"Joe. Come here and take a look at this." Frank said, pulling himself back through the window and pointing upwards.

Carefully skirting the hole in the floor, Joe and Vanessa joined Frank at the window. Sticking his head out the window, Joe looked up and saw the rope swaying gently in the light breeze. Retreating back into the room he looked at his brother.

"Why would someone leave a rope dangling from the roof like that?" Joe asked, puzzled.

"There’s only one reason I can think of." Frank replied, now convinced he and Joe had been set up.

"And that would be…." Joe prodded his brother, hating when Frank didn’t fully explain what he was thinking.

"To lure whichever one of us didn’t fall through the floor, up to the roof." Frank concluded.

"Uh, Frank, you’re not thinking of climbing up there are you?" Vanessa asked, slight concern in her voice. "Just to check it out?"

"As a matter of fact-"

"No!" Joe said, vehemently. "No way, Frank! That roof is steep, the footing is bad and you’ll be walking right into their trap."

"And since I know it’s a trap, I’ll have the advantage." Frank stated calmly.

"Why?" Joe protested, concerned that Frank was willingly opening himself to whatever their as yet unknown enemy had planned. "That’s reckless and a stupid thing to do!"

"Isn’t that the pot calling the kettle black?" Frank couldn’t help but smile. "I’ll be careful, Joe. Don’t worry. I just want to see if there’s anything – or anyone - else up there."

"Well, I don’t like it one bit." Joe announced, as Frank swung one leg out over the window sill and maneuvered his upper body out the window.

Reaching up, Frank was just able to grab the edge of the rope, which had been tied into a sliding loop. Pulling it tight around his wrist, Frank positioned his other hand farther up the rope and placed his feet on the window sill. With one pull upwards, Frank was able to swing his foot up onto the roof and leverage the rest of his body up, until he was lying on the steep slope.

Carefully, Frank pushed himself up onto his knees and looked around. He could see the rope was tightly secured around the chimney. Taking in the rest of the roof, he could see it went off in several different directions, covering the large mansion, with steep angles all around. It would be almost impossible for anyone to get around up there, and very easy to fall off.

Seeing nothing but the rope tied around the chimney, his curiosity was satisfied. Frank took hold of the rope once again and gently lowered himself over the edge of the roof. Feeling for the windowsill, he placed first one foot on the edge and then the other. Just as he released the rope, one of his feet slipped off the windowsill!

"Frank!!" He heard Joe cry out.

Instinctively, Frank threw himself forward towards the window, but quickly lost his footing completely. With a cry, he grabbed for anything solid, his fingers just skimming the edge of the window. For a split second, he panicked as he realized he was about to fall four stories to the hard cement below, when suddenly he was jerked to a stop.

It took a moment for Frank to realize his fall had been halted in mid-air and that he was now swaying back and forth. Looking up he saw Joe, his upper body hanging out the window, holding tightly to Frank’s arm.

"Grab my arm with your other hand." Joe grimaced as the cuts on his hands began to protest.

"Just get me close enough to grab the window sill." Frank called out, realizing Joe wouldn’t be able to hold onto him very long if the wounds on his hands reopened.

With a heavy grunt, Joe pulled Frank upwards. As Joe’s upper body disappeared through the open window, another set of arms came out grasping Frank’s forearms. With the added help, Frank was quickly pulled up to the windowsill and over the edge back into the attic.

Collapsing on the floor, Frank leaned back against the wall and closed his eyes, willing his heart to start beating again.

"Are you ok?" Joe asked.

Frank nodded, finally opening his eyes and winced. Vanessa was hovering next to Joe, examining the bandages on his hands. Frank scooted over next to his brother, gently taking one of Joe’s hands and leaning in for a closer look.

"Oh, man, I’m sorry, Joe." Frank apologized when he saw the white bandages were now stained red.

"Don’t worry about it." Joe winked. "I’m sure my private nurse will have me fixed up in no time."

"Absolutely." Vanessa replied, getting up to retrieve the first aid kit that still lay on the floor on the other side of the room and quickly returning to Joe’s side. She carefully removed the bandages and picked up the bottle of antiseptic, when Joe pulled his hands away.

"Go easy on that stuff." He said warily. "It burns."

"Spoken like a true tough guy." Frank joked.

"Watch it or I’ll push you back out that window myself….OW!!!" Joe yelped, trying to pull his hands back. "You did that on purpose!"

"Who, me?" Vanessa asked, turning innocent grey eyes on him. "I just want to make sure your hands are nice and clean before I re-bandage them."

"You just cleaned them five minutes ago." Joe scowled. "Just put the bandages on, huh?"

Vanessa finished up, closing the first aid kit. Leaning in, she gently pressed her lips against Joe’s. "All better." She murmured.

"Thanks." Joe replied, returning the kiss with enthusiasm.

"Here we go again." Frank muttered, pushing himself to his feet. "We need to call the police. And Dad." He said, and was totally ignored by his younger brother.

Walking towards the door, he called to Joe over his shoulder. "I’ll meet you downstairs…" He paused waiting for a reply, but heard none.

"….if you ever come up for air." He growled and made his way down the stairs, mumbling something about public displays of affection.

Joe and Vanessa, in their own little world, didn’t even know Frank had left…