It's so unreal. Didn't look out below watch the time go right out the window. Trying to hold on but I didn't even know. Wasted it all just to watch you go.

-Linkin Park

It's happening again.

That thought was the only thing racing through Joe Hardy's mind as he watched, in horrid fascination, as Kinzy fell through the air. In his mind, he once again heard the explosion, felt the heat of the flames as the consumed his car and his girlfriend. Knowing that Iola was dead. Dead because of him.

Someone else is going to die, and I can't stop it. It's all my fault, all of it. If only I'd gone with Frank, then she would never be here, using that rope. It's just like before. Like before... He let out a sob. I'm sorry, Kinzy. I'm so sorry. Oh, God. Please forgive me...

"Ooofff!"

Joe jumped, coming out of his reverie. Shooting a startled look downwards, he saw, through tear-filled eyes, that Kinzy had managed to catch one of the few outcroppings that were below them. She had a grimace on her face, and Joe was sure he saw blood running down her left arm, which was hanging, somewhat uselessly, by her side.

Strength suddenly surged through Joe, causing him to spring into action. He reached down with his right hand and grabbed the section of rope underneath him, getting ready to rappel down to where Kinzy was hanging.

He hadn't been able to save Iola, Frank tackling him to the ground before he could run to the burning car. Sure, Iola was already dead, but Frank didn't realize that he had to try. It was because of him that she was dead. Just knowing that he had tried would make him feel better. But he hadn't been able to do even that.

This time, however, he could do something about it. He could save Kinzy.

Just before he could start down, however, Kinzy called up to him.

"Wait," she said, her voice portraying the pain she was in. "Don't come down here to get me. If we're at the same spot, it'll put too much weight on the clamp and the rope will come free." She gritted her teeth. "See if you can swing the rope over this way, and I'll see if I can grab it."

Joe's face was a mask of worry. She had a bad arm. "Will you be able to do that? Your arm..."

She managed to give him a grim smile. "I'll have to, won't I? Bad arm or not."

Joe felt trapped. If he swung the rope out to her like she wanted, and she missed her grab, she could loose her already precarious hold on the rock and fall. But if he went to get her then the strain would be too much. The rope would come free of the clamp, and then they would both fall.

"Joe, hurry! " she called, her voice straining. "I can't hold on much longer. Just swing me the rope."

Do it, Hardy!

Holding himself up with the arm clutching the rope above him, Joe managed to get a better grip on the rope below him and began to swing it back and forth, watching carefully as it got closer and closer to Kinzy. "Come on," he urged under his breath as the rope brushed up against her leg. "Just a little closer..."

Almost faster than Joe's eyes could track, Kinzy's bad arm shot out, grabbing the rope. She winced, but kept going. She tugged at it, testing its strength, then let go of the rock and clutched at the rope with both of her hands.

Joe let out a huge sigh of relief as she swung backwards towards him. But that was only the first part of this rescue. He was still worried. "Can you make it down okay?"

"I think so." He saw her grimace in pain as she grabbed the rope below her with the hand of her injured arm, holding herself up with her good arm. Moving slowly, she began the long descent.

Joe came down after her, almost moving as slowly as she was. Since they were on the same rope, he didn't want to cause her to swing around too much by moving the rope. He was constantly looking down, checking to see if she was okay.

It seemed to take forever, but the shaken girl was finally on the ground. Joe, who was only a few feet above her, let go of the rope and dropped lightly to the ground before running over to check on Kinzy, who was clutching her bleeding arm. She was also shaking uncontrollably.

He didn't say anything to her at all. He just pulled her to him, holding her tight against his body, gently rocking her back and forth. He felt his own tears well up in his eyes, but he managed to push them back. She was alive. He had managed to save her. He felt a little of his guilt over Iola disappear, and a peaceful feeling take it's place.

At last the white-haired girl let out a deep sigh and lifted her head from where it had rested on Joe's shoulder. She was still shaking, but it was under much more control than it had been a few minutes ago.

