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A Brother's Revenge Chapter 1

"I'm sorry Frank, as of now you are the prime suspect in the murder of Jack Hayden."  The words hung in the air as Frank digested them in disbelief.

"Let me get this straight. Jack Hayden was murdered early this morning. Someone called the station to claim I was there. And a gun was found with my fingerprints on it. And I'm the prime suspect?" Frank reiterated the words that came out of Chief Collig's mouth.

The Chief nodded. "That's correct."

Frank couldn't believe this. He didn't want to believe this. What the hell! This has to be a nightmare. Yes, that has to be it. A nightmare. He pinched his other hand and winched realizing, no, he was fully awake and, yes, this was happening. He shifted his eyes at Con, to his father, and then back to the Chief, "Are you here to arrest me?"

"Yes, I am sorry. We need to take you down to the station for questioning." The Chief answered reluctantly.

He didn't want to believe Frank Hardy had committed murder. As much as he hated this he had to do his job. Somehow, someway they'll get to the bottom of this and find the truth.

"You can't be serious." Joe hissed, his temper beginning to rise. He whirled around with his crutches to face the Chief of Police. He stood at Frank's side, immediately balling his hands into fists and clutching them at his side, he was ready to defend his brother. "Frank didn't kill that son of a bitch!" He exploded. "But whoever did, did the job that our farce of a justice system failed to do! And now, you're going after my brother!"

"Joe, calm down," Fenton ordered.

"No! This is bullshit!"

"Joseph watch your mouth!" Fenton scolded. "Getting yourself worked up like this isn't helping things, now, calm down."

The Detective wasn't exactly thrilled about this either. Things were starting to get back to normal for his family, Fenton saw positive changes in Frank and Joe in the past two weeks. Dr. Reese was doing an amazing job at helping them move past their hellish ordeal, along with them dealing with their feelings and emotions.

Fenton knew the boys knew getting his approval to solve mysteries again was one of the things motivating them to work towards their recovery, and Fenton wanted so much for the boys to have their dream.

Frank was now a high school graduate, and on his way to Princeton in August. Fenton and Laura are beyond thrilled with Frank and Callie's engagement. They both love Callie as if she were their daughter. She was a kind, strong and caring person. They felt all along she was the right fit for their eldest son, especially in the way she stood by Frank as he dealt with his health situation, and great support system as he dealt with his depression.

They are just as thrilled for their youngest now a high school senior. Joe had started physical therapy which was helping him get back on his feet. During his recovery time, they became aware that his anxiety was better with fewer nightmares. They also noticed that Joe's been a little clingy with his brother more than usual. They think part of it had to do with the hospital fire and the fear of not knowing where Frank was during that time. And Frank was probably feeling the same way. The other part was the fact that Frank was leaving for college in August.

It was already the end of June, and July was fast approaching which meant the boys only had a limited time to spend with each other. The separation would be hard for them, but this time it wouldn't be by force but, by their choice. Fenton and Laura understood very well this was something the boys would have to work out for themselves.

They did take comfort when they saw a light in Joe's blue eyes and a smile on his face, something they hadn't seen in a long time. Come to find out from Frank that Joe has decided to start dating again. He asked out a new girl he met at school Vanessa Bender. Even though he hadn't yet met the young girl, just seeing his youngest happy gave Fenton a feeling that this girl was something special.

The hardest day for the boys was having to say goodbye to their dear friend Phil Cohen. He was just glad they got through the funeral. Fenton of course was concerned with how Frank would deal with it all. He was glad that Joe and Callie sat beside him supporting him the whole time. It did make Fenton feel better when he caught Frank shedding a few tears and allowing himself to grieve and let go.

Fenton knew the second thing motivating the boys to work on their recovery was so they could help track down Daniel Bartend and Henry Jacobs. The ones responsible for taking the lives of Phil and Seth Cohen.

However, Fenton was still reluctant to let the boys help investigate cases. He had to consider their health above anything else. However, He and Sam sure could use their help with the two cases already on their plate. Looking into the disappearances of Daniel Bartend and Henry Jacobs/ plus helping the police with the investigation of the hospital fire.

And now on top of that Fenton had this latest headache to deal with. when the Chief and Con stopped by to drop this news in his lap telling him that Hayden was found dead. He'd been shot in the head and an anonymous caller had witnessed Frank committing the crime. The detective could not wrap his head around his son as the prime suspect.

"Dad's right, Joe." Frank was angry too. But, now was not the time for lashing out. The time was to think calmly and rationally and figure out the truth about who killed Hayden. "You're not helping. Please stop."

"Okay, I'm sorry." Joe apologized; he was doing his best to stay calm. He took a deep breath and said, "We all know Hayden was a very hated man. He hurt a lot of people, and any number of them could've done it."

"I mean he's being framed for this. What about this anonymous caller who'd had witnessed Frank committing the crime? And what about the gun, where did Frank get a gun?"

"Joe that's what we need to figure out," Fenton spoke up. "And you're right; Hayden was hated by a lot of people including the people in this room. However, two wrongs don't make it right. The simple truth is someone did kill him, and we need to find that someone."

"It wasn't Frank."

"Joe," The Chief cleared his throat, "I know you've all been through a lot and are still recovering from your ordeals. Believe me; I don't want to believe Frank did this." He added calmly. "But, we can't ignore the clues that were found at the crime scene. I don't like our farce of a justice system as you call it, either. Mistakes were made, yes, but we have a chance to right our wrongs, put our mistakes behind us, and do our jobs. We're not going to fail this time. We're going to do things the right way, the legal way, by crossing every T and dot every I to get to the bottom of this."

"It's the only way we'll find the truth," Sam spoke up, keeping his voice steady. He vowed to help clear Frank's name. There was no way in hell he killed Hayden.

"Okay so let's get on with this," Frank replied. He was ready to do what needed to be done to clear his name.

"Are you going to put Frank in handcuffs?" Joe anxiously asked the seasoned officer.

Chief Collig saw the worry in the boy's eyes. "Well, I don't see the need..." He started to say.

"No, don't do that," Frank said immediately. He was trying to put up a brave front for Joe. Deep down he was just as scared and angry. Well, angry more than anything. "Please don't give me special treatment. Everything has to be done by the book, like you said." He held his hands out to the Chief. "Do what needs to be done."

Joe's mouth dropped. He was dumbfounded at his brother's response. What was he doing?

The Chief exchanged glances with Fenton.

As hard as it was for Fenton to accept he was proud of his eldest son for taking the initiative. He understood what Frank was doing; proving to his brother our justice system isn't a total failure. Fenton gave the Chief a slight nod.

Just then Laura and Gertrude came out of the kitchen. "What's...oh, Chief I didn't know you and Con would be coming by," Gertrude said. "Would you both like a cup of coffee?"

"Thank you, ma'am, but we'll have to decline." The officer replied regrettably. "I'm afraid this isn't a social visit."

Laura noticed the handcuffs around her son's wrists. "Why is Frank in handcuffs?" She started looking around the room.

She saw the hesitation in her husband's eyes and knew something was wrong. She looked at Fenton, demanding, "Fenton, what is going on?"

Fenton went up to her. He put his hand on his wife's shoulders. This was not going to go well.

Laura's face practically paled when he told her Hayden was found dead this morning. He'd been shot in the head, and the gun was found with Frank's fingerprints on it. Frank was their prime suspect.

"Frank did not do this!" Laura snapped, pulling herself away from her husband. She cast her angry eyes at the police officers. "You take those things off him now!"

"Laura, please calm down."

"I will not!"

"Laura, they need to take Frank down to the station." Fenton squeezed his wife's shoulder and took a deep breath.

"He didn't do this." She began to tear up.

"Mom, I'll be fine really," Frank replied trying to reassure his mother. "It's just a misunderstanding; we'll get it cleared up."

"Fine." Laura was trying to be so brave and not break down as she went up to hug Frank. Releasing her son she turned to her husband, "You do whatever it takes to bring him home".

"I will," Fenton promised her.

With that, Laura wiped the tears from her eyes and darted back into the kitchen. She couldn't watch her son being taken out of the house in handcuffs.

"Laura...," Fenton called, and started to go after her.

"Fenton," Gertrude said, putting her hand on his shoulder to stop him "She'll be alright, I'll go see to her," She looked at her eldest nephew. "You need to focus on Frank. This is a mistake. We need him home. "

Fenton gave her a slight nod as Gertrude left the room.

The Chief cleared his throat, "I'm sorry, Fenton I know this is upsetting, but we need to get Frank to the station."

"Wait, can I go with him?" Joe asked anxiously. He didn't want to leave Frank alone.

"Joe, I think it would be best if you stayed here with your mother," Fenton answered for him.

Joe didn't like that idea at all. He began shifting his legs with his crutches, he'd been standing on his leg for too long and it was starting to hurt. He winced in pain as pain shot through his leg with every move, but he didn't care if it hurt, he just wanted to be with his brother. Frank was in trouble and Joe was going to do everything he could to help him.

Joe began pleading with the officers. "Please..." his voice quivering with every word he spoke. "Chief, I won't give you any trouble; I promise...I'll do whatever you tell me". God, he hated the way he sounded just now begging and pleading like some crying weak baby. This was the time when he needed to be strong and fearless. "Frank was there for me when I was in trouble, and I have to do the same. Please."

"I'll stay with him while Frank is being questioned." Con offered.

Chief Collig felt all eyes on him. They were waiting for him to respond. And really what could he say; these boys have been through a lot. And finally, he answered warily, "Alright, Joe I'll let you go. You can ride to the station with your dad and Sam. Once there you'll have to stay outside the room with Con."

"I will thank you Chief," Joe said gratefully.

"Thank you, Chief," Fenton said with gratitude.

"Little brother, don't worry." Frank frowned looking down at the cuffs around his wrists. He looked back up at Joe and gave him a small smile. "We'll get this figured out."

Joe gave him a nod and a quick hug. He released him as he watched with a heavy heart as Chief Collig read Frank his Miranda rights and then Con escorted Frank out the front door in handcuffs.

With Fenton and Sam right behind him, Joe rushed to get outside with his crutches, his leg was hurting with every move he made. But he didn't care...he didn't care about anything right now other than Frank. He was more important.

Once he reached the front porch he nearly stumbled over the top step. "Joe..." Fenton and Sam caught him in time before he did.

Fenton saw tears running down his youngest son's cheek. Fenton cleared his own emotion from his throat. He gave his shoulder a light squeeze. He batted tears away from his eyes. He managed to say, "Now you heard what your brother said, not to worry and we'll get this figured out. Frank will be home soon."

"Damn, straight he will," Sam added his support.

Joe felt the cool morning breeze blow through his hair as he stood in silence on the front porch with his father and Sam. He watched with anger and sadness at the sight of Con and Chief Collig escorting Frank to the back of the squad car. Con opened the door but, before Frank got in he looked up locking eyes with Joe.

All at once Frank's words flashed in his head, 'we'll get this figured out'. Joe took a deep breath to calm down. He knew he had to stay calm and focused... for Frank's sake.

Then his brother got into the backseat Con closed the door behind him. The two officers climbed in the front with the Chief at the wheel. Joe felt himself slip into detective-mode, as the squad car began backing out of the driveway before disappearing down the road. Joe vowed with determination. Hang on, big brother, I'll clear your name. God help me I'll clear your name.

A Brother's Revenge Chapter 2

"Okay, Frank just relax. We're going to keep this low-key. Would you like some water, or maybe a soda?" Chief Collig asked casually sitting at the table across from the older Hardy boy.

It was going on 9 am by the time Con and the chief brought him to the station. Now he was sitting in a room with his lawyer Carl Sims and Fenton on either side of him. Sam stood against the wall across from him. Frank just sat lost in his thoughts. It was so overwhelming his brain was working hard to process it all. He was here to be questioned about a crime he's been accused of committing. Of all things, murder! Of course, the question of motive was clear as to why anyone would hate Hayden enough to want to kill him. Like Joe had mentioned earlier, Hayden hurt people. He was abusive...manipulative...cunning... a sociopath. He abused his wife and nearly killed his son for god sake's. Not to mention the disaster of a trial that ended up making Hayden a free man. He didn't care who he hurt.

That was one of the things Frank hated most about that man...the fact that he didn't care...all Jack Hayden cared about was himself. It was true he did express thoughts of wanting to kill the man. Anyone would've given the situation they went through. Frank looked down at the handcuffs on his wrists, all at once his mind flashed back to that day in Hayden's basement, his wrists tied to that bedpost as he lay on a dirty old bed. Hayden was standing over him, with a belt ready to beat him in his hand.

Thankfully his father and the police had gotten there in time because any second longer... he would've gotten his skin ripped to shreds. In truth, Frank would've allowed himself to go through that. He was ready to take it. He pleaded with Hayden to let him take it, because Joe would've gotten the belt first. There was no way in hell he would've let that happen.

Frank's never really talked about the abuse, not even with Dr. Reese. He pushed the issue aside at the time. He's never thought about it until now. After all, it was his job as the older brother to protect his little brother. It's his job to protect the people he loves and cares about. Unfortunately, he failed to do his job so many times. Joe got hurt anyway. Frank will never forget that helpless feeling he felt watching as Hayden abused his brother with…a knife…the rats… that closet... the fear in Joe's eyes is forever ingrained in his head.

And then flash forward to two weeks ago, he made the mistake of leaving Joe. He had just left their hospital room to go confront Henry. But, damn it, he had to go make it clear to that little lunatic that he was to stay away from Joe.

And then there's Seth and Phil...Henry killed them...Damn, Phil is dead! He couldn't stop it! I should've been there, but I was selfish I was going through my shit, damn depression. It was selfish of him to go after Ryan Hayden when he came face to face with him on their floor. But he had to. The only reason he came out of hiding for one purpose only to kill Joe. Only to have lost the younger Hayden brother during the chase.

Then to his horror when he got back to the hospital to found the second floor in a blaze of fire. The room he had shared with Joe was right above the flames. That terrifying feeling of not knowing where Joe was...I shouldn't have left him. He was up there...thank God for Officer Baker and the male orderly who'd helped Joe out of there. Thank God the firefighters had gotten to them in time. He quickly shook the thoughts out of his head.

He shifted his thoughts back to the current situation of Jack Hayden's murder. Oh yes, he certainly hated the man, but the difference between him and Hayden was that he would never have acted on it. It wasn't his way of thinking, that was Hayden's way. And Frank Hardy will never be anything like Jack Hayden. He had nothing to hide. He was innocent. He didn't commit this crime. It was the truth he did not kill Hayden.

So there was no reason to worry, at least that's what Frank kept telling himself because deep down he was freaking out. He had a feeling Joe was feeling the same way. So as usual Frank felt himself sliding back into his old habit. To stay in control and not allow himself to fall apart. To put up a brave front, after all, he knew Joe would be watching him.

And as he told his brother, we'll get this figured out. That was a promise.

Carl Sims leaned over and asked him. "Frank, did you hear the Chief?"

Frank slowly nodded.

Carl looked at his client with concern. He still couldn't believe the urgent phone call he had gotten from Fenton. Jack Hayden was shot dead this morning. Frank was arrested and taken to the station for questioning. A mystery caller had called the police to report seeing him committing the crime. He couldn't believe it.

Of course, Carl would do whatever he could to help his client. At the moment he was just concerned about what was going on with him.

He asked him, "Frank, Are you okay?"

Frank's silence was a bit alarming, that blank stare on his face, and having experienced it himself, Fenton knew exactly what was happening. This would be a lousy time for depression to rear its ugly head. It's gonna be a task keeping Frank focused on the current situation and not shut down on them.

He reached over and put his hand on top of his son's hand, "Frank," he said a little louder to get his attention, "Please you need to respond."

The touch of his father's hand jolted Frank back into the present, his handcuffs clanged as he moved. What just happened? It felt like he just zoned out or something. He looked back up at everyone, he could see the concern clear on their faces. He composed himself quickly, all while saying nothing.

Sam noted the teen's pale face and heavy breathing. He didn't think he'd ever seen Frank like this. He wasn't sure what was going on with him. Everyone just sat back and waited patiently for Frank to respond.

"I'm sorry, Dad, yes, I heard him." Frank finally spoke. He felt like an idiot for zoning out like that. He had to try harder, he had to get it together. He looked at the Chief. "Thank you, but, I'm not thirsty. Can we just get on with this?"

There was a short pause in the room as the Chief exchanged concerned looks with Fenton and Carl. "Okay, Frank, but if you need a break just say so."

"Thank you, but I'm good," Frank replied taking a breath and sitting back in his chair to relax.

Turning on a tape recorder Chief Collig turned to Frank and began, "Let's start by going through your morning routine. You said you went for a run this morning, correct?"

"Correct."

"What time did you leave the house?"

"I left around 5."

"Do you normally get up around that time?"

"No actually, I get up at 4."

Carl raised an eyebrow. "You get up at 4 in the morning?"

"Yes, every morning," Frank simply replied. "I used to do it only on school days, but I got so used to it became my normal routine."

"May I ask why?"

"Well if I didn't we'd never make it to school."

Carl gave him a confused look.

"It's the only way for me to get the things I need to do done." Frank sighed nonchalantly, he began explaining his daily ritual, "You see I'd have to get up around 4, throw on a pair of sweats, and, go for a run," He started counting off with his fingers, "Come back before 5, take my shower get dressed and ready for school. By that time Mom or Aunt Gertrude is up and in the kitchen preparing breakfast."

Fenton noted that Frank was starting to be more relaxed and his face less pale. "But if Mom or Aunt Gertrude are out running errands or doing volunteer work at the hospital. And Dad is away working on a case. Then it's up to me to do breakfast."

Frank took a short pause before starting up again, "So about an hour before we have to leave for school, usually I have to pry Joe out of bed to get him ready to go. After he's finally up showered and dressed, he insists he has to have his strawberry Pop-tart, but oh no, he can't just eat one," He rolled his eyes and said with annoyance in his voice," he has to have four," He held up four fingers, "and chocolate milk before we can leave." He shrugged his shoulders, "Somehow we end up being at least 15 minutes late anyway."

Sam ran a hand over his mouth to hide the smirk on his face. One would think Frank was making that up, but he's not, that's the truth. That was a typical day of antics in the Hardy house.

Carl threw Fenton a look that said 'Really'. Fenton closed his eyes and replied with a sigh, "Yep, it's true, Joe is very spoiled."

Frank shook his head, "Now that he's a senior he'll have to do it on his own." his handcuffs clanged as moved his wrists. "Anyway, I've done it ever since Joe started junior high...until recently I had gotten out of that routine because of the Hayden case." He added lastly. "However, I just started getting back into going for early morning runs again. It's a part of my recovery and therapy with Dr. Reese."

"Where do you go on your runs?" The Chief asked steering back to the topic.

"To the Bayport pier on Shore Road." Frank nodded.

"Chief when and where did you say Jack Hayden was found dead?" Sam asked.

'At 5 this morning in a ditch along Shore Road on the main road that takes you to the waterfront of the docks which was accurate to what the mystery caller had reported."

"There's not a lot of traffic on that road at that time of the morning," Fenton said thinking out loud. He pointed at his son, "Frank would've come upon him at some point."

"I didn't take the main road. I did hear sirens in that area, but since I'm restricted from investigating, " Frank replied in his defense. "I avoided it and took a shortcut like I always do, there's a trail that leads to the docks."

"So that's the way you go every morning?" The Chief repeated to be sure.

Frank nodded. "Yes. Every kid who's grown up in this town knows the shortcut."

"Who all knows your route?"

"Just my family, Callie, and my friends."

"Did you see or talk to anyone?"

"No. Like Dad said there aren't a lot of people out that time of the day, especially along that trail." Frank answered. He paused for a second as a thought came to him. "Wait, a minute. Come to think of it," His handcuffs clanged as he reached up with his hand and rubbed his chin, "The last two mornings I felt like someone was watching me, but I never saw anyone." Man, he hated that feeling, "Dr. Reese, did explain to me that paranoia is a symptom in some cases of severe depression." His voice deflated at the thought. "So I don't know if I was actually being followed or just imagining it."

Fenton and Sam exchanged looks with each other. They did not like where this was going. If no one saw Frank out on that trail then that means he didn't have an alibi.

What had Fenton even more concerned was that his son was not as alert or aware of his surroundings as he usually is. Was someone watching him or was he being paranoid like he said? Fenton's gut feeling told him something wasn't right. Was his son's life in danger?

Just then the Chief got up from his seat and knocked on the door.

Officer Baker opened the door. "Here you go Sir," he replied, coming into the room. In his hand was a plastic evidence bag and hands it to the Chief.

"Thank you, Baker."

With a nod, the officer left the room. The Chief goes back over to the table and places the bag in front of Frank and everyone else can see the contents, a gun.

Fenton's face paled. That's not just any gun. It was a Glock 22. It's the kind of gun police officers normally carry.

"Do you recognize this, Frank?" The Chief asked.

Frank suddenly went quiet and his face paled. His eyes were glued to the gun. He studied every inch of it for the longest time. He couldn't believe it! No, NO, NO, Why is this happening?

Fenton wasn't sure if he was going to say anything. He hoped he wasn't shutting down on them.

Again he reached over and put his hand on top of his son's hand he felt it tremble, "Frank, talk to us. Tell us what's going on. Do you recognize the gun?"

Frank looked up at his father with a tear in his eye, "Yes, I do." his voice quivered out.

"You do?" Fenton repeated his heart pounding out of his chest. "How?"

"It's my gun."

A Brother's Revenge Chapter 5

"The gun is missing."

Pete whirled back around at the gun case his eyes zeroed in on the empty spot. He turned around and back at the Hardys. He raked a hand through his hair. "I could've sworn I turned it in. " He began panic riddled in his voice., "It's not here. Oh Shit! This isn't good...losing a gun is not good... Chief Collig... he helped me get this job after the incident. I need this job."

"That's the least of your worries?" Joe snapped. He was trying hard not to panic, but he lost it. "You were supposed to turn the gun it. Frank gave it to you! How can you be so freaking careless!" He pointed an accusing finger at Pete. "Frank's being accused of murder and it's all your fault!" It was taking everything in him not to leap over the counter and beat the living hell out of Pete.

Pete's eyes widen. "Murder." He gasped taking a step back from the counter.

"Joe stop. That's enough." Fenton reprimanded him. As calmly as he could manage without losing his temper, he pulled Joe back from the counter.

"But Dad..."

"Take a step back, calm down before you say anything else." Fenton cut him off.

Hearing the serious tone in his father's voice, Joe did as instructed. He took a step back to cool his temper, his eyes never leaving Pete. Both of his hands were clutched around his crutches furiously at his side.

Turning his attention back to Pete, Fenton calmly said, "I'm sorry about that Pete. Our emotions are all over the place at the moment."

"No actually, I'm the one who should apologize. Joe's right it's my fault. I've been under a lot of stress lately. " Pete swallowed a lump in his throat. He carefully stepped up to the counter.

"Money has been tight because of my medical bills. I refuse to go on disability because I don't want charity. On top of that, my wife Linsey is pregnant. My son Trevor is starting first grade in the fall. He wants to play soccer, he's excited about it. I want to make sure he is happy and has everything he needs." He shook his head rapidly. "losing that gun..." Then he stopped and looked at Joe then Fenton. "What did Joe mean about Frank being accused of murder?"

Remaining quiet, Joe stood where he was glaring at Pete.

Fenton didn't want to bring this up just yet, but thanks to Joe's outburst he had no choice. He lowered his voice and began to explain to him the murder of Jack Hayden this morning. And about the same gun in question. "The police believed it's the murder weapon found at the crime scene with Frank's fingerprints on it." He finished feeling disgusted by the idea.

"Oh my God, you mean," Pete gulped nervously. "Frank stole..."

"No!" Joe shouted cutting him off from finishing that sentence. He took a step forward but Fenton restrained him.

"Joe, I didn't mean...to accuse Frank." Pete apologized stepping back. "It's just how else could the gun have ended up at the crime scene?"

"Simple. Someone else took it." Joe countered back. His temper still festering inside of him. He added, "Just so we're clear Frank didn't do it."

"Fenton, I'm sorry, I..." Pete stuttered.

Fenton held up his hand to stop him from saying any more. "Okay let's all take a minute to calm down." Fenton intervened, Even though he felt the need to defend Frank and yell at Pete for what he was implying. He had to keep things calm and rational.

"Pete, why don't you take us back to June 19th?" He suggested quickly taking charge of the matter. "Frank handed you the gun after he was done with it, correct?"

"That's right he was running late, I told him I'd take care of it."

"Okay think back. You had the gun in your hand, What did you do with it?"

Pete took a few minutes to think. "Um after Frank had left. I brought the gun back here." He placed his hand on top of the counter. Then his eyes widened. he said excitedly, "Now I remember, as I came in here to put the gun away there were two guys just coming down the left hallway of the locker rooms. They were arguing and things started to escalate because one of them raised his fist at the other one.'

Pete looked regrettably at Fenton. "I must have laid the gun on the counter to deal with that situation. I forgot about it." He shook his head. "That was careless and stupid of me to do that. Like I said, I'm under a lot of stress."

"Careless and stupid, you got that right." Joe scoffed rolling his eyes.

"Joe," Fenton said with a sigh. He noticed the security camera on the wall above the counter. "Let's find out exactly what happened to that gun."

Joe and Pete followed the detective's gaze up at the security camera. "Of course." Pete gasped.

"Yes, let's." Finally, Joe thought this could be the break they'd been waiting for. Hopefully, we'll find out who stole that gun. And Frank will be cleared.

Pete took them to a small security room, he went over to a monitor and a keyboard on a table in the center of the room. Fenton and Joe are right behind him.

On the monitor, they could see the screen was split into five different sections of the building. Section 1 showed a room that looked like a bowling alley with lanes and partitions separating each one at the head. The actual range itself. Section 2 was the front lobby, section 4 showed the left hallway that led to the locker room. And in the middle was section 5 the part that showed the counter where you sign in and the gun cases.

They watched as Pete hit a few keys. He pulled up footage on the center monitor on the corner of the screen marked June 19th, the time was 3:00 pm. In Section 5: There they saw Harry sitting lazily at the counter cleaning his left ear with a pencil and wiping it on his shirt.

Eww, Joe thought in disgust. Then the plump man picked up a soda can and took a large gulp of the drink before putting it down, then he wiped his mouth with his shirt sleeve and picked up a magazine. He looked at his watch got on his feet and tucked the magazine under his arm and headed out of the room.

How that man got to be a cop, Fenton shook his head, he'll never know.

"Okay...mental note talk with Harry." Pete said slowly, "Let's move on shall we." Next, they saw a dark-haired young man in blue jeans and a red long-sleeve shirt with the sleeves pulled up to his elbows walk into the room.

"There!" Pete pointed to the screen, "There's Frank."

Fenton and Joe lean closer sure enough it was Frank. they watched him walk up to the counter as Pete stepped in behind it cleaning up Harry's trash. After that he greeted Frank and then Frank began signing the log and Pete handed him the gun from the gun case. Then the two headed for the double doors out to the range.

They saw Frank with Pete next to him shooting off a few rounds. After he was finished Frank and Pete walked back to the counter to turn in the gun.

Joe watched closely as his brother handed the gun to Pete and left the room.

A few seconds later, Pete walked over to the counter with the gun. "And there's the two guys I was telling you about." He pointed.

Fenton and Joe saw the two young men coming out of the locker rooms in a heated argument then at one point one of the men whirled around and raised his fist at the other guy. Pete hearing the commotion puts the gun on the counter and goes over to stop the fighting. Fenton's eyes went back to the gun on the counter.

They had to do a double-take, because of what they saw next. Within seconds a dark-haired figure his face was away from the camera he picked up the gun off of the counter and rushed out of the room.

No, can't be. Joe said under his breath. He couldn't take his eyes off the screen. "Is there any way to make this any clearer?"

"No, I'm sorry," Pete replied regrettably. "This is about as good as it gets."

Damn. Joe cursed under his breath. He glanced over at his father he too couldn't take his eyes off the screen either. The dark-haired figure was wearing the same clothing Frank had on.

Fenton suddenly felt sick to his stomach. Dear God, please tell me it's not true. "Dad, what do you think?" He heard Joe ask him.

"I don't know." That was all Fenton could manage to say. He straightened up and began thinking of what to do next.

As a father, he didn't want to do what he was about to do especially when it involved his son. It hurt him to the core of his heart to even think of Frank as a suspect. However, as a detective that is what it looked like. He knew what had to be done. He had no choice. And he knew he was going to get resistance from Joe. Again there was no choice. He took a breath and with a strong and steady voice. "Pete, can you make two copies of this?"

"Yes of course."

Joe straightens up looking at Fenton strangely. "Two, why do you need two?"

Here we go, he thought. "One so we can try to get the footage enhanced so we can see the person more clearly." Fenton paused to prepare himself to say the next part. "And two to give to Chief Collig as evidence."

Then he counted to himself one, two, three..."What!" That was the reaction he was expecting from Joe, and Joe didn't disappoint.

"Dad you can't!" Joe shouted. He stabbed a finger at the monitor. "That guy is not Frank!" Joe didn't understand this. How could his father do this? "You can't give this to the Chief. This makes Frank look even more guilty. We are supposed to be proving his innocence, not get him convicted! What the hell are you thinking!"

"I'd suggest you lower your tone right now," Fenton said biting back his temper. "I don't want to do this, but I have to. It's the right way. Joe, we can't withhold evidence."

"The right way, oh, in other words, you mean the legal way," Joe argued. "That is why you're doing this. You're telling me, you're throwing Frank your son under the bus, for your so-called justice system."

"No that is not what I'm doing. I do believe Frank is innocent." Fenton replied his temper simmering. "I don't believe he committed murder. But until we can get the footage enhanced. This is what we're looking at."

"Okay, Fenton, I got both copies for you," Pete announced after a few minutes handing Fenton two CD cases.

"Thank you, Pete," Fenton said looking down at the discs in his hand. With a heavy heart Fenton looked back up at his son he put a hand firmly on his shoulder. "Go outside and wait for me."

"Dad, I'm sorry I didn't mean to yell and be disrespectful," Joe apologized, acting ashamed of his actions. He pleaded in tears. "Please don't give the Chief the other copy."

Fenton swallowed the lump in his throat, pushing his emotions aside. "Go outside."

"Fine," Joe said heatedly. "But, If this gets Frank convicted, I'll never forgive you." Then he turned around and headed for the door.

FJFJFJFJFJFFJ

Monday afternoon, Con entered the cell block carrying a fast food bag and a soda. He stopped until he came to Frank's cell. He spotted the older Hardy boy dressed in an orange jumpsuit sitting on the floor with his knees up to his chest and his arms around them. He had the saddest look on his face.

The officer's heart went out for him. Frank shouldn't be here. He's a good guy. He didn't deserve this. God the truth had to come out somehow. Frank didn't commit murder.

He took a breath. He opened the cell and stepped inside. Not wanting to startle him, "Frank." He gently called to him.

Frank looked up at him and gave him a half smile.

"How are you doing?" Con noted his eyes were red and swollen as if he'd been crying.

"Peachy."

Con just nodded. He crouched down next to him. "Well hey, I thought you might be hungry. I got you a cheeseburger and fries. And here's a soda." He sat them on the floor in front of Frank.

Frank just glanced at them. "Thank you, but, I'm not hungry."

"Oh come on, you have to eat something, I know the food here isn't all that great, that's why I went out and got you this. You got to keep up your strength." Con encouraged him. "Besides I don't want Joe thinking we're not taking care of you."

"Oh no, we wouldn't want to do that," Frank murmured. "Can't disappoint Joe." He reached into the bag and took out a French fry. He popped it in his mouth chewing it slowly and cast his sad eyes at the floor. "Although I've been doing that a lot lately."

Unclear of what to make of the comment, Con raised a brow. "I don't think that's true. That kid thinks highly of you. You're his hero. He's going to stick by you no matter what."

"That's just it," Frank said taking another fry out of the bag. "I'm not a hero. Joe puts me on such a high pedestal. I mean he once told me that I out-rank Spider-Man."

Con just smiled at the comment letting Frank continue, "I try to live up to the expectation of what he wants me to be. But I'm not that person anymore. I'm tired of letting everyone down. Joe, my parents, Callie, P-hil...," His voice trails off. He stopped eating and threw a fry back into the bag. Then announced, "I'm tired, I don't want to do this anymore. I think I'm going to lie down."

"Okay, just make sure you eat something," Con said slowly taking it as his cue he got to his feet.

Frank got to his feet lay on his bed and closed his eyes shutting the world out. Con stepped out of the cell and closed the door. He looked back at Frank he didn't know exactly what was going on with him, but, his gut instinct told him not to leave him.

He took his phone out of his backpack and started texting Fenton. "Frank needs you."

FJFJFJFJFJFJF

"Good evening, I am Cynthia Fletcher of NBN Bayport News. With the latest..." A young, female anchorwoman said from behind the news desk. "A body was found early this morning in a ditch along Shore Road."

"The body was identified as 57-year-old Jack Hayden a former teacher of Bayport High School. Sources say the man was on trial for allegedly attempted murder and child abuse charges just two weeks ago, but the trial was later declared a mistrial due to complications and lack of evidence. It has also been reported that authorities do have the murder suspect in custody 18 year old Frank Hardy son of Detective Fenton Hardy...' click'

The dark-haired figure turned off the television grinning from ear to ear. He stood by his bed and began stuffing his red shirt and jeans into a garbage bag. Then went over to the closet opened the door and threw the bag inside.

"DAMN!" A man's voice roared from the living room. The dark-haired figure jumped at the sound of objects being thrown and glass shattering to pieces. "FUCK YOU FRANK HARDY YOU'RE A DEAD MAN!"

The dark-haired figure kept the grin on his face, very pleased with that outburst from his uncle he ran a hand through his hair before closing the door and went over to the bed. He laid down on his pillow with his hands clasped behind his neck lost in his thoughts looking up at the ceiling. Paybacks are a bitch.

A Brother's Revenge Chapter 6

"You stupid, worthless bastard! You were supposed to pick Jack up!"

Hearing the commotion, Henry Jacobs stepped out of the small bedroom dressed in his black t-shirt with a red Spider-Man symbol on it and black jeans. He touched a hand to the bandage covering the flesh wound on his left arm. The wound was healing nicely; Carolyn would clean and change the bandage for him. It was an ugly reminder of the fight and his hatred for Frank Hardy.

Shaking the thought out of his head, he hurried into the living room and stopped in his tracks. His uncle Ryan had Daniel Bartend shoved against the wall. His brown eyes were blazing hot as he directed them at Bartend.

The room was completely trashed; broken glass was strewn everywhere from a turned-over coffee table. Tempers were bound to flare up after all; they'd been cooped up for the last two weeks in this three-bedroom lodge cabin, several miles outside of Bayport. The place was so perfect, almost invisible. So secluded, that no one would think to look for them there...it just had a few minor problems, it belonged to a retired couple Marge and Bruce Linsky, who were home at the time. However, the problems were quickly resolved as the couple's bodies lay cold down in the cellar, courtesy of Ryan and Carolyn.

Henry's eyes shifted to the current situation going on in front of him.

"Get off me!" Bartend bellowed pushing Ryan off him. "Don't blame this shit on me! I went to pick Jack up on Shore Road this morning as planned...but cops were swarming all over the place...so I got the fuck out of there! When I got hired as Jack's lawyer to defend him and get his ass out of jail, I had no clue I'd get sucked into all your crazy shit!" The lawyer ranted on. There was no way in hell they were going to blame this one on him...he had nothing to do with it.

"I have done everything you people have asked...or better ordered," He checked off with his fingers, "I managed to get Fenton Hardy thrown off the case! I went along with the whole insanity bit; I helped Carolyn and Cindy break Jack out of the mental hospital in Bellevue! I helped kidnap that Hardy kid out at that farm."

Carolyn stood by Ryan with her arms folded to her chest, glaring at the lawyer. "Yeah, only end up shooting him." She laughed dryly, "Which wasn't part of the plan."

"Shut up! I told you why I had to." He snapped.

"Oh please. You fucked up." Carolyn snapped back. "Just like that plan of yours two weeks ago to use Jack's kid to do the job you were ordered to do, to kill Joe Hardy but it didn't happen. "

"Oh yes let's not forget that," Ryan replied heatedly stabbing a finger to his chest. "When Carolyn called and told me your plan to use Henry...I knew I had to step in to create the hospital fire as a diversion to get your sorry asses out of there."

"But you have to admit my plan did work, thanks to Henry's actions", Bartend shot back. "Jack got his mistrial just like he wanted. And now my career has gone down the tubes and I'm a fugitive...wanted as an accessory to murder, two murders to be exact." He looked at Henry and pointed, "I had no idea that kid turned psycho and murdered that other boy in the hospital courtyard...who knew he'd try to kill the other Hardy brother."

Henry glared at Bartend but said nothing. Psycho? The dude has no idea.

"Okay, maybe it did work to some degree, but let's talk about the situation we're facing now." Ryan took a step back kicking the leg of the broken coffee table. He ran a hand over his face.

"We were going to leave this god-forsaken town for good...all we needed was Jack...and now he's dead!" He shouted red-faced at the lawyer. "How the hell did Frank Hardy know about the plan for you to meet Jack out on that road?"

"I don't know."

"Well, he must have found out somehow. Has anyone of you left this cabin in the last couple of days?" Ryan shifted his eyes suspiciously at Carolyn.

"Don't look at me." She snapped shaking her head, "I've been here with you this whole time, I'm going stir crazy, so sick of this damn cabin."

"What about you?" Ryan shifted his attention to Henry.

"What?" Henry grumbled.

"You heard me! Have you been out of this fucking cabin in the last two days?"

"I don't have to answer you."

In a flash, Ryan flew up to Henry, grabbing him by the front of his shirt, shoving him against the wall knocking pictures to the floor. He grabbed him by the chin. Giving him an icy stare, "Listen you little shit, god only knows where your mother is, and now with your father gone. I'm all you've got...so if you've done anything to get your father killed...you will answer to me."

"Yes or no, did you leave this cabin in the last couple of days?"

Henry immediately jerked his head away from his hand. "No," he lied glaring at his uncle, "By the way, I'm eighteen which means I don't have to answer to anyone, anymore."

"You think so. You're wanted for murdering those two boys. The police will never stop looking for you. You think you can make it on your own."

'I can and I will." Henry hissed.

Ryan studied him closely, "Maybe there is some of your father in you after all." He glanced up at the teen's dark hair. "What's with the hair?" He tugged on it.

"I'm trying something new. I figured we need to change our appearances from the police."

"Where did you get the hair dye?"

"I found it here in the bathroom...you know from the old couple you killed that own this cabin."

"Good thinking kid," Ryan praised him, and he slowly released his nephew.  He took a breath to calm down. "This still doesn't answer my first question," He turn to Bartend, "How the hell did Frank Hardy know about the plan for you to meet Jack out on that road?"

"Well his father is a detective, and he is one himself. Frank must have found out somehow. Maybe they crossed paths with each other and got into a fight and he ended up shooting Jack." Bartend quickly throughout a theory. "He would have a reason to kill your brother, out of revenge. Jack was accused of hurting his brother."

"I believe it." Henry jumped in quickly. Thinking of Frank Hardy made his blood boil. "He never did like me, He told me so many times about how much he hated me because he hated Jack. Frank Hardy had convinced all his friends that I was just like Jack. Jack was an evil man he'd say...Jack deserved to die, he'd say."

"He finally convinced his brother to turn his back on me...that's why I tried to kill Frank out of self-defense. All I was trying to do was be friends with his brother …Frank didn't like that, he's no good...he's manipulative, cunning... he snuck into my hospital room and threatened my life...he told me to stay away from Joe or I'd regret it. Frank even made a threat to get rid of Jack...as payback for him hurting his brother. Hurting his little brother was a big no, no, he'd say." Henry huffed out, nodding at the television, "And I guess you heard it tonight on the news Frank Hardy did exactly what he said he do...kill Jack." Henry ran a hand through his dark hair and suppressed a smile. He planted the seed and now waited for his uncle to respond.

There was an intense silence that filled the room, everyone waiting for the younger Hayden brother to speak.

All of a sudden, however, an evil grin spread across his face, his uncontrollable chuckling breaking the silence. "Well then it's only fair that I return the favor, and avenge my brother's death."

"Who's with me?" He looked at everyone in the room.

"Yes, of course," Carolyn replied.

"Count me out." Bartend disagreed. "I don't want to be a part of this. I'm getting as far away from you people as possible."

"You know, Daniel, you're right, you don't have to be a part of this, you've done enough. You're free to go," Ryan smiled smugly. "However, before you go I need your help with something."

"What's that?"

"Follow me to the cellar."

"What?" the lawyer's eyes widen, his face paled.

"I need your help. We have to bury the bodies of the old couple we killed before they stink up the place. After that, you're free to leave." The younger Hayden brother looked at Henry and Carolyn, "You two stay here."

Bartend gulped nervously. He reluctantly followed Ryan into the kitchen and to a door that led down to the cellar.

Ryan opened the door, and held it open for him, "After you, don't look back." he gestured for him to go down the stairs. A stone-cold expression slid across his face, his dark eyes filled with hatred and his mouth twisted into a scowl.

The lawyer's body started to tremble as he assented down the steps. Ryan goes in closing the door behind him. Then a few minutes later Henry and Carolyn heard the sound of a couple of gunshots, BANG! BANG! followed by a loud, thump!

Then Ryan comes back into the living room and puts a gun in the back pocket of his pants, "That's one less headache I have to deal with."

'You know Ryan," Carolyn said unfazed by what had just taken place. She folded her arms to her chest, "Bartend did bring up a good point. What if Fenton Hardy did find out somehow about Bartend's meeting with Jack? We need to leave this cabin before someone gets wind of this place."

'It is a possibility, Carolyn my dear, however, we're not leaving this shit yet," Ryan coolly replied. "Not until I avenge my brother's death. I want blood, Hardy blood. It's going to take careful planning." And ideas struck him as he looked at Henry's new hair and smiled, "We're going to hide in plain sight."

"Listen up Henry...time to do your father proud. Eye for an eye... A brother for a brother... soon a Hardy boy will die."

FJFJFJFJFJFJF

At a quarter to 6, Fenton left the shooting range. He dropped his very pissed-off youngest at home. He couldn't deal with Joe's energy at the moment. He understood why Joe was angry with him; he hoped Joe would eventually see reason as to why he had to turn the disc over to the Chief. He didn't want to turn it in, but he had to it was the principle of the matter. He pulled up to the station got out of the car and made his way inside.

Chief Collig was at the front desk talking to Officer Baker when he saw the detective walk through the front doors of the precinct.

"Fenton..." He asked noting the concern on the man's face.

Fenton joined the officers at the front desk. "Chief, this is for you," He said handing the disc to him for going formalities. The chief looked questionably at the disc in his hand, then up at Fenton.

"On it is footage from a security camera from the shooting range." Fenton explained although every word tasted bitter as he spoke, "it shows what happened to the gun. All I'm going to say is the person on it may or may not be who you think. At least I pray it's not." Everything in him wanted to believe it wasn't Frank on that tape stealing the gun. But at the moment that was the least of his concern, the wellbeing of his eldest son, he received Con's urgent text message, 'Frank needs you'. He knew it was a bad idea to leave Frank here locked in a cell.

"I need to see Frank."

The Chief exchanged looks with Baker, "Yes of course," He replied, "Baker, why don't you take Fenton to Frank's cell? While you're doing that I'll take a look at what's on this footage." He held up the disc.

"Yes, Sir," Baker answered with a nod.

"Thank you," Fenton said gratefully as he walked with Baker to the cell block. He asked rubbing his tired eyes. 'How is he by the way?"

"Um, very quiet lying on his cot. Con brought him something to eat earlier, but he barely touched it. Right now your son is sleeping or pretending to be. Con was very concerned about him and hadn't left his side since he texted you."

Fenton's stomach started churning, this didn't sound good. As soon as they entered the cell block and past the other inmates they finally reached Frank's cell Con was standing outside.

"Con, thank you for notifying me it means a lot." Fenton greeted him with a handshake.

The officer accepted his handshake, concern evident in his voice. "I've never seen Frank like this before. He just sounded down on himself." He released Fenton's hand and then quickly gave him a rundown of his conversation with Frank, "He kept saying things like he was tired of letting everyone down, Joe, you and Laura, Callie. Then he mentioned Phil's name and that was pretty much the end of our conversation. Then when he said he was tired and didn't want to do this anymore. Something about that statement was a red flag to me. That's why I text you."

Fenton stepped up to the cell he wanted to cry. His eldest son curled up in a fetal position dressed in an orange jumpsuit lying on his cot, his face pale and eyes closed. He had the bleak expression look on his face, that same expression he had come to know himself, through his battle with depression. To watch his son go through this was truly heartbreaking, this was a battle he couldn't fight for him, but Fenton was determined to do everything in his power to support and encourage Frank to keep fighting and not give up. Depression wasn't going to take his son's life like it did his father.

Fenton quickly held back his tears; he had to remain strong and calm. Con opened the cell door and Fenton stepped inside. He took a deep breath to keep his own emotions at bay. He crouched down next to Frank's cot. He noted the fast food bag on the floor. He touched the food it was cold.

"Frank." He said softly.

No response. He could hear his son breathing steadily, so he didn't know if he was sleeping.

"Frank," He said again, reaching out to gently touch his shoulder.

Frank slowly opened his eyes and looked at his father, and then closed them again. "Dad."

"Con called you, didn't he?"

"He did, he's very concerned about you, and so am I."

"I'm fine, living the dream." Frank opened his eyes and lifted his head, "Just look around," He said spreading his arm to show his father his cell. "What more can I ask for?" Then he curled his arm back under his chest and closed his eyes again.

Ignoring his son's sarcastic remark, Fenton asked, "Will you, please, open your eyes and tell me that?"

Frank did as his father instructed him. "Better." The word came out bitterly after he opened his eyes.

Fenton bit the tip of his tongue to stop his temper. He took a calming breath and started counting to ten. It was bad enough he was getting attitude from Joe, now from Frank. He would give his sons some leeway given the ordeals they're going through, to some degree.

However, at some point, he was going to have to sit down and have a talk with them. It didn't matter to him if one was a high school senior and the other a college man...there was one thing Fenton would not tolerate from his sons' lack of respect, especially if they wanted to come to work for him. The hard part for Fenton was figuring out how to balance between being their boss and their father.

Frank caught the hurt look in Fenton's eyes and felt guilty for being disrespectful. He quickly sat up, "Dad, I'm sorry, I don't mean it...there's just so much going on him my head." He said, putting his hands on the sides of his face, he started to choke up making it even harder to talk. "I'm trying to be a man a fight this thing...but it's getting harder and harder...I don't think I can take much more of this shit."

Frank turned away from Fenton feeling ashamed.

"Son, look at me."

Frank shook his head no.

"Frank I said look at me."

"I can't."

Fenton calmly took a breath. Then he gently, turned his son's chin with his hand, forcing Frank to look at him.

Frank looked up at his father with tear-stained eyes. His bottom lip started quivering as tears ran down his cheeks. "Dad... I...hate crying...I'm a grown man for god sake...I hate feeling so empty."

Fenton began talking to him firmly but remained calm, "Listen to me closely, if there is one thing, you're not, is a quitter. You have never quit anything in your life. Like in school anytime you were faced with a difficult assignment, you never gave up you worked at it until you figured it out. Yes, depression is hard...and it gets harder, Frank, you are smart, you can beat this thing. Think of it as the enemy wanting to cause you harm. All you have to do is fight and keep fighting no matter how hard it is you will get through this. I promise."

"Okay, okay I'll try." Frank nodded slowly.

"Good, that's all I ask," Fenton replied. Hopefully, he was getting through to him. He added with a little more encouragement. "I want you to start thinking positive thoughts. We're going to get you out of here."

All at once Frank went quiet Fenton could almost see the wheels turning in his head as if he wanted to say something. He waited patiently for him to speak.

Then finally, "I didn't kill Hayden," Frank said, brown eyes almost pleading. He knew he asked him this before, but he just needed to hear it from his father again. "You believe me, don't you?"

Before Fenton could give him an answer the image of the dark-haired figure in a red shirt from the security footage flashed in his head. He didn't want to believe it was Frank.

"Yes, I believe you," Fenton answered honestly. He saw relief wash over his son's face then it quickly switched into concern.

"Where's Joe? Why didn't he come with you?"

"He's at home, resting."

"Really? How did you swing that?"

This time Fenton went quiet, Frank had a bad feeling something was wrong. "Is there something going on? Have you found out anything?" He asked curiously.

"All I can tell you is that we're working on something," Fenton spoke without going into detail about the footage of the dark-haired figure.

That piqued Frank's curiosity even more. Why was his father being so secretive all of a sudden...maybe he did find something that would prove his innocence. But that didn't explain his concern about what was going on with his brother.

"What about Joe? If I know my little brother he's not taking this whole thing well, isn't he?"

"Your brother is dealing with this the best way he can."

"Is he being difficult? He can be intense sometimes."

"Joe is just being Joe. The only way he can express his feelings is by lashing out. I can tell you he's very much in your corner. He believes without a doubt you are innocent, and no one is going to change his mind." Fenton said finally. "He just wants you home as we all do."

"He's lashing out at you, isn't he?"

"You could say that."

"I guess this means I have to go into big brother mode and knock my little brother down a peg or two."

Fenton had to smile at Frank's remark. He's beginning to sound like Frank so intuitive when it comes to his brother's behavior.

"Son, I appreciate you coming to my defense, but believe it or not I can handle Joe. So remember what I said think positive thoughts, tomorrow you're getting out of here."

FJFJFJFJFJFJF

Tuesday morning 8AM

Within 72 hours of his arrest, Frank stood in front of a judge with his lawyer Carl Sims.

He followed his father's advice by thinking positive thoughts. He was going to fight this damn depression. It wasn't going to take him. He was going to fight hard for his family, his friends, Callie the woman he loved and plans to spend the rest of his life with. And he was going to fight for himself, he had to make a vow to get justice for Phil and Seth.

But before he could he had to get out of this mess, Frank was going to find whoever was framing him for Hayden's murder. Oh yes, he was thinking positively that things were going to turn around for him.

So far things were starting to go in Frank's favor. A $1000 bail was set since none of the shyster lawyers were there in court to complain. That was one check Fenton was more than happy to write that would keep Frank from spending another night in a jail cell.

However, the judge did have one stipulation. He was aware of who Fenton Hardy was and his profession as a detective. Therefore he had prohibited Frank as well as Fenton from investigating Hayden's murder case. As hard as that will be for them Fenton and Frank both had agreed to the judge's decision.

The judge banged his gavel on the desk dismissing the courtroom, although Frank's ordeal was far from over with Hayden's murder hanging over his head, Frank wasn't giving up, he was innocent. He knew the truth would eventually come out somehow, but for now Frank was happy to be out of that cell. For now, he was free. For now, he was happy.

After shaking Carl's hand to thank him, Frank turned around to see his parents, Callie and Joe sitting in the front row behind him with smiles on their faces. He smiled back at them.

Oh yes, he had a reason to fight.

A brother's revenge Chapter 8

"Welcome to my home," Callie announced cheerfully once they reached room B14. She took her key out of her purse and inserting it into the lock, she swung open the door. "My parents bought me a living room set as a graduation gift. I still have to get a bed and other things, Mom said she'll help me decorate to make it feel like home."

Frank nodded and followed her inside, making sure he closed and locked the door behind him. He quickly took the apartment in. It was small but had a warm and cozy feel to it. The walls were white with tan carpeting covering the floor. There was a small kitchen with white cabinets and gray granite countertops and an island with two bar stools. A small table that served as the dinner table sat in the corner.

The kitchen opened up to the living room. There was a gray sofa that looked inviting, a large white pillow at each end, a red blanket draped over the loveseat, and an ottoman on the floor. A bookshelf and desk weren't too far, facing the rest of the room.

Callie showed him the two bedrooms down the hallway. "This one is my room." She said as they stepped into the room on the left-hand side. "It's not as big as my room at my parents' house, which means I'm going to have to purge some of my stuff to make room."

Frank noticed the walls were white, along with the ceiling and the door to the walk-in closet. Beams of sunshine filtered into the room from open blinds from the windows. He walked over to the windows pulling the blinds up getting a full view of the tall buildings of Bayport University in the distance. Suddenly his mind was lost in thought and a feeling of sadness began to take over.

Callie noticed he had been quiet since they left the lobby, "Frank, why don't we go back into the living room." She suggested a slight nod of his head was his response.

"Come on." She went up to him, taking his hand in hers; she led him back out of the room. Once in the living room, she led him over to the couch. She released his hand and sat down, leaning back against the cushions as she kicked her shoes off. She patted the spot next to her, inviting him to sit, hoping he'd start talking. He sat beside her, resting his hand on her knee.

She placed her hand on his. Frank leaned his head back resting on the couch and closed his eyes.

"Frank, are you okay? If you want to talk, I'm here ready to listen."

He rubbed his eyes suddenly feeling tired, "I'd be lying if I said I was okay." He opened his eyes and looked at her. He sighed warily, " That's the thing with depression, I think, I don't know how I'm going to feel from one day to the next. Sometimes my emotions hit me in waves and it can be draining to the point where I'm physically exhausted. I mean, here you are ready to start your new life." His voice deflated with every word, "And I'm not even close to being ready for Princeton. I'm supposed to be there on the third of August; I'm not even close to ready for that."

"Tomorrow is the first day of July practically the start of summer, I thought I'd be spending it with you, my family, and friends...watching fireworks on the 4th along the waterfront of the docks on Shore Road like we do every year. And at the end of July my 19th birthday...for all I know I could be spending it in prison. Before leaving for college I thought I'd sit down with each of my family members and friends, one on one, to say goodbye to them and to let them know how much of a positive impact they've made on my life; hopefully, I've impacted them the same way."

"That is something Dr. Reese has encouraged me to do, to be a little open in regards to my emotions." He paused. "I'm still working up the nerve and trying to figure out what to say to Joe." He glanced down at his hands before looking back up at Callie. "To you." He shook his head, "We're engaged to be married...after we graduate college...and work towards building our future together...that was our plan... But instead, I'm dealing with so much crazy shit. Hell, maybe I am crazy. I swear I saw that kid in the lobby...something about him bugs me...I don't know why?" He huffed and closed his eyes.

"You are not crazy. If you said you saw him. I believe you." Callie stated. Frank opened his eyes and looked at her; Callie could tell there was something else on his mind. She waited patiently for him to speak. He tossed one of the throw pillows on the ottoman.

He reached back and took his phone out of the back pocket of his jeans. Callie leaned over and watched as he scrolled through his contact list, stopping when it got to Phil Cohen. Her heart sank; she knew who, or what was on his mind. It hadn't been more than two weeks since their good friend had been brutally murdered.

Frank let out a heavy sigh as tears seeped from the corners of his eyes, his chin starting to quiver as he choked out. "About a hundred times today, I've wanted to give Phil a call or send him a text...but I can't...I know he's not going to answer...why... because he's dead." Tears rolled down his face, "He was my best friend...I should've been there...I could have stopped it." He threw the phone on the floor.

"What happened to him was not your fault... Frank, you were in the hospital...you had a situation with your heart...your health needed attention."

"It still hurts that he's gone."

"I know," Callie said softly. She reached up and began running her fingers through his hair, trying to comfort him. She sniffed back tears of her own, "I miss him too. He was a good friend. He didn't deserve what happened to him. Phil had his whole life ahead of him...I'm angry it got taken away from him."

Frank nodded. He sniffed back an angry sob, "He was supposed to be getting ready for college, just like us... He was looking forward to going to MIT. But it's not going to happen...and it's all Henry's fault! Phil was going to start his own software company. He was already working on something...it's never going to happen...because of Henry." He stopped himself and wiped the tears from his eyes, his voice grew serious. "And then there's his cousin Seth. I hadn't gotten the chance to meet him. How sad is that? He ended up losing his life trying to help me and Joe. It's not fair. I do know one thing though: when the time is right I'm going to find Henry. He's going to pay for taking both Phil and Seth's lives."

"I know you will, and you're right, it's not fair." Callie agreed. She sniffed back an angry sob and wiped her tears away, "Just like it's not fair that you're being accused of killing Hayden, that horrible man. And I want you to know, that I believe you are innocent. You did not kill him. I'll stick by you no matter what. And if you're worried about your father and brother they will work things out. You'll see. I love you so much." She gave his hand a light squeeze.

Frank smiled back at her beautiful face. "I love you too. You don't know how much your support means to me." He felt his spirit suddenly lift. He was happy she was here. Callie had told him earlier she had heard of his arrest on the news, which he hadn't wanted her to find out like that. She had called his mother to find out what was going on. All Laura could tell her was that he was being accused of murdering Jack Hayden, and about Frank's bail hearing for this morning.

Callie had asked if she could be there to support him. Frank felt so lucky to have this beautiful, amazing creature in his life despite the hell he was going through.

However, that was far from everything he'd been sensing regarding his brother. Joe had so often expressed his joy at having his big brother out of jail and back home. But Frank didn't like the growing tension between his father and brother; sooner or later he'd have to go home to deal with it.

"Well, we don't have to be home for supper until 6 this evening." He said feeling relaxed. "So that means I get to spend the rest of the day with you. Could we talk about something else?"

' Actually, we don't have to talk at all." Callie smiled mischievously. Frank lifted his eyebrow, looking at her strangely. "We could make out?"

"Make out?" Frank laughed. "Like a couple of high school kids."

"Yup...except we're grownups now, we can...stay out as late as we want...do whatever we want. We can go right into second base.." She leaned into him and traced his lips with her finger, before kissing them. "slide into...third," she whispered seductively. "And if you're lucky...you'll get a grand slam..."

Callie tossed her blonde hair back over her shoulder and climbed onto his lap, pressing his back against the couch she took his hands and placed them on the hips of her jeans. She felt his hands slide to her ass giving her a firm squeeze and making her wet down below. She began unbuttoning his shirt spread it apart and began running her hands down his bare chest. Her thumb grazed his left nipple causing a small gasp to escape his lips.

Her touch was making his body feel tingly and heat growing in his jeans. Frank swallowed a lump in his throat. "Cal..." he started to say a word, She started kissing his chin, then his throat leaving a trail of hot kisses to the nape of his neck. She could feel his body responding to her touch. She slid her hands down his chest and let her fingers trace over his abs before traveling down to the waistline of his jeans. She popped open his jeans and slid down the zipper, her hand slipped inside, and she began to stroke him.

"Wait, Callie..." Frank said, voice shaking placing his hand on her to stop.

"Don't you like me touching you?"

He was a little disappointed when she removed her hand from him, He let out a breath. It's not that he didn't want to... her touch felt good, Damn good...he wasn't sure if now was the time.

"It's okay, Frank we're engaged." She slid her hands up his chest and locked her arms around his neck, pressing her chest against his. "Besides, didn't I just save you from those nasty girls?"

"That you did," Frank smirked. "Callie...I love you and believe me... I want to show you how much... it's just with everything going on right now...the last thing I need is to get you pregnant."

"I'm safe. I'm taking precautions to make sure that doesn't happen." Callie looked at him seriously. "Frank, it's okay I want this."

She saw him start to hesitate, and she quickly added, "Do you remember when we stood under that oak tree out at the Morton farm? We expressed our feelings about how much we love each other, we even shared a kiss. It was a beautiful moment that I'll always treasure."

Frank nodded.

Yes, He remembered ...it was a beautiful moment before the tragic nightmare with Hayden sneaking onto Chet's farm and killing his dog … and Joe had gone missing...fearing the worst had happened to him.

Frank quickly pushed that thought out of his head...he didn't want to think about it...instead he focused on the moment he shared with Callie where he opened up his heart to her under that oak tree...he told her he loved her... tasting her lips...he didn't want to forget in that moment he was truly happy.

Callie continued. "I trust you. You're the man I want a future with. I love you. And want to show you." She gazed up at him, losing herself in his brown eyes. 'Don't be afraid to show me. I am yours." She gave him a passionate kiss on his lips.

He pulled her back keeping her arms linked, "I love you." He said breathlessly looking into her eyes.

This time Frank didn't hold back...he returned the kiss feasting on her lips. Oh, those beautiful sweet lips. In a bold move, His tongue plunged between her lips, tasted her, and found her tongue twined around his. His hands drove into her blond hair, grabbed handfuls of it, and crushed her mouth to his as her strong fingers slid into his hair to pull his mouth down against hers.

Callie let him take control over her as his lips left hers, letting her catch her breath and began planting kisses along her jaw finding their way to the nape of her neck, coming back up drove into her lips.

Frank moved his hand down to her shoulder, then off her shoulder to her breast. He fondled her breast through her shirt for a second, and then he began to unbutton her shirt and pulled it open to show her half-cup bra. He reached around her and undid the clasp of her bra and the bra hung loosely from her shoulders. He moved his hands to her breasts and began to massage them, kneading them, tasting them, gripping them, and running his thumb over her hard nipples. The touch of his hands so warm on her bare skin sent another burst of heat straight to her core and made it ache as a small sound escaped her. "Frank."

She broke free from his touch long enough to stand up to discard her shirt and bra to the floor, her jeans and panties soon followed.

"You're beautiful." He said drinking at the sight of her naked body.

The heat in his jeans was begging for release, Frank couldn't take it anymore. He needed her, now! He stood up and took off the rest of his shirt and his jeans.

Now it was Callie's turn to drink in the sight of him. "Those nasty girls were right, you are Tall, dark and, sexy."

Frank reached for her again pulling her close, his voice husky with emotion, "Lucky for you, you get the full package." Once again they began feasting on each other's lips, hands roaming their bodies, letting out moans and groans.

Callie slid her hands up his chest and locked her arms around his neck, pressing her chest against his. Blindly, Frank picked her up and she wrapped her legs tightly around his waist. He laid her down on the couch and buried himself into her. Their bodies melted into the heat of passion.

"Frank!"

FJFJFFJFJFFJFJ

A few minutes or so later...

Callie was buttoning up her shirt when she got to the last button she glanced up at a shirtless Frank, who was zipping up his jeans. He picked his shirt up off the floor and put it on. He glanced up meeting her gaze and smiling at her.

"Look at you with a smile on your face." She smiled back at him.

"Well it's your fault, you put it there." He teased lowering his head, to kiss her lips.

"Are you okay?" He asked curiously. "Considering this was our first time."

"I'm fine," she smiled. "Perfectly fine." She reassured him noting a hint of concern in his eyes. "You were gentle and firm, made me feel beautiful." She winked and hinted suggestively, "You did hit a grand slam." She saw concern disappear from his eyes, in place, his face turned pink and a light in his eyes and a smile was back on his face.

Frank cleared his throat, he took a breath, "Well you were pretty good yourself." He couldn't stop smiling at her. It was hard to put into words what he was feeling, happy, excited, exhausted from expressing his love to her. But the glow on her face and the light in her eyes Frank could tell she was feeling the same way. It was a good feeling.

"So do you really like this apartment?" She asked him once they were dressed.

The question snapped Frank out of his thoughts, he looked at her. "Yes, "I like it, it's nice."

"Good, I'm glad." She replied pleased to hear his answer.

"However, I don't like the idea of you living alone. You should start looking for a roommate. Preferably, someone trustworthy."

Callie smiled. That sounded so much like Frank, she loved his protectiveness. Inwardly, she was bursting with excitement because so far his answers were what she wanted to hear. However, she was a little hesitant about what she wanted to ask him next, she was hoping it wasn't going to scare him off.

"I do have someone in mind." She took a deep breath and blurred out. "you."

Frank just looked at Callie, blinking. His mind turned the words over and over of what she was asking him. "You want me to move in here?"

"That's right."

"You and me living here?" He repeated pointing at the floor. "Together."

"Yes," Callie confirmed again. All at once Frank took a step back from her and went over to the window. Her heart dropped at his reaction, Maybe this wasn't a good idea?

"Frank, I'm sorry, please don't be angry." She went over to him. 'It was just an idea I had. It's one of the reasons, I decided to get an apartment, instead of living in a dorm."

Frank turned away from the window and looked at her. He took a deep breath. "Don't apologize, and I'm not angry. It's just a lot to take in. I mean, we went from being engaged to making love for the first time, and now you're talking about us living together."

"I know it's overwhelming. But it's just something to think about?"

"How would we even make it work, with me away at Princeton?" Frank asked, as he was overwhelmed but he had to talk it out to think properly.

"We can make it work, Frank." Callie brought it up tentatively. "I know, you're going to want to spend time with your family and they're going to want their time with you. Joe, especially, I get that and respect it."

"Think of this as another option, another place where you can stay when you come home. This apartment isn't just my apartment, it's ours. So we can have our time together." She placed her hand on her chest, before placing her hand on his chest," We're not in high school anymore, we're grownups now, we need to make decisions that are best for us."

She added lastly, "You don't have to make a decision now, just think about it." Callie gazed up at Frank, waiting patiently for him to answer. She could almost see the thought running in his head.

After giving her words some thought, Frank framed her face with his hands, He sighed heavily, "It is a lot to think about. " He answered honestly, "Let's just keep it as a maybe, for now. "

"A maybe is good." She smiled at him. "I love you."

