“I’m home!” Frank called out as he came into the house. The table was already set for supper but he didn’t see either of his parents, “Mom? Dad?”

 “I’m down here, honey!” Laura called out from the basement, and Frank knew she was doing laundry.  “And your Dad is in his office! Dinner will be ready in about in fifteen minutes!”

Frank opened the oven door for a peek and smiled; stuffed pork chops, yummy.

You’d better not be late, little brother, he thought to himself as he closed the oven door and left the kitchen, or else I won’t be held responsible for what might happen to your chops!

Heading towards his father’s office, the teen hoped his dad wasn’t too busy, because he really wanted to talk to him. His drive home from Mr. Pizza’s had not been a pleasant one as he kept thinking about what Joe had said about Lily.

Lily had reassured him briefly but now, the more he thought about it, the more he couldn’t decide whether or not Joe’s jealousy was clouding his judgment, or if Frank’s own infatuation with the beauty was impairing his. He had always trusted his brother’s intuition since they were small children, so why was it so easy to dismiss him now?

This is what Frank wanted to talk to his father about and he really hoped the detective might have an answer….

His dad’s office door was partway open, and the teen could see the older Hardy sitting at his desk carefully looking at a series of photographs that were laid out in front of him.  Frank lifted his hand and knocked on the door at the same time his father looked up.

 “Frank, come in,” Fenton said, sitting back in his chair and sighing. He’d been staring at the photographs for so long now his eyes were burning, and still felt no closer to finding a pattern than when he started.

 “Hey Dad, whatcha doing?” Frank asked, glancing down at the pictures and seeing they were all shots of various houses, taken from different vantage points.

 “I’m going over the pictures your brother took for me last night,” Fenton said, “I know there’s something I’m missing…”

Frank stood up and moved behind the desk so he could take a look himself.

 “Anyway son, is there anything specific you wanted to talk to me about, or is this just a friendly visit?” Fenton asked, watching Frank carefully.  He could already tell that the boy had something on his mind.  Astute at reading people, he was even better at it when it came to his own sons.

 “Actually there is,” Frank admitted, giving the photos back to his father and sitting down in the chair on the other side of the desk.  “Joe.”

 “Ah,” Fenton chuckled, pleased for the mental break from the case, “one of the hot topics in the house.”

Frank gave a wan smile and nodded.

 “What about your brother?” Fenton pressed after a moment.

 “Well I was wondering…” Frank stalled, wondering exactly how to word this before deciding to be blunt.  “Joe doesn’t like Lily.  I can’t figure out if it’s because he’s jealous or if there’s something else.”

 “Did you ask him?” the sleuth asked, watching his dark-haired son intently.

 “Yeah,” the teen said, “And he says that he is jealous…but that isn’t what’s making him so down on Lily.”

 “Ah, I see.”  Fenton pursed his lips and sighed. This was difficult and he wasn’t sure exactly what Frank was hoping he’d say.

 “The thing is, Joe thinks Lily is using me and trying to change me,” Frank offered, and his father nodded.

 “What do you think?”

 “I don’t know.  I’d like to think that it’s not true…but it’s coming from Joe, not just anyone, so I really don’t know anymore,” Frank admitted glumly.

 “So you’re torn between your faith in your brother’s intuition…and hoping that he’s jealous, and is just trying to break you and Lily up?” the detective surmised and Frank nodded miserably.

Fenton gave that a little thought before he answered.  “That is a tough one.  But let me ask you this one thing…”

The teen looked at his father and waited for him to continue, which he did:  “Do you trust your brother?”

 “Yes,” Frank said immediately.

 “But?”  Fenton knew there had to be a but or else they wouldn’t be having this conversation.

“But, I think he just doesn’t want to let go….To face the fact that I’ve got a new person in my life,” Frank said.

“I suppose,” his father mused, “that is the easier thing to think.” “What do you mean?” the teen asked, and his father shrugged:

“You like this girl, obviously, and you want to continue seeing her…so as long as you can write Joe’s feelings off as irrational, then you can justify still seeing her.”

 “You’re not really helping, Dad,” Frank muttered, and his father chuckled.

 “The affairs of the heart and the affairs of family are two places where logic does not preside.”

