#loved having Deirdre and the Hardys there and not being alone in the game

[nancydrewcomplex]

Nancy Drew in Midnight in Salem

A town this old is bound to have some unbelievable stories.

[macbetha]

below the cut, you'll find an interest check chapter for quatervois, a nancy drew pc fic. it's francy and also my idea of my absolute dream game. please let me know what you think and enjoy!

+++

After Ned breaks up with her and she loses her father, Nancy struggles to find her old vigor for detective work. While on vacation in London with Bess and George, Nancy accepts the urgent invitation to return Blackmoor Manor. Her English getaway quickly turns into an investigation once Nancy realizes the true reason Nigel Mookergee asked her back to the moors. Finding Deirdre Shannon at the manor under the same pretense only sets Nancy’s nerves further on edge. It isn’t until the Hardy Boys show up in Blackmoor that Nancy gets a glimpse of who she once was. With a manor full of suspects and a glass heart cracked open, Nancy is determined to find the truth.

Dear Ned,

How are you? It’s been a while. I’ve always started off my letters telling you about my latest case, but I’m not on one right now. I’m sure that’s hard to believe. Bess and George have whisked me away to London. I’m sure you would love it here. This is the first time I’ve seen Bess and George since I sold the house in River Heights. I stayed with Kyler and Matt in Ireland for a while. I needed a change of scenery. Their daughter just turned two. I’m somewhat jealous I’m happy for them. Anyways, I miss you I hope you’re doing well. I’m sure New York is lovely at Christmas time. I hope Stephanie is I wish Stephanie well How is Stephanie? I hope Stephanie is doing all right. I appreciated the card Stephanie sent when dad passed away. Warm regards, Merry Christmas, Love Nancy

She stares down at the letter as if the red ink were her own blood. It feels just as wounding, seeing her emotions made physical in the words on the paper. Only when a tear splatters on the page does she break free from her trance to the past. Nancy is the only person in her hotel suite, yet she works to rid the evidence like one of her own suspects. She pulls her feet up in the desk chair and crosses her ankles, holding the arch of her right foot – it recently became the victim of her latest culprit. Nancy’s foot got caught under the getaway car’s tire, and she is lucky to even be able to walk after the event. Months later, it’s stiff as hell with the most intense cramps she’s ever endured. Heart racing to forget the night it happened, she focuses on the snowfall out the window – counting little sparkles of snowflakes, though the world blurs when she squints. The doctor thought her failing sight as well as the daily headaches were on account of being hit in the head so many times.

She busies herself with choosing a postcard to send Hannah and Nancy selects one with a cat dressed up as a royal guard. The cuteness puts a smile on her face, however small – she hopes it’ll do the same for Hannah, but there is no telling. Nancy had the gut-feeling Hannah was lying about recognizing her the last time Nancy visited the nursing home. Torment swirls like wind to fallen leaves. She doesn’t have Hannah or Togo to come home to. Togo passed just before Nancy’s thirty-second birthday, and Carson fell ill soon after that. Nancy looks to her hotel bed where Mr. Woogle Woggle sits tucked between two pillows. It seems he is the only one that hasn’t left her. A knock on her hotel door reminds her that is simply not true. Nancy rights herself, fixing her posture to the stance of someone passionate, and she opens the door. Bess and George greet her with blazing smiles; Nancy gives silent thanks for their presence in her life. She would still be in Scotland with Kyler and Matt, had Bess and George not insisted to take her on a vacation. Nancy imagines that their insistence was due to them wanting to keep Nancy from spending Christmas alone on the road again like last year. “Nancy,” Bess stresses. “You’re never going to guess who we ran into in the lobby!” Horror strikes dull and loud in her ears. Surely, it’s not Ned. Please, don’t let it be Ned. George says, “Give you a hint: they were involved in one of your cases.” Nancy’s despair leaves her throat tight. She glances down the hallway, preparing to yank Bess and George into her room and dial her Cathedral contact to get them set up in witness protection.

