"All over the place. It seems like in every room, there's another piece," Coroner James replied. He looked like he was going to be sick too. In his ten years of experience, he had never seen a site this sickening.

"How long did it take the kid to die?" Detective Connolly asked.

"I can't say, but I'd say he finally passed out here, and whoever it was, finished him off by taking out his legs. Poor kid finally bled to death," Coroner James replied. Detective Connolly walked carefully through the scene. There was blood splattered all over the floor, making it difficult to walk. He took notice of the bloody hand prints on the walls. Walking down the hallway to the next room, he saw what looked like to be a human hand and part of a leg in the middle of the room. He turned his head and kept walking to the back room. That's where he saw the rest of the body. Feeling sick he went back to where Coroner James was kneeling down.

"Any idea who did this?" he asked Connolly.

"No idea..." Connolly replied softly. All of a sudden, an officer came running up to him.

"Boss!" he shouted.

"What is it?" Connolly asked, a bit more harshly then he meant to. The officer, a young rookie, winced, but then looked at him again.

"Boss, I was thinking...this...this fits the bill of some other killings that have happened. Young boys, between the ages of 16-20, mutilated, all their body parts cut off, and finally bleeding to death." Connolly's eyes widened. He realized the rookie was right.

"Good job, Rookie. Now I have a job for you. Go call up all the other murders that have happened that fit this itinerary...."

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

"One, two, three," Frank heaved a big sigh, not believing his luck. He was the one stuck counting to a hundred while Joe and Jason hid. He smiled to himself, though. It was good to see Joe and Jason so happy. After their past few cases, what with Callie, and then Jason being kidnapped...things had been pretty bleak around the Hardy household. He then smiled, remembering his Aunt Gertrude's wedding, and how happy she now was. And now, Uncle Matt and Aunt Gertrude were on their honeymoon...and Laura and Fenton, with their wedding anniversary coming up, had decided to embark on a second honeymoon...so, it was just Frank, Joe, and Jason! "And we're having a blast too!" he thought to himself. His smile dropped a little as he remembered the twins. "It's two bad they can't be here with us..." he thought. But, he knew that it was impossible at this moment, for the twins were with Social Services, and possibly in a foster home. Suddenly, he realized that when he was thinking so much, he had gotten to a hundred.

"Okay, ready or not, here I come!" he shouted into the yard. Grinning, he turned around to look for his brothers. He spotted a blond head, trying to hide behind the rocker on the porch.

"I found you!" Frank crowed. He had found Joe. Joe shook his head, and grinned ruefully.

"I’m getting too old for this game," he informed his brother with a laugh. "I’m too big to hide under or in things!"

Both the brothers burst out in laughter. Joe gazed at his brother, realizing how lucky he was to have him. Even though the brothers looked nothing alike, with Joe’s blond hair and blue eyes, and Frank’s brown hair and brown eyes, they shared a bond unbreakable by all. And then, there was Jason. Four-year-old Jason always had a smile ready. And with his angelic brown eyes, and brown hair, he looked a lot like Frank did when he gave the puppy dog face-practically ensuring he’d get his way. Thinking about Jason brought him back to the present. Unknowing to all three of them, as they played happily, someone was watching them.

"Ohhh…" the guy thought to himself. "He's so cute...both him and the blonde one...…so handsome…I love them so much…and they’re mine…all mine!" he smiled a slow, curving, malicious grin. Just, then, a yell cut through his thoughts.

"We still have to find Jason!" Joe said loudly to Frank. "I wonder where he could be!" he jerked his head towards the bushes near the front of the house. Frank smothered a laugh, and joined Joe in sneaking behind Jason to get him.

He snuck up behind Jason, and yelled, "Gotcha!" He grabbed him, and slung him over his shoulder, then set him down on the grass.

"But I still won!" Jason taunted his older brothers with a big smile. "Because you finded me last!"

"Oh, you did, didja?!" Frank and Joe laughed as they started tickling Jason.

"No, no, stop, stop!" Jason shrieked in between laughter as tears ran down his face. Finally, the Hardys sat back and tried to catch their breath, still laughing.

"Wow Frank, he’s as ticklish as you!" Joe observed, earning him a dirty look from his elder brother. But then, Frank started laughing all over again.

"Did you hear the little guy? He said ‘finded’ instead of ‘found’!" That brought a fresh wave of laughter from the two older boys, as Jason watched them in puzzlement. Just then, a man walking down the street caught his attention. He nudged his brothers.

"Look at the man!" he pointed to the figure walking down the street.

"Jason, it’s not polite to point," Frank admonished him absent-mindedly as he watched the man. As he got closer, the Hardys recognized him.

"Why, Professor Richards!" Joe exclaimed. Indeed, it was their Calculus professor. "What brings you to this

area?" Joe asked with a smile. He and Frank stood up. They towered over the guy, who was barely 5’3", and dressed like Mr. Rogers. In fact, he reminded the Hardys of Mr. Rogers, what with his mild manner, soft spoken, kind, gentleman self.

"Frank and Joe Hardy!" the man said with a smile. "What a pleasure to meet you! Is this where you live?" Frank nodded.

"Yes, this is our humble home!" he said with a smile.

"Not so humble!" Professor Richards said with a chuckle, referring to the size of the house. Frank and Joe grinned, a little uncomfortable. "Are your parents home?" he asked. "I’d like to meet them!" Frank and Joe shook their heads in unison.

"No, they’ve gone on vacation. It’s just me, Joe, and Jason," Frank replied. Professor Richards looked quizzically at Jason.

"Who’s this?" he inquired.

"This cute little guy," Frank said, hoisting Jason onto his shoulders, "Is my younger brother Jason!" Jason smiled angelically at Professor Richards.

"I’m this many!" he said, holding up four fingers. Frank and Joe laughed, as did Professor Richards. Joe ruffled Jason’s hair affectionately.

Meanwhile, he watched them, getting angrier and angrier by the second. "They love that little kid more than they love me!" he thought to himself. "They’ve got to die then!" He walked off, feeling very angry, hurt, and betrayed. He walked off, knowing the Hardys were going to pay.

"Well, Frank, Joe, Jason, it’s been a pleasure seeing you! I best be going, before I’m late! I’ll see you two in class!" he waved goodbye and walked down the street. Just then, Jason tapped Frank on the head. Frank set him down, and then looked at him.

"Fraaaaaaaaaaaaaaank!" Jason said, drawing Frank’s name out like he loved doing.

"Jaaaaaaaaaason!" Frank said, teasing Jason back.

Jason smiled at his big brother, and then said, "Frank, I’m kind of hungry now. What’s to eat?" Frank looked at him thoughtfully, and then looked at Joe, who was staring at him expectantly.

"Well…" he said. "Since it’s only the three of us, why don’t we go to Mr. Pizza’s and then we can go out for ice cream?" he watched both Jason’s and Joe’s face light up. "Joe will always be a kid," he thought wryly to himself.

"Really?" Jason asked excitedly.

"Yeah, really?" Joe echoed.

"Yes, really," Frank said with a laugh.

"Cool!" Jason exclaimed. "When do we leave?" he asked eagerly.

"Right now, if you want!" Frank said. They walked inside to wash up, and get ready to leave.

He watched Frank and Joe talk to Jason, and saw Jason smile. He disappeared into the night, thinking,