 “It’s just that she’s the first girl to really take notice of me…and I hate to think that there’s anything behind that,” Frank admitted after a moment.

Fenton gave his handsome young son a long look and then asked, “The first to take notice of you…or the first that you noticed taking notice of you?”

Frank shrugged and ran a hand through his hair in agitation.  “I don’t know anymore.  All I know is that I like…or liked being around her, but now I’m not so sure.  And I hate that!  I hate that Joe’s made me doubt this!”

 “Look son,” Fenton said, loathing seeing his son looking so miserable, “maybe you’re right.  Maybe your brother’s intuition is not so solid when it comes to girls.  He certainly seems oblivious to Chet’s sister and she’s not exactly subtle.”

 “That’s true,” Frank admitted, a thoughtful look on his face, “You’re absolutely right!” But then he frowned.  “However he was spot on about one thing…”

 “Oh, what’s that?” Fenton asked, standing up as he heard his wife call them for supper.

 “I have been hanging out with people I don’t like,” Frank admitted, thinking of Davis and his friends, “and that’s going to stop.”

* * *

“Talk to you later, Cal!” Liz said as she headed towards the front door.

Callie waved good-bye to her new friend and then went into the washroom before leaving.  There was no sign of Liz when she came back out.

Heading across the parking lot, towards her car, the pretty girl frowned as she saw two cars come tearing out of the back alley behind Mr. Pizza’s.  Her frown intensified as she recognized the drivers in both cars!

Davis in a white Corvette and Lily in a silver Mustang….

Although she hadn’t been in Bayport very long, or knew very many people, the Gettys had already been pointed out to her – and of course she had already seen Lily with Frank.

That doesn’t make sense, Callie thought to herself, thinking of what she had overheard, Lily told Frank she had to get right home…why’d she come back? And what was her brother doing here?

Her curiosity piqued, the teenager made her way towards the back alley.

* * *

Your brother told me what you said…. Lily’s voice still echoed around Joe as he tried to move and then gasped in pain.  After Davis and Evan had finished with the younger teen, the beautiful brunette had crouched down in front of him to make sure there were no misunderstandings….If you, or any of your little friends, cause me even another ounce of grief, you’ll consider what you just got a love tap….

She had stood up, and then after giving Joe a hard kick in the side, turned and walked away…. 

Gotta get up, the teen told himself and once again tried to move, but was once again stopped by the almost paralyzing pain in his abdomen.  Biting back the tears, he gasped and settled back against the side of the dumpster, closing his eyes in temporary defeat.  He’d have to give himself a few more minutes and then there’d be no choice, he had to get up!

Closing his eyes, he tried to block out the pain and wondered, vaguely if Davis and Evan had listened as well as they were supposed to….

His musings were cut short when he heard a short anguished cry and opened his eyes in time to see Callie Shaw drop to her knees beside him.

“Oh my gosh!” the girl said, “Joe, are you okay?”

“F-fine,” he managed, but somehow, she didn’t look convinced.

Narrowing her eyes, she sat back on her heels and quipped, “Yeah, I can tell, and you also love to hang out in back alleys with dumpsters for company I suppose…what happened?”

“Nothing,” Joe lied, not wanting to get her involved.  It had been made painfully apparent to him that Lily and Davis were a lot more dangerous than he had given them credit for.  And the last thing he wanted was for anyone else to get hurt.  In fact, he had already decided, about a minute into the beating, that he needed to call Biff and tell him to back off the Gettys; if they ever found out…Joe shuddered at the thought.

“Nothing, my foot,” the girl said.  “Can you get up?”

“Yeah,” Joe said, hoping she didn’t ask him to prove it.

She didn’t believe him.  Although she couldn’t see any injury, it only took one look at his pale, pinched face to know he was hurting somewhere.  Standing up, she glanced around.  “Hold on.  I’m going to get Tony—”

“NO!” Joe’s cry stopped her.  “I – I just need a moment.”

“Joe, you need help,” Callie said gently, dropping back down beside her new friend.

Steeling himself, the teen tried again to get up and this time, with the help of the dumpster, and a supporting hand under his elbow from his petite friend, he did so, and then immediately curled his arm protectively around his aching midsection.

“S-see…no…p-problem,” he said, trying to smile as he glanced into the concerned brown eyes of the girl standing beside him.