“That didn’t narrow it down at all, George,” Bess says with a roll of her eyes. “Nancy’s been on hundreds of cases.” Nancy’s strain creeps into her one word: “Who?” Bess and George beam. “Maya Nguyn!” ++

Nancy follows Bess and George to the elevator in a hurried stupor. No thoughts can she conjure as she steps free from the elevator walls which seem to close in on her; Nancy marches into the lobby and notices a woman in the crowd of tourists. She stands with her back to Nancy, her hair drawn up in a bun, and her chin is lifted high with no time for games. Maya turns around and her bright red mouth stretches into a smile. “Nancy!” “Maya,” Nancy huffs in disbelief. She tenses in Maya’s sudden embrace before all but falling into it. This is something good I did; Nancy cherishes with shut eyes. This is someone I helped. When Maya pulls back, Nancy says, “What are you doing all the way out here? You said in your last letter, you were still in Washington.” “My house is technically there,” Maya nods. “But I get to work on the road more these days.” Her brows crease over a sympathetic smile. “Bess and George tell me you’re kind of in the same boat.” Nancy shrugs, struggling to hold Maya’s concerned gaze. “It’s just easier,” Nancy lies. Maya seems to see right through it, but she doesn’t speak on it. Nancy will have to thank her later. George says, “Maya offered us free tickets to a play she’s reviewing tonight and get this – it’s at the Globe Theater!” “Remind me what’s so special about a globe theater,” Bess sighs, checking her nails. “Not ‘a’, Bess, the.” George shakes her head. “The Globe Theater – well, technically it’s a reconstruction of the first one, but it’s where Shakespeare wrote his plays.” “It’s the opening night of a new play,” Maya explains. “And Nancy, you’ll never guess who the star is.” Nancy cannot take anymore guessing games. “Brady Armstrong.” Maya blinks. “Well – yes, actually.” Nancy frowns. “Wait, really?” “Yes,” Maya laughs. “I’ll be conducting an interview with him after the show if you want to go backstage and chew him out for all the stunts he pulled back in the day.” A spark of vigor heightens Nancy’s senses. That doesn’t sound bad at all. Still – “Are you sure we won’t be a distraction or –” “Nancy.” Maya’s hand falls on her shoulder. “You saved my life. You’re the furthest thing from a distraction.” Gratitude floods her before Nancy nods. “All right, then.” +++ The walk to the Globe would be depressive what with the sky being the color of a soaked napkin, but the Christmas decorations lift everyone’s spirits. Nancy limps by a shop playing Christmas oldies through the open door and she is borne back to her father listening to records over cocoa on Christmas morning. She tries to push the memory from her mind, then she thinks of building snowmen with Ned and having snowball fights that turned into the sweetest kisses she’s ever received. The music won’t stop. There are three Christmas trees in the display window and their flashing lights strike pain behind Nancy’s eyes. She pants through a sensory overload before someone squeezes her hand. Maya smiles in understanding as Bess and George walk obliviously in front of them. “It’s hard,” Maya says. “This life on the road. You pick up a few habits.” Nancy squeezes her hand in thanks before tucking her own in her peacoat’s pocket. “I want to enjoy this,” she admits quietly. “But I think the holidays are always hard.” Maya nods. “It won’t be this way forever, Nancy,” she promises. “I’ve got my fingers crossed for you.” Cross your fingers, there’s a story behind this door! Nancy swallows around the lump of panic in her throat. She plasters on a smile. +++ The theater is packed with noise and touching and all-around boisterous patrons. They find their seats in the crowd and Nancy doesn’t watch where she’s going – she must keep her eyes on the open ceiling to remember how to breathe. She sits down at the end of the group and Maya passes out programs. Quatervois, the title reads. Bess says, “What does that mean?” “It means you’re at a crossroads,” Maya says. “A turning point.” “Sounds a little dramatic,” George grumbles. Nancy traces the swooping lines of the title with

