“Excuse me?” Frank’s voice was incredulous as he was sure he must have misheard.  “Did you say beer?”

“Yeah,” Joe said tiredly as he opened his eyes and looked at his brother, “after Hooper picked me up this morning, he dropped into a store and bought a case. It was still in the trunk when we rolled.”

“Unopened, I hope!” Frank said sharply, and Joe snorted and shook his head in disbelief.

“Not you, too,” he muttered, closing his eyes again and letting his head rest against the wall behind him.  His headache was starting to really pound behind his eyes, and he felt a strong need for a nap!

“Biff’s dad thinks it’s mine,” he added glumly.

“Is it?”  Although the older boy already knew the answer; he still had to ask.  Weary blue eyes opened and looked at him for a moment, shriveling Frank with the hurt look he saw reflected in them.

Joe shook his head and started to scoot off the bed, but Frank gently snagged his wrist.  “I’m sorry, bro.  I had to ask.”

The younger boy glared at him for a moment before sighing and sitting back down on the edge of the bed, next to him.  “It isn’t mine. And no, it wasn’t open.”

“Thank you,” Frank said, appreciative that Joe did answer him.  After a moment he added, “So Mr. Hooper thinks you got Biff to buy it for you?” It was more a statement than a comment.

“Yup,” the blond teen admitted, and then he frowned, “And that really bugs the living daylights out of me!  Biff is…was...my best friend. Why’d he let his dad think that?  I thought we were better friends than that!” 

Joe sounded so miserable that Frank slid an arm around his shoulder as he shook his head.  “I don’t know, kiddo.  Maybe he just got scared; his dad can be kinda intimidating when he’s upset, you know.”

The younger boy looked at his brother and rolled his eyes as he let out a small chuckle and quipped sarcastically, “Nah? Mr. Hooper? You gotta be kidding. That’s something I’d have to see for myself!!”

Frank smiled as he reached up and tousled the blond hair.  “No one likes a smart Alec!”

“Better then a dumb one,” the younger boy muttered, and then leaned against his brother.  “I just don’t get it, Frank.  What’s so cool about Davis Getty that Biff’d want to do something like this…?  I just don’t understand it at all!”

Oh kiddo, Frank thought affectionately, you wouldn’t.  For all his street savvy and cockiness, Joe was still naive when it came to what made people do stupid things.  He saw things fairly black and white – good or bad…the shades of gray baffled him. It was one of the reasons why he lost his temper so quickly – understanding breeds patience….

And it probably had something to do with Joe’s highly intuitive nature. He picked up vibes about people, and Frank had to admit, he was seldom wrong, but Joe did get frustrated when other people couldn’t see what he found so obvious!

“He’s a big, dumb jerk…actually, they both are,” Joe clarified, in case Frank had any doubts about how he felt about Davis or what his general thoughts were on both Davis and Biff, right now.

“Well,” he finally tried to offer, “I don’t think Biff sees it that way.  He’s just too blinded by all the stuff he sees in Davis, that he’d like to see in himself; it impairs his judgment.”  He added, after a moment, “There is nothing as blinding as hero-worship.”

“Maybe,” Joe finally agreed, not looking completely convinced.  And then he yawned, “I think I’m going to lie down for a bit. I know I didn’t fall down the stairs yesterday, but man, my head is killing me.”

“Are you sure you didn’t knock it when the car rolled?” Frank asked, worriedly.  He chafed inside for not being there.  Joe could have been killed!

“Yeah, I just didn’t sleep well last night,” the blond teen said as he grabbed the extra blanket from the foot of his bed, lay down and pulled it over himself.

“Bad dreams?” Frank speculated as he stood up.

“Not really,” Joe said, turning his back to his brother, so Frank wouldn’t see his face.  “I don’t sleep well…next to an empty room.”

He didn’t see the older boy’s expression, but he felt the warm hand squeeze his arm for a moment, and then heard Frank leave the room.

Neither do I, little brother, Frank thought as he closed the room door, neither do I…

* * *

Fenton Hardy frowned as he looked at the time. It was later then he’d thought, almost seven p.m.  Collig had asked for his help in solving a recent rash of break-and-entries, which had the police stumped.  So the investigator had spent the last couple of hours going over police reports, statements and inventories of items stolen, in an attempt to establish a pattern but right now, he had to admit he was as puzzled as the police.