"I love you, too." He smiled wrapping his arms around her, held her close for a moment, and then planted a kiss on her forehead. then his warm lips met hers, she returned his kiss passionately and smiled at him when he pulled his head back.

"I don't know about you, but I think I worked up quite an appetite," He suggested changing the subject. "Why don't we get out of here? Grab a bite to eat. After all, it is almost noon."

"Sounds good." She agreed. They left the apartment building and walked hand in hand out to the parking lot to Callie's car. All at once he stopped dead in his tracks, Callie noticed his face suddenly paled.

"Frank, what's wrong?" Callie asked concerned for him.

She followed his gaze and gasped in shock at the sight in front of them. Her little green Nissan, the front tires were slashed... on the windshield in black spray paint were the words, " Eye for an eye... A brother for a brother... soon a Hardy boy will die!

A Brother's Revenge Chapter 9

Eye for an eye... A brother for a brother... soon a Hardy boy will die! "That's a pretty bold statement. At noon and in broad daylight too. " Con said reading the message on the windshield.

"Someone's trying to send you a message." Officer Baker added, kneeling to look at the front tires cut into ribbons. He took a picture of the tires and the message on the windshield.

"Yes, and it's pretty clear and to the point," Fenton commented. Frank had called him and the police not more than an hour ago and told him Callie's car had been vandalized. His heart had nearly given out when he'd arrived and seen the cryptic message on the windshield.

"This is so creepy," Callie said shaking. A chill ran down her spine; she wrapped her arms around herself for comfort. "I'm scared for you and Joe." She tore her eyes away from her car and looked up at Frank and noticed he was lost in thought. "Frank."

Frank stood frozen where he was, he couldn't let go of the words... He couldn't think, his mind was racing. Eye for an eye... A brother for a brother... soon a Hardy boy will die!

"Frank?"

When he didn't answer she began to panic. "Frank, please!" Callie touched his shoulder, "Stay with me, I'm scared!" She called to him.

Hearing the panic in Callie's voice, Frank quickly snapped out of his thoughts. He wrapped his arms around her pulling her close to him.

"Callie, no one's going to hurt you." He vowed to her. "I promise."

She immediately felt safe in his arms, nothing at this moment would dare to hurt her, however, there was still a bit of trouble in his eyes.

"Frank, are you alright?" Fenton asked, concerned for his son.

"Yeah, I just want to find whoever did this," Frank replied after a few moments of silence, finally pulling himself together.

"Do you have any idea as to who has done this?" Callie asked to get him to focus. "

"A few people come to mind," Frank answered. "One in particular, for pretty obvious reasons."

"Ryan Hayden," Fenton stated, knowing where his son's mind was going.

"It would make sense." Con agreed. "Hayden's murder was all over the news and on the front cover of the paper. Not to mention Frank's arrest as the prime suspect."

Frank nodded in agreement. His stomach began churning at the possibility. However they couldn't make assumptions, it could be someone, anyone, else. But his mind kept shifting back to Ryan...as well as his minions as Henry; again he had to remind himself not to make assumptions. He had to get proof.

"Why don't you both start from the beginning and tell us what happened after you left the courthouse?" Fenton asked, growing more concerned.

There was a chance that Hayden's murder had brought the younger Hayden's brother out of hiding. Ryan was already a wanted man for multiple counts of murder including the deaths of two police officers, he was also the top suspect in the hospital fire. Although there was the possibility that he'd had help from Carolyn Matthews aka Crazy Nurse Matthews, not to mention Daniel Bartend and Henry who were all wanted people as well, the charges including Joe's abduction and the deaths of Phil and Seth Cohen.

"If Ryan is here, he will be a very dangerous man, hell-bent on revenge for his brother's death." Fenton thought things were about to get even more complicated.

They had to find him and fast...his sons' lives depended on it. Fenton had yet to hear from Sam who was working on the hospital case and had left to follow up on a development that had been brought to their attention.

"Well," Callie began calmly, "After we left the courthouse..." She glanced at Frank before turning back to his father. "It was my idea to drive to the college campus because I wanted to show Frank my new apartment." She said. "We were going to grab a bite to eat...and then we came out here and found my car like this."

She shivered, glancing at the message again.

"Have you talked to anyone or noticed anyone acting suspiciously." Con took out a notepad to jot down information.

"Just those three nasty girls in the lobby that were hitting on Frank," Callie answered with annoyance in her voice. "If they think they're going to get their hands on him, they've got another thing coming."

Fenton and Con just grinned at the comment.

Frank blushed in response. He cleared his throat. "The only reason I was talking to them was to ask if they saw that dark-haired kid." He quickly changed the subject. "Although, I don't know how those girls noticed anything with all the chit-chatting and carrying on they were doing. Then again they noticed me only when I got their attention."

That got Fenton's attention, "Dark-haired kid?" His mind immediately went to the image of the dark-haired figure in a red shirt from the security footage from the shooting range.

Frank quickly explained to his father and Con about the mysterious dark-haired kid who'd been in the lobby sitting on a red chair.

"I couldn't see his face clearly; he was kind of slumped down in a chair with his face buried in a magazine, he had a red cap on his head." Damn it he saw that kid ...but why...what is it about that kid that was bothering him? Did he have something to do with this? Who was this kid? "I do remember when we first got here we were walking through the parking lot towards the apartment building when a strange feeling came over me. It felt like I was being watched, but I didn't see anyone. People were walking around but nothing that would cause suspicion."

Frank kept a protective arm around Callie's waist as he spoke. "Maybe this proves that I'm not being paranoid after all." God, he hoped so. "That someone is watching me. And that someone was watching me those last two times on my morning runs to the pier on Shore Road. And that someone has a connection to Hayden's real killer...or maybe the murderer himself. We have to find this person."

"You could be right." Fenton nodded. He paused for a moment, Frank wasn't going to like the next thing he had to say, and truthfully he didn't like it either. He huffed. "There's just one problem."

"What's that?"

"We, as in you and me, have to stay out of it."

"What the hell for?" This came out a little more forcefully than Frank had intended.

Fenton kept his voice firm and steady. "Frank you're still considered a suspect in Hayden's murder. This means we can't investigate because if whoever vandalized Callie's car and left that message does have a connection to Hayden's killer, we would be violating the judge's court order."

Frank narrowed his eyes at his father; he couldn't hide his anger anymore. "Damn!" He exploded; he could no longer keep his rage inside.

"Frank!" Callie was surprised at Frank's outburst.

Frank took a step back to calm down...he hated going off on his father; it always made him feel bad. He turned around and ran his fingers through his hair in agitation. His emotions were all over the place...and he was so tired...he hated being depressed.

Once calm he turned back around to face his father. "Dad, I'm sorry, I don't mean to go off on you...it's just, that we have to find Hayden's real killer because if Ryan is here and he thinks I murdered his brother he's going to be out for blood. Joe and I are walking targets."

"Does this mean I'm a target too?" Callie piped in worriedly.

"Yes, that's what I'm afraid of. You, our friends, everyone around us. What happened to Phil can't happen again."

Fenton bit the tip of his tongue to stop his temper. He was going to have to talk with the boys later about their disrespectful attitudes.

He took a deep, calming breath. "Son, I understand the reason you're angry and I agree about your friends being targets. This is a very complicated situation and it's going to take a lot of thinking on my part to figure out what to do next."

"Callie, for your safety, I think it is best that you stay with your parents," Fenton suggested. "Do not come back here until everything is over and the perpetrators are caught."

He cared a great deal about this young woman and knew how much she meant to his son. If anything were to happen to Callie, it would be devastating.

"We can also have a squad car outside your parent's house as a precaution." Con offered. "We'll do the same for you and your family, Fenton."

"Thank you, Con," Fenton said gratefully. It was a comfort to know his family would be well protected.

"I agree." Frank would be damned if he let anything happen to the woman he loved.

"Does that mean I can't see you?" Callie protested the idea.

"It'd make me feel better to know that you were safe with your parents."

"I don't want to be away from you." She looked up at his brown eyes which made her weak in the knees.

The thought of not being able to be around Frank was not sitting well with her. She wanted to be with him always. They'd just shared an intimate moment, a moment that had strengthened their relationship... they were engaged to be married for goodness sake!

However, she understood the situation they were facing was dire...Frank and Joe's lives had been threatened; Callie would do as she was asked.

"Alright," Callie sighed as she gave in.

"Thank you," Frank said relieved. He put an arm around her pulled her close to him and then kissed her forehead. 'We'll work something out so we can see each other I promise." He released her keeping her close to him.

"I'll inform the Chief of what's going on and that Ryan Hayden could be in Bayport," Con replied, as he finished writing in his notepad.

"What about my car?" Callie inquired; she tilted her head inquisitively.

"We'll have it towed to a shop for repairs."

'What about the dark-haired kid Frank saw? He might be important."

"That is, if we can find him," Fenton answered. "Unfortunately 'a dark-haired kid wearing a red cap' is a pretty vague description."

Con wanted to do everything and anything he could to help clear Frank's name. And if Ryan Hayden was still in Bayport, the officer wanted more than anything to catch him...after all, Hayden was responsible for killing two of his fellow officers. As he continued to think about it, he realized Callie did have a point, the dark-haired kid could be important.

"It might be a long shot," he said slowly. "But we could try and ask the other residents in the building if they've seen a kid fitting that description."

"We could treat this as a case of vandalism." Fenton said thinking out loud, "The kid is a person of interest in the vandalism of property."

"Does that mean you're going to let me help?" Frank asked hopefully. "I mean, most of the residents are college students; they'd probably feel more comfortable talking to me than to a couple of police officers."

Mulling over the information, what his son had said did make sense. Fenton glanced over at Con before answering. "Alright, you can at least until we know for sure this kid has a connection to Hayden's murder, then we'll have to turn the case over to someone else."

Frank smiled, relieved his father agreed.

"I want to help too." Callie chimed in. "It'll be a great way to get to know my neighbors". She linked her arm through Frank's. "Besides, I want to be there in case those nasty girls are around."

"Callie." Frank groaned, his face blushing a deep red. Fenton and Con managed to stifle their laughs at the young couple's expense.

"Detective Hardy! Officer Riley! Look what I found."

The group turned to see Officer Baker walking towards them, a white handkerchief wrapped around a can of black spray paint.

"Where did you find that?" Con asked in shock.

"It was over by the bushes, next to the sign for student parking. It looks like it's been used, there's still a residue of paint around the nozzle."

"You just found it there?" Con glanced over at the indicated sign.

"Yes sir."

"That's kind of a coincidence don't you think?" Fenton replied, looking at what the officer held.

"Yeah almost too easy as if he wanted us to find it," Frank said picking up on what his father was thinking. "Either that or he got careless...he could have heard someone walking by and didn't want to get caught. He might've just thrown the spray can into the bushes and taken off."

"That's a good theory." Fenton praised his son. It was good to hear Frank's detective side kicking in.

He quickly threw his thoughts out into the open. "However I'm not sure Ryan would be that careless, leaving evidence behind like that. If he's going to attack, he's going to be smart about it."

"Well, we can still take it to the lab to check for fingerprints," Con answered. "Hopefully, it'll give us a clue. Baker why don't you check all our local hardware stores and see if they have any recent records of anyone buying a can of black spray paint? While you're doing that, I'll call the Chief and give him an update."

"Yes, Sir," Officer Baker left to follow Con's order.

FJFJFJFJFJFJF

Now the Hardys were alone. "Okay, let's go talk to the residents." Frank took Callie's hand in his as his girlfriend nodded her agreement. Looking back up at the apartment building, Frank stopped in his tracks as another flashback started. The second floor of the hospital exploded into a fiery inferno...seeing the hole in the floor. The room he'd shared with Joe had been directly above the impacted room. Callie as well as Fenton noticed Frank's pale face and heavy breathing, stopping in their tracks.

"Frank. Baby, are you okay?" Callie asked anxiously.

Frank continued to breathe heavily...he couldn't stop the images. Joe...he had to protect...Joe!

"Frank, calm down and answer us. Are you okay?"

Blinking as he forced the thoughts away, Frank shook his head as he focused on his father's voice.

"Dad, where's Joe...why didn't he come with you?" Frank took a few deep breaths to calm down. "He wasn't with you yesterday when you came to visit me in jail. Just an hour ago I called you and told you about Callie's car being vandalized. If Joe knew I was in trouble, he'd be here."

His mind began to panic once more...if it was Ryan...Oh my God, Joe! He had to protect Joe!

"Your brother is at home."

Frank quickly shook the thoughts out of his head; the inferno caused by the fire was gone to be replaced by Callie's apartment building. What had just happened? Frank began to once again calm down.

"He's at home?" He repeated slowly to Fenton.

"That's right."

"I left as soon as you called...I didn't tell him."

"Why?"

Fenton regretted not telling Joe. "I know I should've told him but he's not exactly speaking to me after the blow-up we had this morning while in the courthouse parking lot. Let's just say your mother and I had a very quiet ride home. As soon as we got to the house, your brother got out of the car and hurried into the house, using his crutches to go straight to his room. He's been there ever since."

"What's this fight about? Why are you two arguing?" Frank asked curiously as he processed his father's words. He was growing greatly concerned about his brother.

"I can't really discuss this with you, due to the fact it has to do with Hayden's murder case, but I'll just say this," Fenton replied "Joe and I came across some evidence yesterday that may or may not make things worse for you."

Frank raised an eyebrow at his father's words as his father continued to speak. "I had to make a very difficult decision and because of that decision Joe is very angry with me."

Fenton finished as the image of the dark-haired figure in a red shirt from the security footage from the shooting range flashed in his head. He knew without a doubt it wasn't Frank on that tape stealing the gun. The gun was later found at the crime scene where Hayden was murdered.

That tape could make things worse for Frank's case...it could even get him convicted as Joe had said. Despite that Fenton still believed that turning the disc over to Chief Collig was the right thing to do; even if it caused some friction regarding his younger son. And he wasn't sure how Frank would react to his decision either.

So the fight between his brother and father had to do with him. Now Frank was curious as to what the new evidence was. "Dad you know that by not telling him, you're adding fuel to the fire. He's going to be furious about this."

"I know." Fenton was doing his best to explain things. He knew there was no excuse for his not telling Joe about Frank's phone call and the fact that he was in trouble.

"It's just that Joe has become so bitter about our justice system. I know he's going through stuff as well. Joe thinks that since the judge barred us from the case he should be a part of it. The fact that I won't let him work is another reason for his being angry at me. He wants so badly to clear your name, Frank. You know what your brother is like when it comes to rushing into things without thinking... I'm worried this will cause a lapse in judgment that will hinder the investigation or worse still, cost him his life. Your brother's a loose cannon right now. And I have no idea how he'll react to this newest threat against you both as well as the possibility of Ryan Hayden hiding somewhere."

"Dad, one way or another, Joe has to know so that he can stay alert and ready, just in case this newest threat is carried out." Frank looked at the message on Callie's vandalized car, Eye for an eye... A brother for a brother... soon a Hardy boy will die! He pointed at the shredded front tires."This may be just a warning...next time someone could get hurt or worse."

"I know. You're right." Fenton agreed.

Frank looked up at the apartment building. " We'll be back, the dark-haired kid can wait." He looked back at his father. "Right now we need to go home. You're going to need my help to talk to Joe."

A Brother's Revenge Chapter 10

"Frank!"

Joe's eyes snapped open, breathing heavily. He wiped the beads of sweat off his forehead. He looked around until his eyes landed on his crutches propped up next to the wall beside him, realizing he was in his room lying on his bed. He looked at the time on his phone laying on the nightstand, read 2:00 pm. He winced when a twinge of pain shot up his leg as he got himself up, he swung his legs over the bed and held on to the edge of the mattress for support. Finally, he got himself together.

The last thing he remembered as soon as they got home was that he got out of the car as quickly as he could with his crutches refusing to talk to his father. Oh, he was so angry with him! He hurried into the house and up to his room slamming the door shut and plopped down on his bed and must have fallen asleep. He hated fighting with his father. He knew it was wrong of him to speak to him the way he did. For some reason his father just seemed to be an easy target to project his anger out on him instead of the people, he's angry with.

He certainly was not going to let anyone frame his brother for murder. He hit a fist against the mattress out of frustration, batting away tears, God, I can't lose Frank... He made a vow to find Hayden's real killer and that is what he's going to do. Quickly going into detective mode, he thought of the dark-haired figure from the security footage from the shooting range. He had a feeling that guy may be the key to clearing his brother's name. Joe was going to find him.

If only he could take a look at the footage one more time, he knew it needed to be enhanced to see the dark-haired figure more clearly, all he needed to do was find someone to help him do just that. Joe wasn't that good with computers and all that tech mumbo jumbo. Frank could do it, because that was his area of expertise, only the problem was Frank couldn't get involved because it would be violating the judge's court order. There had to be someone who could help him, all Joe had to do was get his hands on that disc.

Unfortunately, Chief Collig had it. But...wait, wait, Joe thought slowly, Dad has the other copy somewhere in his office...it's probably in his safe...it's where he keeps all his important documents...that had to be where the disc was. If I could get my hands on it...No, no, he shook his head, what am I thinking! he couldn't do that. Dad's office is off-limits. No one's allowed in there without Fenton Hardy's permission. It hurt his heart to even think of going against his father.

Suddenly his cell phone ringing brought him to attention. He reached over on the nightstand and picked it up and answered, "Joe Hardy".

"Hey, handsome."

"Vanessa?" Joe's eyes widen, Vanessa Bender. His heart was pounding at the sound of hearing that tall blond beautiful angel's voice. She lives with her mother, Andrea Bender, on a small farm on the outskirts of Bayport practically neighbors to the Morton farm.

"Yes, silly." She asked. "Is this a bad time?"

"No, actually you couldn't have called at a better time." Joe all at once felt calm, just talking to her.

"My mother and I were watching the news this morning about the murder of that man the police found and of your brother Frank's arrest. I was worried about you. how are you holding up?"

"As best I can," Joe answered her with a sigh.

"And your brother? How is he?"

Joe thought it was sweet of her to ask about Frank. "Honestly," He said, worriedly. "I haven't had the chance to talk to him. The last two times were brief, during his arrest and this morning after the bail hearing. He went off with Callie somewhere no telling when he'll be home. But from what I could tell, Frank is being, well, Frank like he always does in dealing with this situation like this. He doesn't like anyone to see him fall apart. On the outside, he's putting up a brave, strong front, mostly for my benefit, because he thinks he's protecting me. But I know him, I know on the inside he's a mess and it worries me especially with him battling his damn depression." Joe didn't know why he suddenly opened up to her like this, but it felt good.

"Your brother has depression? I didn't know that."

"Oh shit!" Joe cursed slapping a hand to his mouth, "I shouldn't have said that. It's kind of a private personal matter that Frank only talks about it with his close friends, family, Callie, and Dr. Reese."

"Oh, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked." Vanessa's voice deflated at the end of the line.

Hearing the hurt in her voice, "Oh...no, I didn't mean...You." Joe mentally kicked himself for saying the wrong things.

"Joe, you're right...it's Frank's private matter, I hate gossip and I'd never go around gossiping about someone's troubles. after all, I'm still getting to know your brother. I want him to like me. Because I like you." She sighed, and added thoughtfully, "I do hope he's okay. And I'm here if you want to talk. You can trust me, anything you tell me, will remain between us."

Hearing her say that made Joe smile, he only met her for a short time, he was already falling in love with her, and it scared him.

"Thank you, Vanessa. That means a lot to have your support. Frank is more than just my older brother, he's my best friend. Some people don't understand it, and sometimes we don't either, but we're very close, we can feel each other's pain." He placed his hand over his chest he could feel his brother's heartbeat, "Right now I know he's hurting, it hurts me too." Tears began to run down his cheek.

"Wow," Vanessa replied softly. "That sounds special. I'm an only child...sometimes I wish I had a sibling. But I kind of get what you're saying. My mother and I are very close. It's been just the two of us since my dad left when I was three...she's my best friend and I am hers. maybe it's not the same as the close bond you have with your brother. But if anything, happen to my mother I'd be lost."

"That's kind of the way I feel about Frank. I'm still getting used to the idea of him leaving for college." Joe cleared his throat, and wiped the tears away, 'Anyway, I know Frank will like you. He may seem to have a tough exterior, but once he loosens up, he can be a lot of fun when you get to know him...trust me he'll like you. You'll like him."

"What about you, Joe? So far, I've heard you talk about amazing stuff about Frank. Tell me something amazing about you."

"There's not much to tell." He replied grimly.

"Oh, come on I don't believe that," Vanessa said back.

"Well, I do have this amazing gift for pissing people off. Always saying or doing the wrong thing gets me into trouble every time. And then Frank comes in and kicks my ass after cleaning up the mess I made."

"Joe, you're so hard on yourself."

"I can't help it, sometimes I don't like myself." Joe blurted out, "Why do you like me?" He winced suddenly and wished he could take the question back.

After a short pause, Vanessa came back with a reply, "Well you look damn hot in gym shorts."

"What?!" Joe jumped nearly dropping his phone, but managed to hold on to it. He laughed his face blushing he wasn't expecting a comment like that.

Vanessa went on to explain, "One day during girls' gym class, we were outside warming up with calisthenics, the guys' gym class was outside too. And there you were on the football field strutting around, wasting time with the other guys, in those little red gym shorts and shirtless. The girls couldn't stop drooling over you."

"And you."

"Guilty." She giggled. "I'll have you know; you Joe Hardy are the hot topic in the girl's locker room. And now that you're a high school Senior you better watch out. Your popularity has gone up in ranks with the girls."

"Uh hey, I've never been in the girl's locker room. Oh, wait, I take that back there was that one time…only because Biff dared me."

"Tell me."

"I shouldn't..."

"Oh please...please."

"It's kind of stupid."

"I still want to hear it. I won't stop asking until you tell me."

"You are persistent."

"I know. Now tell me."

"Okay fine," Joe laughed and then began to tell his tale. "See Biff and me have these stupid challenges. He dared me to go in the girl's locker room for a minute wearing nothing but a towel around my waist, so I did, of course, he had to come with me to make sure I didn't chicken out. Only when I got there before I opened the door Biff snatched off my towel and pushed me inside, so there I was in the girl's locker room in all my glory."

"Oh my God!" Vanessa started laughing hysterically.

"I did give Coach Gifford quite a show since she was the only one in there at the time. I could've killed Biff, I heard him laughing on the other side of the door. He was pressed up against the door so I wouldn't get out…but that was in junior high…I got detention for it and was grounded for two weeks by my parents, Frank just laughed at me… I don't know how whenever Biff dares me to do these challenges, I end up in the buff."

He could hear Vanessa laughing at the end of the line. "Thank you for the visual Joe."

"You're welcome."

She said in between chuckles. "Challenges, you mean there's more 'buff' stories about you."

"Oh, yeah, there's even an epic skinny-dipping story."

"Tell me." She said stifling a laugh.

"That's for another day, anyway." he quickly changed the subject. "So, I'm a hot topic, hu, what exactly are you girls saying about me? And I thought you said you hate gossip."

"Oh, I do, that's why I'm going to spare you the horny details, but I can tell you there are at least twelve girls who would say yes, if you asked them out. But don't bother, they're not even your type."

Joe scrunched up his nose and frowned, "And you know my type?" He ran a hand through his sweaty blond hair.

"I do. You're not into the Barbie doll, superficial whiney lack of brains type. No, you need a girl who is strong, athletic, and not afraid to speak her mind. A girl who carries herself with dignity and poise. She knows who she is and not afraid to roll up her sleeves and get her hands dirty. Someone who doesn't take shit off of anyone, a girl who can keep up with you."

"That is all true, but it doesn't hurt if she's hot and sexy." Joe smiled. "So you're saying that none of those twelve girls fit that."

"One."

"One?"

"Yeah."

"Who?"

"You're talking to her. Hot and sexy goes without saying." Vanessa said on the other line.

"That you are, my Angel."

"Angel?"

"Yes, the first time I saw you Vanessa in the hallway at school, you looked like a beautiful angel, took my breath away."

"Aw," Vanessa cooed, on the other line, "That's the sweetest thing any guy has ever said to me."

"The last guy I went out with at my last school in Pennsylvania was a self-absorbed immature jerk. He would rather hang out with his buddies and play video games. His idea of a date was a lousy monster movie and a drive-thru dinner at a burger joint, He picked me up in this rusted-out yellow truck that he'd named the 'Beast' the thing was practically falling apart. Then after we ate our cold food, he decided to take a moonlit drive to this popular make-out spot, expecting to get laid, his idea of sweet talk, 'So you wanna do it?' Like that was supposed to be romantic."

Joe didn't know who the guy was, but he wanted to kick his ass. "So, what happened...did he try anything?"

"Oh, he tried, but he didn't know that my mom and I took a self-defense class once because we wanted to learn to protect ourselves. And well the jerk gave me good practice, let's just say by the end of the night I had him crying in pain and singing soprano when my mom came to pick me up."

"He sounds like a real loser." Joe smiled she's my type of woman. "You know there's more to me than those red shorts. And trust me you haven't watched a monster movie until you've watched one with me, and I'd pick you up in style and treat you like a lady should be treated. My mom would kill me if I didn't."

"Oh, I know, that's why I'm looking forward to our date, so we can get to know each other better. You asked me out weeks ago." She asked slowly. "The question is when?"

With everything going on surrounding Frank, Joe completely forgot about his date with Vanessa. "Well, how about this Friday."

"Friday?"

"There's a July 4th community picnic at the Bayport pier that happens every year. It's a big event that kicks off the summer." Joe explained. "There's games and fun activities for the whole family and then later the awesome display of fireworks."

'That sounds like fun. I could pack us a picnic lunch, we could sit and watch the fireworks together." Vanessa replied.

"The only problem is, Vanessa, I'm not allowed to drive yet because of my leg."

"I have my Jeep; I can pick you up."

"I guess that could work."

"Good, see you Friday, oh and I'm looking forward to hearing all about the skinny-dipping story. Bye, handsome."

"Bye, my angel," Joe said as he hung up his phone. Finally, on a date with Vanessa, he couldn't stop smiling and thinking of her.

Then his smile faded into a thin line as his thoughts switched back to his plan to get the disc from the safe in his father's office. Was he going to do this? Was he going to risk everything with this decision? This could cause a strain on his relationship with his Dad, things would never be the same again if he did do this. He would never be able to trust him. But it was a risk Joe was willing to take, clearing Frank's name was more important to him than anything. He didn't know when his dad would be home, it could be time, but his mother and aunt were busy in the kitchen. So, if he was going to do this, he had to do it now.

Joe reached for his crutches eased himself off the bed and stood up and made his way out of his room. He carefully made his way down the stairs that led to the family room, once he made it to the landing and paused when he heard his mother and aunt's voices from the kitchen. When he was sure they were not coming out of the kitchen he proceeded down the hallway that led to his father's office.

He stood at the door with his hand on the knob, he took a breath and his heart was beating so fast he thought it could fly out of his chest. Joe entered the room and soon found himself standing in front of Fenton's desk. Right above it was a family portrait. Now he was feeling even more guilty. He took a breath and went around the desk and up to the portrait. He pressed on the left side of the frame that opened to a safe...

FJFJFJFJFJFJF

Frank and Fenton had just arrived moments ago after making sure Callie got home safely and explaining to her parents what was going on and the police protection as a precaution.

Frank left the kitchen leaving his father to talk to his mother and aunt about Callie's car being vandalized and the threatening message against them with the possibility of Ryan Hayden hiding somewhere in town. Frank was on his way to talk to Joe; he made his way into the living room he almost reached the landing when he noticed the door to his father's office was open.

That's strange. Why is the door open? He thought suspiciously. Dad's in the kitchen...unless it's Sam. Suddenly the threat loomed in his head, Eye for an eye... A brother for a brother... soon a Hardy boy will die! Then he heard a noise from inside, someone was in there!

Frank cautiously went up to the room and peered inside, to his surprise he found Joe inside sitting behind the desk staring at a disc in his hand. Frank's eyes widened when he looked up and saw the wall safe was wide open... it's where their Dad keeps all his important documents. It was off limits...to them. However, Fenton had told them the combination to get into the safe, they were to only use it if something tragic happened to Fenton while working on a case. Joe had better have a good reason for being in here.

"Joe," He whispered, coming into the room. "What are you doing in here?"

"Frank, I... didn't hear you come in." Joe looked up, startled, at his brother coming into the office.

"Did you open the safe?" Frank demanded. dad was right about Joe being unpredictable. He quickly noticed his sweaty face and matted hair, giving him a feeling that something was going on with his little brother. It's a good thing he caught him not a moment too soon.

"Yeah."

"Joe, Dad is in the kitchen talking to Mom. If he comes in here and catches you...I can't save you."

"I know!" Joe was trying to think of an excuse to give to his brother. Frank would see right through it. He huffed out, "It seemed like a good idea in my head...but now," he teared up voice filled with regret, "I'm so fucking stupid!"

"Hey, stop right there." Frank countered back, he hated when Joe talked like that. "You are not stupid, but what you're doing is." He folded his arms to his chest. "What is that in your hand anyway?"

Joe pursed his lips and stared at the disc again. He began debating on whether not to tell him. This was a part of Hayden's murder investigation that Frank couldn't be a part of, however, the two of them have never kept secrets from each other, and he wasn't going to start now. "Something that could hurt your case."

Frank looked at the disc and then back at his brother. He unfolded his arms to run and hand through his hair. "That must be the evidence Dad was telling me about." He let out a breath.

Joe wrinkled his forehead, "Dad, told you?" He asked in surprise.

"Well, he didn't tell me what it was, he said you two came across some evidence yesterday that may or may not make things worse for me. It's also the reason you two are fighting." Honestly, Frank's detective instincts were kicking in wanting to know what was on it.

"I'll tell you," Joe said, holding up the disc to Frank, "It shows you walking into the shooting range. You walked up to the counter where you were seen greeting Pete. Then it shows you signing the log and Pete handing you the gun from the gun case. Then the two of you headed for the double doors out to the range."

Frank nodded, "That's what I told the Chief when I was being questioned. I went to the shooting range Wednesday two days before my graduation which would have been Friday. Hayden was killed the following Monday." He began explaining to Joe, he felt it was important to tell him. He wasn't going to keep secrets from Joe. "I was feeling angry and frustrated thinking about Henry. It's his fault that Phil wouldn't be there to graduate with us."

He took a deep breath and revealed a secret about him that he told Fenton during his questioning at the police station. Joe was shocked his brother had turned down the honors of valedictorian, and salutatorian, the honor of valedictorian would've and should've gone to Phil Cohen. He understood why Frank did what he did. It just hurt Joe's heart that his brother felt he wasn't deserving of either one.

Frank continued, "I was still frustrated and angry about that and on top of everything else going on. I ran that morning to clear my head, but it didn't seem to help. So, I had the idea of going to the shooting range. And it did help, I felt better," he added calmly, "I don't know I guess something about blasting large holes in a paper target was very therapeutic for me."

His little brother looked at him blinking after hearing his explanation, "Mom took you to your physical therapy appointment at 2 pm. Aunt Gertrude was out running errands and Dad was out working on the hospital fire case. So... I went by myself." Frank sheepishly ran a hand through his hair. "Probably not the smartest thing, but I did."

Joe piped in hoping with his brother standing here in front of him he'll get some answers to his questions. He tapped a finger on the disc, "We saw you on the footage with Pete next to you as you shot off a few rounds. After you were finished the two of you walked back to the counter to turn in the gun. You handed the gun to Pete and left the room."

"I did, I remember," Frank confirmed. "I lost track of time and was late for my appointment with Dr. Reese, I gave him the gun."

"That's what Pete, told us. He said he took care of your gun for you." Joe recounted vividly two days ago, "A few seconds later, Pete walked over to the counter with the gun. Only he got distracted by two young guys coming out of the locker rooms in a heated argument. Pete hearing the commotion puts the gun on the counter and goes over to stop the fighting. Within seconds the dark-haired figure comes back into the room wearing the same clothes as you had on, a red shirt with the sleeves rolled up to the elbow and jeans."

Frank's mouth dropped at the mention of the dark-haired figure. It made him think of his mystery dark-haired kid from Callie's apartment. Was he the same person?

"The guy's face was away from the camera we saw him he picked up the gun off of the counter and rushed out of the room. The gun was later found at the crime scene where Hayden was murdered. " Joe ended his explanation with frustration. "The problem is the footage on this disc is kind of shitty and needs to be enhanced to see the dark-haired figure more clearly."

"I know it wasn't you on that tape stealing the gun." Joe adamantly shook his head, "Dad, asked Pete to make two copies he gave one to Chief Collig and the other copy is in my hand. I told Dad it was a bad idea. If he had waited until we knew for sure, but he goes against me and said we have to do things the legal way." Joe scoffed and rolled his eyes, "for his so-called justice system."

Frank raised a brow as he stood staring at his brother processing everything. "What exactly are you planning on doing with it?"

"Find someone who can enhance the footage." Joe slowly suggested to see if he could convince him. "I know... you could."

Frank couldn't believe what Joe was suggesting of him to do. As much as he would love to see what's on that disc. This was wrong, "Little brother...as much as I want to, I can't, but I knew someone who could..." Frank's voice trailed off, he swallowed a lump in his throat.

Joe saw a tear forming in his eyes and sadness wash over his face, "You're talking about Phil, aren't you?"

Frank cleared his throat and nodded. "His computer is a little more advanced than mine."

"If you had access to it...you could." Joe pushed a little more. Frank just blinked at him and took a step back to think calmly, before he jumped over the desk and strangled his brother's neck.

"I could but I won't." He answered working hard to keep his voice calm and steady. Joe opened his mouth to argue, but Frank kept going. "Dad has his reasons for turning the disc over to Chief Collig. Even if we don't agree with it, we have to trust him."

"Knowing what's on it?"

"Yes, now put the disc back in the safe, and let's get the hell out of here before Dad comes in here."

The brothers locked eyes with each other. Frank folded his arms to his chest; he was not backing down. "Joe please, you're better than this, if you want to help me. This is not the way. Put the disc back."

"Fine." Joe huffed giving in. He did as his brother instructed. He put the disc back into the safe took his crutches and walked out of the room with Frank.

Once the brothers went back up to Joe's room. Frank closed the door to hide them. Joe was standing at his window quietly. He turned around to face his brother. 'I'm sorry Frank. That was a stupid thing I did...thank you... even though I don't deserve it."

"Joe stop talking like that." Frank shook his head. "This behavior of yours has to stop. I was going to talk to you about something...but now I'm not so sure..."

"Tell me what?" Joe said, observing the hesitation in his brother's eyes. "Frank, what is it?"

"Well... you have to promise to stay calm before I tell you."

Joe was beginning to lose his patience with his brother. "Okay," he said, "I promise. I'll try to stay calm."

Frank took a deep breath and told him about Callie's car being vandalized and the threatening message against them, and lastly the possibility of Ryan Hayden in Bayport.

"What!" Joe gasped, feeling his temper rising as he processed this bombshell.

"See this is why Dad didn't tell you about my phone call. He knew you'd react just like this." Frank sighed wearily.

"I am so tired of the shit!" Joe exploded he couldn't stop his temper, "I just made a date with Vanessa on Friday! No way in hell that's going to happen!"

In a fit of rage without thinking he picks up one of his crutches and throws it sending it flying towards the window shattering the plated glass everywhere.

A Brother's Revenge Chapter 13

Midnight. A few days before July 4.

Carolyn had no clue as to why Ryan had asked, or more like ordering her and Henry to gather in the kitchen at this hour to go over his plan.

"Ryan," She slammed her beer bottle down on the table while glaring at her boyfriend. She blew a strand of her raven hair out of her eyes, "Whatever this damn plan of yours is it had better get us the hell out of this place." She was getting sick and tired of being cooped up in this cabin and she was more than ready to go.

"My plan will be revealed in due time," Ryan replied coolly. He leaned back in his chair and drank the last of his beer. "Once Frank Hardy is dead, then we will disappear from this hellhole for good."

"How are we going to get anywhere near him? This whole damn town knows our faces. Need I remind you, that you killed two of their police officers AND you set the hospital on fire."

"With your help." He shot back.

"Yes, I did. You're lucky I knew my way around the hospital. But don't forget," she reminded him, "Frank Hardy saw you at the elevator on the second floor before the hospital went up in flames. He chased your ass through the courtyard."

"Yes, but you caught up to me before he did"

"Oh, and don't even get me started on the whole Joe Hardy kidnapping fiasco shit." She ranted on. "Don't forget, Fenton Hardy lives in Bayport... I'm sure he's hot on your trail, and if he isn't he soon will be. We don't have Bartend to get us out of legal trouble anymore. He's laying cold in the cellar along with that old couple that we killed."

"I had to get rid of him, you know that! Bartend couldn't be trusted anymore after he fucked up Jack's plan. Besides, we've literally gotten away with murder, long before we ever met that dumbass."

"I know. It's just we don't have Jack and Cindy to have our backs anymore. You know that Cindy was helpful in most cases; except when it came to her damn kid, but it was Jack who always took charge of everything. Even when things went wrong...he knew what to do... and now he's dead. And it's just the two of us."

"Carolyn, relax. I have learned a thing or two from my dearly departed big brother. It will work. Trust me." Ryan said responding to her rant. "Believe me Jack would be proud."

"I hope you're right." She huffed.

"My sweet, I've always taken care of you and protected you, haven't I?"

Carolyn nodded. Tears formed in the corners of her eyes. Her voice trembled. "You've been there for me when no one else has. I love you and I would do anything for you."

"And I you." He leaned over and kissed her lips.

Carolyn quickly wiped the tears off her face. "Now enough of this mushy shit." She said narrowing her eyes at him as her voice grew hard. "Tell me about this damn plan of yours. It had better be a good one."

Ryan replied with a smirk. "Oh, it is. Part of my plan should be arriving any time," he said looking at the time on his watch.

"Someone's coming here?" Her eyes widened.

"That's right."

"Who?"

"An old acquaintance of Jack's. They met years ago. He got into a bit of trouble selling illegal goods and Jack helped him to go underground and lay low until the heat died down. I contacted him earlier and told him about Jack and he's returning the favor. He's bringing me a present that will help us get rid of Frank Hardy. That's why we're up at this hour waiting for him to get here without him being seen."

"Okay, who the hell is he? What is this present? "

"His name is Sal Mancini, although he prefers to be called 'Picasso'. He's an artist. As for the present you'll see. "

"Artist?" Carolyn repeated cocking her eyebrows up. "I've never heard Cindy mention this guy before. You or Jack either, for that matter."

"Jack and I were involved in a lot of illegal shit through our teen years long before we met you girls. Some of it involved this friend of Jack's."

"So, what does he have to do with your plan? Which I still haven't a clue as to what it's about!" She was getting pissed at his game.

He smiled coyly at her, picked up her hand, and kissed it. "I'll explain everything once he gets here."

Ryan got up from the table and walked over to the fridge to get another beer. "And it's not just the two of us. We have Henry." He popped off the cap and threw it into the sink. Then casually leans up against the counter. He took a drink before saying, "He's already a chip off the old block. When he killed those kids, I could see that there's potential in him."

"However, he's still got a hell of a lot to learn about his place in this family." He took another sip of his beer. "It'll be up to me to finish what my brother started with him. He's not going to be a weak, snively little bitch like his mother. He's going to be strong and fearless. He's Jack Hayden's son, damn it! I'll beat it into him if I have to!"

Ryan paused for a moment as he just realized. His eyes scanned the kitchen. "By the way, where is the little shit?" he set his beer on the counter. He turned his head towards the hallway that led to the bedrooms.

"Henry get your ass into the kitchen!"

Expecting to see Henry come running into the kitchen to Ryan's surprise the back door opened and Henry walked in from outside acting all nonchalant. He had on his usual black t-shirt with a red Spider-Man symbol on it and black jeans. Ryan swore it was the only thing that the kid ever wore, except for the new red cap that was on his head.

Henry shut the door behind him and walked in front of his uncle and grabbed a beer from the fridge. He popped off the cap and joined Carolyn at the table. He leaned back casually in his chair and took off his cap set it on the table and propped his feet on the chair that Ryan had just vacated.

Ryan exchanged a glance with Carolyn. He shifted his eyes back to his nephew. "Where the hell have you been?"

Henry took a drink of his beer, and let out a satisfied sigh. He ran a hand through his dark hair and looked up at Ryan. "Out." He replied his eyes darkening.

Ryan saw red.

In a rage, Ryan flew up to Henry, and yanked him out of his chair by his shirt, forcing his feet onto the floor and knocking his chair over with a loud crash! He pulled his nephew close to his face until they were nose to nose. Giving him an icy stare, he said, "Listen you little shit, I ordered you not to leave this cabin. Where did you go!"

"Chill. I went for a walk. No one saw me." Henry lied. He pulled away from Ryan.

"What the hell have you been up to?" Carolyn demanded backing Ryan.

Wouldn't you both like to know? Henry thought to himself glaring up at his uncle. "Nothing." He answered out loud. Quickly changing the topic. "So, what's this plan of yours? Does it involve killing Frank Hardy? What do I have to do?"

"It does. If you fuck up this plan." Ryan leans down to look at him straight in the eye. "I will beat the living shit out of you. Do you understand me?"

"Crystal," Henry replied unfazed by his uncle's threat.

"Enough." Carolyn cut in. "Ryan let's get on with your plan."

A sudden loud pounding on the door interrupted them. Ryan went to answer it.

"Hey, Hey, Ryan baby…long time no see." A man of about thirty greeted him. He entered the kitchen with Ryan. "Damn shame about good ol' Jackie boy. May he rest in peace."

"If it wasn't for him my ass would've been locked up years ago. Now I come to pay an old debt owed to your brother by helping you to avenge his death…and to get the son a bitch who took him out."

"Carolyn, meet Sal "Picasso" Mancini." Ryan introduced him.

Carolyn took in the man's look from his dark hair slicked back into a ponytail to his dark jeans and a t-shirt with a leather jacket over it and black leather gloves. She was not impressed with him at all. However, she was curious about the two large black duffle bags that he was carrying at his sides.

"Pleased to meet you, Babe. But please call me Picasso. You know, after the famous artist." The man said as he slowly chewed his gum. He gave her an arrogant smirk followed by a wink. "I am an artist myself."

Carolyn just glared at him.

"Did you bring me a present?" Ryan said quickly getting right to the point.

"Hell yeah!" Picasso exclaimed. He placed the bags on the table. "Got it right here in my bag. All I have to do is put the damn thing together."

"Good. I need it ready in two days."

"Two days! Shit! That's gonna be tight! You can't rush perfection, you know. If you want it done right, you have to give me more time than that, I'm an artist! I got this stuff on the black market, and let me tell you it ain't cheap either!

"How long will it take?" Ryan demanded.

"Depends. If I start working on it now, I'll let you know when I'm done."

"Fine." The younger Hayden brother huffed wearily. "This will give us more time to proceed with the rest of my plan."

"What's in the bags?" Carolyn said skeptical of all of this as she scrunched up her nose.

Ryan replied. "I told you yesterday that we're going to hide in plain sight. However, for us to do that we have to change our appearances."

"We've done that so many times already," Carolyn grumbled folding her hands to her chest. "It's getting harder to come up with new looks."

"I brought you new ones." Picasso said he patted the suitcase on his left, "Trust me, Babe, you're going to love them."

"Don't call me, Babe!" she snapped.

"Touchy." Picasso snarked back at her.

"Anyway…" Ryan cut in before it could go any further, "This is phase one, so we're going to use the identities of the old couple in the cellar."

"Wait, who is this son of a bitch who killed Jack?" Picasso questioned cocking his head to the side.

"Frank Hardy."

"Hardy? Hang on a sec, he wouldn't be any relation to that damn Fenton Hardy, the detective, would he?"

"Yep, Frank's his son he's got two brats."

"Whoa, oh!" Picasso exclaimed beaming from ear to ear. "Let me tell you the black market is scary as shit and the Hardy name isn't exactly well-liked with those who do business there. Let's just say if I were to take out the big fish, I'd be a very rich son of a bitch."

"Well, I'm more interested in taking out his two little fishes," Ryan replied heatedly. "More precisely the older one, Frank, but before we can get him, we will need to get to his baby brother."

"No!" Henry interjected, red-faced and angry. He banged his fist on the table. "It's Frank you want to kill! He's the one who killed Jack! Don't touch Joe! He's mine!"

"You got the hots for him or something, kid?" Picasso crudely remarked. He wiggled his eyebrows. "Kinky."

"It's not like that!" Henry growled.

"Hey, hey kid, I don't care. Whatever floats your boat." Picasso shrugged.

"Shut up!" Henry exploded, as he jumped to his feet glaring at Picasso. "I'm not in love with Joe!"

"Henry, knock it off 'cause I don't give a shit!" Ryan fired back. "I'm going to get my revenge on Frank Hardy AND I'm going to make him watch me kill his brother! And if you think blowing up the elevator was bad…you ain't seen nothing yet!" He picked up Henry's beer bottle and threw it against the wall smashing it into pieces and landing on the floor.

Henry kept his glare on Picasso as opposed to his uncle. You hurt Joe and you'll regret it. He thought to himself.

Suddenly it dawned on Carolyn as to what the present was. "You're building a bomb, aren't you?" She shifted her eyes from Ryan to Picasso.

"Yep, that's phase two," Picasso said grinning like a Cheshire Cat. He patted the other black bag.

FJFJFJFJFJFJ

After two long grueling days, Friday was finally here.

Friday, July 4th to be exact. It was going on six in the evening and as Joe sat on his bed getting ready he was feeling nervous, stressed, and anxious. Thoughts whirled through his mind at a dizzying rate. His date with Vanessa was in less than two hours. He had worse-case scenarios of everything that could go wrong running through his head.

Things weren't going the way he had planned and hoped. There was the fact that Vanessa was the one who was picking him up because he couldn't drive due to his leg. He had reluctantly agreed to this stipulation that his parents imposed, even though it felt wrong to him because the doctors hadn't cleared him yet to drive. He should be the one picking Vanessa up at her house, bringing her flowers, meeting her mother, and doing all of the things that you're supposed to do on a first date. And group date no less. What the hell! This wasn't junior high for Pete's sake! He cursed to himself.

However, Joe guessed he couldn't complain too much. After all, he was still able to go on his date. He owed it all to Frank, and he couldn't be more grateful. His big brother had once again come through for him in keeping his word. Frank didn't have to do what he did in convincing their parents to let him go on this date with Vanessa in the first place.

Joe sighed, he didn't deserve this privilege, especially after the way that he'd been acting out. He was ready to correct his mistakes and continue to try to make things right with his dad. He did love his dad and felt horrible about the way that he treated him.

His father had always been his hero, next to Frank of course. Joe thought back to when he and Frank were younger. They had always looked forward to their father coming home after saving the world from the bad guys. They would be waiting anxiously for Fenton to walk through the front door. Then the moment would come and he would walk through the door looking all tired and worn out, but there would always be a smile that would appear on his face when he saw them. He and Frank would then run up to Fenton greeting him with excitement and hugs, and his dad would do the same in return. After the initial greetings were over they would then begin peppering Fenton with questions about his case. Their mother would often have to tell them to let their father sit down and rest, and to let him eat the dinner that she would have waiting for him.

Then right before their bedtime Fenton, even as tired as he was, would somehow find the energy to come up to tuck them in. He'd sit by their bedside and begin telling them about his latest case. Of course, he'd give his young sons an age-appropriate version leaving out some of the more gruesome details that their young ears shouldn't hear, including more details as they grew older. The boys never said a word about it though when Fenton came home with cuts and bruises on his face, or bandaged up, because they understood that his job was dangerous at times and that he had to sometimes have scuffles with criminals to catch them.

Now that Joe was older, he understood and was still learning more about his father's job. The bad side of it was dangerous and gruesome and sometimes the bad guys did win. Jack Hayden getting off was a good example of that. However, there was a good side to the job that Joe liked very much. The side that allowed him to fight for what was right and to help those who were unable or too afraid to speak up and defend themselves. And getting the chance to kick some ass during the process, didn't hurt either. He smiled. He couldn't wait to be part of it. Hardy and Sons' Detective Agency was happening! He couldn't wait to be done with college and work alongside his two favorite heroes.

Joe wanted to continue to build a trusting and respectful relationship with his dad. To do that he had agreed to go to counseling, a process which he was not looking forward to. His smile faded into a thin line and his head dropped to his chest. He felt sick just thinking about it. But he would deal with that when the time came. In the meantime, he had to focus on his upcoming date with his beautiful angel.

Joe got up and went into the bathroom and up to the mirror. He picked up his comb off the sink and began running it through his hair until he got it just right. He took a deep breath and stepped back. He looked down at his red polo shirt and tan colored khaki cargo shorts then back up to look at his reflection in the mirror. "I look stupid." He frowned in disgust.

"Joe! Aren't you ready yet?" Frank called from the other side of the door. " Vanessa will be here soon to pick you up."

Joe grabbed his crutches and slowly opened the door that connected to Frank's room. His brother was sitting on the edge of his bed, ready to go, dressed casually in a white t-shirt and navy blue shorts, which looked nice on him. Except for the annoyed look on his face. That was Joe's fault, and he couldn't blame Frank for being annoyed, he had practically held him hostage for the last hour or so to help him pick out what to wear.

"How do I look?" Joe asked nervously.

Frank looked at the clothes his brother had on. "You look fine."

"You said the same thing about the last two outfits that I had on!" Joe exclaimed in a frustrated voice.

"Well, I meant it the last two times as well," Frank said, which was the truth, but Joe was so anxious he couldn't convince him of it.

Frank felt like banging his head against the wall, He was getting tired and bored of sitting here and waiting for Joe to make up his mind about what to wear, he didn't ever remember being this nervous before. This was almost worse than going clothes shopping with Callie. He loved his future wife with all his heart, but sitting in a clothing store while she tried on just about every outfit on the racks for an hour or two was his least favorite thing to do in the world. However, he did it anyway. Why? Because he loved her. As far as he was concerned it was the same way with Joe. He loved his little brother with all his heart and he would do anything for him. But truthfully at this point, he didn't care what Joe wore, he just wanted him to pick something already!

Frank wanted so much to escape, what he wouldn't give to have his mother call his name needing him for something. But he couldn't do that to his little brother. Joe was more nervous than Frank had seen for a long time. He sighed and sat where he was as patiently as he could, waiting for Joe to decide what he was going to wear.

"Aren't you guys ready yet? Callie said knocking on Frank's bedroom door.

Oh, thank God! I'm saved! Frank thought, extremely relieved to see his fiancé. As usual, she was dressed to the nines, looking as beautiful as ever in a navy blue scoop-neck tank top paired with white knee-length capris and sandals. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail. She even had a pair of red star earrings dangling from her ears. Very festive and patriotic at the same time.

"Your mother sent me up here to tell you guys to get a move on. She and your aunt are packing up the last of the food into the coolers and everything else is ready for the picnic. Your dad is helping them load everything into the car. They're almost ready to head to the pier."

"Hey, I'm ready. I'm just waiting for Joe to make up his mind." Frank said.

"Hey, I don't want to look stupid." Joe shot back.

"For the last time what you're wearing is fine. It's the 4th of July. It's summer! Everyone will most likely be dressed in casual and comfortable summer clothes. Some of them will be sitting on the ground having their picnics and watching the fireworks." Frank said, frustration creeping into his voice.

"I don't want to look fine...I want to look... well I don't know…but fine isn't it." Joe let out an exasperated sigh and turned to Callie. If anyone could help him out with his problem she could, after all, fashion was her area of expertise. "Will you help me please?" He asked, giving her sad puppy-dog eyes. He shot Frank a dirty look. "Since your fiancé is no help!"

Frank threw up his hands and gave let out an exasperated sigh of his own. He gave Callie a pleading look that said "Save me".

Callie suppressed a giggle. "Sure Joe, how can I help you?" she said walking into Frank's room.

"Oh, thank you, Callie. Okay, how do I look?" He propped his crutches against the wall and then spread his arms out so she could get a better look at his clothes.

She looked at the red polo shirt and khaki cargo shorts he had on. "You look fine."

Joe threw his arms down and gave her a sour look. He huffed out shaking his head. "You two were made for each other, you know that? You're even dressed alike."

Frank and Callie looked at each other's outfits and then at their own and then back at each other realizing Joe was right and burst out laughing.

"I guess we are," Frank said laughing. "We didn't even plan it that way."

"Well I guess that it means that we're already thinking like an old married couple," Callie said laughing.

Frank scooted over so Callie could sit down beside him on the bed. Once she sat down, he put an arm around her shoulders and she placed her hand on his knee and leaned forward to kiss his lips, as he touched the side of her face and returned the kiss right back. Damn, he missed the taste of her sweet lips! Before they knew it, their lips were in a full-on make-out session, both of them oblivious to the fact that Joe was still in the room.

"Ugh! Will you two give it a rest" Joe grumbled out of annoyance. "You can do that later!"

The couple started and quickly parted their lips from each other, their faces flushed pink as they realized that they had gotten caught up in the moment. They held each other's hands as their fingers entwined together.

"Sorry Joe, we forgot you were still here." Frank sheepishly replied.

"Ha, Ha, yeah, yeah. I could tell." Joe laughed dryly. "Can we focus on me now? I'm the one that's supposed to be getting ready for a date."

"Yes, Joe, we're sorry," Callie said holding back a laugh.

A thought struck him, "Wait, wait, Callie hasn't seen me in the blue one." Joe said as he grabbed his crutches and hurried into the bathroom.

"Joe, come on we don't have time for this!" Frank called to him, but it was too late, the door was already closed.

"What is this all about?" Callie asked. "I don't think I've ever seen Joe like this before. Since when is he that into his looks?"

"I know. He's been like this all day and he's driving me crazy. I could kill him but I won't." Frank ran a hand through his hair. "His anxiety has been through the roof today. He wants this date with Vanessa to be perfect. But he's worried that something's going to go wrong and it's going to be a catastrophe." He paused to take a breath.

"So how are you doing?" Callie asked concerned.

"I'm doing the best that I can. One day at a time." Frank replied with a lopsided smile. He was doing his best to hold it together. If he was honest with himself, he wasn't having the best of days and his depression was kicking his butt today. He wasn't in the mood for this 4th of July picnic. He knew it would be fun and exciting, and that his friends and family would all be there to join in all the fun. However, he was feeling tired and worn out and all he wanted to do right then was to be alone in his room curled up in bed where he could shut the world out and go to sleep.

"All my focus has to be on Joe right now." He was working hard to keep his depression at bay. Frank sighed, "It… This date has to go well. It just has to."

"Frank." Callie could see the worry in his brown eyes.

"I have a lot riding on this date myself and it's for very different reasons. I feel so guilty for even thinking this and it's not fair to put all of this on Vanessa's shoulders, but she's my only hope." Tears began forming in the corners of Frank's eyes. As he batted them away, he said in a voice riddled with emotion, "If this works out, I won't have to worry about him as much when I'm away at college, that is if I'm not in prison...or if I'm not here for some other reason. Joe will have someone else to focus on. God forbid... if this threat against me and Joe is carried out...or something happens on this date and Vanessa gets hurt or even you… It'll be like what happened with Iola all over again and I don't know if Joe would be able to recover from that."

Callie wiped a tear from her eye. She began rubbing his back and shoulders. Seeing Frank get emotional like this was difficult. He had called her two days ago to talk about Joe's behavior, the broken window, and his concerns. How he and Joe were working things out with their father and agreeing to go to counseling. Callie was happy for them and supported this huge step that they were taking. She knew that it would be a difficult road for all of them, but she also knew that they would persevere and survive. If the Hardy's could face dangerous hardened criminals as part of their jobs, then they could get through this dark time and be back stronger than ever.

"Frank, everything is going to work out, you'll see. You're not going to go to prison because you did not kill Hayden. You will be cleared; you have to believe that." Callie reassured him. "Have you heard anything about how the case is going? I mean, I know you can't investigate, but... "

"No, nothing yet." Frank shook his head, "However on the vandalism case, Dad did talk to Officer Baker this morning and the results came back from the lab on the fingerprints that were found on the black spray can. They may have a match."

"Really?"

"Yeah, the prints belong to Bruce Linsky. They did a criminal background check on him. Turns out he was arrested two years ago for not showing up in court over unpaid tickets. That doesn't make sense. Why would he vandalize your car and leave that message on the windshield? The only possible reason we could think of is that he may have some sort of connection to Jack or Ryan Hayden."

Frank continued, "According to Chief Collig, Linsky and his wife are an elderly couple in their late sixties. They lived in an apartment building in town. Collig talked to the landlord who said that the couple hadn't been paying their rent for the last couple of months. The landlord was going to evict them, but then they moved out in the middle of the night two days ago without a word to anyone. Collig has been having his officers try to locate Linsky, but so far, they are not having any luck. They have even been trying to locate family members and again no luck. He has asked Dad to help him locate him. Dad agreed but he is only treating it as a case of vandalism until we know for sure whether or not he has some connection to Hayden. Collig is going to be sending Dad any information he has and a description of Linsky.

"Do you think this Linsky person could have a connection to the mystery dark-haired kid?"

"That's what we're hoping for."

"You know Frank," Callie said wrapping her arms around herself and leaning into him for comfort. "It still gives me chills seeing the tires on my car slashed, and that threatening message against you and Joe. I asked my dad to sell the car once we got it back from the shop. I know it's silly, but I can't drive it after this. I'm still getting used to the idea of having a police car stationed outside my house. I know the officer is there to protect me, it's just that it's a constant reminder that we're in danger."

Frank put an arm around her shoulders and held her close to him. "I'd never let anyone hurt you." He kissed the side of her head. "I have to tell you something. I have to tell someone, and I can't talk to Joe about this right now because it will get him worked up, but I think I'm going crazy again."

She pulled away from him a little to look at his face. "What?"

"I went for my run early this morning because I'm trying to get back into my routine, but because of everything that has been happening, I didn't take my usual route. I ended up staying close to home, so I went around a couple of blocks and then came back. The whole time I was on the run I felt like someone was watching me, just like before. The thing is I never saw anyone, just like I never saw anyone before. Maybe I'm just being paranoid again, but I would swear someone was watching me."

"Have you told anyone about this?" Callie asked worriedly.

"No not yet, but I am going to tell Dad, and I don't want to say anything to Joe just yet, because I don't want him to freak out. He needs to focus and have fun on his date."

"I won't say anything and by the way, as far as I am concerned, with everything that has happened to you both, you're not being paranoid," Callie reassured him, "but you do need to tell someone sooner rather than later."

She quickly changed the subject, "Back to Vanessa, I've had her in a few of my classes, including gym class and we have become good friends. Not only is the girl beautiful, she's a fun, caring, and kind person. She has a great sense of humor and is very athletic. And she doesn't take crap off of anyone. I think that she would be perfect for Joe and I can tell you personally, from her mouth to my ears that she does like Joe."

Joe! Frank suddenly realized his brother had been very quiet for quite a while. At once he jumped to his feet and rushed to the bathroom door. "Joe, are you alright?"

Frank grew alarmed when Joe didn't answer. He knocked on the door. "Joe?" Still nothing. "You better answer me, don't make me knock this door down." He was about to turn the knob when the door slowly opened.

Joe slowly stepped out of the bathroom with his crutches wearing the same clothes that he had on before, but his face had a grim expression on it. When Joe had left Frank and Callie to change into another outfit, he froze as he felt his anxiety begin to kick in, overwhelming him, God he hated this feeling.

"I can't do this. This is a mistake." He said as he let out a heavy sigh, "When Vanessa gets here will one of you tell her to forget it? The date is off. Tell her I'm not feeling well or something."

"Don't you dare break this date, Joe?" Callie told him firmly, getting to her feet and standing next to Frank. "You will regret it."

"Yeah but...what if..." Joe started to say.

Interrupting him Frank said in a stern voice, "Joe, look at me,"

Joe looked at his brother as Frank spoke, "If you keep worrying and focusing on the bad stuff that could happen, you're going to miss out on all the good stuff that can happen! Besides Vanessa's already on her way here."

Frank continued, "There's going to be a lot of people coming out to the pier for picnics and the fireworks. And you know between Chief Collig and Dad that the place will be heavily secured with officers patrolling the area just in case. Little brother, you need this. We all need this. We all need to have some fun, laugh, and allow ourselves to have a good time. All of our friends are going to be there including Biff, Chet, and Tony, and they are bringing their dates as well."

"Not everyone will be there." Joe said despondently, "Phil won't be there."

Frank and Callie exchanged sad looks with each other. Tears filled their eyes as their late friend came to the forefront of their minds. It still hurt knowing that he was gone and that they would never see him again.

Frank wiped the tears away and cleared his throat, "I know for a fact that if Phil were still here, he'd be telling you the same thing we're telling you."

"Yeah, Phil, wouldn't want us to stop having fun," Callie added, sniffing back tears. "So, what do you say, are you ready to have some fun? Where is the Joe Hardy that we all know and love? That carefree guy who is always the life of the party. The guy who likes to crack jokes and make everyone laugh. We all miss that Joe Hardy smile. You know the one. The one that can light up a room when you walk in."

"Joe…" Frank said as Joe looked like he was about to protest what Callie was saying.

The sound of the doorbell ringing cut off Joe's response to them. Laura knocked at the door and then entered Frank's room, standing near the doorway.

"Joe, Vanessa's here. She's talking to your father and aunt, and let me tell you I think she's a very nice girl. I like her already." As she smiled, Laura quickly noted the sad expressions on their faces and knew that something was wrong.

Frank decided to try one last approach. He knew that once his little brother saw Vanessa, he would change his mind about calling off the date. "Joe, Callie, and I are not going to lie for you. If you want to call off the date, you'll have to go downstairs and tell her yourself." He folded his arms to his chest.

"Call the date off? Joe, no, don't do that." Laura protested.

Joe suddenly felt all eyes on him. He thought about what they were saying and they did bring up valid points. And Frank was right. This was something that he had to do himself. Finally, he made his decision. Without a word, he grabbed his crutches and hurried out of the room leaving Frank, Callie, and Laura in suspense and following after him down the hall.

Joe carefully made his way down the stairs that led to the family room. Once he made it to the landing, he paused when he saw his father and his aunt talking to the most beautiful sight his eyes had ever seen.

She was tall and slender, with long, ash-blonde hair that hung loose down to the small of her back. With the way that the light struck her as she was standing there, she looked like an angel, his angel. Vanessa Bender.

Joe drank at the sight of Vanessa standing in the hall wearing a white cami romper with a red floral print. The outfit showed off her long beautiful legs. He couldn't take his eyes off of her, God she took his breath away.

As soon as her conversation with Fenton and Gertrude had ended, Vanessa turned her head giving Joe her attention. Vanessa's gray-blue eyes and Joe's baby blues connected instantly and everyone in the room swore they saw electricity spark between the two of them.

Frank, Callie, and Laura were watching the scene from the top of the stairs with anticipation and Fenton and Gertrude also turned their attention to the younger couple.

"Oh my gosh. Do you see the way that they're looking at each other?" Callie gushed, whispering in Frank's ear. 'They're in love."

"I will strangle Joe myself if he backs out of this date," Laura whispered into Frank's other ear.

"We'll see," Frank said softly to both of them as he made his way down the stairs to stand next to Joe on the landing. Callie and Laura followed close behind him.

"Hi Frank, it's so good to see you again." Vanessa greeted Frank with a friendly smile.

"It's good to see you too, Vanessa." Frank politely replied.

"Joe's told me a lot of things about you."

"All good I hope."

"Oh yes, all good. Very good. Oh, by the way, Frank congratulations on your and Callie's engagement. It's so exciting!" Vanessa said excitedly, "She showed me the ring the other day and it's gorgeous."

"Thank you," Frank replied.

Callie made her way to Frank's side locking arms with him. "Hi Vanessa," she smiled, "Oh my gosh, I love that romper you're wearing; it looks so cute on you."

"Thank you," Vanessa replied gratefully. "I love that scoop-neck tank top you're wearing." She said gushing over Callie's top. "You and I are going to have to go on a shopping date sometime."

"Just name the time and place."

"Well, I think it's about time we head out if we want to get a good spot to watch the fireworks," Gertrude said. "Vanessa it was a pleasure meeting you."

She stood next to Fenton who said, "Yes, Vanessa, it was nice meeting you, young lady, you are welcome here anytime."

"Thank you, Mr. Hardy, it was a pleasure meeting you as well, all of you."

"Yes," Laura said making her way down the stairs and joining her husband. 'You and your mother have an invitation here for dinner anytime. We look forward to getting to know you both."

"Thank you, Mrs. Hardy. Hopefully, you will be able to meet her tonight as she will be at the picnic."

"Oh good, I can't wait to meet her, you will have to be sure to introduce us."

As the adults said their goodbyes they headed out the door to get in the car to head to the July 4th picnic leaving the young people knowing that they would be arriving there shortly.

Vanessa pushed her hair off of her shoulder and smiled at Joe. "So, you ready to go handsome?"

"Hey Joe, wasn't there something you wanted to tell Vanessa?" Frank said giving Joe a slight nudge in the arm with his elbow, breaking Joe out of his trance.

"Yes, Joe?" Vanessa inquired.

"Huh? Oh yeah...I wanted to tell you something, um," Joe replied blinking. Now what was it? He started racking his brain. He felt his anxiety kicking in and he was worried that something was going to go wrong on his date, however, as Frank had pointed out, he didn't want to miss out on all the good stuff.

