Hardy Detective Agency featuring Hardy Boys Fan Fiction

Vanessa had no way of knowing her physical reaction to the news was almost identical to Joe’s. Slowly she withdrew from him and wrapped her arms around herself, feeling as if she were struggling just to breathe. She could only take short little gasps of air and felt as if she were suffocating.

“Van?”

She heard Joe’s voice, sensed he was reaching for her – reaching out to her. She tried to speak but nothing came out and so she just shook her head. ‘No!’ her mind screamed. ‘No, you can’t just drop something like that on me and expect me to be okay!’

Vanessa tried to speak again, this time exhaling a very small whimper. She stood abruptly and walked to the glass doors leading out to the balcony, staring out at the night. Holding herself even tighter, she felt almost mesmerized by the darkness. It seemed to her to be a gaping black hole, exactly what she felt in the spot where her heart used to be.

‘Joe has a son? With another woman?’ She felt anger, hurt and utter betrayal. Somewhere in the recesses of her mind, Vanessa knew it was totally illogical. Joe didn’t even know she existed when he’d been with Jodi. But right now she was thinking with her heart – or what was left of it.

Suddenly she sensed Joe’s presence, right behind her, and she ached to turn around. He would envelop her in his arms, and she could shut out the rest of the world, pretending he’d never told her about Jodi or a child they might possibly share. But that would entail looking at him and she couldn’t do that; not yet. As confused as she was, Vanessa did not want Joe to see the look in her eyes, because she knew what would be reflected in his – guilt beyond anything she’d ever seen before. He’d be devastated that he’d hurt her, and she couldn’t deal with that on top of the news he’d just delivered.

She felt him reach for her, his fingers almost brushing her skin. “Joe, don’t…” she whispered, almost choking on the words. “You…you can’t just tell me something like that and…and…” Reaching up she brushed away a tear as it slid down her cheek. “I need some time…please.”

For a moment, Vanessa feared he wouldn’t listen. He’d want to hold her, touch her, make everything all right in her world just like he always could.

‘Up ‘til now…’ she thought, choking on another sob. And then she couldn’t feel him anymore, standing so close it hurt not to touch him. She heard footsteps receding down the hall, the soft click of their bedroom door…and she cried.

*****

Joe closed the bedroom door, leaned against it and sank down to the floor. He pulled his knees into his chest and wrapped his arms around them, fear eating away at him.

“Joe, don’t…”

Walking away from Vanessa was possibly the hardest thing he’d ever done. She had never – never – pushed him away…until tonight.

“I need some time…please.”

How much time, he wondered. Minutes? Hours? He shivered. Days? Could enough time ever pass to heal the pain he’d just inflicted on her?

‘Damn you. Damn you!’ Joe cursed himself. He knew he’d broken Jodi’s heart six years ago. Despite the haze of guilt and grief that he’d lived with every day, he saw she had feelings for him – very deep feelings. Feelings that, deep inside, he knew he did not return. But she had become his sanctuary, his refuge, his safe haven…the one place where he could forget the girl he’d loved more than anything was dead and pretend his life hadn’t been torn apart.

‘You couldn’t say no?! You knew it was wrong! You didn’t love her!’ Joe savagely berated himself. But he hadn’t pushed her away that night and in the end he’d broken her heart. And now six years later, another heart was breaking – but this time it was Vanessa’s. Joe closed his eyes and bowed his head, hating himself more than he ever thought possible, and wondered if this was the beginning of the end…

When he finally raised his head and looked at the bedside clock, Joe was surprised to see over an hour had passed. His hopes that Vanessa would work out the initial shock of his announcement in a few minutes and come to him had been much too optimistic. ‘Yeah, and how long would it take if Vanessa came to you and said she’d had a child six years ago with some guy you never knew existed?’

Weary and drained, Joe slowly hauled himself up and walked to the bathroom. He hadn’t eaten since the lunch he’d shared with Jodi on the beach, but the empty feeling in the pit of his stomach wasn’t hunger. It was fear. Fear that his world was unraveling and there wasn’t a thing he could do to stop it.

Changing into sweatpants, he turned on the bedside lamp, turned off the overhead light and stretched out on the bed. Throwing an arm over his eyes, Joe waited in the place that terrified him more than anything in his life – the place where he was alone with his own thoughts…

While he hadn’t fallen asleep, he’d been so consumed with the taunting little voice in his head telling him this time the damage he’d done was beyond repair, Joe didn’t hear the door open. In fact, he hadn’t realized Vanessa had entered the bedroom until he heard the soft click as she turned off the bathroom light. Moving his arm, Joe saw her and felt the briefest flicker of warmth in his soul. She was wearing one of his old t-shirts, giving him a strange kind of comfort.

