Joe held the door for his older brother as the two entered the Student Center. He’d gotten used to doing things like this, over the past month, since Frank’s left arm had been practically useless, and by now it was second nature.

"So what’s the plan?" he asked, as the brothers made their way through the entrance, crowded with milling students on various errands. Joe had been at football conditioning drills most of the afternoon, held on the soccer field. Having been assured by the coaches that they would manage to practice and get in some games, Joe was feeling a little happier. Frank had spent his afternoon at Wayne’s World, doing paperwork in the office – and therefore was on the disgruntled side. He was also concerned about Megan, and how she’d coped with her first day at school after the accident.

"I told Dani we’d meet her here," Frank informed him. "And Megan said she’d be along, and—"

"—and Vanessa and I almost always meet here about now," Joe finished for him, nodding. "Okay, you watch for Dani, and I’ll watch for Van and Megan."

Dani arrived first. She came through the glass doors with her long-legged, confident stride, and her beautiful face lit with a smile as she spotted Frank and Joe.

"Wow!" Joe muttered from one corner of his mouth. "When did she put those blue streaks in her hair?"

"I have no idea," his brother murmured in reply, "but isn’t she something?"

Off-duty, Dani Tanner was dressed in ‘civvies,’ rather than a uniform; tapered gray slacks and a fuchsia-print silk blouse, with a matching headband holding back her blue-streaked, glossy black hair. Frank immediately moved forward to greet her, and led her towards a cluster of chairs near the windows.

"It’s great to see you, Dani! You look swell!"

"I’d say the same, but what’s this?" Dani indicated Frank’s cast with a nod, and an inquiring uplift of her brows. "What happened to you, Frankenstein?"

"I had an accident when we were in Nevada, that’s all. It’s healing." Frank said in a dismissive tone, hoping she wouldn’t pursue the matter for further details.

"Saw your Dad Sunday; unfortunately in a professional capacity." Dani commented. "The weirdest things happen on golf courses! How’s he doing?"

"YOU were there?" Frank stared at her incredulously. "Dad didn’t say – well, he doesn’t know you, of course….He’s okay now, though. Feeling okay, I mean."

They seated themselves, and Dani smiled at him. "Despite the broken wing, you look mighty happy, Frankenstein. Content, even." She eyed him expectantly. "Something must be going right for you…."

Frank’s smile was, as Dani had said, deeply contented. "I’m in love with the most wonderful girl in the world, that’s what’s going right for me. You’ll meet her in a few minutes." The smile dimmed slightly. "But she was in a car accident last Friday; she hasn’t been feeling very good. She wasn’t badly hurt, but today’s the first day she’s been back at school…I haven’t seen her since lunch. I hope she’s okay."

"Awww, Frankenstein, that’s a shame!" Dani commiserated. "I’ll be delighted to meet her, though. Any girl you talk about like that is a lucky one! I’m glad you’re so happy!"

With the freedom accorded a long-standing friendship, Frank asked a return question: "And how’s your social life?"

The beautiful woman laughed a little, ruefully. "Frank, dating a firefighter is a lost cause. We have awful working hours, we’re always on edge even when we’re not on duty, and usually when we’re off, all we want to do is crash and sleep for 24 hours straight! There is no social life! No sane guy wants to put up with something like that!"

Joe had waved a greeting at Dani, but remained standing where he was, watching for either of the other two girls. He was startled when a hand suddenly gripped his arm, and he whirled about to see Megan standing there, her eyes fastened on Frank and his companion.

"Hey, Red! Glad you’re here – now if Vanessa’d just….What’s the matter?" he broke off to ask, for the little redhead was looking very…odd, indeed. She was pale, and the cuts and bruises on her face showed up startlingly. Her azure eyes were nearly the color of the bluish bruises surrounding them. "Are you feeling all right? Was today too much for you?" Joe asked solicitously.

"Joe – who is that?" Megan indicated who she meant with a nod of her head.