Joe held her out at arm's length, not yet willing to completely let her go. His concerned eyes stared deep into her tear-filled ones. "Are you okay?"

She managed a quick little nod. "Y-yeah. I'll be fine." One of her tears leaked out. "You saved my life, Joe," she said, her voice a mere whisper. "I-I don't know how to thank you."

He managed to grace her with a weak smile. "Don't worry about it, okay? Just seeing you safe and knowing I was able to do something about it is thanks enough for me."

This time, his tears just wouldn't stay down like he wanted them to. He blinked rapidly, trying to keep them away. Now would not be a good time to break down, Hardy. Be strong for her.

"What happened up there?" he asked, trying to keep his mind on the problem at hand. "I heard something tearing up there, just before you fell. I assume it was the rope. What was it? Was the clamp not set right? Did the rope rub up against something and fray? I know you're a good climber, but something had to have happened." Unless it wasn't an accident... Nah.

"I-I don't know," Kinzy said, shaking her head and shrinking under the rain of questions. "I know the clamp was set right. I checked it twice. I always do after setting it. And we were on one of the smooth parts of the cliff. There was nothing for it to rub against. If there were, there was no way it could have been sharp enough to fray it. Those ropes are thick!"

Joe frowned. There was that one explanation that was at the back of his mind, but it wouldn't make sense. Still, it was a possibility. He had to check it out, if only to ease his mind.

"Let's go look at the rope," he suggested, looking over his shoulder at where he was sure it had fallen. "Maybe then we can figure out exactly what happened."

It was only a short walk over to where the rope lay on the ground, coiled like some giant snake. Kinzy stayed close to Joe the entire time, not wanting to get close to it. He Understood. No matter what she said, or even felt, no one was 'okay' after a fall like that.

Joe dropped to one knee next to the rope while Kinzy stood behind him, afraid to even come near the thing that had nearly killed her. He picked up the end that he knew had been in the clamp. As he studied the end, a shock wave went through him.

I was right, he thought grimly. The one possibility he hadn't wanted to think about was true. "It was cut."

"I hate bugs," Bess complained, waving her hand in front of her face to ward of the insects. "And that bug spray I put on before we left must have taken a coffee break or something, cause it sure isn't working."

Nancy Drew just smirked at her friend's apparent distress. "Welcome to the wonderful world of the outdoors," she teased.

"That's easy for you to say," the other girl grumbled, shooting daggers at the back of Nancy's head. "These mosquitoes aren't bothering you for some, odd reason. The suckers are huge!"

Frank had to chuckle as he shook his head. "What's the matter, Bess? I thought you were looking for to our great hiking trip?"

"I was until I actually got here," Bess shot back. "Before these monster bugs started attacking me."

"Don't worry about it," Nancy said, still grinning. "When we get to the waterfall at the end of the trail, we'll sit down and relax for awhile. Who knows? Maybe the bugs won't be as bad there."

"I hope so."

Nancy had to bite her bottom lip to keep from laughing. Looking over at Frank, she saw that he was doing the same thing. Neither of them had bothered to tell Bess that the hike was going to last at least another three hours.

"Here," Frank said, reaching behind him to pull out a can on bug spray, which he handed to Bess. He had a grin stretched across his face. "Put another coat on. Maybe that'll help keep those big, bad bugs away."

"I doubt it." But Bess grabbed the can from him anyways and sprayed her exposed arms and legs.

Frank took a moment to wonder what his brother was doing at the same time he was hiking. He hoped he and Kinzy were having a good time.

Of course they are, he told himself. Joe couldn't wait to leave with her this morning. Their probabaly out having the time of their lives.

He still wished Joe had decided to come with him that day instead of going with Kinzy.

He slightly shook his head. I need to let Joe be Joe. Don't worry about it. Tomorrow, you'll get to spend all day with him and Dad, no girls even mentioned. It'll be great. Right now, just enjoy yourself.