Callie frowned. “Fine, so you can stand,” she relented and then pursed her lips. “How about walking?” she challenged.

“Give…me a…moment,” he gasped, closing his eyes again and waiting for his body to adjust to the new pain of standing.

Watching him carefully, the girl finally asked, “Why’d they beat you up?”

“Who?” Joe asked, his eyes still closed as he tried to take calming breaths.  Even the act of breathing hurt and he knew, without looking, that he was badly bruised.

“Lily’s brother and his friends.”

The teen’s eyes flew open as he looked at Callie.  “What are you talking about?” His voice sounded strangely panicked.

“I saw them come tearing out of the alley…that’s the only reason why I even came back here,” she admitted honestly.  “I had to see what was so interesting.  One look at you and I think I know why the rush!”

“You can’t tell anyone!” Joe said; his blue eyes a mixture of pain and alarm.

“Joe, you’re hurt! You need to see a doctor!” Callie persisted.

“I-I’m okay,” he lied, and the girl frowned, crossed her arms and looked at him.

“Okay, then let me see.”

“See what?” Joe feigned ignorance.

“Your stomach, lift your shirt.”  Callie rolled her eyes and wondered if Joe was always this difficult!

Joe gave her a weak grin, through a grimace.  “Now who’s flirting?” he attempted to joke.

“I’m being serious,” the brunette said, “Let me see.”

“No!”

“Fine, then I’ll just call your brother—”

“You can’t call Frank!” Joe cut her off, truly panicked now, “Not Frank. Callie, you can’t tell anyone!  You can’t!!”

“Whoa, take it easy.”  She tried to calm him down, shocked by how upset he had gotten about this.  Sure, he and brother didn’t seem to be very close, but surely things weren’t that bad!  But then again, it was his girlfriend’s brother who beat Joe up….

Joe took a couple of deep breaths and tried again, his voice only measurably calmer as his vibrant blue eyes begged her compliance.  “Callie, you can’t tell anyone, okay?  Please, you have to trust me on this! You just can’t!”

She didn’t look convinced and he continued, “I’m a bit bruised, that’s all.  Nothing a hot shower and little rest won’t cure.  Honestly!”

Callie sighed in resignation.  “Fine.  But so help me Joe…you’d better not make me regret this, okay?”

He let out a relieved smile as he offered her a true smile.  “Thanks, Callie.”

“Don’t thank me yet,” she growled, “I still think you should go to the doctor, or at the very least let me call someone!”

The blond teen just shook his head.  “No, it’s better this way, trust me.”

“You’re asking a lot from a girl,” Callie muttered and then bit her lip as she regarded him for another moment.  He was still using the dumpster for support and didn’t look any better than he had when she first found him.  “Wait here.  I’ll bring my car back here…it’ll be simpler that way.”

Joe nodded in agreement, grateful that she wasn’t asking him to walk to the parking lot yet.  It was going to be hard enough getting to his room, once he got home, without raising any suspicions.

Callie gave him one more concerned look, shook her head and then hurried around to the front of the store.  Within minutes she was back with her car and parked it next to the dumpster.

Hissing in pain, and with her help, Joe was able to get into Callie’s car, sank back against the seat and closed his eyes.

“Are you okay?” he heard her voice as she got into the driver’s seat and helped him with his seatbelt.

“Never better,” Joe gibed and then gave her directions to his house. He hoped, in vain, that no one would be home, but he wasn’t so lucky….

* * *

“Where’s your brother?” Laura asked when she didn’t see Joe pile into the kitchen after Frank.

“He’s making his own way home,” Frank said as he sat down at his usual spot, and hoped his parents would just let it sit at that…but of course they didn’t.

“Did you guys have an argument?” his mother pressed, her blue eyes wide with concern, as she knew how sensitive things had grown between the brothers over the last couple of days.

Frank sighed, “Not really…well…maybe.”  The dark-haired teen actually wasn’t sure if what they had qualified as an ‘argument’ or not.

“Honey, either you did or you didn’t,” Laura said, trading a look with Fenton.

The teen sighed.  “We went to Mr. Pizza’s after school, Joe, Lily and I…and things seemed to be going okay.  I mean, Joe wasn’t very impressed that Lily was there, but he wasn’t being a jerk or anything…just a bit cool.”