Vanessa slid onto the bed and lay down beside him. She stared at the ceiling, eyes wide open and Joe could tell she was having one of those inner conversations – ‘Should I or shouldn’t I?’ He was also painfully aware of the distance between them. It was only six inches or so but to him it felt like the Grand Canyon. Both of them were, as their friends often put it, ‘touchy-feely,’ always needing to be in close, physical contact with each other. They were openly affectionate in public and passionately so in private, falling asleep each night hopelessly tangled up in each others’ arms. Tonight though, Vanessa was keeping her distance. Joe wanted to take her in his arms and hold her so badly it physically hurt, but he wouldn’t. She said she needed time – and he would give her as much as she needed.

“Joe?”

Lost in his own misery, Joe was startled by Vanessa’s voice, soft as it was.

“Yeah?” He propped himself up on one elbow and turned to face her. Her gaze was still fixed squarely at some spot on the ceiling. ‘Look at me! Please, look at me!’

“What are the chances…do you think…that the baby…the child…” She stopped and took a deep breath. “What are the chances you’re the father?” she finally asked.

Joe’s heart ached listening to Vanessa stumble over the words. He couldn’t imagine how hard it was for her to ask, for her to suddenly have it thrown in her face that he’d been with someone else. Oh, she’d known Joe had had a string of girlfriends prior to her, one very seriously. Some of the kids at school – the very same ones who’d made Jodi’s life hell – had taken great pleasure in informing Vanessa of this when they had started dating. She had been told Joe was a ‘player,’ a ‘serial dater,’ and she was just his current flavor of the month; that he’d dump her in a heartbeat when someone new came along. He couldn’t help but wonder if she was thinking of those cutting remarks now.

“Joe?”

“Huh? Sorry, Babe,” he murmured, not realizing he’d been lost in thought a little too long. At least she was looking at him now. “I...we…we were only together that one time.” Suddenly he wished she wasn’t watching him, seeing the look of pain that flickered briefly in her eyes. ‘Yeah, and how would you feel if you were asking Vanessa about some guy she slept with before you?! It would never happen…you wouldn’t have the guts.’

“So it’s more likely that the other guy…Todd?…that he’s the father?” The tone in her voice and the look in her eyes begged him to answer affirmatively; to give her something to hold onto, no matter how small it might be.

“Yeah,” Joe nodded. “The chances of it being me are pretty small.”

Vanessa stared at him, silently, for a long time. She sat up and began to reach for the lamp on the night stand, hesitated and turned back to him. There was another hesitation and then she leaned down and kissed Joe softly on the cheek. “Goodnight.” Turning off the light, she settled down on the bed…with the same six inches of space separating her from Joe.

“Night, Babe,” he whispered hoarsely.

Joe closed his eyes, knowing sleep was a long way off. He could feel Vanessa beside him, so close he swore he could hear her heart beating. ‘I can’t do this,’ he thought miserably, feeling as if something inside him was dying, slowly and painfully. Taking a chance, he reached out, across the gulf separating them. Gently he took her hand, lacing his fingers through hers. He felt her stiffen at the unexpected touch and then relax again. ‘Please, Van, don’t shut me out…’

Slowly, very slowly, Vanessa’s fingers curled around his and squeezed.

*****

Vanessa walked through the haze and the mist. She could hear Joe’s voice, soft…low…sexy…just the way she loved it.

‘He’s teasing me,’ she thought with a smile. Another murmur; this time she could make out the sweet endearments and followed his voice.

“Joe?” she called out. “Where are you? Stop teasing me!” she admonished him affectionately. She heard his muted laugh and veered in the direction of the sound.

Suddenly the haze parted and Vanessa stopped, paralyzed with disbelief. She blinked trying to clear the image. The couple in front of her was locked in a passionate embrace, so engrossed in each other they were totally unaware of her presence. And while the man was definitely Joe, the woman was a stranger to Vanessa. She watched as Joe trailed a string of kisses down her neck, softly stroking her arm.

Vanessa opened her mouth to scream, to call out to Joe but no sound came out. Tears filled her eyes and her heart shattered as she realized who this woman was…

‘Jodi…’

She turned to leave – to run – but her feet wouldn’t obey. Frozen in place Vanessa could only watch, dying inside, when suddenly the two bodies began to blur and change. The woman turned her head and gazed at Vanessa, smiling serenely. The woman wrapped her arms around Joe’s neck in a loving, intimate embrace and Vanessa relaxed, recognizing herself. She closed her eyes and sighed, feeling the warm touch of Joe’s hands on her skin, soft…gentle…

Vanessa shivered as she realized something was wrong…very wrong. The hands were rough, their touch painful. She opened her eyes expecting to see Joe staring back at her…and absolute terror wrapped itself around her heart and squeezed – Chris Taylor!