He did want to have fun, to laugh, and to have a good time with his friends. And to be in the company of the beautiful angel who was standing in front of him. He was a lucky, lucky man. He wasn't going to let whomever it was behind the threats spoil this night. Come after him all they wanted but if anyone tried to harm his angel; they were going to get the Joe Hardy ass-kicking of a lifetime. Then all at once, something clicked in Joe's head, and he felt a sudden boost of confidence come over him. Something he hadn't felt in a long, long time.

Frank swore he saw the moment when a spark had ignited in Joe's blue eyes, then he saw a huge smile that lit up the room spread across his face. God, he missed that smile.

"Oh sorry, Vanessa, I forgot what I was going to say," said Joe, flashing her a witty, mischievous grin. "The minute I saw you my mind went blank." He went up to her with his crutches and put an arm around her waist pulling her close to him. "You better not stand too close to the fireworks, though."

"Why's that?" she giggled.

"You might set them off, 'cause you're so damn hot!" Joe said with a wink.

The four of them burst out laughing. That was probably the cheesiest pickup line that they had ever heard come out of Joe's mouth. However, it was music to Frank's ears, because to him it meant that Joe was slowly coming back to being himself and it was a glimpse of hope that things were starting to shift in a positive direction for a change. At least for tonight.

A Brother's Revenge Chapter 14

By 6:30 pm the sun was getting lower in the sky as Vanessa drove through the streets of Bayport in her little red Jeep, traffic was light as she headed to the north end of town in the direction of the pier.

"I'm excited about this picnic. This will be my first time celebrating the July 4th holiday since my mom and I moved here. We couldn't do much when we lived in the city, but when I was a kid, she would always buy a package of sparklers from us." She giggled at the memory. "Mom would light one for me, I would pretend it was my magic wand, and I was a fairy princess, I would twirl it around watch it sparkle, and cast spells, oh I had so much fun! What do they do here? I want to hear more about these games and fun activities, are they really fun as everyone says?"

When she didn't get a response, she took a glance over at Joe in the passenger seat, and her heart sank. He looked like he was lost in his thoughts, staring out of the window and gazing off into the distance as if he were in some sort of a trance. She also noticed that he was rubbing his hands intermittently across his khaki shorts, a sure sign that he was anxious about something.

"Joe?" Vanessa took her eyes off the road for a second and looked at him. When she got no response, she pulled off to the side of the road and put the Jeep in the park. She touched his arm, "Joe!" She said his name a little louder this time.

"What?!" Joe jumped out of his thoughts, tearing his eyes away from the window he turned to her blinking his eyes.

"I'm sorry, what did you say?" His heart was racing and it felt like it was pounding out of his chest. He took a breath working hard to calm down. "Why are we stopped?"

She withdrew her hand off his arm as if it were hot. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you. Are you alright?" Vanessa asked in concern.

"Yeah, I'm fine." He said quickly.

For some reason, she was not convinced. "You can talk to me if something is on your mind. It will be just between us."

"No, no," Joe replied. " It's not important. It was stupid anyway." Honestly, that wasn't true. From the moment he had gotten into her Jeep his confidence had begun to fade and a bad feeling had come over him, a feeling that he couldn't quite explain.

Joe was trying to remain positive, but he kept replaying his brother's words in his head, If you keep worrying and focusing on the bad stuff that could happen, you're going to miss out on all the good stuff that can happen! and he was trying to focus on that. He wanted to have a good time with Vanessa. However, he couldn't shake the feeling that something bad was about to happen.

It was the same feeling he had when he had predicted that someone was going to die and it had come true, Phil and Seth were dead! And Frank he almost...no! Joe quickly pushed that thought away. The palms of his hands were sweaty and he felt his stomach was in knots. He took a deep breath trying to calm himself down. Oh God, he could feel a panic attack coming on...God please not now, not now, not in front of Vanessa! The thoughts swirled with dizzying speed in Joe's head.

"I know you have a lot going on, but if you need to talk. I'm here ready to listen." Vanessa continued, looking straight at him.

Get it together he told himself. Joe forced a smile onto his face and looked at his angel. He was touched by her offer to listen to his problems.

"Thanks, but I don't want to burden you with all my crap, especially right now. Besides my problems aren't that important."

"For some reason, I don't believe that. Please talk to me." Vanessa urged him.

"Vanessa, would you do me a favor?" He said abruptly.

"What's that?"

He held a hand to his chest, God why won't this feeling go away? "Would you turn left at the stop light?" He said between breaths.

"But the pier is straight ahead. I thought that's where we were going?" She asked slowly.

She didn't understand why he was acting like this. She noticed he was breathing heavily and was growing concerned. What was happening?

"Are you alright?"

"Yep, fine."

"No, you're not, you look like you're having a panic attack." She was getting scared of his strange behavior. Maybe she should call Frank, he would know what to do.

"Please Vanessa I'm fine really." Joe simply told her between breaths.

She threw Joe a questioning look.

"Just trust me. Please? Will you do what I asked and turn left at the stop light." He was working hard to fend off this panic attack.

She huffed and reluctantly agreed. "Okay." Pulling back onto the road she stopped at the red light and as soon as it turned green, she did as Joe had asked and turned left, taking them away from the pier.

FJFJFJFJFJFJ

Vanessa began following Joe's directions. It didn't take long before she realized he was taking her through town. He had her go past the police station and a coffee shop then turned down another block before he finally had her pull up in front of a brown brick building. The place looked like it was in the process of being remodeled. There was a white van with a Prito's Construction Company logo on the side.

Vanessa turned to Joe with confusion written all over her face. "What are we doing here?" She noticed that he seemed a lot calmer now and his breathing was back to normal and steady.

"See that." Joe smiled and pointed to the brick building.

She looked at the building and nodded, and Joe continued, "That's our dream, Frank's and mine. You're seeing it first. This is the new home of 'Hardy and Sons Detective Agency'. The agency that we are starting with my Dad and Sam. I still can't believe it's happening."

"That is awesome Joe, I'm so happy for you and Frank!" Vanessa said excitedly.

When she turned back to face him she saw complete awe in his eyes and a smile on his face. She didn't know why but for some reason it seemed as if someone flipped a switch and Joe had suddenly changed behaviors, the doom and gloom chased away by the bright sunshine.

"I'm excited for you. I'm also touched that you shared this with me." She smiled back at him. "Has Frank seen it yet?'

"No," Joe paused, "at least I don't think so. He'll probably yell at me for it, but I don't care. I wanted to share this little preview with you. And look the lights are still on. The crew must still be working in there." Then a sudden idea struck him. "I have to see it from the inside." He said anxiously, as he opened his door.

"What? Now?" Vanessa asked as her eyes widened.

"Yeah."

"They may not like us bothering them when they're trying to work." Vanessa hesitated. 'We might get into trouble." There he goes again with his strange behavior, she thought.

"No, we won't. I know the guy that's working in there. It's Tony's uncle, Angelo. He owns the construction company."

"Tony? As in Tony Prito your friend whose family owns that restaurant?"

"Yep," Joe said. "Dad hired his uncle to do the renovations." He started to climb out of the Jeep grabbing his crutches from the backseat. "Come on, let's go."

"What about the picnic and fireworks?" Vanessa tried once more to reason with him. "Everybody will be expecting us. My Mom is even going to be there and I want you to meet her."

"Oh, don't worry, we have plenty of time." Joe waved it off like it was no big deal. "It will be five, ten minutes tops and then we'll go I promise."

I guess there's no point in arguing with him, Vanessa thought as she huffed and climbed out of her Jeep.

The two made their way up to the front entrance, Joe pulled on the handle and found that the door was locked. He looked through the window and saw two guys wearing overalls with tool belts around their waists inside working. There was a tall guy up on a ladder mudding the drywall, and a guy with red curly hair was rolling up an extension cord around his arm.

Then Joe spotted Angelo, a middle-aged man of average height with a dark receding hairline. He was putting a drill in a toolbox that was sitting on top of a makeshift table which consisted of a sheet of plywood that was supported by two sawhorses.

Joe pounded on the door to get Angelo's attention. The commotion startled all three men and resulted in the tall guy losing his grip on the ladder and almost falling off it. Fortunately, he caught himself before he did and began to climb down. All three men gave Joe a sour look.

"Joe, we should leave..." Vanessa whispered in his ear. "They don't look too happy."

"Oh, it'll be fine. I just surprised them is all." He reassured her as he knocked on the door again.

Angelo closed his toolbox and curiously came over to unlock the door he opened it slightly, peeking his head out. His eyes shifted suspiciously from Joe to Vanessa, and back to Joe. "Yes, Can I help you?"

"Mr. Prito, hi, do you remember me?" Joe asked. The man shook his head no in response.

"It's Joe," Joe said flashing him a smile and pointing to his chest, "Joe Hardy?" He quickly began to explain, " My dad, Fenton Hardy, hired you to remodel the new detective agency."

After a few seconds, it finally clicked in the man's head who Joe was, "Oh yes, Joe, yes, yes you're one of Fenton's boys. The youngest one, right?"

"Yep, that's me." Joe nodded. 'And this beautiful angel here is my date, Vanessa Bender." He said making the introductions, as he smiled and put an arm around her shoulders.

Hi," Vanessa said shyly while giving the man a small wave. She was feeling a bit awkward.

"Nice to meet you, young lady." Angelo opened the door wider and stepped aside to let the young couple inside, "Oh and please call me Angelo, Mr. Prito makes me think you're talking to my father, Lord rest his soul."

"You and your brother must be pretty excited about the new business and offices," Angelo said, wiping his hands on his overalls.

"Oh yes," Joe said beaming.

Angelo, having noticed Joe's crutches when he came in, asked, "What happened to you? I hope it's nothing serious."

Joe shifted from one leg to the other as he gripped his crutches tight. "I got injured on a case while back it's nothing." He did not want to explain the real reason why he had the crutches. "You know how it is, never a dull moment in Hardy land."

"That's true," Angelo laughed, he asked. "So, what can I do for you two?"

"Is it alright if we take a look around? Just five minutes." Joe asked.

"We were just packing up and getting ready to leave for the night and head down to the pier to watch the fireworks and picnic with our families," Angelo said.

"That's where we were going but Joe wanted to make a quick stop here," Vanessa said.

"Why don't you guys go ahead and leave? I'm sure my dad will be okay with that." Joe suggested. "We'll lock up when we're done looking around." Vanessa just looked at him strangely.

"Well," Angelo said, "there's not much to see. We just got the electrical part done, right now we're putting up drywall and laying down flooring."

"I'd still would like to look around if that's OK." Joe wheedled, "I promise we won't bother anything; it will take like five minutes. And then we'll lock up and leave."

"Right." the curly-haired guy scoffed, "You must think we're pretty damn stupid kid. Like, we're going to let two teenagers with raging hormones alone here at a construction site?" He then remarked sarcastically. "It's not that exciting unless drywall and sawdust give you a thrill. For all we know you just want to make out with your girlfriend, and if something happens to either of you then it will be our fault."

Joe's cheeks flared red with anger at his comments. Vanessa's face flushed pink with embarrassment, and all she wanted to do was to crawl into a hole and hide.

"By the way kid what the hell is wrong with you, pounding on the door like that? I nearly fell off my ladder!" The tall guy shouted.

Joe apologized, "Listen, I'm sorry for scaring you guys I didn't mean to."

"Yeah right, you kids are all alike you're good for nothing..."

"Liam! Craig! Enough. It was an accident." Angelo reprimanded his employees. He turns back to Joe he raises an eyebrow. "Is there any truth to you wanting to come here to make out?"

"Oh no! No, no sir!" Joe replied defensively. "It's nothing like that I promise."

Angelo, rubbing his chin slowly thinking of Joe's offer, said. "I guess it'll be alright. Considering you're Fenton's boy, I'm going to trust you at your word."

"Thank you," Joe replied with a sigh of relief.

FJFJFJFJFJFJ

As soon as Angelo and his crew left for the night, Joe locked the door behind him and sighed. "Finally, alone at last."

He turned around to find Vanessa staring at him angrily with her arms folded across her chest.

"What?" Joe asked.

"What is going on with you?"

"Nothing."

"Your behavior is scaring me." Vanessa bit her bottom lip, as angry tears began seeping into the corner of her eyes. "I know that we're still getting to know each other but what happened to the guy who made me laugh when I picked him up at his house?"

Joe saw the tears starting to run down her face. He hated himself for scaring her and making her cry. "I'm sorry." He closed the gap between them and put his hands on her shoulders but she just shrugged them off.

"Don't touch me. I just want an explanation. Why are you acting this way? I know you have a lot going on. If you want to talk..."

"...it's nothing." He cut her off.

"What about your panic attack?" She asked worriedly, "What was that about..." He put a finger on her lips cutting her words off again. He leaned forward and kissed her forehead.

He let go of his crutches letting them fall on the floor as he framed her face with his hands, gently wiping her tears away before pulling her in and kissing her soft lips. She pulled away angrily only to give him a hard slap across his face.

"If Angelo and his crew were right about your intentions of coming here so we can make out...let me tell you something, Joe Hardy! I am not that kind of girl!" She shouted, her face red with anger. "But," She said this time keeping her voice calm but firm. "If you want to go out with me in the future. I suggest that you treat me with respect and honesty."

"Okay, okay. I'm sorry...I won't kiss you again. Geez." Joe stared up at her; as he rubbed his cheek where it stung.

"If you call that an apology it stinks. I ought to slap you again for that and for humiliating me in front of Angelo and his crew." She retorted. She folded her arms back across her chest and demanded, "Are you going to answer my question? Why are you acting this way?"

There was a short pause between them and Vanessa didn't know if he was going to give her an answer.

"Vanessa," Joe paused, thinking for a moment before he replied. "This is the way that I am. I have always been a spontaneous person...a risk taker, I guess you could say. I kissed you on a whim...because I like you and I felt like it, knowing the risk of getting slapped," He rubbed his cheek where it still hurt. "It's the way I tend to do things. Just ask Frank. He'll tell you; he yells at me all the time especially when I rush into something without thinking. I'm sorry if you don't like it, but if you want to go out with me, you'll have to get used to it, because it's who I am. If you don't, then I'm sorry and I understand."

"Then why do you do it? Why do you act before you think?" Vanessa asked curiously.

"I don't know.' Joe said as he shrugged his shoulders, "It's like an adrenaline rush takes over."

"Well, maybe you should listen to Frank a bit. He's trying to tell you something important like he loves you and doesn't want to see you get hurt."

"Oh, I do listen... but when he goes on and on with his lecture it gets boring... then I end up tuning him out, and getting lost in my head. Honestly, I think I do the same thing to Dad, which is part of our problem I think."

"Don't you think you're being inconsiderate when you do that?" Vanessa asked

"With Frank, I feel like he understands me better. He calls me out on a lot of things and pulls me back when I start to drift too far... with Dad it's different sometimes I feel like he doesn't understand me...we're two different people, I mean I love him, and all, and I know he loves me…" Joe paused, thinking for a moment, "For some reason I have this feeling of resentment towards him and I don't know why or where it's coming from." All at once Joe stopped himself...he shook the thoughts out of his head, "Anyway I'm done talking about this."

Joe felt his anxiety starting to kick in so he quickly changed the subject trying to avoid another attack. He reached down and picked up his crutches turned away from Vanessa and made his way to the center of the room and began looking around. "This will be the reception area once it's finished. Dad will want to hire a new secretary and I'm pretty sure that Mom will be happy she won't have to hold that position anymore. I wonder who our first client would be?"

The abrupt change in conversation made Vanessa very concerned, but she didn't know what to do about it. She thought that she should call or text Frank and ask him, but then she realized that she didn't have his number, however, she could text Callie. Vanessa was sure that she would relay the message to Frank. She took out her phone from her back pocket and began texting, "Callie, I need you to get a message to Frank for me, somethings going on with Joe..." She quickly pressed send and tucked the phone back into her pocket.

"I wonder which office will be mine..." Joe continued as if nothing had happened even though he felt his heart pumping rapidly as if it was trying to jump out of his chest. Man, he wished this damn feeling would go away. He made his way towards the hallway past the bathroom and then proceeded carefully down the hall. There was a large room with a sign on the door marked conference room, then he moved on down to the offices, and he noticed there were five. Five? It was obvious his father would have one, as well as Sam, Frank, and himself. But who was the other office for or was Dad going to use it for something else? Guess he'll find out when the time is right.

"Since I'm here, I can scope out the best one. Hopefully, Dad will let me add my touches to it. If I know Frank, he'll just make his all boring... Oooo! I know! I can put it in a mini fridge."

As Joe came to the last office he saw that there was a ladder several paint cans and plywood propped against the far wall. He leaned against the open doorway to ease the pressure off of his leg, as he let his eyes sweep over the unfinished room. He got a whiff of fresh paint and it made him smile, this could be mine once it's finished, he thought. He began to visualize what it would look like. "I'm standing in my dream. Not very many people can say that."

Then his smile started to fade away into a frown, and a lone tear ran down his cheek as he said, "But this could all be taken away in the blink of an eye and, it'll be my fault. It's always my fault."

"Why would you say that?" Vanessa asked softly walking up beside him.

'It's nothing." He quickly wiped away the tears from his face, then turning to look at her, he stared straight into her beautiful eyes. "Look Vanessa, I'm sorry for scaring you and acting like a jerk. It was wrong of me to embarrass you in front of Angelo and his crew. And you're right, you do deserve someone who will treat you with respect and honesty."

He took a deep breath and said, "I do like you very much. I may even be in love with you. It's been a long time since I've felt this way about anyone." Truthfully, he still couldn't shake the feeling that something bad was about to happen. He looked at Vanessa and suddenly felt the need to protect her, he couldn't face another tragedy, not again. "And that's why it pains me to have to tell you that I think it would be best if we don't see each other anymore."

"What!" Vanessa gasped, her eyes widening. "Why?"

"Because if you stay with me you'll end up getting hurt...or even kill..." His voice trailed off his voice heavy with emotion, he couldn't bring himself to finish that sentence. He could see the hurt in her eyes, he was silently kicking himself for treating her like this...He was doing this for her sake, to protect her, because if I were her, I'd get as far away from me as possible.

"Joe, please don't do that. I like you too, very much. It's been a while since I've felt this way about anyone." Vanessa replied tearfully.

"You're not the only one who's gone through crap in their life. For me... I've had a hard time trusting the men in my life because of one man...my father." She stabbed a finger in his chest, "He left when I was three." Angry tears rolled down her face, "On my sixteenth birthday I tracked him down... because I wanted to know who my father was and why he abandoned me. To make a long story short...he's married to another woman...and you want to know the funny part? He has two teenage kids with her. I have two siblings that I never even knew about and haven't met! He has this whole new family and a life that I'm not a part of! I don't even know if my siblings even know about me! He never calls me. He never acknowledges me. Not even one single birthday card! Nothing! I don't exist to him! And I hate him for that!" She continued, "You are so lucky that you have your father in your life, a man who loves you and gives a damn about you.

"My mother raised me on her own, she would work tirelessly at dead-end jobs so she could keep a roof over our heads, put food on the table and clothes on my back, and so I could go to a good school. She is a strong and independent woman and has learned how to fix things around the house because we couldn't always afford to hire someone and we didn't have anyone else we could turn to." She paused to take a breath and wiped the tears off of her face.

Vanessa sniffed, as she continued, "My mom even went back to college to earn a degree in computer science and engineering and she is now working her dream job as a computer analyst and works for a company in New York, which allowed her to move here and work from home. I want to show the world that I am not just a pretty face, I'm smart as well, and I want to be a strong and independent woman, just like my mother!"

"My mom showed me that it was okay for a girl to be smart and to use her brain to get what she wants in life. Thanks to my mother, who is my inspiration, I now have a love for computers and technology, and I plan on following in her footsteps. That is MY dream."

Joe's thoughts were racing. He admired Mrs. Bender and Vanessa's goals in life, but her comment at the end focused his thoughts on the disc, maybe, if he hadn't blown it already she could enhance the footage on the disc! Maybe Vanessa would be the one to help him clear Frank's name!

"I want to give relationships with men a try again, but I don't want it to be just any guy, Joe. I want to try with you." Vanessa paused as she collected her thoughts. "I don't mean just an intimate relationship, it's more than that to me. I want a relationship, or you could even call it a partnership, where we can have fun and be open and honest and talk about anything with each other whether it be good or bad. I know that we just started going out and that this is our first official date, but I think that we could be all that. You told me over the phone about how worried you are about Frank and his arrest for being accused of murdering that man Hayden. And you let it slip that he's been dealing with depression, and I promised you then that what you tell me would be in confidence. You can trust me. So please talk to me. Please tell me what you want. Do you want to break up with me? Or do you want to give this," Vanessa gestured between the two of them, "us, a chance?"

Joe was silent for a moment taking all she had said in. "I'm sorry that your dad is a jerk, and he hurt you like that. I guess we've all had shitty stuff happen to us, and it keeps coming no matter where life takes us."

He swallowed a lump in his throat, "Vanessa, I do trust you and you can trust me. I do want the same things as you do. But there are some things about me that I'm not ready to talk about with you, at least not yet. We're still getting to know each other. I think it's only fair that we should take things slow and not rush."

"Fair enough, I too have other things that I want to share with you eventually, but I'm not ready to share just yet. Until then we'll have to learn to be patient with each other and not push." Vanessa replied.

"Fair enough."

"Good." She added lightly with a smile.

Joe sighed and shook his head. "You know what, this date isn't turning out so well, maybe we can start over?" He smiled and stuck out his hand to her. "Hi, I'm Joe Hardy, I think you're hot and would you like to go out with me?"

Vanessa started laughing, "Now that's the guy I was looking for who made me laugh earlier."

"Well, are you going to leave me hanging?" Joe laughed with his hand in midair.

Vanessa cleared her throat to stifle a laugh while accepting the handshake Joe offered her. "Hi, Joe. I'm Vanessa Bender, and it's a pleasure to meet you. That was corny but you're cute so I'll let it slide, and yes, I'd love to go out with you. So where are you taking me?'"

"Why to the pier of course...to celebrate the birthday of our great nation, with a picnic and fun games and activities for the whole family and then later the awesome display of fireworks."

"That sounds like fun." Vanessa chuckled lightly.

Joe still couldn't shake the ominous feeling that something bad was about to happen, but maybe it was just his anxiety trying to take over. He was going to try to follow Frank's advice focus on the good and just try to have fun. He said with a big sigh, "Yes, let's get going, I'm starving by the way. I hope Mom and Aunt Gertrude have the food ready."

"By the way, you are a pretty good kisser." She said leaning into him, resting her head on his shoulder.

"Yeah," He said flashing her a witty, mischievous grin. "Any change of it happening again, or will it earn me another slap?"

"That depends on you show me a really good time on this date," She said with a mischievous smile and a seductive note to her voice. "I'll give you a kiss that will curl your toes."

"Well, in that case, let's go!" Joe cheered with his arms raised.

Just then Vanessa's phone chimed to indicate that she had received a message. She took it out of the back pocket of her romper and looked at it. "Callie."

"Callie?" Joe questioned.

"Yeah," Vanessa nodded, "Well I was going to call your brother because I thought you were going nuts. But, I don't have his number, so I sent Callie a text instead. She wants to know what's going on with you, and where we are?"

"Crap! Frank's probably having kittens!" Joe replied with a grimace. "Chances are that he's standing right next to her. Why don't you just text them back and tell them that we're on our way."

"That's it?"

"Yup."

"You're just going to leave your brother in suspense?"

"Yup."

"Well okay, it's your funeral." She sighed, and began to text, 'We're on our way'.

With that, they made their way out of the front door and as they stepped out into the evening Joe looked at his watch and discovered that it was 7 pm. They had better head down to the pier before his dad and Frank come searching for him. As he had promised Mr. Prito, Joe made sure that the lights were off and the door was locked before they headed back to the Jeep.

"Hey, what's this?" Vanessa pointed at a flyer on her windshield, as they got closer, they saw in bold black letters, 'Eye for an eye... A brother for a brother... soon a Hardy boy will die!'

Joe's face paled at the message. He wrapped an arm around Vanessa pulling her close to him. He began looking around at their surroundings, "We better get out of here." He opened the driver's side door for her, and once Vanessa was safely inside, he closed the door.

"I better get this to Dad." He peeled the corner of the flyer careful not to disturb fingerprints that may be on it and put it in a Ziploc that Vanessa had sitting in the backseat. As Vanessa started the car, Joe made his way around the Jeep as quickly as he could with his crutches. He looked around once more before he opened his door and placing his crutches in the backseat, he climbed inside, and then they were off and heading down the road.

Unbeknownst to them a dark figure stepped out from the shadows at the corner of the building, and a devilish grin spread across his face as he watched the rear tail lights of the Jeep disappear down the road.

A Brother's Revenge Chapter 17

Joe stood at the railing at the edge of the pier, deep in thought, not really paying attention to what was happening around him, negative thoughts running rampant through his mind.

What made me think he loved me? I don't blame Dad really... I'm not the good son... I'm weak and useless. Dad has Frank, Frank is the good son, he's smart and strong. Why do I hurt the people I care about so much? I'm so tired of hurting. Joe's thoughts continued to drift as he watched as a family, consisting of a mother and father with their two young boys of about 10 and 11 years old, sail across the water in their boat. They were all smiling and laughing like one big happy family. Joe so wished that could be his family... to be happy again...but it's not... not after I screwed things up... maybe if I wasn't around things would be better.

Joe's teary eyes looked up at the stars filling in the evening sky. He had never felt so hopeless. "God, please help me," He began to pray, "I've tried so hard to be a good son, a friend, a brother, I can't do it anymore, I'm not strong...and brave... I'm sorry..." Joe sniffed back tears and had his hands tightly gripping the metal railing.

He could hear people walking past him along the boardwalk, but he paid no attention to them. Their voices started to sound farther and farther away as he stared down at the water below. Would anyone notice or would they even care?

FJFJFJFJFJFJ

Biff was grateful he was in such good shape due to all his football workouts because it took a lot of work just keeping up with those Hardy brothers. They were fast on their feet, even when they were injured, that's for sure.

This whole thing reminded Biff of the trip that he and Frank took to Bellevue when they were searching for Joe after he had been abducted by Hayden's minions. He remembered what a complete mess Frank had been at the time. How Frank had been going out of his mind with worry over his missing brother and fearing that he might be dead.

He would never forget driving along the road past the motel when Frank yelled at him to stop the van. Then before he could utter a word Frank practically flew out of the van and ran towards a wooded area clustered with trees. When he had finally caught up to Frank, he found him standing over something on the ground, it was a white sheet draped over the dead body of a man. Biff shuddered at the memory because they had both feared that it was Joe.

Biff shook the bad memories out of his head, he had to focus on what was happening now, he had to find Joe.

"Damn it! I lost him." Biff cursed under his breath. He slowed down to a jog weaving in and out of the crowd. It was starting to get dark and almost time for the fireworks to start. His eyes scanned the area looking over the crowd of people searching for any sign of his blond friend. Then his gaze landed on a man in his sixties with gray hair poking out from under the blue cap he had on his head. Biff noticed that the man was wearing the name Jim on the badge clipped on a blue polo shirt with a Bayport pier logo in red print on the front. The man was sweeping up the trash along the boardwalk. He looked like he must be part of the crew that was working for the pier department.

"Excuse me?" Biff called out.

"Yes, can I help you?' The man looked up as Biff came up to him. He smiled up at the teenager.

Biff could have sworn that he saw the man flinch when he smiled like it hurt. He didn't know why but something about this guy bugged him. But he couldn't worry about that now he had to keep his mind on finding Joe. "Did you see a young guy come past here? He had blond hair, was on crutches, and was wearing a red polo shirt. "

The man rubbed his chin and thought for a minute, "Hmm... come to think of it, a young fellow did come past here on crutches. He seemed upset." He pointed in the direction he saw the blond boy had gone. Biff thanked him and took off again searching for his friend.

After a few minutes, Biff made it to the start of the boardwalk, when he saw a blond figure on the boardwalk at the end of the pier, his hair glowing from the light of a street lamp. He knew right away that that figure was Joe.

As he was trying to catch his breath, Biff noticed that Joe's crutches were on the ground at his feet, and he walked closer to his friend saying, "Dude, even on crutches you get around fast. I had a hard time keeping up with you."

Biff's heart dropped when he saw Joe gripping the metal railing tightly with his hands. His knuckles were white from the pressure he was exerting and his blue eyes were transfixed on the water below him. It appeared as if he didn't even realize that Biff was there and talking to him.

"Joe, what are you doing? Are you OK?" Biff asked, concerned.

"Joe, talk to me," Biff said when he didn't get a response.

Still nothing.

"Joe!" He said louder. This time Joe turned his head at hearing his name, Biff's heart sank even further when he saw his friend's tear-stained face and the deep sorrow in his eyes.

"Biff, go away," Joe said in a hollow voice.

"Sorry buddy, no can do," Biff said slowly walking towards his friend, not wanting to startle or pressure him and fearing what Joe was going to do.

"Please Biff, just go," Joe said sadly.

"Why?"

"I'll hurt you or get you killed. Just like Iola, just like Seth Cohen even though I never got the chance to meet him... he was murdered by Henry just because he was trying to help me. And then there's Phil. He was a good person and a good friend," Joe said tears streaming down his face, looking down at the water. "He's dead and it's all my fault."

"Hell, no, Joe." Biff replied, "It's Henry's damn fault, not yours."

"Why do you think he killed them?" Joe demanded, looking at his friend with anger in his voice. "Because of me."

Joe sighed heavily, "I was the one that brought Henry into our lives. I thought he was a good friend who was being abused badly by his bastard of a father Hayden. But then Henry ended up turning on everyone who tried to help him. Look at Chet and his parents...they took him into their home because he needed a place to stay... they are good people and Henry turned on them. They didn't deserve to be treated like shit not after losing Iola. It's my fault they got hurt. They must hate me...I know if Iola was here...she would."

"My brother even tried to warn me from the very beginning that Henry was bad news. But I didn't listen to him. I tried to see the good in Henry...I wanted to see the good in Henry…but it was all a lie. I defended him to the one person who stood by me no matter what and who meant more to me than anyone or anything, and now Frank's fed up with me and I don't blame him either. I almost lost him twice." Joe's voice choked up as he spoke, "I'm the reason he's stressed out all the time. It's hard watching him battle his damn depression. When he was in the hospital because of his heart problem... I have never felt so terrified...not even when they hurt my leg. I thought that he was going to die."

Biff reached over to squeeze his shoulder to comfort him while he was venting. He waited patiently for Joe to continue.

Joe let out a heavy sigh, wiping the tears in his eyes. "I can't stop thinking of Henry pointing a gun at my brother's head. I tried to reason with him...I begged him not to kill Frank...but he wouldn't let up... all that time I kept thinking that he was going to shoot at any second. One false move and Henry was going to pull the trigger and my brother would be dead...and there was nothing I could've done to stop it. They fought for the gun and Henry got shot in the arm, but all he ended up with was a damn flesh wound."

"Frank is still here, Joe. He's alive." Biff said as he brought up another point. "And he's worried about you."

"He shouldn't have to," Joe said gripping the metal railing tighter, making his knuckles turn white again. His eyes were once more glued to the water down below. "If I wasn't around things would be better, especially for him."

"So how do you think Frank would feel about that?" Biff asked, not liking the hopelessness that he could hear in Joe's voice and where the direction of the conversation was going. He quickly slipped out of his shoes just in case he had to dive. He had promised Frank that he'd bring Joe back safely and that's what he was going to do, besides Joe was his best friend, he wasn't going to let anything happen to him if he could help it... He casually stepped up beside Joe with his hand perched on the railing, ready to grab for his friend if he had to.

"He's going to Princeton so his life is set and besides he has Callie now...she's going to be his wife; she'll take care of him," Joe said as he continued to stare down at the water.

"What about the new agency? I thought that was your dream?" Biff said trying to get through to his best friend.  Silently, praying for the right words to say.

"Dad has Frank and Sam; they don't really need me, especially since all I seem to do is just cause problems and screw up. The business will take off with them, they are all damn good detectives."

"What about your mom?"

"Biff, please I know what you're trying to do. It's not going to change my mind." Joe said as he sighed.

Biff was racking his brain trying to think of a way to stop his friend from doing something foolish and irreversible. Then suddenly an idea came to him, he knew it was exactly what Frank would do, it had to work, it just had to.

"Well, I guess you've got it all figured out then, huh?" He said out loud and praying to the heavens that his idea would work. "Football's sure going to suck next year." Biff shook his head.

Joe tore his eyes away from the water and looked at his friend strangely. "What? I'm standing here pouring my heart out to you...and… and you're worried about football?"

'Well, hell yeah, you know I eat, sleep, and breathe football. Now that Johnny Stevens has graduated and moved to California; that means you've moved up in the ranks as the quarterback. Morton and I can't carry the team alone. The whole team needs you. I mean we're talking about our senior year Joe. It's supposed to be a fun, wild, and crazy time! It's our turn to rule the school." Biff glanced back at Joe's to see his reaction.

Sure, enough, Joe turned and gave him a sour look. "Rule the school?"

"Yeah, I know it's cheesy, Frank gave me that same look when I said it to him," Biff replied turning his eyes back to the water and watching the boats pass by. So far, his idea was working he had to keep going, "What about senior prom? Lizzy already said she'd be my date. I like her; I'm thinking of asking her to be my girlfriend."

"Good for you," Joe replied.

"I wonder who Vanessa will go to the prom with." Biff was trying his damnedest, and he was not giving up. He was not going to lose his best friend. "She is pretty hot; I imagine she'll have guys lining up to ask her out."

"She's better off with someone else. At least then she won't end up hurt or dead." Joe said turning his attention back to the water.

"Are you kidding? You are a bonehead if you let a girl like that slip away." Biff said, shrugging his shoulders "But if you're not going to be around then who's to stop someone from asking her out."

"After today she'll probably run as far away from me as possible."

"Joe, if Vanessa's still here after all this Hardy crazy shit, then she's the one for you."

"Well, then I guess we'll never know," Joe said keeping his attention on the water suddenly lost in his thoughts.

"I guess." Biff could see the wheels turning in his friend's head. Before Joe could counter back, he decided to try one last approach.

"Joe, you and I have always been straight with each other. I mean we call out bullshit when we see it. Well, I'm seeing it now and I can tell you, this isn't you. I've known you since grade one. You would never take the easy way out, because you like doing things the hard way."

"If you don't think people care about you, you're wrong...we need you," Biff stated simply. "And maybe you don't care about Frank, as much as you say you do."

"I do too. I love my brother." Joe shot back tearing his eyes away from the water, he loosened his grip on the railing and looked at his friend.

Biff had to force back a small grin when he saw it: a flicker in Joe's blue eyes. He knew he had him. He cleared his throat. "Well, you've got a funny way of showing it. You're going to leave him at a time when he needs you the most. Frank is still in a lot of trouble Joe; he's being accused of murdering that bastard Hayden. He could still go to prison."

"I know that Biff, but Dad won't let me help with the case. He doesn't trust me. He hates me. He wants me to be more like Frank and I keep disappointing him and proving him right." Joe replied somberly as he sniffed back tears. He turned his eyes back to the water.

"No, he doesn't hate you," Biff replied. He had to admit he was still angry at Fenton Hardy for hurting Joe the way he did. Then again, he didn't know the whole story.

"Yes, he does!" Joe shouted with angry tears as he shook his head, "You heard him...hell everyone did."

"He was just upset," Biff said trying to keep his voice calm. "Sometimes people say things they don't mean when they're angry or even scared."

"No, he hates me," Joe sniffed back another sob. "I don't blame him really, because I'm not the son he wants..."

"That's not true." A voice said behind them causing both boys to jump.

Joe's anxiety began to rise at hearing that voice and it made his blood start to boil. He turned his head and sure enough there he was, the great Fenton Hardy standing behind them.

Biff whirled around to see Fenton standing there. He started to feel a bit nervous. He almost had Joe off the railing and here comes Mr. Hardy to get Joe all stirred up again.

Fenton had found Joe and Biff in a full conversation on the boardwalk at the end of the pier. He had stopped in his tracks when he heard what Joe had said. He hadn't meant to eavesdrop but he was frozen because of the startling sight unfolding before him. Joe was looking really upset with his crutches lying on the ground and his hands gripping the metal railing. His tear-filled blue eyes were transfixed on the water below him. Biff had his shoes off and his hands on the railing as if ready to make a move.

Seeing Joe and Biff like that threw Fenton back several years to one of the most traumatic days of his life and thoughts raced through his head. Dear God...no, please. Not Joe... I can't lose my son... not like this...not like my father... The face of Fredrick Hardy suddenly crystallized in his mind... he could still hear the gunshots...see the blood on the walls, his body completely still on the floor it was as if it happened yesterday. Fenton shook the memory of the incident out of his head, he needed to keep his focus on Joe right now.

"Go away, I have nothing to say to you," Joe said heatedly he whirled back around keeping his eyes on the water, his leg giving way slightly but his hands were tightly gripping the railing.

"Fair enough," Fenton said slowly stepping up to the railing on Joe's other side, reminding himself to stay calm and collected. "I get that you're angry with me. That's fine. You have a right to be." He took a deep breath and looked out at the water. "How about I make you a deal? You listen to what I have to say and then I'll leave you alone."

Joe was quiet and staring down at the water; Biff could see the wheels turning in his head but wasn't sure if he was going to say anything.

Fenton waited patiently for his son to respond, although it was hard.

"Fine." Joe finally answered.

Fenton let out a breath he was holding and said a silent prayer for the right words to come. "Biff, could you give us a moment alone, please?"

"Joe, do you want me to go?" Biff glanced questioningly at Joe to be sure, he wasn't going to leave his friend if he didn't want him to.

"It's okay Biff," Joe said softly, shifting nervously from one leg to the other. His left leg was starting to hurt from standing on it too long. But he didn't care. His eyes never left the water and his hands remained gripping the railing.

"Okay," Biff replied as he slipped his shoes back on. "I'm not going to be far though, so if you need me holler." He glared at Fenton as he spoke. He was still nervous about leaving Joe alone with him, so he walked away to the other side of the boardwalk just far enough away so he couldn't hear what was being said but he was still close enough that he could intervene if he thought that he needed to.

Fenton nodded his acknowledgment to Biff. After what had happened earlier, he didn't blame him for hanging around.

FJFJFJFJFJFJ

Once the two were alone, Fenton took a moment to gather himself. He casually leaned forward and rested his arms on the railing as he looked up at the evening sky at the stars. He then looked down at the water below before turning his eyes to his son.

He had caught the wince on his son's face and knew that Joe needed to get off of his leg, which, in a way, was a blessing in disguise. He took a deep breath and said calmly, "Why don't we go have a seat so you can rest your leg?" He gestured to an empty bench just a few feet away.

Joe remained quiet with his eyes cast down at the water; Fenton didn't think he was going to comply at first but then to his surprise, Joe let go of the railing and took a step back. An abrupt, "Fine," was his only reply.

Fenton picked up the crutches off of the ground and handed them to Joe. Without a word, Joe took them from his father and quickly made his way over to the bench, where he propped them up against the bench and carefully sat down.

At least he's off the railing. Fenton thought that was a start. He had to admit he was feeling apprehensive. He was stepping into a familiar territory that he didn't want to be in, and it was bringing back many bad memories. For he too was once in that dark place where Joe was standing now, and his father had been consumed by that dark place and it took his life.

Fenton had feared that Frank would be the son to be consumed by the darkness of his depression, but he seemed to be dealing with it fairly well, despite everything that had happened and was happening with him. With his focus on Frank, Fenton had failed to realize that it was Joe, his normally bright and happy baby boy, the darkness was consuming that. He had to be very careful of what he was going to say to his son, as one wrong word and Joe would be back on the railing and letting the darkness rule his life.

Fenton took a deep breath to calm his nerves and sat down on the bench beside him. Joe pursed his lips together, folded his arms to his chest in a defensive posture, and turned his head away from Fenton, staring back across the water.

"You wanted to talk, so talk," Joe said.

"Joe, will you please look at me?"

"Did you hear everything?" Joe asked dryly, leaning back slightly and stretching out his legs while gazing out at the bay.

"Pretty much," Fenton said. "The part about me hating you, it's not true…"

"Yeah, right. If it's not true then why did you say what you did?' Joe scoffed keeping his head turned away. "I'm sorry I'm such a disappointment and I can't be more like Frank."

"Joe, please look at me. I need you to see me as well as listen to me." Fenton asked.

Joe reluctantly did as he was instructed; he turned his head and glared at Fenton, his eyes pain-filled and resigned.

It was killing Fenton inside seeing the hurt and anger in his son's eyes, and knowing that he had caused most of it.

"First off, " Fenton said. "Joe, I owe you an apology, I am utterly ashamed of myself for all of my actions, but especially for verbally attacking you and not giving you a chance to explain things earlier. "

" I don't want you to be like Frank, what I meant to say was that I just wish you would use some of his sense of caution." He paused and then continued. "And there are times when I wish he was a lot like you, by pushing himself to try new things."

He stopped speaking when people passed by them to continue on their way. Fenton blinked as his eyes began to mist, and his voice began to crack as he spoke. "I've failed to protect you and your brother so many times, I can't even begin to count them. I didn't protect you from Hayden's abuse, and then when you were abducted out at the Morton farm..."

Joe just raised an eyebrow at seeing his father get emotional, he had never seen his father like this before and it was a little hard to take in and believe.

"Those three days that you were missing were the most terrifying three days of my life. The whole time I feared that maybe Hayden had...kill..." He stopped himself he couldn't finish that word.

"Then you were found by Con alive, only to learn that you had been shot in the leg and almost died...and now this threat against you boys is forever ingrained in my head... 'When you were late getting here...I thought you were in trouble and that maybe this time...the threat was carried out..."

Fenton paused for a moment to change the subject slightly. " Truthfully, I am angry and frustrated that I can't be a part of Hayden's murder investigation either. Knowing that Frank is in trouble and there's nothing I can do but sit back and let Chief Collig and his officers handle it, it's extremely frustrating. I've been taking my anger out on you Joe, and for that, I am truly sorry. I promised myself that if I ever became a father I would never become MY father."

"What do you mean, YOUR father," Joe asked skeptically.

"He used to say things to me that were hurtful and demeaning, although he never got physically violent with me, the verbal and emotional abuse was just as painful. Those are the kind of scars that take longer to heal."

"Do you hate him?" Joe asked.

Fenton couldn't let go of what Vanessa had said after Joe had left the picnic and the feeling and words of the word resentment., It bothered him to think he had been a terrible father for making Joe feel that. He didn't know where that was coming from. He wanted to get to the bottom of that issue, but he had to be patient and let his son bring it up.

He saw the look in Joe's eyes; he wanted an answer and he was getting impatient. He answered the only way he knew how to, by giving Joe the truth. "Yes, sometimes I hated him because he'd never apologized for it, except for the note that he left us before he took his life."

Fenton took a deep breath. He was working hard to keep his emotions at bay. Then he stopped himself he couldn't do that; he couldn't hide his emotions anymore. He had to set an example for Joe and let him know that it was okay to cry. That was the advice he kept expressing to Frank because of his fear of showing his emotions. It would be hypocritical of him if he didn't follow his advice.

"I don't want that to be us." Fenton cleared his throat. and then he sighed wearily. "I have been under the impression that you are afraid of me and can't come and talk with me because of the way that I would react. I'm sorry for making you feel that way, Son."

Joe looked down at his feet and started shifting nervously on the bench. He wished he knew why he felt some resentment towards his father. He wanted so much to have his strong arms around him to feel safe, the way that he used to when he was really little. He just couldn't right now, it didn't feel right.

Fenton continued, "Please don't ever be afraid to talk to me." He paused to take a breath. "Even if we get angry and agree to disagree with each other on things. It is important to want to keep the lines of communication open between us."

He reached over and gently lifted his son's chin with his hand to make sure he was looking at him and listening, "There is nothing you could ever do or say that would make me love you any less. I love you, Joe, more than anything in the world. Besides your mother, you and Frank are the most important people in my life."

"You know, we're so good at helping other people solve their problems, but went it comes to dealing with our problems we intend to want to run away from them and avoid them." Fenton paused for a moment and then continued. "And a lot of that is my fault. "

"I should have been honest from the start with you boys about your grandfather's mental illness, but at the time I didn't know how to deal with it myself and for that, I found myself in that dark place of depression. That has to stop with you two boys, we need to deal with these issues and not run away from them because it is nothing to be ashamed of. I strongly believe family counseling will help us do just that." Fenton said.

"What if it doesn't help? What if our problems are too big to fix?" Joe asked, rubbing his hands together nervously in his lap.

"Look, Joe, what happened to Iola, Phil and Seth Cohen, Chet and his parents, none of that is your fault. That was a choice that someone else made. As for Frank, and, you most certainly did not cause your brother's heart problem or depression. It's just something that happened."

Joe shrugged. "I'm sorry, Dad I can't help how I feel. And it is my fault. I'm not good, so counseling is not going to do any good."

"Joe, is there a reason why you're so hesitant about going to counseling?" A thought suddenly entered Fenton's mind, he had to ask it. "You do like Dr. Reese, right? Do you like talking to her? Are you comfortable with her?"

"Yes, I like her." Joe simply said. "She's doing a good job of helping Frank deal with his depression. It's just not for me." He was suddenly feeling nervous but he didn't know why.

"Is it because she's a woman?" Fenton asked, "Would you feel more comfortable talking to a male counselor? There is no shame in that. Dr. Reese would understand if you wanted to."

Instead of answering, Joe went quiet he turned his head letting his eyes gaze out on the water lost in his thoughts; however, he was rubbing his hands intermittently absent-mindedly across his shorts. Fenton saw it as a sure sign that something was wrong. He wondered if that could be it.

"Joe, are you alright?"

"No. I don't want to talk to a male counselor." Joe said abruptly, snapping out of his thoughts, and blinking his eyes. He looked around the pier at the people passing by them before looking at his father and the concern evident on Fenton's face. "Yes, I like Dr. Reese. I don't know, I just don't think it will help."

"We have to be able to work together. If we can't work out our problems and build a trusting relationship, how do we expect our clients to trust us? Plus, for the sake of our family, it's worth a try. What do you say?"

Once again, Joe went quiet as he turned his head letting his eyes gaze out on the water. He straightened up and looked at Fenton. "Can I think about it?"

"Yes, of course, take as much time as you need." Suddenly the sound of Fenton's cell phone ringing brought them both to attention.

Fenton immediately picked up the phone and answered, "Detective Hardy speaking."

"Fenton, it's Sam. Boy, have I got the information you need to hear?" Fenton's heartbeat began to quicken. By the expression on his father's face, Joe knew something was going on.

"Dad, what is it? Does it have to do with Hayden's murder investigation?" Joe asked the minute Fenton hung up his phone. He was doing his best not to panic; he just wanted some good news for a change.

Fenton hesitated to answer at first, but then again maybe it would give Joe some encouragement. Get his mind on something else like a little detective work.

"No actually, Joe, it has to do with the hospital fire case Sam is working on," Fenton replied, giving him the rundown of what Sam had told him.

That perked Joe right up, "Did Sam find out what caused the fire?"

"He did. There's a possibility a bomb may have been planted in a utility closet on the second floor near an elevator, fragments were found which could explain how the fire and smoke spread.

"A bomb?" Joe repeated.

Fenton nodded, "Sam and the authorities that are involved with the investigation as well as the fire marshal believe that someone had switched off the breaker that controls the system thereby disabling the backup generators. That someone would have to have knowledge and access to the main fire control system."

"Frank said he saw Ryan on the second floor. He chased after him out of the hospital and through the courtyard. Frank said that he jumped into a black car." Joe began, thinking of what his brother had told him of that night of the fire. "We know he's the main suspect in that fire case. So, it's obvious that Ryan had help."

"Dad, you said that someone had to have had knowledge and access to the main fire control system. That someone would have had to know his or her way around the hospital?" Joe began to theorize, he all at once felt himself slip into detective mode. "Like a maintenance worker, or a doctor...or maybe a nurse...The only person I can think of that could've helped him", then his blue eyes lit up like a lightning bolt, "Nurse Crazy!"

A smile spread across Fenton's face; this was exactly the encouragement that Joe needed. He then said, "We don't know that for sure, and we're going to need proof."

"What's going on?" Biff asked as he ran over to Joe after hearing and seeing the excitement on Joe's face from across the boardwalk he quickly ran over to his friend.

"I'll tell you on the way," Joe exclaimed full of enthusiasm and excitement he grabbed his crutches quickly stood up, and headed back towards the picnic area to find his brother. "I have to tell Frank!"

"Hold on Joe! Not so fast." Fenton lightly chuckled softly as he shook his head, thinking to himself that. At least he made some progress... At least he was off the railing, and he opened up a little. Hopefully, he'll agree to go to counseling. He got to his feet to catch up to the boys.

FJFJFJFJFJFJ

Back at the picnic area, Laura and Gertrude had gone for a walk to talk and to clear their heads after the confrontation between Fenton and Joe. Frank and his friends all agreed to stay and wait for them to return.

Frank sat around the table with Callie and his friends. He couldn't get the confrontation between his dad and brother out of his head as well. How could his dad say such hurtful things to Joe? His mind went back to the comment Vanessa had made that Joe was feeling some resentment towards their father. Where did that come from? Is something going on? Is there something that happened that I've missed?

He felt utterly drained and his depression was hitting him in waves, he just wanted to break down and cry, but once again he forced his fatigue aside, he had to keep it together, now wasn't the time to break, he needed to be strong.

Frank could see the shock still on the faces of their friends so he took a deep breath and said., "Guys, I want to apologize for what just happened..."

"Frank, there's no need to apologize," Chet spoke up first. He pushed his empty plate aside. " I know you told us there was friction between your dad and brother, but wow. We didn't realize things were that bad."

He was trying to find the right words to say to comfort Frank. But in truth, he didn't know what to say. He'd known the Hardy's most of his life. He and Iola grew up with Frank and Joe. They were like a second family to him. They've been there for each other in both the good times and the bad and have grown a lot closer after the horrific death of his sister. It bothered Chet a lot to see the Hardy's fighting like this.

"Yeah, it's that bad," Frank said as he slowly sat back down at the picnic table. "I told you guys about the window incident and the blow-up Joe and Dad had then."

"Did your dad almost hit Joe?" Tony asked the question that everyone was thinking. He couldn't believe how Mr. Hardy and Joe were acting towards each other, he cringed. "Maybe I shouldn't have asked that."

"No, it's okay," Frank answered. "Yes, he almost did, until I stepped in. I think everyone is just stressed out by everything that is going on. There are things about my family I can't talk about, because, some of it is not mine, and there are confidential things. We were planning on going to family counseling to hopefully work out some of the issues. But now it's probably all shot to hell."

"Frank," Callie said softly, sitting down next to him, leaning into him and rubbing his back, trying to comfort him. "Are you okay? Do you want to go home?"

"More than anything. I want to go home and curl up in my bed and go to sleep and pretend these last couple of days never happened. But, I can't." Frank straightened up and looked at her, with tears in his eyes.

"How about the two of us go for a walk then?" Callie suggested. She slipped her hand into Frank's. She could sense that he needed to get away for a bit.

"I promised my mom we'd wait here for Joe and Dad. I need to be here in case something happens."

"We'll wait for them," Lizzy said.

"Yes, we just want to help," Brenda said, she wasn't sure about everything that had happened. She just knew the Hardy brothers were nice guys, and wanted to offer some comfort and support.

"Yeah," Marcy said kindly. "We're here for you, whatever you need."

"Thank you. All of you," Frank said gratefully, "Talking about this helps and your support means a lot."

"Yeah, you two go ahead," Lizzy said and began gathering up the dirty plates. "We'll start cleaning up the picnic. That way your mom and aunt don't have to."

"That's a good idea," Brenda said pitching in to help clean up along with Chet and Tony.

Frank and Callie got up from the table and began to go for their walk.

"Frank?" Vanessa said getting up from the table to catch up to them. "Do you think Joe will be alright?" She wiped the tears from her eyes. She couldn't stop thinking about Joe. And she couldn't believe what had transpired between him and his dad.

"He will be, eventually," Frank replied, that he felt bad seeing her upset. then he asked, "You do care about him don't you?"

"I do. I just hate to see him like this." Vanessa said.

Suddenly her phone began to ring. She took it out of her purse, "It's my mom. She's here, I better go meet up with her. I don't know what to say to her. I wanted her to meet Joe, but I guess now is not a good time."

"Vanessa, I think..." Frank started to ask when he was interrupted by a shout grabbing everyone's attention.

"Frank!"

Even though it was dark out, thankfully with the help of the glow of the street lights Frank looked up to see his younger brother hurrying up to him as fast as he could on his crutches. Even with the darkness fast approaching, Frank could see the excitement all over Joe's face. He saw his Dad and Biff trying hard to keep up with him. Now what's going on?

"Joe, slow down!" Frank called to his brother. Then something out of the corner of his eyes caught his attention and ran towards his brother. "Joe, look out!"

But it was too late before Joe could stop, "Joeeeee!" A little voice called out. Hearing his name Joe immediately whirled around only to be tackled to the ground by a little blond blur.

A Brother's Revenge Chapter 18

'Jim' stopped sweeping along the boardwalk and adjusted the blue cap on his head. He watched Joe and Biff disappear in the crowd and saw Fenton following close behind them. Unbeknownst to all three of them, he witnessed the drama and heard everything that took place.

An evil grin spread across his face, and he began to mutter to himself, "So, Detective, your precious baby boy has some real messed up issues, huh? What a shame. You don't want him involved with Jack's murder investigation. Oh, too bad, you can't be involved either... Why is that? Oh, that's right, because your other son killed my brother. If Joe wants to leave this world, let's not stand in his way. I'm going to make sure that happens, and as a bonus, he's going to take his brother with him."

"If you thought that damn hospital fire was a blast...just you wait Detective, you and your sons haven't seen anything yet. Damn it!" He rubbed a hand over the latex mask where it was pinching his cheek. "I can't wait to get this stupid thing off my face." He took a disposable phone from the pocket of his shirt and hit a number on the speed dial. "Damn it, Picasso pick up."

"Yo! Ryan baby, is that you?" The Artist finally answered on the second ring.

"Who else would it be dumbass?" Ryan growled into the phone. "What took you so long to answer?"

"What the hell? Calm down. We've been busy carrying out YOUR plan. Your hot chick and that pain in the ass nephew of yours just took care of the rest of the crew who were prepping for the fireworks."

"And as for yours truly, I just arrived with my 'masterpiece', which I'll be setting up here in a little bit." Picasso bragged in the other line, "In fact, I think I've outdone myself this time and built two. They are a couple of beauties! You'll get to play with the second one later, the first one is for tonight. It's going to be one hell of a show."

"Oh, by the way, I took a stroll through this cookie-cutter town an hour or so ago. It's got a Hallmark kind of feel to it... and I like it. And judging from the upkeep on some of these vintage homes the people here are shit loaded with moolah. I could do some serious damage here."

"You just remember Fenton Hardy lives in this town." Ryan reminded him, "So, don't go stirring up trouble just yet. We'll have him on our tails soon enough once we go after his boys."

"Oh, that reminds me," Picasso cut in, "I saw your little fish coming out of some office building with a blonde beauty with a pair of long legs up to her firm tight ass. I followed them here to the pier." He smiled coyly as he puffed out a stream of smoke from his cigarette. "Damn, I want to tap that!"

"Another time." Ryan countered, "Tonight, has to go according to MY plan. No screw-ups, understand? Remember we're here to avenge Jack's death. Our goal is to have Joe Hardy by the end of the night, so we can proceed with the next phase of my plan. To get revenge for my brother!"

"Whatever you say, Boss," Picasso said just before he hung up the phone. He took one last puff of his cigarette and tossed the phone into the passenger seat of his black van.

"You can call the shots, for now, Ryan baby, after all this is your show. But just wait...just you wait. I'll get my turn. Soon everyone in this town will know my name and who the fuck I am, Sal 'Picasso' Mancini." He flicked his cigarette out of the window. He smiled inwardly and his eyes darkened. "The Artist."

FJFJFJFJFJ

"Vanessa, I think..." Frank started to ask when he was interrupted by a shout grabbing everyone's attention.

"Frank!"

Even though it was starting to get dark out, with the help of the soft glow of the street lights Frank could see his younger brother hurrying up to him as fast as he could on his crutches. Even with the darkness fast approaching, Frank could see the excitement written all over Joe's face. He saw his Dad and Biff trying hard to keep up with him. Now what's going on? He thought.

"Joe, slow down!" Frank called to his brother. Then something out of the corner of his eyes caught his attention and ran towards his brother. "Joe, look out!"

But it was too late before Joe could stop in his tracks, "Joeeeee!" A little voice called out. Hearing his name Joe immediately turned around as fast as he could on his crutches only to be tackled to the ground by a little blond blur.

FJFJFJFJFJ

Joe hit the ground hard, with a loud "oomph!" as his breath was knocked out of him and his crutches fell at his side.

"Oh, my gosh!" Vanessa exclaimed and ran towards Joe. As Frank and Callie raced towards his brother and the little blond blur. Tony, Chet, and the other girls watching the scene with concern.

As Frank got closer, he realized the little blond blur was actually a very familiar little boy of about seven years old wearing red shorts and a red t-shirt with a soccer ball on the front and he was sitting on top of Joe's chest.

"Gotcha, Joe!" the little boy called out.

Joe knew that little voice... However, at the moment he couldn't think as pain shot up his injured leg and at the same time, he was trying to catch his breath.

Finally, after a few seconds the pain began to subside, Joe blinked his eyes until his vision became clear enough to see the face of a little blond boy sitting on his chest with a mischievous smile on his face. "Hey, Trevor." Joe huffed out his name.

"Trevor! Oh, my gosh! Joe, are you OK?" He heard a man and a woman exclaim in unison. Joe knew their voices too. He glanced up to see they were the boy's parents Pete McNeely the manager of the Police Department shooting range, and his wife Lindsey a petite woman in her early thirties wearing a casual spaghetti strap sundress with yellow sunflowers, her long brunette hair cascading down her shoulders.

"Uh-oh?" The boy grimaced at the sound of his parents calling his name.

"Son, what are we going to do with you? I swear you're like a bull in a china shop." Pete said as he picked Trevor up off of Joe. Joe felt an instant relief as the small weight was lifted off of his chest, and he started to take in small and steady breaths.

"Trevor honey, come here. You can't just go running up to people like that. You have to be more careful." Lindsey said to her little boy.

"But, Mommy, Daddy, I was playing Gotcha with Joe." The boy said whining as his dad sat him down on the ground next to his mother.

"Well, you got him alright." His father knelt to the boy's level and replied, "But, listen, Trevor, Joe can't play that tag game with you right now. He's got an injured leg. I'm sure once his leg is all better, I'm sure that he'll be happy to play that game with you, but right now you have to wait. Okay?"

"Okay, Daddy," Trevor said in a small voice.

Pete nodded, "Good, now let's go tell Joe that you're sorry." He said getting to his feet.

Meanwhile, Joe found himself surrounded by his friends and family and a few curious onlookers from the crowd. "Joe, are you alright?" Biff said kneeling beside him.

"Yeah, I think so," Joe grunted as he slowly sat up with Biff's help.

Frank knelt on the other side of his brother. "Joe, don't try to move." He put his hand on his shoulder to keep him from standing up.

"Bro, I'm fine." Joe tried to reassure him. "Stop making a fuss. I just got the wind knocked out of me."

"Listen to your brother, Joe," Fenton said to him as he crouched next to Frank. "Are you hurt anywhere? Is your leg..."

"Dad, I said, I'm fine," Joe said a little more harshly than he intended, between breaths.

Fenton pushed back the hurt he felt at that. He could tell that Joe's feelings were still a little raw towards him after their earlier encounter. He knew that he just had to be patient and keep trying with him. They still had some things to work out and it was going to take time.

Joe caught the hurt look in his father's eyes and instantly felt guilty for snapping at him, after all, he was just trying to help him. "Dad, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to snap at you. I just..."

"It's okay, Joe. That's not important right now." Fenton replied. He decided to let that outburst go. After all, on top of everything else that was going on, he had another big issue to deal with due to the dark turn of events Joe had displayed earlier.

As the chilling image of Joe standing on the railing at the boardwalk of the pier looking over the water passed through his mind, it sent shivers down Fenton's spine. If Joe was having suicidal thoughts, he couldn't ignore that issue, but it also meant that Joe shouldn't be left alone. Someone would have to stay close to him at all times, just in case.

However, this was something he knew he couldn't do alone; he knew he couldn't... he was going to need everyone's help. Family and friends. Fenton looked up at Frank and Joe's friends, Callie then finally Vanessa. He would need their help in keeping Joe's mind distracted from his negative thoughts, to get him out of that bad place, and to get him to focus on something else, and they needed to do that without making it completely obvious to Joe that that was what they were doing.

He would notify Dr. Reese as soon as he could find a moment to discretely get away from the group. He needed to let her know immediately what was going on with Joe. The sooner he spoke with the doctor the sooner they could plan the next course of action on how to handle Joe, his depression, and to get him the help that he needed. Now he just had to figure out how to explain it to Laura, Frank, and Gertrude without them freaking out. Fenton took a deep breath, trying his best to stay calm and look like nothing was wrong.

Frank had noticed the strangeness between his father and brother. He could tell that something had happened. Earlier as he waited worriedly with his friends for his father and brother to return, he had sensed through his connection with his brother that something horrible was wrong with Joe. He hadn't wanted to mention the bad feeling he was getting in front of his friends or Callie, because he was afraid if he said it out loud then that feeling he felt would become more than just a feeling and would come true. He had put his trust in Biff to bring Joe back safe. And Biff had done just that, Joe was back, but something wasn't quite right. What was going on now? Did Dad and Joe get into another fight? He could tell that his father was extremely concerned and worried, but was trying to mask his emotions, and what the hell was Joe so excited about before his run-in with Trevor?

"Joe, let's get you up on your feet," Fenton said breaking into Frank's thoughts. Fenton, Frank, and Biff all carefully helped Joe to stand up.

"Here you go, Joe," Callie said picking up the crutches off of the ground and handing them back to him.

"Thanks, Callie," Joe replied, taking the crutches from her.

Fenton, Frank, and Biff let go of the youngest Hardy once they were sure that he was steady on his feet with his crutches. As they stepped back to give him some space, Vanessa asked with concern in her voice. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Don't worry babe." Joe took a breath, "It's going to take more than getting knocked down by a seven-year-old to keep me down, good thing I have crutches."

"Fenton, Joe, I am so sorry about this." Pete apologized limping up to the Hardys. "Trevor has been a ball of energy all day. Honestly, I don't know where he gets it sometimes." He was a little bit nervous about seeing the Hardys again since it had been his careless and stupid mistake that had caused Frank's gun to go missing in the first place.

"There's no need to apologize Trevor was just being enthusiastic." Fenton said accepting Pete's handshake, "I can relate to your son being a ball of energy."

"Plus, he was super excited about the possibility of seeing your boys tonight." Pete added, " On the ride here he kept asking us if they were going to be here. We told him, we'll have to wait and see. As soon as he got out of the car, he started looking for them. Once we got to the boardwalk, he saw Joe, and he just took off running to him before we could stop him."

Frank and Joe's faces flushed a bright shade of pink as Fenton smiled at hearing that. It was a known fact that Pete's little boy was a huge fan of his sons. Frank and Joe always saw themselves as normal teenagers, doing normal teenage stuff. Being detectives and solving mysteries was just a job that they did and was nothing special. However, to an impressionable 7-year-old boy, being teenage detectives was kind of a big deal, and Trevor regarded Frank and Joe as if they were superheroes.

Fenton was proud of his boys in return. Frank and Joe weren't around little kids very much; however, they were very good about interacting with Trevor in their way. Frank was a little more reserved with Trevor but with the right timing and circumstances, when he felt more comfortable with the little boy, Frank would interact and play fun games with him. Most times the circumstance became favorable because of Joe. He had always had the magic touch in getting his big brother into being more outgoing and social, and to have fun, because Joe himself was normally happy and outgoing. So, it came easily for Joe to be outgoing and social with Trevor and of course, he had the energy to match.

"Hey, Joe good to see you," Pete said extending his hand out to Joe. He had on a blue t-shirt with the sleeves rolled up showing off his muscular arms, and a pair of khaki shorts. "And I am so sorry about this, I hope Trevor didn't hurt you?"

"It's good to see you, too," Joe replied steadying himself and accepting Pete's handshake. "No, he didn't hurt me. He just took me by surprise that's all. I'm fine really."

He was still a little peeved by the shooting range manager for his careless mistake that caused Frank's gun to go missing. The same gun that had been stolen by the dark-haired figure who resembled Frank. Joe knew without a doubt that it was not Frank he saw on the security tape, taking the gun, the same weapon that was found at the crime scene on Shore Road where Jack Hayden had been found murdered, he just needed to find a way to prove it.

"Good, that's good to hear," Pete said, "Trevor, don't you have something to tell Joe?" He looked down expecting to see his son at his side, only to find that he was missing. He frowned and turned towards his wife and looked down to see him hiding behind his mother.