“What happened?” This time it was his father asking.

“That’s it, I don’t know.  I went to the bathroom and when I came back, Joe said he was leaving,” Frank explained, running a hand through his dark hair in agitation.  “I caught up with him in the parking lot and he told me that he thought Lily was using me and that he needed to cool down a bit before he came home.

“I just thought if they spent some time together, Joe would see that Lily really is a great girl,” Frank continued.  “Guess I was wrong or expecting too much…”

“Oh sweetie, don’t be so hard on yourself,” Laura consoled, “You just have to give your brother some time about all this.  You know how he is about changes, and a girl in your life is certainly a big change.”

“Yeah,” Frank sighed and then smiled at his mom.  “And you’re right. Maybe all I have to do is just let Joe work this out himself.”

“Sounds like a good idea,” his mother agreed, “and since they both care about you, I’m sure they’ll come to some sort of understanding. Now eat up before the food gets too cold.”

“I just hope Joe gets home soon,” Frank admitted between mouthfuls, and his father agreed.  They were both thinking about the same thing, as testified by Fenton’s next comment.

“I spoke to the harbor authorities this afternoon, and as of yet, they still have nothing on that rogue powerboat.”

Frank snorted softly.  “And I doubt they ever will.  It might not have been a local craft.”

“True.”

The sound of the front door opening interrupted their conversation – Joe was home – and they waited for him to come into the kitchen. After a couple of minutes, when the teen didn’t show up, Frank looked at his parents.  “Want me to see where he is?”

His father nodded and Frank left the table and trotted upstairs. If Joe didn’t come into the kitchen, chances were good that he went up to his room…probably to change, but the older boy figured he’d better make sure.

“Joe?” he called out, and was surprised not to see his brother in his bedroom.  “Where are you, kiddo?”

“Shower,” a muffled voice called out from the brothers’ shared bathroom.

“Aren’t you coming down for supper, first?”  Frank went to the door and asked. He wondered why his brother was going to take a shower right now.

“No,” came the one word reply.

“Aren’t you hungry?”  The older boy knew that Joe hadn’t eaten any of the pizza before he left, so he should be famished…unless of course Tony had given him something afterwards.

“No,” again a one word reply.

“Mom made stuffed pork chops!”  Frank figured that would entice his brother’s appetite as they were one of Joe’s favorites.

Joe didn’t answer, and Frank started to get worried.  “Hey, are you okay?”

“Yes.”

And then the sound of the shower being turned on signaled the end of the conversation.

Slightly vexed, Frank snorted softly, turned and went downstairs.  His brother could be such a brat at times…

* * *

In the bathroom, Joe leaned against the wall and tried to keep from crying out as he struggled to take off his shirt.  He knew Frank was concerned, but right now he was in too much pain to do more than offer one-word responses.

Reaching in to the shower, he turned on the water and then stood in front of the mirror, getting his first good look at the damage Davis and Evan had done, and he gasped in shock.  He knew he was hurting but he never realized just how colorful he might be!

His abdomen, chest, and back were covered in deep bruises which were darkening even as he looked, confirming his suspicions about being badly bruised.

Gingerly he pressed along his ribcage, biting his lip to keep from crying out, as he checked for any fractures.  But luckily enough, apart from some pretty serious bruising, nothing seemed broken.

Stepping into the shower, he let the warm water flow over his aching body, leaned his head against the cool tile and didn’t even bother to try and keep in check the steady of stream of tears that flowed down his face.  He was hurting, tired and confused.

He couldn’t understand why Frank had told Lily what Joe had said about his concerns that she was using him…trying to change him. The blond teen couldn’t understand it at all.  That was a private conversation between him and his brother…had things changed that much between them?

After about fifteen minutes, he reluctantly turned the water off and got out.  He was afraid that if he stayed in any longer, it would arouse more suspicions.

Toweling off as quickly as he could, Joe slowly pulled on a black t-shirt, a pair of track pants and left the bathroom.  Not wanting to be disturbed, he locked the door to the hallway and then after a brief pause, he locked the bathroom door as well…

Letting out a heavy sigh, he gingerly lay down, covered up in a blanket and drifted into a restless sleep…chased by black-haired monsters driving white cars….