"With Frank? Oh, that’s Dani Tanner," Joe said, with casual indifference. "Have you seen Van anywhere?"

"D-Dani? The firefighter friend? I thought – I thought that – when Frank said ‘Danny,’ I just assumed—"

Joe looked down at her, puzzled, then his face cleared. "You thought it was a guy? Sorry, Red, it never occurred to me that you wouldn’t pick up on that!"

Megan barely heard him. She stared at Dani, at this utterly stupendous young woman who was seated so close to Frank; the two of them were chatting and laughing animatedly, evidently renewing old ties. She’s absolutely gorgeous – just look at her! And I – the way I look now – oh, just look at the way she and Frank are looking at each other; the way they’re laughing…! With a tiny, half-stifled cry, Megan clapped one hand to her bruised face, and fled in the direction of the ladies’ room.

"Wha— Megan, what’s wrong…?" Joe didn’t get the words out before she was gone. He stared after her in perplexity, rubbing the back of his neck.

Frank and Dani, involved in their catching-up, hadn’t even noticed Megan’s arrival and subsequent departure.

Joe was still frowning, baffled, when another tap on his shoulder caught his attention. He turned and smiled to see Vanessa standing behind him.

"Hey, babe!" Joe kissed her cheek quickly. "About time you showed; everyone else is here!"

"Oh? Where?" Vanessa looked around. "I don’t see Megan, or anyone who looks like a fireman – and who is that sultry creature with Frank?"

Joe felt a sinking sensation in the pit of his stomach. "Oh no," he groaned. "Not you, too – that’s Dani Tanner, the friend Frank and I told you about. Did you think Dani was a man, too?"

"I most certainly did!" Vanessa raised her eyebrows. "Wow, she’s stunning, isn’t she? But where’s Megan?"

Joe frowned. "She – kind of – took off," he admitted reluctantly. "She got here, asked who Dani was, and then she ran for the restroom. She looked upset….Do you think she’s all right?"

Vanessa looked at her boyfriend a long moment, then swiveled her gaze to Dani again, before returning to Joe. "I think we’ve got more problems than just arson on our hands, Sherlock," she murmured. "Something tells me Megan’s self-esteem just took another direct hit." She patted his muscular bicep. "I’ll go talk to her."

Vanessa found her friend leaning against a sink in the ladies’ room, staring bleakly at her reflection in the large mirror. Tears were running down her face, dripping on the white porcelain.

"Megan—"

"Did you see her?" Megan’s voice was very subdued. "Dani – the ‘friend.’ The breathtakingly beautiful ‘friend.’ And just look at me – can’t blame Frank for wanting someone a little more presentable, can we now?" There was a rarely heard, bitter edge to her tone.

"Honey, you’re building all this into A Thing, and it doesn’t mean anything—"

"Go away, Vanessa, leave me alone," Megan said dejectedly. She wiped her eyes with determination tempered by caution for the pain it caused. "Go out there and meet with Joe and Frank and Dani. It should be a nice little chat. I’m going home."

"HONEY!" Vanessa seized her friend’s arm tightly, only loosening her grasp when she saw Megan wince. "Meggie, you are not going home; you’re coming out there with me."

"No – I don’t want to. I can’t." Megan picked up her bag and turned towards the door. "Tell Frank I didn’t feel well – it’s the honest truth. I feel absolutely awful!" Before Vanessa could stop her, the redhead had darted out the door; by the time Vanessa gained the hallway, Megan was halfway to the exit doors, running.

"Oooh!" Vanessa stamped her foot in frustration, unsure whether to pursue or get reinforcements. She decided on the latter course, and hurried over to Joe. "Joe, tell Frank to go after Megan, she’s taken off; says she’s going home. She won’t listen to me, and probably not you, but maybe she will to him!"

Not quite understanding, but without further ado, Joe strode over to where Frank and Dani were still engaged in conversation. He gripped his brother’s shoulder hard, and leaned to speak directly into Frank’s ear.