When he realized that Trevor hadn't followed him, Pete beckoned him with his finger to come forward, "Trevor, come here, please."

The little boy poked his head out from behind his mother. He threw a pleading look up at her because he knew he was in trouble. "Go on," she said coaxing him out from behind her with her arm.

Finally, the little boy slowly stepped out with his head hung down and cautiously walked forward towards his father.

Frank had to bite back a smile. He felt a bit sorry seeing the scared look on the little boy's face. He couldn't believe this scrawny but wiry, barely four-foot-tall, fifty-pound little boy, took down Joe who was twice his size and weight. Trevor reminded him so much of Joe when he was that age. Even his antics and actions were so like things that Joe used to do.

The little boy began fidgeting with the corner of his shirt bunching it up in his hands as he stood in front of Joe. He raised his head and said in a small voice. "Sorry, Joe. I didn't mean to knock you down. Are you mad at me?" A tear ran down his cheek.

"I know it was an accident and that you didn't mean to knock me down, I get it you were excited to see me, I have that effect on people." Joe smiled gently, noting the fear on Trevor's face, so he reached out to ruffle his hair. "And no, I'm not mad at you."

"Really? You still like me?" A big smile spread across Trevor's little face.

"Yeah of course I like you. We're best buds." Joe smiled, holding his arms out to the boy, "Now can I have a hug?"

"Gently this time," Pete advised his son. Trevor did as his father instructed and carefully wrapped his arms around Joe's waist. Joe wasted no time and enveloped the boy in his arms.

"Awe." Vanessa cooed. That was the cutest thing she'd ever seen. She didn't think that she could be more in love with Joe as she was right at that moment.

"Daddy said we can't play Gotcha, 'cause your leg is hurt. Is it worse now?" Trevor asked Joe as he released Trevor from the hug.

"No, it's okay my leg doesn't hurt as much. It'll be good as new in no time." Joe answered. "I promise, when my leg is all better, we'll play, Gotcha. Okay?"

"Okay." Trevor looked down at the bandage on Joe's injured leg. "Do you have a metal leg like Daddy?"

Unsure of how to answer Trevor's question Joe threw a look at the boy's father. He knew it was impolite but he couldn't help but cast his eyes at Pete's prosthetic leg. He still felt a little guilty, for it was not that long ago that he had almost shared the same fate as the former cop. Thankfully he had survived and still had his leg intact, whereas Pete, even though he survived his ordeal had still lost a part of himself.

"Trevor, I think..." Pete started to say.

Sensing the awkwardness Fenton stepped in immediately. He crouched down to the boy's level. "Trevor, do you like hot dogs?" He asked.

"Oh, yeah." The boy nodded with excitement. His question was suddenly forgotten and now his attention was on hot dogs. Joe breathed a sigh of relief as Pete mouthed the words 'thank you' to Fenton for diverting the question to a different topic.

"Really, how many can you eat?" Fenton asked with a grin.

The boy smiled, he held up three fingers. "Three."

"Three? Are you sure?" Fenton asked playfully in disbelief, scrunching up his nose.

Trevor enthusiastically nodded his response.

"Hot dogs that sounds good right now." Joe chimed in; he patted his stomach as it growled. "That reminds me, I haven't eaten anything all day and I am starving."

"Well let's all go over to the picnic area and we can fix that," Fenton said.

"Can we Mommy?" Trevor said to her with pleading blue eyes.

"Oh, thank you kindly, Mr. Hardy, we don't want you to go to any trouble on our account," Lindsey spoke up.

"It's no trouble at all, we have plenty of food," Fenton said to the young mother. 'And please call me Fenton."

Lindsey looked over at her husband who nodded slightly, and turned back to Fenton and replied. 'Thank you, Fenton, we accept."

"Yay!" Trevor exclaimed jumping excitingly up and down on his feet. "Can I sit next to you, Joe?"

"You bet." Joe smiled; he looked at his beautiful angel. "You don't mind, do you, Vanessa?"

"Not at all." Vanessa lightly laughed.

'Hey, Trevor," Frank spoke up. "What about me? Don't I get a hug?" He held out his arms to the little boy.

"I think Frank's feeling a little left out," Joe said to Trevor. "Why don't you go show him some love." with a big smile on his face Trevor rushed up to Frank and wrapped his arms around his waist.

"Thank you, Trevor, I feel better now." The older Hardy brother said as he wasted no time and enveloped the little boy in his arms. He had to admit he has always been a little hesitant around little kids but for some reason, he felt comfortable with Trevor.

Callie's heart melted like butter watching her future husband with Trevor. She could tell he was going to be a wonderful father someday. She couldn't wait to marry him.

"Come on, Frank, you can sit with me and Joe too," Trevor said as he released Frank from the hug. He puts his little hand into Frank's hand, and then turns to Joe, "Come on Joe!" The little boy beckons Joe with his finger to follow them.

"Yeah, come on, slowpoke!" Frank called out to Joe as Trevor started pulling him towards the picnic area.

"Slowpoke! I'll show you slow poke!" Joe shot back with laughter as he rushed to catch up to his brother and the little boy as fast as he could on his crutches towards the picnic area.

"Oh, yes, Pete, like I said, I can relate to your son being a ball of energy." Fenton shook his head. "Not even crutches can slow him down."

By the time Laura and Gertrude returned from their walk everyone was back at the picnic area, either sitting on blankets on the ground or at the picnic table. After the earlier events, both women were surprised to find everyone again laughing and joking around with each other. They were especially surprised to see their friends Pete and Lindsey McNeely sitting at a table. Then their eyes landed on Callie and Vanessa at another table with Frank and Joe sitting on the other side with seven-year-old Trevor McNeely between them laughing and eating hot dogs.

This was a much different scene than what they saw earlier, Laura and Gertrude immediately found Fenton at the grill placing grilled hot dogs on a plate, they demanded to know what was going on and what happened between him and Joe. He placed the hot dogs on the table and then discreetly motioned for his wife and sister to follow him away from the group so he could talk to them privately about Joe.

Trevor was enjoying himself as he sat at the picnic table swinging his little legs excitingly. He was having the best day ever; he was eating hot dogs which was his favorite food in the world and he was going to watch the cool fireworks. Plus, His two favorite superheroes were sitting beside him. He was the luckiest guy in the world right now.

Unbeknownst to the group, a dark-haired figure was lurking behind the tall bushes just a few feet away from them. The expression on his face was stone cold as he directed his murderous gaze at the Hardy brothers.

A Brother's Revenge Chapter 19

Fenton led his wife and sister over to a couple of benches just a few yards away from their picnic area. He wanted to make sure that they were where they could talk privately, yet stay given their sons' table and keep an eye on everyone, but especially Joe. As they moved over Fenton tried to mentally prepare himself to explain to both women what had happened with Joe at the pier. He took a couple of deep breaths to calm his nerves and absent-mindedly ran his fingers through his hair. There was so much going on with the boys plus the threat against them, it was all starting to be too much for him. He needed to keep his mind clear and just focus on one thing at the moment.

"Fenton, what is going on?" Laura asked sternly. She could tell that Fenton was concerned about something by the way that he was running his hand through his hair and that last fight between him and Joe, concerned her deeply. Not to mention that she wasn't exactly happy with Fenton at the moment after the hurtful words he said to their youngest son. It was going on at 7:30 pm, and the fireworks would be starting shortly. Laura sighed and thought some celebration this was turning out to be. She had just wanted everyone to have fun and enjoy the picnic and watch the fireworks together. More importantly, she just wanted her family back together and happy again. She had gone for a walk with her sister-in-law to clear her mind and she had hoped against hope that when they got back that things would be straightened out. Looking at the scene around her she had a feeling that they had a long way to go.

Finally, Fenton turned around to face his wife and sister. He huffed out a breath and began to speak. "Why don't we all sit down, and I'll explain..."

"Fenton, enough!" Laura snapped, finally losing her patience and pulling herself away from her husband. "I don't want to sit down! I want to know what's going on! Did you, or did you not work things out with Joe? At the very least, did you apologize for what you said to him earlier?"

"I did apologize to Joe, yes," Fenton answered. Laura noticed that he kept glancing over at their sons table and his gaze kept focusing on Joe. "As for working things out with him, that's going to take some time."

"What does that mean?" Laura asked as she folded her arms to her chest. "Did something happen between you two? Did you fight again?"

"Yes, something happened and no, we didn't fight, but there's no easy way to tell you." Fenton sighed before he took a deep breath, bracing himself. He knew that this was not going to be easy and that Laura was not going to take it very well. He took his eyes off of Joe and then, turning back to his wife, he gently put his hand on her shoulder and began speaking. Laura's and Gertrude's faces paled as he told them about what happened with Joe on the boardwalk.

Laura took a step back from him when he finished, shaking her head and turning her back to where the teens were all sitting at the tables so they wouldn't see. "What? No... Not Joe, not our baby, no... no... it can't be… he's always been so positive, so happy… even after…" Her voice trailed off as she fought back the tears that were threatening to come pouring out of her eyes. It was all she could do to keep from breaking down. She didn't want to believe the words that were coming out of her husband's mouth.

Emotion began filling Fenton's voice, as he cleared his throat and managed to say, "when I saw Joe up on the railing looking over the water. My heart nearly gave out." Fenton placed a hand on his chest and closed his eyes willing the image that was burned into his brain to go away. "It made me think of what I had witnessed with my father. The pain and sadness...the emptiness, I saw it all in his eyes." He opened his eyes and quickly wiped away a tear that had escaped.

"Thank God for Biff! He has proven so many times how much of a loyal and true friend he is to our boys. First with Frank and supporting him and keeping an eye on him when he was sick with worry when Joe was missing. And then tonight with Joe, Biff found him first...I overheard part of their conversation, Biff stayed calm the entire time and was saying all the right things, to the point where he had Joe off of the railing." Fenton paused, shrugged, and then continued, "Biff was a little guarded with me, which I fully understand. After all, he as well as everyone else here heard the horrible things I said to Joe."

Fenton paused to take a breath, then with tears clouding his voice he choked out. "If Biff hadn't gotten to him first, I strongly believe that we came pretty damn close to losing Joe tonight..." He ended up letting his voice trail off and he hung his head.

'Oh my God." Laura gasped slapping a hand over her mouth, she began to cry. Fenton wrapped an arm around her, doing his best to offer some measure of comfort.

"What did Joe say? What were his reasons?" Gertrude asked wiping away tears of her own. She was trying hard to be strong, but after hearing everything Fenton said, everything was hitting her close to home as well and bringing up old, painful memories of her father's battle with depression. She hated that her nephews were going through the fight themselves.

Fenton managed to continue, "I finally convinced Biff to let me talk to Joe alone, and once he moved off a bit, Joe and I sat down and had a talk... I think that it was a good talk, but I could tell that Joe is still incredibly angry with me."

"Does it have something to do with what Vanessa said about why he has some resentment towards you?" Laura asked. "Did he give you any idea about what that was about anyway?"

"I don't know. That's a mystery to me too." He answered shaking his head, "I did hear Joe tell Biff that he thinks that I hate him and that he's not good enough to be a detective or my son." That bothered Fenton to think that Joe felt that way. "That could be part of it although it could be several reasons. I do know that he's angry with me for not letting him help with Hayden's murder investigation."

Fenton shook his head again and brought up another point in the conversation he had with Joe. "I do know that he is feeling a great deal of guilt. He thinks that it's his fault that Henry killed Phil and Seth because he was the one who brought Henry into everyone's lives when he tried to befriend him and help him. He also thinks that he's the cause of Frank's health issues with his heart and depression, and I am sure what Callie said earlier helped cement those thoughts in his mind. I believe it's just like what happened with Iola all over again when he took all of the guilt and thought her death was his fault because he and Frank were targeted."

"No!" Laura abruptly pulled away from Fenton and hit him in the shoulder. "I've been so afraid of this. Remember our talk yesterday in your office." She continued heatedly looking at him with fire in her eyes, "about how both of the boys are fighting with depression differently. Joe is not handling things well. He already has anxiety issues with PTSD. He's not been okay ever since Phil died and the hospital fire. And of course, with Frank, Joe is afraid of losing him."

"And Frank..." Laura paused for a moment, "Oh my, Frank. Does he know about Joe?"

"No, not yet," Fenton replied softly. He was dreading having to tell Frank. "I wanted to talk to you two first, before talking to Frank."

"You know this is going to upset him, and could cause more health problems for him." Laura pointed out.

"I know, but we can't keep him in the dark."

"I can see that Frank is already stressed out. After you had left to call Chief Collig when Joe was running late getting here to the pier. I kept glancing over at Frank sitting with Callie and his friends, he kept rubbing his chest, just like he did before. And that scares me, Fenton, that scares me." Laura paused and looked over at her sons sitting with the little boy at their picnic table eating hot dogs and laughing. She turned back to her husband all teary-eyed. "Frank appears to be handling the highs and lows of his depression, well or so we think. With this threat against the boys, the loss of Phil Cohen, and being accused of murder, he seems to be going with the flow. That being said, when it comes to Joe in trouble, that's when things could get dicey. Who knows how Frank will react when he finds out his brother is on the verge of taking his life tonight? It could be too much stress on his heart, and then he'll be back in the hospital again."

"I can't lose my children, Fenton. I won't." Laura said as she vowed to herself to do whatever it took to keep the darkness from taking her children. "We need to call Dr. Reese. We need her help."

"I plan on doing just that." Fenton composed himself and said calmly. "We need to do it discretely though, because for some reason Joe is a little resistant about seeing her."

"Why, I thought Joe was okay with family counseling?" Laura questioned.

"He was, that was another thing he and I talked about, but for some reason, he has changed his mind. He feels it won't help because he's not a good person, and that our problems are too big to fix." Fenton said. "I explained to Joe that counseling would be the best way to help us work through our issues. He thought about it for a bit and then said that he'd think about it. Which I encouraged him to do. I told him to take as much time as he needed. I don't want to force him to do this and create more problems if we don't have to."

"That's good." Gertrude chimed in. "at least Joe is thinking about it. We will just have to keep encouraging him and not give up hope. Hopefully, Dr. Reese will be able to give us some advice about how to handle this."

Changing the subject slightly, Gertrude asked. "Now why are the McNeely's here?" It's not that she wasn't glad to see them. It was just a surprise to see them and their little boy sitting with her nephews.

"Gertrude is right Laura, there is hope." Fenton reached out with his hand and wiped her tears from her cheek with his thumb.

Fenton quickly filled them in on the lead he had gotten from Sam about the hospital case and that the possibility of a bomb may have been planted in a utility closet and Carolyn Matthews aka Nurse Matthews was a possible suspect in the case.

"Joe was sitting right next to me and could hear my half of the conversation and I told him the rest because I felt like he needed some encouragement. To get his mind on something else like a little detective work. And it worked, I could hear the enthusiasm in his voice and I saw the excitement in his eyes as he began to theorize. He got so excited when he figured out Nurse Matthews was a possible suspect that he had to tell Frank right away. He practically ran with his crutches on his way here, then Trevor was so excited to see Joe that he literally knocked him over and the boys invited him to sit with them to eat."

"Okay so what's the plan," Laura remarked sniffing back tears. "What do we do?"

"I need to go meet with Sam and Chief Collig. I need to give the Chief the threatening note that Joe and Vanessa found on her Jeep, but before I do that, I want to give Dr. Reese a call. Hopefully, she will be able to help us figure out how to best help Joe. In the meantime, we need to keep Joe's mind distracted and away from his dark thoughts. Frank and their friends would also greatly help to do just that."

"Let me handle things here," Laura suggested. "You go and talk to Dr. Reese and I'll try to talk to Frank without Joe noticing."

"I think that's a good idea," Gertrude added, nodding her head. "We have a plan, and I think it's a good start."

"Okay." Fenton agreed and hugged his wife as he said. "Everything's going to be okay because we won't let anything happen. I promise you." With that, he kissed the top of her head before releasing her and left to make his call to the doctor.

Laura stood in silence after her husband had left, her mind still reeling over everything Fenton had said about Joe. "He's right Laura, everything will be okay, we just have to believe that." She heard Gertrude say, "The boys are going to be okay. We'll get through this together as a family, and come out even stronger." Gertrude put an arm around her sister-in-law's shoulders and squeezed comfortingly. "Are you ready to go back to the picnic?"

Letting out a sigh, Laura looked up at the stars, which were just starting to appear in the evening sky, saying a silent prayer for her family, she then squared her shoulders, somehow finding the courage and the strength she needed at that moment. She could do this. Her boys needed her. She was going to fight hard for them and with them. She was determined that the darkness would not take them away from her. She finally nodded, wiping the tears from her eyes. "Yes, Gertrude, I'm ready."

FJFJFJFJFJFJFJF

Meanwhile Frank was sitting at the picnic table lost in his troubled thoughts, first with him being accused of Hayden's murder, then thinking of his late friend Phil and how much he was missing him, then lastly his latest worry, Joe. A few minutes ago, he had caught sight of his father escorting his mother and aunt a few feet away from the group to talk privately, and he knew something major was up.

Frank knew it had something to do with Joe. He had a feeling in his soul that it was bad, really bad. He was still so angry with Joe for being late to the picnic and making everyone worry. That last fight between Joe and their dad was not putting his worry at ease. He should've been the one to go after Joe, instead of Biff. He wanted to grab his brother take him away from the group and make him tell him what was going on. He wanted to talk to Joe about the panic attack he had on his and Vanessa's way to the pier, the real reason they had stopped at the agency, and the reason for being late. And he couldn't forget the threat against him and Joe. Just like the message on Callie's car, an eye for an eye, a brother for a brother, soon a Hardy boy will die. He noted the two incidences were slightly different and yet very similar. The message on Callie's windshield was spray painted on in bold black letters, while the message that Joe and Vanessa found was on a flyer on Vanessa's Jeep.

Frank's mind drifted back to the vandalism case. Bruce Linsky who was the lead suspect in that case was still missing and his dad and the police were in the process of trying to locate him. His fingerprints had been found on the black spray can that had been used to write the message. Then his mind shifted to the dark-haired kid with the red ball cap, that he had seen sitting in the lobby of Callie's apartment building. Could the two guys be the same person? Could this mystery dark-haired figure from the security footage from the shooting range, be the same person framing me for Hayden's murder? And how is Linksy connected to him? Are they all connected to Jack and Ryan Hayden? How was all that possible? The most frustrating part of it all was that he couldn't be a part of the investigation. He gave a heavy sigh, he couldn't do anything but play his part and sit at the picnic table with little Trevor, Joe, and his friends eating hot dogs even though he wasn't that hungry. Frank didn't want to disappoint the little boy because he knew that Trevor looked up to both him and Joe. He was trying his best to have fun, laugh, and joke around right along with them, for everyone's, including little Trevor's, sake. But truthfully with everything going on, on top of worrying about Joe, he felt like he was being drained emotionally from somewhere deep inside of him.

Callie reached across the table and put her hand on top of Frank's hand. She could see the turmoil and exhaustion in his tired brown eyes, and she knew he wasn't up to this and was probably reaching his limit.

Frank felt a hand on top of his hand, he looked up across the table at Callie. She gave his hand a light squeeze and a smile as if telling him to hang in there. Keep it together he kept telling himself. Then the sound of laughter coming from the group sitting at the table got Frank's attention. Joe must've said something funny because Biff, Chet, and Tony were laughing. Even the girls and Trevor's parents were laughing at whatever Joe had said.

He felt someone tugging on his shirt sleeve followed by giggling, "Hey Frank! Frank...wanna hear a joke!" he looked to his left to see it was Trevor.

Frank quickly shook his thoughts out of his head, and he focused his attention on the little boy to bring him back to the present. "I'm sorry Trevor, what did you ask?"

"Joe just taught Trevor a joke," Callie answered him. "It's a little corny, but then again most of Joe's jokes are."

She was really starting to worry about her fiancé and began to wonder how much longer he was going to be able to hold up. A part of her wanted to skin Joe alive because she knew he was a big part of the reason that Frank wasn't acting like himself. Oh, she was so angry with Joe. When she got the chance, she was so going to have a talk with Joe and tell him to smarten up!

"Hey! Everyone else thought it was funny." Joe replied, he couldn't help himself the words rolled off his tongue. "Besides Callie, you just don't get my sense of humor. It's up to me to make sure Frank knows how to have fun. Unlike you who can be a little uptight and prissy at times. "

"I am not," Callie said pursed her lips together, and glared at Joe.

"You are too!" Joe argued. "You act like you're better than everyone else."

"I do not!"

"Yes, you do!" Joe insisted stubbornly.

"Unlike you who acts childish and needs to learn to grow up," Callie said crossly as she folded her arms to her chest.

"Guys, stop," Frank said firmly, seeing that things were starting to escalate quickly and wanting to put a stop to it before things went too far. An awkward silence fell over the group as everyone glanced at each other unsure of what to say.

Vanessa glanced between Joe and Callie watching their argument with concern infusing her entire body. There goes that unpredictable Joe that I saw earlier both at the agency and with the fight between him and his dad, she thought.

"I'm sorry, everyone." Callie quickly apologized, feeling ashamed of her actions.

"Yeah, ditto for me." Joe had an uneasy feeling in his heart. Why did he go off on Callie like that? And in front of everyone else too? God, what was wrong with him? He knew why. It was his anxiety, and he could feel it rising again, it had started kicking in from the moment, that they had sat down to eat with Trevor when Frank's demeanor had changed. Joe could tell, all the laughing and joking, having fun Frank was portraying was all for Trevor's benefit.

Joe knew that Frank was still pissed off at him for scaring him and for being late to the picnic. Especially with the death threat that was hanging over their heads. Frank had gone out on a limb for him with their parents in getting them to agree to let him go on this date with Vanessa. Joe shook his head and sighed, angry with himself. You don't dare scare Frank like that. You just don't. Hopefully, when I tell Frank about the lead in the hospital fire case, he won't be so angry with me, he thought. And Frank wasn't stupid. It was only a matter of time before he started demanding some answers. Answers only Joe could give him. Joe started to feel a little nervous about what Frank's reaction would be when he found out what happened on the pier tonight.

"I've heard all Joe's jokes so why don't you let me be the judge." Frank cleared his throat as he prepared to break the awkward silence. "Go ahead Trevor let's hear your joke?"

"Okay." Trevor huffed and carefully repeated the joke. "What do you get with an alligator wearing a vest?"

Frank had to agree with Callie that the joke was corny, he'd heard that joke from Joe before, "I don't know what?" He said by playing along, for the little boy's sake, a smile twitching on his lips at Trevor's excitement.

"A vesta...vesta." The seven-year-old began stumbling over the word. He turned to Joe sitting on his right for the answer. He scrunched his nose and asked, "What is the word again?"

Joe took a deep breath to calm his nerves. "An investigator." He answered his little friend.

"An investigator!" Trevor turned back to Frank giggling. "Get it?"

"Yeah, I get it, very funny buddy." Frank laughed. He put an arm around the little boy.

Quickly changing the subject, Joe pushed back his plate and patted his stomach. "I don't know about you guys, but I'm stuffed." He said making Trevor giggle.

"You should be, you ate like five hot dogs." Vanessa teased with a smirk. She had noticed that he had quickly switched behaviors from lashing out at Callie to this humorous attitude he was displaying.

"Uh, actually babe, I ate like six," Joe answered holding up six fingers to emphasize his point.

Callie raised an eyebrow at this. "Six? You ate six hot dogs?" she shook her head tucking a blonde hair behind her ear.

"He did. I watched him." Tony said he and Marcy were sitting at the other picnic table with Biff, Lizzy, Chet, and Brenda. "He ate six hot dogs each one smothered in mustard and relish."

"Guilty." Joe nodded, "That along with some of my Mom's potato salad on the side, which was delicious as usual." He added licking his fingers.

"Here use some of these, and don't lick your fingers," Vanessa said, handing her date a few napkins. "I'm sure your mom taught you manners."

"Thanks, babe," Joe said taking the napkins and wiping his face and hands with them. "Like I said you know food is good when it's messy."

"I ate three!" Trevor chimed in giggling and holding up three fingers.

"Son, your mother had to cut the second one in half for you." Pete said. "otherwise if you eat any more hot dogs you're going to bust a gut."

"Has everyone had enough to eat?" Laura said coming up to their table and plastering a smile on her face.

"I should say so," Lindsey replied with a chuckle after hearing everyone's count of food intake.

"Mrs. Hardy and Aunt Gertrude thank you for preparing the good eats." Chet raised his soda can and chimed in patting his stomach.

"Why, thank you Chet, and you're welcome." Laura chuckled lightly. 'I'm glad you all are enjoying yourselves."

"And how many did you eat Chet Morton?" Brenda asked grinning at her date.

"Well, if you must know my Sweet, I tied with Joe," Chet answered putting his hand in hers, as he pushed his empty plate aside. "And two slices of Aunt Gertrude's awesome apple pie."

"Thank you, Chet. It does my heart good to hear how much you like my pies." Gertrude chuckled as she joined the group.

"I don't know, Chet, I think I outate you both, I ate seven hot dogs," Biff said taking the last sip of his soda. "Plus, the potato salad and a couple of slices of pie."

"How can you guys put away so much food and not get sick?" Lizzy asked in disgust, rubbing her stomach and groaning. "One hot dog and a spoonful of potato salad was enough for me."

"Lizzy, that's because their stomachs are bottomless pits," Frank said getting into the discussion. "They never seem to get full. Who knows where it all goes?"

"Unlike you, bro, who ate like a bird." Joe teased.

"No, I just eat my food in moderation, like I always do," Frank corrected him. "and I don't gorge myself like you do. Besides, I have other things on my mind at the moment."

Joe met Frank's tired brown eyes, he could sense his anger and noted the edge in his voice. Joe suddenly felt a surge of panic hit him. Oh no! Not a panic attack! He began wiping his sweaty hands on his khaki shorts. God please not now! Why do I keep messing up? What will Frank do when he finds out I almost let the darkness take me? Maybe on some level, he knows…of course he knows, he could feel it in his soul. This is going to stress him out big time. Joe began berating himself. Callie was right Frank's going to end up back in the hospital and it will be my fault. Damn it! I'm stupid! I'm going to end up killing my brother! Then his thoughts suddenly turned dark…Maybe it would be best if I wasn't around…Frank would be so much better off without me. Joe took a deep breath to try to calm down his nerves.

"Aren't you guys consuming a lot of calories?" Lizzy asked breaking the awkward moment everyone felt between the brothers.

"You'd be surprised at the number of calories we have to consume during football training. However, today is a special day celebrating the July 4th. Eventually, we'll have to go back on a balanced diet, which means eating more carbs and cutting back on the sweets." Biff replied, "But I won't bore you with that."

"What positions do you guys play again?" Brenda asked sheepishly. "Sorry, I'm clueless when it comes to football."

"Well, I'm one of the linebackers," Chet answered. "I'm responsible for at least one of the gaps. the open spaces or areas between the offensive linemen in addition to being asked to make the tackle ultimately."

Brenda turned to Biff and asked, "What's your position?"

"Biff is a receiver," Lizzy answered for her date. Biff nodded in agreement putting an arm around Lizzy's shoulders. He went on to explain, "Basically, my job is to catch the football that the quarterback throws."

Marcy acknowledged trying her best to understand it. "Okay, now who's the quarterback and what does he do?"

"That would be Joe," Biff said as he looked over at his best friend at the other picnic table who looked as if he was on the verge of a panic attack. "He leads and directs the team. One of the most important traits a quarterback can have is not just a strong arm, a quick mind, and fast on his feet, but also a determined heart." He paused as the image of Joe on the railing flashed through his mind. Damn. He cursed to himself. He had almost lost his best friend tonight. Then he finished his statement out loud, "Without his leadership, the team would be nothing."

Joe suddenly felt his panic turn into anger. He knew what Biff was trying to do, in a very subtle way. He shot his best friend a glare to shut him up before he tipped Frank off.

Biff caught the glare and quickly backed off. Damn, had he said too much? He didn't want to set Joe off and have him back on the railing again. He needed to talk to Frank; he knew that Frank would be able to talk some sense into Joe.

Frank however caught the look that flashed in his brother's eyes, at first it was almost as if he was on the verge of another panic attack, but then he saw the look in Joe's eyes quickly change to anger and glare at Biff as he continued talking. Now he wanted to know what was going on. Vanessa was picking up on it as well. Laura caught it as well, and she knew that she needed to talk with Frank to clue him in as soon as possible.

Tony also noticed the angry look Joe was sending to Biff. What's that about? He wondered. "You guys are going to have a good team next year." He said resting his arms on the table. "I look forward to catching a few games when I come home from college."

"I played a little football in my high school days," Pete spoke up breaking into Joe's thoughts from the other table.

"Really? What position did you play?" Ignoring Joe's glare Biff asked the former cop curiously.

"I played left tackle. I loved the game so much that I had this wild dream of playing pro football. But then I decided to go to the police academy. It was one of the best decisions I ever made, next to marrying Lindsey of course."

"Oh honey, that's so sweet." his wife cooed then patted his cheek with her hand and then kissed it.

"I don't play many sports like I used to," Pete replied, rubbing his prosthetic leg. "I miss it, just like I miss being a cop. But I love my family more and I'm happy working at the shooting range." Pete kissed and squeezed his wife's hand and he smiled at his son.

Lindsey's smile dropped to a frown as her face suddenly turned pale while putting a hand on her stomach. "Pete, honey, can you hand me my handbag?"

"Are you feeling sick again?" Pete asked with concern handing his wife her handbag.

"Yeah, just a little nauseous." She nodded.

'Oh, I'm sorry. Are you alright?" Gertrude apologized. "Is there anything we can get you?" She asked concerned for the young mother.

"No that's okay, Thank you kindly. I'll be fine. Besides, I came prepared." The young mother pulled a little plastic bag containing saltine crackers and a little bottle of ginger ale from her handbag. "these will help ease my stomach." She pulled a cracker out of the bag and began munching on it.

Laura's eyes widened and smiled and said with excitement. "Lindsey, you're not pregnant, are you?"

"I am." The young mother smiled proudly patting her belly while munching on a cracker.

"Oh, congratulations!" Laura and Gertrude replied in unison. Then Laura asked, "If you don't mind me asking, how far along are you?"

"I'm about three months. Baby's due sometime in January."

"Were you guys trying for another?"

Pete huffed and exchanged looks with his wife, he turned back to answer Laura. "Let's just say it was an unexpected surprise."

"Aw, a baby." Callie cooed. She looked at Trevor and asked. "Trevor, are you excited?"

"Yep. Yep." The little boy replied smiling up at the elder Hardy brother sitting beside him.

"Oh yeah, he's very excited." Pete nodded with a grin. "He's hoping for a little brother, so he could be a big brother just like Frank."

At hearing that comment Frank was hoping it was dark enough so everyone didn't see his face blush a bright shade of pink. "Well, being a big brother isn't an easy job. Little brothers can be a lot of fun, and they can also at times drive you nuts. A little sister on the other hand may not be so bad, although I wouldn't know."

"Hey, little brothers aren't so bad," Joe said defending himself.

"Little sisters are good at driving you crazy," Chet spoke up thinking of his late sister Iola. "Then again as the older brother you just want to look out for your younger sibling, love them, and protect them."

"I guess Trevor has you two to show him the ropes at being a big brother," Laura said.

"Do you know if you're having a boy or girl?" Callie asked Lindsey.

"Not yet. We're hoping to find out soon." Lindsey replied with a smile. "I still have some of Trevor's baby clothes and things, so we are prepared for a boy. A girl on the other hand is a different story. But it doesn't matter what we're having as long as the baby is happy and healthy. However, there's a lot of planning that we still need to do and decisions to make."

"Like what?"

"For one I'd like to quit my job and stay home once the baby is here, and be home when Trevor is home from school." Lindsey shook her head and frowned, "But financially it may not be possible, I mean with Pete's medical bills and me being pregnant and Trevor getting ready to start first grade. There's a lot of expenses. I don't like the idea of putting my kids in daycare or having to hire a babysitter."

"Don't you have any family nearby who could help you out?" Gertrude asked.

"My parents and my older sister all live in Orlando Florida. That's where I'm from. As a result, they're not able to visit as often as we would like. And Pete's parents are both dead. So really, it's just us. I'm hoping Chief Collig will allow Pete to keep his job at the shooting range after losing the whole gun fiasco. If that gun hadn't gone missing..."

"Lindsey, honey, I think that's enough." Pete put his hand on his wife's shoulder to stop her from saying more.

"I'm so sorry I didn't mean to upset anyone..." Lindsey slapped a hand over her mouth.

"Why?" Joe interrupted, his anger rising, "It's Pete's fault! If he had done his damn job properly in the first place the gun wouldn't have gone missing! To later showing up at a crime scene!" He snapped he couldn't help himself. He gripped the side of the table so hard his knuckles were turning white. He was trying hard not to panic, but he lost it. "And Frank wouldn't be accused of murdering Hayden."

"Joe! That's enough." Laura said firmly.

Frank quickly put his hands over Trevor's little ears to protect him from the choice of words his brother was spewing out. Before addressing his brother. He managed to keep his voice calm and steady and addressed his brother. "Joe. You need to shut up and calm down. Now is not the time to do this." He nodded towards Trevor and gave him a forced smile as Trevor looked up at him curiously. "We're here to have fun remember?"

Following his brother's gaze at Trevor and hearing the serious tone in his voice, Joe did as Frank had instructed. He took a breath to cool his temper for Trevor's sake. He didn't want to do something stupid in front of him. "I'm sorry, Pete, Lindsey, everyone for going off like that." He quickly apologized.

Vanessa was concerned as everyone else sat in shock at Joe's outburst, she knew in her heart that something was not right with him. Laura's heart felt like it was pounding out of her chest, Joe's sudden outburst had scared her and she exchanged concerned looks with Gertrude. She was thinking it too, Joe was not mentally well. He was acting like a ticking time bomb waiting to explode on someone or take his own life. She prayed that Fenton had gotten in touch with Dr. Reese. It was time for Laura to talk to Frank.

A Brother's Revenge Chapter 22

"It was the scariest thing, Fenton, Joe's behavior changed so quickly," Gertrude said voicing her concern. "We need to do something now before he ends up hurting himself."

Fenton had re-joined the ladies a few moments ago, after his phone conversation with Dr. Reese and meeting with Chief Collig. With the picnic cleaned up and put away, Laura and Gertrude could now focus on other things and they each took turns filling him in on what happened with Joe as they kept a close eye on the teenagers and Trevor playing their tag game on the grass several feet away from them.

Fenton sat at the table with Laura sitting beside him, listening and processing the information. The more he heard the greater his concern grew for his youngest son. "And I agree." He replied with a heavy sigh once his sister had finished. "We can't let things go on any longer."

Laura couldn't get her worried thoughts off her boys. She tore her eyes away from the ongoing game. "Fenton, how did your call with Dr. Reese go? You texted me that the two of you were working out a plan to help Joe, right?"

"We did." Fenton nodded. "I was able to get a hold of and talked with Dr. Reese through her emergency line. She's currently out of town visiting with her family over the holiday weekend. I told her that the whole family is under a lot of stress, which is true, as you know, surrounding Frank's arrest. I explained to her what happened today as well as the incident with Joe when he lost his temper and threw his crutches when he broke the window as well as when he broke into the safe in my office. Not to mention the constant tension and fighting between Joe and me. She wasn't planning on being back in her office until Monday. However, she was deeply concerned after I told her about what happened on the boardwalk and how close Joe was to jumping over the railing. Dr. Reese told me that she's cutting her visit short and is on her way back to Bayport. She'll stop by the house tomorrow morning around 8 AM to check in with the boys."

"If she does that Joe will know right away that something's up when he sees her." Laura brought up a concern. "I'm worried about what he might do considering he's being resistant to going to counseling."

Fenton nodded, "Yeah, I know and Dr. Reese knows that too. She did tell me something interesting about both of our boys without violating their confidence."

Laura raised a brow at Fenton as he continued, "When the boys first started to go see her for their one-on-one Wednesday counseling sessions, it was a slow process at first but then with each session, she noticed a big change in the boys. Laura, you were right in saying that Frank seems to be handling the highs and lows of his depression. Dr. Reese said the same thing to me. She said Frank has progressed well in opening up to her about his feelings about his depression and health. However, there's one area he won't talk about and that's the abuse Hayden inflicted on him." Fenton sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. "Joe is the same way. He would only give her vague answers, 'Like everything's fine', just like he tells us when we ask him how his session went with Dr. Reese."

All at once Fenton's mind flashed back to that day when he, Sam, and the Bayport police burst through the door of Hayden's basement. He would never forget the horrific sight his eyes laid on… Frank with his wrists tied to that bedpost as he was laid out on the dirty old bed. Hayden standing over him, with a belt ready to beat him in his hand. And Joe...damn it! What that bastard did to his baby boy... with…a knife…the rats… that closet... the emptiness followed by the fear in Joe's eyes was forever ingrained in his mind. The shock and pure rage Fenton felt he wanted to strangle Hayden with his bare hands, he probably would've if Sam hadn't stepped in when he did, thankfully.

Laura said tearfully interrupting his thoughts, "How are we going to get Joe to see her?"

"Dr. Reese said that she will start with Frank," Fenton replied rubbing his tired eyes. "She wants to talk with him and see how he's handling his depression and stress. If Joe doesn't tell Frank about the incident on the pier, then we will have to take him aside and tell him because he's not going to like what we've got planned." he said with a heavy sigh, "He may fight us on this because he'll see it as someone taking his little brother away. But I think once he's had time to calm down and think after we tell him that we're doing this to save Joe's life, he will agree or at least cooperate. Then she'll gradually move on to talk with Joe. " Fenton paused to prepare himself for the next part of the plan to help his youngest child which was not going to be easy to explain.

Laura exchanged looks with Gertrude. She looked at her husband. "Taking his little brother away," She repeated then asked, "Fenton, what reason would Frank have to think someone's taking Joe away from him? Is Joe going somewhere? Please, what is Dr. Reese going to do?"

"Yes, What's the plan?" Gertrude pushed.

"Dr. Reese would like Joe to undergo a full mental health evaluation," Feeling their eyes on him, Fenton sighed wearily, "In a treatment facility."

"What!" Laura cried. "My baby is not going to a mental hospital."

"Honey, I don't like that idea either, but, given my family history with depression and mental illness, I don't think that we have a choice. We already know of Joe's PTSD and anxiety issues and now he's displaying suicidal tendencies. Like Gert said we need to do something to help him before it's too late. "

"I agree with him, Laura." Gertrude said, "We absolutely cannot let Joe share the same fate as his grandfather. We couldn't save Father, but we have the tools and resources today that can help Joe."

Fenton continued, "Dr. Reese said that we are correct in making sure Joe's not left alone, someone will have to be with him at all times even if it means someone has to accompany him to the bathroom. Plus, we will also have to make some changes at home as well, like making sure he doesn't have access to things that he could use to harm himself, like medications or weapons. This means I'll have to make sure my gun is locked away in the case with a new code and in a new location because he knows where I keep it."

Laura turned away for a second to watch the teens and Trevor play their game. They all looked relaxed and were having so much fun. "Okay, where are these arrangements being made?" She sighed deeply to keep calm turning back to face her husband.

Fenton put his hand on his wife's shoulders. He knew this was not going to go well. He wasn't liking the idea either. Fenton cleared his throat and answered. "Bellevue, New York."

"Bellevue, Bellevue?" Laura's eyes widened and she asked sharply, "Isn't that where Hayden was taken to for his mental health issues?"

"That's correct.

"The one where the second floor of the hospital was on fire, just like at Bayport General."

"Correct again, except the fire at Bayport General was caused by a bomb." Fenton grimaced. "At Bellevue it was arson. The very place he escaped from that led up to the events of Joe being abducted out at the Morton farm, and missing for three days."

"Those three days where we lived a nightmare thinking that our son was dead." Laura heatedly replied. "And need I remind you, dear; both of those instances were caused by people associated with Hayden."

"I'm well aware of that Laura."

"Oh, you're right, Fenton, the boys won't like this plan. And neither do I." Laura heatedly replied. "So, why Bellevue?"

"For one thing, it's closer to home." Fenton answered honestly, "And secondly it's one of the best treatment facilities on the East Coast. The repairs at the hospital are finished, so there should be no reminders about what happened. I've already given Dr. Reese the okay to help us make the arrangements, and since Joe's only seventeen, he won't have a choice. He'll need parental consent to sign himself out."

"You know Fenton, this is going to increase the friction between you and Joe. It won't be good." Gertrude brought up.

"I know, but it needs to be done. If he is going to be angry at us for doing this I would rather have the majority of it aimed at me, so he can turn to Laura if he needs to." Fenton sighed and pulled Laura into a hug and held her as she started to cry. He was not looking forward to breaking this news to Frank and Joe, Joe was going to hate him for this, and Frank may as well. But he reminded himself he'd rather have a mad kid, than a dead kid. He wanted to cry too, but he couldn't he had to be strong.

He released Laura as soon as she stopped crying. "So, what are we supposed to do in the meantime?" She asked sniffing back the tears.

"We are going to do what we came here to do, which is have fun and watch the fireworks. This will help to keep Joe's mind distracted and away from dark thoughts. Frank and their friends can help with that." Fenton said keeping his arm around his wife's shoulders.

"Oh God, I can't believe this. My poor baby in a mental hospital." Laura put her hand over her mouth.

"Speaking of the boys, here they come," Gertrude said nodding her head. Fenton and Laura looked up to see their boys. By the glow of the streetlights, they noticed Joe was looking straight at Fenton and then stopped dead in his tracks and started breathing heavily.

"Oh my gosh! I think Joe's having a panic attack!" Laura gasped. She quickly started to get up from the table.

"Laura, wait." Gertrude reached out to stop her.

"Gertrude, I need to go to him..." Laura started to say.

"I know but you need to calm down first, Joe doesn't need to see you all frantic."

Laura reluctantly sat back down to gather herself together. She was still reeling over the idea of taking her baby to Bellevue.

"Joe was looking at me, wasn't he?" Fenton asked, alarmed by this development. "Did I cause that, Gert?" It concerned him to think he triggered his son's panic attack. What did I do?

"I don't know," Gertrude answered slowly.

"It has to be because of the hurtful words I said to him when he got here, it could explain why he has some resentment towards me. I hurt my son, just like Fredrick..."

"Fenton, don't go there." Gertrude saw hurt and worry cloud her brother's eyes. She reached out and put her hand on top of his. "You are nothing like Father. This family may not be perfect, by any means, but you have shown more love and compassion for your boys than he ever showed either of us."

"Fenton, you have recognized the signs that Joe is in trouble and are taking the necessary steps to help him, and that goes for Frank too." She counted off with her fingers. "You've called in Dr. Reese for her help with both boys. If Joe needs to go to a treatment facility, then that's what needs to be done." She added lastly, "You are a good father."

"I know it hasn't been easy, Fenton, on both you and Laura," She looked at both parents and added words of encouragement, "The both of you are doing an amazing job of doing everything you can to help and support both Frank and Joe with their depression and health issues."

"Thanks, Gert." He squeezed her hand gratefully. "Your support through this means a lot to us."

"Yes, thank you, Gertrude." Laura smiled gratefully sniffing back tears.

"That's what family is for, I love you two and the boys more than anything." Gertrude smiled tearfully.

"Let's not say anything about Bellevue, or Dr. Reese to the boys just yet." Fenton took a calming breath, he suggested, "We need to try to keep things calm."

FJFJFJFJFJFJFJ

As Frank and Joe arrived back at the picnic area they saw their parents and aunt sitting at the table involved in a deep discussion as each wore a look of concern on their faces. Frank noticed that his father was sitting with his arms around his mother comforting her, just like earlier. Here we go again, he thought, more secrets. I wonder what that's about this time.

"Frank, wait a minute." Joe's voice broke through his thoughts.

Frank stopped walking and turned around to see his brother shifting nervously from one leg to the other while he held onto his crutches his blue eyes were focused straightforwardly.

"Joe."

Frank picked up on Joe's nervousness and the changes in his breathing. "Are you having another panic attack?" He asked concerned.

"Yeah... just give me a minute... please?" Joe said between breaths.

"OK. What brought it on this time?"

Joe kept his eyes forward, and he steadied himself with his crutches. Frank followed his brother's gaze as it landed on Fenton. Frank's eyes widened. "Dad? Dad triggered your panic attack?"

"I can't explain it, Frank," Joe whispered taking another breath. Joe shifted his eyes to Frank and back to Fenton. "For some reason, Dad makes me nervous."

Anxious thoughts began running through Joe's mind again. Mom and Aunt Gertrude are probably telling Dad everything. Great. What was he going to do? He thought. Joe did feel ashamed of causing a scene arguing with Callie and the McNeelys and then glaring at Biff over the comment he had made about football. The only reason he had made himself sick eating that sandwich was simply because he had to get away and he didn't have any other option. He didn't want Frank to find out what he almost did on the boardwalk. He had just had to get away.

"Does it have anything to do with whatever happened on the boardwalk earlier?" Frank asked out of the blue. "Did something happen? Something you don't want me to know about?"

Frank knew Joe wasn't telling him everything. He knew he should be patient and give Joe time to talk to him, so he wouldn't drive him away. But Frank couldn't help himself he just had to know, it was driving him crazy and affecting his depression, he knew his parents and aunt were keeping something from him as well.

Joe tore his eyes away from his father and glared at his brother as his breathing began to speed up again. "I don't want to talk about it."

Bingo. Frank thought. "So, something did happen." He concluded. "You know you can talk to me, right?"

"Leave it alone, Frank."

"Joe, will you talk to me, please." Frank pleaded.

"No." Joe quickly got his breathing under control and gathered himself together and he hurried over to their parents' table as fast as his crutches could take him leaving Frank stunned where he stood.

Frank shook his head, grumbled about stubborn brothers under his breath, and followed Joe. This had to stop.

FJFJFJFJFJFJFJ

It was taking all the strength Laura could muster to keep herself calm and collected once the boys got closer to them. She got up from the table to greet them. She asked concern. "Joe, Honey, are you alright?"

"Yeah, Mom, I'm OK. I'm sorry I scared you." Joe said, plastering a grin on his face hoping it would win her over. He shifted his crutches to hug his mother. Laura held her son tight willing herself not to cry.

"Okay, just no more taking off like that again." Laura released her son and smiled, "And please, Joe, no more gorging yourself with food and making yourself sick."

Gertrude added getting up from the table to hug her nephew. "And no more eating those dreadful sandwiches from Harry Garrett."

"Oh, don't worry, Aunty, I've learned my lesson. No more sandwiches from Harry. It was a good sandwich though. " Joe said as his aunt released him from the hug. He patted his stomach; it was still feeling a little queasy and it wasn't from the sandwich. He shifted his eyes to his father and felt his anxiousness begin to rise again. Why was he feeling like this towards his father? It couldn't just be from earlier.

Frank picked up on Joe's nervousness again. He felt a twinge in his chest and saw Joe shifting nervously from one leg to the other while he had a white-knuckle grip on his crutches. What was going on? He also noticed the grim look pass between his parents and aunt and their faces looked like they had been crying.

"Dad, you're back. We noticed you had left the picnic earlier." Frank asked diverting his father's attention away from Joe and on to him. "Where did you go?"

"I went to give Chief Collig the flyer with the threatening message that Joe and Vanessa found on her Jeep. I also wanted to check in with Sam on the hospital case. He is following up on the Nurse Matthews lead." Fenton answered, vaguely.

Fenton shook the worried thoughts out of his head and focused his attention on the boys. He began testing the waters, and he kept the tone of his voice calm and gentle while choosing his words carefully. "Your mother sent me a text that Joe was sick and that you ran after him. I came back as quickly as I could to make sure you boys were alright."

However, he couldn't hide the concern in his eyes. "Are you alright, Joe?" Fenton got up from the table to approach his youngest son. He wanted so much to put his arms around him or even touch his face but refrained from doing so for fear of sending Joe into another panic attack.

Joe heard the concern in his father's voice and knew that it was genuine. "Yeah, I ate too much, or something didn't agree with me I guess." He shifted anxiously from one leg to the other while he held onto his crutches.

Fenton nodded slowly and then turned his attention to his other son. "Frank, how about you? Your mother informed me you were rubbing your chest earlier. Are you having pains again?"

"It's OK Dad, I'm fine. Actually, no, I take that back", Frank answered bluntly, "and pardon my French, Aunty," He shifted his eyes to his aunt and then back to his father. "I'm feeling pissed off at the moment." He folded his arms across his chest. "I thought this family was going to stop keeping secrets from each other. I guess I was wrong."

"What do you mean?" Fenton asked.

"I can see by the look on all of your faces, that you're upset about something," Frank said looking at the adults' faces. "Just like earlier when everyone was getting ready to sit down to eat." He was done with all the secrets. He was going to find out what everyone was hiding once and for all.

"Dad, I saw the three of you go off to the side to talk privately, you were all upset, it was right after Joe had run off after the fight between you two and Joe's run-in with Trevor. So, I'm guessing something happened on the pier... I feel like everyone is keeping something from me. Maybe I should go ask Biff. The question is, will he tell me, because I know Joe sure as hell won't. Then I think to myself, surely, my parents will tell me what's happening. But no! So, will one of you please tell me what's going on!" He began rubbing his chest.

Silence began to stretch between the Hardys, Fenton exchanged glances with his wife and sister, they were all thinking it too. Joe hadn't told Frank he almost took his life on the pier tonight.

Out of the corner of his eye, Joe noticed Frank rubbing his chest and refused to look at him. There's no way Frank can know I almost jumped off the pier. It will kill him.

"Well, I think..." Fenton started to respond to Frank's question when Joe blurted out. "Frank saw Bruce Linsky!"

Fenton was left open-mouthed as what he was going to say to Frank was quickly forgotten, and the words Joe had said formed in his mind. He asked wrinkling his forehead, "What! You saw Linsky? Where?" He looked at his eldest son.

Frank pursed his lips together and glared at Joe. "No, I didn't actually see him," He huffed, correcting Joe. "I THOUGHT I saw a man fitting Linsky's description."

Frank quickly gave his father the description of the man he thought he saw. "He had on a blue polo shirt with the Bayport pier logo in red print on the front with the name Jim on the badge that was clipped to his shirt. He was sweeping up the ground right outside of the bathrooms. As I told Joe I'm probably just being paranoid about the whole thing. I had gotten distracted talking to Pete and was in a hurry to find Joe to make sure he was okay."

"No, you were not being paranoid, Frank." Joe retorted. "Didn't Tony tell you earlier about an elderly couple he saw fitting Linsky and his wife's descriptions? They came into his family's restaurant two, maybe three days ago. They ordered close to a hundred bucks worth of food, but then skipped out on the check. Both the man and the woman had gray hair and looked to be a couple in their sixties."

"Yeah, he did," Frank said. "I do know there was something weird about the man's face, but I can't figure out what it was."

"So, it's possible they both could be here. Using fake names and disguises." Joe said.

"Could be." Frank agreed.

The boys sat down at the table which was a relief for Joe, as his leg was starting to bother him and he needed to get off of it. He propped his crutches against the table and continued where Frank left off. "Dad, we think this Jim person could be Linsky and that he works here, or at the very least stole a uniform to blend in. None of the workers we asked on the way here knew a Jim who worked at the pier or anyone fitting Linsky's description, but they all said that a bunch of temps had been hired to help fill in with the pier for the July 4th celebration."

"And since Frank and I aren't allowed to investigate." Joe felt his nervousness start to kick in while talking to his father but he pressed on, he had to do this, this was about Frank, not him. "We were wondering...well hoping actually, if you could ask Chief Collig to see about getting a list of people who work here. Hopefully, there's a Jim on that list. It would prove that Frank is not being paranoid."

"What do you think, Dad?" Frank asked. "Am I being paranoid? I don't want to look like an idiot if I'm wrong, you know." His voice deflated as he ran a hand through his hair. "I probably am."

Fenton's heart broke at hearing Frank doubt himself. After mulling over the information his sons had given him, he cleared his throat and answered, "Well, let me start by saying this." Fenton looked at both boys straight on. "I've told you boys before when you're working on a case to look at it from all angles. Once you've crossed every T and dotted every I then you will know."

"If you're wrong then you're wrong and you move on to the next thing. If you're right, and there is a chance you could be right, then we go from there. From what you boys have said you brought up some very valid points. Frank, if you and Tony saw someone fitting Linsky's description then it's worth looking into." He looked right into his eldest son's brown eyes that matched his own. "So, no, Frank, I don't think you're being paranoid."

"So, are you going to ask Chief Collig for a list?" Frank asked.

"Yes, I will." Fenton agreed. "Chief Collig has asked me to help look into locating Linsky. That is until I know if he has a connection to Hayden, at which time I'll have to turn it over to someone else. That way there is no chance of me jeopardizing Frank's case."

Joe smiled and let out a sigh of relief. A smile slowly spread across Frank's face. He felt relieved too that his father agreed, but he still had his doubts about the man he saw.

Fenton stole a glance at his wife and sister they both had a tear in their eye and smiles on their faces. Seeing his family smiling was a good sign. It gave him a glimpse of hope.

"I don't suppose Chief Collig gave you any updates about my case? I know we aren't allowed to be a part of the investigation." Frank asked curiously. Maybe he shouldn't push it, but he had to know. "However, I think that I at least have a right to know what's going on, especially considering my life and future is at stake."

"You're right Frank, you do have a right to know," Fenton replied regrettably. Their happy moment was about to be short-lived with his answer. "But I'm sorry. It pains me to have to tell you this. They've hit a dead end. So far all of the evidence is still pointing at you."

Silence filled the table Frank turned away from his family for a moment so they couldn't see the disappointment on his face. "I'm running out of time, aren't I? The only reason I'm out on bail is because Hayden's lawyer didn't show up to represent him." He questioned. "I don't suppose we know where Bartend is?"

"No, the police have been unable to locate him. There's no paper trail to show his whereabouts. And I'd doubt he'd show his face here in Bayport considering there are warrants out for his arrest, both as an accomplice in the murder of Phil and Seth Cohen and for Joe's kidnapping." Fenton answered. "It's as if he's disappeared. He could be in hiding somewhere, out of the country, or even dead. We just don't know."

The boys fell silent thinking of their late friends, they missed Phil so much and wished he was still here with them. They were both angry and saddened that they never got to meet Seth, but from what they had heard about him from their friends was that Seth was just like Phil, a likable and upstanding guy. Frank and Joe have never forgotten the fact that Phil and Seth ended up losing their lives to Henry trying to help them. Somehow, they both had to get their shit together because they still had a job to do. To find Henry and bring him to justice. Somehow, some way they were going to do it or they wouldn't be the Hardy Boys.

Going back to the topic of Hayden, Frank cleared his throat, "So, If the police don't find Hayden's real killer soon, then I'm going back to jail. Well, there's got to be something we can do."

"I agree," Laura replied. "There has to be something."

"Wait," Joe cut in. "Dad, didn't you give the Chief the other disc? That was last Monday, right? The same day that Hayden was killed. So, he would've had plenty of time to get the footage enhanced."

"The Chief did have it," Fenton replied grimly.

"What do you mean, he did have it?" Joe demanded.

"The disc was destroyed."

"Destroyed?" Everyone asked.

"The Chief ordered one of his officers to take the other disc to the lab to have one of the technicians get the footage enhanced. It was later found on the floor in pieces, and the officer who was responsible for bringing it to be enhanced is unavailable for questioning. An investigation is currently underway to find out what happened."

Frank nodded somberly. "So, the only evidence that the police have right now is ballistics saying my gun, with my fingerprints on it, was used to shoot him."

"I'm afraid so." Fenton nodded.

"You have got to be kidding." Joe scoffed, "Further proof of the incompetence of the Bayport Police Department. So much for your justice system Dad." He felt his temper kick in and slammed his fist on the table. "This is bullshit!"

"Joseph! Watch your mouth!" Gertrude said sharply, scolding her nephew. "There will be none of that kind of talk. Now calm down."

"Sorry, Aunty." Joe apologized. "It's just I can't believe Dad is just going to sit back and do nothing... while Frank's being accused of murder!"

"Joe...don't even start," Fenton said working hard to keep his temper at bay.

"You have the other disc in your safe," Joe argued. He looked at his father with anger in his eyes.

"Joe..." Fenton paused, debating about what he was going to say. If Joe was going to explode on him over the security footage, he could just imagine what his reaction would be to Bellevue. He reminded himself that he was doing this to save Joe's life.

"… Dad, come on." Joe kept arguing, "You know as well as we do the person on that security footage is not Frank. That's why you have it, isn't it?"

Fenton pursed his lips together biting back his anger and cast his eyes down as he tapped his fingers on the table. He took a calming breath and looked up at Joe. "Yes, I do. I don't believe for one second that that's Frank on that footage." He finally admitted. "For a split second, I thought about enhancing the footage myself, but then I decided against it since I'm restricted from investigating the case, and I probably shouldn't even have kept a copy of that disc. I don't want to take the risk of violating the court order which would mean that Frank would go back to jail."

Joe questioned slowly. "So, what are you going to do with it?" His eyes widened as a thought crossed his mind. "Please tell me you're not going to turn it over to Chief Collig."

"I have to Joe."

"At least wait until we've had a chance to make another copy of it and enhance the security footage and look at it first then you can give it to the Chief," Joe argued.

"Joe." Fenton sighed.

"Yeah, but Dad..."

"Joe, leave it alone," Frank said firmly as he put a hand on his brother's shoulder to calm him down and to stop him from saying anything more. To his relief and that of his parents and aunt, Joe began to calm down, his blue eyes never leaving Fenton. Laura shook inwardly at Joe's outburst, her baby needed help. Maybe Bellevue was the answer.

When he started arguing with his father the only thought that popped into Joe's head, was that it was becoming clearer to him that it was going to be up to him to clear Frank's name and he was determined to do so, no matter what the cost. I'm not losing my brother. I'll do it, or I'll die trying.

"I don't understand something." Joe heard his brother ask, "Why would the officer destroy the disc? What connection would he have with Hayden? Who was the officer anyway?"

"I don't know if there is a connection." Fenton sighed and calmly answered, "And the officer was Officer Marcel Davis. He'd only been on the force for about a year. He was in his late twenties, single, and not much of a family. He lived in an apartment here in town. After the disc was found destroyed Chief Collig sent Officers Con and Baker to the apartment this morning to locate him. The landlord let them in and they found him dead on the floor of his bedroom."

"Do they know his cause of death?"

"Yes, but I can't tell you. It's classified information." Fenton stated leaving no room to argue.

Classified? The brothers exchanged looks with each other. Their detective minds wanted to know more.

"You know what," Laura cut in diverting the topic to something else. "Today is supposed to be fun. Let's forget about the case and detective stuff for tonight."

"Hey, we're back! Thanks for watching Trevor for us." Pete's voice broke into the brother's thoughts. They looked up to see the former officer and his wife coming up to their table. Lindsey was carrying a small plastic sack.

"Oh hello, welcome back." Laura greeted the couple. "Lindsey, how are you feeling?"

"I'm feeling better thank you, Laura. I'll tell you; morning sickness is brutal; I don't think the baby liked the smell of that spicy sandwich." She patted her stomach.

"Fenton, it's good to see you again," Pete said extending his hand to the detective.

"Good to see you too, Pete," Fenton replied accepting the man's handshake. "Please come join us."

"Thank you," Pete said kindly and Lindsey joined the Hardy's at the table.

Lindsey said smiling. "We stopped at one of the booths selling fireworks and got Trevor some sparklers. Pete was a little hesitant about it, but I talked him into getting them. My parents always got sparklers for me when I was a kid, and I thought Trevor might like them."

"I'm sure he will," Laura replied. "Pete, you don't like sparklers?"

"Oh, yeah I do." Pete laughed. "I'm just not sure sparklers and Trevor is a good mix. He can get a little rambunctious at times. But I guess that's normal for a seven-year-old to be at that age. I just don't want him to get carried away and set the pier ablaze or hurt himself because he is so excited."

"Honey, relax, I told you it will be fine." Lindsey smiled laying a hand on her husband's arm.

"I know, I know. I'm sorry." Pete apologized sheepishly, "I think I'm starting to become one of those helicopter parents. My parents were like that with me, constantly overprotective and worrying about my safety. You could imagine their reaction when I told them I wanted to become a police officer."

"Well, it's normal for any parent to be worried about their kids, no matter how old they are." Fenton looked at his boys as he said, "All you want to do is keep them safe from harm. When they do get hurt whether it's physical or emotional it's the worst feeling in the world. There comes a time when you have to learn to step back and let them try new things. If anything, just be there and love them." Frank responded to his father's comment with a slight nod and grin. Joe said nothing and turned his head away.

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Pete agreed. "I shouldn't be so uptight in letting Trevor try new things. and as long as Lindsey or I are with him, he can't get into too much trouble. And I do love that kid, no matter how much he drives me crazy. And I'm sure the new baby will be the same way, but I'll love him or her no matter what."

Fenton's cell phone began to ring, he took it out of the front pocket of his shirt and saw Sam's name come up with the Caller ID. He was grateful for the interruption as he needed an excuse to collect himself after Joe's outburst, "Excuse me, I need to take this." Fenton said politely got up from the table and walked away from the group.

Joe felt a little relieved that his father had stepped away and yet he felt guilty for going off on him the way that he had. His dark thoughts began to seep back into his head, I'm no good...I'm not...How could I treat my father like that? I hate myself...I'm no good. I should leave this world...but I can't...not until I clear Frank's name.

Pete asked looking around for his little boy. "Speaking of Trevor, where is our little monster? I hope he hasn't been too much trouble for you?"

"Well, he did get a little scared with all the commotion going on," Laura said.

"Oh no." Lindsey gasped in concern looking around for Trevor.

"Oh it's OK Lindsey, he's just fine now," Gertrude answered. "He's over there playing Gotcha with the kids." she pointed over to the grassy area not too far from them.

Suddenly a little voice shouted, "Gotcha!" followed by laughter that grabbed everyone's attention. Frank followed their gaze until his eyes landed on his friends and their dates playing with Trevor running, laughing, and having fun over in a grassy area not too far from their picnic area. His friends were doing their best to keep up with the energetic child, although he could tell that they were getting tired.

"Oh boy, Trevor's going to have those kids worn out by the time the night is over," Pete commented.

"I don't know where he gets his energy, sometimes," Lindsey said watching her son play. "We have a hard time keeping up with him. I wish we could bottle it and save it for later."

"Biff looks like he's running out of steam." Frank laughed. Expecting to hear a wisecrack about Biff's predicament fly out of Joe's mouth, which was a typical Joe thing to do, nothing came. Frank looked over at Joe and saw that he had begun looking around franticly at their friends.

"Wait, Where's Vanessa?" Joe asked looking for his beautiful angel. She was nowhere in sight. "Did she leave? I scared her off...how can I be so stupid!" Joe said between breaths.

"Callie's not here either," Frank said realizing his fiancé was gone as well.

"Vanessa went to meet up with her mother, and Callie went with her," Laura said quickly trying to defuse another panic attack.

"Vanessa's mom is here?" Joe asked worriedly. Great he thought, no doubt he was going to blow that first impression, especially with the way things were going today.

"It looks like your friends could use some reinforcements," Laura said to her boys. She saw that Joe was starting to get lost in his thoughts, this would be the perfect distraction that he needed. She reached over and touched Joe's hand. "Joe."

Joe zapped out of his dark thoughts and turned his attention to his mother. "Joe, Trevor did get a little scared when you got sick from that sandwich and ran off the way you did. We managed to calm him down and your friends agreed to play that tag game with him to keep him distracted."

"I scared Trevor?" Joe frowned, feeling bad for scaring his little friend. What is wrong with me? How can I be so stupid, he berated himself. "I'm sorry, Pete, Lindsey, I didn't mean to scare him." He apologized.

Frank knew his brother felt bad for that his actions tonight scared Trevor. Joe's actions were scaring him...he could feel it in his soul that something was wrong with his little brother.

"We know you didn't," Pete said, Lindsey nodded in agreement.

"What can I do to make it up to him?" Joe asked. It was the truth. "Name it. I'll do anything."

"Why don't you start by spending some time with him," Laura suggested. She kept her voice calm and soft. "Trevor had his heart set on playing a game with you. You know how much he looks up to you, the both of you." She looked at Joe and then Frank, "You're a big deal to him. Joe, I know you can't play Gotcha because of your leg, but why don't you boys take him over to the game area and then play ring toss or one of the other games or you could even let Trevor pick?"

"I think we can do that. What do you say, Frank?" Joe exchanged looks with Frank.

"Sure. " Frank said with a sigh. He put a smile across his face. He wasn't in the mood to play with Trevor. however, he didn't want to disappoint the little guy.

"The girls should be back soon in time for the fireworks and if you aren't back by the time they are we will give you a call," Laura said reassuring her boys. "Now the both of you go have some fun. That's what we all came here to do remember."

Joe took a deep calming breath and quickly forced his anxiety and dark thoughts away. He did want to have fun, to laugh, and to have a good time with his friends. He grabbed his crutches which were leaning against the picnic table and, got to his feet. With Frank right behind him, they headed over to the grassy area to join their friends.

FJFJFJFJFJFJFJ

"Time out!" Biff collapsed on the ground huffing and puffing. "Man, I think I'm gonna die."