It just seemed too random; and the items stolen didn’t make sense. From one home, jewelry was taken, but from the next, priceless pearls were left and the electronics stolen, and from yet another, a CD collection was missing but not the hi-fi stereo….It just didn’t make sense at all!

Sighing, he unlocked the front door of his house and went inside, smiling when he saw his wife look up from where she was reading a book on the couch.

“Fenton,” she said, putting down the book and getting up to give him a hug.  She’d been asleep when he got home last night, and barely remembered him even coming to bed.  And then he’d already gone to debrief a client when she woke up.  “I missed you.”  She wrapped her slender arms around his neck and gave him a warm kiss when he leaned over in her embrace, his 6’2” frame engulfing his 5’6” wife.

“Missed you too,” he murmured, his voice mostly lost in the silkiness of her blond hair, as he held her close and savored the sweet smell of her perfume.  “I’m glad to be home.”

Laura sighed, and pulled away so she could look into his dark brown eyes; almost losing herself in the warmth and love she always saw there.  “For how long this time?”  She tried not to sound bitter, but she really hated that he was gone so much!

Fenton gave her a melting smile, all the tiredness erased from his features by the simple act of holding his wife.  “For a while. Collig’s given me a local case.”

“Good,” she said, smiling brightly, and then pulled away so he could hang up his coat.  It had finally stopped raining, and the sun shone rebelliously, almost daring anyone to say it had been raining earlier!

“Where are the boys?” Fenton asked as they moved to the kitchen.

“Upstairs,” Laura said, and then a mischievous little look flittered across her face, as she turned back to look at her husband, and he picked up on it, immediately.

“What?” he asked curiously; already knowing she had something she wanted to tell him.  After being married to her for almost twenty years, Fenton was almost as good at reading Laura, as she was at reading him…almost.

“What?” her voice rang with schoolgirl innocence, but then she sighed contentedly, placed a warm hand against his cheek, and smiled.  Her eyes were glazed over with affection, and the pure love lacing her voice actually gave Fenton cold shivers.  “Our little boy is growing up…”

He knew at once she was talking about Frank.  He was always their ‘little boy’ while Joe was their ‘baby’.

Fenton cocked an eyebrow, imploring her to continue, and she did, blue eyes sparkling brightly.  “He’s got a date!”

The detective looked at her, a bit confused and then said, slowly, “I thought you were talking about Frank…”

“I am,” Laura laughed, loving the expression on her husband’s face. He didn’t get confounded very often!

“But—” Fenton started, and was shushed with a finger on his lips. Laura knew exactly what he was thinking.  Of the two boys, they had often speculated who would be the first to step into the boy-girl arena of dating, and they had pretty much decided it would be Joe.

Although younger, he was bolder when it came to people; and his parents could easily see him slipping into the role of a Romeo, particularly with regards to one doe-eyed Morton!

Their older son was a lot more reserved and quiet, particularly around members of the opposite sex, so it wasn’t surprising that Fenton was baffled by this apparent out-of-character development!

“A one Ms. Lily Getty has apparently stolen the heart of our little boy,” Laura smiled, her face once again soft and dreamy as she thought back to her own first love, “and they have a date tonight!” 

“And Frank is okay with this?” Fenton couldn’t help it; the words were out of his mouth before he even realized he was going to say them!

The petite blond laughed as she shook her head.  “Yes, darling, he is perfectly fine with it…his brother, on the other hand, I’m not so sure…”  She actually frowned as she thought about Joe.

“Well,” admitted Fenton, “that is one eventuality that we actually hadn’t considered, now was it?” He continued without waiting for an answer, “We were both so sure that it would be Joe who started dating first, that we never even considered what would happen if it was Frank!”

Laura nodded – they had had that discussion with the invariable conclusion that Frank would be okay with it.  Although he and Joe did spend a lot of time together, the older boy was never as lost as his younger brother was, whenever he did have to spend ‘alone’ time without his sibling.

