William listened to Frank consoling this brother from the other side of the door and shook his head.  Apparently Frank still hadn’t learned just exactly who he was dealing with yet.  

Slamming the door open, Will was framed in the doorway for a few moments before he said sounding greatly disappointed, “What is it with you Hardy’s?  You have trouble hearing?  I tell you very explicitly what the consequences are for an escape attempt…”  

“We didn’t try anything!!’  Frank protested angrily not liking the look that Will was giving Joe right now.  

“Did you talk to him?”  William asked as he slowly approached Joe’s unconscious body…  

“Well…”   

William cut Frank off, “Well then that’s collaboration, I do believe…and that my dear brother is an escape attempt.”  He punctuated his deduction by pulling out Frank’s utility knife again and popped open the blade, “And I do you think you remember the cost for that …don’t you?”  

The demented teen advanced on his hapless brother with a sinister look on his handsome face.  Frank involuntarily shuddered at the look knowing it was one he would never see on Joe’s face.   

And then he started yelling at William as he saw him leaning down over Joe with the knife.  

“GET AWAY FROM HIM…LEAVE HIM ALONE…!”  Frank felt new pain in his wrists but disregarded it as he once again tried to wrench his way out of his cuffs.   

William ignored him and then to Frank’s utter shock, Will did not cut Joe but instead he cut through the bonds holding his brother to the bed.  

The blond haired youth looked across at Frank enjoying the look of shock on the dark haired boy’s face as he finished cutting Joe’s bonds, “You know this is what your parents wanted…the complete set…”  

Frank was actually speechless for a moment before he managed to choke out, “N-No!” overwhelmed by the prosperousness of that statement.  

“Oh come off it!  The least you can do is admit it… they knew just what a bad boy Joey was and that I was the only one who could handle him.  Heaven knows you can’t....So Frankie…do you like my handling?”  to punctuate his question, William tossed the cut bonds at Frank, laid the knife down on the bed and then deftly rolled Joe onto his back eliciting a gut-wrenching groan as Joe was roused back to semi-consciousness by the intense pain.  

Frank felt as if someone had just dunked him a vat of ice cold water and he started to say, “How dare you…” but then he stopped.  He saw a satisfied little gleam cross Will’s face as he started to rise to the bait…but then stopped struck silent by the knowledge that this was exactly what Will wanted.   

If his hands were not handcuffed, Frank would have slapped himself in the head for not seeing it earlier.  Yes, Joe paid for Frank’s insubordination but it was more then that…darker then that.  

When Frank reacted to what William did, he was giving him the rush that he no longer seemed to get when he was tormenting Joe alone.  He was feeding off Frank’s reactions and hurting Joe just to get this fix.  

Frank bit his tongue.  He couldn’t do it.  He couldn’t give William what he wanted because to do so meant William would hurt Joe more and more.  

Desperately hoping this didn’t backfire, Frank prayed that William would leave them alone once he realized Frank wasn’t ‘playing’ anymore…  

So he said nothing.  

William paused and fixed Frank with an uncomprehending look. He had expected to hear quite a rebuttal to his jab but Frank just glared back at him and didn’t say anything.  

“Ah I see”, William said suddenly enlightened, “the silent treatment.  Okay…whatever suits you…”   

And then he shrugged, picked up the knife and continued his banter, “Did my lovely little brother ever tell you I’m quite a skilled carver?  Oh yes I’ve been performing my own little operations for years.  However, I must admit I don’t have a very good track record…my patients don’t tend to make it to recovery…” he held the knife loosely over Joe’s chest as he pretended to be looking for the exact right spot to cut.  

Perspiration beaded on Frank’s forehead as fresh tears rolled down his cheeks.  He might be able to bite his tongue but he could never control the emotions that came from watching this…this madman standing over his brother with a knife…  

And then Will lowered the knife to a spot just above the heart and pierced the skin.

* * *

Biff Hooper glared at the phone in accusation.  This didn’t make sense.   

Sure Frank not coming back to school did…Joe probably wasn’t feeling any better so he decided to stay home with him.  That part actually make Biff feel better.   

