He stood up and walked through the bathroom into Joe’s room. He was sitting at his desk, doing his own homework, with his stereo blasting from the dresser.

"How can you concentrate with all this noise?" Frank asked as he leaned on the doorframe.

Joe didn’t move, or look up. "Peppermints."

Frank’s face took on a skeptical look. "Peppermints? How do they help with algebra?"

Joe turned to face his brother, turning the stereo down with the remote at the same time. His twinkling blue eyes belied the serious look on his face. "It’s a scientific fact that peppermints help a person concentrate."

Frank grinned. "It’s also a scientific fact that loud music," Frank pointed to Joe’s stereo, "is distracting."

Joe grinned triumphantly. "Exactly! They balance each other out."

"You mean they cancel each other out." Frank shot back teasingly.

Joe locked his hands behind his head. "My A- last week says otherwise."

Frank smiled and shook his head, then wandered back into his own room. Today had been his first full day back at school, and truth be told, he was exhausted. He glanced at his half-done homework, then his bed. The pillows were calling his name, so he answered. Within minutes, he was sound asleep.

Joe closed his math back with a snap and a smile slowly spread over his face. His homework was finished. I think I’m finally getting the hang of this! he thought to himself. He pulled open his desk drawer and took out the envelope that held the tickets for Saturday night. He opened it and counted four. "Frank has got to get a date," Joe remarked out loud.

He was answered with a meow. He turned and saw Piper sitting on his bed, washing her face. "How did you get in here?" He picked her up, walked through the bathroom and dropped her on Frank’s bed.

"Frank," he said. Frank didn’t move. Joe sighed, still smiling, then spread a blanket over his brother’s sleeping form. I guess I’ll just ask him later, Joe thought.

So Joe broached the subject that night at dinner. "Frank, who are you taking Saturday?"

Frank coughed to keep from choking on his potatoes. Fenton and Laura burst into laughter at the look on Frank’s face.

"That was very subtle, son," Fenton remarked after a minute, still chuckling.

"I’m serious! I have four tickets, and I don’t want to waste the fourth one." Joe looked at Frank.

"Do I have to?"

Joe nodded. When Frank made no move to answer, Joe made a suggestion. "How about Becka? Van likes her. I like her. And admit it, Frank. You like her too."

Frank’s ears turned red and he glared at Joe. Then he laughed softly at himself. "Man, am I out of it!"

"Yeah. You are," Joe agreed. "So, are you going to ask her?"

"I don’t know. What if she has plans?"

"What if she doesn’t?" Joe countered.

Frank started to say something, then closed his mouth with an almost audible snap.

"You won’t know unless you ask her, Frank," Laura advised.

"I know." Frank stabbed a green bean. He could feel Joe’s eyes boring into him. "Alright! I’ll ask her tomorrow."

Frank looked up and saw Joe’s wide grin, and he couldn’t help but smile back.

The next morning dawned a dreary gray. There was a steady drizzle that Frank watched through the bathroom window as he got ready for school. He was not looking forward to being out in it at all. He’d already had 2 colds since he got out of the hospital and he was in no mood for a third.

Thirty minutes later the boys were dashing through the rain with the other Bayport High students. Frank shook the rain from his jacket and went straight to his locker. As he opened the lock, he saw Joe pull Vanessa into his arms and kiss her soundly, oblivious to the students watching them.

Frank shook his head and laughed softly. Joe and Vanessa could be so funny together, and yet they were perfect for each other. He glanced down the hall and saw Becka, talking to Callie! The girls saw him and waved. Frank flashed a smile, then pulled his English book out and closed the locker.

He started in their direction just as the bell rang. He turned the other way and headed for his class.

Callie saw the slightly star-crossed look on Becka’s face as she had met Frank’s warm brown eyes. She was falling for him. "A word of advice, Beck."

"What?" Becka asked, looking at her friend and seeing the twinkle in her friend’s brown eyes.

"Be on the lookout for strange men following the Hardy brothers. They can be dangerous."

"Frank and Joe or the strange men?" Becka asked with a smile.

Callie laughed. "Both!"

Frank looked around the crowded cafeteria and spotted his brother and the gang at a table on the other side of the room. Frank made his way through the other students, then squeezed in between Joe and Chet, shoving his elbow into Joe’s side. "Move over!"

Joe obliged. "I hate it when it rains!" he grumbled. "Everybody eats inside and there’s no elbow room"

"There seems to be plenty of room for Frank’s elbow," Vanessa remarked dryly.

The others broke into laughter as Joe growled at Vanessa, then wrapped his arms around her, pinning her against him. He whispered something in her ear and she giggled. Then she squirmed away and wagged her finger in his face.

Joe turned on his puppy dog look and poked out his lower lip. Vanessa swatted playfully at him, then sat back down.

Joe looked at Frank. "Don’t forget now."

"Forget what?" Biff asked. "He never forgets anything!"

Joe turned to his friend. "He’s going to ask Becka out on a date."

Frank shot daggers at his brother, then poked him again.

"Speaking of Becka," Tony remarked, "Here she comes."

"Now’s your chance!" Joe said.

Becka heard what Joe said and looked from him to Frank. "Chance for what?"

Frank felt butterflies rise up in his stomach and start doing an acrobatics show. "Well I’m not doing it in front of these bozos," he remarked as he stood up. Joe flashed an encouraging smile at Frank as the two went to a less-crowded part of the room.

Becka watched Frank run his hand through his hair, then glance around. "I was wondering if you were doing anything Saturday."

Becka shook her head. "Not that I know of."

"Well, ahm," Frank shifted his weight from one foot to the other. "Joe and I, well Joe actually, has tickets to a Broadway Gershwin revue." He paused.

"Sounds like fun," Becka remarked, trying to encourage him. She could see that he was very nervous.

"We’re going to eat out, and there’s a reception afterwards." Frank ran his tongue along the back of his teeth, thinking he sounded like an idiot. "I was, ahm, wondering if you would like to come." There! I did it! he thought.

"Are you asking me out on a date?" she asked, her eyes twinkling.

"You could call it that."

She smiled and her dimples showed. Frank felt his heart flip-flop. "I’d love to!"

Frank smiled back as the butterflies went to sleep. "Be ready at one on Saturday then."

Becka nodded, then stood on her tip-toes and kissed his cheek. "I’ll be ready." Then she went over to a table and sat down next to Callie.

Frank’s hand went to his cheek for a brief instant, and his smile stuck around as he watched her. He then went back to his table. "She said yes!"

Joe slapped his brother on the back. "I told you!"

Another round of laughter broke out.

"He asked me out on a date, Ned! Can you believe it?" Becka was curled up in her wicker rocking chair, talking to her brother as she watched the rain.

"Dating a detective can be hazardous to your health, sis," Ned advised.

Becka laughed. Since meeting Nancy, Ned had been kidnapped, shot at, beaten up, locked in cellars, tied up and even wrecked his car trying to catch a suspect. "At least you’ve never had to deal with a bomb. I hear Frank is quite handy with them."

"Thank God for small favors!" Then Ned turned serious. "I do you want you to be careful though, OK?"

"I will. You worry too much."

"So I’ve heard."

The two talked a little more about dating detectives before Ned announced he had to go.

"Tell Nancy I said hi." Becka was grinning.

"How did you know?" Ned demanded playfully.

"I heard shout your name over all the noise your roommates are making."

"Good night, Ms. Private Eye."