"Are you okay?" Nancy suddenly asked softly, putting a hand on his shoulder. "I saw you shake your head. Are you dizzy? Do you need to sit down?"

He gave her a reassuring smile. Good old Nancy. She was always there for him, always looking out for him. "Don't worry. I'm fine. I was just thinking about how much I wish Joe were here."

"I wish he was here, too," Nancy admitted. "I've been thinking that same thing all morning long."

Frank was surprised. "You have?"

Nancy nodded, then shrugged. "Things are... different when you two aren't together. It seems like half of you is missing when Joe isn't around. The same goes for Joe when you're not with him." She grinned. "I guess it's true when they say two Hardy's are better than one."

Frank grinned back. "Yup. We're a two-for-one deal all right. The best one around, I might add. And nothing's going to change that."

Nancy punched him in the arm. "All right, wise guy. But I'm glad to hear you say that. However, we might want to get a move on. I'm not looking forward to putting up with Bess's complaining any more than I have to."

"Amen to that!"

Laughing, the two friends hurried forward to join the rest of the group.

"Cut?!"

Kinzy Phillips's face turned a deathly shade of white as she started to tremble again. "My rope was cut? But how..."

Her shaking began to get worse. She put her head into her hands as the tears stared to form again. "Oh, my God. How... I thought-- I checked it! I know I did! It was fine!" She looked back up, eyes shimmering with tears. "But who would do such a thing? Why would anyone want to kill me?"

That's what I intend to find out, Joe thought to himself as he got to his feet. But he didn't say anything out loud. He wanted his identity as a detective to be kept quiet. That way, no one could find ut about his painful past. Besides, Kinzy was already upset. No need to make her more so.

Instead, he walked over to her and put his arms around her, holding her to him. "Don't worry," he murmured into her ear. "I won't let anyone hurt you. Not as long as I'm around."

She sniffed. "Do you promise?"

He smiled and rested his chin on the top of her head. "I promise."

" Thank you," she said in a barely audible whisper. Then she shot a look back up to the top of the cliff and shuddered.

"Let's get out of here," she whimpered, huddling under the protection of Joe's strong arms. "I've had enough climbing for one day."

Joe couldn't agree more.

As the day wore on, and the hot Colorado sun continued to rise high into the sky, the air became warmer, causing the five hikers to slow their walk to a near crawl.

"Wow," said Fenton, wiping the sweat off of his forehead with the back of his hand. "I didn't know it could get this hot in Colorado."

"This sure was a great way to find out," Bess grumbled, fanning herself as much as she could with her hand. "I'm about to die."

Neither Nancy nor Frank shot back with a smart comment that time. Both of them felt the same way, but decided not to say anything about it. Bess was doing enough complaining for all three of them.

"It is rather warm," Carson admitted, looking up at the sky. He blinked rapidly, his eyes beginning to sting as the sweat dripped down into them. "We should have brought more water with us. I never even thought about it."

"Now I wish I had gone with Joe and Kinzy instead of going hiking," Frank grumbled to Nancy as the group trudged on under the oppressive heat. "They were going swimming later on."

Nancy pulled at the front of her white tank top, which was plastered to her by the sweat that seemed to be streaming from her body in alarming amounts. "That's what I plan to do once we reach the lake and waterfall."

Frank lifted an eyebrow. "I didn't know you brought a swimsuit. I didn't think to bring mine."

"I didn't bring one, but I don't see anything wrong with jumping into that nice cool water fully clothed." Nancy shot him a mischievous grin. "Unless, of course, you don't want me to get your precious van wet."

"Hey, I have no problem with it," he said defensively, holding up his hands. "In fact, it sounds like a pretty good idea. It's hot enough. And I'm not going to worry about the van. After all that thing's been through, I don't think a couple of wet seats are going to hurt it too much."

