Joe Hardy swung his motorcycle into the driveway of his home and brought it to a halt in front of the garage. He noted that Frank still wasn’t home, despite the fact that it was nearly five o’clock in the evening. But he loves flying for Jack, Joe thought to himself, pulling off his helmet. Even sandwiching it into his class schedule isn’t too much trouble for Frank, since he gets to fly! And Megan doesn’t seem to mind…. Joe felt just a bit sad; even though he himself had conceived the idea in the first place, he hadn’t thought about Frank wanting to continue working at Wayne’s World after their case was solved. Lately, he felt like he never saw his older brother any more; Frank was always at school, or at Jack’s, or with Megan.

Just as he dismounted from the cycle, he heard the familiar sound of their van’s engine, and Frank pulled the vehicle into its customary parking spot. Joe had insisted that Frank drive the van this week, rather than trading off as they usually did, using the persuasion that riding a motorcycle would be too hard on his bruises and whiplash injury. Frank hadn’t argued much.

"Hey, little bro!" Frank got out, slammed the door shut and draped an arm about Joe’s shoulders as they walked toward the house. "You ready for tonight?"

A grin of anticipation curved Joe’s mouth upwards and lighted his blue eyes. He had turned 18 the day before, but since his birthday fell on a Thursday, his party had been postponed a day. "Ready and waiting!" He elbowed Frank in the ribs. "What’d you get me?"

Frank emitted a snort of laughter. "Something entirely useful." he replied, and hurried through the back door before Joe could ask any more questions.

In the kitchen, their mother was just sliding a baking sheet of stuffed baked potatoes – Joe’s favorites – into the oven. She smiled a welcome, and both boys kissed her.

"Dinner in about half an hour," she told them. "We’re going to eat as early as possible tonight, since people will start arriving around seven."

Joe was hovering over a counter where a large cake reposed, its top nearly hidden in a forest of small candles. "Ummm, I can’t wait!" he declared, sniffing the chocolate frosting ecstatically.

"Shoo!" Laura fluttered her hands in dismissal. "That’s for the party!"

Joe shoved out his lower lip in a chagrined pout, but couldn’t hold the expression, and began laughing instead. Surreptitiously, he scooped a fingerful of frosting from the edge of his cake, and stuck it in his mouth as he headed for the stairs. "I’m going up to take a shower," he announced.

"Please do," his mother commented wryly. "You bring half the baseball field home on your clothes every day from practice. Do you have to slide into all the bases?"

Frank whooped with laughter at his brother’s discomfiture, and followed him. "I think I’ll take one too."

*****

At seven o’clock, doorbell chimes began pealing, and for some time the Hardys were kept busy answering the door and greeting their guests. Friends after friend arrived: Phil Cohen, coming straight from his last class at NYU. Tony Prito, who brought with him two large boxes labeled "Mr. Pizza" which spread the aroma of tomatoes and pepperoni through the house. Biff Hooper and his girlfriend, Karen; Chet Morton and Devon Marshand, whose green eyes sparkled with mischief as she carried in a large, square box wrapped in birthday paper. Vanessa, who greeted Joe with a birthday kiss that left him gasping and caused the other boys to whistle appreciatively. Megan, who hugged the "birthday boy" so emphatically that his almost-healed bruises protested, before ensconcing herself beside Frank.

Arriving last were two people Joe might not have thought of inviting, two weeks previously – but now they seemed like part of the family. Jack and April Wayne both looked extremely happy, when Fenton escorted them into the family room, and Joe and Frank glanced at each other, marveling at how differently they appeared from a week ago. Jack once again was the fun-loving young man they remembered; it was amazing what sleep and lack of nervous tension could do! Despite the fact that she was still recuperating, April was smiling with pleasure, although she gazed at all the older teens with a somewhat awestruck expression.

