Hardy Detective Agency featuring Hardy Boys Fan Fiction

She watched and worried as he moved about the apartment, getting ready for the day ahead. He didn’t look anything like his usual buoyant self and it wasn’t just from lack of sleep. His whole demeanor seemed different, off…subdued. But it was his eyes that said the most. Gone was the sparkle, the humor, the laughter. Now they were just…haunted. She took another sip of coffee, her eyes never straying from the man she loved, hoping to see the man he’d been just a few short days ago, fearful that man might be gone forever.

Vanessa glanced at the clock and sighed. She’d hoped to accompany this morning when he went for his blood test, just to be there…to support him in whatever way he needed, but she had a meeting that just couldn’t be rescheduled. And so she worried…she worried that this child might be Joe’s and it scared her to the very core. Not because she couldn’t handle Joe having a child with another woman. Yes, the initial shock was a big one but she could accept it, adjust, learn to live with it and make the boy a part of their lives. It was seeing first hand how interacting with Jodi for just a few days had affected Joe that terrified her. She couldn’t help but be concerned about the effect seeing her on a regular basis could have on him. She would be a constant and continual reminder of that time in his life, of Iola and how she died, the guilt, the pain…and how he considered coping with it. And what about Luke? How would Joe handle regularly seeing a son that was created not out of love, but soul-searing pain and a desperate need to forget? Would it eventually get to be too much, leading him back to that same dark place where he saw only one way to escape?

“Van? What’s wrong? You’ve been watching me like a hawk since I got up.”

Hearing Joe’s voice, Vanessa forced a smile to her face that apparently didn’t fool him for a second. “Nothing really just…thinking…” she fudged, hoping he’d let it drop.

Joe fixed her with a look and she knew she wasn’t getting off that easy. “About…?”

Vanessa sighed heavily and put her coffee mug down on the counter. “You,” she said bluntly. “I’m worried about you. You’ve only been in contact with Jodi for a few days and you’re like a totally different person. Like you were when I first met you only…darker…” She stopped and chewed on her lip, wondering how to put her fears into words without making Joe feel even worse. She hopped off the stool and took a few steps so she was standing right in front of him. Taking his hands in hers, she squeezed them tightly. “I’m scared for you, Joe…Jodi represents the worst time in your life and I’m just afraid. If Luke is your son how are you going to handle seeing him on a regular basis? Interacting with Jodi? They’ll be a permanent part of your life. I’m just worried that it might get to be too much, being reminded of Iola and that time in your life on a daily basis. I’m just…concerned…about how you’ll handle it…” Her voice trailed off as she watched Joe’s expression changing and realized she couldn’t read him at all. ‘Oh, God I am so totally screwing this up…’

Joe listened to Vanessa ramble, at first confused by her scattered thoughts, but then he realized what she was trying to say and his heart plummeted. She was afraid for him; afraid he couldn’t cope; afraid he would leave her in the most horrible and permanent way….

Reaching out, Joe cupped Vanessa’s face in his hands and stared deep into her eyes. His voice shook with emotion as it hit him with full force, exactly what she was implying.

“Yeah, seeing Jodi brings back all those memories and feelings and yeah, I’m still trying to sort through them, but what I thought was the answer then…what I thought was the only way out…That’s not gonna happen again. Not now…not ever,” he promised with a conviction that couldn’t be questioned. “Back then I thought I had nothing to live for. Nothing I did could change what happened and every day I just died a little bit more. Everything felt…hopeless, like there was no reason for my even being alive. But now,” he smiled, his eyes misting over. “I have you. I have our life together… our future together. We have a wedding to plan and babies to make and a family to raise.” He leaned forward and kissed her deeply. Pulling back slightly, he stared at her with an intensity that threatened to overwhelm them both. “Now I have everything to live for,” he whispered. “And no matter how hard it gets, that makes all the difference….You make all the difference in the world.”

Vanessa smiled, her eyes bright, and nestled herself against his chest. For several moments they stood, secure in each other’s arms, until Vanessa stepped back with a reluctant sigh. Reaching up she pulled Joe close for a ghost of a kiss, a whispered endearment and then disappeared down the hall to get ready for her day.

*****

After what seemed to Joe to be an inordinate amount of time spent warming a chair in the lab’s waiting room for less than five minutes with a technician who drew two vials of blood and sent him on his way, he finally arrived at work.

“Hey, Mrs. G,” he smiled at the older woman seated behind the desk in the reception area.

“Joe, welcome back!” she greeted him. She winked and handed him two messages, both from Vanessa. “I think she misses you.” Joe blushed as she continued, “Your dad’s in the city and Frank is in his office. He asked that you check in with him as soon as you got here.”

“Thanks,” Joe waved the messages and headed off down the hall, stopping in the doorway of Frank’s office. “Hey…Mrs. G said you wanted to see me?” he asked a little apprehensively. Frank had assured him things were okay between them in the car on the drive home, but sometimes things that were fine in the middle of the night seemed a whole lot different in the harsh light of day.