her thumb, repeating the process until the lights go down. The masked chorus emerges from the shadows and gives a synopsis: Down from Olympus a great hero emerges, Mighty in his strength and courage! A choice he must make Shall he ignore fate? Will he choose love, Or follow his destiny there-of? When Brady saunters on stage in an impossibly short silk chiton, it’s an out-of-body experience for Nancy. He still hasn’t grown his ponytail back, so Simone could very well be in the audience right now. Nancy rubs her aching temple at the thought. Brady begins his journey as the character Diogenes, a demigod that was supposedly – according to the play’s plot – written out of ancient Greek mythos. Diogenes must defeat those who want to leave him forgotten in history, lest he admit that he can’t win this fight and live his life like everyone else. Nancy assumes the play’s ending too soon. She imagines this will be a droll experience written only to paint Brady as a glorious hero that can conquer anything – but she is quickly surprised. Brady is stabbed in the final act and addresses the audience in a wail: And so my story ends a breath too early, No time to even be weary! The moon shall pass over my corpse, And the sun will beat down on my ashes with no remorse. Today, I have failed my quartervois Alone, forgotten, and lost. When the curtain falls, Nancy’s mouth is parted in disbelief as a tear burns down her cheek. They don’t receive a proper goodbye with Maya since the rest of the crowd is bustling toward the exit. She does have time to say that Brady is producing a new television series and will be scouting some locations further into Essex; Maya will be following the film crew there for test shoots. She embraces each girl individually and holds Nancy for a beat longer, whispering, “You’ll call if you need to talk?” “Of course,” Nancy says by impulse. “Same to you.” +++ Nancy is proud of herself for going out, but when she closes the door to her hotel suite, her back thunks against the wall and she must take deep breaths for several minutes. She decides to treat herself to a bubble bath even though it’s nearly midnight. She rolls her hair up into a bun and looks at it in the mirror, how haphazard and messy hers is in comparison to Maya. Nancy isn’t jealous – but she can’t help but notice when people are thriving. She wants to figure out how to do it herself and hasn’t found the cure yet. The bath is claw-footed and deep. Nancy sinks into the steaming water before goosebumps rise on her arms, and her freckled skin blushes in the heat. The water does wonders for her foot. She eases her head back on the lip of the tub and nears a light doze when her cell phone rings. It rests atop a stack of towels by the tub. Nancy wipes her damp hand off before looking to the screen. Frank Hardy. Nancy answers and taps the speaker button to relax back in the tub. “Hey.” “Hi, Nance,” Frank says, his voice a familiar balm after such a stressful time. “What’s going on?” “Things aren’t too different from last week’s call,” Nancy smiles. “But I’m on vacation with Bess and George.” “Oh wow! That’s awesome. I hope it’s been fun.” Nancy’s glazed eyes blink. “Yeah,” she rasps. “It’s nice.” She clears her throat, searching for her old enthusiasm. “But what about you? How’s Joe?” “Same as usual, a pain in my ass.” Nancy chuckles before a distinctive lift raises Frank’s voice. “We’re actually getting ready to get on a plane for a case – but I wanted to make sure everything’s good with you.” Nancy’s hand closes in a fist on her raised knee. “Gosh, it’s been so long since I’ve been on a case.” “Not really. You just took a few months off to stay with Kyler, right?” “Yeah, but that’s the longest I’ve ever gone without a case since I started.” “I’d give you ours if I could,” Frank says. “Really not looking forward to such a long plane ride. Oh, they’re calling for our gate – but do you want me call you when I land?” Gratefulness is a warm glow in her heart. “No, that’s okay – but