Now maybe Frank might be able to find out what was going on with his brother.  

But then after school, Biff had tried calling the house.  He still hadn’t spoken to Joe since getting back and he was anxious to see how his best friend was doing.  However every time he tried calling all he got was a busy signal.  

Frowning, he hung it back up and wondered if he should just take a quick run over to check things out.  It was only a couple of blocks…  

As he grabbed his coat, his mother called out, “Where you going honey?”  

“I’m just going to take a quick run by the Joe’s and see how he’s doing,” he called back one foot already out the door.  

“Don’t be gone to long, “ his mother reminded, “you promised to help your dad get down our Halloween decorations…you guys didn’t do it last night!”  

“Don’t worry Mom, I’ll be right back”, Biff raised his coat collar up to protect his neck from the biting nip in the air.  It was October 29 and as usual the Hooper’s were one of the last families on the block to get around to decorating for the occasion.  

And that was another thing that Biff found odd as he walked briskly towards the Hardy’s house.  Joe loved Halloween….Christmas and just about any other time that allowed them the excuse for a good time.  But this year he hadn’t mentioned anything about it all.  It was as if he had forgotten.  

And that was definitely not like Joe.

* * *

Joe’s body convulsed as William dragged the knife along his breastbone. Not deep but it bled quiet well.  

Frank closed his eyes as he couldn’t watch and proceeded to put his teeth threw his lip in his effort not to give in.  

He had to keep telling himself that this was the right thing to do and no matter what William did, it would have been worst if Frank reacted.  As painful as it was, Frank was doing it to protect Joe…the only way he knew how.  

William frowned, not very pleased at all with Frank’s fortitude.   

How could he just sit there and not say anything while I did this to someone he professed to love?  

And then William got a little unexpected help.

* * *

Joe did not feel his hands being released but then sheer agony laced through his body as he was rolled onto his back.  The pain was so intense it brought him to a sense of semi awareness and he could hear someone saying something but could not differentiate the sounds into words.  

And then he felt the knife…

* * *

“FRANK!”  Joe shouted his brother’s name with what little strength he had left in his body and Frank actually recoiled from hearing his name so forcefully wrenched from his brother’s lips.  

But still he said nothing…William was watching.  

Joe twisted and moaned under Williams’ attentions but still Frank said nothing.   

He was sick and wanted to throw up… but still he said nothing.  

Finally William pulled away from Joe and stalked over to Frank, “You really are a cold bastard aren’t you Frank Hardy.”  

And then without waiting for a response, he grabbed Joe off the bed and hauled him towards the closet.  Opening the door, he unceremoniously dumped him inside and then looking around he grabbed the bonds he had cut from him only a few minutes ago.  

Holding them up to Frank, he enjoyed the horrified look that briefly crossed his face before the mask fell back in place.  He had recognized what William was using to restrain his brother with…their mother’s silk stockings.  

“I wonder if Mother would mind…” William pretended to think about this for a few moments before shrugging, “probably not…as long as they were being put to a good use.”  Quickly he rebound Joe’s hands, this time in front of him, and then with a final ruffle of his hair, William closed the door.

* * *

Frank watched in horror, his heart lurching as he realized where William was going to put Joe.  And then the pantyhose…he really wanted to just reach across and strangle William.  

Tugging again uselessly against the handcuffs, Frank watched warily as William headed back towards Joe’s bed, lifted the mattress and pulled out his package of smokes again.  

Lighting up, he grabbed Joe’s comforter from the floor, stretched it out over the mattress and then sat in the very spot where he had just tormented Joe.  He inhaled sharply as he regarded the comforter he was sitting on, “Mom and Dad are going to need a new mattress.  Joe’s made quiet a mess of it already.”   

Frank gulped and paled knowing what William was tormenting him about this time…he had seen Joe’s back…  

“You know”, William continued as he finished his smoke, “I don’t think I’ve told you how lovely that shade of black is on you.  See with Joe, his skin is just so light anything that dark is Goth but with your coloring…you can really pull it off.”  

