“Joe?” Fenton said quickly as he looked down. “You okay?” At the first gunshot he had pushed the boy to the ground beneath him.

White-faced, it took Joe a moment to answer and when he did, his voice was shaky.  “I-I think so.”

“Don’t move,” the detective said, his trained eye already scanning the area for their attacker but seeing nothing, only the dark night surrounding them.

Slowly, he pushed himself up off Joe, and froze for a second when he heard another shot, this one sounding much further away. Cocking his head, he frowned, and then the frown turned to comprehension and he started to chuckle.

Quickly getting to his feet, he pulled his son up and shook his head.

“It’s okay.  No one was shooting at us,” he told the stunned boy and then explained, as Joe just stared at him, uncomprehendingly, “It was a car backfiring!”

Joe gawked at him for another moment, in too much shock to just brush off the scare so quickly.  His father put his arm around his shoulders and led him to the car. The teen had never been shot at before and it had rattled him badly.  “It’s okay,” Fenton repeated, “we’re safe.”  It took another minute or two before Joe finally shook off enough of the fright to say anything.

“I really could do with a lot less excitement in my life,” he muttered as his father started up the car and pulled away from the curb. But then he looked across at the older man, his eyes shining brightly.  “Thanks for the save, Dad! Talk about lightning-fast reflexes!  I was on the ground before I even realized what I’d heard!!”

Fenton gave him a smile and reached across to muss his hair before turning his attention back to the road.  “Let’s just not make a habit of this, okay? I can already tell I’m going to be stiff in the morning!”

Joe laughed and shook his head, highly doubting that.  His father kept himself in top shape.  Once again he looked across at the older man, his heart bursting with pride that this man was his father.  He thought about what Ross Hooper had said, and snorted softly.

He’s always here when it counts….

It might have only been a car backfiring, but it could very well have been the real thing, too.  Either way, his father had not hesitated; and that is what Joe would always remember.

* * *

Frank was waiting up for Joe when he and their father got back.

“Are we okay?” he asked the younger boy after following him upstairs. He leaned against the doorframe of Joe’s room and watched as his brother took off his coat and put it in the closet.

Joe turned and looked at him, unsure what he was talking about, and then he nodded.  He wasn’t mad at Frank any more, and he’d apologized, so as far as he was concerned, things were all right.  Not back to normal, but all right.

“Good,” Frank said, relieved.  A part of him had been a bit concerned that Joe was still angry about something. Joe was very good at harboring grudges.  “Because I thought maybe we could hang at Mr. P’s after school tomorrow.”

The younger teen was elated, and his face broke into a wide smile, as he said “Sure!”  He’d love to hang out with Frank for a while…but he wasn’t so pleased about it the next afternoon when he found out Lily was also going….

* * *

Lily Getty was not at all impressed. The last thing she wanted to do was spend any time in that greasy spoon with hordes of other students, and Frank’s younger brother, but she put on a pleasant smile, nodded her head and told Frank she’d be delighted to.

“It would be a great chance for me to get to know your brother better,” she gushed as Frank walked her to her locker after their last class.  “He’s seems to be such a sweet kid.”

“I don’t know if I’d use the word ‘sweet’,” Frank commented as he thought of how ‘sour’ Joe had looked when he found out Lily was invited.  He was just relieved that at least of one of them was willing to make the effort….

“You’re so funny,” the girl laughed, and then reached up and gave him a soft kiss on his cheek.  “Why don’t I go with you guys now and then you can drop me back for my car afterwards?”

Frank smiled.  “Sounds like a plan.”

After grabbing their homework, the two teens slowly made their way to the parking lot where Joe was waiting for them. The scowl on the younger boy’s face grew darker when he realized Lily was going to be driving with them. There was just something about her that sent off warning bells, screaming in his head…and he hoped Biff got something on the Gettys quickly.

Lily had insisted that Frank continue using her car until she needed it. His parents weren’t too sure how they felt about that; the car, the new jacket…but they trusted his judgment….

“Drop me off at home,” were the first words out of Joe’s mouth when Frank got within earshot, but the older teen shook his head.  He wasn’t letting Joe get out of this so easily.

“No can do.  I want you there, little brother, end of discussion.” Frank’s tone left no room for argument.

Shooting him a dirty look, Joe said nothing but slid into the backseat anyway.

Oh boy, I can already tell this is going to be so much fun, Frank thought sarcastically, but then brushed it off, refusing to let Joe get to him.  He was determined to help his brother get past this jealousy, and felt that the only way he would, was if Joe realized just what a great person Lily was.

They actually lucked out when the got to Mr. Pizza’s, as the place was fairly quiet, so Frank quickly got a parking spot and then followed his brother inside, with Lily on his arm.

Joe picked a booth and sat down heavily in it, while Frank and Lily sat down across from them.

“Hey, Hardys!” Tony greeted cheerfully, and his eyebrows rose in surprise when he saw who was with them.  “And Lily.”

“Prito,” Joe said, giving his friend a smile, “need some help in the kitchen?” He was willing to do anything to get out of this, even work!