thank you. Be safe on your trip and tell Joe I said hi.” “Can do.” Frank pauses. “I – tell Bess and George I said hi.” “Can do,” Nancy repeats. She chews her lip. “See you soon?” She feels foolish for saying something when Frank is headed to a case. While the weekly phone calls have kept Nancy sane, it would be even better to see the Hardy Boys. “I’ll make it happen,” Frank promises. “See you, Nance.” After they hang up, Nancy struggles to get out of the tub with her swollen foot. She gets into a pair of sweats and wraps up some ice in a washcloth, then holds it against her foot. Nancy mulls over her conversation with Frank, wondering how much of her poor mood could be due to not solving a mystery. With a deep yawn, she tosses the soaked washcloth in the wastebasket, not able to walk to the bathroom to put it in the sink. She cuddles up to her teddy bear and flicks the lamp off when her phone rocks to life on the nightstand. Bewildered, Nancy turns the lamp back on to look at the screen. The number is unknown; she sees her hand tremble around the phone. She lets the call go to voicemail before the phone vibrates to life once again. Bracing herself, Nancy answers. “Hello?” “Yes, hello – I’m trying to reach a one Nancy Drew?” The voice is British and eerily familiar, like Nancy heard it in a dream. “This is she.” “Splendid! Oh, you wouldn’t believe the trouble I’ve gone to in order to find your number.” “Sorry? Who is this?” “Why, Nigel Mookergee. We met at –” “Blackmoor,” Nancy whispers. “Nigel, hi. What’s going on?” “I’m afraid the manner of my call is not a jovial one,” he says. “How should I explain this? Well, I suppose from the start. You see –” He sighs. “Don’t tell anyone I’m speaking of this, but the Penvellyns have fallen into a bit of… financial trouble.” Nancy says, “’Financial trouble’?” “It’s certainly not my business to spread, but yes. It’s not that they are a poor family by any means, but one diplomat’s salary is not enough to keep up a castle.” Nancy sits up, grabbing a pen and notepad from her bedside table. She jots as Nigel continues. “The Penvellyns began to host historical tours at the manor – much to Mrs. Drake’s dismay, I might add. Jane wishes to expand the business to the paranormal side of things, and I don’t quite agree with the idea myself, but she insists it’s just what the manor needs.” Nancy finishes scrawling and says, “So, you’re working for the Penvellyns now?” “Yes. I’m afraid there’s been some situations – inconsequential events, if you will – that need a glance over.” Nancy arches a brow. “You mean an investigation.” “Ah, such a serious word. I simply want to make sure we are fully prepared to expand the business.” Nancy’s eyes narrow. “Right. When would you need me there?” “As soon as possible -” Nigel catches himself. “I mean, at your earliest convenience.” Nancy glances over her notes, running her hand over the page filled by red ink. She closes her eyes against the sight and says, “I’ll be there tomorrow.”

thank you so much for reading! please let me know what you think and stay safe. and please consider following me here and on twitter! xoxo

[hidden-clue]

MiD Review

So yesterday, for Hallowen, I finished MiD the first time ever! Last time I played it my expectations were so high up I started crying 15 minutes into it and quit. But this time, with my expectations rammed deeply into the ground, it was…. not that bad.

I’ll start with everything I liked, and thats mini-games! I loved making and giving everyone pancakes! Loved herb mixing! Loved how you could find additional herbs and make truth serum! Loved giving it to everyone! Mini games that bring you additional content is excellent idea! And pumpking carving got me soo excited I actually based my irl pumpkin on their design! I also loved seeing my pumpkins in cut scenes, it felt like I personally decorated this town for Halloween.

I loved that there was so many female characters! Loved that little bit going thru the forest! I liked that the game had underground tunnels! I liked the old witchy puzzles that reminded me of Castle Malloy! I love that the theme was witches! I’m personally very invested in information about the witch trials and I appreciated all info we got on it. I liked the hidden passage in the library! I loved Mei and Deirdre and Joe! The music was so good and spooky and set a great mood for Halloween.

I liked how personal the story got and how invested everyone was in solving it, plot-wise it was brilliant to have the answer to original mystery “who set the fire” answered at midpoint and for the goals of characters to shift into finding Mei and the will. I liked how Nancy went off at the judge at the end!

Now, for the disliked parts.. graphic was obviously a wreck, I could see soo many pixels, why were the windows at the museum showing it was dark outside even during the day? Even tho they were going for fall witchy mood, I mostly got it from music because the game was too bland look wise, it was like being in any other random game, even tho we had many locations they all looked so modern, decorated with minimalism alone, to the point where it felt like they only existed for few days and had no history or tradition in it. I miss old messy places with piles of junk on them.

Even tho we had many suspects this time, they were all completely bland, only Mei showed some personality and I love her so much for it; when her message said “Sorry to break it to you, but I’m ghosting you” my mouth dropped, that is savage! Deirdre and Hardy boys were themselves but others were just 2-3 stereotypes put together and felt bland. They had stories but no personality.