It wasn’t the first time Joe had seen April since their eventful airplane flight, however. Back in school, he had made a point of looking for her in the halls, remembering her wistful words: "…you’re a senior, and one of the Big Wheels...just how likely are you to notice me?" When he and Vanessa had spotted her, slipping unobtrusively along the edge of the corridor, shielding her arm from being bumped by passers-by, they had called her name, and stopped for conversation.

April had flushed with gratification – for receiving attention from seniors as well-known as Joe Hardy and Vanessa Bender was a feather in any sophomore’s cap. When the three parted, Vanessa tugged at Joe’s elbow.

"Joe, I’m set for a little matchmaking, here! April needs a guy…who can you introduce to her?"

"What?" Joe’s involuntary yelp caused surrounding conversations to halt for a few seconds. "Are you kidding?" he demanded, lowering his voice.

"Not at all," his girlfriend informed him coolly. "She’s pretty and smart and nice, and someone should benefit from all that. So who?" She stared at him, a determined expression in her gray-blue eyes.

Joe thought frantically, for when Vanessa had that look on her face, he knew better than to argue. Faces flashed in his mind and he quickly assessed and discarded several before coming up with a possibility. "Todd Mitchell!" he said triumphantly. "He’s a junior; plays third base on the varsity baseball team. He’s a nice kid, but kind of shy, and I don’t think he’s dating anyone – not steadily, anyway."

Vanessa had nodded, consideringly. "He’d do," she said. "Talk to him at practice this afternoon, okay?"

Feeling like an idiot, Joe had done so, mentioning April as a girl he knew who was a licensed pilot and who had helped him and Frank solve a case recently. To his surprised gratification, Todd had evinced immediate interest, and the following day, Joe had introduced him to April, then hastily excused himself, pleading that he had to get to class. The next time he’d seen April, Todd was with her, carrying her books and walking protectively on her right side, to keep her arm from being jostled.

Vanessa was sure right about that, Joe thought now. But I’ll never understand what made her suddenly decide that April needed a boyfriend!

Since all the guests had arrived, Laura produced the candle-festooned cake. A raucous chorus of "Happy Birthday" followed, then Joe valiantly attempted to blow out eighteen candles with a single breath, accompanied by yells of encouragement and teasing comments. Congratulations and applause broke out when he succeeded; flushed and temporarily breathless, Joe sat down, eyeing the stack of gifts and cards on the table.

"Go ahead, son," Fenton told him, smilingly. "You’ve had to wait an extra day for your presents; no reason to make you wait any longer."

Smiling in anticipation, Joe reached first for the large, square box Devon had carried in. It was lighter than he’d thought it would be, and he shook it a little, inquiringly. Something thumped softly within. Joe glanced at the card – To Joe, Happy Birthday from Chet and Devon, was all it said; no hints there! Quickly tearing off the ribbon and paper, Joe opened the box – and inside, found a beautiful, brown-suede Stetson. He whistled in awe, and carefully lifted it from its nest of tissue paper.

"Straight from Austin!" Devon informed him, tossing her long blonde hair back over her shoulder. "It was my grandfather’s idea. He remembered how much you liked his, when they were here visiting me. And Chet picked the color."

"Try it on!" Chet encouraged him, and Joe complied, tilting it forward over his eyes. It fit

as if it had been designed expressly for the younger Hardy.

"Wow – it’s great! Thanks, I really like it!" Joe enthused.

"It looks great, Joe!" Vanessa surveyed him admiringly, and the others added similar comments.

Joe reached again, and picked up a small, square package that was almost certainly a CD. The card read: With love from Megan, and he smiled warmly at the diminutive redhead before he opened it. When he did open it, however, he received a surprise: it was an original – created via computer, and containing track after track of his favorite music by various artists. Megan flushed pink and dimpled at Joe’s enthusiastic thanks.

"Frank helped me with the selections," she said. "I hope you enjoy it, Joe!"