“NO!” Vanessa cried out, now able to feel the ground, cold and hard beneath her. Frantically, she looked around for someone to help her, but saw only the blurred image of a desolate alley…a dumpster behind the abandoned shopping center; just as she was the first time, Vanessa was completely and utterly alone, at the mercy of a man with only one thing on his mind – revenge.

She felt Taylor’s arms closing around her, holding her down, tearing at her clothes. With a fear-induced shot of adrenaline, Vanessa flailed desperately. She might die fighting, but she would not go through this horror again!

Vanessa screamed, louder than she’d ever screamed in her life. She lashed out, fighting back with everything she had. The strong arms were wrapped around her, pulling her close and holding her tightly. She managed to get one hand loose and raked at the arm clutching her. She felt her nails digging deeply into the skin and the arm loosened. She swung wildly and felt her hand connect solidly with flesh. She heard the ‘slap!’ as her open palm struck home. There was a muttered curse and suddenly she was free, scrambling to get away!

“Van! Vanessa!”

‘Joe?!’

“Vanessa – wake up! It’s me!!”

Just as Vanessa forced her eyes open, a dim light came on, illuminating the alley…and Vanessa gasped. She wasn’t in an alley and Chris Taylor had not been the one holding her so tightly. She was in her own bed, with Joe hovering next to her, concern coming off him in waves.

“It’s okay, Babe,” he said softly, comfortingly. “You just had a bad dream.” He reached for her, tentatively, slowly and then she saw it; saw the results of her desperate attempt to escape the ghost of Chris Taylor.

Four scratches marred Joe’s arm, raw and red, two of them deep enough that they had begun to bleed. A vivid, red handprint stood out clearly on his cheek. ‘Oh my God!’ Tears spilled down her cheeks and she began to shake uncontrollably. ‘I hit him!’

“Joe…oh, I’m so sorry!” She reached out, her fingers barely brushing the spot where she’d struck him. Quickly, she pulled back as if she’d been struck herself; and then she buried her face in her hands and sobbed. The dream – seeing Joe and Jodi together, the image morphing into the most terrifying moment of her life – had played havoc with her mind and her emotions. Unable to discern between what was real and what was her imagination on overload, Vanessa didn’t have the energy to do anything but cry.

Joe put his arms around her once more and this time gently drew her into him, holding her close. Vanessa leaned against his chest, as he rocked her back and forth, stroking her hair. “Shhhhh….Shhhh….It’s okay, Baby...”

“B-but…I h-hit you!” Vanessa choked out.

“Yeah…you did,” Joe said, and she thought she heard a chuckle. “Man, I hope I don’t have a black eye tomorrow. I’ll never live down the fact that I got sucker punched by a girl!”

Vanessa let out a little laugh in spite of herself and felt the fear slowly start to ebb. Eyes closed, she snuggled deeper against him, and was rewarded when he held her even tighter. She hadn’t been this terrified in a long time, and somehow Joe sensed it. He continued talking softly to her, tenderly stroking her hair, making no move to let her go. And she knew he wouldn’t, not until she let him know it was okay.

Minutes passed and Vanessa didn’t move. The initial terror of thinking Chris Taylor had her captive again was gone but she still wasn’t ready to move from the security of Joe’s arms. Once she did, the real world would still be there. And while Chris Taylor was no longer a threat in that world, the very real possibility that the idyllic picture of the life she’d painted with Joe could be drastically altered, was.

Reluctantly she opened her eyes…and saw the scratches her nails had left on his arm. Reaching out, she took his arm and turned it to get a better look. “You’re bleeding,” she sniffled, lifting her head to look at him.

“I think I’ll live,” he grinned. “Guess I should wash it off, though, so it doesn’t get on the sheets.”

Unwillingly, it seemed to Vanessa, Joe slowly untangled himself from her and got out of bed. As he turned towards the bathroom, she reached out and grabbed his arm, startling him. “I love you,” she whispered.

He smiled, a smile that lit up his eyes, and then leaned down and kissed her softly. “I know…I love you, too.”

When he returned to bed a moment later, Vanessa immediately curled up in Joe’s arms. Nestled against him, feeling the soft gentle touch of his skin against hers, the terror that had been suffocating her only minutes before, rapidly dissipated. Closing her eyes, Vanessa felt the heaviness that had been weighing on her earlier begin to lift. She wasn’t sure the road ahead wouldn’t be rocky, but vowed she and Joe would face this latest twist of fate the same way they’d faced all the others – together.

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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.