Tony and Chet plopped down next to him. "I told...you," Tony said between breaths. "Little kids have... lots and lots... of energy." Lizzy, Brenda, and Marcy, all excused themselves to go get some water.

"You weren't kidding. Man! I thought I was in shape." Biff rolled over flat on his back arms sprawled out beside him. "But, Oh MY God...All that football training...didn't prepare me for Trevor." He added looking up at the night sky,

"I know. Where... does he get his energy?" Chet said between breaths. "The kid's like... keeping up with a pint-sized Joe." He wiped the sweat off his forehead.

Trevor jumped up and down in front of them planning his hands on his hips. "Come on, guys, let's play!"

'Ooooh!" The three teenage boys groaned. Biff closed his eyes and pretended to cry.

"Who wants to play a game!" A familiar voice called. Biff knew that voice. That sounded like Joe.

He opened his eyes and sure enough, Joe standing in front of him with Frank right beside him. "You guys don't look so good," Frank smirked looking at his worn-out friends.

"Frank, Joe! You're back! You're back!" Trevor cheered jumping up and down, he was so excited to see his heroes were back.

A spark had ignited in Joe's blue eyes, and a huge smile spread across his face at seeing Biff sprawled out on the ground his face red and huffing and puffing while he tried to catch his breath. "What's the matter Biff all pooped out?"

A Brother's Revenge Chapter 26

"Mom, will you please stop fussing? I'm fine."

"That's not what your friends told us. They said that your leg was bothering you from you overdoing it at the game area."

"I'm fine. It was just a little sore and I lost my balance. It's not bothering me now." Joe said, shrugging off his discomfort.

"Maybe we should take you to the hospital just to make sure." Aunt Gertrude said as she got up from the table and stood beside Laura.

"No, Aunty, we don't need to do that." Joe shook his head. The last thing he wanted was a trip to the emergency room, his leg was still throbbing, but he was too stubborn to admit it to anyone.

"Then have a seat at the table, please. You really should rest your leg." Laura said, her voice calm yet firm.

"Mom, for the last time I said I'm fine!" Joe shouted in frustration. He flinched when he realized it'd come out a little more forcefully than he'd intended. Self-recriminating thoughts started running through his head, I just yelled at my mother...I am truly going to hell. He began shifting anxiously from one leg to the other while he held onto his crutches. No, Mom, I'm not fine... I'm no good. A complete loser...Your baby boy is about to do something that's going to make you cry. I'm so sorry for that. You are the best mother any kid could ever ask for... I love you and I'm sorry. That's what he wanted to tell her, he thought.

"Don't you raise your voice at me, young man." Laura said, reprimanding him.

"Mom. I'm sorry I didn't mean to yell at you." Joe said softly. He took a deep breath to cool his temper. He still felt like a complete idiot having a panic attack again, not only in front of Vanessa but also in front of his friends.

"Thank you," Laura replied calmly taking a deep breath. She knew that she had to keep it together, but she couldn't stop herself from worrying when Biff told her that Joe had experienced another panic attack. Keep calm. she told herself. "You still need to sit down and rest your leg." She pointed at the picnic table.

Vanessa watched the exchange carefully. She knew that Joe was lying about being fine and she was still concerned about what happened with him at the game area. Now he was shouting at his mother. What is going on with him, she wondered.

"Mom, please I..." Joe started to argue.

"Give it up, little brother. You're not going to win that argument with Mom. Besides, I agree with her, considering the fact that you should've listened to me a while ago when I told you to take it easy." Frank said as he and Callie came up to them. "So, you might as well sit."

Joe knew his brother was right and when his mother shot him a stern look with her arms folded across her chest he huffed and did as she instructed, saying "Fine." He propped his crutches against the table and then carefully sat down across from the McNeely's, just as Frank and Callie sat down at the table.

"A word of advice Trevor, it never pays to argue with your mom. You'll never win." Joe advised the little boy slowly shaking his head as Trevor giggled at Joe's antics.

Frank began drumming his hands on the table as he looked right at his brother, his brown eyes narrowing. He could tell that Joe was deflecting. What are you hiding from me? He was bound and determined to get the truth. Looking over at his mother and aunt he could tell they were both upset, and he also noticed that his mother had been crying again. "Is there anything you'd like to tell me? Anything at all."

Joe's blue eyes stared right back into Frank's eyes. Oh no, you can't know my secret, not yet. He replied evenly. "No. I'm sitting down resting my leg like you wanted. So now everyone can stop their worrying." He flashed his brother a half smile.

Frank narrowed his eyes at his brother and said nothing.

Laura hated keeping such a secret from Frank. Hopefully, he would be cooperative and understanding once he knew the truth about what was going on with Joe. She knew that they would fight with their hands because her eldest son wouldn't be sold on the idea of sending Joe to Bellevue.

Callie fought the urge to roll her eyes at Joe's typical childish antics. No stop! she berated herself. Stop thinking this way with Joe.

Then she got to thinking of the comments Frank had said about Joe, 'We've always been able to talk to each other about anything...good or bad. We haven't ever kept secrets from each other, but now… He's having panic attacks; he's fighting with Dad. I know this thing with my arrest is bothering him, and I think he may be suffering from depression as well. I have this feeling something big happened tonight, but Joe's too scared to tell me what it is, and I have this feeling that my parents and our friends know.

Was that why Joe had been acting out? Callie wondered. It had to be something bad or why else would Joe be so scared to tell Frank? Even so, if Frank's parents and our friends all knew what Joe's secret was, why haven't they told Frank? Callie glanced over at Biff, Chet, and Tony sitting on the blankets on the ground talking about their dates. What do they know? There must be something I could do to help Frank. I hate to see him so stressed out over Joe. I don't want him back in the hospital. I don't want to lose him. I love him. And the best way to do that she knew would be to help Joe. Maybe once I try to work things out with Joe, he'll confide in me what's going on with him. If I can convince him to talk to Frank, it would ease some of Frank's stress away.

Callie glanced back at Joe and thought with a sigh. That is if Joe will even talk to me. I did say some pretty mean things to him. It was my fault, I've been taking my anger out on him, just like Vanessa had pointed out to me, all because of what had happened to Iola. I'm pretty sure Joe will go ballistic on me when he finds out what I told Vanessa about Iola's death. Frank may not be happy with me about that as well. Either way, good or bad, I have to talk to Joe. Tonight. She concluded.

"Guess what Joe?" Little Trevor shouted excitedly, bouncing on his father's lap while hugging the footballs against his chest.

"What's that Buddy?" Joe replied tearing his eyes away from his brother and returning his attention to the little boy.

"I'm gonna play football," Trevor said beaming from ear to ear.

"You are! that's awesome." Joe smiled.

"Will you come to watch me play?"

Joe's face fell at the little boy's question. What could he say to him? He didn't want to disappoint him or hurt his feelings. "I can't make any promises, Trevor but I'll try." It was the only answer he could give his little friend, but he still felt extremely guilty. He had just lied to the little boy. Tonight was going to be his last night in this world. Again, he told himself it had to be done. It's what was best for everyone, his family and friends, especially Frank and Vanessa. He won't be around to hurt them anymore.

Frank's eyes narrowed at Joe's comment, and he wondered what he meant by it.

"Well, it's not set in stone," Pete piped in grinning, "Lindsey and I are still talking about it."

"Actually Pete, football may not be a bad idea for Trevor," Laura said as she joined them at the table. "Trevor is just like Joe was at that age. Rambunctious and full of energy. Fenton and I were at our wit's end and began to look for solutions to try and channel some of his energy so that he wouldn't get into trouble. A friend of Fenton's suggested to us that we should sign Joe up for sports. We decided to let him try flag football to see if he liked it because it was a safer alternative to tackle football for kids since it's not about knocking heads. He loved it. But then later on as he got older, he got bored and needed a bit more of a challenge, so we decided to let him go out for tackle football." She was so hoping that Joe would be better and get back into his normal routine with those football workouts and playing the sport that he loved.

Joe looked away from his mother there was something about her conversation with Pete that was bothering him... maybe it was the mention of his father. Joe was still so angry at him and yet ashamed of himself for the way that he had been treating him. Why am I feeling this way towards Dad? He wondered. Of course, there was his refusal to let me be part of Hayden's murder case. Not to mention turning over the only evidence they had to clear Frank's name to Chief Collig. Oh, and I shouldn't forget, I'm not his perfect son. He has Frank. His first-born pride and joy. The one who, according to his father, never does anything wrong and should be the person I aspire to copy. Then again, I can't say anything bad about Frank either. He is the best. He deserves the finest of what life has planned for him. He had a bright future to look forward to, like going to Princeton, marrying Callie, and working with Dad as a partner as a PI just as we dreamt of. I won't be a part of it, but that's okay they will be way better off without me, especially Frank. Without me holding him back he will be the best. But…what if Frank does know my secret? What if the guys told him...he can't know...he can't. he'll die!

Then out of nowhere, the sound of little voices began screaming in his head...

"It hurts! Stop, please! it hurts!"

"You're nothing!"

'You're no good!"

"It hurts! It hurts!"

"Bad things happen because of you!"

Where the hell did that come from? Joe thought.

"Even though it is a bit of a rough sport, believe me, it helped a lot." Aunt Gertrude said joining them at the table.

Aunt Gertrude's talking now. Listen to Aunt Gertrude, focus on her. Joe was working hard to keep his panic at bay. Calm down. you have to calm down. Frank will sense something's wrong. calm down.

"Hmm, football," Pete said after giving it some thought. He rubbed his chin with his hand. "You know that doesn't sound like a bad idea. Trevor could play left tackle like his old man back in the day. I could even give him a few pointers."

"Honey, why don't we start him off with flag football first," Lindsey said patting her husband's arm. "To see how he likes it. Besides I like Laura's key words, safe alternative."

"Works for me," Pete said shrugging.

Joe was working hard to stay calm and keep his panic at bay. He didn't want to have another panic attack and he didn't know where those voices were coming from. Am I having paranoid thoughts, like Frank was having? No Frank's not paranoid, he did see Linsky I told him I believed him one hundred percent and I still do. Frank told me that Dr. Reese explained to him that paranoia is a symptom in some cases of severe depression. Is that what was happening to me? No that's crazy! I'm not depressed! It's not about me...this is about Frank...he's the one in trouble. He's the one fighting this damned depression, and the heart condition all while dealing with the added stress of the possibility of going to jail for that bastard's murder. I can't let Frank know I almost let the darkness take me. He can't know! He'll die!

Again, the sound of little voices began screaming in his head...

"It hurts! Stop, please! it hurts!"

"You're nothing!"

'You're no good!"

"It hurts! It hurts!"

"Bad things happen because of you!"

Shut up! Shut up! Joe pleaded in his mind for the voices to stop. Am I going crazy? Calm down. Frank will sense something's wrong. calm down...NO. this has to stop... Tonight. It has to be tonight...I don't want to hurt anyone...They'll die...Frank will die...all because of me. I have to leave this world tonight. Wait, you idiot! it can't be tonight... I have to clear Frank's name first! Once that is done then I can do it.

Frank was listening to his mother's conversation with Pete when he felt a slight twinge in his heart. He put his hand to his chest in a gesture that was becoming very familiar to him. His brown eyes instinctively shifted to Joe. He immediately saw he was on the verge of a panic attack; his blue eyes were looking right at him pleading for help.

Lindsey rolled her eyes and sighed with a grin, "Anyway, Joe, I want to thank you." She expressed gratefully. "Trevor told us how you won the two footballs for him."

Lindsey's talking to you. Focus on her. "Hey, I'm happy to do it," Joe replied quickly snapping out of his trance-like stare at Frank. "It was fun and he's a cool kid." He plastered a fake smile on his face. Focus, he mentally chanted to himself.

"Well, I think we've imposed on you fine folks long enough. We are going to head out." Pete said noting the strange way Joe was acting. He remembered the discussion with Laura and Gertrude about taking Trevor to watch the fireworks at another part of the pier to give Joe and his friends a break. Mainly due to Joe's unpredictable behavior and the safety of his son. He nodded to his wife and she nodded back. He patted his son on the back. "Trevor, say goodbye to everyone and tell Joe to thank you for the footballs."

Trevor said sadly. "But, Daddy, I wanted to watch the fireworks with Joe."

"I know, you do. However, you've already eaten hot dogs and played a game with him like you wanted. Now it's time to let Joe have some family time. Just like it's time for you, your mom, and me to have some family time. Okay? Besides that, your mom has a cool surprise for you."

"What is it?" The little boy perked up with curiosity.

"Well, you'll have to come with your daddy and me to find out," Lindsey said holding up the small sack with the sparklers inside. "We'll see everyone again another time. Okay, now tell everyone goodbye." The little boy reluctantly said his goodbyes and thank-you's and gave out a few hugs, before leaving with his parents.

FJFJFJFJFJFJ

Vanessa noticed Joe's panic state but before she could do something to help him, she heard, "Vanessa!" she looked up to see her mother just a few feet away coming towards the picnic area. "Mom!" She smiled running to meet her and hugging her.

"Hey Sweetie. Did you have a fun time at the game area?" Her mother asked holding her daughter tightly in her arms.

"Um, sort of," Vanessa answered vaguely.

"What does that mean?" Andrea Bender pulled back and gave her daughter a look.

"Joe started not feeling well again," Vanessa said giving her a condensed version. "His leg started bothering him so we came back so he could rest. And to watch the fireworks, and of course, to meet you."

"Well, I'm looking forward to meeting him too," Andrea said.

"Mom, please watch what you say and be nice. I told you earlier he and his family are going through a rough time right now. I'm just a little worried about him, he's a nice guy, and you'll like him I promise."

"Vanessa, Sweetie. It will be okay. I promise to mind my P's and Q's. I had a good talk with his mother, and she told me what was going on. I like Laura and I hope that the two of us will become good friends." Andrea replied softly thinking of her conversation with Laura and the nightmare her family was going through. She quickly changed the topic. "We're here to have fun and watch the fireworks. Now introduce me to your hunky boy. I wonder if he brought his little red gym shorts."

"Mom!" Vanessa groaned through clenched teeth as she blushed.

Andrea leaned into her daughter and said with a chuckle. "I'm only kidding, sweetie." She linked her arm with her daughter's arm. As they began making their way to the picnic area.

"Welcome back, Andrea," Laura said greeting her with a friendly smile on her face. She felt better after talking with Andrea and found herself liking the woman. She was looking forward to becoming good friends.

"Thank you. Laura." Andrea smiled as she looked around taking in the teens spread around their picnic area.

That must be Vanessa's mom, Joe realized as he nervously sat up straight. When he saw the tall and slender woman standing next to Vanessa and talking to his mother, the palms of his hands were sweaty and his stomach felt like it was in knots. Absentmindedly, he began rubbing his hands intermittently absentmindedly across his shorts.

Again, he heard the sound of little voices screaming in his head.

"It hurts! Stop, please! it hurts!"

"You're nothing!"

'You're no good!"

"It hurts! It hurts!"

"Bad things happen because of you!"

Stop it! Why now? Get it together Hardy! He took a deep breath trying to calm himself down. Oh God, he could feel a panic attack coming on...God please not now, not now, not in front of Vanessa's mom. He kept his eyes on Frank giving him a silent plea for help.

Just as Frank kept his eyes on Joe the twinge in his chest increased with discomfort as he fought the urge to rub at it not wanting to alarm anyone.

FJFJFJFJFJFJ

"Wow, is that Vanessa's mother?" Biff's mouth dropped.

He and his friends rose off the ground. He couldn't take his eyes off the tall, slender, attractive older woman talking to Laura Hardy. She looked hot in her light blue summer maxi dress and sandals, her long curly blond hair cascading down her shoulders. "Joe's a lucky, lucky man."

"That's a totally weird thing to say," Marcy said wrinkling her nose in disgust. She picked the blanket they'd been sitting on up off the ground began folding it and then draped it over her left arm. "Why would you say such a thing?"

"You're getting a glimpse of what Vanessa's going to look like when she's older," Biff answered, "I mean she's already hot, but looking at her mom. Wow, Joe's a lucky man."

"I have to agree, Biff," Tony said checking out the older woman.

Chet nodded in agreement with the guys. "You know, Biff, you're talking about your best friend's girl. Isn't that like against the code or something? Like you don't date your best friend's ex. Or check out the girl he's currently dating. And her mom even though they're hot. "

"Hey, I'm just making an observation. I'd never go against the code, and I know Joe would agree." Biff said in his defense. "Besides, I have my hot girlfriend right here." He said putting his arm around Lizzy.

"Nice save," Lizzy said dryly, patting his face before giving him a peck on the cheek. "Careful, Biff, you're starting to drool." She said lifting his chin with the top of her hand to close her boyfriend's mouth and then patting his cheek.

"Boys." Brenda rolled her eyes and huffed in annoyance. "The woman is old enough to be your mother."

All at once a sour look spread across each of the faces of Tony, Chet, and Biff at hearing her comment, "Way to kill a fantasy, Brenda." Biff grumbled.

FJFJFJFJFJFJ

"Mom, I'd like you to meet my friends," Vanessa said making the introductions as Tony, Chet, Biff, Lizzy, Brenda, and Marcy started to gather around the picnic table.

"It's a pleasure to meet you all. I'm so glad Vanessa has nice friends." Andrea smiled at the teenagers after they had all introduced themselves. "Oh, and Chet. I just found out from Laura that we are neighbors."

'That's awesome." Chet replied. "I knew we had new neighbors; I didn't realize it was you."

"Oh cool," Vanessa said. "I didn't realize that either. I have to say, Chet, that is a beautiful barn you guys have at your place."

"Thanks, we love it too," Chet said kindly with a smile. "You two will have to come over sometime to see it. I know my parents would love to meet you. Have Joe bring you over."

"We will, thank you." Vanessa and her mom replied. Vanessa then turned her attention to Frank and Callie who were sitting to the left of them to introduce them. "Mom, you've already met Callie."

"Oh yes, Callie, lovely girl. So nice to meet you again." Andrea smiled greeting the young girl.

"Thank you. It's good to see you again too." Callie said greeting her back.

"And you must be Frank, Joe's brother, I have heard so much about you from Callie and Vanessa," Andrea said turning to Frank.

Before Frank realized it, Andrea was extending her hand out to him. "Yes, I'm Frank. It's a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Bender." Frank politely replied extending out his hand to her. He tore a side glance at his brother looking at him in a panic. What's wrong Joe?

"It's nice meeting you too, Frank." Andrea smiled accepting his handshake, "Oh you're right Callie, he is cute and very handsome."

"Thank you," Frank replied blushing. Callie smiled and blushed putting her hand in his, suddenly she noticed he was slightly rubbing his chest and Joe's panic state. Oh no. It's happening again.

"Mom, you promised," Vanessa said through clenched teeth.

"What, Vanessa, I'm merely stating a fact," turning back to Frank Andrea added, "Congratulations on your and Callie's engagement. She showed me the ring and it's gorgeous." She looked between Frank and Callie. "May you two make a beautiful couple."

"Let's see you and your brother are the young detectives following in the footsteps of your famous father Fenton Hardy. You know Frank, I haven't met your father yet, but I have seen his picture in the newspapers. And I must say you get your handsome good looks from him."

"Thank you," Frank said again rubbing his chest and feeling Joe's eyes on him while trying his best to be polite and give Andrea his attention. "I'm sure my dad will be here for too long."

"And who is this handsome young man?" Andrea shifted her attention to Joe. She noticed he was acting strange.

Before Frank could do anything; a movement caught his eye he glanced up. It was Vanessa walking around the table to where Joe was sitting and stopped behind him. She must've noticed Joe's panic state too. He watched as Vanessa placed her hands on his brother's shoulders and began gently massaging them.

"It hurts! Stop, please! it hurts!"

"You're nothing!"

'You're no good!"

"It hurts! It hurts!"

"Bad things happen because of you!"

Joe jumped a little when he felt hands begin to gently massage his shoulders. "Mom, this is Joe. My date." He heard Vanessa's calm voice as she continued to massage his shoulders. the movement felt good. He could already feel himself starting to relax. "Joe, I'd like you to meet my mother, Andrea Bender."

"So, this is the famous Joe Hardy " Her mother asked. "It's a pleasure to finally meet the boy my daughter can't stop talking about."

"It's a nice meeting you too, Mrs. Bender." Joe greeted her blinking as he tore his eyes away from Frank. Focus on Vanessa's mother. Don't make a fool out of yourself. Keep it together.

"Vanessa tells me you're the star athlete at Bayport High. How many sports do you play?"

"Oh, he plays all kinds, mainly anything outdoors. Baseball, soccer, football, the list goes on and on, but I think football is more your game, right Joe?" Vanessa said.

"Huh? Oh yeah...football. That's my game." Joe replied listening to Vanessa's calm voice. He felt his anxiety begin to ease up.

"Oh, mine too," Andrea said.

"You like football?" Joe questioned. He finally got himself together. He gave Vanessa's mother his full attention.

"Oh, yes I love it. Every year Vanessa and I have our own little Super Bowl party. We usually pig out on buffalo chicken wings with my homemade blue cheese dressing and have other snacks; and sodas while we're sitting in the living room and watching the game."

"Really?" Joe replied, in disbelief looking up at his angel with a wide grin. "Vanessa, you watch football and eat like that?"

Vanessa smiled back at him. "Oh yes, and I don't just sit and watch the game. I enjoy playing the game as well." She leaned into Joe's back sliding her arms around his neck and into a hug. She whispered in his ear, "I told you there were other things that I want to share with you eventually."

Wow, Biff slowly shook his head. Joe was a lucky man, he thought. Not only was Vanessa hot, but she was also a buffalo chicken wing-eating, football-playing kind of girl. Joe, you are a bonehead if you let that girl go. Most importantly though he noticed how Vanessa was able to calm Joe out of his panic state. He hoped to God that Vanessa was an answer to their prayers in their effort to help save Joe. Biff tuned back into the conversation just in time to hear Andrea say, "Our favorite part though are the commercials."

"Oh yeah, there are some pretty cool ones." Joe agreed.

All at once Frank felt the twinge in his chest begin to ease up. He shifted his eyes back to Joe. He, Laura, and Gertrude were watching in amazement as Joe began to relax his breathing thanks to Vanessa's touch. Soon Joe was fully engaged in a conversation with Andrea about sports along with their friends. The next thing Frank knew a roar of laughter exploded from the group from Joe cracking jokes and being the center of attention. A big smile spread across Frank's face he took it as a good sign to see his little brother acting relaxed and more like his usual self.

"I'll go and get you some water." Vanessa offered patting Joe on the shoulder before going over to the cooler.

As Joe continued to talk with Andrea and their friends, Frank leaned over and whispered to Callie that he'd be back, Callie nodded her okay. Frank discreetly got up from the table to go talk to Vanessa. He felt like she was an answer to his prayer. When he had met Vanessa at their house when she came to pick up Joe for their date, he had found her to be a kind person and he wanted to get to know this girl his little brother was interested in dating.

He had to admit that he was hesitant about Joe going out with this girl because of what had happened with Iola. Iola's death had almost destroyed Joe and he did not want to see his little brother hurt like that again. But after what Vanessa had done for Joe just now, he was hopeful that this could work out and he wanted to get to know Vanessa better. She was good for Joe and could help them deal with handling Joe's issues. He wouldn't have to worry about Joe as much when he was gone, hopefully away at college and not prison...or if there was another reason that he was not there. With Vanessa, Joe would have someone else to focus on and support him.

"Vanessa, I..." Frank started to say.

Vanessa opened the cooler reached down and pulled out three bottles of water. She handed one to Frank. "Water?"

"Thank you," Frank said accepting the bottled water.

Vanessa tucked the second bottle under her arm, then opened the third and took a sip. "It looks like it's going to be a beautiful night." She said looking up at the starry night, "Perfect weather for the fireworks."

"Yes, yes, it is." Frank glanced up at the night sky. "Listen, I wanted to thank you for what you did for Joe. You have no idea how much that means to me." He said after taking a sip of his water.

Vanessa nodded as she took a sip of her water. "I'm glad I could help. I like Joe a lot. He was acting the same way with me at the agency, and I wanted to do something before it got too bad."

"Vanessa, I don't want to pry if my brother told you anything in confidence," Frank said debating with himself on whether he should ask her, but he decided to ask anyway she could always not answer. "I know you said earlier a bit of what happened with Joe at the agency with the panic attack and this resentment he seems to have with Dad. Did he tell you anything else?"

Vanessa wasn't sure of what she should tell Frank. She knew about Iola from what she found out about her death online and what Callie had told her and she had made a promise to Callie that she wouldn't bring up Iola around Joe either. She thought that maybe Frank was sensitive to the topic as well but Vanessa could see the worry lines on his face. Frank's stress was one of the things that she knew Joe was concerned about. She did want to do something more to help Joe as she liked him very much and here was Frank asking her for help.

"I know that he told me over the phone that he's very worried about you. He told me about your arrest and being accused of murdering Jack Hayden. He said he was worried about how you were handling the situation, especially with you dealing with depression and problems with your heart. I don't think he planned on telling me that but he did accidentally let slip, but don't worry Frank, I promised Joe," She vowed holding up her right hand, "just like I'm promising you, that I won't say anything to anyone, because that is your private business. It isn't my place to gossip about another person's medical issues."

"Thank you." He replied gratefully.

Vanessa continued after taking a sip of her water, "Joe also told me about Henry Jacobs. He feels guilty about him. He told me that he had befriended Henry because he was in a bad situation and how he had tried to help him but then he turned on you and did some horrible things. He didn't tell me exactly what happened, but he did say that now Henry is wanted by the police in the death of your friend and his cousin. He told me that Henry even tried to shoot and kill you."

"He did. Henry is a sociopath just like his father. He accused me of spreading lies about him and said that I attempted to turn Joe against him. He tried to kill me because he thought I was trying to take Joe away from him." Frank squeezed his bottle tightly in his hand causing the water to spill as anger began coursing through him. "I wanted to help Henry. I tried to help him, but I drew the line when he hurt my friends. All because of his dangerous obsession with my brother."

"Dangerous obsession?" Vanessa questioned.

"It was innocent at first because Joe was there for Henry when he needed a friend." Frank nodded, taking a breath to calm down. "But then Henry began to get violently aggressive with everyone else, especially Chet, Tony, Biff Phil, and Seth. Henry dyed his hair blond to look like Joe; he even did a superhero drawing of Joe and made me out to be the villain. Plus, there was his constant need to be around him. I could see that Henry was becoming a dangerous threat to my brother. He did get violent with Joe one time...and that was one too many in my book."

All at once his mind flashed back to that day in Hayden's basement, his wrists tied to that bedpost as he laid on a dirty old bed. Hayden was standing over him, with a belt ready to beat him in his hand. Thankfully his father and the police had gotten there in time because any longer he knew that he would've gotten his skin ripped to shreds. In truth, Frank would've allowed himself to go through that, just to protect Joe. He had been ready to take it. He pleaded with Hayden to let him take it, because Joe would've gotten the belt first otherwise and there was no way in hell, he would've let that happen to his brother if he could help it.

He had never really talked about the abuse, not even with Dr. Reese. He had pushed the issue aside at the time and hadn't thought about it until now. After all, it was his job as the older brother to protect his little brother and protect the people that he loved and cared about. Unfortunately, he had failed to do his job so many times and Joe had gotten hurt anyway. Frank would never forget the helpless feeling that he felt watching as Hayden tortured his brother and the fear in Joe's eyes was forever ingrained in his mind.

"The last time I saw Henry..." Frank's voice trailed off as he recalled what had happened two weeks ago... "I had just left the hospital room I shared with Joe to go confront Henry in his room. I wanted to make it clear to him that he was to stay away from Joe. He needed to know that Phil and Seth were...that they were good guys...and they didn't deserve what he did to them. By doing that I made the biggest mistake of my life, I left Joe alone. It was selfish of me to go after Ryan Hayden when I came face to face with him on Henry's floor. But I had to. The only reason that he came out of hiding was to kill Joe. Only I had lost Ryan during the chase."

Then all of a sudden, Frank's mind flashed back to the Bayport General Hospital and finding the second floor in a blaze of fire. Where the bomb had gone off in the elevator shaft, the room he had shared with Joe was right above the flames. That terrifying feeling of not knowing where Joe was...I shouldn't have left him. He was up there...thank God for Officer Baker and the male orderly who'd helped Joe out of there. Thank God that the firefighters had gotten to them in time. Frank shifted his thoughts back to his current situation with Jack Hayden's murder. Oh yes, he certainly hated the man, but the difference between him and Hayden was that he would never have acted on it, unlike Hayden, violence wasn't his way of thinking. And Frank was determined that he would never be anything like Jack Hayden. He had nothing to hide and he knew that he was innocent. He didn't murder Hayden, he just had to prove it. Frank shook his head and quickly brought himself back to the present when he saw Vanessa looking at him with confusion all over her face. 'Sorry," he said sheepishly. "I guess my thoughts trailed off there for a moment. It happens when there's a lot on my mind."

"Don't be sorry Frank. I get it. You have a lot of things to work through." Vanessa replied. "I also understand that you're worried about Joe as well. Both he and Callie have mentioned to me the special bond that the two of you share, and that sometimes the two of you can communicate with each other through your feelings. I think that that is a very special and amazing thing. Joe told me that he was slowly adjusting to the idea of you leaving for college and that he knew that the separation was going to be difficult for you both but that it was part of growing up. As I was listening to Joe, I realized something. It occurred to me that when our conversation was all positive it was about you in some way. He kept telling me all these different and amazing qualities about you, Frank." Vanessa started tracing the cap of the water bottle with her fingers as she began to tear up a little, as she spoke as emotion filled her voice. "However, what bothered me the most was that throughout the entire conversation we had when Joe would talk about himself it was all negative. It was as if he didn't like himself and he saw himself as a screw-up, always getting into trouble with you having to come in and rescue him and clean up the mess. That conversation made it obvious to me that you are Joe's hero."

Frank just looked at her blinking. He didn't know what to say. He felt his heart shatter into a million pieces at hearing that Joe negatively thought of himself. Poor Joe. It had to be the depression that was making Joe think this way. He looked back at the picnic table at his little brother talking with Vanessa's mother. He blinked away the tears in his eyes before he turned back to Vanessa. He cleared his throat, "Thank you Vanessa for telling me all of this. I hope the two of us can sit and talk like this again. I want to get to know you better and I know it would mean a lot to Joe."

"I would like that too. " Vanessa said, getting herself together. " Because we both have one thing in common; we both like and care for Joe.

FJFJFJFJFJFJ

Tony sat listening and laughing at Joe's corny jokes over sports. While Joe became engrossed in a full conversation with Andrea Bender, Tony glanced over and noticed that Frank and Vanessa were standing over by the coolers talking. He exchanged quick looks with Chet and Biff to see if they saw it too and they all nodded at each other. It was time to get their plan in motion to tell Frank the truth about Joe. Biff indicated to Tony that he to go talk to Vanessa to ask for her help.

Tony nodded his okay. He let out a deep breath. Here goes. "I'm going to get some water." He said as he casually made his way to the coolers.

"Hey, you two." He greeted Frank and Vanessa with a smile. He opened the cooler and reached inside to get a bottle of water. He glanced over to make sure that Joe and Mrs. Bender were still in a conversation. Yes! Thank God for small favors.

Frank noticed that his friend was acting strange and that he kept glancing over at Joe and Vanessa's mom. "Tony, are you okay?" He asked.

"Huh?" Tony said, turning back to Frank. His hand trembled when he opened the bottle and took a sip of his water only to spill some of it on his shirt. "Oh yeah, I'm fine. I just wanted to make sure that Joe doesn't see me talking to the two of you."

"Why?" Frank asked in confusion.

"Well, because we need Vanessa's help." Tony nervously answered Frank then looked at Vanessa. "The guys and I saw what you did for Joe. That was awesome."

"Why do you need my help?" Vanessa just looked at Tony confused. "And with what?"

Tony huffed and just spit it out. "Yes, well, you see, Vanessa, we as in Biff, Chet, and me need you to continue your date with Joe. Spend some alone time with him maybe go to another spot here at the pier during the fireworks show. That way, Biff can talk to you Frank, about the thing with Joe."

"Why can't you just tell me what this is about?" Frank looked at his friend with curiosity.

"Biff wants to be the one to tell you." Tony answered Frank, "He needs to; you don't know how much this is weighing on him. He tried to tell you earlier, but he got interrupted when Joe had Trevor pull you away to go to the game area." He took another quick look to make sure that Joe and Mrs. Bender were still talking. To his relief they were. He turned back to Vanessa. "Will you help us?"

"Yes, I can do that, but I want to know what the big secret is," Vanessa answered letting Tony's words sink in. Again, she was being asked for her help to help Joe.

"Awesome. We will fill you in after Biff talks to Frank. Okay, I got to get back before Joe notices and gets suspicious." Tony replied, feeling relieved. He quickly made his way back to the group at the picnic tables.

"What do you think that's about?" Vanessa asked Frank.

"I'm not sure," Frank said slowly shaking his head, "But I think that I'm finally going to get some answers as to what Joe is keeping from me." He had a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach and he was pretty sure that he wasn't going to like it, whatever it was. He didn't know if Joe and Vanessa being alone to watch the fireworks was a good idea though, because of the threat against him and Joe.

"Do you think you can distract Joe? I have to admit, I was already impressed with you when you told us how you stood up to Joe at the agency when he acted like a jerk. There aren't too many people who can put Joe in his place and call him out on his crap, except for my mom and myself. My dad tries, but Joe can be rather difficult to handle and intense sometimes. It's probably one of the reasons why the two of them are fighting." He knew another reason Joe acted the way he did was because of what had happened with Iola, but Frank didn't want to say too much about that. He didn't know what or if Joe had said anything to Vanessa about Iola.

"I'm sure I can distract Joe. All he needs right now is to have fun and relax, I can help him with that." She reassured him.

"Okay. Just to be on the safe side," Frank said, "I'll give you my number so you can text me if there's a problem."

"Good idea." Vanessa nodded. "I'll give you mine too."

The two quickly exchanged their phone numbers, and then Frank added, "Vanessa, if you and Joe do go somewhere alone to watch the fireworks, please be careful and watch your surroundings, I don't know how alert Joe will be and Henry is still out there."

"I will. I promise." Vanessa reassured him once more and with that, Frank watched as she made her way back to the picnic table to Joe.

Frank took a breath to calm his nerves before he made his way over reassured that Vanessa would look out for his brother.

FJFJFJFJFJFJ

"Hey, I'm back. Here's your water Joe." Vanessa announced, as she smiled placing the bottle of water on the table in front of him.

"Thanks, Babe," Joe said accepting the water. He hoped the little voices didn't come back. What the hell was that about anyway?

"Vanessa, Honey, you're going to have to let me know when the school's football season starts next year. " Andrea addressed her daughter. "That way, I can make plans to come to a few games and watch Bayport High's star athletes in action." She smiled at Joe.

Joe forced himself to smile. He found Andrea Bender to be a cool, easy-going to talk to the person who had the same spirit as her daughter. Then his dark thoughts began to take over, I hate to tell you this Mrs. Bender, but I won't be around next year, my senior year, because I won't be around once I clear Frank's name.

"I'll be sure to do that, Mom," Vanessa replied, sitting next to Joe. "I don't know about everyone else but I'm ready to watch the fireworks."

"It's too bad that Phil and Seth aren't here to celebrate the holiday with us," Callie said tearfully.

'Well, if it hadn't been for Henry Jacobs they would be." Frank said as he rejoined the group. He put his hand on top of Callie's hand giving it a light squeeze. The group fell silent thinking of their late friends.

"They're still with us, in some way. I like to think that they are looking out for us." Chet said breaking the silence.

"Like guardian angels?" Brenda asked.

"Yeah." Chet nodded; his voice full of emotion. "That's how I think of my sister. I try not to think about the senseless tragedy that took her life. Instead, I like to think about the person that she was. You know she drove me crazy sometimes, especially with that feisty and bossy attitude of hers, but I loved her for it." Chet quivered out her name. "Iola was such a beautiful person. She had a big heart and was always willing to help someone in need. The way that she embraced life with open arms was just amazing. I'd give anything to hear her voice again or to hug her. I miss her...so much..." His voice trailed off.

Brenda put her hand in his giving it a light squeeze, as he broke down crying. The group fell silent each lost in their thoughts and giving Chet time to collect himself.

Callie shed a few tears for thinking of her best friend missing her like crazy.

Joe turned his head away, not making eye contact with anyone and doing his best to keep the dark thoughts away. He wished Chet hadn't brought her up, but he couldn't take that away from him, he had every right to talk about his sister. But it still hurt like hell that she was gone, and he knew that that was his fault as well. He quickly wiped his tears away, hoping that no one else had noticed.

Frank glanced over to his brother. He knew that Chet mentioning Iola would be a hard thing for Joe to hear.

"Anyway, sorry about that," Chet said as he cleared his throat, tears still in his eyes.

"Chet, you don't ever have to be sorry for being emotional," Laura said gently. "Iola was your sister. You can talk about her all you want. It's the only way to keep her memory alive."

"Thanks, Mrs. Hardy." After a few minutes, Chet got himself together. "I was thinking that that's how we should remember Phil and Seth. We should focus on the good things about them and not the senseless violence that took their lives. They wouldn't want us to be sad, they would want us to live life for them. So, I'd like to propose a toast." He picked up his soda can as everyone raised their bottled water or soda. "To Phil, Seth, and Iola, the ones we've lost and love but are not forgotten." then everyone clanged their drinks together.

"That was sweet, Chet." Laura praised him.

Vanessa in keeping Tony's plan in her mind turned to Joe. "Joe, I'll bet you know the best spot to watch the fireworks show."

"I do know a good spot." He nodded.

"Well, how about you show me? After all, we are on a date. We could watch the show together, just you and me.'

"Well, that sounds good to me...but I don't know. You'll have to ask my mom; she has the final say." Joe hesitated and then looked at Laura. "May I, Mom?"

"I don't know..." Laura hesitated, thinking of everything that had already happened that evening.

"I think it would be okay, Mom," Frank said adding his two cents. Even though his big brother instincts didn't want Joe out of his sight. However, his detective side was bursting with curiosity in wanting to know what Biff had to tell him about Joe. He wanted the truth and he wanted it now. "I'm sure that Joe will be careful, not stress his leg, and will watch his surroundings."

"And I promise you, Mrs. Hardy," Vanessa added, "I'll make sure that Joe takes it easy and doesn't overdo it. Mom, is that okay with you?" Vanessa asked her mother.

"Yes of course, as long as Laura is OK with it," Andrea replied waving them off. "You two kids go have fun.

Laura glanced at Gertrude to see what she had to say. "Personally, Laura, I would advise against this," Gertrude answered. "However, As Joe said, you do have the final say, after all, you are his mother."

Laura sighed to herself. Gertrude wasn't wrong, it wasn't a good idea to let him go off. She didn't want Joe out of her sight because of everything that had happened that evening. After all, Dr. Reese had told Fenton that someone had to be with him at all times. But after she had witnessed Vanessa calming Joe down with her touch, she thought that it might be okay for a little while as the fireworks would be starting shortly. After all, she and Fenton had agreed to let Joe have his date with Vanessa to have fun and watch the fireworks. Laura thought as turned back to her youngest son Joe. Then she saw it, the sparkle was back in Joe's blue eyes and there was a genuine smile on his face and she made her decision.

"All right Joe, you and Vanessa can go." Laura finally agreed. She quickly wiped her misty eyes, keeping her voice firm as she continued, "Just promise me you'll be extra careful, keep your cell phones on and on you at all times and you will call or text when you have arrived where you are going to watch the fireworks from and let me know where that it is. Call if anything suspicious or concerning happens, no matter how trivial you think it may be. And as soon as the fireworks are over, I want you to come straight back here."

"I will Mom, I promise. Thank you." An even bigger smile spread across Joe's face. He was finally going to be alone with his beautiful angel even if it was just for one last time. He was going to make sure she had the best time of her life on this date. He just prayed to God with all of his might that his anxiety and those voices wouldn't come back.

Joe reached for his crutches which were leaning up against the table and carefully stood up with Vanessa following close at his side. Frank, Laura, Biff, and everyone else watched the young couple head towards the boardwalk.

Biff waited until Joe and Vanessa had gotten lost in the crowd. He was so nervous that he felt as if bats were flying around in his stomach. Frank had to know the truth of what was going on with Joe. He calmly reminded himself this had to be done to save Joe's life. He stood up from the table and went around to Frank's side. He lightly tapped the older Hardy brother on his shoulder. Frank cast his brown eyes up at Biff. He saw the nervousness in his friend's eyes. Then he discreetly motioned for Frank to follow him. Frank told Callie he'd be right back then got up and followed Biff over to a couple of benches just a few yards away from their picnic area.

FJFJFJFJFJFJ

"Okay Biff, what's going on? What happened on the pier tonight?' Frank asked once they made it to the benches. "I told you, I'm not going to be angry at you or anything." Frank took a deep breath to calm his nerves. He refused to let his depression take over, it was not going to beat him. "I can't help if I don't know what the problem is."

Biff cast his eyes down on the ground then he slowly lifted his head. "I told you that this isn't an easy thing to say. I told the guys. I didn't know what to do because I didn't want to add more stress on you. Damn, Frank, you're already dealing with so much. But the guys… we all agree that you need to know. He'll listen to you and we think it's the only way to save Joe." Biff swallowed a lump in his throat and his eyes started to mist. "If we don't do something and do it soon, I'm afraid he'll try to do it again and then it'll be too late."

"Do what again?" Frank asked urgently, concern coloring his voice.

"You might want to sit down. What I'm about to tell you will shock you." Biff said.

"Biff just tell me." Frank huffed out, getting impatient.

Biff sighed, took a deep breath, and just spit it out. "Frank, Joe...tried to jump off the pier tonight. I was able to talk him down, but then he got into it with your dad again so I don't know where his head is right now."

"W-what? " Frank gasped. His face paled as he turned Biff's words over in his head. He backed away slowly from his friend. "No... no. You're wrong...Joe would never..."

"I'm afraid, it's true, Frank," Fenton announced coming towards them with Laura close at his side. He just arrived a few minutes ago. Laura had filled him in on what was going on and Tony and Chet told them that Biff was telling Frank about Joe, and they decided they needed to be present.

Frank saw his mother was in tears as she held close to Fenton. Fenton was doing his best not to break down, he had to stay strong for his family, but the hurt and devastation on his eldest son's face was making it hard. "What Biff said is the truth."

Biff and Fenton both took turns telling their part of about what happened with Joe on the boardwalk.

"I wouldn't have believed it myself if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes. Joe was so upset after the fight with your dad. I thought for sure that he was going to jump when I saw him on the pier." Biff said.

"I know that I'm partly to blame for this, after the hurtful words I said to him." Fenton placed a hand on his chest and closed his eyes willing the image that was burned into his brain to go away. "When I saw Joe up on the railing looking over the water. It made me think of what I had witnessed with my father. The pain and sadness...the emptiness, I saw it all in his eyes." He opened his eyes and quickly wiped away a tear that had escaped.

"I sensed that something was wrong. That something had happened on the pier. But not that! Not that. I would have seen something! Why? Why would Joe do that!" Frank demanded rubbing his chest. He felt his eyes start to well with tears and quickly blinked them away before they could run down his face. He refused to cry...not now, not now...He was trying hard to be strong. He couldn't bring himself to believe his little brother would do such a thing.

"Joe thinks he would be better off if he wasn't around. That no one would get hurt or get killed because of him. Right now, he blames himself for what happened to Iola, Phil, and Seth." Biff explained. "He believes he is the reason that you are stressed out all the time. He's having a hard time watching you battle depression. Then when you were in the hospital because of your heart problem...he thought that you were going to die."

"None of that is Joe's fault. Iola was killed by a terrorist, Phil and Seth were murdered by Henry Jacobs, and he isn't the cause of my health problems...I've told him that."

"We all know that, Frank," Fenton replied. "However, trying to convince Joe of that is like talking to a brick wall. He'll have to eventually work it out for himself. Unfortunately, it's heading in the wrong direction. We all know he's been through a lot with his anxiety issues and with the PTSD that he suffers from as a result of the ordeals that he has gone through in the past and adding the family history of depression into the mix is not helping things."

"Frank, you are already going through your ordeal with depression. And I think your brother is dealing with it as well and it's hitting him hard. It's to the point where his thoughts and behavior are becoming erratic and that is what brought him to the events that happened on the pier tonight."

"Your brother is scared of losing you, Frank. You are the glue that's holding him together. If anything happens to you, Joe would be devastated." Laura added to the conversation. Her voice was thick with emotion. "I don't want to put this on you, but it goes back to that special bond that the two of you share."

"We believe that's one of the reasons he's fighting with me," Fenton added, "and is so hell-bent on wanting to clear your name of Jack Hayden's murder."

All this information Vanessa, Biff, and his parents had said to him about Joe, was swirling around in his head. Frank slowly sank onto the bench, placed his elbows on his knees, and buried his face in his hands. He couldn't hold it in any longer. He broke down crying. He hated this feeling, but he didn't know what else to do. His heart just broke for his little brother. God why, Joe, why?

Laura knelt in front of him, placing her hand on his shoulder. As Fenton sat beside him. Biff took a step back to give Frank time alone with his parents, but he stayed close just in case.

"Frank, Honey. I'm so sorry you had to find out like this." Laura said sniffing back tears.

The three sat quietly to give Frank a moment, to process it all. Finally, Frank got himself together. He slowly raised his head, his teary eyes full of concern. He looked at his parents and keeping his voice strong he asked. "What can we do? How do I help Joe?"

Fenton and Laura exchange looks with each other. This was the part they were dreading, but it had to be done, to save Joe's life. Taking the initiative, Fenton said, "We have already started taking steps to help him. I contacted Dr. Reese and she is coming back early from her vacation and is going to talk to both of you boys tonight. She is making arrangements for Joe to undergo a full mental health evaluation."

"Is she going to do the evaluation in her office?" Frank asked.

"No," Laura said softly.

"Okay, then...where?"

Feeling Frank's eyes on him, Fenton sighed wearily and continued, "At Bellevue Hospital in New York."

Frank just looked at his father, blinking as the word Bellevue flashed in his head. Unexpectedly, Frank exploded red-faced and directed his angry filled eyes at his father. "After everything that happened to us there? He'll go there over my dead body!

A Brother's Revenge Chapter 28

"Picasso! How can you be so stupid! If this little stunt of yours finds its way back to us! " A gruff voice roared so loudly that the Artist had to pull his burner phone away from his ear.

"Relax Boss, I'm handling it." Picasso cut in through clenched teeth while gripping the phone tightly making his knuckles turn white.

"You better. The Hardys are not to be touched yet. If anything happens to any of them, I'll eliminate you personally and you won't see it coming!" Then the line went dead.

"Shit!" Picasso exploded, throwing the phone into the back of his van. "Why the hell do I let myself get talked into doing these side jobs?"

He sat in the driver's seat staring out at the night sky as the fireworks exploded in the air. He huffed gripping the steering wheel, as a murderous rage began coursing through his body. He took several deep breaths, and he slowly began to calm down. He didn't flinch when someone suddenly started pounding on his driver's side window because he knew exactly who it was. He shifted in his seat and looked out the window, narrowing his eyes and glaring at him when he saw it was Henry. The kid was quickly becoming a thorn in his side. He may be Jack Hayden's kid…. however, he annoyed the hell out of him. The sooner that this job was done, the sooner he'd be far away from the kid.

He rolled down the window, "You took your sweet time in getting here. What took you so long? The fireworks show has already started." He growled as he gestured towards the sky. "The grand finale will be going off soon."

"It doesn't matter," Henry replied in a snarky tone. "I'm here, aren't I?"

It had been a close call, Henry thought. My, well, Uncle Ryan's plan almost blew up in my face. He smirked as he thought about his run-in with Frank Hardy. It's a good thing I took care of him, it's just too bad I didn't kill him, he smiled inwardly thinking of Frank out cold lying on the ground. But soon, very soon I'll get my chance. I will have the final say…and all loose ends will be complete.

"Don't be a smartass, Kid. It doesn't become you. Did you do what I told you to do?"

"I did."

"To the letter?" Picasso questioned.

"Yes, to the letter!" Henry growled through clenched teeth, glaring at the Artist. Then he spoke sweetly, with a smirk on his face, "I put the things where you told me. My uncle doesn't suspect a thing." Henry's mind quickly flashed back to their scheming plan. "If you want to protect your Hardy boy the best way to do that is to get rid of your uncle," Picasso advised him.

"How do I do that?"

"Think boy! You need to find an object your uncle has in his possession and make sure it has his fingerprints on it. Do NOT touch it with your bare hands, use gloves…. once you get it, I'll give you something else to plant right along with it." Henry thought quickly of the only thing that came to mind; it was perfect. Then his flashback broke, and he smiled at Picasso. "I did what you said."

"You better not screw it up, kid. If this comes back to bite me in the ass. I'll come looking for you." Picasso threatened.

Henry shot back evenly. "Don't you forget our deal. You are going to help me protect Joe, right? And get me a gun, right?" He eagerly pressed on, "Do you have my gun?"

OOOh, this kid was getting on his last nerve. Picasso huffed wearily glaring at Henry. "For the last damn time! I'll deliver my end of the deal to you when you deliver my blonde beauty to me."

"I will."

"Good. Now go get her!"

Without a word, Henry adjusted his red cap on his head. Picasso watched him leave and smirked, oh yeah, now I remember why I take on these side jobs, I love the money and the chance to bang hot women… this is going to be so much fun….

FJFJFJFJFJ

Vanessa's jaw dropped at the impressive display of fireworks exploding in the night sky over the bay off the Bayport Pier, with bursts of red, a shimmering reflective effect on the water's surface. " Oh, wow! How beautiful! Joe, did you see that?" She said pointing up at the sky.

She was standing next to Joe on the boardwalk looking over the water. It was adjacent to the sandy area where they were setting off the fireworks. Well, they had been sitting until Joe had opted to stand saying that he wanted to get the full effect of the fireworks show. He had claimed that this spot was the perfect place to watch the show. And Vanessa had to admit that he was right. It was a perfect spot; it was like having a front-row seat. The show was amazing, she thought in awe as another round of fireworks exploded into the dark sky.

When she didn't hear Joe respond she quickly glanced at him, and her heart sank. Joe hadn't heard a word she said, in fact, he wasn't even watching the fireworks, instead, he was leaning against the railing with his arms folded resting on top, and a bleak expression on his face. Joe's blue eyes were transfixed on the reflection of the moonlight over the water, and he seemed to be lost in his thoughts.

As Joe gazed at the reflection on the water negative thoughts were swirling through his mind. What is wrong with me? I feel like such a failure. I'm no good to anyone. All I do is hurt people. I should've jumped when I had the chance, but Biff had to go and show up preventing me from doing it. Well, no, I take that back, a part of me is grateful Biff showed up when he did. He's a good friend and it's not fair of me to put him in that kind of position. But I couldn't let Frank know my secret. I really didn't want to leave my friends and family, but he had to. He loved and cared about everyone so much. He had to do it; it was what was best for them.

Then his thoughts drifted to his dream of working at the new detective agency alongside his brother, father, and Sam. The three greatest men in his life, all of whom he loved and admired so much. That dream was right there at his fingertips. He had even stood in the physical realization of his dream earlier with Vanessa. However, he knew that it couldn't be anything more than a dream.

Next, his thoughts wandered to Fenton. He did love his dad and he desperately wanted to work things out with him, but he just couldn't bring himself to do it. Every time he got near his father it made him angry and scared, to the point it would cause him to go into a panic attack. Why? It didn't make any sense. Why did he have these feelings of fear, anger, and resentment towards his father?

Of course, Dad has his reasons for not letting him help clear Frank's name and turning over the only evidence they had to find Jack Hayden's real killer. Joe knew that it hadn't been an easy decision for his father to make, knowing that whatever decision he made would put Frank at risk. I guess it's one of that stuck-in-a-tricky situation kind of things, Joe thought. He knew one thing for sure though, he wanted to clear Frank's name. He would do whatever he had to to do that, even if it meant going against his father. He had to do it for Frank. Then a voice in the back of his mind was telling him that he should just stay out of it. He should just let his father oversee the case. He would just mess things up and make things worse for Frank. It would be better if I gave in to the darkness, Joe thought, his blue eyes staring intently at the water below him. He began to imagine himself sinking deep into the water until he reached the bottom, and he would remain there until his last breath left his body.

Suddenly without warning the little voices came roaring back into his head,

"It hurts! Stop, please! It hurts!"
"You're nothing!"
'You're no good!"
"It hurts! It hurts!"
"Bad things happen because of you!"

Stop! Stop it! Joe couldn't stop the voices running through his mind. Why is this happening to me? I want this to end. Frank wouldn't be so stressed out all the time. Callie would make him happy and take good care of him. The fighting with Dad would stop. He was no good to anyone. Mom and Aunt Gertrude would cry over me once I was gone, but in time they would be okay.

You're no good! You're no good!

And Vanessa….

Suddenly he felt a hand touch his arm, "Joe!"

"No! don't touch me!" Joe cried as he flinched away from the hand. Without thinking he took a step back landing on his bad leg and winced as pain shot up it. Blinking quickly, he shifted his eyes away from the water and turned to see Vanessa looking at him with concern written all over her face.

"Are you alright?" She asked softly as she quickly drew her hand back not wanting to cause him any more distress.

"Y-yeah, I'm fine." He said quickly.

Vanessa just looked at him and he could tell that she was not convinced. "No, you're not. Talk to me, Joe, I know you're worried about Frank and his health on top of the murder case. I told you before that you can trust me. It will just be between us."

Joe didn't respond, instead, he turned away from her to look back at the water once more while he tightly gripped the railing with his hands. His heart was racing, it felt like it was pounding out of his chest, and his hands hurt because of the tight grip he had on the railing. He took a breath working hard to calm himself down.

"You're having another panic attack, aren't you?" Vanessa asked taking her phone out of her back pocket. "I'm going to text your mom or maybe Frank would be better?"

Joe turned around in time to catch Vanessa in the process of texting. He quickly snatched her phone out of her hand before she could hit send.

"Joe! What are you doing?" She cried grabbing her phone. But he held it up out of her reach.

"There's no need to text them. We already let them know we're here. Besides that, don't worry I'm fine."

"Joe, I promised your mother that we would call or text her if there was a problem. We both did, remember…."

"There's no problem, so why worry my mom and brother any more than they already are? Frank doesn't need the added stress. He just needs to have fun and relax and watch the fireworks with Callie. She's got to be his focus from now on. They are engaged, and he doesn't need me to burden his life anymore. I'm going to fix that, soon I'll be nothing more than just a faded memory to him." Joe's eyes started to mist thinking of Frank. His eyes trailed back down at the water, "It's the way it has to be."

"Joe, what do you mean by a faded memory?" Vanessa asked her concern evident in her voice. She wondered if it was related to the big secret that Biff Hooper was revealing to Frank. She wanted so much to know what was going on. Why was Joe acting this way?

"It means, I'm fine," Joe said backtracking his statement. "Enough talk about me." He smiled at her. Stop thinking these crazy thoughts he berated himself. Focus on Vanessa. "We are on a date after all. I just want to focus on you."

Vanessa looked at him through narrowed eyes. She knew that he wasn't fine. He was becoming erratic and unpredictable again. Just like the way he had acted at the agency. Like how he had been on the verge of having another panic attack in front of her mother. She didn't know what was going on in that head of his. Was he going through some form of depression himself like Frank? Was that it? Was Joe having a mental crisis? It could explain the negative tone in his voice in the way he spoke about himself. However, she didn't like the negative words he kept using, or the way that he kept staring down at the water below them.

Oh no! A disturbing thought hit her. Joe's not thinking of harming himself, is he? Could that be the big secret Joe was keeping from Frank? What do I do? She knew that she needed to alert his family, but to do that she needed to get her phone back from him. Wait, no! The first thing she needed to do was get him away from that railing. The best thing she could do until she nabbed her phone back was to do was to keep things calm, she told herself. She needed to keep him distracted from his dark thoughts like she did bringing up the subject of football and massaging his shoulders.

"OK then, we can continue our date. I'd like that." Vanessa replied as calmly as she could muster. "Why don't we go sit down? That way you can rest your leg while we watch the rest of the fireworks," she said pointing at the empty bench beside them. "Don't make me go back on my word to your mother. I promised her I'd make sure that you took it easy and not overdo it. okay?" She added smiling hoping it would convince him.

"Whatever you say, Babe," Joe replied smiling back at her.

Vanessa felt relieved when he stepped away from the railing. "Can I have my phone back, please?" She asked holding out her hand to him.

"Sure, here," Joe said turning to hand her phone back to her. As he turned, he forgot and put pressure on his bad leg, and with the sudden pain, he lost his grip and the phone slipped out of his hand like a bar of soap. "Oh shit!" He exclaimed as Vanessa cried out at the same time, "My phone!" They both tried to grab it, but it was too late, the phone hit the railing, bounced off, and fell into the water below.

"Why did you do that?" Vanessa demanded. "Phones cost money, you know? I don't exactly have a lot of it growing on trees."

"Vanessa, I am so sorry…" Joe apologized feeling horrible about losing her phone.

"You're sorry!" She snapped cutting off his words. "If you hadn't snatched it from my hand in the first place, it wouldn't be in the bottom of the bay!"

"I said I was sorry!" Joe shot back. "Here if it makes you feel better." Without thinking he grabbed his phone out of his back pocket and threw it over the railing and into the water. "There now we're even."

"I can't believe you just did that Joe!" Vanessa gasped in anger as she tried to get her breathing back under control. "How are we supposed to contact anyone if something happens? Especially, with that threat against you and Frank. They'll worry if they can't contact us." Now what was she going to do?

FJFJFJFJFJ

"I didn't know what else to do…." Callie replied crying hysterically, tears running down her face.

"Callie, now calm down and tell me again what happened," Laura said sitting beside her at the picnic table trying to console the visibly upset young woman. All the while trying her best not to panic with what was going on with her boys. Gertrude and Andrea sat close by with concern evident on their faces.

Callie did as Laura instructed. "Okay. Okay." She took a couple of deep breaths slowly, trying to calm down but then she started crying again too worried about Frank. "Frank was so upset and worried about Joe…then we found the…the 'Jim' badge and the latex mask. Frank tried to get a hold of Mr. Hardy but couldn't. So, we documented it and took pictures on our phones…. Frank sent them to his dad and Sam." She hugged her purse tightly in her arm against her chest. "…. he asked me to keep it safe. I told him I would." She looked at Laura, "Then the fireworks went off…. startling Frank. He began having a flashback of the hospital fire when he thought Joe was trapped in there. He was so upset and wanted to go look for Joe to make sure he was okay, but I managed to calm him down…. I told him Joe was safe watching the fireworks with Vanessa and having fun. I suggested we come back here to wait for Joe and Vanessa to return like they promised…. Frank reluctantly agreed…. we started making our way here…. that's when we ran into Henry…and he ran off... Frank went after him…I didn't know what else to do….so I came back here." Callie ended teary-eyed.

"Here, child, take a sip of water. I know you're upset." Gertrude said in a no-nonsense voice as she got up from the table and gave a bottle of water to Callie. "But you need to calm down. It's the best thing you can do to help Frank. You getting upset like this is not going to do him any good. Now calm down." Callie took a few sips of water. Once Callie had calmed down a bit Gertrude asked, "In what direction did Frank and Henry go?"

She's right. I have to calm down. Frank needs me, she thought. Callie took another sip of water and began thinking aloud, "Um… They took off running towards the boardwalk, then they turned left and disappeared into the woods."

"Oh my God," Laura gasped as a thought hit her. "If Henry's here, I'm sure that Ryan Hayden is too! We have got to get Joe and Vanessa back here."

"I'll call Vanessa," Andrea said getting out her phone and began dialing. "That's strange." She frowned pulling it away from her ear after a few minutes.

"What is it?' Laura asked anxiously.

Andrea looked at her phone, "Vanessa's phone…. It's saying it's not in service. She always has it on her and answers it when she knows it's me calling her. Let me try texting her." She began texting…again no response. "I don't understand…she knows she's supposed to have her phone on. Why isn't she answering? Do you think something happened?" Andrea said, worriedly looking at Laura and Gertrude.

"Let me try Joe," Laura replied and immediately began texting her youngest son. However, she too received the same response that Andrea had, Joe's phone was not in service. "Oh, that boy has a lot of explaining to do…he knows he has to have his phone on. He promised me." Suddenly fear and dread began playing in her mind…that something was wrong, something had happened. First Frank's run-in with Henry and now Joe. She turned to her sister-in-law, "Gertrude, why is he not responding to my calls and text messages? Oh, my word! Ryan's got him! That has to be why he's not answering! Oh God…please no!"

"Let's not panic yet. Joe and Vanessa probably can't hear their phones because of the fireworks." Gertrude said. That sounded logical, and both mothers hoped that was the reason, and not that something dreadful had happened, although their minds were going to the worst-case scenario.

"I'll go and get Joe and Vanessa. Frank told me where they were going to be watching the fireworks." Callie piped up.

"I really don't think you should, Callie. We know Henry is here and there is a good chance that Hayden is here as well. The rest of the gang have wandered off to get a better view of the fireworks." Laura hesitated, "And it's not a good idea to go off by yourself. We don't want to take the chance that something else could happen."

"I'll be careful. I promise." Callie insisted. She was doing her best to stay calm, but she was too worried about Frank. She couldn't just sit there and do nothing. It was time for her to be strong and brave, she could do this. "Joe needs to know about Frank and we have to warn him about Henry. Please Mrs. Hardy, I can do it."

"Fine. Please be careful and pay close attention to your surroundings." Laura reluctantly agreed. "I'm going to text Fenton." She said while texting as quickly as she could at then hit send. "There, I'm sure he'll be here soon." She too was doing her best not to panic that her boys were in trouble. Fenton's on his way she told herself. Everything's going to be okay.

Callie took a deep breath to calm her nerves. She could do this. "Mrs. Hardy, I'm going to give these to you to give to Mr. Hardy." She said taking the Ziploc bag containing the badge and mask out of her purse.

"I'll make sure that he gets them," Laura replied holding on to the items. "Now go, be careful."

"I'm going to try Vanessa again," Andrea replied as she began texting her daughter as Callie took off to find Joe and Vanessa.

FJFJFJFJFJ

Meanwhile, Fenton stood in the parking lot with Sam and Chief Collig. They had the area roped off with officers standing by to keep the scene secure for the forensic investigators and to keep the spectators away. His tired eyes landed on the dark green pinto sitting under a parking lamp. Due to the night construction lights had been set up to help illuminate the area. Officers Riley and Baker were going over the area with flashlights their beams landing on the empty beer bottles broken in pieces on the ground, and syringes lying in and outside of the car, as the crime scene photographer took pictures of the area, documenting the scene.

He grimaced at the three bodies of three college students inside the car. Jarrod Parker was slumped over in the passenger seat while Nate Weaks was on the driver's side, his head resting against the steering wheel. He felt heartbroken at the thought of the families who would be notified of their deaths. No parent should ever have to bury their child. Then his heart suddenly ached for Frank and Joe and the thought of them each going through their battles. He couldn't lose his sons…Oh God Joe….

"Fenton...?"

"What!" Fenton exclaimed when he felt a strong grip of a hand on his shoulder, followed by the sound of fireworks exploding in the night sky, startling him out of his thoughts and activating his fight or flight reflex. He immediately jumped back and went into a defensive stance with his fists out ready to strike his opponent.

"Whoa!" Sam held his hands out and slowly backed away from Fenton. "Easy there Fenton, it's just me."

"Sam, I..." Hearing Sam's voice, Fenton shook his troubled thoughts out of his head. He put his fists down at his sides. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to..."

"No. It's okay. No need for you to apologize." Sam put down his hands at his side as well. He let out a deep breath and began to relax his posture. "I startled you." Note to self, he thought, never sneak up on the 'Great Detective' like that. It could be hazardous to your health.

Fenton ran a hand through his hair. "I don't know what I was thinking. I have a lot on my mind."

Sam replied. "That's obvious."

This was unlike Fenton. Normally, he was more attentive and focused when he was on a case despite how chaotic it could be. With a closer look, Sam could see the deep bags under his friend's eyes; his dark eyes were filled with too many emotions; fear, anger, and worry swirled about them. It was clear that the man was under a lot of stress; it was hard for Sam to see Fenton Hardy like this. It had to do with the boys, that must be the reason he was acting like this. Something had to have happened. Sam concluded. Good Lord, how much more could this family take?

"What's happened now?" He asked softly, waiting for a reply and allowing Fenton to speak.

Finally, Fenton replied with a heavy sigh. "Frank knows the truth about Joe."

"Oh?" Sam raised an eyebrow at hearing that. "I take it that telling him didn't go so well."

"Well, yes and no. Frank was upset when we told him, as we all expected that he would be. He is willing to help and to do whatever he can to help his brother. However, he wasn't exactly thrilled with the idea of us sending Joe to Bellevue. He had a lot to say about that. After Frank calmed down, he sat down with Laura and me to talk things out. We all agreed to talk to Dr. Reese about finding better options for where to send Joe for treatment."

"So, Joe is not going to Bellevue?" Sam asked, just to confirm he had heard correctly.