"I see your point." Nancy tucked a strand of blond hair that had come loose from her ponytail back behind her ear. Then she sighed. "I hope we finish this hike here soon. I keep getting hotter just thinking about the water." She gave him a smug smile, thinking her little rhyme was quite clever.

Frank groaned and rolled his eyes. Joe had always teased him about his lack of humor, but he knew that even he couldn't be as bad as Nancy was that day. He hoped it was only the heat that made her spout the senseless rhyme.

Nancy was hot, and maybe that was why she didn't seem to be making sense. But she was also tired. Though she would never say it, she had stayed up late last night, worried about Frank and Joe. She could count on the fingers of one hand the number of times she had seen the brothers fight. Never, in all the time she had known them, had she ever seen them get into an all out fight, as they seemed to have the night before. She admitted to herself that it had scared her. It scared her a lot.

Nancy knew that the violent death of his girlfriend had taken a hard toll on Joe, not to mention all of the guilt he was feeling. She had warned Frank about giving his younger brother some time. She only hoped he would take her advice. If he didn't, then she knew things could turn disastrous.

"A penny for your thoughts?"

Frank's quiet voice cut across Nancy's thoughts. He had a questioning look in those dark brown eyes that she had never been able to resist. but, today, she would have to. She didn't want to explain what she had been thinking about. It could set him off again, and she wanted to enjoy the rest of the trip, even if it was hot.

So she flashed him her best grin. "Just thinking about how good that water's going to feel when I jump in."

Frank smiled back. He had been around Nancy long enough to know when she was hiding something from him, as she was now. But if she didn't want to share, then he wasn't going to push her. Besides, when she felt the time was right, she would tell him what was on her mind.

"Why is it taking us so long to get there?" Bess whined from behind them. " It feels like we've been walking forever. My legs are killing me!"

Nancy couldn't help but giggle. "Hang in there a little bit longer, Bess. We've still got a ways to go."

Her only answer was a groan, and some low mutterings that she knew were threats that would never be carried out.

Up ahead, the two men came to a halt underneath a large weeping willow tree. "Okay, gang," they called back to the three teenagers lagging behind them. "We're going to take a quick break for lunch."

Lunch? Frank looked at his watch and was surprised to see that it was already eleven-thirty. The morning had seemed to have flown by.

"Finally," Bess said in happy relief, as she hurried past the pair to sit down in the welcoming shade of the three the two men had stopped under. "A break. And food!"

Nancy grinned as she and Frank ran up to join the group. This day was going to be perfect!

"There you go. The wound isn't much more than an inch or so deep. You're a lucky lady that you managed to come away with only that. I've heard of people whose falls weren't as bad as yours that had to be Life Flighted to here."

Ted Linski, a young doctor who worked at the Yellowstone National Hospital, stepped back to study his handiwork.

"Now, I want you to put fresh ointment on it everyday, and change your bandage as well. If you leave an old bandage on while it heals, it could cause it to become infected. Try not to move it around too much for the next few days, or we'll have to put stitches in it. That means no climbing, no swimming, and no rafting."

Kinzy Phillips made a face at the white, bloodstained bandage that circled her right arm just above the elbow. It had begun hurting as they waited in the lobby of the hospital, so Dr. Linski had given her painkillers as soon as she had gotten back to see him. Now, all she could feel was a dull throbbing where the cut was.

She had started to feel much better once they had gotten away from the cliff, and that had given her injured arm enough room to announce its existence. So Joe had expertly driven the four-wheeler through the canyon and down dirt roads, Kizy giving him directions to the hospital while cradling her injured arm against her chest.

Once they had reached the hospital, it hadn't taken long for Kinzy to be called back. Lucky for them, it had been earlier in the day, so it was fairly empty for a hospital emergency room. Joe knew that her arm had to be killing her, because she would draw a painful breath through her teeth and tighten her grip on his hand so that it was almost bone-crushing.

Now, as he stood in the back of the small room out of the doctor's way, he felt relief wash over him, knowing that Kinzy's injury was not serious.