But Frank was already shaking his head, and Tony, recognizing a distraction tactic if there ever was one, chuckled, “Nah, not today. Look around. I don’t know where everyone is, my friend, but they ain’t here!”

“No kidding,” Joe agreed, “I don’t even see any of the gang.”

“That’s ‘cause Chet and Iola had to help their Dad after school, Liz had to go to the library to do some research, and Phil doesn’t come in by himself when I’m working.”  Tony tactfully left Biff out of the equation, not too sure if he and Joe had smoothed things over yet.

Joe nodded, not mentioning Biff either, but knowing that the muscular teen was still grounded so he couldn’t have come anyway!

After ordering a couple of pizzas, Frank excused himself to go to the bathroom, leaving Lily and Joe alone.

As soon as he was out of earshot, Joe looked at Lily and just asked, “What do you want with my brother?”

Lily was slightly taken aback by his forwardness, and her eyes narrowed as she regarded him for a few long moments before she smiled, “What wouldn’t I want with him?  He’s handsome, charming, definitely the hottest guy in school—”

“That’s just it.”  Joe cut her off, knowing Frank wouldn’t be gone long.  “He is all that and more…so what do you want with him?  He’s not conceited, rich, or a bully!  It doesn’t make sense.”

“I don’t think I like what you’re implying,” Lily retorted, coldly, her blue eyes flashing darkly.  “Frank is perfect for me and any faults he might have, aren’t anything that can’t be fixed!”

“F-fixed!” Joe sputtered, whispering furiously, “There is NOTHING wrong with my brother to fix!!”

Lily shrugged, took out a compact and checked her make-up; as far as she was concerned, her conversation with Joe was over, but the younger teen wasn’t ready to let it go so quickly.

Reaching across the table, he grabbed her arm to make her look at him.

“Let go of me!” she hissed, pulling her arm free.

“You listen to me…and you listen good,” Joe said; a hard edge to his voice made it sound foreign even to him.  “Frank is my brother and I will not let anyone…especially you…try and change who he is!  There is nothing wrong with Frank….You, on the other hand, Lily, you are one twisted—“ Anything else he wanted to say, he bit off when he saw Frank coming back out of the men’s room.

Lily glared at him, but by the time Frank sat down, a serene look had settled back over her face and she smiled sweetly at him. “I’m so glad you suggested we do this,” she cooed, reaching up to touch his cheek affectionately.  “I feel like I’m really getting to know your brother.”

Joe scowled and pushed himself away from the table.  “I’m outta here.”

Exchanging a look with Lily, who shrugged innocently, Frank got up and followed his brother.  He caught him just outside Mr. Pizza’s.

“Joe!” He grabbed the younger teen’s arm to stop him.  “What’s going on?”

Furious with Lily, Joe spun around and looked at his brother.  “You still don’t see it, do you?”

“See what?” Frank asked, letting Joe go.  He was totally baffled – things had seemed okay before he went to the bathroom; yeah, Joe wasn’t completely pleased but he was being civil….

“See that she’s using you!” Joe said, his blue eyes holding Frank’s gaze.  “Frank, you aren’t her type…we both know that!  She wants to change you, bro, and not for the good!”

“You’re talking crazy,” Frank refuted as he shook his head, “She isn’t trying anything.  Joe, you’re just jealous—”

Joe cut him off angrily.  “New coat…driving her Beamer…hanging out with people you don’t like!  Frank, she’s already doing it and you’re just too blind to see!”  He took another breath and continued before his stunned brother could say anything, “I have never liked Lily or Davis Getty – and you know that!  You say my instincts about her are being blinded by my emotion, well that’s crap and you know that, too!! She is bad news, brother…that whole family is!”  He started to walk away again.

“Where are you going?” Frank called out, finally recovering from his brother’s tirade.

“For a walk.  I need to cool down.  I’ll get a ride home later with Tony or someone,” Joe called over his shoulder as he continued walking.

Frank watched him until he couldn’t see him any more, a small frown fixed on his face.  He’d been on the receiving end of Joe’s tantrums on more than one occasion and was pretty good at just brushing them off as the emotional venting they usually were…however, this time Joe had struck a nerve and it made Frank think.

His brother was right.  Frank was not Lily’s type, if he took a serious look at her last few boyfriends.  Yes, they were handsome and athletic, but they were also nasty brutes who enjoyed pushing their weight around….

Frank looked at the yellow BMW and his frown grew.  Was Joe right? Was Lily already changing him, and he wasn’t even aware of it?  And if he was changing, was it for the better??

* * *

Lily could see Frank and Joe talking from the booth she was sitting in. She couldn’t tell what they were saying but Joe was animated enough for her to guess – her.

Keeping her eye on the brothers, Lily took out her cell phone and placed a call. As she watched Joe stalk away, and Frank staring at her car, she heard Davis answer his phone.

“We might have a problem,” was all she said.

* * *

Callie Shaw parked her car in the almost empty parking lot of Mr. Pizza’s.  After being introduced to the Hardys’ friends on her first day, the new girl had quickly become close friends with Liz Webling and Iola Morton - well, once the young brunette realized that Callie was no competition for Joe -- and had agreed to meet Liz here.