"That is correct," Fenton confirmed once more.

"Well, that's good news," Sam said feeling relieved.

He noticed that Fenton had turned his worried eyes towards the boardwalk end of the pier as the sound of fireworks continued exploding in the night sky. Sam had been in the process of scouring through the crowded pier looking for any sign of Linsky and the three missing college kids when he got an urgent call from Chief Collig who requested that he meet with him and Fenton in the parking lot. An anonymous caller had called into the police station about an hour ago to report that there were three people passed out in a car at the end of the pier's parking lot. Officers Baker and Riley had checked it out and reported back that the people in the car were the three missing college kids that they had been looking for. All three were dead of what looked like an apparent drug overdose.

Sam also had some added information of his own that he wanted to share with Fenton and the Chief about the Nurse Matthews lead and the hospital fire. Finally, when Sam had made it to the parking lot someone caught his attention and it made him slow his pace. Fenton paced the sidewalk just two feet away like a restless tiger in a cage. As he got closer, and he saw Fenton rub his tired eyes Sam had a feeling that his friend was pushing himself too much; his body was running on adrenaline, and he was barely keeping the fatigue at bay. Sam knew his friend well enough to know that he was doing his best to remain in control for everyone's sake, but he knew it wouldn't last because Fenton could only maintain that pace for so long. Sam followed Fenton's gaze toward the boardwalk as more fireworks burst in the night sky. He knew exactly what or really who was on Fenton's mind.

He cleared his throat, "Fenton, it's perfectly fine if you want to go and check on the boys. I can handle things here; I'll cover for you with Collig and fill you in on what I find out."

Fenton ran a hand through his hair again. "No Sam. I want to be here," He corrected himself, "I need to be here. If those college kids have any connection to Linksy or Ryan, then I need to know. We are so close to clearing Frank of Hayden's murder." He turned away from the boardwalk and back to Sam. "I have to do this for both Frank and Joe."

"Are you going to be able to work it with a clear head?" Sam asked.

"Yes, I can." Fenton quickly shook the thoughts out of his head. He had to keep his mind focused on the situation in front of him. The crime scene investigators had made some interesting discoveries in their analysis of the scene that gave them reason to believe that it may have been staged. It did look like all three died from a drug overdose. Judging from the scene it looked as if they had had quite the party with many empty beer bottles lying broken in pieces on the ground, and drug paraphernalia lying in and outside of the car.

As the detectives stood there, they observed the medical examiner who was looking over the body of the young woman who was lying in the backseat of the car. She had a band wrapped around her left arm and a syringe in her right hand. Sam noticed something when the beam of his flashlight hit something shiny on her right wrist. "Well, that's interesting. Why is she holding the syringe with her right hand when she's left-handed?"

"What makes you think she's left-handed?" Chief Collig asked joining them by the car.

"Well for one, I noticed that she's wearing a watch on her right wrist." Sam answered, "If she injected herself with drugs into her arm, why didn't she use her dominant hand? She would have more control over it. I mean it's typically easy to tell what hand is dominant on a person because they normally wear their watch on the opposite hand. And two, I'm left-handed," He emphasized holding up his right arm and showing his watch on his wrist while holding his flashlight in his left hand. "that's why I brought it up. Now not everybody wears it on the non-dominant hand, however, the majority of the population does, so the odds are that she is left-handed."

Upon further investigation, investigators concluded that Sam was correct, especially when the medical examiner had found a contusion hidden in Stacy's hair. That discovery prompted the medical examiner to investigate the bodies of the boys as well, finding contusions hidden in their hair as well. They also found that there were no other visible injection marks anywhere else on their bodies. Now the even bigger question was who had killed them and why? They would have to wait for the autopsy results to come back to officially determine the cause of death, but the way that the scene presented itself it looked like someone had murdered them using a drug overdose to try to throw off suspicion.

Another question they had was whether someone had planted the broken empty beer bottles on the ground, and the syringes lying in and outside of the car. The redundant answer was of course, but they knew it would be difficult to prove that the broken bottles were planted because of the crowds. It could be argued that someone had just dropped them, and they shattered, and they didn't bother to clean them up because they didn't want to be caught with alcohol at the event in their town which was a fineable offense.

"Wait a minute! I know these kids! There's no way they were doing drugs and because of their activism and history." Chief Collig stated the moment he saw their faces as they were being pulled from the car. "The BPD has partnered with the high schools and colleges in drug abuse prevention programs. These kids were active and known to be extremely anti-drug. They participated in the program as ambassadors going around to the various schools speaking to other students about drug abuse because of their own experiences with a friend or family member."

Before Fenton and Sam could respond, Officer Riley and Baker came rushing up to them. "Chief, we found something!"

"What is it, Riley?"

"I think you're all going to find this interesting. It was lying on the floorboard just under the passenger seat. " Officer Riley said as he handed the chief a plastic evidence bag, he shone the beam of his flashlight over it as Fenton and Sam looked over the Chief's shoulder and gasped when they saw the contents inside. It was a gold-plated lighter with Jack Hayden's name engraved on it and a packet containing a white powder.

Fenton and Sam couldn't take their eyes off the gold-plated lighter as they both wondered who could have dropped it. Ryan Hayden had instantly flashed in Fenton's mind. The police would have Ryan's prints on file but he didn't think that Ryan would be that careless to leave something like that behind. Unless he was getting desperate which was causing him to make mistakes. In any case, it was a clue. The most valuable piece that would help them identify Hayden's real killer and clear Frank's name.

"It's already been dusted for fingerprints… and we've found some, so once they are run through AFIS hopefully we will have a match." Officer Baker added.

Chief Collig, handing the plastic bag back to his officer instructed. "Riley, this is a top priority. I want you and Baker to stay with it." It's not that he didn't want to not trust his officers. however, considering one of his officers had apparently taken his life in his apartment and then afterward it was discovered that he had destroyed evidence from the Hayden murder case, all of which was still under investigation. However, he felt confident enough that he could trust Officers Riley and Baker to conduct this task.

Fenton added firmly. "Notify Chief Collig, Sam, or I the second they have something. Is that clear?"

"Yes, sir!" Officer Riley responded.

"We won't let it out of our sight." Officer Baker added as the two left to conduct the orders.

Just then Fenton's cellphone buzzed that a text had arrived. He took it out of the side pocket of his shirt. "It's from Frank." Just as his and Sam's cell phone buzzed a text had arrived showing the photos Frank and Callie had taken to document the possible evidence of the badge and the latex mask. 'Callie has everything' Frank texted his father. "What is this?" He heard Sam ask.

Before Fenton could reply his cell phone buzzed again and this time Laura's name came up. "Oh shit." He cursed, paling as he read her message.

"Fenton?" Sam asked as he saw the color drain from Fenton's face.

"It's Laura," Fenton replied quickly returning his phone to his pocket. "I've got to go. Frank and Callie had a run-in with Henry and Frank took off after him! And Joe's not responding to Laura's calls either! Can you…"

"What! What's going on!" Chief Collig bellowed.

"Go Fenton! I'll catch him up." Sam insisted waving him off. as Sam showed the chief Frank's message and the documented photos of the possible evidence of the badge and latex mask.

Fenton gave him a slight nod. He quickly texted Laura back, 'I'm on my way.' Then he took off running back to the picnic area.

FJFJFJFJFJ

"I-I don't know why I did that." Joe stammered as he snapped out of his trance, his blue eyes widening as the realization of what he had done struck him. He hobbled over to the bench. His leg was throbbing, but he didn't care, at least he wasn't feeling numb. "Vanessa, I-I'm so sorry. I can't believe I threw our phones in the water." He apologized, bowing his head and looking at the ground ashamed of his actions. Vanessa noticed Joe staring at her with tears filling his eyes.

"I don't know what's wrong with me." Joe slowly sank into a bench, placing his elbows on his knees and burying his face in his hands he mumbled. "I feel like I'm going crazy. Maybe I am? I had a feeling that something bad would happen on our date and I was right. Something bad did happen, ME. It's always me…I'm no good. Bad things happen because of me."

Vanessa got her anger under control and feeling herself calm she knelt in front of him. "Joe, will you look at me, please?"

Joe shook his head; he didn't want her to see him like this. It made him feel weak and inferior. When she gently lifted his chin, he finally looked at her and gave her his attention.

Vanessa cupped his face in her hands and gently wiped away his tears with her thumbs, trying to soothe him. "I know you didn't mean to drop my phone and I'm sorry for yelling at you. I shouldn't have lost my temper like that. I guess that's another secret of mine. One that I'm not proud of." She sat down next to him and began rubbing his back, trying to comfort him, "I also know Joe, that you are not a burden to Frank. He would never think of you that way. He loves you very much. And you're not crazy. You have been going through something, well a lot of things this year. We can talk if you want to, or if you don't want to, we don't have to talk at all. We can just sit here and watch the fireworks. That is what we came here to do right? And you were right, this is the perfect spot."

Joe sat back looking at her as more fireworks exploded in the night sky and reflected over the water's surface. There was something about her that made him feel calm and at ease. "Yes, it is perfect, isn't it?" he said smiling at the beautiful angel sitting beside him. "You know this isn't how I pictured our first date would go. I would've picked you up at your house in style, instead of the other way around. I would've brought a blanket so we could sit under the stars while we watched the fireworks." He glanced over at his crutches propped up against the railing and sighed. "That being said with my leg being the way it is, it would've made it impossible for me to get up off of the ground without looking like an idiot. It's bad enough that I almost looked like one in front of your mother with that stupid panic attack," not to mention hearing stupid little voices in my head, he thought.

"Well, this is exactly how I pictured it," Vanessa said simply. "So far I like what I see."

Joe looked at her strangely. "Really? You like watching me make a fool of myself?"

"No. I'm talking about the part where I'm sitting in the perfect spot watching the fireworks, with my handsome date." Vanessa replied, giving Joe a flirtatious smile. "Or should I say the hottest guy I have ever laid my eyes on?"

Suddenly the little voices disappeared, along with the panic attack…well, for now, they were gone. He forced himself to focus all of his attention on her, even though his leg was aching. This was about Vanessa, not him. "Hottest guy, huh? Well, that's only because I've got a beautiful lady in my presence." He snaked an arm around her shoulders pulling her close to him. She leaned in and rested her head on his shoulder with her hand on the knee of his injured leg.

Joe mentally sighed, nope, not going to move ever. He didn't know if it was the shampoo in her hair or her perfume but there was a sweet mixture of vanilla and honey fragrances that was invading his nostrils. It was quickly becoming his new favorite smell. It was calming and intoxicating. So, he sat back with his arm draped over Vanessa's shoulders and relaxed as the fireworks went off above his head, all while he was letting his fingers stroke softly along her skin.

He felt a little disappointed when she pulled away from him slightly removing her hand from his knee. He watched her toss a strand of her long hair off of her shoulder. The move caused the strap of her romper to slide down her shoulder just enough to give Joe a glimpse of her cleavage.

Joe felt his cheeks blush a shade of pink at the sight of her and couldn't help but continue to check her out. He knew that he should turn his gaze away as it was the proper thing to do. He found himself falling more and more in love with Vanessa, and he wanted to be a gentleman and respect her and not behave like a scoundrel as he had at the agency. It wasn't like she was being suggestive; she was just caught up in the moment watching the fireworks. Or was she? She doesn't seem to notice me checking her out…or did she? No, no! Idiot look away from her! He told himself.

Thankfully, she quickly pulled up the strap back on her shoulder and fixed the top of her romper covering up her cleavage before leaning and relaxing back against the bench. Oh good, he thought relieved. But then she kicked off her white sandals stretching out her long legs and letting her bare feet roam over the grass.

Oh shit! He swallowed a lump in his throat, Joe couldn't seem to turn his eyes away from those legs. He couldn't stop his gaze from roaming up her long, beautiful legs. He bit his bottom lip fighting the urge to run his hand up along her thigh until his fingers reached the hem of her romper touching her between her legs. He felt his body start to respond, just as more fireworks went off above his head snapping him out of his thoughts. No! You can't be thinking those thoughts with Vanessa, not after the stunt you pulled at the office! He sat up quickly shifting his legs scooting away from her, placing his hands on his lap praying it was dark enough she didn't notice his 'reaction'.

"Are you okay?" Vanessa asked in concern when he had abruptly moved away from her. She had noticed him checking her out and had felt his breath on her neck. She had to admit she liked the feel of his arm wrapped around her shoulder and the feel of his fingers grazing her arm was turning her on. She had decided to tease him a little and give him a bit of a show. By his reaction that wasn't the right move, but then it dawned on her that she had been leaning most of her weight on his injured leg.

"I'm so sorry!" she apologized. "Did I hurt your leg, Joe?"

"What?" Joe shook his head. "Oh, uh, no you didn't hurt me. It's fine. M-my leg is fine." His heart was racing, and it felt like it was pounding out of his chest. He took a breath working hard to calm down. Then suddenly out of nowhere a flash of a man's hand caressing his thigh followed by a little voice screaming, "It hurts! Stop please! It hurts!" then quickly the hand vanished. Why am I having these thoughts? Make it stop! God, make it stop!

He quickly looked up at the fireworks to try to get his mind off of his disturbing thoughts. The palms of his hands were sweaty, and his stomach felt like it was in a million knots. Absentmindedly, he began rubbing his hands intermittently across his shorts.

Again, he heard little voices screaming in his head.

"It hurts! Stop, please! It hurts!"
"You're nothing!"
'You're no good!"
"It hurts! It hurts!"
"Bad things happen because of you!"

Stop it! Why now? Get it together Hardy! He took a deep breath trying to calm himself down. Oh God, he could feel a panic attack coming on…

"Joe?" He heard Vanessa say.

"Yeah... just give me a minute... please?" Joe said between breaths.

"Okay. I'm here if you need me."

He closed his eyes and took a couple of deeper calming breaths until his breathing became steady again, the soothing rhythm soon calming him. Once he got himself together, he opened his eyes and turned his attention back to Vanessa. "There I'm all better."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, thanks." He nodded.

"Joe, maybe we should go back to the picnic area. We can watch the rest of the fireworks from there."

"No, we don't need to…"

"Joe, did I hurt you? Why did you react like that…?" Vanessa asked concerned. I wish I could call Frank…. but I can't because my phone is at the bottom of the bay, she thought.

"No." He shook his head, "Not in the way you think. You scare me."

"I scare you?" She looked at him confused he went on to explain, "This is our first date. I want to be a gentleman and respect you and not behave like a jerk like I did with you earlier at the office. There's no denying that we both have a physical attraction to each other. You are a beautiful girl…ah woman, and when I see your beautiful face," He couldn't take his eyes off her lips, "All I want to do is kiss you and not stop. Touch your body in ways I shouldn't be thinking about, and I think I'm falling deeply in love with you and that scares me." He said his voice trailing off at the end.

"Joe, what are you trying to say?" She asked not understanding him.

"I don't know what you've heard about me from classmates at school. I know a lot of them crack jokes about me being a 'ladies' man'," He began rubbing his hands nervously across his khaki shorts. He felt his anxiety start to kick in again. But he knew that he needed to get this out, so, taking a deep calming breath, he pressed on, "Frank is the only one I've ever told this to, but I feel I have to be honest with you. I will admit I have a flirtish nature." He swallowed a lump in his throat, "But the truth is, I've only had sex with one girl, and it was something that we both agreed was a mistake and we both regretted rushing into. It caused so many problems between the two of us and we were arguing constantly as a result. Two weeks later after we uh…uh…she was killed in a car explosion meant for me and Frank."

"Iola Morton," Vanessa blurted out, and then regretting her outburst she clapped her hand over her mouth.

Joe's eyes widened. "You know about her?" he gasped.

"Some," Vanessa confessed, "From people at school and from Callie."

"Callie?" Anger rose in Joe's voice. "What did she tell you?"

"Just that you used to date Iola and what your relationship was like with her. I also know she was tragically killed in a car explosion about a year ago."

"Dammit!" He exploded his face red; he began breathing heavily. "Does Callie… does she hate me that much? I'll bet she'll… be glad when I'm gone!"

"Joe, Joe, hey, calm down. I'm sorry I didn't mean to upset you." Vanessa replied trying unsuccessfully to calm him. She placed a hand on top of his. "Joe, listen to me," she said calmly, "it's not like that. I found out about Iola all on my own, online. I kept hearing rumors and I wanted to find out the facts of what happened, so I looked. I am so sorry, Joe about what happened to her. It was a horrible thing that happened to both of you. I get that she was your first love and that you cared for her very much. Just know that I respect that and that I would never try to take her place."

Joe went quiet all at once, and he turned away from her and shifted his gaze towards the water of the bay, "Joe…" Vanessa started to say her worry increased even more by his silence. She didn't think he was going to speak until she saw a lone tear roll down his cheek.

"I'm a terrible brother," Joe said sadly, shaking his head.

"No, you're not." Vanessa shook her head.

"But I am." He looked at her with tears running down his face. "My whole world changed after Iola died. I fell apart and I was a complete mess. And Frank he...he... I don't know how he even put up with me, but he stuck by me no matter what. For about a month after the explosion, I barely let him out of my sight. He'd come running into my room almost every night after the explosion. I would wake him up 'cause I was screaming from a nightmare. I couldn't get away from the images in my head of the car exploding… I kept reliving it over and over… sometimes I'd see Iola… she would have her hand on the door handle….and then in the next second the car would explode into a giant ball of fire…. other times it would be Frank instead of Iola… and I'd be running towards the flames… trying to save him… but it would be too late… he'd be gone… flames consuming everything…. I guess that's why I've been so clingy with him."

"When I saw things were getting serious between Frank and Callie. It really scared me because I didn't want Frank to leave." Joe paused to take a deep breath before he shamefully admitted the next part of his sentence. "So, I would literally sabotage their dates. I'd even say things to make Frank feel guilty for leaving me alone, and it would work every time. He would cancel or end their date early just so he could stay home with me..."

"You know what?" Joe shook his head. "It doesn't matter now. Iola is in the past that's the way it has to be. I can't change what happened. Like I said before Frank has to focus on Callie from now on. They are engaged to be married. That's just the way it has to be. I'll talk to Callie and make things right with her. She's always been good to Frank. She makes him happy and that's all I've ever wanted for him. She'll love and…take care of him…when I'm not around..."

"Joe…" Vanessa started to say. It was scaring her when he talked like he wasn't going to be around. She reached over to squeeze his hand in comfort letting him know she was here.

Joe let out a heavy sigh, wiping the tears in his eyes. All at once he could feel the panic creeping up on him again. "Can we talk about something else? Please?" He asked trying to control his breath and avoid the attack.

"Okay. That's a good idea." Vanessa said. she could see he was on the verge of another panic attack, and she knew that she needed to distract his negative thoughts like she had before. Then her mind went blank. "What do you want to talk about?"

"I don't know anything." He said between breaths.

"Okay," Vanessa said desperately trying to think of something. "Oh...I know the skinny-dipping story!'

"The what?" Joe asked raising an eyebrow as he continued taking deep breaths trying to calm himself down.

"Yeah, when I called you the other day when we made our date. You were upset about Frank and told me everything going on with him. Then we got to talking about other things you told me about the stupid challenges you and Biff Hooper make each other do. You told me the girl's locker room story with you ending up in the buff. You said you had more 'buff' stories including an epic skinny-dipping story."

"I can't believe you remembered that?" Joe responded, feeling his heartbeat slowly calming down. He wished these panic attacks would go away.

"Oh yeah, I still have the visual in my head," Vanessa replied giving him a flirtatious wink and a smile. "I'm looking forward to hearing all about the epic skinny-dipping story."

Once again Joe felt his cheeks blush a shade of pink at the sight of her. He found himself falling more in love with Vanessa. "Okay… um..." He cleared his throat as he began to tell his story, "Last summer, I remember because it was so hot and humid that day, I think it was in the high nineties or something. Chet had invited everyone over to his place to go swimming in the pond. Callie was on vacation with her parents and Tony couldn't make it because he had to work at the restaurant. So, besides Chet it was only Biff, Frank, me… and Phil Cohen," Joe paused for a moment thinking of his late friend."

Joe cleared his throat again and continued, "The Mortons have this huge oak tree next to their pond, and there is a rope tied to one of the branches so you can swing on it and land in the water. Biff dared one of us to jump in the water butt-naked. Phil and Chet both chickened out and Frank just flat-out refused to do it. But Biff kept egging me on…calling me a chicken…well that's pretty much like fighting words, So I accepted the challenge. I took off my shorts and got up on the tree branch… then I swung on the rope and out into the water I went, butt naked. But then as soon as I got up out of the water dripping wet from head to toe…that's when Chet's mom showed up with a pitcher of lemonade…. catching me in the buff…I could hear the guys laughing their butts off behind me…. I don't know who was more embarrassed me or Mrs. Morton…. I just know both of our faces were extremely red."

"Oh, my word! That's so funny!" Vanessa started laughing hysterically soon Joe joined in with her, holding his stomach as they both doubled over in laughter caught up in the memory of his embarrassing buff story. As the two began to calm down they straightened up each wiping tears from their eyes.

Oh God Joe thought. That felt so good! I haven't laughed like that in a long time. More fireworks exploded in the night sky above their heads. Joe smiled back at her as she smiled back at him. Their eyes lock on each other with intensity. He was suddenly caught in awe by the way the glow of the lights was reflecting on her angelic face. God, she's beautiful.

He gulped as his eyes wandered back down to her lips, her beautiful pouty lips. He didn't know when or if he'd get the chance to kiss her. "I don't mean to sound forward and considering this is our first date…and I did kiss you back at the agency…but the way I behaved with you was wrong… and I deserved to get slapped." He brought his eyes back up to her seeking her permission. "Would it be okay if I kiss...…" Before he could finish his sentence Vanessa boldly leaned over planting a kiss on his lips.

He pulled her back slightly to look at her. "What was that? Not that I'm complaining…but…"

"I know. I only slapped you because of the way you were behaving at the office. The truth is, I can't stop thinking about that kiss. I've been wanting to do it again, but it had to be right, and it had to come naturally and not be forced like it had been at the office. I wanted it to be between us and only us." Vanessa said candidly looking into his electric blue eyes. "I meant what I said at the agency about giving relationships with men a try. But I realize that I don't want just any man…I want to try with you. The truth is I am falling in love with you too, Joe Hardy." She paused as she collected her thoughts. "And yeah, the physical attraction is there…The way you grazed your fingers across my arm felt good….it stirred something inside me." Joe swallowed a lump in his throat as he felt something stirring inside him as she continued, "But I haven't been intimate like that with anyone before and I've been waiting for the right guy to come into my life, and I think that you might be him. However, I'm far from ready to take that step. We don't have to rush into anything… I want us to take our time and get to know each other…. Things will happen… when or if they're supposed to happen… All I want to do now is…. kiss… your lips." She said caressing his cheek with her hand while her thumb swept over his lips.

Joe wasted no time, he instantly leaned towards Vanessa with his hand caressing the side of her face while running his other hand through her ash-blond hair, capturing her mouth with his mouth. She slid her arms around his neck, pulling him hard against her pressing his back against the bench, they were both completely oblivious to everyone around them and they continued to kiss passionately as the fireworks lit up the night sky.

Unbeknownst to the lovebirds, about two feet away from them was an older woman with gray hair and wearing a Bayport pier employee uniform. The woman was sitting at a booth selling fireworks. "That'll be 10 dollars even." She said handing two boxes of sparklers to a gentleman.

"10 dollars! That's crazy!" The man grumbled at the price.

"Oh, I know, sorry. All sales are final." She replied coolly pretending to care. "But hey just think of the smiles on your kids' little faces when they see Dad bringing them a surprise."

"Fine," The man huffed taking the money out of his wallet and handing it to her.

"Here you go! And Happy July Fourth to you sir." She said accepting the money from the man. Yeah, yeah, he grumbled out before taking his purchases. "Idiot." She said under her breath as she watched him walk away. She tucked the money inside her bra.

"Damn it! This wig itches like crazy," She cursed scratching her head. She was tucking an escaping strand of her raven hair back under her gray wig when her phone started vibrating in her pocket.

"Hello," she answered.

"Carolyn?"

"Ryan!" She gasped at the familiar voice.

"Do you have it on you?"

"I got it right here." Carolyn reached into her bag and grabbed a syringe.

"Are you in position?"

She shifted her eyes over to the two teenagers making out on a bench a couple of feet away. "Yes, I have the target in my sight?"

"Good. Get ready it's all most time. Picasso is on his way to you as we speak."

"Oh, I'm so ready to get this done Ryan. And then we can get the heck out of this town."

"Soon baby, very soon, we're almost there. Ok got to go...Oh, Carolyn!" He cut in before she hung up.

"Yeah?"

"Please tell me my little shit nephew is with you?"

"No, he isn't…I think he wandered off somewhere."

"Damnit!" He exploded. "If he screws this up…I'm gonna beat his ass. See you soon, baby." With that, he hung up.

Carolyn put her phone back in her pocket and glanced back over to the two teenagers who were still making out.

Well, well, Joe Hardy, we are about to meet again…Oh, I haven't forgotten our last in counter…with you all tied up and not feeling so good from the bullet I took out of your leg. Look at you with your hands all over that girl...you are a bad boy aren't you... sweet talking your way into her pants, no doubt... guys like you make me sick... that's why I put an end to the lives of pigs like you who take advantage of little girls like her. Although, she doesn't seem to mind you pawing all over her in front of the whole world to see... although I can't blame her... I have to admit you are easy on the eyes... she smirked as her mind flashed back to that day she helped kidnap him the first time around.

She still remembered the vivid image of the younger Hardy boy tied to a bed, clad in only his plaid boxers, from the blond hair, blue eyes; handsome face, and mmmm… that muscular body, her flashback broke as she looked at the young couple. I have to say you are quite entertaining, first with that little drama on the railing…and this little make-out session with your girlfriend… I hope you enjoy it because that's the last girl you will be kissing, Joe Hardy.

FJFJFJFJFJ

Meanwhile, Joe and Vanessa pulled apart from each other to catch their breaths. They stayed within arms of each other, both of their faces flushed a shade of pink, and their eyes remained locked on each other.

"Wow, you are a good kisser, Joe Hardy," Vanessa said shyly grinning at him.

"You're not so bad yourself." Joe returned. He couldn't stop smiling…her lips tasted so good…he wanted more. "Do you want to go for round two?" He wiggled his eyebrows. She nodded back with a smirk. The two leaned towards each other as their lips drew closer together…. until…"BOO!" Little Trevor jumped out of nowhere startling them and they both jumped.

"Trevor, where did you come from?" Joe asked surprised. He and Vanessa quickly began to straighten their clothes. Joe began looking for the boy's parents, but he didn't see them anywhere. "Where are your parents?"

"Over at the game area. Mommy got me some cool sparklers and then me and Daddy played more games…. then we watched the fireworks… but I got bored and wanted to watch them with you. So, can I?" The little boy asked innocently.

"They don't know you're here, do they?" Joe asked, but already knew the answer.

The little boy just shrugged his shoulders casting his eyes down at the ground.

"Trevor. You snuck off, didn't you?" Joe asked, trying to sound stern.

He looked back up at him, with sad puppy dog eyes. "Yeah," Trevor replied in a small voice.

"Buddy, you can't be doing that. It's not nice to make your parents worry like that." Joe said.

"It's also dangerous," Vanessa added. "A stranger could have taken you away, then you wouldn't get to see your mommy and daddy again."

"But I wanted to watch the fireworks with you, Joe." The little boy whined. "Can I?"

Joe said thinking fast. "Well, we need to let your parents know where you are first," He huffed, "and thanks to me we can't call them, because our phones are at the bottom of the bay. We'll have to go to the game area to find them. Then if it's okay with them we can watch the rest of the fireworks together. Deal?" He turned to Vanessa. "Is that okay with you?" She nodded yes.

Little Trevor smiled at Joe; he really liked that idea. "Deal."

Vanessa rose to her feet slipping her sandals back on her feet. Just as Joe stood up and reached for his crutches. All at once an uneasy feeling came over him, and he quickly sat back down, and immediately put his hand to his chest in a gesture that was becoming very familiar to him.

"Joe, what's wrong?" Vanessa asked quickly. "Does your chest hurt?"

"No." He shook his head. He stated between breaths. "It's Frank. Something's wrong. I can feel him; I don't know why but he's either sick or in danger."

"Joe! Vanessa!" He looked up to see Callie running up to him in tears.

"Where's Frank?" He asked as soon as she caught up to them bracing himself for whatever she was about to tell him.

"You need to come back to the picnic area! Henry's here!" She cried.

"What!" They both exclaimed.

Callie quickly filled Joe and Vanessa in on everything that had happened from finding the mask and badge to their run-in with Henry. Tears poured out of her eyes, as she spoke, "Frank went after him and I didn't know what to do so I ran to tell your parents, Joe. Both of your moms tried but couldn't get a hold of the two of you. We thought that Ryan had found you…."

"That's because our phones are at the bottom of the bay at the moment," Vanessa said glancing over at Joe.

"What? How?" Callie asked looking between the two of them.

"It's a long story." Vanessa said waving it off, "You we're saying..." Prompting her to continue.

Callie picked up where she left off, beginning to cry uncontrollably as she spoke, "I came here to warn you and tell you about Frank. I'm so scared for him... what if... what if Henry... what if he tries to kill him again... he almost did once...What if he's carrying out the threat!"

"Callie! Callie!" Vanessa grabbed her shoulders forcing her friend to look at her. "Get a hold of yourself... you have got to calm down. I know you are worried about Frank but you're not helping him by getting all hysterical... Now take a deep breath, calm down." She knew Joe was already upset and worried about his brother, and she didn't want Callie to make things worse.

"Where did Frank and Henry go?" Joe asked.

"They took off running towards the boardwalk, then they turned left and disappeared into the woods," Callie answered once she calmed down.

"I know my brother is more than capable of handling himself with Henry. Unless…. he's hurt…or..." Eye for an eye, a brother for a brother...soon a Hardy boy will die! the message screamed in Joe's head. No, no, no… Joe shook the thought away. He quickly forced his anxiety aside and focused his attention on Frank. "He's going to need backup... I'm not going to let him face Henry alone. There's no telling what that little jerk has planned."

Joe got up on his feet reaching for his crutches, "Hold on big brother. I'm coming." He started to leave then he stopped when his eyes landed on Little Trevor's confused face. "Oh Shi…oot, Trevor? Hmm. Um." What were we going to do about him?

His eyes shifted to Vanessa. "Vanessa, can you and Callie take Trevor back to his parents?'

"Yes, of course. We can do that." Vanessa replied. "Just please be careful."

"I will," Joe said before turning his attention back to his little friend. He said as calmly as he could, anxious thoughts of his brother and Henry never leaving his mind. "Trevor, something has happened, and Vanessa and Callie are going to take you to your parents. I have to go meet up with Frank." He carefully sat back down on the bench so that he was at eye level with the little boy. "I need you to stay with them. Please, do not come looking for me. As soon as I find Frank, I'll join you guys at the game area. Okay?"

"Okay." the little boy looked straight at Joe and nodded.

"I'm serious, Trevor." He repeated once more just to be sure he got his point across to the little boy, the last thing he wanted to do was to put Trevor's life in danger. "Promise me, you won't come looking for me?"

"I promise." the little boy confirmed.

"Okay, good." Joe smiled padding the boy's shoulder. "Everything is fine, but I've got to go, Frank's waiting..." He felt the uneasy feeling in his chest intensify. He rubbed his chest... Hang on bro, I'll find my way to you.

"Joe, wait, I'm going with you." Callie piped in. She took her cell phone out of her purse and handed it to Vanessa. "Here Vanessa, take my phone to call Trevor's parents."

"No Callie, you'll need it in case you run into trouble," Vanessa said handing the phone back to her.

"Okay." Callie agreed, putting her phone back in her purse. "Okay, Joe let's go."

"No, absolutely not." He turned to her rapidly shaking his head. "You're going with Vanessa."

" Joe..."

"No! I can't let anything happen to you; Frank would never forgive me."

"I'm going with you, whether you like it or not. "Callie said firmly, "If Frank's hurt, you're going to need help, because you can't carry him with your leg the way it is. or..."

"Callie… my leg may be out of commission but that doesn't mean I'm not in shape..." He stood up with his crutches, "If Henry has done anything to Frank, he's gonna get a couple of crutches up his a..." Joe gave a glance at Trevor and modified what he had been about to say, "Up where the sun doesn't shine."

Callie couldn't help but smile at him after hearing those words come out of his mouth. He's back...for how long she didn't know, all she knew was that right now he sounded like the Joe Hardy that they all knew and loved.

She folded her arms across her chest, giving Joe a hard stare. "I'm still going with you. Believe it or not, I can handle myself... I'm not some weakling like you think I am. I will try my best to stay calm and I will fight tooth and nail to defend the man I love. I am going with you and that's final."

Joe looked at her seeing that she was serious, and he wouldn't be able to change her mind he agreed. "Okay, fine. But if I tell you to run, you run and get help, don't wait for me."

"Be careful you two," Vanessa said worriedly. She stood behind Trevor with her hands resting on his shoulders.

"We will." Joe leaned forward to kiss her goodbye. "Call my dad. Tell him Callie and I are going to go and see if we can find Frank."

"I will," she promised.

Then he smiled down at the little boy ruffling his blond hair. "Go have fun watch the rest of the fireworks." Trevor just smiled back at him. Callie waved goodbye to them promising to be careful and to let them know what was happening with Frank.

"Stay close to me, Callie. I don't know what we're walking into...it could be a trap." Joe warned her. Callie just nodded her reply. Joe felt her hand grip his arm tightly as he took a step forward with the help of his crutches off the edge of the boardwalk. Before they could take another step... all of a sudden, there was a loud BOOM! Followed by the sound of people screaming behind them!

Joe whirled around and to his horror, he saw the railing by the boardwalk explode into a fiery inferno, with debris flying everywhere. "Oh my God! Vanessa! Trevor! Callie, we need to go…"

Before he had time to react, he heard Callie scream, "Joe!" Joe whirled back to look around. He no longer felt Callie's grip on his arm. In a panic he looked frantically around only to find Callie's purse lying on the ground with her nowhere in sight. His heart pounded out of his chest. "Callie!" He was frantically looking around, shouting her name. He felt himself begin to panic…. Where did she go? God, what do I do…? Frank! I got to find my brother! But…. Vanessa! Trevor! Callie...No! No! not again…They're gone! They're gone! He let go of his crutches letting them fall to the ground, he threw his hands to his ears to block out all the screaming and chaos all around him and the smell of the smoke and roar of the flames… "Frank! Don't leave me! I don't know what to do!" He cried out as tears fell from his eyes and ran down his face. Joe had dropped his hand to his leg which was aching from standing on it too long when he heard a voice that sent a chill down his spine.

"Hello, Joseph."

Hearing his name, Joe turned towards the voice and gasped. A tall dark figure was standing there just in front of him. The ballcap he was wearing helped to keep his face in the shadows and it was too dark to see the lower portion of his face clearly. There was something about him that made the hair on the back of Joe's neck stand on end. Wait! Could this be the dark-haired figure from the shooting range! ...No, it couldn't be, their body shape was all wrong... it wasn't Henry? "Who are you?"

The figure took a drag on his cigarette causing the end to glow and show the dark figure's mouth as a sinister smile crossed his face. As the figure exhaled the strong scent of cigarette smoke invaded Joe's nostrils.

"Who I am isn't important, Joseph. But I know someone very anxious to see you and I'm here to take you to him." the dark figure said throwing his cigarette butt to the ground and stamping it out.

"Uh! Frank..." Joe said breathlessly. "What have you done to my brother..." He demanded balling his hands into fists and taking a menacing step forward.

Taking Joe by surprise the dark figure quickly knocked him to the ground with an uppercut to the chin, cutting off his words. Before Joe could recover from the blow, he felt a sharp prick on the side of his neck, and his vision slowly faded into darkness.

Trevor wiggled his little body out from under an unconscious Vanessa who was lying on the ground. She had tried to shield him with her body to protect him from the flying debris from the explosion. Once the little boy was on his feet, he looked down at Vanessa and noticed that she was breathing but had blood smeared on her forehead. He started to cry. He was so scared! He wanted his mommy and daddy, and he didn't know what to do. As the tears ran down his cheeks, he thought to himself What would Joe do? Joe would be brave and get help. He wanted to be big and brave like Joe. So, Trevor sniffed back his tears and wiped his little face with the sleeve of his shirt. Then he ran down the boardwalk to try to find help for Vanessa. He stopped abruptly and froze when he saw two smoky monsters put a limp Joe and Callie into the back of a dark van, then he saw the monsters climb inside the front of the van close the door behind them, and then drive off into the night.

A Brother's Revenge Chapter 29

Friday July 4th 8:15 pm,

Fireworks continued to light up the night sky as Fenton stared at the name badge and mask laying inside the Ziploc bag his wife had given to him moments before when he had arrived back at the picnic area. They were the same items from the pictures Frank had sent to him via text. The badge glistened in the glow of the streetlight. It was just another piece to the puzzle that they were putting together, bringing them closer and closer to solving the case and clearing Frank's name of Jack Hayden's murder.

"I told Callie that I'd make sure that you got this. Frank told her to keep it safe right before he took off after Henry." Laura said filling him in on what's going on. "Fenton, I'm so scared Ryan has them." She said tearfully. She was trying to be strong and brave, but she was so scared for her boys.

Fenton held the Ziploc bag in one hand, as he wrapped his strong arms around his wife pulling her into a comforting hug. "We'll find them Laura, I promise. Everything's going to be okay." He said reassuring his wife. He pulled back and wiped away the tears that ran down her face.

"Vanessa's still not answering! She's my whole world. I can't lose my baby girl." Andrea exclaimed. She tossed her phone on the table in frustration and covered her face with her hands as she started to cry.

"We have to have faith, dear." Gertrude said sitting down beside the distraught mother and patting her shoulder to comfort her. "I'm sure everything's going to be okay. We'll find them just like Fenton said." Andrea just looked tearfully at Gertrude and nodded.

Focusing on the matter at hand Fenton asked again. "What direction did you say Frank and Henry went?"

As the fireworks continued to explode in the night sky, Gertrude answered. "According to Callie they took off running towards the boardwalk, then turned left and disappeared into the woods."

"Okay." Fenton nodded as he quickly began devising the course of action he needed to take. He was torn; both of his sons were in danger, but he felt more urgency in finding Frank. He was sure that Frank was in danger for going after Henry Jacobs by himself. Fenton knew that Henry wasn't exactly a stable person, he was a sociopath like his father, Jack Hayden and he had a dangerous obsession with his youngest son and at the same time pure hatred for his eldest son. This was the same young man who's wanted for the murders of Phil and Seth Cohen and the attempted murder on Frank.

Fenton sighed wearily as his thoughts turned to his youngest. God forgive me for the doubts seeping into my mind on whether or not Joe was in trouble. He hated feeling this way. He knew that the line of trust between them was growing extremely thin. It was partly due to Joe's erratic behavior lately as well as all of the things that had happened tonight. He thought back to the broken window and breaking into the safe in his office, to showing up late to the picnic celebration. And now this…What if this was just another stunt? For all Fenton knew Joe could be fine sitting with Vanessa watching the fireworks show be and completely oblivious to their surroundings which included not answering their phones.

Fenton shamefully shook away the thought. He needed to stop thinking that way. There were reasons behind those stunts. One reason, Fenton was sure of, was Joe's fear of losing his brother. The second reason, Fenton knew, was himself. I don't really have room to talk considering how my actions have contributed to Joe's erratic behavior. Why else would he have this resentment toward me? I did verbally attack him all out of my own anger, fear, guilt and frustrations. It made Fenton sick to think that he may have driven Joe up on that railing prepared to let the darkness take him. Or was there more going on? If only he could get Joe to talk to him without causing a fight or another incident.

Suddenly Fenton's thoughts shifted from doubt to fear. What if he'd had another outburst? Though, Vanessa was with him, surely, he wouldn't do anything with her, would he? She had been able to calm him down the last time, but what if this time she was unsuccessful. What if he had done something irrational and it had hurt them both? What if that's why they're not answering their phones. What if… no, calm down Hardy. Push those thoughts away. The message they had been sent multiple times screamed loudly in Fenton's head. 'Eye for an eye, a brother for a brother...soon a Hardy boy will die!' Hold yourself together man, stay focused. Your children are in trouble, and if Ryan Hayden does have them, they will both need you. Fenton thought while he took a deep calming breath.

Laura noticed the panic in her husband's eyes. "Fenton…" She started to say when they heard their names shouted.

"Fenton, Laura!"

Fenton and Laura turned to see the McNeely's running up to them worry marring their faces.

"What's wrong?" Fenton asked immediately.

"Is Trevor here with you?" Pete asked anxiously between breaths at the same time that Lindsey said, "Please tell me you've seen Trevor!"

"No, I'm sorry, he's not here." Laura answered, concern evident in her voice. Gertrude and Andrea got up from the picnic table to join them.

"Oh Pete, where could he be?" Lindsey said worriedly. She started looking around with her eyes for any sign of her son. "He's just a little boy!" Tears began welling up in her eyes.

"Honey, we'll find him. He couldn't have gotten too far." Pete replied putting an arm around his wife to comfort her. As a father he was worried about his missing son as well, but the former street officer in him was telling him to keep calm.

"How long has he been missing?" Fenton asked.

"About twenty minutes." Pete answered. "We took Trevor over to the game area to play a couple more games and to watch the fireworks to get his mind off of Joe." He said turning back to the Hardy's and Andrea. "He was doing so good. He liked the sparklers Lindsey gave him and was enjoying the fireworks, up until he threw a tantrum because we wouldn't let him go watch the fireworks with Joe." Pete huffed shaking his head raking a hand through his hair, "I'll tell you, he's a stubborn kid with a one-track mind when he wants something."

"It's our fault. I know that we spoil Trevor too much. We told him no and he didn't like that." Lindsey sniffed back tears. She rubbed her little baby bump. "Then I got sick again. Pete helped me to a trash can that was nearby, because we weren't close enough to the bathrooms. Trevor was with us, and he knows better than to take off, but when I was done, we turned around and he was gone." She started crying again.

Pete rubbed his wife's back to comfort her. "When we couldn't see him anywhere, we thought that Trevor might have gone looking for Joe. Or we at least hope that's what happened. Would you be willing to call him and see if Trevor is with him?" He noticed Laura and Fenton exchanging anxious looks with each other as he continued, "Or at least give him a heads up to keep an eye out for Trevor. If he is with them, we'll go and get him so he's not interfering with Joe and Vanessa's date…" His voice trailed off and his stomach started churning when he noticed Gertrude and Andrea exchanging worried looks with each other as well.

"Fenton, is something wrong?" Pete asked anxiously. "Has something happened with Joe? Do you know where he is?" He braced himself for the unwelcome news that was coming.

Fenton turned his attention back to the McNeely's. He let out a heavy sigh as he answered, "We do know about where they're watching the fireworks. However, for some reason Joe and Vanessa are not responding to our calls or texts."

"Do you think they're in trouble?" Pete didn't like the sound of this.

"They might be." Fenton acknowledged. "Frank found these just before he and Callie had a run in with Henry Jacobs." He showed Pete the badge and mask in the Ziploc bag he held in his hand. "Frank took off after him. We think that if Henry's here, then Ryan's here too and that could be the reason that Joe and Vanessa are not answering their phones."

"Is it possible that Ryan or maybe even Henry could be posing as Linsky?" the former officer asked.

"I've had the same thought. We just need to prove it." Fenton replied.

Laura added regrettably. "Callie went to warn Joe and Vanessa and to bring them back here. Which I realize now was not a good idea. I should've made Callie stay here where it's safe. In fact, it was a bad idea to let all the kids go off in different directions period. We should've stuck to the original plan, the group date. Oh Fenton, why didn't I listen to you. This situation with Joe has me so on edge that I can't focus on anything else. Now they're all in danger. If anything happens to them..." Her voice trailed off.

"Honey, don't go blaming yourself, I'm just as much to blame as well." Fenton said wrapping his arms around her. "Let's put all that aside and focus on locating our kids."

"Right, we need to focus on the kids." Laura said teary-eyed but determined, pulling away from her husband's embrace.

"Fenton, I'm here!" Sam called breathlessly running up to them. "Collig's calling in back up to assist us. He said to keep him informed as to what is going on here and he'll do the same with the situation in the parking lot." Sam looked at the stressed faces and asked, "So what's the situation here?"

Fenton nodded quickly bringing his partner up to speed with what was going on, ending with the hope that the McNeely's little boy running off to find Joe.

"It might be a good idea to get a hold of Biff and the rest of the gang to give them a heads up and to get everyone back here safely." Sam said, concerned with everything that was happening.

"I'll do that." Laura said getting out her phone to text Biff.

"Okay, we are going to look for the boys." Fenton said, handing the Ziploc bag back to her. "Keep this safe."

"I will. Now you two just go find our kids." She sniffed back tears.

"Oh Pete." Lindsey cried gripping his arm for support. "We have to find Trevor."

"We will, Lindsey. We will find him." Pete said soothingly pulling her into a hug. "Sweetheart, will you stay here with Laura, just in case Trevor shows up?"

"Yes, I will. What are you going to do?" She asked him softly looking at him with her tearstained eyes.

"I'm going to help." He answered. Pete released his wife from the hug and turned his attention to the two men who were starting to leave. "Wait, Fenton, Sam, I'd like to go with you. If that's okay?" Pete stated stopping them in their tracks.

"Are you sure you're up for this?" Fenton asked Pete.

"Physically, I don't know." The former police officer patted his prosthetic metal leg. "I probably don't have a right to be asking you this considering, I haven't been a police officer in two years, but I haven't forgotten everything I knew. The chance to use that knowledge again would be an honor. So, yes, I'm up for it." He looked at the detective blinking tears from his eyes. "I feel like I'm partly responsible for this situation. It was my careless mistake at the shooting range that resulted in Frank's gun going missing, which set off everything else with Hayden's murder."

"Pete…" Fenton started to say.

"No, please, Fenton, let me finish," Pete held up his hand to stop him. "I don't know if he told you this, but Frank and I talked earlier. I apologized to him for what happened with his firearm. He accepted my apology and took part of the blame upon himself, which he didn't have to do." He placed a hand over his chest, tears began welling up in the corners of his eyes, "I feel like it's not enough, I owe it both to him and to myself to right a wrong. I mean if I lose my job over this, then so be it, my family will be fine and we will survive, but I won't be able to forgive myself if Frank goes to jail or if something happens to any of the kids."

Fenton cleared his throat and addressed what the former officer said. "Yes, Laura told me about the conversation you had with Frank. He's not going to hold a grudge against you, and I won't either. Mistakes happen. We all need to take ownership of our actions and deal with the stresses in our lives. Right now, our biggest concern is making sure all of our kids are safe, including yours. Don't worry about your job, Pete. I'll put in a good word for you, so that way you can keep your job at the shooting range. Chief Collig maybe a hard man at times, but he is a fair man."

"I can vouch for that." Sam added. "You're a good man Pete, and you were a good police officer and did your job well. You were moving up in ranks and had almost made lieutenant. I'm sorry that incident two years ago took that away from you, but just know a police officer will always be a police officer at heart."

Lindsey smiled tearfully, as Pete visibly relaxed hearing those words. "Thank you, Fenton, Sam, the both of you thank you." He replied clearing the emotions clouding his throat. His voice grew serious when he said, "Okay let's…." Suddenly a loud blast cut off, Pete's words.

Everyone turns in the direction of the boardwalk to see a fiery inferno where the fireworks were going off. They could see debris flying everywhere.

Fenton could hardly hear the screaming all around him because of the ringing in his ears. He could hear Sam and Pete beside him asking everyone if they were okay. As the ringing abated his own mind started going into panic mode. Frank! Joe! My God! Had he just lost both of his sons?

"Frank! Joe! " Laura screamed, crying hysterically, and snapping Fenton out of his panic state.

He immediately got a hold of himself, wrapping his arms around her. She immediately pulled away from him. " Fenton find our boys!"

Fenton kissed her forehead. "We'll find them," he reassured her, pushing back the wave of emotions that threatened to come spilling out. He had to stay in control for his family's sake. He needed to be their strength.

Pete gave his wife a quick kiss and wiped away her tears, "Everything's going to be okay."

Laura, Gertrude, Andrea, and Lindsey held onto each other as they watched and prayed silently as Fenton, Sam, and Pete took off running down the boardwalk in the direction of the explosion.

FJFJFJFJFJFJFJFJ

"I'm coming, Joe!"

What the… Why can't I open my eyes? Wake up!

Damn it! Wake up! He cursed panting heavily which made not only his head hurt, but also his chest. Frank began rubbing his chest instinctively as he stopped struggling and just lay still to allow himself to calm down. "Okay. Okay, Hardy, get a hold of yourself. Calm down and think, it's what you'd tell Joe to do." He began taking slow and steady breaths.

A few minutes later Frank had his breathing under control. He slowly opened his eyes and found that his vision was a bit blurry, and he blinked a few times to let his eyes adjust to the darkness. Once his vision was clear enough, he could see the stars shining above him in the night sky. Then he heard crickets and other insects chirping all around him, followed by the sound of leaves rustling from the breeze of the wind, he could feel prickly grass beneath his fingertips making him realize that he was outside lying on the hard ground.

Okay, okay. Excellent job Hardy. Now your next mission is to get up. This is going to hurt, but you have to do it. Your little brother needs you. Several grunts and cursing came grumbling out of his mouth as he slowly sat up with his head spinning. He was immediately nauseous, and he could feel that the back of his head hurt. Reaching up he could feel a bump and wincing in pain at the contact, he quickly drew his hand away. Where am I? He wondered until his hand landed on a tree branch the size of a baseball bat lying beside him. The branch triggered a host of memories to come racing through his mind from him chasing Henry only to lose him in the woods. Next to finding himself on the side of the road at the crime scene where Jack Hayden had been killed, before getting distracted by a noise only to be struck in the back of the head with something and everything going dark.

Henry! Frank franticly looked all around him seeing no sign of the crazy kid. He turned his focus back towards the woods. "No!" He gasped as a thought hit him, "Henry…. Henry has Joe!"

"Damn it, Henry, I'll make you sorry, if you've done anything to my little brother." Frank cursed under his breath, fighting off a wave of dizziness that came over him. He managed to get up on his hands and knees, and he cast his eyes downward at the grass beneath him to steady himself, before lifting his head up to focus his attention on a tree about two feet from him.

"OK Frank, you can do this. One, two, three..." He counted and slowly began crawling over to the tree. Once he made it, he held onto the trunk for support as he slowly got to his feet. Shaking off the dizziness, he bit his lip, forcing himself to focus.

Suddenly an explosion went off lighting up the night sky in the direction of the Bayport Pier. "That's not fireworks! That's…" Suddenly the familiar ache in his chest increased even more. Ignoring his pounding head, Frank headed in the direction of the explosion repeatedly shouting, "Joe!" as he ran, staggering through the woods and back down the path that led to the pier. As he ran a disturbing thought came to him, If Henry was here then Ryan must be here too. Oh God… Oh God the threat! His head was pounding he knew it was likely that he had a concussion. His body was screaming at him to sleep and rest. But he couldn't stop, he couldn't think about himself, he had to do his job… he had to protect his little brother. This time he was not going to fail, he would protect Joe at all costs.

Finally, Frank reached the edge of the woods and he saw the destruction at the pier. He could hear sirens in the far distance, and he could see smoke billowing around as flames flickered and lit up the night sky. The sound of people screaming made his feet move faster and faster until he was full-on running. My family! My friends! I have to find them... Not again! NOT AGAIN!

Frank was so focused on the nightmare ahead of him, that he wasn't watching where he was going and he tripped over something and tumbled to the ground, knocking the wind out of him. He could feel his heart racing as he laid there and tried to catch his breath. Once he had collected himself, he rolled over and sat up. By the glow of the moonlight, he noticed a set of tire tracks next to a purse and a pair of crutches which were laying haphazardly on the ground. His heart raced as he recognized them right away. Callie's purse! Joe's crutches! What? It didn't make sense…No, oh…no! Why are their things here? He was so confused, and his head was pounding even harder. He couldn't focus or think straight. They had to be around here somewhere. What if they were injured? His head and chest were hurting like crazy. He rubbed at his chest. "Joe!" He shouted. "Callie!" He managed to get himself up off the ground staggering and started to make his way towards the boardwalk where it looked like the explosion had originated.

As he reached the edge of the boardwalk, he heard someone call out his name, "Frank! Frank!" He knew that voice. "J..." He started to call out. "No, that's not, Joe." Frank corrected himself. That's..." His head was pounding, and his vision blurred again, as he tried to focus, he saw two little boys running out of the shadows in the darkness towards him in tears. He shook his head and his vision cleared and he was able to see it was only one little boy running towards him down the lighted pathway. Little Trevor McNeely.

Frank crouched down to the little boy's level as he practically flew into his arms and wrapped his arms around his neck tightly as he exclaimed. "Oh Frank! It's awful! Just awful! There was a loud boom and fire everywhere…I tried to be brave like you and Joe, but I didn't know what to do!" The little boy cried, his tears soaking Frank's shirt.

Ignoring his pounding head and focusing on Trevor, Frank said. "It's okay, Buddy. You're safe. I've got you." He spoke using the same calm, soothing tone of voice he would have used if he had been trying to get Joe to calm down.

After a moment, Frank tried to let Trevor go as his legs started to cramp up and he was starting to feel lightheaded, but the little boy wouldn't let go of him. He didn't dare try to stand up and carry Trevor because he was afraid his legs would buckle under him and send them both tumbling to the ground. He crouched down and held the frightened little boy in his arms until he began to calm down.

Once Trevor started to calm down Frank was finally able to pry his arms from around his neck. Looking down he could see the scared tear-filled blue eyes looking back up at him and he asked. "Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?"

The little boy quickly nodded yes and then no to each of Frank's questions.

"Do you know where your parents are?"

As Trevor started to shake his head no, they heard a voice calling his name.

"Trevor!" Pete McNeely's voice called out answering Frank's question.

Frank looked up and sure enough he saw Pete McNeely racing towards them with Fenton and Sam right beside him.

"Trevor!" Pete called out the minute his eyes landed on his little boy.

"Daddy!" the little boy exclaimed, breaking free from Frank's arms and running to his father. Pete couldn't help the tears of joy from running down his face. "Oh Trevor, thank God. We were so worried! Don't you ever do that to us again!" He said as he scooped up his little boy hugging him tightly in his arms.

During the little boy's excitement, Frank's legs gave out and he lost his balance falling backwards and landing on his backside. He threw his arms out to brace himself and to keep himself from hitting his head a second time. Nevertheless, the movement irritated the bump in the back of his head. He winced in pain cradling his head in his hands. Damn that hurt!

Fenton's eyes had started to mist over as well when he saw his oldest son. Seeing Frank lose his balance he rushed to his side. "Frank…."

"Dad…Trevor... okay?" Frank stammered as he rose to his feet, but a wave of dizziness came over him causing him to lose his balance again and start to fall.

"Frank!" Fenton caught his son in time before he hit the ground.

"Dad…Trevor..." Frank repeated breaking free from his father's grip only to stumble once more.

This time Sam caught him. "Whoa! Easy there, champ. Trevor's fine. Pete has him and he's checking him over good." Sam reassured him. "Now why don't you sit back down and let your dad check you over." He instructed as he helped Fenton ease Frank back down on the ground.

"My head hurts a little... but I'm… fine." Frank insisted. Shaking off the dizziness that threatened to take over, he took a deep breath and forced himself to focus.

"You don't sound fine." Fenton stated pulling Frank back to get a better look at him. Sam knelt by Frank's side for extra support just in case. Fenton ran a hand along the back of his son's head, feeling the lump beneath his palm. "Let me check your eyes, you may have a concussion. We need to..."

"No time…can't…explosion...pier... Henry...got to find.…Joe!" Frank shook his head, trying to break free from his father's strong grip.

"Frank, don't try to get up." Fenton commanded as he tried to keep Frank still. He was aware of the chaos from the explosion on the pier, and even though he was worried about Joe, but right now his eldest son needed his immediate attention.

"She's hurt Daddy! She's, hurt bad!" Trevor cried pulling away from his father. Frank stopped struggling with Fenton at hearing the boy's response. That grabbed Fenton and Sam's attention as well. Pete sat Trevor on the ground. He knelt to his son's level, "Who's hurt?"

"That girl. Joe's friend." The little boy began stumbling over the name. "V'essa…. Nessa?"

"Are you trying to say Vanessa?" Pete asked.

"Yeah her! She's hurt real bad Daddy! We need to help her!"

"Trevor, you were with Joe and Vanessa?" Fenton asked urgently, needing to know where Joe and Vanessa were.

"Uh-ha. I snuck away…" The little boy looked quickly at Pete. He knew he was in big trouble, "Sorry Daddy…I didn't mean to…I just wanted to watch the fireworks with Joe and you, and Mommy were busy." His little voice quivered.

"It's okay, son, I know you were just excited to see Joe. I'll let it slide this time." Pete replied. He gave his son a small smile. He knew he was in trouble for sneaking away from his parents. "Right now, we need to see about Vanessa."

"Trevor, do you know if Joe's hurt too?" Frank asked breathlessly, the ache in his chest intensifying again.

"I don't know." Trevor shook his head. "The smoky monsters took him and um…um Callie away."

Frank's eyes widened as his heart sank. "What?" He gasped.

Fenton and Sam exchanged puzzled looks with each other. Pete just looked at his son, blinking. "Smoky monsters took Joe and Callie away?" He repeated slowly.

"Yeah. There were two of them. One was tall like you Daddy, but really scary."

"Trevor, you know better than to tell tales like that?" Pete scolded.

"But I saw them, Daddy! I'm not making up stories!" The little boy exclaimed. "Joe and Callie went to see Frank…. right before the big boom! V'nessa fell on top of me, but I crawled out from under her. She wasn't awake and she has an owie on her head. So, I ran to get help! I saw two smoky monsters hurt them and take them in a dark van and drive away…. I ran down the boardwalk to find help….and I found Frank!" His bottom lip started quivering as tears ran down his cheeks. "I tried to be brave like Joe. But I'm scared Daddy!" He threw his arms around his father.

Pete immediately wrapped his arms around his son to comfort him as he cried. "It's okay, baby. It's okay. Daddy's got you." He said consoling him. He cast a look over Trevor's shoulder at Fenton, Frank, and Sam who were just as perplexed as him.

Frank's mind suddenly flashed back to Callie's purse and Joe's crutches! The tire tracks! "Dad!" He exclaimed which made his head hurt, but he forced the pain away. Frank quickly told them about the items that he tripped over which were lying next to a set of tire tracks. "We have to… find them." As he struggled to get up Fenton kept his hands on top of Frank's shoulders to prevent his rising.

"Frank, you stay here. I'll go check it out." Sam offered.

"Thank you, Sam." Fenton said with gratitude. Sam nodded and got up with his flashlight in hand to go check out what Frank had said.

Fenton asked, "Frank, your mother told me you had a run in with Henry?" He wanted to keep Frank talking so he wouldn't pass out on them.

Frank decided not to protest Sam going, besides his head was hurting too much to put up much of a struggle. "Um…yeah," Frank slowly replied trying getting his thoughts together as it was difficult to focus. "After I sent you the pictures of the badge… mask. Callie and I ran… Henry. Chased after him only to lose him in the woods. Umm, I found myself on the side of the road at the crime scene where Jack Hayden was killed. Then something hit me on the back of the head everything went dark. I woke up to Joe calling my name." He rubbed his chest.

They still weren't sure what to make of Trevor's smoky monsters, however when Sam returned he confirmed what Frank had said, "There is a purse and a pair of crutches located next to a set of tire tracks. The tracks are on a side road between the woods and the boardwalk that led to the highway..."

"No!" Frank shouted trying once more to break free of his father's grip. It took the strength of both Fenton and Sam to get him to sit back down again. But the more they held Frank down the more agitated he became.

"Let me go, Dad! What if it's Ryan! He's Linsky I'm sure of it! What if he has them! They're getting away!" Frank shouted struggling to get free from Fenton and Sam and to get to his feet.

"Frank, look at me," Fenton grabbed the sides of his son's face forcing him to look at him. "I know you're upset, believe me, I am too. But you need to calm down and sit back down. We need to take care of you because you have a head injury. We need to..."

"No! Dad, we need…. to find them." Frank pleaded as he looked at his father with desperation in his eyes. He then had a flashback to when Jack Hayden and his minions kidnapped Joe from the Morton farm. Those three agonizing days he was missing and they didn't know if he was dead or alive, then he flashed to the hospital fire. It had almost killed Frank thinking that his little brother was dead. "I can't go through this again, Dad. It's hard enough with Joe…and now Callie…it's too much. I can't lose them." His voice cracked as he looked at his father as tears fell down his face.

Little Trevor clung to Pete just as Pete and Sam stood watching the father and son interaction expectantly from the sidelines waiting to help them if they were needed.

"I know, son, I know," Fenton said softly, letting go of Frank. "We're going to get them back." His heart was breaking at seeing his normally calm and collected son in distress like this. However, he knew that when Joe was hurt or in trouble that Frank's judgement became impaired. With Callie missing that would only intensify his feelings and of course with his own battle with depression it would only make matters worse.

Fenton took a breath to calm himself down and to collect his thoughts before continuing, "Frank, right now we need to see about Vanessa and get both of you the medical attention that you need. The main thing we all need to do is to stay calm so that we can deal with this situation. I don't care what it takes, I promise you, Frank. We'll get Joe and Callie back." Fenton said with conviction even though he was working hard to keep it together. He was trying to keep a brave face, but he was also going out of his mind with worry, wondering what was happening with his youngest son and future daughter in-law. But for his family's sake he had to remain in control.

Frank stopped struggling to break free. He slowly nodded, his worried and desperate eyes never leaving Fenton as he acknowledged that he had heard his father's words. Finally, Frank took a deep breath while raking a hand through his hair he calmly replied, "I'm sorry, Dad," he apologized, feeling slightly embarrassed for his actions. "You're right. I need to calm down. Joe and Callie need me to. God, this is so hard. I can't fall apart. I just can't." His head was pounding so much he couldn't think straight. However, that didn't stop the waves of emotions fighting inside of him each one trying to battle its way to the surface, with anger and fear as the top contenders. Thinking of Callie, he began a silent plead to her, hang on for me, Baby be strong. I love you. Frank began rubbing his chest feeling that familiar ache…. Hang on for me little brother. I promise I'll find you. I'll find you both.

As if in response, a sharp pain shot through his heart. "Joe..." He clutched at his chest as his breathing began to get heavier. Frank went limp and collapsed in his father's arms.

"Frank!"

FJFJFJFJFJFJFJFJ

Meanwhile around 10pm,

Picasso drove his dark van along Shore Road. About two miles from the Bayport Pier, he quickly turned down a side road to avoid the police and emergency crews that were heading that way. He continued down the rough road until he pulled into a long driveway which was hidden by the trees and lead to the Linsky's secluded three-bedroom log cabin. The property was dark; the only light coming from the moon and the van's lights.

"Well, that was a blast. You people sure know how to plan a celebration, and not only that we got two prizes out of the deal." the Artist smirked. He turned off the engine and the lights before tossing his ballcap behind his seat.

"Shut up." Carolyn snapped from the passenger seat. "You two idiots are going to be in so much trouble with Ryan." She glared at Picasso and then glanced over her shoulder into the backseat at Henry who was glaring right back at her. "We were only supposed to kidnap the Hardy kid. The girl was not part of Ryan's plan."

"So. Ryan should learn that plans change and that he needs to roll with the punches, especially when it benefits others." Picasso laughed dryly.

Carolyn sneered at him, "You won't be laughing when you end up like Daniel Bartend."

"Who's Daniel Bartend?" Picasso demanded sharply.

"Jack and Ryan's lawyer." She smiled smugly at the Artist. "Let's just say he messed up their plans one to many times, Ryan shot and killed him a couple of days ago." Picasso raised a brow at her response as she continued, "Yep, we buried his body behind the cabin along with the old couple that owned this place. So, if you don't want to end up like them…I'd suggest you toe the line."

Picasso gave her a long hard stare. He didn't like the threat she was implying. "Look Babe, Ryan is no threat to me. I'm not afraid of him. Let him come at me. He'll regret it."

"I ain't afraid of him either!" Henry growled.

"Shut it, you little maggot!" She snapped at Henry. "You're already in heap of trouble with him for running off. So, I'd watch it if I were you," sending Picasso an icy stare, she continued. "And I've told you before, don't call me, Babe!"

"You know, your beautiful when you're angry." Picasso said sweetly.

"Don't test me, Picasso." Carolyn threatened him. "I have killed men in my past, especially for being sexist pigs like you, and I won't hesitate to do it again. So, unless you want to be next, I'd suggest you shut your trap."

"You don't say? My, my, my you are becoming a very interesting woman." Picasso said raising an eyebrow as he looked at her. Something about the woman's statement had grabbed his attention. "We should talk later."

"Don't hold your breath!" Carolyn snarled.

Henry rolled his eyes and huffed in annoyance as he listened to the two argue with each other. "Shut up the both of you! We're wasting time! Let's get Joe and the girl inside before they wake up. Now get moving!" He shouted impatiently from the backseat.