I think this game went way too hard on Mei, in the beginning she’s already an outcast, her face is burned, she looks unusual, she’s unsociable and carrying weight of protecting other’s crimes, and she’s a kid at this point. Did we also need to have her drugged and unconscious underground, then broken down in a wave of panic and paranoia and death fear so she’d desperately confess everything and have emotions forcefully dragged out of her? It was too much. No other character in ND was tortured that far before and my heart hurts for her. I don’t like that we left her in that house with Teegan who obviously puts her last.

So drama with Ned is ridiculous at this point, it always feels like they’re on a brink of a breakup lately and if they did break up and Nancy got with literally anyone else it would be the most exciting thing ever, I root for Deirdre, they flirted a lot this game! Especially with the truth serum involved, loved that bit! I thought Frank would also confess love to Nancy if given the serum but he sensed it was coming and refused, aww.

I never suspected Alicia even a little bit, because I saw her and immediately recognized her as a black woman, even though it was subtle, it was there, and I thought, surely we’re not, in our year of 2020, making black women the villains? Surely that would be tone deaf and tactless and messed up? And… I was wrong. It’s exactly what the game did and it felt WRONG. Watching the end made my stomach turn, black woman causing damages to society in order to steal property and build her own fancy complex while cutting off a place from its history? It sounds a LOT like something some other people… did… to black people in general.

I suspected Teegan the entire time, I was only partly right. It wasn’t even anything she did, just her character had an evil glint in her eyes on the phone pic.

Anyway, it was sorta fun in some places, messed up in others, very frustrating to move around, wish it wasn’t virtual reality, wish conversations weren’t so weird, I do admit it was hilarious to call people while standing in front of them, I had Mei tell me she’s ghosting me while I was looking at her eyes directly lmao. I will be back to replay the minigames the next Halloween, and to hear the soundtrack again. So… 4.5/10.

[eye-of-the-phoenix]

Okay, now MID spoilers and mini-review

I really didn’t hate this game as much as I thought I might, but there was definitely a distinct feeling of unfinished-ness. There were lots of moments that I thought could have been interesting if they had been built out more, and the same went for the characters. I didn’t get a sense that I was getting full backstories and full “secrets” from the non-culprits like we typically get in ND. I think that the characters had potential and I felt like there was a good span of places to explore (though they felt unpolished). I truly liked the cast and setting and just wish they all got more depth!

The RAM and graphics card on my computer ran everything fine so I didn’t have the display issues others are seeing, but I was hoping for the kind of image quality we saw in SEA. I think this got sacrificed in making the 360-view world, which I really didn’t need, especially because the navigation was freaking impossible. I only sort of got the hang of how to navigate by the end of the game, and spent the whole first half stumbling around, even with a mouse. A WASD or arrow navigation would have been better, or more settings for being able to alter mouse navigation. Or, you know, keeping the old point and click style which was fine! I did like seeing found objects in 360 despite the clunkiness. The music was lovely and had enough callbacks to old ND soundtracks.

Then... I just... really really didn’t like that we had both the Hardy boys and Deirdre in this game. I get that they’re all fan favs that drew interest for the game but I would have preferred to have none of them in there, honestly. I like the Hardy boys fine as phone contacts but I don’t like playing as them because I’m here to play as Nancy! 

More importantly, the game also could have been WAY spookier if I was alone in this town and not constantly surrounded by a bunch of people who were conclusively not culprits. The reason GTH and SAW work as the scariest games to me (MHM honorable mention tbh, that game still scares me even though it’s so old school and I’ve played it like 40 times) is that Nancy is completely alone in places that are very spooky, and the people she talks to are very spooky themselves and never off the suspicion hook until the endgame. Those games also don’t work TOO hard to explain some of the supernatural factors, and you’re left with this vague feeling that you haven’t fully understood what happened. MID overdoes it with the explanations for every single little thing (though I admit I liked the ergot plot) and totally loses the unsettling feeling via letting you have pancakes with the Hardy boys or w/e whenever you’re feeling uncomfortable, which kills the impact of the ghost sightings.

If we ever get another game, and there’s less awkward boy drama (sorry!), higher quality graphics, less appalling controls, and definitely a proofreader, I’m okay with the rest of the baseline MID created (and it feels more like a baseline start than a complete game).

[arthoure]

I politely request any Seliph and/or Leif headcanons you might have. If not, well I'll settle for any headcanons you haven't done yet. Thank you!