A simple envelope addressed in a scrawling hand came next. Joe opened it, and found a card from someone he hadn’t expected – Con Riley. Surprised and pleased, Joe picked up a tiny, tissue-wrapped rectangle from inside the card and unwrapped it…and then rolled his eyes and chuckled ruefully. Oh man – very funny, Con – very funny!

"What is it?" Frank leaned over, trying to see what it was that Joe held. His brother displayed a little orange piece of cardboard, and Frank erupted in shouts of laughter. It was a card from a Monopoly game set, which read Get Out of Jail Free. Everyone burst out laughing; Megan and April both giggled until tears filled their eyes.

"This is mine," Vanessa said, when the hilarity over Con’s gift died away. She held out another smallish rectangular box, and Joe leaned to kiss her appreciatively before he removed the paper. The contents proved to be a video tape, and Joe raised a questioning eyebrow at his girlfriend.

"What’s it of, Van?"

"It’s – my mom helped me make it, and some other people, too—" Vanessa was uncharacteristically stumbling over her words, "—it’s highlights of your high school career and your life, Joe. All the important stuff in your life. It has footage from football and baseball games from the time you were a freshman, and clips about you and Frank and the cases you’ve solved, and there are pictures from dances, and—" She broke off. "There are some photos of you and Iola, too." she whispered.

Joe bit his lip. He knew what it must have cost Vanessa to include that. He reached for her hand. "Thanks babe," he said huskily. "We’ll watch it a little later, okay?" When she nodded mistily, he kissed her again. Iola was an important part of my life, Van…his thoughts ran. …but you’re here now! He whispered the words for Vanessa’s hearing alone.

Across the room, Chet Morton was blinking hard, thinking of his sister. Devon hugged him comfortingly, and he managed a tentative smile.

"Here, Joe, this is a group gift!" Tony Prito pushed another envelope across the table’s surface. The younger Hardy took it, appreciating Tony’s tact and swiftness in changing the subject. When the card was opened, Joe saw it contained several signatures, and an impressive, computer-generated certificate which stated that the undersigned, Anthony Prito, Allen Hooper, Philip Cohen, Franklin Hardy, and Chester Morton did hereby gift Joseph Hardy with one (1) Camping Trip, date to be decided on, with all of them in attendance.

Joe grinned at each of them, realizing what a large present he was actually receiving, in terms of time commitment. "Thanks, you guys! This is swell – something I really, really wanted!"

There was still a large, brightly-wrapped-and-beribboned box to be opened, and Joe now reached for it. The gift card read With appreciation, thanks and love – from Jack and April. Joe carefully removed the wrappings and lifted the lid – and his eyes widened to the size of saucers.

"Oh, wow!" Nestled inside the box was a dark brown leather flight jacket. A pair of mirrored aviator sunglasses reposed on top of the coat. Joe hesitantly stroked the butter-soft leather. "Jack – April – I don’t know what to say – they’re great!"

"Look in the pocket, Joe," April said softly, and he obeyed. Inside one of the side pockets, there was a typewritten note, which read: Joe – whenever you’re ready to try again, this is good for as many flight lessons as it takes to get you your aviator’s license. Thank you again for all that you did for me – April. Joe looked over at April, appreciating the tedious time it had taken her just to type out that simple note on the computer using only her left hand; and also realizing what she was offering in terms of time and effort.

"April – thanks! I – I’m not sure about that yet, but – thanks!" Joe smiled. He explained the contents of the note to the others, and April was immediately inundated with comments and advice on the advisability or futility of trying to teach Joe to fly.

Frank spoke through the hubbub. "Joe, can I see your keys for a minute?" he asked. Joe frowned slightly; it seemed like an odd request, especially for the time and place, but he leaned backwards and fished in his pocket for his keys, then tossed them toward his brother. Frank caught them, gave them a cursory glance, and calmly pocketed them.

"Hey, what’s the big idea?" Joe scowled at his sibling. Frank just smiled.

Fenton cleared his throat, and held out a small box to his younger son. "Joe, you haven’t opened our gift yet."