Glaring, Frank gritted his teeth until his jaw hurt.  It was one thing taunting him about his black eye but another taunting him about beating Joe.  

“Still not feeling like saying anything?”  William said as he light another cigarette and then came to stand in front of Frank, blowing smoke in his face, “Hmmm….maybe you’ll feel like screaming for me then.”  

Before Frank could prepare himself, William took the burning cigarette and pressed it against his lower arm.  

A cry of pain broke past his resolve as William quickly burned him two more times in succession before laughing as he pulled away, “Not bad…not as good as Joe…but not bad…”  

“Now if you’ll excuse me, I got some stuff to do downstairs,” William headed towards the door before he turned back and jeered, “Try not to miss me too much when I’m gone.”  

William chuckled to himself and closed the bedroom door.  

Frank took a couple of deeps breathes to calm down.  

Damn that had hurt!  And then as he gazed at the closed closet door, he shuttered and amended…that wasn’t fair…that did not hurt at all compared to what William had done to Joe…not at all.

* * *

Biff trotted up the stairs to the Hardy house and knocked on the door.  The lights were on and he had seen Mrs. Hardy’s car in the driveway so he knew that Frank was home…at least.  

He knocked a bit louder when no one answered right away and was just preparing to ring the doorbell when the door was whipped open by William.  

No mistaking him for Joe, that’s for sure, Biff mused as he saw the split lip and scratches on his face.  

“Hey where’s Frank and Joe?”  Biff waited for William to step aside and let him in the house but the smaller teen didn’t.   

Instead he fixed Biff with a scowl, “You’re not welcome here right now.”  

“Excuse me?”  Biff wouldn’t have been any more surprised if William started to do the chicken dance right in front of him.  

William sighed and reworded himself.  The last thing he needed was for Biff to get suspicious, “I mean.  Dad’s mad at me about what happened at school today and so I’m not allowed to have visitors over until the weekend.”  

“Well no offence William”, Biff retorted icily the veins in his neck bulged as he tried to keep his voice steady but this kid was really getting on his nerves, “but I’m not here to see you.  Where’s Frank and Joe?”  

“Sleeping”, William answered agitatedly.  He really wanted Biff Hooper off the front doorstep… and right now, “Joe’s still pretty miserable and now Frank’s not feeling too hot either.  So they’re both lying down.  Now if you can excuse me Biff, I have some stuff to do.”  

William started to close the door but Biff caught it with his hand and said coldly, “I know what you did to do to Iola. Consider this your warning…I’m keeping my eye on you and if you do anything to hurt Joe…or Frank……” his voice trailed off dangerously leaving his intention wide open.  

“Whatever”, William shut the door and locked it. 

* * *

Biff stood on the front steps and tried to calm himself down.  He really wanted to break down the door and nail the insolent little punk for what he did to Iola…and for whatever he was doing to Joe.   

William killed our mother…Joe’s voice rang clearly in his head and Biff remembered the look on Joe’s face as he was telling him.   

As Biff started home he became even more convinced then ever that what was going on with Joe had to do with William.  

The muscular teen resolved to talk to Frank about this tomorrow.   

He is nothing like Joe…Biff huffed as he stalked the rest of the way home.

* * *

“Joe?”  Frank whispered loudly hoping to hear something…anything coming from the closet to let him know Joe hadn’t forgotten his promise…that he was still holding on.  

“Joe?” he called out a bit louder, “Come on kiddo…make some noise…anything!”  

Struggling against his own bonds, Frank desperately looked around the room for something to help him get free.  The biggest problem was the handcuffs that had been looped through the back of the chair.  He’d either need the key or to actually break the back off the chair…and he wasn’t sure if he could do that without arousing Will’s attention.  

His legs were tied to the legs of the chair limiting any chance he had of even moving if he did see some way to get loose.  

Letting out a big sigh Frank closed his eyes and felt a heaviness settle on him as he couldn’t even get to his brother to see if he was still alive.  

Hot tears of frustration burned his cheeks.  Joe desperately needed him and there was nothing he could do…

And then Frank heard a sound…and seconds later he was screaming…

“WILLIAM!!! WILLIAM!!!!”