The knowledge that Frank and the others would be looking for them was the only thing that was keeping Vanessa from crumbling. Joe was finally resting, and the chills that wracked his body had slowed. But the few times that Joe had awakened and tried to move or speak, he was overcome by such strong coughing fits that he would blackout again or stare at Vanessa wordlessly until he fell asleep.

Trying to fight off exhaustion and fear, Vanessa thought about anything and everything. Her mind drifted back to one short week ago…Joe’s eighteenth birthday. The Hardy’s had thrown Joe a wonderful party; they had even managed to surprise him. But, it was Vanessa who received the biggest surprise that night; Joe had a gift for her…a heart shaped sapphire ring. Vanessa loved sapphires. Her father had given her mother a beautiful sapphire ring before he died, and Andrea had passed it on to Vanessa. But sadly, during a summer trip to the beach she had lost it. Vanessa was heartbroken.

Joe knew what the ring meant to Vanessa and had secretly been saving to buy her a new one. He was so excited when he received a rather large check from his grandparents for his birthday. Joe knew that it could never replace the ring she lost, but hoped it would make her happy. Vanessa was not a materialistic person; she loved old things, things that had sentimental value.

Vanessa would never forget that night as long as she lived. She and Joe talked about their future, and Vanessa dreamed of being able to pass the ring on to her and Joe’s little girl. She couldn’t help but giggle at the thought of Joe Hardy changing diapers. But, knew in her heart that if they were blessed with a daughter she would be a ‘daddy’s girl’.

Looking down at her hands, Vanessa shuddered. Her beautiful ring, which meant so much to her, was covered in blood. ‘Please God, don’t take my dreams away from me.’

*****

It had taken over an hour, but Frank and Chet had found their way back to the girls. Frank did not want to admit it, but nightfall had made it difficult at best, to navigate through the thick woods.

"Frank!" Callie screamed as she ran towards him. The look of anguish on Frank’s face told Callie that they had not found Joe and Vanessa.

"I called the ranger station; they wanted to hear from you as soon as you made it back. There was only one man on duty, and he didn’t want to call anyone else in unless you’re sure they’re missing. I also called your father. He and your mother are on their way," Callie said.

Frank pulled Callie close and whispered "Thank you. I know it’s them…they found him. I don’t know how, but they found him."

Then realization hit Frank like a rock. "Joe’s ID…I can’t believe how careless we’ve been. They must have followed us from home."

"Frank, come on man," Chet said putting a hand on Frank’s shoulder. "We can’t second guess ourselves now. We need to call the local police and ranger station."

Soon the little picnic area was buzzing with activity; Frank had painted a very clear picture of the situation. The local sheriff’s department had sent a couple of deputies to assist the park rangers, and a search and rescue team had been put on alert.

*****

Laura had phoned Vanessa’s mom to let her know what was going on with their children. Andrea immediately insisted on accompanying Fenton and Laura to the mountains. The trio was now on their way, each dreading what they might find.

As he drove into the night, Fenton Hardy was filled with ever changing emotions; worry and anger being the two most prominent. In the short phone conversation he had with Frank a few minutes ago, Fenton had opted not to tell Frank about the discovery of the body believed to be tied to the incident. That was something he felt he needed to tell his son face to face.

Seated next to Fenton, Laura Hardy was doing her best to think positively; but deep down, she knew something was wrong. She, too, was battling warring emotions, and right now anger was winning. She and Fenton had raised two wonderful boys, who were now responsible and respected young men.

Then it dawned on her, Joe wasn’t thinking…at least not in those terms anyway. ‘He was thinking with his heart.’ Frank had told his parents about Joe’s insistence to go on the trip no matter what, and about the feelings of guilt Joe had shared with him in regards to Vanessa.

How was she ever going to convince Joe that he wasn’t ten feet tall and bullet proof? Laura sighed, knowing it was simply by the grace of God that Joe had never been seriously hurt.

On the other hand, Laura was certain Frank had tried to reason with Joe and keep him safe. When she briefly spoke with Frank to assure herself that he was indeed okay, she could hear the guilty tone of his voice. "Frank it’s okay," Laura had said. "Your Father and I know how stubborn Joe can be. There was no way you could have stopped him. I’m just glad you were with him."

Andrea Bender was just plain worried, but knowing in her heart that Joe would do everything in his power to protect Vanessa was a comfort. As she sat absent-mindedly fingering her purse strap, Andrea’s mind wandered back to one day a little over a year ago.

It was right after she and Vanessa had moved to Bayport from New York. Andrea was waiting her turn in the lobby of a fashionable salon, when a couple of women whom she would later discover were known as the town gossips, struck up a conversation with her. Once they found out that her daughter was dating Joe Hardy, they seized the opportunity to toy with Andrea.

Everyone in Bayport knew of the tragedy surrounding Iola Morton; each having their own opinion and adding little twists as the story spread. The first women said such things as "That poor girl; her first mistake was falling in love with a Hardy."

The second women readily agreed and added, "Those boys are just magnets for trouble. They are too young to be doing a job meant for a man. That’s what cost that young girl her life, you know."

"Laura Hardy should put her foot down and put a stop to this nonsense before someone else gets hurt," the first women said smugly.

They had succeeded in planting a seed of doubt in Andrea’s mind about Vanessa’s relationship with Joe. For months Andrea watched Joe very carefully and had frequent talks with Vanessa. It was easy to see her daughter had already fallen head over heels for this young man. Over the next few months, Andrea got to know Joe and his family and wondered if those women would ever know just how wrong they were.

Joe was a loving and compassionate young man, who made her daughter very happy. A young man who she knew without a doubt would die to save Vanessa.