Joe took the box and looked at it with a sinking feeling. It’s a wallet box…Frank got a whole new computer setup for his birthday – and I get a wallet? Well – I know I need a new one, but still….

Joe quickly put on a good face, so as not to upset his parents, and carefully unwrapped the bright blue paper. Sure enough, there was a plain, brown wallet. Joe forced a smile. "Thanks Mom, Dad, it’s just what I needed."

Laura laughed softly, understanding his consternation. "Look inside, honey. You know it’s rude to give someone a wallet without putting something inside."

Joe took the wallet from its box and slowly opened it. A couple of Ben Franklins could rescue this present yet! he thought hopefully. But no money appeared. Instead, nestled in the folds of the billfold, was a key. Not just any key, but a key that obviously fit the ignition of a vehicle.

A slow grin spread across Joe’s face, getting wider and wider as he realized what this key meant. He leaped to his feet and rushed for the front door, throwing it open to view the driveway, where he expected to see a new, custom-built van parked. His jaw dropped open in shock – had there been some sort of mistake?

"Wha—what is it?" he stammered. "Is THAT for me?"

Frank had followed him into the hall, and now slapped his brother on the back. "What did you expect? For us to keep sharing that van forever?"

Joe stared at the little vehicle parked in the drive. He slowly walked out the door, down the steps and onto the driveway, followed en masse by his family and friends. He reached a hand to touch the gleaming steel-blue metallic surface. "Wow…."

"It’s an Aztek," Frank told him. "It’s all-wheel drive, and they call it an SRV – a Sport Recreational Vehicle." He chuckled. "It comes with a camping package, little brother – you can attach the tent to it, and there’s an air mattress…."

"Joe, it’s so cute!" Megan bubbled. "It’s so little…."

It was. Tidy and compact, shining like a jewel in the glow of the spring sunset. The top portion of the vehicle was the smart steel blue metallic cover and the lower half was a deep rugged black. The whole vehicle was impressive, unlike anything Joe had ever seen before.

"Wh—where did it come from?" Joe stammered.

"A car dealership!" Biff joked. "Although actually, I saw someone dropping it off when we drove up."

Joe turned to look at his parents. "It’s wonderful! But – but – it’s too much," he choked out. "Something like this—"

"Don’t be too overwhelmed," his father responded. "It’s not completely paid for. And understand, Joe, that this is also your graduation gift; all you’ll get from your mother and me in June is a Hallmark card! Also, there were several sources that helped with it – your Aunt Gertrude in Florida, for instance. And there were sizable rewards put up by the DEA and the Special Investigation Services of Canada, for the capture of Roger Taylor. And," Fenton continued, smiling at Jack and April, "every cargo company operating out of the vicinity of Bayport contributed to a reward, as well."

"We’ll have to pitch in the money in our account," Frank interposed, meaning the joint bank account he and Joe had started with an eye to an additional vehicle. "and you’ve got all those savings bonds Aunt Gertrude’s given you every year – they mature when you hit 18."

"But you’ll be responsible for making payments on the balance, Joe." his father concluded. "So I hope you’ll start looking for a summer job soon!"

Jack Wayne stepped forward. "Joe, we could probably use an extra hand at Wayne’s World this summer." he said quietly. Behind him, April was nodding enthusiastically, her hazel eyes alight. "And I promise I’d be a very understanding boss, if you and Frank had to suddenly leave to work on a case somewhere!" he added, grinning.

"Flying?" Joe asked with some trepidation. He saw April’s face crinkle with suppressed laughter, and he remembered all too well how his topsy-turvy stomach had felt after his last airplane ride. But it might be fun – if there weren’t any storms!

Jack grimaced and laughed. "Not hardly, kid – I was thinking that with Roger gone, Jason might need help loading cargo."

"That’s okay…." Joe replied dazedly, again running a gentle hand along the hood of his new car. Suddenly, he turned to look at Frank. "You’re going to have the van, then?"

