One more time: Three cheers for Moonstar!! She helped me once again, to spice up a really boring story! LOL

Frank stared in horror at the bullet flying across the room towards Jason’s head. At the last possible second, he threw himself in front of Jason. The bullet came and slammed right into Frank’s stomach. At first, he felt nothing. And then, a pain started…a pain so intense he didn’t think he could take it anymore. His fingers opened and the phone fell from his limp fingers. He could hear his Dad calling his name, but he couldn’t answer him. He saw spots in front of his eyes, and his breathing became more and more labored. Finally, a merciful blackness overtook him.

********************

Fenton Hardy stared at the phone in his hand in horror. One minute, he was talking to his son…the next he heard a voice, presumably, the kidnapper…and the next a gunshot!

"Hello! Frank! Hello?" he shouted into the phone. His only reply was a click…and then nothing. He slowly hung up the phone, and then closed his eyes tightly. He had no idea what to think of the gunshot, he didn’t know if Frank and Jason were okay…or if they were even alive. Just then, Laura, Gertrude, and Matt came into his study.

"Who was it?" Laura asked. Fenton sighed, and opened his arms, inviting her to come for a hug. He wasn’t sure if it was to comfort her when he told her the news, or for himself.

"Frank managed to get to the kidnappers place…and he had Jason! But, the kidnapper came back, and he caught Frank right when he was calling me…I don’t even know where they are…and, oh God, Laura, I heard a gunshot! After that, the phone went dead…" Laura was crying, and buried her head in Fenton’s chest. Gertrude also started sobbing, and Matt took her and started comforting her as much as possible. He glanced at Fenton, but Fenton’s eyes were closed, as if he were fighting back tears. Matt sighed and wondered what was going to happen next. Just then, the phone rang! Fenton ran to pick up the phone, tripped over the chair, and fell on the floor. Groaning, he turned on to his back, as the phone was still ringing. Matt, being the closest to the desk, snatched up the phone and said a quick hello, one arm still around Gertrude.

"Who’s this?" a gruff voice asked.

"Who is this?" Matt countered, even though he had a feeling he already knew who it was.

"This is Max. Give it to Hardy!" Matt held the phone out to Fenton, telling him who it was. Fenton put the it on speakerphone, and then said,

"Let me talk to my son! What did you do to them? Are they hurt?"

"Which one?" Max asked, ignoring the rest of his questions. Fenton thought a moment.

"Give it to Frank," he said, figuring he’d get more out of Frank than Jason.

"Sorry, can’t do that," Max chuckled, and then gave the phone to Jason.

"Hello? Daddy?" Once again, Fenton was struck at how quickly Jason had begun to call him Daddy, but he also knew that going through a tragedy moved someone’s mind ahead much more quickly than normal, and so Jason was just calling him Daddy, after being told to do so for the past week.

"Jason? Son, are you okay?" Fenton asked him worriedly.

"Daddy, I’m fine, but, Frank--" Jason replied softly.

"What happened to Frank?!" Laura interrupted.

"Frank’s hurt, Mommy…he got shot in his tummy!" Gertrude gasped again, and Matt’s face turned white. Laura and Fenton stared at each other in horror, not comprehending what Jason had just said.

"Shot…?" Laura whispered softly. But instead of hearing Jason answer, they heard raucous laughter come through the phone.

"Yes, Frankie’s been shot. The stupid boy said no to me when I gave him an order! Imagine that! So, I shot a bullet right at little Jason’s head. But, Frank jumped in front of Jason, and got hit in his stomach. Not smart…not smart at all…"

"You bas--" Fenton began to say, but then stopped when Laura put a hand on his arm and gave him a look. The look said "Don’t antagonize him while he has our kids!!" Fenton sighed, and then asked,

"So, what do you want us to do?"

"Well, Hardy, your kids didn’t follow instructions very well. I told them they’d get Jason back if they had just done what I had asked. Now, not only do I have Jason, I have Frank too, and he’s been hurt! ‘Tis a pity how young kids today don’t listen! And let me tell you this Fenton," Max said, then pausing for a second. "Frank had better get some medical attention fast. Or else, he’s dead!" Everyone paled at this. "Call Joe back. Tell him to abort the plan. Wait until I call again. This time, maybe you can follow directions." With those words, Max hung up. Fenton immediately called Joe.

"What?" Joe picked up the phone, knowing it was probably his Dad, and not knowing why he’d called. He knew he was being testy, and rude, but he was tired, and worried sick and he really didn’t know what to do.

"Joe, come back home…abort the plan," Fenton said.

"What? Why?" Joe asked.

"Just come home…I’ll tell you there!" Fenton didn’t want to tell Joe over the phone. He also knew that the phones were tapped, and that Max could probably hear everything that was going on.

"Fine," Joe replied. Hanging up, he made a tight U-turn, and was home within 10 minutes. He had a funny feeling inside, as if something had gone wrong. He walked into the house, yelling,

"Dad? What is it? Where are you?"

"In the study!" was the reply he got. He walked in and saw his mom, Aunt Gertrude, his Dad, and his soon-to-be Uncle Matt sitting, all with worried looks on their faces.

"Son," Fenton started, "Max just called, well, actually, Frank called, and then everything went wrong, and…"

"Dad!! Start at the beginning!" Joe ordered. Fenton took a deep breath, and then started.

"Frank found Jason. He called me and was about to tell me where they were. But, Max walked in. I heard a gunshot…and then nothing. Then Max called back. Frank…Frank’s been shot. In his stomach." Joe turned completely white, and he sat down heavily on the sofa.

"Is he okay?" he whispered. Laura sighed, and smoothed the hair off his forehead.

"If he doesn’t get medical attention soon, he’ll die…" Joe shut his eyes tightly. When he opened them, fire burned in them.

"What are we supposed to do?" he asked.

"Max said to sit tight until he called again. He said we had better follow directions this time," Fenton replied. Joe sighed, then said,

"I’m going to bed. If he calls again today, wake me up," He walked upstairs and to his bedroom in a sort of daze. He knew he should email the Chief and tell him what had happened, but, he was tired, and upset. He’d just have to do it tomorrow morning.

********************

Back in the study, Laura stared after Joe in a worried way. She didn’t know if her older son was taking the news to well. She sighed softly, and then turned to Fenton. He gave her a tiny smile that didn’t reach his eyes.

"I guess we better wait…" he trailed off.