Liz had some work to do at the library, so Callie knew she might be waiting for awhile, but she didn’t mind.  She had nothing better to do; besides which, she remembered Tony Prito worked here, and she liked talking with him.

Going into the pizza joint, she glanced around, liking what she saw. It was very tastefully decorated and inviting. She could easily see herself hanging out here a lot, no problem!

And then her heart lurched as she caught sight of Frank Hardy and his girlfriend sitting in a booth by one of the windows.

Oh gosh, she thought, why’d he have to be here? And then she saw Tony and he smiled broadly.

“Hi Callie!  Welcome to Mr. Pizza’s!”

“Hi Tony,” Callie smiled back, trying not to look at Frank.  “I’m supposed to be meeting Liz here but she might be a while.”

“Ah, table for two,” Tony nodded, “And I have just the perfect one!”

And he did…right across from Frank and Lily….

* * *

Frank slid back into the booth.

“Is your brother okay?” Lily asked, her eyes full of concern.  “He seemed a bit upset.”

“He’ll be fine,” Frank sighed.

“Is he coming back?” she asked.

“Yeah, in a bit.  He’s going to get a ride home, later.  Lily…” Frank started and then asked bluntly, “Why are you going out with me?”

“What?” The shock in her voice matched the look on her face.

“Well, what I mean is, why me?  Out of all the guys in school, why’d you even give me the time of day?”  His dark eyes implored as they searched her face for any sign of duplicity.

“Where is this coming from, Frank?”  Lily asked softly, not answering his question yet. “Self doubt? I’m a bit surprised.”

“It was just a comment Joe made in passing…and it got me thinking.” Frank figured that was close enough to the truth.

“Ah,” Lily snorted softly in understanding as she shook her head, “I don’t think your brother likes me very well.”

The dark-haired teen chose not to answer that, but waited, instead, for her to answer him.

Lily sighed and took a sip of her pop.  Finally she shrugged her shoulders and just said, “To be honest, because I’m tired of the type of guys I was going out with.  I like you Frank…you’re smart, witty…you make me laugh and…and you make me feel safe….I can’t explain it any better than that.” Reaching across the table, she grasped his hand in hers.  “I just really, really like you....”

Frank smiled. “Thank you,” he said, “for answering me.”  He put his other hand over hers and gave it a gentle squeeze, rewarded by a smile that melted his heart….

After a few moments, Lily pulled away and got up. “Little girls’ room,” she said, smiling, and then left the table.

The teen watched her go, and then sighed and picked up another piece of pizza.  Suddenly he got the feeling that he was being watched, and was surprised to see a pretty brunette girl sitting at the table across from him, by herself.  She was staring at him, but as soon as he looked at her, he saw her cheeks flush and she turned away.

Not recognizing her, he figured she must be a new girl, and then finished the piece of pizza and waited for Lily to come back.

* * *

Callie was dying with embarrassment!  Frank had seen her staring at him.  She had tried not to, but gosh darn it, that was hard!!

Hurry up, Liz, she beseeched her friend, silently, hurry up before I make a complete fool out of myself!

* * *

Davis hung up the cell phone and looked at Evan.  A grin lit up his handsome face as he grabbed his coat.  “Come on Pratt, we get to play.”

* * *

As soon as Lily got back from the bathroom she told Frank that she’d better be getting home.  He nodded, looking at the time, and then got the bill from Tony.

After paying, he drove Lily back to the school to get her car, and then promising to call her later, headed for home.

Lily left the school parking lot and then headed back to Mr. Pizza’s.  Joe had too much influence on his brother…and she had to put a stop to that…right now.

* * *

“Hey, sorry about that!” Liz apologized as soon as she got to the pizza joint.

“Oh, that’s okay,” Callie said, “I can’t stay too late, though.”

“Me neither,” Liz admitted, “it just took forever to find the periodicals I needed!”

“Poor girl,” Callie commiserated, and the girls spent the next half hour griping about school….

* * *

Joe had finally calmed down enough to not want to throttle Lily Getty anymore, so he made his way back to Mr. Pizza’s.  He figured Frank and Lily would be gone by now, so he’d hop a lift with one of the delivery guys, as he’d done many times in the past. 

Deciding to avoid going in the front door, just in case he was wrong and his brother and date were still there, the blond teen headed around the back of the building and into the alley, knowing Tony would let him in the kitchen entrance.

He had just passed the back dumpster when he was grabbed!!

Joe struggled but it was futile. The two guys holding him were seniors and he was no match for them.  His head swam as they slammed him into the brick wall, and he bit his tongue and tasted the blood.

He heard the voice and it made his skin crawl, almost as much as the words themselves….

“Teach him what happens to little boys who get in my way.” 

He shivered as he felt a finger caress his cheek.  “Keep it from the neck down…nothing broken, but make him hurt…."

Ten minutes later, he lay in a heap, abandoned by the dumpster like the rest of the garbage.  He hurt…but what hurt most was the sense of betrayal.

All he was trying to do was protect Frank….