She thought back to a case in point when the boys had gotten the chicken pox.  Frank had come down with it first, and they tried to keep Joe away from his brother, but the blond boy had been a royal pain in the butt!  Always underfoot and complaining loudly about being bored, and what was he supposed to do now that he couldn’t play with Frank?  Suggestions of reading a book, watching TV, going outside to play...were all met with the invariable conclusion of non-survivable boredom without his older brother!

Not surprisingly, Joe came down with the chicken pox a little while later.  Frank’s reaction was very different.  Although he was as lonely and bored without his younger brother to play with, as Joe had been without him, the older boy handled it a lot better, spending his time reading or just playing alone when he had to.

Frank had a wonderful imagination and could entertain himself for hours…and he did.

So neither Fenton nor Laura had any doubt that their older son would have handled Joe moving on without him, just as unflappably as he handled everything else…. For a little while anyway.

But Joe – that was another problem completely….

“He’s not taking this very well?” Fenton ventured, and Laura actually scoffed; her voice thick with sarcasm:

“Let’s see…since supper time he’s told me ‘responsible parents would never consider letting a mere babe of sixteen go out on a date yet’….Then there was ‘but Mom, Frank just got out of the hospital, he needs his rest. Preferably until he’s twenty or something’….Ooh, and let’s not forget my personal favorite, ‘do you have any idea just how much trouble I might possibly get in without Frank here to protect me?’  And then something about kidnappers, terrorists or some other bad guys using this one moment, while his brother was so grievously distracted, to do him some harm’!”

“Did he actually use the word ‘grievously’?” Fenton asked, trying to keep a straight face; but his younger son could be very dramatic when he was trying to make a point. The detective regretted not being here earlier to see that little display!

“Oh yeah,” Laura said, dryly, “He could have won an Oscar for his performance.”

“Jealous?” Fenton offered, but his wife shook her head.

“I don’t know if that’s the right word. I mean, yeah, if Frank and this girl start seeing each other regularly, and he continues along this line, then I’d say ‘jealous’, but I think right now, its closer to fear…maybe even separation anxiety.”  She bit her lip and looked at her husband; her blue eyes pierced his heart.  “Frank is moving on to something new without Joe, and I think little brother is afraid he’s being left behind.”

Fenton thought about that for a few moments as he started to make a pot of coffee and then sat down.  “Maybe if I spoke to Joe?”

“I don’t know,” Laura said, sitting down across from him, “but what are you going to say? The boys have always been so close; I don’t know what’s going to happen now when a girl makes three…”

The detective thought about that and then had an idea.  “What are Joe’s plans for the evening?”

“Besides sulking?” Laura couldn’t resist, and then she sighed, “Well, he was supposed to meet his friends at Mr. Pizza’s.  But now he says he’s not going.  I think he’s trying to martyr himself or something.”

Fenton chuckled, as he shook his head and thought fondly of his younger son.  That kid could be nothing, if not stubborn – especially when he was feeling wronged!

“Good.  Then I have just the cure for our wounded saint,” the detective winked at his wife, conspiratorially.  “A distraction.  I need someone to do some legwork with me on this case of Collig’s, and Joe will be just the right person to do it.”

Worry clouded Laura’s face, but before she could voice her protest, Fenton assured her, “It’s okay, honey.  Nothing dangerous, I promise. I just need him to take some pictures for me. That’s all.”

“Okay then,” Laura said, fixing her husband with an intense look, “but please, Fenton, remember which son you’re taking with you. He couldn’t even get as far as the Mortons’ farm today without incurring a little difficulty!”  She was purposely downplaying the car accident, to hide just how shaken she had been, to find out that she’d almost lost her younger son to a dangerous driver; and all that time, she had been shopping, blissfully unaware!

Fenton smiled and leaned across the table to place a kiss on her warm cheek.  “He’ll be safer with me than at home waiting for some kidnappers, terrorists or some other bad guys who might use this one moment, while Frank is so grievously distracted, to do him some harm!”

Laura swatted his arm.  “You’re incorrigible!”

“Yeah,” he agreed, standing up to get a cup of coffee, “but you love me for it!”