"You’ve got to talk to Megan—" he said curtly, and jerked his head in the direction of the doors. "Evidently she took one look at Dani and had a meltdown! Vanessa says she said she’s going home. Step on it; you’ve got to catch her!"

Frank, baffled and concerned, got to his feet, muttered "Excuse me," to Dani, and headed for the doors. He didn’t know what was going on, but he knew Joe wasn’t kidding around.

Dani stared after him, then turned to Joe for an explanation. "Okay, Golden Boy, what’s happening here?"

Megan hadn’t been able to run far; her bruised body rebelled, forcing her to slow down to a walk. She trudged along, head bent, barely paying attention to her surroundings. A few stray tears trickled down her face, drying on her cheeks in the warm fall air. She had instinctively headed for the parking lot, but before she reached it, sudden realization struck: she had no car! She had ridden to school with Frank! A tiny whimper of frustration left her lips, and her spirits sank even lower. She hesitated, indecisively. How was she to get home now? Bus? Hitch a ride with someone? Taxi? Admit defeat and wait for Frank?

When Frank reached the sidewalk, he looked frantically around, hoping to spot Megan somewhere, but saw no sign of her. Joe said she was going home – mentally crossing his fingers, Frank started towards the parking lots at the fastest jog he could manage. Almost immediately, his shoulder and arm began to throb, but he doggedly continued on, scanning ahead for any sight of his girlfriend.

There! There she is! Far ahead he saw her, her red-gold hair and the purple backpack she always carried, bright in the afternoon sunlight. She had been standing in the middle of the sidewalk, and now Frank saw her turn irresolutely, looking about as if she wasn’t quite sure where to go. She’s gonna kill me for embarrassing her like this, but…

"MEGAN!" Frank cupped his good hand next to his lips and bellowed at the top of his lungs. "Megan, WAIT!" He hurried forward again. "Wait up!" A few people turned and looked at him curiously, but this was a college campus, after all, and the sight and sound of a young man yelling for and chasing a girl across the grounds was nothing new; most simply acknowledged the pursuit and promptly forgot about him.

Megan flushed crimson with embarrassment at the stentorian hail. She didn’t exactly stay put, but she didn’t run, either. Oh, what’s the use? She merely turned away, and slowly walked to a nearby tree, where she set down her backpack and dispiritedly sank to a seat on the grass. She watched Frank’s approach, her countenance bleak.

Bewildered, troubled, bordering on angry, Frank trotted across the lawn and dropped down beside Megan. For a moment, he just sat and caught his breath, rubbing his aching shoulder. He felt like yelling at her, but the sad expression on her face forestalled that impulse. She was seriously unhappy…and he didn’t know why! At last, silently imploring for divine guidance, he reached for her hand, which was lying limply in her lap.

"Baby, what’s wrong? Why did you leave? What’s upset you so?"

She shook her head, refusing to meet his eyes. "I’m sorry – it…it was…when you said ‘Dani,’ I thought…and there you were…."

Frank frowned, puzzled. "This has to do with Dani? What about her?"

"’Her.’" A small, bitter chuckle accompanied the syllable. "I thought – and Vanessa thought – you were talking about a guy named Danny. Seeing you there – and she’s so beautiful – you looked so right together, so happy…and here I am, looking like this—"

Frank inhaled sharply, in sudden understanding. "You’re jealous of Dani Tanner? Megan, she’s just a friend! She taught a CPR class I took, that’s all! You and Vanessa both thought it was a guy?" He started to chuckle, then stopped, biting his lip, when he saw that Megan wasn’t laughing – not at all.

"Yeah…." She still hadn’t looked up, and her voice still had that rare bitter edge.

"Oh, baby, what am I going to do with you?" Frank sighed in consternation. "Look, there’s absolutely nothing between Dani Tanner and me, except friendship. It’s you I love! Practically the first thing I did when I saw her today was start telling her about you! And she was totally delighted!" A sudden thought occurred to him. "You know what? Now you have some idea of what I’ve been feeling like every time you mention Kirk Moncrief’s name! And you’ve been mentioning it a lot lately!"