Taken by surprise at Henry's outburst, Picasso and Carolyn stopped and turned their attention to him. Carolyn narrowed her eyes in disgust at Henry, while Picasso just smirked and drawled. "Looks like the Boss has spoken."

"Shut up. Henry's not in charge." Carolyn hissed, then opened her door than stepped out of the van with a flashlight in hand. She slammed her door and then turned on her flashlight letting the beam guide her way to the back of the van.

"That's what you think bitch." Henry grumbled glaring at his uncle's girlfriend.

Damn, I can totally see Jack coming through this kid bit by bit, Picasso thought and then muttered under his breath, "I can't wait to see how this whole thing plays out." With that he and Henry joined Carolyn by the back of the van.

Picasso opened the back of his van while Carolyn ran the beam of her flashlight over the unconscious forms of Joe and Callie laying on the floorboard.

Henry grabbed Callie and tossed her over his shoulder, while Picasso carried Joe and they followed Carolyn up the front steps of the cabin where she took a key out of her pocket and unlocked the door. Once inside she led them through the living room and passed a small bathroom before leading them down a hallway with three doors: one at the end and two across from it. "In here." She ordered opening the door to the bedroom on the right. She stepped aside so Picasso could enter the room carrying Joe over his shoulder.

"Put the girl here." she pointed to the first bed as Henry followed her instructions.

"Damn! It's about time, this kid is heavy." Picasso complained as he placed Joe on the other bed.

"That sedative I gave them should wear off soon. Here Picasso, secure the kid's hands to the bed post." Carolyn said as she quickly pulled out a couple of large black zip ties from her purse. Then she tossed some to Henry. "You do the same with the girl."

Carolyn huffed a sigh of relief once they had Joe and Callie bound securely to their beds. They then heard the screeching of tires and the slam of a car door, followed by heavy footsteps coming up the steps. She rushed to the window and peered out to see and said, "he's here." She turned and looked at Picasso and Henry. "I'll let you two explain to Ryan why you fucked up his plan."

"His plan maybe fucked up, but mine isn't." Henry growled. "Okay, Picasso, I got you the girl you wanted. Now where's my gun."

"Whoa Kid, not so fast, I gott'a check her out first to make sure everything is up to par." Picasso replied, as he turned on the light to get a better look at Callie.

He walked over to the sleeping girl's bedside. "Not bad, not bad." He commented letting his eyes roam over her navy-blue scoop-neck tank top and white knee length capris that covered her body he so desperately wanted to claim. His eyes lingered back to watch her chest rise and fall with each breath she took. There was something different about her though. Her clothes were different, the last time he had seen her she had been wearing a little white number that showed off those delicious long legs. This beauty has nice legs, but those weren't the legs he had had his eyes on. Picasso knelt so that he could be at eye level with her, and he brushed a strand of her disheveled blonde hair off her face. Then he gently moved her face with his hand to get a better look at her. She is a beauty, he'd give her that, however, this wasn't his blonde legged beauty. This was not the girl that he saw Joe Hardy with earlier.

Damn, what is it with this Hardy kid? He must have a knack for picking up hot ladies. He got up and went over and stood by Joe's bed. Suddenly Joe stirred and a moaning sound escaped from his mouth, "F-Frank!"

Crap! The kid was waking up! Picasso thought as he took a small step back.

Joe began tossing his head from side to side. "NO... Frank…Please… Don't leave…it hurts! it hurts! I'm sorry…I'm bad…. I'll be good… I'll be good…"

Suddenly Joe's eyes popped open staring right up at Picasso. Oh shit! Picasso started to panic until, he noticed something strange about them. He waved a hand in front of Joe's face and to Picasso's surprise he didn't flinch and his eyes didn't move. What the hell? It's as if the kid was in a trance. Picasso shifted his attention back to Joe's eyes and he studied his face. There was bruising on his chin from the uppercut he had given him before loading him up in his van, but those eyes. What was it about those eyes? There was something familiar about this kid, he couldn't put his finger on it, but something was nagging at him, who was this kid and why was he so familiar?

Then an idea struck him. He took out a phone from the pocket of his leather jacket and he began flipping through pictures on his phone, until he stopped at a photo in particular…he studied it then shifted his eyes back to Joe's vacant blue eyes.

Well, I'll be damned, I know who this kid is he thought. I know people who'd pay big money for him. And I know just the person who'd pay anything to get him back. But if the Boss finds out, he flashed back to his phone call with the Boss, "…The Hardy's are not to be touched yet. If anything happens to any of them, I'll eliminate you personally and you won't see it coming!" then the line had gone dead. He began to rub his chin as he weighed the pros and cons of his dilemma. All of a sudden, however, an evil grin spread across the Artist's face chuckling inwardly, "I'm going to die a very rich man." He said under his breath as he quickly took a picture of Joe, before putting his phone back in the pocket of his leather jacket.

Joe began thrashing about again, while struggling against the ties. "Frank…Please… Don't leave…it hurts! It hurts! I'm sorry…I'm bad…. I'll be good… I'll be good…"

"What are you doing to him, Picasso!" Henry shouted stepping in front of the man and began forcefully pushing him away from Joe's bed. "We had a deal. You promised to help protect Joe, not hurt him!"

"I didn't touch your boyfriend you little prick!" Picasso fired back.

"Then why is there a bruise on his face…"

"Call it a minor setback during retrieval and transportation."

"Get away from him!" Henry pushed the man again.

Picasso stumbled backwards, but quickly regained his balance. His eyes darkened with anger, and his entire body took on an aggressive stance. "Put your hands on me again kid and I swear it, I'll spill the beans to your uncle about who really killed his big brother."

Henry took a step back from the man keeping his fists clenched at his side as Joe began thrashing again pulling and struggling against the ropes and drawing his attention from Picasso.

"Joe, Joe it's me. It's Henry. I'm here, I'll protect you." For the next several minutes, Henry tried everything that he could think of to get Joe to snap out of it. He called his name, reassured him that he was okay, but everything tried didn't work. "Why's he acting like this?" he cried in frustration.

"Frank…Please… Don't leave…it hurts! it hurts! I'm sorry…I'm bad…. I'll be good… I'll be good…Frank!" Joe was thrashing so much against the bedpost Henry noticed the zip ties were cutting his wrists raw causing blood to run down his arms.

Henry didn't know what to do. "I don't know how to stop him." Henry said panicking. "Joe is not supposed to get hurt."

Picasso took several deep breaths, and he slowly began to calm down. Once he got himself under control, he decided to teach Hayden junior a lesson and toy with his mind. He cleared his throat and said softly in Henry's ear, "It's obvious what Joe wants. Or should I say…who he really wants, who he's calling for…."

"No!" Henry shouted running an agitated hand through his dark hair, his eyes darkening at the thought of the elder Hardy boy.

He whirled around at Picasso with rage in his eyes and ranted on, "I'm the one Joe needs. Frank doesn't care about him. He's supposed to be his big brother and protector, but I've seen how he treats Joe! Just by his actions today proves it. He didn't see me, but I saw everything! All of Joe's friends and family were ganging up on him, yelling at him, and saying hurtful things! I saw the hurt and tears on Joe's face every time! And what did Frank do? Nothing!"

Joe continued thrashing about and shouting, "Frank…Please… Don't leave…it hurts! it hurts! I'm sorry…I'm bad…. I'll be good… I'll be good…Frank!"

Henry couldn't take hearing that name anymore. "Forget about him, Joe! He's no good for you!" Henry gently placed his hand on the side of Joe's face, trying to reassure him. "I should've killed Frank when I had the chance!"

"What did you say, you little shit?" Ryan shouted as he came into the room with Carolyn right behind him.

They immediately saw Joe thrashing about, "Frank…Please… Don't leave…it hurts! it hurts! I'm sorry…I'm bad…. I'll be good… I'll be good…Frank!"

"Get away from him!" Ryan said angrily pulling Henry away from Joe. He turned back towards the bed and noticed that Joe's eyes were open but vacant looking. Pointing at Joe he demanded. "What the hell did you do to him?"

"Nothing!" Henry fired back.

"We don't know, we can't get him to stop." Picasso replied with a shrug of his shoulders.

"Carolyn, can you do something?" Ryan asked the former nurse.

Carolyn nodded, took a syringe out of her bag. "Ryan, Picasso, hold him still." The two men firmly held Joe down on the bed while Carolyn administered the sedative. They let go of him when they were sure he had settled.

Ryan turned his attention to his nephew. "Now what were you saying? You should've killed Frank when you had the chance?"

Henry's face paled realizing he had let part of his secret slip out. His eyes widened with fear, and he swallowed a lump in his throat, "I-I-"

Ryan didn't give him a chance to get the words out, he grabbed Henry by the front of his shirt and shoved him against the wall, knocking pictures to the floor. He gripped Henry's chin giving him an icy stare, "Carolyn, informed me that you ran off right before we set off the bomb at the pier. What have you been up to!?" He glanced over at a motionless Callie tied to the other bed. "Who is she?" He hissed stabbing a finger in her direction.

Henry looked at Callie then back at Ryan. "She's Joe's girlfriend."

"Why is she here?"

"I don't know, she got caught up in the excitement." Henry lied.

"Fine." Ryan huffed, "Now tell me what you said about Frank Hardy."

Henry quickly gave him half of the truth. He immediately jerked his head away from his hand. "I had a run in with Frank. I chased after him down the boardwalk and into the woods. He led me to the ditch where he killed Jack and we fought. I hit him over the head with a tree branch, but I only knocked him out. I swear, I didn't kill him, at least I don't think I did…."

"You little shit! I knew you were going to screw this up!" Ryan roared, backhanding Henry across the face knocking him to the floor. Henry slowly sat up breathing heavily while wiping blood from his bottom lip, he knew that he had made a mistake, he had revealed too much.

Ryan turned to Picasso and Carolyn and instructed, "Stay here, keep an eye on these two." He nodded in Joe and Callie's direction. "My nephew needs to be taught a lesson. I owe it to Jack to keep his kid in line."

"No!" Henry shouted fearfully struggling to get away, but he wasn't fast enough. Ryan grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and dragged him out of the room.

Picasso and Carolyn stepped out of the room and into the hallway to watch Ryan drag Henry down the hall and into the other bedroom, slamming the door closed behind him.

Ryan threw Henry on the bed where he landed on his stomach with a thump. He just laid there, trying to catch his breath and dreading what was to come.

"Let's go, Henry, you know the rules." Ryan growled.

Oh, yes, he knew the rules. Jack had beaten them into him as long as he could remember. He knew very well what was about to happen. Just take it like a man Jack would always say. It'll be over soon if you don't make a sound or shed a tear. Just take it like a man.

"Let's go! I don't have all night!" Ryan shouted.

Henry got up off the bed. He took off his shirt letting it fall to the floor at his feet, revealing his body scarred from years of abuse. He wasn't going to cry, he would not shed one tear, he wouldn't give Jack or Ryan the satisfaction. I hope Jack's burning in hell and that Ryan would join him soon. He got back on his bed his hands gripping the bedpost and he stared at the wall in front of him. Nope not one tear.

"Take it like a man." Ryan said, pulling his arm back to strike.

What Picasso and Carolyn heard next was the sound of leather hitting flesh ten times, "Damn." Picasso cursed. They each sucked in a breath and raised an eyebrow when everything went eerily quiet. When Ryan came out of the room, his face was flushed from anger and exertion. Picasso and Carolyn went back into the bedroom where Joe and Callie were to wait for him before he noticed them. Once he entered the room, they saw that his jaw was clenched, his chest was heaving and he had beads of sweat on his forehead.

Carolyn cleared her throat. "Ryan, did you…"

"No, I didn't kill the brat, he just passed out." Ryan huffed, angrily answering their unasked question. "You'll need to clean and dress his back though."

"Okay." Carolyn nodded her agreement. She let out the breath she was holding, then asked, "So what's the plan now?"

Ryan glanced over at Joe and Callie. His eyes shifted back and forth between the two. Then he focused on Callie. "Wait a minute." There was something familiar about her. He went over to get a better look at Callie. Once he saw her face, he knew that he was right.

"I know her."

"What? How do you know her?" Picasso asked confused.

"To make a long story short a couple of months back I used to be the principal of Bayport High school, Jack was their history teacher. It was our cover story until Henry started hanging around Joe Hardy and screwed everything up. Anyway," Ryan waved it off not wanting to get into that. He looked down at Callie. "She used to work as an assistant in the school's attendance office."

"I think her name is…Shaw? Um Callie Shaw." Ryan said remembering the girl's name. "Henry said, she's Joe Hardy's girlfriend. But he's wrong." He turned to look at Joe.

"Ryan, what do you mean?" Carolyn huffed impatiently.

"If I remember correctly when I'd walk the hallways, I always saw her with Frank Hardy. They were always together standing at each other's lockers, holding hands, sneaking quick kisses before heading to their classes."

"So, you're saying…she's Frank Hardy's girlfriend, not Joe's." Carolyn concluded.

"That's exactly what I'm saying." Ryan nodded.

"Well, I'd say judging by that rock on the girl's ring finger. She's a bit more than just his girlfriend." Picasso said pointing at the engagement ring on Callie's finger.

"Well, if that's the case, your plan to get revenge on Frank Hardy can still work and will be even better. I mean you have his lady and his baby brother. What better way to torture him than by making him choose who he loves more. Then when he's at his breaking point, you can just blow all three of them up." Carolyn said.

Ryan stared at the engagement ring on Callie's finger. Suddenly a sinister grin spread across his face, his chuckling breaking the silence. "I like it." Then his voice grew hard and serious as he said, "We need to find out where he is first. And thanks to the actions of my stupid ass nephew we're going to have to check to see if he's lying in a hospital bed or on a slab in the morgue. It'll be risky for us, but it'll be worth it."

"It'll be better if I go." Carolyn suggested. "I know my way around the hospital, so I should be able to get in and out unnoticed. Especially since the medical personnel are going to be busy treating all of the injured from the explosion." She added, "I gave the Hardy kid another dose of the sedative so he's going to be out for a while. I'll go clean up his wrists and then Henry as well before I go."

"Okay." Ryan added, "I'll stay here to get the rest of the plan in motion." He turned to Picasso. "Do you still have the other bomb?"

"Yep, I do." The Artist replied.

"Good. I'll let you know when I'm ready for it."

"Give me a holler, I'll be in my office." Picasso replied with a smirk on his face. he was so entertained watching the drama going on; he was loving every minute of it. He left the bedroom, headed down the hallway and then out the front door of the cabin. Once he was outside he climbed behind the wheel of his van, he had some business of his own to take care of and he didn't want either Ryan or Carolyn to overhear. He took out his phone from inside the pocket of his leather jacket then dialed a number from memory.

"Hello." A man's voice answered on the second ring.

"Yo! it's your o' pal Picasso'…"

"Picasso?"

"Yeah, I know it's been a while."

"What do you want!"

"Don't be mad. I've got something you want."

"What?"

Picasso pulled up the picture he had taken of Joe, "I'm sending you a photo, now." He hit the send button.

"You're sure that's him?" the man's voice responded back moments later.

"Yup, sure is. Your little cherub's all grown up. I've seen him up close and he's quite the looker, I can see why he makes the girls wet their panties and jingles your bells. Almost makes me want a piece of him too, unfortunately I don't swing that way. " Picasso remarked crudely.

"I want him back, Picasso. Money is no object. Name your price. Wait! Where are…"

"I'll be in touch." Then he hung up cutting off the man's words, "An evil grin slide across the Artist's face, I'm going to be a rich son of a bitch."

FJFJFJFJFJFJFJFJ

Meanwhile at the Bayport General Hospital...

"Joe!"

Frank's eyes popped opened. He quickly sat up; gasping for breath, making his chest hurt. He heard a beeping noise beside him. He gingerly moved his hand to his face and felt a white bandage wrapped around his head. He reached around to the back of his head, and feeling a small lump there, and winced slightly at the contact. He glanced down at the light blue gown he had on, then saw the IV in his arm and noticed wires that were connected to a heart monitor. It slowly dawned on him that he was in the hospital. How'd I get here? He thought as he started to panic.

"Frank, take it easy." Dr. Bryce said, coming into the room with Laura. "We were right outside when we heard that monitor go off."

"I can't stay here... not safe…after the fire... not after Joe... I need to find Joe…"

"The hospital is fine. It's safe. You are safe. The elevators are up and running, the second floor is still under repairs but other than that the..." Dr Bryce started to say.

"Where's Joe!" Frank shouted breathlessly cutting off the doctor's words. The familiar ache in his chest increased at the thought of his brother. Joe was in trouble he could feel it.

"Frank. Honey it's okay." Laura said softly, moving to stand by his bedside trying to ease him back onto his pillow. "Relax, lay back and try to rest. "She added in a soothing voice, doing her best to stay calm She touched Frank's hand. "Your father and Sam are out working with the police to help find him and Callie. They're trying to locate the dark van that Trevor said he saw. They went back to the pier to look for clues, but it's such a mess down there because of the explosion. The pier's director is helping the police and trying find out how this happened."

"Vanessa was brought in last night by ambulance. She has a mild concussion. She woke up this morning with no further complications, thank goodness. The doctor said that she's going to be just fine, although she will have to take it easy for a few days. She'll be released from the hospital shortly and Andrea is with her now." Laura continued, "Little Trevor, the poor thing. He was so upset and scared after everything. He practically cried himself to sleep wanting to see Joe. Pete and Lindsey took him home after the doctors checked him over and treated him for minor scrapes…."

"Last night, later this afternoon?" Frank looked at his mother confused. "Mom what time is it?"

"It's one in the morning..."

'What!" Frank exclaimed. He grabbed the back of his head and winced at the pain. then memories started flooding back to Frank…from the explosion... the Pier... Henry…Trevor…Vanessa...got to find.…the van…Ryan... Callie…Joe was missing! He started to get up out of his bed causing the monitor to go off again as he almost pulled out the IV.

"Frank what are you doing get back in bed!" Laura said, stopping him by placing both hands on his shoulders, forcing him to lie back down.

"No…I'm not staying!" He said, struggling to get back up.

"Frank, listen to your mother." Dr. Bryce instructed his patient. "Lay back down and rest. You also have a mild concussion. We have you hooked up to a heart monitor and you need to stay here until tomorrow for observation. Just to make sure that your heart…. "

"No! I can't!"

"Frank…Please…" Laura pleaded.

"I'm sorry Mom." Frank pleaded. "I'm not in high school anymore. You can't force me to stay, I can refuse medical treatment. I'm over 18 so I don't require your consent….

Laura looked up at Dr. Bryce and implored. "Doctor, please, do something."

"I'm sorry Laura," Dr. Bryce replied, "Although I would advise against it, Frank is right. He has a legal right to refuse medical treatment."

"Please, Mom… I've got to find Callie." he clutched his chest as the pain increased. "...and Joe…I can feel him! He's scared and hurt; he needs me!"

"Joe," Laura whispered softly. She bit her bottom lip and her heart ached, thinking of her not so little baby boy and how much she wanted to wrap her arms around him. She turned back to her eldest son noting the determination in his eyes. She knew that it went back to the 'special connection' the boys shared. If Frank was sensing what his brother was feeling was true, then... then she was not going to question it.

"Okay Frank," She reluctantly agreed. Why do my boys have to be so stubborn, she thought ruefully. "I love you and I know you're an adult now and you don't need your father and I to make decisions for you. Just know that no matter how old you are, you will always be my child. And I'll always be your mother." She grabbed his face in her hands, making sure he was listening to her. Frank looked up at his mother noting the stern look in her eyes, and her tone, "I want you to promise me, that you're going to take care of yourself. I don't want a repeat of what happened the last time Joe went missing. You're not going to do him or Callie any good if you're going to worry yourself sick."

The last thing Laura added was, "Remember if you are sensing that Joe is scared and hurt, then he's going to need his levelheaded big brother to stay calm and to think things through so that he can come and save him. Is that clear?"

Frank took in a deep calming breath then slowly let in out, "Okay, Mom. I promise." He agreed. "I'll take care of myself. it won't be like before."

"That's all I ask. Now I'll go get your clothes, then I'm going to go call your aunt and let her know you're coming home, and to ask her to get your room ready. Prepare yourself for a lecture with her." She went to the closet to get her son's clothes then brought them over set them on the bed for him to change into.

"Thank you, Mom. And I love you too." Frank smiled and put his hand on top of hers. Laura leaned over and kissed his cheek; she stood up and sniffed back a sob. He watched his mother start to leave when thoughts of the whereabouts of his friends entered his mind. Were they safe? He already lost his best friend when Phil was murdered; he couldn't bear the thought of losing anymore of his close friends. Frank asked concern for his friends. "Wait Mom. Where is everyone? The gang's not hurt, are they?"

Hearing the concern in her son's voice Laura turned back around. "They're fine." She said trying to ease his worry. "They were over at the game area watching the fireworks, when I texted Biff to let him know everything that was going on, I also asked him to get everyone back to picnic area, just in case. They all made it back safely a few minutes after the explosion. Thank God none of them were hurt. Right now, they're all home with their families. They've been anxious to see you, but I told them visiting would have to wait until tomorrow. They were very understanding.

"I'm glad they're okay." Frank replied relieved to hear that his friends were safe. "Was anyone else hurt?"

"Yes, Tony's Uncle Angelo broke his leg from tripping over debris during the explosion, he going to be laid up for a while. That means the renovation of the new agency will be on hold for a bit until he is more mobile so he can oversee his crew."

"Wow, that's too bad. I hope he's going to be OK? I guess that means he's going to be out of work for a while." Frank commented, "but with the way things are going right now with Joe and everything else, I guess the new agency will have to be put on hold." It saddened him to think with uncertainty that his and Joe's dream of collaborating with their father may never happen.

"Also, Harry Garrett was killed in the explosion. He was struck in the head by flying debris while trying to help people." Laura said breaking into Frank's thoughts.

"Not Harry!" Frank replied shocked by the news thinking of the retired police officer, Harry may have been heavyset, boisterous, slob of a man, but he was a good man with a big heart who cared about people.

"Mom, thank you." Frank said again as Laura gave him a comforting hug and kiss before leaving the room to call Gertrude.

"I'll have a nurse bring you the release forms." Dr. Bryce reluctantly agreed as well. "Now you get home I want you to get a good night sleep. That way you'll be well rested so you can help your dad find Callie and your brother."

"I will Doctor and thank you."

Once the doctor took out Frank's IV and detached the heart monitor he left the room, Frank laid back down began rubbing his chest feeling that familiar ache in his chest. Hang on for me Callie, little brother. I promise I'll find you. I'll find you both! He vowed to himself.

Dr. Bryce left Frank's room and went to the nurse's station to give his orders. There were two nurses currently behind the counter. One was an older stout woman with gray curly hair wearing pink scrubs and entering data on her computer. The other nurse, a young slender woman of about thirty had long blonde hair and wearing wire-rim glasses and pink scrubs, was putting files away in the filing cabinet.

"Deloris, I need you to get a release form for Frank Hardy ready." The doctor said addressing the older nurse.

The nurse looked up from her computer. "A release form for Frank Hardy. But isn't he..." She asked surprised.

"I know." he said with a sigh. "Just get the release form and take it to him, please."

"Sure, thing Doctor."

"Thank you." Dr. Bryce said then left to make his rounds.

Nurse Deloris stepped away from the computer to get the release form out of a drawer and take it to Frank's room. "Oh, wait. I'm supposed to take inventory of our pharmacy and medical supplies." She said stopping in her tracks.

"I can do that." The younger nurse offered closing the file drawer. She walked up to the older nurse.

"What's your name again? I don't remember seeing you here before." Deloris asked.

"Diane. Diane Jenkins. I'm the new R.N. I just started a few weeks ago. I'm still learning the ropes to do my job well and for our patients of course." The nurse smiled cheerfully. "So, I'd be happy to do the inventory for you. It would be another learning experience for me and my way of helping out a fellow nurse."

"Oh, Diane that is really sweet of you." Deloris gushed at the woman's kindness, most of the nurses she had to work with hated doing the inventory. She smiled," Thank you so much. That would help me out a great deal. Okay. Here's the list. All you have to do is make sure that everything on the list is accounted for and checked off," The older nurse handed her a clipboard with a supply list to the young nurse. "And here you'll need these." she said taking a set of keys out of her pocket, "This is to the pharmacy and medical supply room. Thank you again. I've got to take this form to Frank Hardy."

"You're welcome." the young nurse smiled, clutching the keys tightly in her hand as she watched the older nurse head to Frank's room. "Oh no thank you, ya old crow." she grumbled under her breath as her cheery smile faded into an evil grin across the face belonging to Carolyn aka Nurse Crazy Matthews. Five minutes later, she saw Nurse Deloris pushing Frank Hardy in wheelchair with his mother walking beside them past the nurses' station and towards the exit doors.

She took a phone out of her pocket and speed dialed a number.

"Ryan." She said into the phone as soon as he answered. "Frank Hardy, just left the hospital. From what I gather he's just got a mild concussion. Anyway, he's alive and Henry didn't screw him up to badly. Let's wait a few days to give him time to recuperate and that way it'll give us more time to work out our plan. I'll be home soon. I just need to pick up a few things."

With that she hung up the phone and made her way down the hallway to the pharmacy and medical supply room. She quickly unlocked the door, looking both ways up and down the hallways before slipping inside.

A Brother's Revenge Chapter 31

"A little birdy told me that he left the hospital sometime around one this morning. Where he is right now, I don't know." Ryan answered nonchalantly shrugging his shoulders.

Joe and Callie's eyes widened. "What! Frank's hurt!" Joe exclaimed, trying to sit up. As he moved, he felt the nick of the blade under his chin. He could feel the sting of the cut and a trickle of blood down his neck. "Frank had a little run in with Henry at the pier during the fireworks show! Henry hurt Frank; I know it! Where is that little jerk! What did he do to my brother!"

"All of the answers to your questions will be revealed in due time." The younger Hayden brother replied changing the topic, "Now let's move on. If there is one thing, I loathe more than anything, it is hurting women. I simply don't want to do it. That being said I will, if I have to. So, here's the deal, Joseph, I'm going to honor your request with one stipulation." Ryan said grabbing his chin, giving Joe an icy stare that reminded him of the older Hayden brother. He removed the blade from Joe's throat and pointed it in Callie's direction. "Ms. Shaw's safety and wellbeing will depend on your cooperation. All you have to do is follow my orders and be a good boy. If you do that, I won't mess up her pretty face. Do we have a deal?"

Callie's eyes widened. "No, Joe!" she gasped in horror.

Joe glared up at Ryan. Every fiber of his being was telling him to beat the hell out of Ryan, but he resisted the urge as he feared for Callie's life. He had already lost to many people like Phil, Seth, and Iola. They had all died horrible deaths because of him. He was terrified at what had happened to Frank. How bad was he hurt? He looked at Callie's frightened face, and he knew that he couldn't let anything happen to her, otherwise it would devastate his brother. He knew that if only one of them could make it out alive that it had to be Callie because she was Frank's world.

It was simple and Joe knew what he had to do. He stopped struggling to break his wrists free from the bedpost. His body was exhausted anyway, and his leg felt as if it was on fire. He felt defeated as if all of the fight had been zapped from his body. He jerked his chin out of Ryan's grip and ignored Callie's pleas, "You can do whatever you want to me, as long as Callie doesn't get hurt. You do that, then it's a deal." He said, resigned to what was happening.

An evil grin spread across Ryan's face, and he began laughing. "Alright Joseph, now that we've come to an understanding. Here's what's going to happen..."

FJFJFJFJFJ

Callie sat on the lumpy old bed listening to Ryan go over his instructions to Joe as he sat on the edge of Joe's bed while keeping his knife pointed towards her. Her mind was still reeling from everything that had transpired this morning from waking up and discovering that they were trapped, to Joe suffering a panic attack, and Ryan manhandling her and threatening to kill her if she moved off the bed. It was nothing more than a ploy to control Joe and manipulate him into agreeing to endure whatever Hayden had planned in exchange for her life.

"You both are going to get a shower and a change of clothes. If you behave during that you will then get breakfast. After that, Ms. Shaw, you will remain here in this room, while Joseph and I, " Ryan paused looking at Callie before turning back to Joe, "Spend some quality time together in the cellar where I have something special set up just for you."

Joe glared at Ryan until his words sank in. "Did you say cellar?" He repeated with a slight quiver in his voice. Joe could feel the panic creeping up on him again just thinking about it.

"I did."

Joe's eyes widened and his breathing quickened. His heart began pounding in his chest as he fought to get himself under control and not show his fear to Hayden. Why does it always have to be a cellar or basement...or a damn rat-infested closet! He thought. He pulled against the zip ties circling his wrists. He could smell the scent of copper as blood soaked the white bandages and began to run down his arms. He could feel blood trickling from the cut on his chin and down his neck as well. He shifted his sore leg trying to find a more comfortable position. He started taking calm and slow breaths trying to keep his panic at bay.

Ryan kept his smirk on his face, totally amused at playing with Joe's mind, "Then as I've said before we're going to play a special game with Frank tomorrow."

Joe growled at him. "What kind of game?" He didn't like the sound of that.

"It's called the revenge game. Before I kill Frank, the man responsible for killing my brother. I'm going to torture the hell out of him by using the two of you."

Callie didn't like the way that sounded. Oh, Frank, I'm so scared for you, she thought. She also didn't like the idea that they were going to separate her from Joe. She was afraid for him and for her. She had caught the panicked look in Joe's eyes when Ryan had mentioned the cellar. She knew from what Frank told her that Joe must be freaking out, as one of his biggest fears was being confined in a room with no way out. She also didn't like that Joe was laying on that bed in pain and a mess.

"Ryan, please cut Joe loose. Can't you see he's in pain?" Callie pleaded again in tears.

"Good. I want him to feel pain." Ryan said cruelly. He cast his dark eyes at her, "It's part of Frank's punishment." He shifted his dark eyes at Joe while shifting in his sitting position on Joe's bed.

"Frank, didn't kill your brother!" Joe shouted in his brother's defense. He pulled his bloody wrists against the ties trying to break free to get at Ryan. Only the move caused his leg to spasm and hurt, so he fell back panting, the glare in his eyes never leaving Ryan.

"I don't want to hear your lies, Joseph!" Ryan exploded, swiftly pointing his knife at Joe.

"I'm not lying! Jack Hayden hurt a lot of people. Anyone of them could've done it!"

"Yes, I know, one of them did. Your brother killed Jack!"

"NO. HE. DID. NOT." Joe said through clenched teeth as he lay on the bed seething in anger. Ryan could inflict any kind of pain on him that he wanted; however, he was not about to let anyone accuse Frank of something that he didn't do.

Ryan looked down at Joe and grinned, "We'll find out the truth when Frank gets here. I know he left the hospital early this morning, so, out of the kindness of my heart I thought I'd give him an extra day to recuperate before we invite him over to play tomorrow."

"You don't have a heart."

"That's cute! Joseph. Cute!" Ryan chuckled while reaching over ruffling up Joe's hair as Joe leaned as far away from him as he could. "But in all seriousness, I can't understand why you'd defend someone who's sending you to the loony ben."

Joe gave him a sour look. "Loony bin?"

Callie gasped. Ryan was about to throw a wrench into the plan to save Joe's life.

Ryan slapped his hand over his mouth as if pretending he spoiled a secret. "Whoops guess I let the cat out of the bag." He began to explain. "Yeah, you see Joseph. Yesterday, I was watching you, your family and your friends. While I was sweeping up the boardwalk..."

Joe interrupted him. "You're Bruce Linsky? Frank said that he thought that he saw him, but that was you? You must've been wearing a disguise, or..."

"He did." Callie spoke up. "Frank and I found a mask and a badge with Linsky's name on it in a trashcan, just before the fireworks show." She glared at Ryan. "Mr. Hardy has them, and I'm sure by now he's given them to the police. So, it's only a matter of time before they find out that they belong to you. Won't they?"

Ryan said with a sigh, "Oh, alright I confess." Like it matters anyway you'll both be dead tomorrow, he thought and shrugged, "It was me."

"You're Linsky then," Joe repeated in disbelief. "But you can't be the guy who kidnapped us during the pier explosion. Your body shape doesn't match."

"No, that wasn't me. Let's just say that he's a friend of mine, but you don't need to worry about him, he's not important." Ryan laughed, "I will admit however, that I am Linsky only in name. I set up the explosion on the pier to be the grand finale of the fireworks show and another fun surprise to keep your father and the police busy. This way I could kidnap Joseph to get my revenge against Frank for killing Jack. I was surprised to see his fiancé here when you arrived. Ms. Shaw had gotten caught up in the chaos, which is just an added bonus to my plan."

Joe and Callie both glared at him for his last comment. "So, where is the real Bruce Linsky?" Callie asked.

"Oh, he and his wife are buried behind the cabin. Along with that stupid ass Daniel Bartend," Ryan shook his head, "don't even get me started on him...and his incompetence..."

Joe's mouth dropped. "What you..."

"Yep, I killed them all. " Ryan replied. "In fact, this cabin belongs to the old couple." He waved a hand over the room. While keeping his knife trained on Joe, "Well, it will be until I blow it up."

Callie's eyes widened as she prayed that Frank wouldn't fall for Ryan's schemes.

"Now back to what I was saying, after I was so rudely interrupted." Ryan said continuing to toy with Joe. "I overheard a conversation between your parents and your brother. They said something about sending you to Bellevue because you tried to jump off the pier yesterday." Joe inhaled sharply as Ryan added with a grin, "Yeah I saw that too. you looked really upset." He pouted pretending to wipe away fake tears.

"My family would never send me to a place like Bellevue." Joe spat. He didn't want to believe it. He didn't know why he had been up on the railing and threatening to jump. He had just been so angry and confused with his friends and family arguing with him and after the fight with his father. Wait yes, he did know. He wanted to leave this world so he wouldn't hurt his family and friends. Now he didn't know what to think. There was just so much stuff whirling around in his head that he felt as if he was going crazy.

"The word Bellevue came from your father's lips. Your mother and brother agreed with him wholeheartedly."

"No! Joe don't believe him! Frank told me they agreed not to send you to Bellevue." Callie corrected him, "They're going to talk to Dr. Reese about sending him someplace better for... help." Her voice trailed off as she realized what she was confessing.

"Frank told you," Joe immediately looked at her. "You mean, you mean it's true!" He cried in stunned disbelief. He pulled against the zip ties on the bedpost causing his wrists and leg to hurt, by now he was a bloody mess from his wrists to his chin, but at this point he didn't care. "My...my family...is sending me away!"

Callie got up off the bed to go over to Joe, but Ryan glared at her and shifted his knife towards her daring her to move, so she immediately sat back down.

"Joe, it's not like that..." Callie tried again to explain before Ryan cut her off.

"It is true. I'm speaking from experience as one younger brother to another." Ryan replied, stabbing his finger in his own chest repeatedly. "I know what it's like to have an older brother who was the go-to guy who everyone went to for help to fix a problem. Jack did everything perfectly. I looked up to him even though he bossed me around and tried to control me. But he protected me every time our bastard father would threaten to beat the shit out of me with his belt or lock me up in a closet. Jack took my place for me every time. My father hated me, I was nothing more than vermin to him."

"Face it, Joseph, your parents don't want you. I mean, do you really think that the world-famous detective Fenton Hardy would want a weak and pathetic loser like you for a son? I mean look at you, Joseph, you're a bloody mess. You are a disgrace to the Hardy name. In fact, your father will probably be glad when you're gone. Then in time he'll forget all about you and spend the rest of his life morning the loss of his perfect and favorite son Frank." Ryan was enjoying spewing out his hateful words, "And oh, let us not forget about your doting big brother. He doesn't want his pathetic worthless little brother anymore either." Ryan pursed his lips together and said shrugging his shoulders. "I'll just be doing you a favor when I kill you. Then you won't have to endure the pain of your family hating you."

Joe just laid in there limply, with angry tears in his eyes, glaring at Ryan and listening to his hateful words. Joe couldn't speak, he had no words. My family is sending me away, he thought. My family. It must be Dad's idea, after all, he hates me. Why else do I have this resentment towards him? It's one of the reasons we were fighting. I should have known it wouldn't take Frank long to find out my secret. Biff probably told him. I should be mad at Biff for blabbing, but I'm not. I'm mad at myself... Frank knows my secret...now he hates me.

It couldn't be true. but maybe there was truth in what Ryan was saying. Frank really didn't want him either. Well, if his family didn't want him...that's fine! And as much as he loved his brother, he'd do anything to make him happy. And the one thing or person that would make Frank happy was Callie. Joe was going make sure to get Callie back to Frank as his final act of love for his brother. He looked away from Ryan and Callie, feeling too embarrassed for them to see him break down crying. He took a sharp breath and sobbed once. That was all it took. Soon tears began to pour down his face as his body shook uncontrollably as he broke down. He couldn't stop the tears running down his face.

Callie felt horrible hearing Joe cry like that. She tried to call out to Joe telling him not to listen to Ryan and that his words were poison. But Joe kept his head turned away from her as he continued to cry, stifling any noise he was making.

Ryan lowered his pocketknife and stood up from Joe's bed and went over to tie Callie's wrists back to the bedpost before leaving the room. As he left, he began laughing sadistically, the evil sound echoing through the room, and he thought to himself. My work here is done. Well, most done at least, I planted the seed...now I can't wait until tomorrow when Frank Hardy gets here. It's going to be so much fun.

FJFJFJFJFJ

"It's 8 in the damn morning!" Picasso cursed under his breath as he stomped up the steps of the backdoor of the cabin that led to the kitchen. "Ryan had better have a good reason for texting me this early!" He opened the door as he entered the kitchen and stopped in his tracks. A smile stretched across his face when he found Carolyn standing at the stove scrambling eggs. He could tell that she had recently showered as he let his lustful eyes scan over what she wore as it clung to her body ending at her shoulders where he could see her damp hair clinging to her neck.

"Well, if it isn't Little Miss Homemaker." he called out while slamming the door at the same time. Carolyn jumped with a start, dropping the spatula that she had been using. "You look hot behind the stove scrambling those eggs."

She whirled around and glared at him. "Shut up! What's the big idea sneaking up on me like that, you jackass!"

Ignoring her comment, Picasso strolled up and continued his banter, "All you need now is an evening dress, a string of pearls around your neck and some high heels." He pointed at her hair making a whirling motion with his finger. "Maybe curl the hair up a bit..."

"I told you to shut up! Don't make me beat you upside the head with this." She spat at him, picking up her spatula and shaking it at him.

"Woah! Woah!" He said lifting his hands in defense. He bit back a smirk, "Take it easy, tiger. I was just giving you a complement."

"Go away." She responded through gritted teeth.

"Sorry to disappoint you Babe, but I can't go away." He looked around for Ryan. " I'm here because your boyfriend sent me a text message ordering me to, 'wake my ass up and get it here, ASAP!' It had better be important, cause, he knows damn well why I can't be seen in the daytime."

"Why, are you Dracula? Do you go around sucking the life out of poor maidens? Will you explode into dust if you are exposed to daylight?" She joked sarcastically.

"Not Dracula, babe. Oh no, I'm a lot scarier than that. So, where is he?"

"Whatever." She rolled her eyes at him. She sighed and continued. "Ryan is keeping first watch on the Hardy kid and the girl. And he wants to make damn sure Henry doesn't interfere with his plan."

"Oh right 'his' plan." The Artist repeated mockingly. "Where is Jack Jr. by the way?"

"Who?"

"Henry."

"Oh. He's in his room. Ryan threatened to break his neck if he came out of there."

Picasso shook his head, that kid must be ready to lose his shit all over his uncle after the beating that he had given him. I'm so looking forward to seeing how things are going to play out, he thought gleefully.

"Well, I'm here, so what the hell does Ryan want?" Picasso asked impatiently.

"Ryan didn't send you the message. I did." Carolyn replied sheepishly as she blushed and began to mentally kick herself for doing it.

"Oh, is that so? " Picasso asked, raising an eyebrow, intrigued by the woman's comment.

"You know what? Forget it. I don't know what I was thinking when I sent you that message. It's probably due to my lack of sleep. Just go back to your van, or whatever rock you crawled out from under." She said, hastily waving him off. She turned back around to the frying pan and scooped the eggs onto a plate.

A smile stretched across the man's face. He had a feeling he knew what she wanted but couldn't bring herself to say it. He knew this woman would be the perfect asset to what he had in mind, and, with a little coaxing on his part, he knew that could draw her over to his side. He jumped up and sat on the counter beside her. He snatched a piece of bacon off of the plate and popped it in his mouth.

"So, what's the plan after this?" He inquired, chewing the bacon, "Are you two going to settle down get married? Maybe pop out of few kids."

"No." Carolyn sneered, "We'll probably leave the country. Of course, we'll have to take Henry with us, unless Ryan kills him first. Which will be no big loss. I can't stand the kid." She picked up another egg from the carton and cracked it into the skillet, letting it sizzle and tossing the shells into the garbage can.

That's what you guys think, but I think the Kid will have different ideas. He thought to himself. "You're crazy as shit, if you think that's going to happen." He said out loud. " Ryan is about to kill the Hardy boys. There won't be a place on this planet that you can go to hide from their old man. Fenton Hardy won't stop until your asses are either behind bars or dead."

"I don't know, Picasso. Ryan and I will figure it out. We always do." Carolyn snapped at him, she sighed and repeated wearily as she scooped the eggs out and placed them on another plate. "We always do."

"Are you his lackey or his girlfriend?"

At the question Carolyn slammed the spatula on the counter. Her chest heaved, and she took a deep breath. she cast her angry eyes at Picasso.

"It's just a question. I've been observing both of you. And from what I've noticed, he treats you more like his lackey than his girlfriend. It makes me wonder why you're with him. Is he that good in the sack?" Picasso said with a shrug.

"I'm warning you, shut your trap or I'll shut it for you!" She snapped at his crude comment pointing her finger at his face. "You have no idea what I'm capable of. I could kill you."

"Do you love him?" He pressed on unfazed by her threat.

"I don't have to answer you." Carolyn said, deeply regretting sending him that text message.

"It's a simple question, Carolyn. Do you love him? I know guys like Ryan only lookout for themselves. Eventually, he will turn on you."

"No, he won't. I know Ryan a lot better than you do."

"Is that right? How long have you been with him?"

"Seventeen years."

"Damn. That long?"

"Yes. We met in high school. Jack and Cindy, Henry's parents, were dating at the time. Cindy and I were best friends; in fact, all four of us became instant friends because we all had such horrible homes and promised to protect each other when we were in trouble. So, in answer to your question, Do I love Ryan? Yes, I do. I would do anything for him because he saved my life." She said looking at Picasso.

"How did he do that?"

Carolyn recalled proudly. "He shot and killed my stepfather and stepbrother before he torched the house with them in it. Jack did the same thing to Cindy's parents, before he killed his own father. He and Ryan hated that man; he did so many evil things to them. To this day, I can still remember standing outside my house with Ryan as I watched it burn to the ground. For the first time in my life I felt free. No one could hurt me anymore."

There was a brief silence between the two before Picasso said, "That sounds like you're with Ryan out of loyalty rather than love."

"You don't know what you're talking about. Go away." She snapped and focused on preparing the food in front of her. "I have to get the food to our guests."

"Alright, alright. I'll leave, but first let me ask you something?" Picasso asked as he hopped off the counter.

"What?" She growled at him, glaring.

"In the seventeen years that you've been with Ryan, have you ever been able to do anything on your own, or have you always followed his orders?"

"I've always done what he tells me." She sheepishly admitted. "Look you don't understand. Ryan's the only one who has ever been there for me." she added with angry tears running down her face. "He's kept me safe..."

"Damn girl! He's got some control over you that you don't see. He did this one favor for you by saving you from the hell hole you were living in, and of course you're grateful for him. I have a feeling he's been constantly feeding and guilting you for years about how much you need him and all he's ever done for you. Just so you'd do what he wants."

"Get lost." Carolyn tore her eyes away from Picasso quickly wiping tears off her face.

Picasso smiled inwardly, his words had struck a nerve with her. With a little more coaxing he knew he would have her completely.

"So, tell me a bit about yourself. Is Carolyn your real name?"

"Why do you keep asking questions about me? I don't know anything about you, other than you're a creep in a leather jacket who comes out at night. You look like an idiot with your greasy hair pulled back into that ponytail. Not to mention that you built two bombs for Ryan and helped us to kidnap those kids. Who are you?"

"I'll answer your questions, if, you'll answer mine." He countered.

Why was he so mysterious? And why did she find herself drawn to this man. Who was this man really? Carolyn couldn't explain it, he had more of a darker, edgier side than Ryan. In a way she found him attractive. Wait, wait, attractive? Where had that come from? I'm not attracted to this guy! He's nothing but a sexist pig and I hate him. I'm with Ryan. I love him. However, she couldn't help but feel drawn to Picasso. She quickly pushed those disturbing thoughts out of her mind.

Carolyn kept her glare on Picasso. "Fine." She huffed and answered, "Karen Lyn Marshall Matthews is my real name. Marshall Matthews was my father's name. He left us when I was about five. A year later my mother met and married my stepfather, Delbert Edwards. We had to move in with him and his son Dallas, who was ten years old at the time. Anyway, nobody's allowed to call me by that name. That girl doesn't exist anymore, and I'd prefer to keep it that way."

Picasso raised an eyebrow again wrinkling his forehead at her statement. I knew she was an interesting woman. "Why change it to Carolyn?'

"My mother's name was Carol Matthews Edwards. Basically, my family had a history of drugs, alcohol, and domestic violence. When I was seventeen my mom died of a drug overdose, so I got stuck living with Delbert and Dallas. They watched me all the time. They basically made me their slave by forcing me to cook and clean the house every day after I'd come home from school. They were always coming up behind me with their grubby hands and pinching or groping me," She choked up. "Then late at night after they'd get drunk or high, sometimes one of them, or sometimes both of them would come into my room to rape me. I ended up getting pregnant by one of them. I ended up having a miscarriage and after that I decided to get my tubes tied so it couldn't happen again. It was for the best, I was seventeen and I couldn't take care of a baby. Besides, bringing a kid into this world would be cruel. I never told Ryan I was pregnant, in fact I never told anyone until now. " Carolyn paused for a moment and stared off into space.

Picasso could see the tears forming in the corners of her eyes. She took a deep breath and continued. "Anyway, I combined our names together and formed Carolyn as a reminder of what happened to both of us and I'm making it my mission to rid the world of men who treat women like shit. And like I told you earlier I've already killed men in my past for even trying to take advantage of me. And that's all I'm going to say about that." She said in a tone of voice that left no room for argument.

"Fair enough." Picasso agreed. "How did you become a nurse?"

"My mother was a nurse. Before she got too deep into the drugs, she taught me a lot about medicine and how much to administer. She also taught me how to clean lacerations and splint broken bones. I would practice on her after every drunken fight with Delbert. I got good at it too. Years later, I perfected the craft with Cindy Hayden after a fight with Jack and with Henry as well. He'd beat them up so badly to the point they had to go to the hospital." She paused for a moment looking down at the food in front of her to get her thoughts together, finally she looked back up at him and continued, "That's when I'd step in wearing a disguise and a fake name. I'd use my mother's credentials to sneak them out of hospitals before the police could get involved. After that sneaking in and out of hospitals or any other place became natural to me. So that's what I do."

"So, I'm guessing, you've never actually gone to medical school?" Picasso asked, he was thoroughly impressed by her background. This was some good shit. Really good. I could score big with the 'Boss' with this one, he thought.

"Ha!" She snorted a laugh. "Like I could ever afford that! We barely had money for food and rent because Mom would spend it all on coke. Out of necessity I learned how to steal food, clothes, and anything I needed to survive by the time I was nine. We would go to restaurants to order food and after we finished eating, we'd skip out on the check. Sometimes we'd go into grocery stores and my mom would argue with the cashier about how she 'conveniently' forgets to pay for an item. Meanwhile I'm two aisles over putting a carton of milk or bread in my backpack." She stopped laughing, letting her voice grow serious and added, "No. I always wanted to go to medical school, and I had this crazy idea of becoming a doctor, but it never happened. I learned how to be one by assisting doctors while they were performing procedures on patients. In fact, the only surgery I've ever done was on the kid in there when I removed a bullet from his leg. It's too bad it got infected. It was good practice, though."

Unbelievable. Picasso thought as he shook his head. "Your talents are thoroughly wasted with Ryan. You could do a hell of a lot better for yourself. You have so much potential...for so much more. Ya know, I can help you with that."

"What do you mean?" Carolyn asked, her curiosity piqued.

"There is this organization I'm involved with. They could use someone with your talents. They can help you redefine 'your perfect craft' as you say. The training they'd give you would be a bitch, but the rewards are worth it. You get a new pair of shoes, and you live like a king, well in your case a queen and you'd become your own boss. In other words, you'd get a new life. You can be whoever you want to be. You can use the training that they give you to conduct your mission, of course you'd have to do jobs for them on an occasion. If it's protection you want, they can provide that for you."

"What is this organization?" Carolyn asked as she looked at him quizzically. "Who the hell are you?"

Picasso smiled. He had her, now it was time to throw in the last pitch. "I am someone who is giving you a chance to save yourself." He leaned into her looking into her eyes and added, keeping his voice firm and steady. "Shit is going to hit the fan tomorrow once Ryan gets Frank Hardy here. When that happens, I plan on being as far away from it as possible. I'll be in my van at the end of the road waiting to leave and there can be room for one passenger. The spot is yours if you want it."

Carolyn lifted her eyebrows causing her forehead to wrinkle. "Leave Ryan, but I…"

"Carolyn! What's taking you so damn long!" Ryan roared from the hallway cutting off Carolyn. "Get the food in here now!"

"Cool your jets, I'm coming!" She yelled back.

"Carolyn, you're a smart woman." Picasso said softly so Ryan couldn't hear. "I know that you want what I'm offering you. Why else would you have texted me? You want your freedom and now you have the opportunity. The ball is in your court now. Take your shot." With that he turned around headed out the backdoor leaving her to her thoughts.

Ryan burst into the kitchen. "Carol..." He started to say but stopped short when he found his girlfriend standing by the stove just staring at the back door, lost in her thoughts. He clicked his tongue in irritation when he noticed four plates of food on the counter.

Carolyn flinched when a couple fingers began snapping in her face startled her out of her thoughts. She whirled around to see that it was Ryan. "Don't you snap your fingers at me," She snapped back. "I'm not a dog and I told you I was coming!"

"What the hell's your problem?" He returned heatedly. "I found you standing in here daydreaming, when we have things to do!"

"I'm tired and I'm done, okay! " She shot back tearfully. "I'm just ready to be done with this whole thing."

"I'm tired too. Don't worry it will be over tomorrow." Ryan replied taking a breath to calm down and reassure her. "Once the Hardy boys are dead, you and I are out of here."

"Really? Where are we going?"

"Anywhere we want, babe. We'll leave the country and go to some god forsaken island no one's ever heard of."

"No, Ryan." Carolyn argued, reiterating Picasso's words. "There won't be a place on the planet where we can hide. Fenton Hardy won't stop looking for us once we kill his kids. Finding us and punishing us will become his mission in life." Suddenly a surge of rage came over her and began punching him repeatedly in the chest, "I'm tired of running! I'm tired of hiding! I'm sick of all of it!"

"Don't you even think about turning against me!" Ryan shouted, grabbing her by her wrists and forcing her to look at him. "After everything I've done for you! I've always protected you, right? If it weren't for me you'd still be your stepfather's whore, Karen!"

"How dare you call me that!" Carolyn cried, pulling herself away from him.

"Then you shouldn't say things to get me all riled up." Ryan shot back. He took a step back from her to cool his temper.

"I thought you loved me?" She hugged her arms around her while sniffing back angry tears. "How could you hurt me like that?"

"I do love you. You're a beautiful sexy, strong vibrant woman." He reassured her as he pulled her into a hug. "I'm all stressed out as shit. Everything I'm doing right now is for Jack. I have to make him proud by avenging his death." Releasing her he wiped her tears away and kissed her forehead as he did so. "I need your help, Baby with this. Once the Hardy's are dead, we'll go anywhere you want."

"Really?" She looked up at him.

"Really." He nodded, "You my Sweet, can pick where we go this time."

"What about Henry? Is he not coming with us?"

"It depends on how well he behaves tomorrow." Ryan sighed heavily. "Now go take the food to our guests. I'm going to go check on the little shit. Oh, I also need you to do a little something for me."

"What?" She asked, looking at him suspiciously.

"I want you to go in and mess with Joseph Hardy's mind a little bit. I need to break him down mentally. I've already started the process and I can see that there's something going on with him, he's on the edge. That's where you come in." He said with a grin.

"Okay..." She said with a small smile. "What exactly do you have in mind?" He leaned over and whispered his plan in her ear, and her smile spread from ear to ear when Ryan finished explaining his plan. "Oh, I can do that." She said, loving this part of the plan.

"Here go and take Henry his breakfast." She said, handing Ryan one of the plates. "Yours is on the counter." She said as she turned off the stove. Then she picked up the two plates of food, placed them on a tray. She heard Ryan mutter, "I should just let the little shit starve', under his breath as he headed out of the kitchen to Henry's room with the plate.

"To hell with Picasso," She thought, "I'm not going anywhere with him. He's wrong about Ryan. He'd never turn on me, I love him, and I know that he loves me. Besides, I can't leave yet. At least not until, I have some fun with that delicious boy. She smirked as she headed towards the bedroom. I wonder if he'll remember me.

FJFJFJFJFJ

After Ryan had left the room, Callie suddenly noticed Joe was quiet. She could hear Ryan arguing back and forth with a woman in the kitchen, their voices rising and falling. She saw that Joe still had his head turned away from her while sniffing back tears.

"Joe?" She said softly to him.

"Leave me alone, Callie." Joe said, his voice flat and emotionless.

"I just wanted to know if your leg was still hurting?"

"It's fine."

She knew he wasn't being truthful and that he was starting to shut down, so she tried again. "Are your wrists and your chin still bleeding?"

"Why do you care?" He returned harshly.

"Because I do."

"Ha! Don't lie, Callie. You should be thrilled my family is sending me away, because now you get to have Frank all to yourself. So, congratulations you won!" Joe shot back still staring at the wall.

"That's not true. I," She tried again. "Joe, Will you look at me please?"

With a 'tisk' of his tongue and a sigh of annoyance, he turned his head in her direction, blinking angry tears from his eyes a few times, "I'm fine." he replied dryly. "Everything is fine." He pulled on the zip ties around his wrists. He winced in pain as he moved his leg, it was really hurting, but he didn't care. He was more hurt by the bombshell news Callie had dropped on him about his family.

"Oh, Joe." She gasped when she saw the blood from the nick on his chin that had trickled down his neck. "You're not fine at all." She noticed that the blood oozing from his wrists had seeped through the white bandages and ran down to his elbows and was soaking into the mattress. It concerned her with how much blood Joe had already lost. The zip ties on his wrists were on so tight it had to be cutting off his circulation. She really wished that she could get her wrists free, so she could help him, but Ryan had tied her hands to the headboard tightly to be sure that she couldn't move. "And it is true." He added lastly.

She said trying to reason with him. "Please, believe me, I do care about you."

"Why should I believe you? I don't know who to believe or trust anymore."

"Okay, you don't want to believe me, that's fine. You don't have to, but I just want to say this." Callie replied. She blinks back the tears from her eyes. She cleared her throat and took a calming breath, "When Frank told me that you had tried to jump off the pier... I was so scared Joe. I think that I am partly to blame for that. I said some awful things to you yesterday. I blamed you for Frank's health issues with his heart and depression, which is not your fault. Not to mention that I'm jealous of you for taking some of Frank's time away from me. I also blamed you for what happened to Iola..." Callie said. Her voice cracked with emotion as she spoke. "And I am so sorry for that, Joe. What happened to her was not your fault. Vanessa helped me see that I've been blaming you for her death..."

"I know, Callie. Vanessa told me you told her about Iola. What the two of us were like when we were dating, and how I treated her like crap. And how she died."

"She did?"

"Yeah." Joe grunted in pain as he shifted on the bed. "During the start of the fireworks show I acted like an idiot with her. I ended up throwing our cellphones in the bay because she was going to call Frank to tell him I was having a panic attack. God, I hope she's okay." He said thinking of his beautiful angel. He had for sure lost her now. If she was hurt or worse...it'll be my fault, he thought. And Little Trevor...God... please let that kid be alright, he prayed.

Breaking into his thoughts, Callie said. "So that's why we couldn't reach you guys. Your mom was going crazy trying to get a hold of you."

"Yeah, I figured." Joe said. He felt bad for upsetting his mother like that. "Look Callie, what happened to Iola is in the past. It was a painful time for both of us." He replied in a defeated tone. "I really have no right to be angry with you. I did some awful things to you and Frank while you were dating. It's just that every time Frank's not with me. I get a horrible feeling and I'm afraid that something will happen, and he'll die. Although, with all added stress I've been putting him through lately, I'm surprised his heart is still beating." Joe started to tear up, feeling that familiar ache in his chest. "I can feel him... right now... and he's hurt. I just don't know how bad and why. What did Henry do to Frank?"

"Even if Frank did leave the hospital earlier this morning, the bright side is that he's alive. Henry didn't hurt him as badly as you as think he did. Hopefully his heart is okay." Callie suggested. She was praying that what she was saying was true. "Maybe it's a sign that Frank is trying to connect with you."

"I don't know." Joe said grunting in pain again. He shifted his leg trying to find a better position, so he didn't ache as much. Damn, everything hurt, he thought, his arms, his leg. and he was starting to feel dizzy and nauseous. He was doing his best to hold it together. "Maybe he is and maybe he isn't..." His voice grew thick with emotion, "I just know that when things go wrong, I'm usually to blame. When people get hurt, it's my fault. When people die, it's my fault. I'm horrible, dirty and disgusting. I can't really blame my family for wanting to send me away. Ryan's right, I'm such a loser."

"Don't talk like that, Joe. You're not a loser. Ryan is just poisoning your mind with his lies. Remember, he's a sociopath, just like Jack Hayden. He knows how to manipulate people and says things to mess with your head." Callie said, hoping her words will give him some encouragement. "You're a good person and you're smart. You have family and friends who love and care about you. In fact, I'm sure your father is working hard with the police to find us."

"Correction. Dad and the police are working hard to find you. You're Dad's future daughter-in-law and soon to be wife for his perfect son. His pride and joy. Dad knows how much Frank loves you. Me? He can't stand me. I'm nothing to him..."

"Will you stop talking like that!" Callie said, trying her best to get through to Joe. "Your family loves you very much. If they didn't, they wouldn't be going through the effort of trying to help you."

"Effort, What effort?"

"Okay, yes Joe, at first your parents were going to send you to Bellevue. The doctor recommended it and it was the only thing that they could think of doing. They were and still are scared to death that you are going to try to harm yourself again. If you can't believe that, then believe Frank. When your parents told him what you tried to do, he completely freaked out. And after he calmed down, he helped your parents to realize that it would be a mistake to send you to that place. They're going to talk with Dr Reese about finding a better place to send you." Callie prayed to God that she was saying all the right words to him. "I know you made an agreement with Ryan to take his abuse because of me. I want you to fight back. Fight him with everything you have. Be the Joe Hardy I know you are, the person who's not afraid to kick ass. If not for me, do it for you and for Frank...please."

"Callie, I get..." Joe started to say until he heard the familiar voice of the woman of his nightmares, and it sent chills down his spine.

"Morning Handsome, I brought you some breakfast."

Please don't let it be who I think it is. Joe thought as he began to panic. He knew that voice and it terrified him. His heart began pounding rapidly and when he looked up he saw a raven-haired woman standing in the doorway with a tray with two breakfast plates on it.

"No! Not you! Not you!" He cried.

"Oh good. You do remember me." she said smiling seductively with a wink as she entered the room.

"Get away from me, you crazy lady!" He screamed, pulling frantically on the zip ties, and thrashing on the bed.

"Oh no." Callie's eyes widened. With all the drama with Ryan she had completely forgotten about the crazy nurse.

"Now, now Handsome, you need to calm down. I made breakfast in bed, just for you." she said sweetly. "And then after you are all done eating, you get to take a shower and have a change of clothes." She placed the two plates of food down on the table between the beds before sitting down at Joe's bedside.

"Besides, I can't leave you in such a bloody mess." She ran her hand through his blond hair, her fingernails traced the outline of his ear before it cupped the side of his face. "Such a handsome face. And those eyes..." Joe's angry eyes connected with her deceit filled brown eyes. "I don't think I've ever seen eyes that shade of blue. And they are so expressive, there's such emotion in them... it's almost electrifying." Her eyes trailed down to his mouth, "Oh and these lips, you know I have to tell you, I saw you making out with your girlfriend during the fireworks show. She's a lucky girl to have gotten a taste of these lips." She cooed as her thumb grazed his bottom lip. "I'm curious as to what they taste like myself."

"No, you don't!" Joe cried, instinctively jerked his chin out of her grip.

But then she quickly cupped both hands to the side of his face forcing Joe to look at her. "Don't fight it, Handsome. I know you've wanted to kiss me from the first time we met, when I took the bullet out of your leg."

"No, I didn't. All I wanted then, like I do now is for you to get the hell away from me!" Joe shot back.

"You're lying, sweetheart. I can see the passion in your eyes, and I know that you want to kiss me as much as I want to kiss you."

"I don't suppose it makes a difference to you that C-callie's in the r-room." He stuttered nervously. He felt his anxiety kick into high gear. He didn't have a good feeling about this, he didn't want to betray Vanessa this way. Vanessa, the beautiful angel who had captured his heart. Kissing her had been the best thing that came out of this mess. Joe didn't know if he'd ever get the chance to see her again or be able to kiss her let alone call her his girlfriend. God, I hope she survived the explosion and that she's okay, he prayed. He hoped that he hadn't lost her forever. He didn't think he could handle it if something had happened to her.

"Good. Let her watch... I'm sure she'll enjoy it." Carolyn said, drawing Joe's attention back to her as she took a side glance at Callie, who was starting to protest, but Carolyn continued before she could say anything, "But if I hear a single peep out of her, I'm going to slit her throat."

Callie instantly shut her mouth, and instead just glared at the woman. She wanted to yell at her to leave Joe alone but knew that she couldn't.

There wasn't much Joe could do with his arms tied to the bedpost. The fact that he was mentally and physically exhausted didn't help matters either. What was the use in fighting? I should be used to this. Taking everyone's abuse is why I was put on the planet, it's my punishment for everything I've done. Joe closed his eyes as the crazy nurse leaned forward, and passionately kissed him on the lips. He tried to end the kiss by turning his head away, but her hands held his face firmly in place. His fear increased when she became more aggressive with her kiss, and she forced her tongue into his mouth and began tangling it with his. He felt sick. He fought back his tears as he sent out a silent plea. Frank...I need you! Bro, please help me. Get me away from this woman! To his relief she finally broke the kiss. He opened his eyes to see her leaning back up.

"Wow, you taste good. I can see why your girlfriend couldn't get enough of you. I could go for round two, " She smirks when she saw Joe's eyes widen, and she ran her thumb across his lips once more, "It'll have to wait, though. You're a bit of a mess. I have to clean you up first." Carolyn said letting her eyes sweep over the blood marking his chin, neck and arms. "I think instead of a shower, I'm going to give you a bath."

Joe blanched at the idea. "The hell you are." He snapped.

"It's OK, Handsome. I've given baths to patients' numerous times. Afterall I am a nurse, and I'm used to seeing people in the buff." Carolyn lied.

"A nurse! Hah! That's a laugh!" Joe shot back. "You are crazy, lady! Especially if you think I'm going to let you touch me! You botched up removing that bullet from my leg! You almost killed me!" He winced in pain when he tried to move and he pulled against the zip ties. The movement didn't help his leg either.

"The important thing is that you're here now." Carolyn said. She got up from Joe's bedside and went over to the closet to get a couple of pillows to use to prop up Joe's leg. She sat back down again at his bedside. "I saw you wincing. If you're in pain. I can give you something to make you feel better." She placed her left hand on the bandage the covered the bullet wound on the calf of his leg. "In fact, maybe I should give you a full checkup." She said as she boldly slid her hand further up his leg.

"Stop!" Joe cried as he jerked away before her hand reached the hem of his khaki shorts. The movement sent a jolt of pain through him, and he winced.

"Suit yourself, handsome." She laughed softly, taking her hand away. "But if you change your mind..."

"I won't." He cut her off.

"Well, if you didn't like that, maybe you'll like this?" Callie saw the crazy nurse lean over and whisper something in his ear that she couldn't hear. However, she did see Joe's petrified reaction. His face paled and he started breathing heavily. Carolyn just grinned at the boy's reaction. She was enjoying this little game so she decided to kick things up a notch, just to see how far he would break.

Callie couldn't believe her eyes when she saw the crazy nurse lift the front of Joe's red polo shirt all the way up to his neck and she began running her left hand slowly along his chest and abs. The whole time Joe was screaming at her to, 'stop touching me!' She ignored his cries and continued to touch him and slowly circle his navel before sliding her other hand down towards the waistline of his shorts.

