Hardy Detective Agency featuring Hardy Boys Fan Fiction

"Frank..." Joe started hesitantly. His brother remained silent, fuming. "Frank." Joe tried again, this time speaking louder. His brother still ignored him. Sighing, Joe turned away and was almost out the door when something hit him hard on the back of the head. He turned and saw that Frank had flung a shoe at him. Rubbing his head (or rather, Frank's head), he turned to Frank and said, "Okay, I guess I deserved that."

"You guess?" spat Frank, Joe's blue eyes cold and angry as he stood up. "You ruined my relationship with Callie." His voice broke. "Joe..." he said, "Before you disappeared yesterday...I was...was going to ask her to marry me."

Before Joe had a chance to respond, Mrs. Hardy, who had come up to the room, only to hear what she thought was Joe's announcement. "Joe!" she said, sounding horrified.

Joe was about to respond when he realized his mother thought he was Frank. The latter remained silent. "Joe!" Mrs. Hardy said again. Joe kicked Frank roughly, though not hard enough to leave a mark. If Frank was in his own body, though, Joe thought, I'd really let him have it.

Frank immediately reacted to Joe's kick and looked up at his mother. "What?"

"Did I just hear you right?"

"Um...no?" Frank asked questioningly, not sure what his mother was talking about. He then decided that she must have thought that he was Joe and that Joe was planning on proposing to Iola. Forcing a smile, Frank wiped the blue eyes that were tearing up and said, "Don't worry about a thing, Mom."

"Yeah," put in Joe, "Frank--um, I mean, Joe was just practicing for the school play." He grinned, seeing a chance to praise himself. "You know, he's so handsome and smart and dramatic that they just had to cast him as the lead role. And, of course, I--he accepted."

Frank rolled his eyes and made a face at Joe.

Mrs. Hardy didn't notice, however, and smiled brightly at blonde boy. She gave him a hug, her own blue eyes sparkling, and said, "Oh, Joey, I'm so proud of you. I always knew you would be famous someday--of course, I thought as a detective, not an actor." Frank fought the urge to grimace at his mother's praise, because, for all she knew, he was Joe.

Then she turned to the real Joe. "Frank," she said sternly. "Perhaps you can explain why Callie left in such a rage."

Joe flushed, feeling Frank's angry gaze on him, and hesitantly said, "Um...she was practicing too?"

Mrs. Hardy studied Joe intently. She was sure there was something Frank wasn't telling her. Deciding not to press the matter, however, she merely smiled and said, "Well, sheis a good actress then." Looking pointedly at Joe, she added, "She sure had me convinced." She then left, telling the boys to get ready for school.

When she had gone, Joe turned to Frank, and said sincerely, "I am so sorry, Frank. I had no idea. And I promise: that was a complete and total accident. I just spaced out. C'mon, you've gotta admit, It's kinda hard to comprehend that we've switched brains or bodies or something--see I'm even having trouble understanding it right now."

Frank smiled slightly. Joe always knew how to make him laugh. Plus, it was rather amusing to see his own face scrunched up, trying to think.

Joe grinned. "Listen," he said, "we'll explain this whole thing to the girls."

Frank laughed dryly. "Yeah. I'm sure they'll understand."

Joe smiled. "Okay. We'll think up a story that's not as far-fetched as the truth. How's that?"

"Sure."

Relieved that he and his brother were no longer fighting, Joe said, "Well, let's get ready for school." Both brothers froze.

"School?" they said in unison.

Joe groaned.

"How are we going to get through today?" Frank wondered aloud.

And for the first time in his seventeen-year-old life, Joe Hardy couldn't think of a thing to say.

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Disclaimer

The Hardy Boys belong to Simon and Schuster and the Stratemeyer Foundation. The Hardy Boys Fan Fiction authors of the Hardy Detective Agency have just borrowed them for an adventure or two. The authors promise to put the boys back when they are done with them. The authors do claim copyright to the original characters in this story. Please do not borrow original characters without express permission of the authors.