“Yeah, come on in,” Frank waved, adding “and shut the door…”

Joe hesitated for a moment, a nervous flutter in his stomach, then did as Frank requested. He sat on the edge of one of the chairs in front of Frank’s desk, absently tearing at the edges of the messages in his hand. “What’s up?” he asked, wincing at the anxious tone evident in his voice.

Frank looked at him for a moment, puzzled, and then said, “Seth Akins called this morning. I just wanted to tell you what he said, bring you up to speed…” When Joe exhaled audibly and sank back into the chair, he frowned and added “What did you think I was going to say?”

“Uh…I just…I thought maybe…” Joe stammered, finally muttering, “Nothing,” as he looked away.

Joe could feel Frank’s eyes on him, staring at him, and reluctantly looked up, meeting his brother’s concerned gaze. As soon as he did something sparked in Frank’s eyes – recognition, understanding…and compassion. “Joe,” he began, his voice softer, now that he understood Joe’s apprehension. “I meant what I said last night. We’re okay….Okay?”

Joe smiled and nodded, relieved that Frank could still read him so easily, as that one simple act reinforced what Frank had told him last night and again just now…they were okay. “So, what did Seth have to say?”

Frank reached across his desk and picked up a lone piece of paper, glancing at it before handing it to Joe. “My notes, so you can add them to your report. He picked up Karl Renault this morning for questioning. Pretty much just a formality since the DNA test proves that Luke is Jodi’s son – his grandson. As soon as Renault realized they had him, he clammed up, said he wanted his lawyer, but Seth expected to book him this afternoon.”

“What are they charging him with?” Joe asked, his voice hard.

“Kidnapping and filing a false police report for starters. He said they’ll probably add some type of fraud charges since he orchestrated the whole thing just to make sure the will wasn’t negated and he’d get that million dollars.”

“Think they’ll get a conviction?” Joe raised his eyebrows hopefully.

Frank shrugged uncomfortably. “Maybe. Unfortunately, the guy is a religious zealot, he could go with an insanity defense. If he’s got a good lawyer, though, the guy will realize they’ve got a damn good case against him. He’ll probably try and plea bargain down. It’s his first offense, Jodi got her son back…” Frank’s voice trailed off.

“So he could get off with probation,” Joe said disgustedly. He knew Frank was only being honest, knowing Joe would eventually come to the same conclusions if he thought about it.

“Unfortunately, it’s a good possibility.”

“Some justice,” Joe snorted. “The bastard deserves to rot in prison for what he put Jodi through…”

“Jodi and you…” Frank said softly, then deftly changed the subject. “Hey, Callie and I are sneaking out for lunch today. You and Vanessa wanna join us?”

“Thanks, but Van’s tied up in some meeting pretty much all day and I want to get this report done so I can close this case.” Joe stood up, waving the paper with Frank’s notes in a goodbye gesture as he headed to his own office.

Walking in he closed the door and leaned against it heavily, realizing the ridiculousness of his own words.

“I want to get this report done so I can close this case.”

If his paternity test came back positive, this case would never be closed…

*****

Fenton Hardy smiled as he strolled through the empty reception area of his office. He’d spent most of the morning as he had every day for the past few weeks – in New York City in a meeting with Federal agents. Today, however, when they had been called away on an emergency a few hours after he’d arrived, he took full advantage of his good fortune and caught the first train back to Bayport. With any luck his plans for the rest of the day were to check in at the office, take his wife out to lunch and entice her to spend a nice, quiet afternoon with him. With Sam Radley away on vacation and Frank working on the final report for this case, he’d hoped to be able to sneak in and out without too much fuss, although he did want to check in with Joe. Knowing Joe had been on a case out of town, he was surprised to see his youngest son’s car parked outside when he pulled up, and felt a rush of pride thinking Joe had solved the case in record time – and working alone to boot! That definitely called for more than a few words of praise.

Veering to the right, he headed down the hall to Joe’s office and stopped in the open doorway. Joe had yet to notice him so Fenton stood for a moment, simply watching his son, surprised to find himself feeling suddenly nostalgic. It seemed as if it were only yesterday that Joe was a hyperactive little boy, greeting each new day with enough enthusiasm for ten children. ‘He grew up so fast…’ Fenton thought with a touch of sadness.

Leaning against the door frame he watched Joe flipping through a folder on his desk, stopping to look at one thing in particular. When he lifted it from the folder, Fenton could tell it was a photograph of some kind, one that caused Joe’s expression to change one of…regret?

Assuming he had to have misinterpreted the look on Joe’s face, Fenton stepped into the room. “Looks like you solved this one in record time,” Fenton smiled. “Good job, son.”

Joe’s head shot up and he looked like a deer caught in headlights. “D-dad,” he stuttered, staring at his father as if he were seeing a ghost. “What…why…what are you doing here?”

“I thought I still worked here,” Fenton chuckled, coming to a stop in front of Joe’s desk. “Unless you and your brother have some secret plan to get rid of me so you can take over the business.” His grin faded quickly when Joe didn’t even acknowledge his attempted humor and in fact blanched, the color draining from his face.