Then out of nowhere a man's hand caressing his leg flashed through his mind, followed by a man's voice, "You and I are going to play a special game, Joey..." Joe suddenly went rigid, his eyes became vacant and glazed over and he began to scream, "No! No! I'll be good! I'll be good! Frank...don't leave me...I'll be good!" Still the crazy nurse ignored his cries.

Callie was just about to yell at the woman to leave Joe alone, never mind the threat against her when Ryan burst into the room. "What the hell are you doing!" He shouted red faced.

Carolyn immediately jumped to her feet. She whirled around to face her boyfriend and pointed an accusing finger towards Joe, "He made a pass at me!"

"Is that true, Joseph?" Ryan growled, planting his hands on his hips. "Did you make a pass at my girlfriend?"

Joe immediately snapped out of his trance, "What?" He asked between heavy breaths. He stopped struggling to break free from the bed. He began taking slow and steady breaths to try to calm himself down. He didn't know what was happening, and he was so confused, "What's going on?"

"Did you, or did you not make a pass at my girlfriend?" Ryan repeated heatedly. He was enjoying his little game with the younger Hardy.

Joe's eyes widened as he looked at Ryan's dark angry eyes. " No, I never...she...did..." He stuttered.

"He's a lying little pervert, Ryan." Carolyn cried. "I was just checking out the blood on his chin and neck, and the next thing I knew...he...he kissed me on the lips and then he reached up with his hand and started groping my breast!"

Joe's mouth dropped open in shock. He tried to speak but no words came out. He didn't understand why this was happening, why he was being accused of something he didn't do.

"What do you have to say about all this, Ms. Shaw?" Ryan demanded walking over to Callie.

"Your girlfriend is the one who's lying!" Callie shot back in Joe's defense. She could not hold back her anger any longer. She tugged at the zip ties around her wrists. "I saw the whole thing! She kissed him! She was the one groping him! He yelled at her several times to stop touching him. But she wouldn't listen!" Callie couldn't believe this. "Besides, how could Joe make advances at her and grope her when his hands are tied to the bedpost!" She looked at Carolyn and said, "Lady, I don't know what your intentions are with him. But I'd watch my step if I were you. Joe is only seventeen so in the eyes of the law, he's still a child and you're a grown ass woman!"

"Well that just proves it then, he's a horny teenage boy. They're all alike when it comes to women. They can never keep their hands to themselves." Carolyn scoffed while folding her arms to her chest. " Ryan, I guess it's up to you to decide. Who are you going to believe? Them or ME?" She pursed her lips together and batted her eyelashes at him.

Ryan felt all eyes on him, anticipating his decision. "I don't have to decide because Joseph, here, is going to tell us the truth."

"What!" Joe scrunched his face in confusion. "I am telling you the truth. I didn't touch your girlfriend. She..."

"Now Joseph, that's a lie and you know it." Ryan taunted. "Have you forgotten about our agreement, already? I mean I just explained it to you not more than an hour ago. Let me refresh your memory. You agreed to be a good boy and to follow my orders, and I agreed not to hurt Ms. Shaw."

Joe nearly jumped out of his skin when Ryan took his jackknife out of his pocket. He grabbed Callie by the back of her neck, forcing her to look upwards and pointed the tip of his blade inches from her face. Callie shook with fear as Joe cried out. "Don't hurt her, you stupid shit!"

Ryan said coolly. "I'm going to ask you again; did you make a pass at my girlfriend?"

"No, I never touched her!"

"Wrong answer." Ryan pressed the tip of the knife against Callie's cheek. Callie screamed in pain as blood began to trickle out of the small nick on her cheek.

"Leave Callie alone!" Joe shouted. It suddenly hit him with what Ryan wanted. How could he even bring himself to admit to something he didn't do. At the same time, he couldn't let Callie get hurt.

"YES or NO, Joseph! Do you really want Ms. Shaw's blood on your hands?"

Joe knew that he had no choice. He had to do it. For Callie and for Frank. His heartbeat frantically in his chest and he breathed heavily, as he said, "Y-yes! Yes, I kissed and groped your girlfriend! Just don't hurt Callie!"

Ryan let go of Callie. He lowered his knife and walked over to Joe. "Joseph, I am deeply disappointed in you. Here I thought I was being nice and letting you have breakfast and a shower. And you repay me by lying, kissing, and groping my girlfriend! You're a dirty little piece of shit!" He shouted as he picked up the tray of food and threw it at Joe, sending the food all over him. The tray slid off the bed and crashed onto the floor.

Before he had a chance to recover, Ryan belted him across the face with his fist. Joe fell back hitting the back of his head against the headboard. He was dazed from the blows, and he could taste blood in his mouth and on his bottom lip as he gently probed the area with the tip of his tongue. But before he had a chance to react again, he heard Ryan say the next terrifying words.

"Nobody touches my girlfriend. Nobody! Now I'm going to have to punish you. It's time to go to the cellar."

"Noooo!" Joe started breathing heavily. His heart began pounding just thinking about the cellar. But he had to do it for Callie and for Frank.

Joe!" Callie screamed as Ryan quickly slashed the ties loose from Joe's wrists from the bedpost and flung him over his shoulder and quickly left the room.

FJFJFJFJFJ

Meanwhile, down the hallway in the next bedroom.

"Damn you, Uncle Ryan!" Henry cried in a fit of rage. He could hear Joe screaming from the other room. He screamed when we brought him here to the cabin last night and he woke up screaming this morning! What the hell are they doing to him! He picked up his breakfast plate from the nightstand and threw it across the room at the door where it shattered, sending the food and broken pieces of the plate to the floor. When Ryan had brought him his breakfast, he warned him again to not leave the room or he'd break his neck. To make sure that Henry followed his orders Ryan had locked the door behind him when he left.

Henry plopped down on the floor next to the bed. He sat with his back against the bed, and he brought his legs up to his chest before wrapping his arms around them. He took deep calming breaths to try to calm his rage. It wasn't working, he was ready to explode! The welts on his back still throbbed from the beating that his uncle had given him, but he didn't care. His days of enduring anyone's abuse were over. He cried angry tears, "I'm so sorry, Joe. You weren't supposed to get hurt... but just wait... I'll save you... Picasso you better bring me my gun. I'm gonna to kill Uncle Ryan and Frank Hardy. Then I'm going to get you Joe, and the two of us are gonna go far away from here...no one will ever hurt us again!

Suddenly an idea struck him, Henry quickly wiped the tears off his face and got up to his feet. He went over to the closet, opened the door and took out a garbage bag from inside. He put the bag on the bed and opened it. He took out a red long-sleeved shirt and jeans and laid them beside the bag. He walked over to the mirror on the wall, he huffed and ran a hand through his hair. Picasso was right, the dark brown hair color was starting to wash out and he could see his red hair was starting to show. He went back over to the bed and picked up the bag and opened it. He reached in and pulled out a small box of dark brown hair dye. A grin slid across his face. It was perfect.

A sudden knock on the window startled him. He looked up and saw Picasso standing outside the window. Henry set the bag and hair dye back on the bed and quickly went over unlocked and opened the window.

He narrowed his eyes at the man, demanding, "Where've you been?"

"Easy Kid I..." Picasso started to say.

"We had a deal Picasso! I've kept my end of the deal; I got you the blonde chick that you wanted. But so far, you've failed to hold your part of the deal! Why aren't you protecting Joe like you're supposed to!" Henry ranted, at the Artist. "Didn't you hear him screaming! I did! What is my uncle doing to him!"

"Kid, I..."

"Shut Up! I'm not done! You're going to be sorry if my uncle has done anything to harm Joe. Now where's my damn gun!"

"Listen here, you little prick!" Picasso fired back. "You better watch who you're threatening. I'll beat your ass into the ground!" He huffed, he took a breath to calm down, but kept his voice low and even as he spoke. "Let's get something straight here. You did not keep your end of the deal. Yes, the blonde chick you brought me is a beauty. However, she is not the beauty I asked for."

"What?" Henry gave him a sour look. "But I..."

"And here's another piece of free advice for you Kid, when making deals with someone outside of the law. Always, always pay attention to details. Otherwise, you could get your throat slashed."

"Whatever." Henry rolled his eyes and shrugged his shoulders. "Where's my gun? And are you going to help me protect Joe, or not?"

Picasso glared at him while biting back his anger. "You don't need my help in protecting your boyfriend." Henry opened his mouth to argue but Picasso cut him off before he could, "You're going to do it yourself." He reached into his leather jacket and pulled out something wrapped in a white handkerchief. He handed it over to Henry.

Henry took it and slowly opened the handkerchief to reveal a thirty-eight-caliber pistol. Mesmerized by the power he held in his hand; Henry slowly began running a hand along the barrel of the weapon. He almost had his finger on the trigger, when Picasso grabbed it and pulled it out of his hand. "Shit Kid! That thing is loaded!" The Artist quickly looked around to make sure that the coast was clear, then he turned back to Henry. "Look and listen to me closely. This is important." Henry looked at Picasso, "This is your show, and you're in charge. Ryan is just an obstacle standing in the way of you getting what you want." He handed the gun back to the boy. "Hide this somewhere in the room where your uncle won't find it. Wait until tomorrow to take your shot. Remember timing is everything, so don't blow it. After all, you are your father's son, you learned from him."

"I will." Henry looked at the gun in his hand then back up at Picasso. "By the way, I know I keep getting reminded that I'm Jack Hayden's son. Even though I hated the man and I still do. But he taught me one thing, above everything else. He always said to never let anyone stand in the way of you getting what you want. Use any means necessary. So, I guess it's time that I embrace who I am. Henry Jacobs no longer exists. That was just a name my father gave me so people wouldn't ask if we were related" Picasso raised an eyebrow at the young man before Henry continued, "My name is Jake Hayden."

By two in the afternoon, Carolyn had escorted Henry down the hallway to use the bathroom and to let him take a shower, she waited outside for about an hour before he finally came out wearing his usual black and red Spider-Man T-shirt and jeans. The only thing that was different was that he had dyed his hair dark brown again. When she asked him about it he said in a snarky tone, "I've always hated my red hair. It reminds me of my weak and pathetic mother." He was going to keep his hair a chestnut brown from now on, it was the start of his new look, and he didn't care what his uncle thought about it.

"Whatever." She replied back, "I don't care. You get to deal with your uncle." She refused to answer him when he asked what his uncle was doing to Joe. Henry glared at her as she walked him back to his room and locked the door behind her as she left.

"Just wait..." He muttered, staring at the door fuming, "Tomorrow you, Uncle Ryan and Frank Hardy will all pay." He ran a hand through his newly darkened brown hair and glared at the door with an evil smile across his face.

Carolyn finally got around to escorting Callie to the bathroom so she could use the facilities and take a shower. Callie had her hands tied behind her back and a knife pressed against her side to prevent her from struggling and trying to escape. As they stood outside the bathroom door, Carolyn began giving Callie instructions. "Inside you will find a change of clothes for you on the shelf next to the sink. You will also find shampoo, soap, towels and a washcloth. You will see a small window but don't bother to try to open it, because it's been sealed shut. I'll be standing right here, so don't try anything funny." Carolyn continued as she untied Callie's wrists and opened the door, "you have ten minutes to shower, change your clothes and do whatever else you need to."

Callie immediately began rubbing her wrists once they were free. "Wait!" She asked before going inside, "What did Ryan mean by punishing Joe? He said he has something set up just for him. What is he doing to him?

"All I can say is it's going to hurt." Carolyn replied. The phrase sent chills down Callie's spine.

Callie's eyes widened as the most disgusting thought hit her. "Please tell me Ryan's not...I mean h-he's... He's not going to...rap..." She couldn't bring herself to finish the fowl word.

"Rape Joe." Carolyn shook her head finishing the nasty word. "No. That's not Ryan's thing."

"How do you know?"

"I just know."

"Then what's he doing to Joe!" Callie shouted.

"You'll see him tomorrow and find out then!" Carolyn shouted back, she opened the bathroom door and pushed Callie inside before she had a chance to argue anymore. "Hurry up and take your shower!"

Ten minutes later, Callie emerged from the bathroom wearing the white T-shirt and gray sweatpants that had been left for her. She had combed her long wet hair back behind her shoulders. She looked down and frowned at the clothing. They were too big on her and they were also hot and uncomfortable, but she didn't care. All she could think about was Joe.

"What's the matter, princess not stylish enough for you." Carolyn mocked her.

Callie looked back up at the crazy woman standing there like she said had said she would. She had a smirk on her face while pointing a knife at her. Callie just glared at her.

"Are you hungry? I know Handsome ruined your breakfast because of his nasty behavior. I can make you a sandwich and give you a bottle of water."

"I think the water is the only thing my stomach can handle right now." Callie said declining the offer of food. "The disgusting display that you and Ryan did to Joe this morning just makes me want to vomit."

"Well, a simple no, would've been fine, princess." Carolyn shot back. "Alright, let's go get your water." She grabbed Callie by the arm and shoved her down the hall towards the kitchen, her knife pointing at the girl's side. They entered the kitchen, and she shoved Callie toward the fridge.

"Open the fridge and get your water. Try to do anything stupid and I'll slit your throat." She threatened.

Callie did as she was instructed and took out a bottle of water from the fridge. Just as she closed the fridge door, she heard something and froze in her tracks.

"Take it like a man, Joseph!" Callie heard Ryan shouting. "Don't shed a tear! Don't make a sound! It will all be over soon!"

She turned in the direction of the shouting, it was coming from a door on the other side of the kitchen. "What's behind the door?" Callie demanded.

"It leads down to the cellar."

The next thing Callie heard what sounded like something leather hitting flesh multiple times, followed by Joe screaming.

'Slap!'

"Frank!"

"Slap!"

"Frank!"

"Slap!"

"Frank!"

"Slap!"

"Frank!"

"Slap!"

Callie gulped nervously. Oh God. Oh God... Joe. Without thinking she dropped her bottled water on the floor and rushed towards the door.

"Forget it, girly. Ryan's got the door locked!" Callie heard the crazy nurse call to her as she tried to open the door. "Trust me. You don't want to interrupt him when he's in one of his moods. I can't explain it, but it's like he becomes almost animalistic. That's his thing if it's not blowing things up with bombs, it's whipping the flesh off of a person who's done him wrong. A leather strap is how Ryan dishes out punishments. Kinda makes you wonder what Ryan's got in store for your fiancé, doesn't it?"

"Oh Frank." Callie gasped as she burst into tears. "Poor Joe..."

"You had better get away from that door before Ryan catches you... " Carolyn began to say.

"I don't care if your boyfriend catches me. Joe's taking the abuse to protect me and for what you did to him. Even if I can't be in the same room with him, I'm not going to let him endure the pain alone. I'm staying right here... until the end." Callie slowly slid down to the floor and she pressed her ear against the door. "I'm here Joe. I'm here." She whispered.

"Not a word!" Ryan shouted.

"Slap!"

"Frank!"

"Slap!"

"Frank!"

"Slap!"

"Frank!"

"Slap!"

"Frank!"

"Slap!"

Callie held her breath while wiping the tears off her face. After the last five slaps and the screaming stopped everything went eerily quiet.

"Okay. Times up. Back to the room you go." Carolyn ordered, grabbing Callie by the arm pulling her to her feet. Callie tried to protest, "Stop I need to know if Joe's, ok?"

Carolyn ignored her and guided her back to the room with the knife in her hand. Soon Callie found herself back on the bed. This time she only had one wrist tied to the bedpost. The crazy nurse locked the door behind her as she left the room. Callie lay on the bed staring up at the ceiling tears streaming down her cheeks. She couldn't stop thinking about Joe. The sounds of him screaming and the sounds of a whip hitting his flesh, on top of what Ryan and Nurse Crazy did to him in the bedroom would be forever ingrained in her mind.

Oh God, please let Joe be okay. Her tears continued to fall from her eyes and run down her cheeks as she turned to look at Joe's empty bed. She could see blood stains on the mattress and the remnants of their breakfast were still lying on the floor in a mess. No one deserved to be treated like that, especially Joe. Frank, please, you need to hurry...I'm trying so hard to be strong and brave, I'm so scared. I need you. Joe, he really needs you...I don't know if he's going to last much longer.

A Brother's Revenge Chapter 33

Frank, Chet, and Biff left the Cohen's house shortly after noon. They decided to visit Tony, who was working at the Hardy's new office helping his uncle to put the finishing touches on it, to show him the pictures that Phil's mother had given them. They brought pizza and sodas with them for lunch, hoping that Tony could take a break and eat with them. After eating, the boys sat in the new reception area and looked at Phil's photos while they reminisced about the fun times that they'd had with Phil.

They told Tony about the morning's events. Tony was saddened to hear that the Cohens were moving to Albany to be with Seth's family, but he understood their reasons. He too was grieving the loss of his friends. Frank, Chet, and Biff shared what they had found in Phil's room, including the computer and software that he wanted to go to Frank as well as the pictures. Tony appreciated the idea of Phil being their guardian angel.

"Told you," Biff responded, taking a sip of his soda.

"We all said the same thing because that's the only way to describe the pictures," Chet replied. "Incredible."

Biff caught sight of Frank looking around the reception area before quietly disappearing down the hallway. He had noticed that the elder Hardy sibling had been quiet and withdrawn for the past hour.

"Is Frank alright?" Biff heard Chet ask, drawing his attention away from Frank.

"I noticed Frank was like this a couple of times last night at the picnic," Tony said quietly.

"Yeah, I don't like seeing Frank like this," Chet added softly.

"Me neither." Biff said, keeping his voice low he continued, "Look guys, I've been thinking that maybe Joe has been going through some type of depression of his own, but I don't know. We know that Frank is fighting depression, he's said as much not to mention that he's got a lot going on right now, especially with everything that happened last night. Then we found out that Phil's parents were leaving Bayport. I know that he's still grieving for Phil because we all are. Now with Joe and Callie missing... not to mention being accused of murder, it's a lot."

"How are we going to help get Frank to snap out of it?" Chet asked anxiously.

"Maybe we should call Mr. and Mrs. Hardy. " Tony suggested, "I'm sure they would know what to do."

Biff thought for a moment, and then an idea struck him. "I think I know what to do." He looked back at his two friends, "If it doesn't work then we'll call them." Tony and Chet both agreed as they listened to Biff attentively. "We got to get him thinking about the case to keep his mind distracted away from his depressed thoughts."

"We can do that," Tony said and they got up to find Frank.

FJFJFJFJFJFJ

After slipping away from his friends, Frank walked down the hallway past the bathroom and then proceeded down the hall past the large conference room, he moved on down to the offices, and for the first time, he noticed there were five. Five? It was obvious his father would have one, as well as Sam, Joe, and himself. But who was the other office intended for or was Dad going to use it for something else? Why was he being so secretive all of a sudden? He hadn't mentioned Phil's 'HC Cyber Software' project, or the gadgets that he found in the desk drawer either.

Frank checked out all the offices seeing the freshly painted walls to the new office furniture, before returning to the one that was designated as his. He liked the feel of the room. It felt warm and comforting with cream-colored walls and tan carpeting, his eyes shifted to where he had put Phil's computer on the desk in the room next to the window. He leaned against the open doorway with his arms folded across his chest, as his thoughts started to drift away until he heard someone come up beside him followed by Tony's voice asking him, "Frank, is this going to be your office?"

Thankful for his friend distracting his gloomy thoughts, Frank slowly nodded. He stepped back into the hallway to give Tony his attention. "Yeah, I'm pretty sure that this one's going to be mine."

"So which office do you think Joe will pick, or has he already picked it?"

"Um," Frank sighed and then pointed and said, "he hasn't picked one yet, but I think he'll take the last room at the end of the hallway."

"Why would he pick that one?"

"Protection. See, Dad chose the first office here, I picked this one not because it's the second one, but because I just like the warm feel of it. Sam chose the office right across from my dad's, which leaves the two offices at the end of the hallway. Joe will probably pick the one on the right because it's closer to mine."

"Oh, I get it," Chet said, coming up to them with Biff at his side. "God forbid if someone were to break in here to harm you in some way, they'd have to go through everyone before they could get to Joe."

"Smart," Biff replied. "That sounds like a Joe thing to do,"

Frank just nodded. "Joe wants to be free and independent, which he should be able to do, however, because of the things that have happened to us because of people trying to get to Dad, there's a part of him that always needs to feel safe and protected. And there's a part of us that will always want to protect him." He stepped into his office and sat on the edge of his desk, the rest of them following and finding a place to sit. "I kinda feel like I failed him in that aspect, maybe if I had done my job and protected him better, he wouldn't be missing, again."

Frank looked up and noticed the looks of concern on his friends' faces. He quickly shook his thoughts out of his head and focused his attention on them. "I'm sorry guys, I guess I spaced out for a moment there."

"Well, you do have a lot on your plate. It might help to talk about it."

"Thanks, Tony," Frank said running a hand through his hair. "There's just so much going on in my head... I don't know where to start." Then he rubbed his chest, "All I can think about is Joe and Callie... We've already lost Phil, and it scares me to think that I might lose them too.

Tony could see that Frank was on the verge of shutting down so he quickly changed the subject. "Biff and Chet told me that you checked out of the hospital against medical advice last night, but are you sure that you're OK? I know that explosion at the pier was crazy and all. My uncle is going to be out of work for a while because of it and I heard that Harry Garrett was among the dead."

"Yes, Harry was killed helping people during the blast, and I wasn't going to stay in the hospital with Joe and Callie missing."

"Do you think it was Henry who gave you that concussion?" Tony asked.

"Yeah."

"What makes you think that?"

Frank quickly filled Tony in on what had happened Friday night and he ended with the hospital robbery last night and Matthews as a possible suspect.

Chet, Biff, and Tony glanced at each other, their plan to help Frank keep his mind focused on the case and not his thoughts was working, they just had to keep going.

"Matthews," Chet repeated her name. "Isn't she the one who botched up taking that bullet out of Joe's leg?"

Frank grumbled at her name. "She was responsible for almost killing Joe by doing that! Karen Marshall is her actual name." His blood started to boil when he thought of the woman, "but she also goes by Nurse Carolyn Matthews. Or perhaps any name she chooses, like Marge Linsky."

"So, you are sure that she was the one to break into the pharmacy and medical supply room?" Chet asked.

"That's right." Frank quickly filled his friends in on the police report from the hospital in Southport New York stating that a woman fitting the same description as Nurse Matthews stealing medication and in connection with the deaths of two men, her step-uncle, Duncan Edwards a brother of her stepfather whom Ryan killed out of revenge for allegedly sexually abusing Matthews when she was a teenager. The other man, Burt Winston, had been the manager of the Bellevue Motel. Both men had been injected with high doses of insulin which had killed them."

Frank looked at Biff, " Biff, you remember it was Winston's body that we found when we were searching for Joe..." His voice trailed off as his mind drifted back to thinking that it was Joe lying under that white sheet. He suddenly felt that familiar ache in his chest. "I know my mysterious back pain from last night had to do with Joe. I can't explain it, but I just know that he's hurt." He turned his head, casting his eyes to the floor.

"Yeah, Frank, I remember the Bellevue trip," Biff said exchanging a quick look with Chet and Tony. Get Frank to focus on the case, Biff reminded himself. He turned back to the older Hardy boy, cleared his throat, and then said, "So, Frank, do you think it was Matthews who broke into the pharmacy and medical supply room?"

When Frank didn't respond Tony leaned forward to nudge his knee. "Frank?"

Frank shook his head upon hearing his name, he looked up at his friends looking at him with concern on their faces once again.

"I'm sorry guys... I'm not thinking clearly." He said as he rubbed his chest.

"It's okay." Chet said, "Do you want us to take you home? Maybe, you can get some rest."

"That's OK, Chet. I'll be fine." Frank replied with a small smile. " I just lost my train of thought."

"You were telling us about the hospital robbery and about that crazy nurse." Biff reiterated.

Frank took a moment to gather his thoughts together and then he told them about the security footage of the hospital robbery with the person that fit the description of Matthews. "We couldn't see her face clearly because she was wearing a surgical mask and she keeps wearing different disguises, but I swear it's her." Frank continued. "Anyway, propofol was among the drugs that were stolen. Which was also the cause of the death of the three college kids that were been found before the explosion at the pier."

"The dead college students?" Biff asked. "I heard about that on the news, but they didn't say much, just that it was under investigation."

Frank quickly explained to his friends about the bodies of the students that had been found in the parking lot. "Bayport PD have reason to believe that the scene may have been staged. Dad said it looked like all three died from a drug overdose with many empty beer bottles lying broken in pieces on the ground, and drug paraphernalia lying both in and outside of the car, but the Chief said that he knew them and they wouldn't have done that."

"Whoa," Chet said, eyes wide.

"Here's an interesting part," Frank continued. He told his friends that Ryan's fingerprints were on both the badge and the mask that he and Callie found earlier that day, ending with, "Ryan Hayden's prints were also found on a lighter with Jack Hayden's name engraved on it and a packet that we now know contained cocaine was also found in the car with the dead college students."

"You're saying that Ryan set all of that up," Chet said processing this information, "to keep your dad and the police distracted from the bombing at the pier so that they were able to have the opportunity to kidnap Joe and Callie?"

"Yes, we believe so, most likely with a little help from his minions."

"So, Ryan was posing as Linsky?" Tony asked.

"That's right."

"I wonder what happened to the real Linsky and his wife?" Tony mused. "Do you think that maybe Hayden killed them and buried their bodies somewhere?"

"It's a possibility," Frank replied.

"Hold on," Biff held up his hand and scrunched up his nose. "You said a lighter was found in the car with Jack Hayden's name engraved on it and Ryan Hayden's fingerprints and a packet containing cocaine?"

"Yeah." Frank nodded.

"But that doesn't make sense! He's been hell-bent on getting revenge against you and Joe for the death of his brother. Why would he go to all that trouble of setting all of that up, with nothing linking back to him, and then he suddenly gets careless by dropping a lighter with his fingerprints and his brother's name on it? I mean that's stupid on his part."

Frank thought about what Biff had pointed out. He ran a hand over his chin and said with a sigh, "You're right. That doesn't make sense, but it does lead back to my theory."

"Which is?" Chet asked.

"On whether it was Henry who murdered Hayden."

"You think he did?" Tony said.

"Yes. He had the motive to do it. We all know he's already proven that he's capable of murder." All three boys instantly thought of Phil and Seth as Frank continued, "Not to mention that Henry has attempted to kill me... twice so far."

Biff argued, "But if the little jerk did kill his father, wouldn't Ryan have known about it?"

"Dad and I brought up the same question to Chief Collig, and we both agree with the Chief's theory that Ryan doesn't know. He doesn't know that Henry killed his father and framed me for the murder. We think that he manipulated his uncle into believing that I murdered his brother. This way Ryan seeks his revenge against me by using Joe. Callie was taken as well because she just happened to get caught up in the chaos. The only thing that I can't see is Henry hurting Joe, at least not intentionally. We all know he's obsessed with him. I know Henry hates me. But I can't see him, letting Ryan hurt Joe." Frank said with a sigh.

The four boys sat in silence for a few moments thinking everything over until Chet said, "Ya know, after all of the years of abuse that Henry endured, it does make sense that he would want to kill his father."

"Who knew Henry would turn out to be a cold-blooded killer." Tony shivered as a chill ran down his spine.

"I just had a horrible thought," Biff said, grimacing.

"What's that?" Frank asked curiously.

"If Ryan is responsible for not only blowing up the pier but also killing two police officers, his parents, as well as for the hospital fire. Just imagine how he's going to react went he finds out it was not you, but Henry, who killed his brother. You can be sure someone's going to get badly hurt or worse killed."

Frank was about to respond to Biff's thought when Chet cut in and said, "All you need now is to prove Henry did it."

"I do have proof," Frank said all three boys looked at him as he pulled the disc he had taken from the safe out of the pocket of his jacket. "I can use Phil's computer to see what's on it and hopefully enhance it."

"That's awesome," Chet said looking at the disc in Frank's hand. "You know it almost feels like Phil is pointing you in the right direction."

"How did you get your hands on that?" Tony asked worriedly.

"Who cares how he got it!" Biff exclaimed. "What's on it is what's important!"

Frank looked at the computer Phil's mother had given him which was sitting on his desk. He said, "I've never used his computer so I need to familiarize myself with everything first."

"Sorry, Frank, I can't help you with that," Chet said regretfully as he shook his head. "Computers are not my forte."

"That goes for me too," Tony added, shrugging his shoulders. "I mean I can use them and do research for school, but that's about it."

Hearing Tony mention school made Frank's heart sink. I'm supposed to be leaving soon for Princeton, but there is no way that I am remotely ready for that. Besides how, how can I even think about that with Joe and Callie missing? God only knows what's happened to them. Both of them will need me once we find them. Princeton will just have to wait, he thought sadly. He shook his dismal thoughts away; this is no time to be thinking of yourself when there are more important things to do. We need to find Joe and Callie. Frank knew what needed to be done; he just hoped his friends would understand. He took a deep breath, and asked, "Would you guys mind if I had a few minutes to myself?"

Biff, Tony, and Chet exchanged hesitant looks with each other. "Guys, I know that you're concerned." Frank said wryly, "But really, I'm fine. I just need some space to think as I work on Phil's computer."

Biff caught on to what Frank was hinting at. In a roundabout way, he was trying to tell them that he was feeling a bit 'crowded' and 'needed a break'. "Alright, I could use a break myself." He stood up placing a hand on Chet's shoulder when he started to protest. "Chet, I think you could use one too. Let's take a quick walk outside. Frank, we'll be back soon."

"Okay." Chet reluctantly agreed, taking the hint. "Holler if you need us."

"I'll be in the reception area looking through Phil's pictures again," Tony said, getting the hint that Frank wanted time for himself.

"Thanks, guys," Frank replied gratefully as the three boys left the room, leaving him with his thoughts.

FJFJFJFJFJFJ

Once he was alone, Frank took a couple of deep breaths to calm himself down and he felt himself begin to relax. By now it was mid-afternoon, and he needed to get to work because he had a bad feeling that there wasn't much time left. He took out Phil's letters and the instructions for the computer and the program from the metal box and spread them out on the desk. He picked them up and began to read them over several times so he had the password and default code memorized. Memorization was a skill that Fenton had advised both he and Joe to put into practice. Then they were to destroy the contents after they'd memorized it. It was safer and more practical with less risk for someone to hack into your computer and steal information.

A smile slid across his face as he thought of the password and code Phil had come up with. They were both simple and creative. Their meaning behind them described the Hardy Boys to a T. There wasn't a code or password that a Hardy couldn't break unless it was Hardy-proof. Ace of course a term used to describe a detective who is very skilled at their job, like Fenton Hardy. They would of course change them and destroy the paper trail later but for now, he would keep them until Joe had a chance to see everything. He left the phones and the rest of the gadgets in the metal box.

It didn't take him long to have the HC Cyber Software program loaded onto the computer once he got started. It was easy to navigate through it. He was amazed at how advanced everything was. He glanced down at the disc of the surveillance from the shooting range lying on the desk and sighed. He felt guilty about taking it from his father's safe but he was sure that Fenton would understand why he did it. This was his life, after all, and his future was at stake here. Someone had framed him for a crime that he didn't commit and he sure as hell wasn't going to let that person get away with it. He reached over and picked up the disc. This was the moment of truth, the answer to clearing his name was on it. Is my theory correct? Did Henry Jacobs murder Jack Hayden, he thought.

Frank took a deep breath and slowly let it out. He then inserted the disc into the computer and pulled up the footage, Joe was right, he mused. The images were not clear and were grainy. He noticed that the timestamp was marked Wednesday, June 19th, 3:00 p.m.

"That was two days before graduation. The following Monday Jack Hayden was shot and killed where his body was found in a ditch on Shore Road along with my gun. It was the exact place that Henry led me to after the picnic where he hit me over the head, and I blacked out." He muttered under his breath.

Frank began to try to create a timeline of his thoughts and actions. I went to the shooting range because I was feeling angry and frustrated, regarding Daniel Bartend and Henry's disappearances and what happened with Jack Hayden's trial. I know that the judge had no choice but to declare a mistrial for Jack Hayden because the investigation was incomplete. The man was acquitted of the horrific crimes he committed, and multiple counts of abuse, which included me, Joe, and Henry. The man was responsible for Joe's kidnapping at the Morton farm, and for making us believe that he was dead for three days. Then there was Henry Jacobs. Henry is to blame for Phil's death. Phil was supposed to be the valedictorian of our class, but I came in second as the class salutatorian. The valedictorian position was offered to me, but I declined because I felt I did not deserve it because it belonged to Phil. I was upset about that so I went for a run that morning around five to clear my head, but it didn't seem to have any effect so I thought I'd try the idea of going to the shooting range and try to focus my frustrations that way and it did help me feel better.

He turned his attention back to his computer screen. He saw the late Harry Garrett sitting at the front counter. Thinking of Harry saddened him and he couldn't believe that the man was gone. He had been a good man with a good heart. He was always cracking jokes and making everyone laugh yet he was always willing to lend a helping hand to someone in need. He watched the man clean his left ear with a pencil and wipe it on his shirt. Yuck, he thought as he wrinkled his nose in disgust, well there are some things about Harry I won't miss. Then he saw him pick up a soda can and take a large gulp of the drink before putting it back down, wiping his mouth with his shirt sleeve, and picking up a magazine. Harry looked at his watch, got on his feet tucked the magazine under his arm, and headed out of the room. Frank started and thought, wait! I remember running into Harry that day. He was leaving just as I was coming into the office. We said hi just before I went inside to find Pete."

Just then Frank got a glimpse of himself on the screen, entering the room wearing a pair of blue jeans and a red long-sleeved shirt with the sleeves pushed up to his elbows. He watched himself walk up to the counter where he had found Pete cleaning up Harry's trash. After that he watched Pete greet him and then he saw himself signing the logbook after which Pete handed him the gun from the gun case. Then the two headed for the double doors out to the range.

The video then transitioned to the inside of the range and Frank watched himself on the screen as he shot off a few rounds with Pete standing next to him. I remember this part too. He thought I was running late for an appointment with Dr. Reese and Pete said he'd take care of my gun for me. So, I handed it to him and left. That was my mistake, I should have made sure the gun was properly logged back in.

Frank watched the screen closely as he handed the gun to Pete and then left the room. That's when he noticed the two young men coming out of the locker room in a heated argument then at one point one of the men whirled around and raised his fist at the other guy. He saw Pete, react to the commotion put the gun on the counter, and go over to stop the fighting. That's why Pete lost my gun, he was distracted by the two men fighting. Frank concluded. Then his eyes went back to his gun on the counter.

He let out a gasp when he saw a dark-haired figure walk into the room. He was wearing the same clothes that Frank had worn. The guy did resemble me, Frank admitted to himself. He watched carefully, as the dark-haired figure, who had his face turned away from the camera, glanced around and then took the gun from the counter, and rushed out of the room.

"What in the hell?" Frank muttered under his breath. He couldn't take his eyes off the screen. There's got to be a way to make this image clearer, he thought, but before he could do anything, he heard a soft knock on the door and he looked up to see Vanessa Bender standing in the doorway.

"Vanessa?" He said, quickly getting to his feet, surprised by her presence.

"Hi, Frank. I'm sorry to just barge in on you like this." Vanessa apologized. "Biff said you were in here and it was OK to come back."

"No, it's okay, please come in," Frank said, beckoning her to enter his office.

"Thanks," Vanessa said softly as she sat down sniffing and wiping a tear from her cheek.

"Are you okay?" He asked in concern as he sat back down.

"I'm okay, I guess. The doctor told me to take it easy for a few days because of the bump on the back of my head. My mom left to go to New York early this morning for work. She didn't want to at first, because she didn't want to leave me home alone, but I told her I'd be fine; besides it was important for her to go because her boss had to take a leave of absence for personal family reasons, and she agreed to help pick up some of the slack at the office."

"Yeah, I know," Frank said with a sigh. "The Cohens are in the process of moving to be with family. The whole family is just devastated after losing Phil and Seth."

"I can imagine." Vanessa nodded. "I feel so bad for them. I wish I had had the chance to get to know Phil and Seth. From what everyone has said they seemed really nice and good friends to have."

"They were. I still can't believe that they're gone." Frank said sadly, then he shook the sorrowful thoughts away and asked her, "I'm sorry, Vanessa you came to see me about something."

Vanessa took a deep breath and said, "I was going stir crazy sitting at home worrying about Joe and Callie..." Her voice cracked and she started to tear up again. "So, I got into my Jeep and decided to come to see you, to see if you or your father had found out anything. I saw your van parked outside so I hoped that I would catch you here. Is there any news on Joe and Callie? Anything you can tell me at all?"

"On their whereabouts, no, as far as I know, we have nothing. However, my father and the police are working on a few leads that they are hoping will lead us to them." Frank said clearing his throat, "Vanessa, do you remember what happened to you last Friday at the fireworks show? Can you tell me?"

Vanessa nodded. "I remember Trevor surprising us during the fireworks. He had run away from his parents to watch the fireworks with Joe. Joe scolded him on the dangers of being by himself in the crowd. We were getting ready to leave to find his parents and return him to them, when Callie came running up to us on the boardwalk, in a panic and near tears. She told us about your encounter with Henry and how you had chased him into the woods. Joe immediately wanted to search for you because he didn't want you to confront Henry alone. He felt in his heart that something bad had happened to you." She paused and looked down at the blue tank top she had on. This shade of blue was quickly becoming her new favorite color because it was almost the same shade of blue that was Joe's eyes. Oh, Joe, she thought and she prayed that she would see him again and that he would be alright.

"Vanessa, did Callie go with Joe to look for me?" Frank asked, breaking into her thoughts.

Vanessa looked back up at Frank and replied with tears in her eyes, "Yes, she did leave. Joe wanted Callie and I to take Trevor back to his parents where we would all be safe. He was worried that if anything bad happened to her, you would never forgive him. Callie insisted on going with him, and they argued. Joe gave in and agreed to let Callie go with him. We decided that I would take Trevor to his parents and call your dad to let him know what was going on."

Frank wished that Callie had listened to Joe, but he understood her stubbornness. He knew that he probably would have done the same thing. It was already difficult enough with Joe in danger, but now with Callie too, he couldn't bear the thought of losing them both. Frank was lost in his thoughts, staring down at his desk while Vanessa continued telling her story.

She sniffed back tears again, then said, "I watched the two of them head down the boardwalk towards the woods as the fireworks were going off... the next thing I knew there was an explosion, I was hit on the back of the head while I tried to shield Trevor with my body to protect him from getting hurt. I must have blacked out after that because I remember waking up in the hospital the next morning. Do you know how he is? I hope he wasn't badly hurt?"

"According to what Mom told me, Trevor only sustained minor scratches and bruises," Frank answered. "However, he was upset over the explosion and what happened to all of you."

"Oh, The poor little guy," Vanessa said. "It must have been awful for him."

"Yeah, I think it was." Frank sighed, "He says Joe and Callie were taken by 'two smokey monsters' and put in the back of a dark van. According to Trevor's vague descriptions, one of them was big like his daddy but scary." Frank then went on to tell her about the hospital robbery and Matthews as a possible suspect.

Vanessa's blood boiled at hearing that the woman who removed the bullet from Joe's leg and nearly killed him was the same woman suspected in the hospital robbery. Oh, how she'd love to get her hands on that woman for hurting Joe! She grew concerned when Frank suddenly went quiet casting his eyes down at his desk and looking to be lost in his thoughts while rubbing at his chest. She could almost see the wheels turning in his head. It was almost as if he was on the verge of saying something but wasn't sure how to say it.

Finally, Frank broke his silence. He looked up at Vanessa and asked, "How was he? How was he before all the chaos? You agreed to a plan with Chet, Tony, and Biff to continue the date with Joe so Biff could talk to me about something going on with Joe. You had asked him to take you to a spot on the boardwalk to watch the fireworks show." He huffed, mentally berating himself for rambling. "How was Joe after you left the picnic area?"

Vanessa looked up to see him looking at her expectantly. She took a deep breath and said, "Not good." Frank clenched his jaw in his response. "Joe had another panic attack and ended up throwing both of our phones in the bay when I tried to call for help."

"Now I know why our moms couldn't get a hold of you guys," Frank said.

Vanessa continued, "He was standing next to the railing, and his eyes were focused on the water below him. It was almost as if he was thinking about jumping off..."

"Oh, Joe, not again." Frank gasped, cutting her off. He began breathing heavily and rubbing his chest. He took a couple of deep breaths to calm himself down. Once he had calmed and his breathing was back under control he leaned forward, giving Vanessa his full attention once more.

"Again?" Vanessa repeated as she sat on the edge of her chair.

"That's right, earlier Joe tried to jump off the pier. It was right after he stormed off after that fight with my dad," Frank replied. "Biff went after him and found him on the railing and thankfully he managed to talk him down. Dad was there too; he went looking for Joe to apologize and try to work things out with him. He happened to come upon them just as Biff was talking Joe down off the railing. We have a plan to get Joe some help, so hopefully, we will find him in time, before it's too late."

Vanessa said, her voice thick with emotion, "So, I was right? I mean, I didn't exactly know what Biff's big secret was, or why Joe was acting the way he was, but I figured it out and I was praying I was wrong."

Frank was hesitant to ask the next question, but he had to know so he braced himself for what he was about to hear about his brother. "Will you tell me what happened?"

"I knew that your brother wasn't fine. He was becoming erratic and unpredictable again." Vanessa said, wiping the tears from her face. "He looked as if he was in some sort of trance. I reached out to touch his arm to get his attention and I startled him badly. He shouted for me not to touch him and he jerked away. I managed to calm him down and get him away from the railing. He was upset about hurting the people that he loves and cares about, especially you Frank. Then he brought up Iola Morton."

"He did?" Frank's face paled at the mention of her name.

Vanessa sighed, "Frank, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to upset you. I know that Iola is a sensitive topic for a lot of people, especially for Joe and Chet, and by your reaction, I guess it is for you as well. "

"It is difficult to talk about." Frank said with a sigh, "Look, I know Callie told you some things about Joe and Iola. However, there are things that she doesn't know, because I never told her. They're not my secrets to tell, they belong to Joe and Iola."

"What Callie told me was that they were high school sweethearts who'd had a rocky relationship and that Iola died tragically. I know she didn't mean to tell me, it just sort of slipped out. Callie was just upset and worried that you were getting stressed out because of Joe's behavior at the pier. She didn't want you to end up back in the hospital. I don't think she meant to take her anger out on Joe for Iola's death. It was just her way of pushing away her grief and not realizing that was what she had been doing."

"Callie told me that too. I know she didn't mean to, and I know she cares about my brother and wants to work things out with him. She's worried about how Joe will react to her telling you."

"How do you think he'll react?"

"He will probably be angry for a while, but I think that he will come around in time. Joe does care about Callie so I think he will try to make things right with her too. I just hope we find them in time." Frank cleared his throat and moved on. "Callie also told me that you researched Iola's death online."

"I did, I kept hearing rumors and I wanted to find out the facts of what happened, so I looked." Vanessa said with a shrug, "It was an awful thing that happened. I told Joe how sorry I was and that I understood that she was his first love and that he cared deeply for her. I also told him that I respect their relationship and would never try to take her place."

"Thank you for that," Frank said. "What exactly did Joe tell you about Iola?"

"That they made the mistake of rushing into an intimate relationship and that was two weeks before she was killed, which was part of why they had been fighting a lot," Vanessa answered. As she spoke, she noticed that Frank was staring at her intently, as if he was trying to process her words. She went on to tell him what Joe had told her about how Iola's death had changed his life and that he had said that he was a mess, waking up in the middle of the night with nightmares of the explosion with seeing Iola die although sometimes it was Frank who died. "Joe told me that's why he's been so clingy with you and why he used to sabotage your dates with Callie. I think he's afraid that you'll die if you're not with him."

"I could see Joe doing that, especially since he has been, to use your words, clingy. Callie would get angry when I broke our dates because I thought that he needed me. She accused me of letting him take advantage of me because he knew I would always clean up his mess," Frank said choking up as he spoke. Vanessa felt fortunate that he was willing to open up to her like this.

Frank continued wiping his face, "Callie was right in a way. I did let Joe get away with it, but Joe is also correct when he tells you that Iola's death changed his world. It changed mine too. Her murder made me realize just how dark and dangerous our world could be because they were targeting Joe and me. Not only was Iola my brother's girlfriend, but she was also my friend too. We spent some amazing summers at the Morton family's home. I don't talk about it much, because I've been so focused on Joe, but..." Frank's voice trailed off as he let out a deep sigh, rubbing his chest as he felt that familiar ache.

"Frank, you don't have to talk about it if you don't want to," Vanessa said softly, she didn't want to push him if he wasn't ready to talk about it.

Frank didn't know why he was pouring his heart out to Vanessa like this, but for some reason, he felt comfortable around her. Maybe it was the fact, that in her own way, Vanessa reminded him of Callie and he was missing her deeply. Frank sighed, looked up, and finally answered, "No, it's okay I can talk about it. I was there when Iola died. It took everything I had to keep Joe from running right into the inferno of what was our car. The heat from the flames was so intense that it scorched my throat as Joe pulled us both toward the car in a desperate attempt to save Iola. I knew that there was no way anyone could've survived an explosion like that. After the funeral, Joe became an empty shell completely shutting us out. Time went on and it seemed that he began to emerge from his shell. We thought that things were getting better but it seemed that Joe developed a 'death wish', because quite often he will rush into a situation without thinking of either his safety or mine."

Frank's words hit her with a jolt, Vanessa shook her head and said, "Joe mentioned that to me when we were alone here when he was acting all crazy. After I slapped him for kissing me, I asked him why he did it. He said that he's always been a spontaneous person...a risk-taker. He kissed me on a whim because he likes me and he felt like it, knowing the risk of getting slapped. He said that it's the way he tends to do things and that you yell at him all the time for being too reckless."

"I do. However, most of the time he doesn't listen to me and he complains that I'm boring him with my lectures. But I call him out on a lot of things and I try to pull him back when he starts to drift too far...that's part of why I'm so protective of him, because I'm afraid that one day he will push the envelope too far and..." Frank's voice trailed off. He quickly changed the subject. "I know one of the reasons Joe and my dad are fighting is because they both have different views on our justice system. When Joe and I decided that we wanted to go into the family business Dad established a rule that he pretty much set in stone. Justice has to be fought in a court of law, not by someone taking the law into their own hands. I agree with Dad on that to a certain extent. Now granted, the justice system isn't perfect and it's not all black and white like some people believe it should be. Sometimes you hit a gray area where the decision of right or wrong comes into play. Whatever that decision turns out to be, it could alter the lives of everyone involved."

"Yes, a person has every right to defend themselves if they were faced with a life-or-death situation. The grey area is what Joe sees because of what happened to Iola. He believes that it was unjustified, the man responsible for her death is dead, but there are people just like him still out there terrorizing the world. Joe believes that fighting for justice means that sometimes you must cross that grey line to protect the ones you love and I agree with Joe to a certain extent. Nevertheless, I can't allow anyone to take the law into their own hands because then everything that Dad has taught us about justice would be for naught. Any credibility that we would have would go out the window, we need to remain the good guys and uphold the law."

Frank glanced down at his computer screen which showed the surveillance footage of the dark-haired figure from the shooting range. "What the heck am I doing?" He sat up quickly, forcing his thoughts away. "I can't be sitting here rambling on and on like this. I've got work to do. I have to enhance this footage so I can ID this guy."

"I'm pretty good with computers." Vanessa offered, "I can try to help if you want?"

"Really?" Frank asked. "You like computers?"

"Oh yes." Vanessa laughed. "I'm a complete nerd when it comes to computers and technology. Mom has been teaching me about programming and I'm planning on becoming a computer analyst just like her."

Frank considered her offer for a moment. It was unusual to find someone who shared his interest in computer programming and other technologies. Phil Cohen had generally been the only person he went to for help in that area. He chuckled lightly. "I tried to teach Joe about computer programming once, but he lost interest after about ten minutes. He said that it was boring and called me a 'nerdy neat freak.' Frank shrugged his shoulders. "But that's just the way I am, I like facts and logic, to think and plan things out before following through. I have to keep my things neat and organized or I go crazy. I don't mind him teasing me about it; I see it more as a compliment than an insult. I'd give anything to hear Joe tease me, right about now." He said wistfully.

"I take it Joe is the opposite," Vanessa said softly.

"Oh, yes. We call him Hurricane Joe. You should see the disaster of the room he lives in." Frank said fondly. "Joe refers to it as "creatively organized," He claims that he knows exactly where everything is, and surprisingly, he does."

"I'm surprised that your mom lets him get away with that."

"It's an ongoing battle between them. Mom usually wins when she threatens to clean his room herself. That usually gets him motivated to straighten it up because Mom knows how much he hates it when she starts cleaning because she will throw anything away that she thinks is trash."

"Well, I guess you and I have another thing in common then, besides computers and how much we both care about Joe," Vanessa commented.

Frank raised an eyebrow. "Oh yeah, what's that?" He asked curiously.

"I'm a neat freak myself. I'm a bit OCD when it comes to organizing. I have to, or else I find that I can't function."

The more Frank learned about Vanessa the more he became comfortable with her and he could see why his little brother liked her so much. It was hard not to like her. He especially liked how she had helped calm Joe down from a panic attack during the picnic. He could see Vanessa being the one for Joe. "Vanessa, if you can help Joe keep neat and organized, I guarantee you'll become my mom's best friend. Mine too."

Vanessa replied with a grin. "If things go well, I was thinking more along the lines of us becoming in-laws... someday, but I like the idea of us being friends."

"You really like Joe, don't you?" Frank asked.

"I do very much." Vanessa nodded. "I know I'm being forward here. And I know that Joe and I just started dating... but I'm falling in love with him Frank and I could see a future with him. Joe and I have both agreed not to rush into anything. We want to get to know each other better and to establish a solid base for our relationship before we do anything."

"I'm glad, that's good to hear," Frank said relieved. "Joe needs to learn how to slow down a bit."

Vanessa continued, "I've never felt this way about someone like I do with Joe. My father left us when I was three, and I haven't seen him since. Because of that, I've had a horrible time trusting men, but with Joe it's different. There's just something about him... I can't explain I just want to be with him. I want to help you find him and Callie in any way that I can, so please let me help."

Frank rubbed his chest again, thinking of his younger brother and Callie. Then he glanced up at Vanessa who was looking at him and waiting patiently for his answer. He finally said, "Okay, Vanessa, thank you. Let's hope that it will lead to us clearing my name and finding Joe and Callie."

Vanessa got up and sat by Frank's side. Frank replayed the surveillance footage of the shooting range. He explained what was going on in the footage as she watched as he pointed out himself with Pete McNeely the manager of the shooting range. He showed her the part where he had signed the logbook and Pete handed him the gun from the gun case. Then the two headed for the double doors out to the range. She watched Frank shoot off a few rounds with his gun as Pete stood next to him. Then when Frank had finished the two came back to the room and up to the counter. She watched the screen closely as Frank handed the gun to Pete and then left the room after signing out of the log.

Frank explained, "I was running late for an appointment. Pete said that he'd take care of my gun for me. So, I just handed it to him and then left. Turns out that was a big mistake and I should have known better." He was still inwardly kicking himself for that.

Vanessa was shocked seeing the footage of two young men fighting outside the locker room. She saw Pete place the gun on the counter to go over to break up the fight and then she noticed a dark-haired figure wearing the same clothes as Frank. The figure took the gun from the counter and then rushed out of the room.

"Pete's mistake was careless. He should have been fired, why wasn't he? As a former police officer, he should have known better," Vanessa commented.

"I know it wasn't intentional," Frank sighed. "Pete's a good man and friend. He was one hell of a cop, a few years ago, he was shot while out on patrol during a routine stop." He heard Vanessa gasp as he went on, "Pete almost died... Thankfully he survived, however, he ended up losing his leg. That meant that Pete had to quit the force, which left him struggling both medically and financially. Chief Collig gave Pete a recommendation for the management position on the shooting range to help support his family. Dad and I both forgave Pete for the incident because it was also my fault because I didn't stay to see that the gun had been put away properly. Dad is going to see to it that Pete keeps his job."

"I can't fault him for that," Vanessa said, "To have a father who cares about his family, is something. Your dad is something too. I mean to be able to forgive a man for such a careless mistake which got, you, his son into all this trouble, not only that but to help him keep his job. That is truly remarkable. It says a lot about your father's character, and it says a lot about you too, he's raised you to be a good man. I just wish I could say the same about my father ..." Her voice trailed off.

"Let's get back to the footage, shall we?" Frank said changing the subject, noting that Vanessa was starting to get upset.

"Yes, please." Vanessa nodded and smiled for the distraction and turned her attention back to the footage.

Frank played the footage back again and hit pause when it landed on the dark-haired figure whose face was turned away from the camera. "There has got to be a way to make this image clearer."

"You could try to adjust the video playback settings on your computer," Vanessa suggested as she focused back on the task at hand.

"That's a good idea." Frank did as she instructed. Once he found the video playback settings, he adjusted everything from brightness, contrast, saturation, hue, and so forth until the footage got a little clearer. They could make out the dark-haired figure's blue jeans and a long-sleeved red shirt with sleeves pulled up to his elbows. The most frustrating part, however, the man's face was still turned away from the camera.

"Damn it, we still can't see his face!" Frank cried in frustration.

Vanessa studied the footage a little more then suddenly something caught her eye. "Wait! Maybe you can?"

"What do you mean?" Frank asked hurriedly.

"He's looking away from the camera, but, if you look here on the glass of the gun cabinet," Vanessa pointed to the computer screen, "Doesn't that look like a person's reflection?"

Frank followed her finger pointing at the glass of a gun cabinet behind the counter. It was still a bit blurry, but he saw it as a reflection of a face in the glass. "You're right, Vanessa."

"Can I see if I can get it more into focus?" Vanessa offered.

"Okay," Frank agreed. He sat back to let Vanessa make her adjustments. Soon the blurry reflection of the dark-haired figure's face came into view, it was clear enough for Frank to make out the face. "Oh shit," He cursed. He blinked a few times, and his heart skipped a beat when he saw him.

Vanessa noted a flash of anger ignite in Frank's eyes. She looked back at the face on the computer screen. "Do you know who that is?" She asked.

"Yes, I do," Frank growled.

"Well?" She questioned.

"That, Vanessa, is Henry Jacobs."

"That's the kid who's obsessed with Joe, right?"

"Yes, the one and only. We know that he killed Phil and Seth and he's tried to kill me twice, and now it looks like he framed me for the murder of his father, as well." Rage began coursing through Frank's body, thinking of everything that Henry had done.

A few minutes later, Vanessa was sitting on the edge of the desk watching Frank pace the floor, anger radiating from him as he thought about Henry Jacobs. He had called Biff, Chet, and Tony back into the office and he had asked each of them to take a look at the face on the computer screen to confirm his suspicion.

"That jerk! He still has to pay for what he did to Phil and Seth!" Biff exploded in anger when he saw Henry's face on the computer screen.

"I can't believe this!" Tony shouted, cursing in Italian.

"This confirms it," Chet growled. "Henry did kill Hayden and he framed you for it."

"Yep." Frank fumed as he paced. He was trying hard to calm down but was consumed with rage over everything that Henry had done.

"Shouldn't you call your dad now that you have the proof, Frank?" Chet asked. "This should put you in the clear."

"No, the first thing Frank needs to do is try to calm down," Vanessa said, her voice firm as she made a copy of the enhanced footage to give to the police.

"You're right I need to calm down and think. " Frank stopped pacing and took a couple of deep breaths. His anger was still simmering but he forced himself to remain calm. He turned around to answer Chet, "I..." his phone started buzzing. "That's probably my dad now." He said as he checked his phone, frowning when he didn't recognize the number.

He got a bad feeling deep in the pit of his stomach, and he immediately answered it, putting it on speaker and motioning to the others to remain quiet. "Hello?"

"Frank Hardy?" A familiar, grim voice came on the line.

Frank knew that he should know that voice, but his mind went blank. Numbly he asked, "Who is this?"

"Here's a hint, you killed my brother!" The voice said harshly.

Frank's heart almost stopped as the identity of the gruff voice clicked into place, "Ryan...Ryan Hayden!"

Biff, Tony, Chet, and Vanessa immediately looked at Frank in shock. Biff started to approach Frank until Frank held up his hand to stop him in his tracks.

"Ding! Ding! That's correct!" Ryan laughed. "You have won the grand prize!"

"Cut the crap, Ryan! I know you have them," Frank cut in, and then he demanded. "Where are they? What have you done to Joe and Callie!"

"Awww, Frankie, don't you want your prize?" Ryan pouted over the phone, "Or should I say, prizes namely, your brother and fiancé." He added overemphasizing the last words.

"I swear," Frank hissed gripping the phone until his knuckles turned white, "if you've hurt them, I will tear you apart! And… "

"Too late, I already have," Ryan said mockingly, "However, they are alive but whether they stay that way all depends on you. We're going to play a new game, Frank. It's called, who do you love more? It's going to be so much fun." The chilling words ran down Frank's spine. He began rubbing his chest feeling that familiar ache, he knew Joe was badly hurt in some way, he could feel it. And Callie...horrible thoughts began playing in his head of possible things that son of a bitch could've done to her.

Frank opened his mouth to respond but Ryan cut in, picking up where he left off, "But first, get to the place on Shore Road where you murdered my brother. You have one hour. Don't tell anyone because if I see your father or a single cop anywhere near there your brother and fiancé will wish that they had never been born!"

"Fine," Frank said, "but I don't trust you and I want proof that they're alive, let me speak to them." He anxiously waited for a response, then his heart sank as he realized that Ryan had hung up.

"Ryan?"

"Ryan!"

"Shit! He hung up!" Frank cried, looking frantically at Biff, Tony, Chet, and Vanessa. Suddenly, his phone started buzzing again, and he looked at it as several photos started to come through. He quickly began scrolling through them and gasped in horror. "Oh God, no!" His face went from already pale to a ghostly white. He continued staring at his phone, complete and utter fear in his eyes and his hands shaking like a leaf. "NOOO!"

Biff quickly took the phone from his hand while Tony and Chet looked over Biff's shoulder. Their hearts sank when they saw a photo of Joe lying unconscious in a fetal position on the dirty floor of what looked like a cellar or basement. He was only clad in his shorts and they could see that he was sporting a split lip, and his eye was swollen shut. He had bruising up and down his torso, and in another photo, they could see deep lacerations on Joe's back. Biff continued scrolling and his rage grew when he saw Ryan sitting on a bed with Callie tied to the bedpost, posing while he had a smirk on his face. Callie looked to be in better shape than Joe, but she had a terrified look in her eyes which was explained by the bomb vest strapped to her. All three were furious at what they saw and they all wanted Ryan to pay for what he was doing to their friends.

Seeing that Vanessa hadn't seen the photos yet, Biff handed the phone to her so that she could see as well, and soon she had tears of rage rolling down her face. Once she was done looking at the photos she thought, Poor Callie, how could someone do that to her new friend...and Joe! Seeing him hurt like that tore her up inside. She wiped her eyes and tried to get herself under control. As she looked up she saw Frank running out of the room with Biff, Tony, and Chet right behind him. "Frank!" She called, wondering where they were going. She ran after them and made her way to the parking lot just in time to see Frank sending a powerful kick to the passenger side door of his van, denting it.

"Frank, calm down!" She heard Biff say as she stood with her mouth open in shock. He didn't even flinch from the impact, it was as if he was a machine, and his foot was made of steel. I guess Joe isn't the only one with a temper, she thought. She thought had seen Frank's temper when she and Joe had arrived late at the picnic. But seeing Frank explode like this shocked her because Frank looked like he was ready to kill someone. She glanced over at Biff, Tony, and Chet. They all looked concerned, but they didn't seem fazed by Frank's outburst. She turned to Chet who was the closest to her. "Is Frank always like this?"

"You could say that," Chet answered. "He is normally calm and collected, but if someone close to him, like Joe and Callie, is hurt by someone else then you better watch out."

"I've taken self-defense classes before but I've never seen anything like this. H-how did Frank, I mean, how did he do that?" Vanessa still couldn't believe what she had seen Frank do.

"Frank is highly trained in martial arts." Tony added he came up to them when he saw the shocked look on Vanessa's face, "He's got a black belt to prove it."

Frank turned to face his friends, his fists clenching and unclenching at his sides with his breathing heavy and ragged. Vanessa was concerned when she saw the fierce look in Frank's normally gentle brown eyes. "I'm going to kill him!" He exclaimed as he ran around the driver's side of his van. He threw open the door and started to get in until Biff grabbed the door and closed it before he could get in.

"Biff, what are you doing? I have to meet up with Ryan!"

"Not like this, Frank," Biff replied, as he let out a deep breath and calmly said, "You need to calm down first. I know you're upset, believe me... I want to rip the man's throat out, too. But it's not going to help Joe and Callie if you go in without a plan. Besides, this isn't you. You're better than this, you're better than Ryan. The Frank Hardy we know and love would stay calm and think things through. That's the Frank we need right now to help get them back."

Frank took a deep breath, he raked a hand through his hair as he calmed himself and replied, "You're right, Biff. I'm sorry. I'm just going crazy thinking of Joe and Callie." He closed his eyes and took a couple more breaths. Then a thought just hit him. He opened his eyes and looked at Biff. "He's still here."

"What?" Biff asked looking at Frank, blinking.

"He wants me to meet him at Shore Road in less than an hour. That means that Ryan's still here. That means he must have Joe and Callie somewhere here in Bayport. Biff, what time is it?"

"It's about 2:30," Biff answered looking at his watch. "Why?"

Instead of answering his friend, Frank turned to Vanessa and asked, "Do you still have my phone?"

"Yes, I do." She confirmed holding up his phone.

"The photos are still on it?"

"Yes," she said grimly looking at the photo that was displayed. " I'm assuming he took them recently because you asked for proof."

"Did he happen to leave the timestamp on it somewhere by chance?" Frank asked as he went over to her.

"Yes, he did. It was taken like 15 minutes ago." Vanessa replied. She handed Frank his phone.

Frank looked at the photo of Callie and Ryan on his phone. He noted the metadata as he looked up at Vanessa and they both grinned at each other. Vanessa exclaimed, "We can find the actual location of where Joe and Callie are being held because he forgot to delete that!"

Frank ran back into the office with Vanessa right behind him and Biff, Chet, and Tony following closely. The boys were excited to see Frank back in his element doing what he did best and they couldn't wait to see him about to work his magic. They entered the office to see Frank at his computer with Vanessa next to him leaning over his shoulder and looking at the screen. "Transfer the picture to your computer. Right-click on the picture and select the properties." She said pointing to the screen, "Switch to Details Tab. There we should be able to see the GPS and can look it up..."

Frank nodded following her instructions and then inputting the coordinates into the computer. "Got it! Wait, a minute?" He looked questionably at a red arrow pointing to the location he was seeing.

"What?!" Chet exclaimed. "Did you find it?"

"It looks like the photos were taken near a wooded area just a couple miles from the pier," Frank said.

"Are you kidding me!" Biff said in disbelief. "You mean they've been under our noses this whole time?"

"What do we do now?" Tony asked anxiously.

"What do you mean, what do we do?" Biff repeated. "We know their actual location; We call Mr. Hardy and the police and then we go and get Joe and Callie."

"We can't," Frank said shaking his head.

"Was there a reason that Ryan included his location data in the metadata?" Vanessa asked. "That's not exactly smart."

"That may be true," Frank said. "But we shouldn't forget that Ryan is also extremely dangerous and he has a track record of causing explosions." Everyone nodded in agreement, Frank continued, "The fact that he's got Callie strapped to a bomb pretty much says it all and we don't know how many more he has and has set. We've got to be extremely careful about this because we don't want to set him off."

"So, what do you suggest that we do?" Vanessa asked.

Frank looked at his phone and the photo of Callie. The terror in her eyes ripped at his heart. I'm so sorry, Callie, I love you, sweetheart, hang on for me, he thought. Then he scrolled to the photo of Joe. He started rubbing his aching chest while he looked at the image of his bruised and battered little brother. He sent out a silent plea, hold on, for me little brother, I'm coming to get you both.

"Frank?" He heard Vanessa say.

"This is what we're going to do," he said decisively. "I'm going to meet Ryan on Shore Road like he said. Vanessa you, should stay here or go home..."

"No. I'm going with you." Vanessa insisted stubbornly.

"No, you're not. it's too dangerous." Frank argued. "If something were to happen to you, it would destroy Joe. I can't...he can't..."

"Frank, I understand what you are trying to say, but I'm not a weakling, and I can take care of myself." Vanessa countered. "Besides you can't go by yourself. I can help. Please let me help Joe, I love him and don't want to lose him."

"I'm going too," Biff interjected before Frank could argue. "You're going to need the muscle and I can hide in the back of the van. You know I'm right. Chet and Tony can notify the Chief and your dad."

Frank pursed his lips together as he thought about this, he didn't have time to waste. Finally, it was settled Frank would meet with Ryan. Vanessa and Biff would follow Frank a few distances away as he meets up with Ryan. Frank advised them not to follow him in Vanessa's Jeep, fearing it would draw attention to themselves, so Tony offered to lend them his black car. Then follow them to the location where Joe and Callie are being held. Tony and Chet were going to wait 30 minutes and then tell Fenton and the Chief and give them the location.