here, had it only been two days ago? "Welcome back. Care for anything special this fine day?"
They each ordered a light lunch, then Catherine sat back in her chair. "I'd like to enjoy lunch, mind you."
Casi grunted. "Truce," she told Joe. "For now."
Joe's blue eyes twinkled. "Ditto."
Casi muttered something under her breath about yankees and black holes, then focused her gaze out the window. Catherine rolled her eyes and looked at Joe. "So what are you doing for the bachelor party?"
"Wouldn't you like to know."
"Strippers?"
"Wouldn't you---"
"Shush." Catherine shook her head. "I won't go ballistic, you know."
Joe found himself interested. "Really?"
"Joe."
He sighed. "Actually, I haven't left square one." He rested his elbows on the table. "I went to that stripclub in Kenmare but they don't hire out their strippers."
"You should've asked about their escort service."
Joe looked over at Casi. "It amazes me how well you know the seedy side of life."
Cat shrugged. "She always did like to get down and dirty."
Casi just glared at her sister. "Ask Jaime if you don't believe me."
"I'd rather ask you. And how would Jaime know?"
"He's a reporter," snapped Casi.
"Freelance troubleshooter, you mean." Cat bit back a grin. "You marked him for life."
"I should hope not."
Joe sighed. "You were saying?"
"The stripclub has an escort service. Believe it or not, Donovan was approached---"
Catherine pretended shock, trying not to laugh. "Donovan?"
"Amazing isn't it. Our dear straitlaced older brother---"
"Get to the point."
Casi shot a glare in his direction. "He told the girl no. Then when he saw a bouncer harassing her, he charged in."
"Where angels fear to tread," added Catherine.
Joe sighed and shook his head. "Why am I not surprised? Seems to be a genetic trait in your family."
Casi sat up straighter as their lunches arrived. "Flattery will get you nowhere."
Cat grinned. "Ah, sister. Speak for yourself."
"Oh....really?"
Joe chuckled. "Now, now, ladies. No fighting. We're in a public place."
"Don't you start," muttered Casi. "You're in hot water as it is."
"Yours isn't much cooler," replied Joe.
Catherine tried not to grin and failed. "Both of you behave."
"How do you do that?" asked Joe.
Casi caught the look her sister gave her and sighed. Like she could really keep her feelings secret. "Okay, okay, I give."
"Uh-uh," said Catherine. "You have to say it."
"Cat, no.''
"Come on."
Joe looked from Catherine to Cassandra. "What?"
Casi shook her head. "None of your beeswax. Uncle," she told her sister.
Joe arched an eyebrow, now really curious. "Uncle who?"
***
"There." Savannah leaned back in the chair, dusting her hands off with a flourish. "That should do it."
Erick looked uneasy. "Didn't know you were such a computer whiz."
Savannah twisted around to look at him. "I have many talents." She stood up and stepped into his arms. "I'm sure you've noticed."
Erick smiled down at her. "Oh indeed I have."
"Okay, enough of the mushy stuff," muttered Ian. Penelope promptly backhanded him in the shoulder. Ian looked over at her, startled. "What? What'd I say?"
Penny just sighed and rolled her eyes.
Marc got up from the divan. "So, she'll think the computer crashed, right."
Savannah nodded. "Brittani told me what to do."
Adrian cocked an eyebrow. "So what did you do?"
"Oh no you don't. Casi'll grill you first," said Ian. "And you'll be the first to crack."
"Hey."
"No, Ian's right," said Savannah. "The less you know, the better off you are. And you won't be a risk."
"A risk to what?" asked Adrian.
Erick groaned. "Shut up."
Kari looked around the room. "So, what now?"
"We get the hell of out here before my sister catches us."
"She can't catch us, she's not here," said Adrian.
Ian glanced out the window. "Actually, she is."
"Oh shit," muttered Marc, starting for the stairs. "She can't see us up here."
Adrian looked over at him. "Of course she can't. The angle---"
Ian grabbed him by the shoulder and pushed him toward the door. "Not now, Adrian."
The seven of them hurried down the stairs. Marc cracked open the door and peered out. "Okay, I don't see her. But once we're out, scatter."
"Why?"
"So she won't be suspicious."
"But wouldn't she be more suspicious if we scatter?"
Marc groaned. "Adrian, shut up," he muttered, yanking open the door.
"Why, hello, Marcus."
Marc turned to see Cassandra standing in front of the door, one foot tapping on the flagstone floor. "Oh...uh, Casi..."
She inspected the nails of her left hand casually, then glanced over at him. "You sounded like a herd of elephants coming down the stairs."
"Well, we were looking for you," began Ian.
"Well....you found me." She stepped between Marc and Ian, glancing at each of them in turn. "So....what's up?"
"Oh nothing important," answered Adrian. "Nothing at all."
Casi arched an eyebrow. "Of course it wasn't. When it's important, I'm sure you'll let me know."