That got a reaction. Megan lifted her head and stared at him in amazement. "Kirk Moncrief!? I hardly know the guy! I’ve only borrowed his books! He was just being nice!" she protested. "And Kirk Moncrief is hardly a masculine version of Dani Tanner, Frank! I mean, he seems to like me okay, but…." She paused, hearing herself, and gazed back down at her lap for a moment, then cast Frank a covert glance from the corners of her eyes. "So you’re saying we’re both being stupid, huh?" The ghost of a tiny smile touched her mouth. "Well, I guess it’s nice to know I’m not the only one."

"You’re not the only one, and fairly stupid, yeah." Frank squeezed her hand gently. "Both of us. I’m sorry you misunderstood about Dani’s gender, sweets. I never realized what you thought….And believe me, you have absolutely nothing to worry about. I feel about Dani pretty much the same way I feel about Vanessa, or Devon, or Liz, or April. Just friends." He caressed the back of her hand with his thumb. "You okay now? Let’s go back so you can meet her."

Megan hesitated. "I feel so…humiliated," she whispered. "Not just because I left, but…she’s so gorgeous, Frank, and she’ll think I crawled out from under a rock…."

"Baby, she’s a firefighter! She sees people at their worst every day!" Reviewing that comment, Frank winced internally, that had not come out exactly as he’d meant it to! Fortunately, Megan didn’t appear to notice his faux pas. "Come on." He scrambled to his feet, somewhat awkwardly, and held down his good hand to Megan. "Please, baby, come back, we have an arson investigation to discuss, remember? And I want you there, very much."

Moving even more awkwardly than Frank, she stood up, and retrieved her backpack. Slowly, hands tightly clasped, they began their trek back to the Student Center.

Megan chuckled wryly as they walked along. "We’re a real pair right now, aren’t we?" she observed, glancing at Frank’s sling.

"Togetherness," Frank assured her. "The couple that suffers together, and all that…. Are you okay, though? I’ve been worried about you today; how are you feeling?" He grinned ruefully. "Physically, I mean. I’m not getting into the emotional side, right now!"

She sighed a little. "I have a splitting headache," she admitted.

Frank halted, fishing in the capacious pocket of his cargo pants for a tiny rectangular box of aspirin – something he’d refilled daily and carried religiously for the past several weeks. "Here." He took out two tablets and handed them to Megan, then two more for himself. They stepped into the entrance of the nearest building and sought out a drinking fountain.

When they resumed their walk, Frank briefly reverted to the former topic of conversation. "One more thing I might mention, regarding Dani. The woman is five years older than we are! You really think I’m going to take up with a 24-year-old? Or rather, you think she’d take up with a 19-year-old? She probably wouldn’t want to be labeled a cradle-robber."

"Age isn’t all that important," Megan murmured, with a soft chuckle, "Five years doesn’t mean anything, anymore. And she certainly doesn’t look any five years older than we do."

"Maybe not, but she is."

Dani Tanner had pleasantly acknowledged Joe’s introduction to Vanessa, and listened to their somewhat involved explanation of Megan’s current self-image problems and abrupt departure, with incredulous disbelief.

"You didn’t think to mention that I wasn’t ‘Danny’ Tanner – Joe Hardy, you and your brother are something else! And Frank’s poor little girlfriend, who’s barely starting to recover from having her face mashed by an air bag, and believes herself to be a close relative of the Phantom of the Opera, sees him with me, and naturally thinks the worst!" Dani barked with laughter, and shook her head, exchanging significantly exasperated looks with Vanessa. "No wonder she took off!" The laughter died, and a very sympathetic expression suffused Dani’s lovely face. "I hope Frank can explain things satisfactorily. I don’t want to cause problems."

"He will. He can sweet-talk her, no problem. And the ‘Dani’ thing – we didn’t mean to – it just didn’t come up!" Joe protested, to no avail. Dani just snorted.