"Now, I've written you a prescription for the painkillers that I gave you earlier." The doctor gave her a stern look, his green eyes piercing. "These can be habit-forming, so I want you to promise me that you'll take these only when your arm starts to hurts. Can you do that?"

Kinzy nodded. "I promise."

"Good." He handed her a piece of paper, which Joe guessed was the prescription. "Well then, I guess you're free to go. Come back at the end of next week and we'll see what we can do about taking that bandage off."

"Sure thing," she said as she carefully hopped off the examining table.

"Bye, Kinzy. Make sure you take care of yourself."

"I will. And thanks, Dr. Linski."

Joe noticed that she kept her arm close to her side as they made their way to the hospital's pharmacy to get her prescription filled, and winced whenever anyone brushed close by.

"Here," he said, moving so that he was walking on the other side of her. "I'll stay here. That way, no one will bump you."

"Thanks, Joe," she said in a relieved tone. Her arm was already starting to hurt again, and she knew that the pain would become unbearable were someone to bump it.

"Where to now?" Joe asked, once they had gotten through with the pharmacy and were back outside. He climbed onto the four-wheeler first, then-being very careful-helped her to climb on behind him.

She sat and thought a moment before answering. "Let's go to my place, if you don't mind. I don't feel like going anywhere or doing anything else, unless you want to. Besides, my mother would be thrilled to meet you."

"I don't mind at all," Joe assured her as he started the engine. "Truth be told, I really don't feel like doing much, either. And I would love to meet your mom. She could tell me stuff about Dad." And maybe drop a clue about who would want to kill you by cutting your rope.

"I have a question," Kinzy asked as Joe started forward. He felt like she had somehow read his mind when she asked, "If someone cut my rope, then why didn't it give away sooner? Why did it take so long?"

"It's actually quite easy," he said, having to yell to be heard as the ATV picked up speed. "Whoever did it only cut part of the way through it, and let the strain of your weight tear it the rest of the way. That's what I heard right before you fell."

"Oh," she said sounding impressed. Then she opened her mouth to say something else, causing Joe to cringe. He knew that she was going to ask the inevitable question of where he had learned that from.

But, to his surprise, she didn't. Instead, she simply instructed him to take the next left.

He let out a sigh of relief as he guided the four-wheeler onto a small dirt road. Thank God she doesn't ask questions. I don't want to tell her about being a detective, although I could just say I learned it from Dad. If I did, that would lead to other things. Like Iola. And I've already proven that I can't handle that subject well.

Kinzy stayed unnaturally quiet, speaking only to give Joe directions, turning onto a highway before going back to a dirt road. Her left arm was wrapped securely around his waist, the other held tightly against her body. Joe decided that she must still be thinking about the accident.

He had been a little surprised, though. He knew Kinzy had been scared. She would have to have been an idiot not to. But she didn't seem a bit surprised to find that her rope had been cut. Upset, yes. But not surprised.

And that made Joe get the uncomfortable suspicion that Kinzy was hiding a secret from him. Even though you're hiding one from her...

"There's my house," she suddenly said, letting go of him long enough to point to a two story, Victorian-style house that lay directly across a paved road from them. Just behind it, Joe could make out the lazy waters of the Colorado flowing between its banks.

"Wow," Joe said, impressed. Her parents must be well off. "That's a really nice house. And you have a view of the river, your home away from home! Must be great."

Kinzy smiled, the first one since the accident. "Yeah. I can see it from my window. Watching it helps me calm down better than anything else."

"That's always good." Joe gunned the engine of the ATV, shooting across the empty road and halfway up the Phillips's driveway.

"Take it around back," Kinzy instructed, pointing to an already well-worn path that disappeared around the three car garage. "It has it's own little house back there."

Joe had to grin as he did what he was told. He was glad to hear her making jokes. He knew that meant she was feeling better.

He pulled the four-wheeler into a small shed and shut it off. Then he slid off before helping Kinzy down. Then they stepped out into the hot sun, Kinzy locking the door to the shed behind them.