Marc watched her go up the stairs, then motioned everyone out. He met Savannah's eyes. "She knows."
"But how---?"
Ian slapped his forehead with the palm of his right hand. "Shit, she was expecting retaliation."
"Her computer?"
"What else is there?"
Adrian sighed. "So she's not going to freak. We went to a lot of trouble for nothing."
Savannah frowned at him. "What's this 'we'?"
"Actually...."said Kari. "No." She held up a square clear box with a dozen diskettes inside, labeled and filed alphabetically. She tilted it from side to side, making the diskettes rattle gently.
Marc recognized the box and a slow grin came on his face. "You switched them."
Kari nodded. "Same kind of box but the disks are computer games."
"But won't she---?" started Adrian.
Kari grinned. "No. Because I switched the labels too."
Marc grabbed Kari by her shoulders. "You are brilliant." He took her face in his hands and kissed her. "Absolutely brilliant. I could kiss you. Again." He kissed her. "And again."
"Shit!"
Everyone turned to look up the stairs. Marc's grin widened. "I think," he whispered, "we'd better scatter."
Adrian nodded. "I'm outta here."
Casi's voice drifted down, sounding angry. "Marcus!"
***
Standing in front of the full-length mirror, she studied her reflection. The dress was elegant and simple--snug bodice skimming her hips then flaring out into a full skirt. It made her look older. She loved it. She ran her hands through her hair, trying to decide how to fix it. It was long--too long to hold a curl, maybe a French braid, no, she wanted it loose. A knock on the door made her spin around, nearly tripping over the skirt in her bare feet. She yanked open the door and grinned.
"You're going to wear it out before we even get there."
"I love it. I love the fit....I love the color, the----"
"Yes. I know. You told me that. Saturday night, all day yesterday. Really, Alexandra. It's just a dress."
Sixteen-year-old Alexandra glared at him. "And I suppose you'd tell Casi that in her wedding dress."
"That's different---" Chad Whitfield looked at his baby sister, startled. "What?"
"I saw you over at the jewelry counter." Alexandra turned back to the mirror. Pale green satin made her sky-blue eyes look bluegreen. It was only recently that she found herself yearning to dress up. Usually she wore jeans and T-shirts.
Chad came into the room, suddenly nervous. "Would you like it?"
"Casi would be the best sister-in-law, Chad. You know we're already friends." Alexandra adjusted the off-shoulder neckline. "Do you think she'll say yes?"
And that was the billion dollar question, thought Chad, finding himself pacing. Ever since they'd argued over her house over a year ago, Cassandra had been distant toward him. If anything, she seemed even more ambivelant toward their relationship, such as it was. "I really don't know."
"You're asking her at the wedding?"
"Ahh....no. This is not an easy thing to do. I can't just 'pop the question'."
"That's how it's done in the movies."
Chad sighed. "Alexandra---"
"And all those romance novels."
Chad shook his head. "No. The time has to be right."
Alexandra turned to look at him, her hands on her hips. She cocked her head to one side, letting the wheat-blond hair cascade over one shoulder. "All the planning in the world will just screw things up, Chad."
He looked over at her. "When did you grow up, little sister?"
Alexandra went over to him and hugged him. "I'm sixteen, Chad. I know a lot more than you think."
"Should I be worried?"
Alexandra closed her eyes and sighed, then opened them and gave him a wink. "You'll be the first to know, big brother."
***
"This came for ye at the house.
Jaime scrubbed his face clean and tossed the towel in the hamper. "Don't you ever knock?"
"Now why would I be doin' that? You're my brother."
Jaime sighed and took the square envelope. "Now shoo."
His fifteen-year-old sister shook her head. "Oh no you don't. What is it?"
He recognized it from seeing one exactly like it Saturday at Connelly's. "Like you don't know."
His sister glared at him. "I know it has to do with Casi."
Jaime blinked. There was no return address and only the handwriting would give anything away--it was Casi's. "Her sister is getting married."
"But Casi did the invitation, right? She wasn't in a good mood."
Jaime sighed. "Ye know it really unnerves me, when you do that." He grabbed his shirt off the hook and walked past her, into his office.
"Well, stop being rude. I need to find something to wear." Cassidy McConnaughhay started for the door.
"What makes you think you're going?" Jaime slipped on his shirt and began buttoning it up.
A sly look came over the girl's face and she gestured to the card. "She invited me."
Jaime waited until his sister left and opened the envelope. He pulled out the card and shuddered. "Saints preserve us, I'll never get used to that as long as I live." Casi had invited her.
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Disclaimer
The Hardy Boys belong to Simon and Schuster and the Stratemeyer Foundation. The Hardy Boys Fan Fiction authors of the Hardy Detective Agency have just borrowed them for an adventure or two. The authors promise to put the boys back when they are done with them. The authors do claim copyright to the original characters in this story. Please do not borrow original characters without express permission of the authors.