Seliph: 

He wears his hair long because he’s always wanted to be as much like Shanan as possible! 

He also tried to grow a moustache, because same goes for Oifey, but, uh. That didn’t work out as well. Edain guided him toward a razor with patience and nonchalance -- immediately. 

(This goes contrary to most of fandom I think but) He’s a little on the short side (maybe 5′7″, 5′8″), but he’s not thin or moe. He’s actually pretty solidly built and has a broad chest+shoulders. 

He looks more like Deirdre. He has all her facial features and especially her big, expressive eyes. He has ridiculously long eyelashes.

He got Sigurd’s hair and hand shape. 

He and Oifey wouldn’t look related at a glance but they have the same ears.

He can read silently (a big feat for the well-educated in medieval culture) but still has to move his lips. His education was good but not as good as it would’ve been if he’d grown up in peacetime. 

He can’t handle spicy food. He just can’t do it. 

He’s demisexual af. 

The white boots and gloves are purely ceremonial. They make him look sharp and clean and leaderly, but he can’t afford to get them cleaned all the time!! He only wears them while addressing crowds or around camp; never while marching or into battle.

He’s mildly attracted to Julia, but making a romantic move felt weird and invasive to him while she had amnesia, so he figured he’d just step in as a friend/brotherly figure and let her figure out her own life. (Not pictured: Seliph wheezing “thank naga” on the ground after her heritage is revealed.) After the war it’s pretty easy for him to reconcile his feelings into something entirely familial. There are many fish in the sea for him, but there’s only one sister.    

When playing in Tirnanog, he always volunteered to be “it” first in tag or hide-and-seek. 

Oifey and Shanan taught him all about Bein’ Manly but Seliph actually really enjoyed hanging out with Edain and watching her do nun/housekeeping stuff. He’s accepted his role as king with open arms, but waaay deep down, if he weren’t royalty, he thinks he’d be decently happy being a house-husband and raising kids. 

Leif:

The white armour was Finn’s idea. It’s kingly. Leif hates it and has to clean tf out of it every day.

He does kill Travant with his bare hands. He wins their duel and has him in the perfect position to kill him with the Light Brand...and tosses it aside.

A very hardy boy! He’s scrawny in-game, as is normal for his age, but when he’s fully grown he’ll be tall and ripped -- possibly even bigger than Cuan. 

He’s really awkward with Altena at first, since he’s never actually known her, and she’s his elder and has the holy blood... He’s desperate to form a close relationship with her, but really it all depends on how approachable she is.  

As opposed to most of his friends, who enjoy tales spoken aloud with changing voices and exaggerated gestures, Leif likes to be alone and read the books himself. It’s a little bit of introversion, a little bit of control-freakiness, and a little bit of secret nerd. 

Unlike most boys his age, he is not prone to random mood swings. This is due to the intense emotional trauma of his...I was going to say “childhood” but lbr, it’s his entire life. He can get Fired Up, sure, but he has a lot of repressive tendencies and pushes a lot away. 

He has a lot of internal conflict over his relationship to Finn. In a lot of ways, Finn was the only father he had, but in a lot of other ways, there are some uncross-able lines between them as lord and servant. -- and the nagging thought that maybe Finn only raised him out of obligation to Cuan, not because of any love for Leif himself The older he gets, the more he wonders if he’s disappointing Cuan’s spirit somehow by caring for Finn so much, or discrediting Finn’s effort in raising him by not fully accepting him as a father figure. 

[ned-nerderson]

ANY OF THE 3AM SENTENCE STATERS W JOE AND BESS 💗💗💗

A (kinda) quick one shot, the crew goes camping, Joe and Bess get some privacy for the first time and being together comes naturally to them. (Nothing really inappropriate) please enjoy (like, pls)

“I’m a being of pure power,” Joe huffed as he stumbled across a line in the dirt “I don’t need sleep.” His hands fell onto his knees as George and Frank jogged up behind him.

Frank draped his body over his camping chair next to the fire “Then I’ll sleep for you.” George walked over to Frank giving him a swift pat in the middle of his back, “Don’t tell me I just out ran an ATAC agent.”

“Not this agent!” Joe sat down on the stump next to Bess around the fire.