"Yes and no," his brother answered. "I’ll drive it for a little while, yeah. But I’m thinking of trading it in on something a little smaller and newer – that van’s been repaired so often, there’s not much of the original vehicle left…and it gets terrible gas mileage."

"You two aren’t the only ones getting new cars," April remarked. "The insurance company has given Jack and me the go-ahead to replace the Neon. Hmmm, Jack, can I have an Aztek too?" Her brother rolled his eyes in despair, and laughed.

"I don’t think the insurance will stretch that far – but we can check and see."

"Open it up, Joe!" Biff prodded. "Let’s see what it looks like inside!"

As Joe unlocked the doors and then popped the hood, the masculine portion of the party crowded around for a closer look. Chet, Biff and Joe whistled in appreciation at the shiny new 3.4 liter V-6 engine, while Phil and Frank checked out the computerized Driver Information center and the graphic equalizer on the compact disk system. Phil was impressed with the Theftlock system and the 6 speakers, commenting that Joe could rock all over town with that baby. Tony ran his hand over the brand new dark gray leather seats and grinned in envious glee for Joe’s new vehicle. "Hey, is this the one that has the cooler in the center console? That will come in handy when we go on our camping trip." Jack and Fenton stood in back, discussing the camping package in detail.

Laughing at the boyish enthusiasm the guys were showing, Devon, Karen and Laura went inside the house; Vanessa, Megan and April found themselves temporarily alone on the front porch.

"Vanessa," April said hesitantly. "Did you have anything to do with Joe suddenly introducing me to Todd Mitchell, by any chance?"

Vanessa chuckled. "What makes you think that?"

April smiled. "Just a hunch. It’s good – I like Todd a lot. Listen, I wanted to tell you something."

She took a deep breath. "I’ll always like and admire Joe. He’s an absolutely wonderful person, and he’ll always be a hero, in my eyes – not only a hero, my guardian angel!….But he’s not the right one for me, and I know that now. The things he does; the situations they get into….I don’t envy you…or you, Megan," she added to the little redhead. "I don’t want to spend my life wondering if my husband will come home at night, or whether he’s been kidnapped or is lying in an alley somewhere. There’s no way I could live with all the violence these guys put up with all the time" She looked up into Vanessa’s understanding eyes. "I just wanted you to know…."

Vanessa smiled down at the younger girl. "You know, when you put it like that…" she said thoughtfully. "maybe he’s not such a good catch after all! New car or no new car…."

Joe, approaching them at that moment, caught her words. "HEY! What’s that supposed to mean?"

"Never mind, Joe; never mind." She smiled sweetly at her boyfriend, and hugged him, but over his shoulder, she exchanged conspiratorial glances with Megan and April, who dissolved into fits of giggles.

After a time, since it was getting dark, Laura managed to tempt people back inside to have birthday cake. Jack and April ate hurriedly, however, and soon rose to their feet.

"This was wonderful, and we’re sorry to take off so early, but we’re leaving town tonight." Jack made excuse. "We’re going to our family cabin; we want to take a couple of days away from the air cargo business." He gave his sister a rueful look. "April and I have some things to talk over and patch up…from the last few months."

"We used to go there all the time," April added. "But we haven’t been there since Dad died. It’s time to go again. Happy birthday, Joe!" she called across the room, and waved as she left. Joe, wearing his new leather flight jacket and Stetson, waved back vigorously, but couldn’t answer, having just popped a large bite of cake into his mouth. Jack threw him a salute as he departed.

A little later, leaving his guests happily talking and eating, Joe walked to the front windows and gazed again at his new "baby." Vanessa quietly joined him, and he put an affectionate arm about her, still staring out the window.

The End

Evergreen and Sparks would like to thank Nancy Hardy for her invaluable assistance with information on Canadian names and places. Without her help, we would not have been nearly so accurate in our accounts. THANKS, NANCY!!!