“No…of course not,” Joe said anxiously. Quickly shoving everything back into the folder, he closed it and pushed it aside, painfully trying not to make eye contact with Fenton. “What – what are you doing?” Joe asked worriedly as Fenton took a seat in one of the chairs.

“Sitting?” Fenton replied, bewildered. Why was Joe acting so strangely? “Is that the case you were working on?” he asked, nodding towards the folder Joe seemed to be trying so hard to protect.

“Yeah, but it was confidential,” he said nervously, placing a hand on it as if he were afraid Fenton might grab it and run.

“Mmm-hmm, I remember.” Fenton watched his son carefully, not liking the strange vibes he was getting from Joe. “Case closed, I assume?”

“Y-yeah,” Joe stammered again, a sure sign he was nervous. “Just a few loose ends to tie up.” He looked down at the folder again and then, with shaking hands, shoved it into the top drawer of his desk.

Growing increasingly worried, Fenton leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “Joe? Is everything all right?”

“Fine, yeah, fine,” Joe stammered, sounding panicked. “I just…I…I need to finish this report.” Yanking the drawer open with more force than necessary, Joe awkwardly pulled out the folder he’d just shoved in it a second before.

“Joe…” This time Fenton’s voice was soft, concerned. Joe’s odd behavior was sending off alarm bells, a father’s instinct telling him something was bothering his son – something serious – and he wasn’t about to just let it drop. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” Joe insisted, turning towards his computer. “I’m just…tired.”

Fenton reached across the desk and grabbed Joe’s arm, his voice soft but stern. “Joe….Look at me.”

Joe closed his eyes and swallowed hard, the gestures lighting a spark of fear in Fenton’s gut. Slowly Joe turned to face his father, vainly trying to keep his expression neutral.

Fenton eyed his son critically, noting Joe did look tired – exhausted – and stressed out, but there was something else, something more….Fenton felt his eyes widen slightly when he realized what it was. ‘He’s… scared!’

“Joe…son…something’s obviously bothering you. Whatever it is, you know you can tell me,” Fenton said with equal amounts of love and concern. Before he’d even finished speaking Joe was shaking his head violently.

“No, Dad…no…” Joe said adamantly, forcibly trying to pull himself free.

Fenton was slightly taken aback at Joe’s apparent need to get away from him, but what really scared him was not just the fact that Joe was no longer denying anything was wrong, but that he seemed to be too terrified of sharing whatever it was with Fenton! Joe quickly looked away but not before Fenton saw something flash in Joe’s eyes that cut him to the quick – shame. Suddenly he was acutely reminded of the worry he kept hidden away, yet still lived with every day. Much like his younger son, Fenton had learned to hide his biggest fear from everyone – but it was always there, just below the surface…the very real fear of Joe falling back into a deep depression. Even more terrifying was not knowing what might be the trigger to send his son down that dark path. And whatever this secret was, it seemed to have the power to do just that, and more. Shaking inside, Fenton forced himself to project an outward calm. He kept his voice low, soothing…

"Joe, there isn't anything you could tell me that could change how I feel about you...or how I see you. Son, I'm proud—"

“Don’t!” Joe yelled, suddenly wrenching free. “Do NOT say you’re proud of me! Not now, not ever!” he cried out, angrily.

Fenton flinched back, stunned.

“Let it go, Dad…just let it go,” Joe snapped.

Before Fenton could react, Joe bolted from the chair and fled, his heavy footsteps echoing down the hall. Snapping out of his shock, Fenton raced out of the office, catching Joe just as he reached the front door.

“Joe—”

Joe spun around and lashed out at him. “Damn it, Dad, leave it alone! Leave me alone! LET – IT – GO!”

“No,” Fenton replied firmly, his outward appearance belying the terror inside him. “Something is obviously wrong, Joe, and I want to know what. And no matter what it is, you’re my son and I’ll always love—”

Joe held up a hand to stop his father. “Don’t! Just don’t, okay?! You have no idea what you’re saying. You just…you don’t know…”

“Then tell me!” Fenton begged, now scared for his son beyond all reason. “Joe, please…whatever it is, no matter how bad you think it is, it will never change how I feel—”

Joe cut off him off mid-sentence, with a confession so staggering it almost brought Fenton to his knees. “I might have a son, Dad! A five-year-old son! Because when I was seventeen I was a selfish bastard and slept with someone I knew I didn’t love just to forget my own pain, and now we might have a son together!” Joe cried out, his voice shaking. “Still proud of me now, Dad?!”

In the ensuing silence, Joe’s words echoed off the walls and settled painfully over father and son....

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Disclaimer

The Hardy Boys belong to Simon and Schuster and the Stratemeyer Foundation. The Hardy Boys Fan Fiction authors of the Hardy Detective Agency have just borrowed them for an adventure or two. The authors promise to put the boys back when they are done with them. The authors do claim copyright to the original characters in this story. Please do not borrow original characters without express permission of the authors.