Frank wheezed, “It’s 3am. We are in the middle of the woods,” he inhaled and swallowed, “I’ve had a long day.”

“So what Hardy, some of us have had a rough day too,” Deirdre rolled her eyes.

George laughed, “Oh you’re just upset that no one told you Ned wasn’t staying the night up here with us.”

“Quiet,” Bess hissed, “Nancy will hear you!”

“Let her hear,” Deirdre chugged the last of her beer.

“I’m… Bed… ‘Night,” Frank staggered to his tent.Deirdre got up from the picnic table she was sitting on, “Try not to make too much noise when you come in the tent girls, 'night losers.”

Joe raised an eyebrow and glanced from Deirdre to George. Once Deirdre was in the girls tent George threw a broken graham cracker at Joe. “Hey,” Joe flinched, “that’s a good cracker!”Bess giggled. George crossed her arms in her fold out chair across the fire from them. “Nancy is already sleeping in the girls tent and Bess will be in there too.” Joe did the classic yawn and arm stretch to get his arm around Bess. “Bess has options.” He winked, making Bess flush with color. George huffed, “gross.” She broke her fire stick and tossed it into the dying flames. “I have better things to do-” “Like Deirdre?” Joe interjected. “-than watch you flirt with my cousin, goodnight guys. And Bess,” George glared at Joe, “don’t make any bad choices.”

The fire crackled softly and crunch of the forest floor under George’s shoes faded away.“Well looks like it’s just you and me left. You and the the midnight forest run champion,” Joe took a sip from his beer bottle. Bess handed him a water bottle, “you better pace yourself.” “You’re always looking out for me,” Joe took the water bottle, “thanks Peach.” He winked and took a drink of water. Bess blushed again.“So, that offer… you weren’t serious, were you Hardy?” She took a bite of her chocolate bar while intently staring at him.

Despite his best effort to stay cool he almost choked on his water. Her gorgeous blonde hair had lost some of its curl throughout the day. Joe wondered if it still smelled like her coconut shampoo. And her skin seemed to glow in the dim light of the embers. He was just staring at her for a bit too long now, he had to say something. “Well I mean, I’m sure it’s a bit crowded in the girls tent by now and you don’t want to go and wake everyone up, could you pass the marshmallows?” Joe sipped his water so he could stop talking.

“You know what I mean Joe.” Joe popped some marshmallows in his mouth. Her curves looked great in her jeans and flannel, something she didn’t wear often. “Frank and I do have separate tents now,” he raised an eyebrow, “not to pressure you or anything.” Her sudden confidence was unlike her normal self and it threw Joe off his game. Bess watched him get up to put the bag of marshmallows away. “It does sound interesting,” Bess whispered. Joe turned around excitedly, “it is late.” “It is.” She stood up. “I’ll just grab my things from the car, I’ll meet you inside?” She grinned sweetly at him. He was clearly excited she was finally coming around. “Inside?” “Inside your tent, Joe.”“Yeah.” A bit dazed he grinned back at her.He put the last embers of the fire out and grabbed his flashlight. Once in his tent he cleaned up a bit. He checked for bugs, twigs, moved his dirty clothes, and made sure everything was comfortable for Bess when she got back.

Bess unzipped the tent flap and crawled in with her bag. Joe couldn’t believe he felt a bit nervous about this. Then again he had never been this alone with Bess. “I thought you were going to change in the car.” Joe caught himself staring at her jeans.“Well… I thought you���d be helping me with that,” Bess sat down next to him. Joe was fixated on her eyes, they seemed to glow in the darkness of the tent. “You’re being really forward tonight.” Joe touched the bottom of her pant leg. Her voice fell a bit, “oh, I just thought that you, I mean I didn’t mean to, I figured you might like, I’m sorry do you not like it?” She scratched the back of her neck as she stammered, not able to meet his eyes anymore. There was the Bess he knew. “No, no I do like you. It. I like it, and you.” Joe was stammering now. “I mean you’ve never seemed to be interested.” Bess smiled and looked up at him, “well you’re always gone on a case, it’s hard enough with my best friend being gone all the time but if we were-” “Yeah I get it.” Joe sighed and rubbed her shoulder. “Why are you changing your mind though?” “Well if Ned and Nancy can do it, why can’t we? I mean it then it can’t be that hard to do, not that we should be together, but we could but that’s not that what I-” Joe kissed her. He was kissing Bess. He was kissing Bess in his tent and they were alone and she liked him. And she tasted like chocolate. “Sweet,” he thought, literally and figuratively. Bess ran her hands through his hair. She pulled away from his lips, “wait so are we together or just?” “Whatever you want,” Joe leaned into her again but she leaned away letting her hand slide to his chest to stop him.“Sorry,” Joe smiled shyly, “but really, I don’t want to force any decisions. And about Ned and Nancy…” Joe rolled his eyes thinking about his brother’s huge crush on Nancy and how he suspects that Nancy isn’t as perfect a girlfriend as Ned thinks she is, sadly. Bess cocked her head like a confused puppy, “what about Ned and Nancy?”“They… I mean Ned doesn’t know… Frank-”Bess grabbed Joe’s shirt collar playfully, “if you have gossip Hardy, you better tell me.” Joe laughed, “don’t tell anyone, okay? Frank has this huge crush on Nancy, he has since like, forever. And Nancy… well, lets say I felt pretty awkward being the third person when we were all in Hawaii.” Bess gasped, “NOOO-” her mouth was covered by Joe’s hand, she was a bit too loud. “Nummphh,” Joe slipped his hand from her mouth to her cheek and rubbed it with his thumb. “I don’t know anything for sure except Frank is in love with Nancy, no telling, okay?” Bess nodded and kissed his thumb, “ you know Joe, with all the flirting you do I thought you’d be on top of me by now.” Joe sighed and slipped one of his arms around her back swiftly laying her down and climbing over her on his hands and knees. “Is this better, Peach?” She ran her hands down his back and played with the end of his shirt. She kissed him which he took as a yes, and as the ok to make out. “Although, I still haven’t changed yet,” she managed to say between kisses, “could you maybe-” Joe sat up, “yeah sure you can go ahead I’ll try not to look.” Bess sighed, “Joe…” Joe was already turning around “I said I’d try.” Bess grabbed him by the shoulder and made him face her. “Joe, I appreciate how sweet you’re being, I really do. But right now I don’t want that.” Joe looked at her, puzzled. “Well what do you want?” Bess gave him a look and raised her eyebrow, almost mimicking the way he flirts with her. Joe gets it. He points to her flannel shirt, “are those buttons or snaps?” “They’re snaps, why?” Bess asked, confused. Joe kissed her, taking her hair into his hands, playing with it. The sent of her coconut shampoo still lingering. He tugs at her hair, their lips are drawn apart, just long enough for Joe to rip her shirt open.“Impressive,” Bess mumbles against his lips. Joe lays Bess down and again but just as he’s about to kiss her neck they hear a scream in the distance. Bess shoots up, accidentally knocking her head into Joe’s.“Shh,” he sits up too and holds her close, kissing her forehead. Bess grabs the flashlight, “should we investigate?” “I’ll go wake up Frank,” he whispers as he takes the flashlight from Bess, “you’ll be ok if I leave you here?” Bess nods, “I can go in the tent with the girls if I have to.” Another scream pierced the stillness of the night. It causes Bess to jump, they both rush outside. Once outside their tents they see Nancy and Frank are already out, both armed with flashlights at the ready, and George is crawling out of the girl’s tent.

“What was that?” George whispered.“I don’t know but I’m going to find out,” Nancy grabs her backpack from inside Frank’s tent. Bess shoots a look at Joe who shrugs as if to say “I told you so.” “I’ll go with you,” Frank walks up to Nancy.Bess widens her eyes in disbelief, she totally sees it now. “Me too.” Deirdre says hushly. Bess hugs Joe, “be careful,” she whispers in his ear. Joe smiles, it almost hurts him, he finally gets Bess, she finally lets go of her fear of opening herself up to him just for him to leave, and what’s practically a new case seems to fall into their lap.“I’ll stay here with George and Bess,” Joe whispers to the others. Bess smiles up at Joe. No bad decisions were made tonight. Although, she couldn’t speak for Frank and Nancy.