As they approached the back door, the younger Hardy noticed something that made him frown with puzzlement. There were no steps leading up to the elegant-style house. Instead, there was a concrete ramp.

"Come on," Kinzy urged him as they walked towards the door. "Mom's probably already got lunch going. I'll have to tell her to make enough for two more."

Lunch? Joe looked at his watch and was more than surprised to see that it was already eleven-thirty.

Where has the morning gone?

Almost there.

That thought kept running through Frank's mind as the hike continued. He had already stripped off his shirt and had tied it around his head. It was now dangerously hot, and felt even more so for them, coming back out of the coo, shade and into the overpowering sunlight.

Nancy knew she couldn't strip, though she would have done so gladly, but she was at least thankful that she had decided to wear a white tank top.

Though it didn't do anything for the sudden dizziness that she was starting to experience.

It's probably just from being out in the heat right after eating all that food, she told herself. It'll go away in a minute or two. I'll get a drink of water, too. That'll probably help.

She reached around her and grabbed her canteen, which was sticking out of a pocket on her backpack. She took a long drink of water and instantly felt better. The dizziness didn't go completely away, but it receded into a small, light-headed feeling.

Her ears suddenly perked up when they detected a faint roaring sound coming from somewhere ahead of them. She came to a quick halt, trying to decided exactly what it was.

Next to her, Frank also stopped, finally hearing what Nancy was. Bess, who had also stopped, let out a gasp. "Please tell me that's what I think it is," she breathed. "Please tell me that I'm not hearing things. That this heat hasn't fried my brain. Oh, please..."

A slow smile spread across Nancy's face. "No, Bess. You're not hearing things. It's the waterfall," she said, somewhat awed. Then she burst out into delighted laughter. "We're there, guys! Let's go!" With that, she broke out into a dead run.

Frank was instantly at her heels, and even Bess started to run, panting as she tried to keep up with them. They quickly ran past the two men, who had started walking faster themselves, and were met by a beautiful sight.

The lake, sparkling like some rare gem in the afternoon sunlight, stretched for miles and miles in all directions, so far that they couldn't see the opposite shore. Directly to their left, the waterfall came crashing down into the otherwise peaceful waters, causing white foam to form at the bottom. Small boats could be spotted, smaller than ants in the distance, too far away to be a distraction to them.

Nancy didn't bother to take in the sight of it all, however. She slowed down just long enough to shrug out of her backpack before diving into the clear waters of the lake.

The spring-fed lake was cold enough to shock Nancy's lagging senses back into awareness. Her fatigue of only a moment before vanished, leaving her feeling as refreshed as if she had just woken up from a good night's sleep.

She came back up just in time to hear the faint sound of two more splashes, indicating that Frank and Bess hadn't been very far behind her.

With a contented sigh, Nancy closed her eyes and laid back, letting herself float around on her back. Close by, she heard the sound of a splash, then a happy shriek from Bess. She could just make out the low pitched voices of her father and Mr. Hardy, probably wondering weather or not they should join the kids in the lake. Then she heard a startled yell, followed by a loud splash as Frank pulled his father in with them.

Nancy's face curled into a smile as she continued to float on her back. This day is absolutely perfect.

Suddenly, the warm sunshine that had been shinning down on her was blocked by something. The light from behind her eyes vanished, and she instantly became cooler. She frowned, but before she even had a chance to open her eyes, she felt hands on her shoulders, and she was pushed underneath the water.

She came back up only a second later, sputtering and coughing. She shot a deadly glare at Frank, who was standing only a few feet away, laughing.

"I'm going to get you for that, Frank Hardy," she threatened, then lunged at him. When she missed, she began to swim towards him as fast as she could in her water-logged clothes.

While the group laughed as Nancy chased Frank around the lake, and cheered when she finally caught him and was able to dunk him under the water, Joe Hardy was the last thing on anyone's mind.

Promises Made