"Here they are," Vanessa had been keeping an eye on the doors, and she saw Megan and Frank enter. Seeing their linked hands, she sighed with relief. They’ve made up, evidently! She, Dani and Joe stood up as Frank and Megan approached.

"Megan, this is Dani Tanner; Dani, my girlfriend, Megan Wright." Frank plunged into the introduction with slight ceremony. He kept a tight hold on Megan’s hand – he wasn’t about to risk another precipitous departure!

"Megan, I’m so glad to meet you." Dani smiled her friendliest smile. "Frank was singing your praises to me a little while ago!" She kept smiling and looked directly into Megan’s apprehensive face. "I heard about your car accident; let me say that you’re doing awfully well to be back at school already!"

Megan managed a tentative smile in return. "Thanks….Nice to meet you, too," she whispered.

Dani then turned to Frank and fixed him with a severe stare. "And as for you, I’m beginning to think ‘Frankenstein’ isn’t such a good nickname for you after all!" Megan and Vanessa, who hadn’t heard this appellation before, both giggled a little. "I’m wondering if Joe and you shouldn’t be called ‘Dumb and Dumber’ instead! What’s this about letting Vanessa and Megan think I was a man?" she demanded.

"We didn’t realize that’s what they thought," Frank lamely attempted to defend himself. "If you had a regular name like most people—"

"I do have a regular name; I just don’t happen to care much for ‘Danielle,’" she retorted. "Just remember, Frankenstein, you’re on my list – and you, too!" she added to the snickering Joe. "All right, let’s get this powwow underway!"

*****

Dani had the chemical news: the accelerants had been positively identified: Methanol for the stadium fire, and hydrogen gas for the Administration building.

Frank related what had occurred on Sunday evening, with President Mitchell’s startling revelation of his tampered-with brakes and the incriminating methanol container in his car trunk. "He asked us to investigate, Dani, so you can breathe easy; this is legitimate, now, not just nosiness!"

Joe supplied the questionable actions of Dave Wahlstrom and presented the consideration that Students For Earth might somehow be involved in this, although he was forced to admit that there was really no evidence against them. "I just feel funny about it!" he insisted.

Megan brought up the subject of the picture of Mr. Mitchell which Frank had found near the Administration building – the picture which they now knew had been slashed in pieces! "Maybe whoever put the accelerant container in his car put the picture there…."

When they had hashed and re-hashed the subject until they could glean no further facts or suppositions from the meager knowledge they possessed, the Hardys, Megan, Vanessa and Dani decided to call it quits for a while. The conversation skipped lightly from topic to topic, then was interrupted by an obtrusive growl emanating from Joe’s stomach.

Everyone looked at him, and the younger Hardy blushed. "Sorry," he muttered, "but I’m hungry! I’ve been busy today, and I haven’t had anything to eat since about ten o’clock!"

Dani glanced at her watch and whistled. "I had no idea it was so late!" She was about to stand up and depart, when Joe made a suggestion.

"What does everyone say to dinner at Mr. Pizza? That includes you too, of course," he added with a grin at Dani, "unless you don’t want to be seen in public with us, or something. Assuming you’re free, that is."

She pretended to consider it carefully, then nodded. "I think I can work it into my busy schedule. And pizza for dinner sounds great!"

"Can you handle pizza?" Frank asked Megan quietly, and was gratified when she smiled and nodded.

"If I’m careful not to smear pizza sauce all over my lips," she replied. "I’ve advanced all the way to chewing now," she added, chuckling softly. "But I’ll need to call Mom and tell her, or she’ll worry."

"Good." Joe got to his feet and extended a hand to Vanessa. "Let’s go before I faint from hunger."

Three cars pulled into the off-street parking lot, one after the other, and parked side by side: Joe’s Aztek, containing Joe and Vanessa; Frank and Megan in the Saturn, and Dani’s little Kia SUV. The five emerged from the vehicles and began to walk towards the brightly-lighted entrance, when they heard a loud hail: