Frank and Biff found a little table away from everyone else and sat down.  He had gotten a bowl of Minestrone soup and some crackers and he glanced at Biff as he took the first sip.

Biff was waiting.  His face was white and he didn’t look very well.  But he didn’t say anything he just waited for Frank to explain.

Swallowing the soup Frank gave his friend a little smile, “No Biff Joe wasn’t hurt like that.”

The relief that flooded through his body made Biff feel faint and he let out a hearty sigh, “Oh thank god… it’s just that when I heard the nurse talking about a rape kit…I just thought… well I was… oh thank god!”

Frank’s smile got wider as he knew exactly how Biff was feeling and then he continued quietly talking between sips of soup, “William threatened me with it.”

“You?”  Biff was appalled and angered but Frank shook his head to explain, “No not the way you’re thinking.  It was all part of his sick, twisted game.  He hurt Joe and I was supposed to watch.  He got off on my reactions to what he was doing…”

Biff felt sick again.

“But when I figured it out…I…”  Frank sighed as telling Biff about it freshened the pain.  He put down his spoon, no longer feeling like eating, “I made myself stop.”

“Stop?”  Biff was watching Frank carefully and he could see what this had cost him if the emotions that played across his features were any indication.

“Yeah. I stopped everything… no yelling, no trying to break free… nothing, “Frank’s eyes became bright and he blinked back the tears.  How dare he cry!  Yes he had to watch but Joe had had to go through it, “he wanted to do something to get me again… to make me react again.  So he threatened to rape Joe.”  His voice was low at the end, barely a whisper.

Biff reached across and gave his forearm a supportive squeeze, “its okay Frank.  You said it didn’t happen.  Remember?”

Frank scowled growing even more angry at himself, “Yeah well it wasn’t for lack of opportunity.”

“What are you talking about?”  Biff asked guardedly. Something in Frank’s voice told him there was more.

“Biff”, Frank confessed, “you know how I’d been a jerk those last couple of days…” he touched his bruised face for emphasis, “and you had to set me straight?”

“Yeah…” the blond boy said warily wondering what Frank was getting at.

“Well the reason why I was being a prig was that I walked in on something between Joe an Will that I mistook for an intimate moment.  Suddenly everything for me clicked into place and I thought I found the reason for Joe’s behavior.  You know, how odd he’d been acting.”

Biff didn’t say anything as he regarded his best friend’s brother carefully.

“I thought they were messing around!  Hell I even heard what I thought was proof!” Frank shuddered at that recollection, “but now I know it must have been all a show, put on just me.  And I fell for it!!”

The other boy was silent for a few moments, his clenched jaw the only indication of how what Frank was saying was affecting him.  Finally he said slowly to make sure he understood, “You thought Joe was messing around with Will?”

Frank bowed his head in shame, “Yeah.”

“Oh Frank”, the tone in Biff’s voice was sad and anguished as he now understood what had been going on, “the same Joe who can hardly get a word out around Iola?”

“Yeah”, Frank repeated before sighing and pushing the soup away, “I was being stupid.”

“Well I wouldn’t say that”, Biff corrected, “William had us all fooled.  And quite honestly if that is how he wanted things to look, then I am sure he did a more then ample job of doing just that.”

Frank agreed and they sat together quietly for a few moments before the dark haired boy starting to stand up again, “Well I want to get back to the room.  I hate leaving Joe there by himself.”

Biff started to follow but then he stopped, “Hey Frank, I have an ideal that I think you might like.”

Frank turned to look at him, “Really?  What is it?”

“Well”, Biff began, “you know how Joe’s missing out on Halloween.”

Frank swallowed hard as he nodded.

“Well I was thinking we could throw special Halloween party for him on Friday night,”  Biff watched Frank’s face as the older boy considered it and then he started to nod his head as he said slowly, “I think Joe would really like that.”

“Good, I talked to the gang and they’re all excited about it”, Biff said and Frank looked surprised, “The gang?  They know about this then?”

Biff stopped suddenly feeling awkward.  Maybe he wasn’t supposed to tell them, “Uh… yeah…I’m sorry but…”

Frank held up his hand, “No it’s okay Biff.  I just didn’t know how to tell them. So thank you.”

Biff smiled, relieved.

“So they’re all okay with the party thing?”  Frank didn’t want to ask him what they thought about what happened.  He was having enough of his own emotions to deal with right now.

“Are they ever…”  Biff smiled as he thought about the conversation he’d had with them only moments earlier.

“Why don’t we throw Joe and Frank a special Halloween party…say Friday night?”  Biff’s eyes shone brightly as he proposed the idea.

Immediately it caught on like wildfire.

“Hey we could use one of our barns!”  Chet offered excitedly and saw out of the corner of his eye, his father nodding approvingly.

“Maybe we could set up a part as a haunted house”, Iola added, “Joe loves haunted houses!”

“I have a better idea”, Mateo Prito cut in as he came towards the group and overheard the tail end of their conversation.

“What?”  Tony asked shoving his cousin playfully, “give him a ride in your new car?  Now that’s scary.  Heck I bet we could charge admission and everything!”

Mateo scowled as he thought about his beater lovingly.  Who cared if each of the doors was a different color and it billowed smoke out of the tailpipe, “Hmmm keep it up little cousin and hell will freeze over before I ever give you a lift again.”

Suddenly he felt a brawny arm around his neck and Angelo was glaring down at him threateningly.  He recanted, “Fine… fine. I think the Devils getting his thermals as we speak.”

Angelo laughed and let him go.  Tony stuck his tongue out.

“If I can continue”, Mateo ignored Tony, “Gelo, I’m thinking about the Marsden place…”

Angelo caught on immediately and grinned, “It would be perfect!’

Biff looked from one Prito to the other and Angelo explained, “Penne Marsden’s got an old Victoria house that’s he got us renovating from top to bottom.  And I mean we are gutting it.  It would be perfect to do up as a haunted house!’

“Can you?”  Biff was concerned about them getting into trouble but Mateo stilled his concerns, “No problemo Biffster.  Penne is in Europe until after Christmas and we’re in the process of ripping everything out anyways.  Besides, Penne is my mom’s friend’s cousin’s uncle.”  He grinned and then burst out laughing at the look on Biff’s face a second before Angelo thwacked him across the back of the head.

“I can do some sound stuff”, Phil offered grinning at the cousins.

“We can cook up some goodies”, Mrs. Morton and Mrs. Prito offered.

“And I can help with the decorations,” Biff’s mother, a talented seamstress in her own right, offered.

Not to be out outdone the men decided they could meet at the Morton’s farm to put together some scarecrows and carve some pumpkins.

Biff’s heart filled as he saw his idea grabbed so enthusiastically.

“I can bring my Ouji board!”  Callie said excitedly but Iola frowned, “I don’t know Callie those things are creepy!”

“You’re just being a fraidy cat”, Callie scoffed before adding, “We’ll let Frank decide.”

Iola frowned at her best friend but before she could say anything else Callie changed the topic, “Oh I smell a shopping spree!  A major…major shopping spree!”

“All the stuff is going to go on sale after tonight”, Tony agreed and they spent the next few moments setting up a plan of attack for buying what they would need.

Biff heard Tony teasing Mateo again about his car and he mused, “Well maybe when Joe is feeling better, he can give you a hand restoring it or something. He loves that kind of stuff.”

Tony teased as he started to run, “The only thing that will help Mateo… is a new car!”

That was it… as Mateo took off after Tony, Biff shook his head and turned to his folks, “I’m going to go and see if I can see Frank now. The doctor told me I could after he got settled…and I’m sure he’s settled now.”

And then he left his friends and family and went back upstairs…

“Oh yeah”, Biff repeated, “they are very cool on this idea.”

* * *

William was waiting.

He knew the doctor dressed as Dracula was going to be coming in anytime to check up on him.  He just had to wait.

A few moments later his patience was rewarded as he tucked the unconscious man into his own bed, William adjusted the cape of the ‘borrowed’ costume before grabbing the chart off the bed and stepping out of the door.

He had someone to see.

* * *

The police officer barely looked up as Dracula came out of the room.  He just shook his head wondering what the Chief would say if he showed up for his shift dressed like that.

Must be nice, he mused before settling back in his chair, must be nice.

* * *

Joe was awake when Frank and Biff came back in the room.

“You okay?” Frank asked him as he gingerly crouched down so he could look Joe in the face.  He was instantly concerned as he saw how distressed his brother looked.

Joe blinked and offered a thin smile but said nothing.  He wanted to yell and scream at Frank and ask him the truth.  But he couldn’t.  Not yet.  He didn’t even have the strength left to do that.  Not yet.

The door behind them opened and Fenton stepped in, “Frank”, he said quietly not wanting to disturb his youngest son, “Can we talk to you for a moment?”  Chief Collig was standing on the other side of the nurses’ station waiting for them.

Frank hesitated, not wanting to leave his brother alone again but Biff spoke up, “I’ll stay with him.”

“Thanks”, Frank smiled. He knew Biff would keep Joe safe. 

“I’ll be right back”, he said to Joe as he lightly touched his cheek.  Joe nodded as best he could and closed his eyes. 

Standing up Frank grabbed the trolley and started towards the door.  The bag was empty and he was going to see if one of the nurses would take it off him now.

With one final look back at his brother, Frank closed the door.

Biff was there.  Joe would be fine.

* * *

“How you doing?”  Biff asked softly as he crouched down next to Joe when he saw the blue eyes flicker open.

“’kay”, Joe mumbled thickly.

“Yeah you sound real okay”, Biff said wryly, “Can I get you anything?”

“New… body…be… nice…”  Joe whispered and Biff gave a little laugh relived to see that Joe was at least making some attempt at humour.

“I bet. Well bud I’d you give you mine… in a heartbeat…” Biff felt emotion welling in his throat and broke off.  He really would.  If it could take that look off Joe’s face, he’d have no reservations at all.

“Thanks”, Joe managed as a tear slid down his cheek. He knew Biff would too.

Fighting back the emotion, Biff stood up, “I’ll be right back. I gotta use the can”, his voice didn’t sound convincing even to him.  But right now he really needed to compose himself for a moment as he didn’t want Joe to see him upset.

“’kay” Joe whispered hoarsely and then heard the bathroom door close behind Biff and the sound of the water being turned on. He wasn’t so easily fooled and knew why Biff had needed to get away.

He knew exactly why.

A moment later he heard the door opening to his room and was surprised that Frank was back so soon but then he heard a faint whisper and his heart froze in terror.

“Miss me…sweetie” 

It was William.
Before Joe could move the twin was on him… pinning him to the bed under the weight of his body.  Joe felt a pillow pushed on the back of his head and then William was pressing his face down, hard… into the mattress and Joe couldn’t’ breath…he couldn’t move.

William was suffocating him!

And less then 10 feet away, Biff was in the bathroom.

Panicking Joe tried to fight but when William rammed a fist into his side, it was over.

Darkness clawed at him and Joe had nothing left.

He needed help.

* * *

Biff was just turning off the water when he heard something that had him almost ripping the door off the hinges. 

Joe’s heart monitor was going crazy.

He took everything in instantly…

William disguised as Dracula…

Joe lying limply beneath him…

The pillow pressed firmly over him…

And then with a mighty roar he was flying across the room.