Frank wasn’t sure if he should be glad or not when they found out the three people who had been born prior to him were, as Joe had taken to referring them, "utterly ordinary." One was a supermarket cashier, the second was a bank teller and the third was an English teacher at an inner city high school. While Frank continued to downplay Joe’s insistence that he could indeed be a target for the unknown assailant, Joe was certain he was right about his theory and stuck to his brother like glue.

Another frustrating day had come to an end, with the Hardy’s no closer to finding the assailant. Pulling into his driveway, Frank got out of his car and waited. Seconds later Joe pulled in behind him, yelling at his brother in frustration.

"Hey, wait ‘til I get up there with you, ok?!"

"Joe, you’re only a few yards away. No one is going to try anything. We don’t have to be attached at the hip for you to look out for me, for goodness’ sake." Frank replied. He loved his brother dearly, but Joe’s constant hovering was starting to wear on his nerves.

"It can’t hurt to be careful, you know." Joe retorted.

Frank looked at him, bemused. "And how would you know?"

Joe mumbled a sarcastic reply under his breath as he followed Frank to the front door, practically walking on top of him. He was so close that when Frank stopped to unlock the door, Joe ran right into him.

"Geez, Joe, could you give me a little breathing room please?!" Frank cried out.

Stepping back, Joe simply smiled as Frank unlocked the front door and walked into his house, Joe right on his heels.

"Now as soon as I leave, lock the door and turn on the alarm." Joe admonished, as if he were speaking to a child. "And close the curtains and stay away from the windows."

"Yes, Mom."

"And do not leave the house again. For anything." Joe continued, ignoring the jibe. "And don’t answer the door unless you are absolutely sure you know who it is."

Frank crossed his arms over his chest, studying his younger brother. "Am I this bad with you?"

"Nope." Joe replied, seriously.

"I didn’t think so." Frank muttered.

"You’re worse."

Frank stared at Joe for a moment then rolled his eyes and stuck his tongue out, making their role reversal complete.

"I love you too, Frank. Now lock the door behind me." Joe grinned as he turned and left.

"Lock the door. Turn on the alarm. Close the curtains. Stay away from the windows." Frank mimicked his brother as he did the exact things Joe asked him to. He then chuckled to himself for a moment and said a little prayer of thanks that he had a brother who cared so much, realizing Joe had been right – he was much worse whenever Joe was in danger.

As he heard Joe pull away, Frank headed into the kitchen stopping in his tracks with a groan. All the files he intended to work on that night were still on the front seat of his car; he had forgotten to bring them in with him. Turning, he walked back to the door and unlocked it. His fingers hovered over the keypad for the alarm and he hesitated a moment wondering if it was wise for him to leave the security of his home now that he was safely inside.

‘Don’t be ridiculous. You’re just going to the car and coming right back in.’

Still, a decidedly uneasy feeling came over him. Finally convincing himself it was just Joe’s anxiety rubbing off on him, Frank entered the code to turn off the alarm and hurried out to his car. Unlocking it, he grabbed the folders, relocked the car and quickly made his way back to the porch.

‘See? Not a kidnapper in sight.’ Frank thought smugly.

As he reached for the door handle, one of the files slipped from his grasp. Crouching down to retrieve it, he heard a thud directly over his head and looked up to see a quivering dart embedded in the door. Had he not bent over to pick up the file, it would be embedded in his neck! Diving behind the small bushes in front of the house for cover, he looked around frantically, seeing absolutely nothing out of the ordinary.

Slowly reaching out for the door handle, another dart came flying out of the darkness, narrowly missing his hand. At that moment, he heard a squeal of tires and a car horn began blaring loudly. Headlights suddenly appeared in his driveway as he heard a second car start up and peel out.

"Frank!! Are you alright?!" Joe’s voice cut through the still night.

"I’m fine!" Frank yelled, popping up from behind the bush. Before he had a chance to react, Joe had thrown the car in reverse, backed out of the driveway, and taken off in pursuit of the dart thrower.