"Well, they’re obviously not here. I want to call Con even though we can’t file a report for twenty hours." Frank announced.

"Twenty-four hours!" Vanessa cried out. "Why?"

"Because there’s no sign of foul play." Joe explained disgustedly as he watched Frank make the call. The four young people then went outside to wait.

Ten minutes later, a police car pulled up in front of the house. Detective Con Riley, a man with light brown hair and blue eyes, got out and approached the group. Detective Riley was a long time member of the Bayport Police Department and often worked with the Hardys in the past. He considered Frank, Joe and their father good friends.

Knowing his brother was on edge, Frank walked down the driveway, meeting Con halfway. Joe could see Frank in whispered conversation with the detective as Con nodded occasionally. Approaching Joe and the girls, Con smiled at Joe.

"You and Vanessa were the first to arrive?" He asked Joe as he nodded a greeting at Vanessa.

"Yes. The front door was open, the stove and the oven were on, no sign of forced entry, but Mom and Dad were gone." Joe confirmed.

"No sign of foul play? No ransom demands? Notes? Phone calls?" Con asked taking notes.

"No." The brothers chorused.

Flipping his notebook shut, Con looked at them. "I’m sure you two have already gone over the place with a fine-toothed comb," he gestured toward the house, "but why don’t we do it again."

"If you start in the kitchen Vanessa and I can clean it up while you’re searching the rest of the house." Callie offered.

"Sounds good to me." Joe mumbled. "I’ve lost my appetite."

As Frank and Joe led Con through the house, office and yard, Callie and Vanessa began putting the food away, loading the dishwasher and generally cleaning up in the kitchen.

"Callie?"

"Yes?" Callie turned to Vanessa.

"What do you think happened to them?" Vanessa’s eyes were clouded with worry.

"I don’t know, Van, but since there’s no sign of foul play, we can hope that wherever they are, they haven’t been hurt." Callie said diplomatically.

Nodding, Vanessa smiled half-heartedly. "I guess so."

As she let the water drain out of the sink, Callie watched Vanessa carefully, sensing there was something more going on than concern for Fenton and Laura Hardy.

"Van? Is there something else you’re worried about?" Callie asked trying to draw her out.

Vanessa shrugged. "It’s just…Joe and his Dad have gotten so close recently. Joe’s finally been able to accept what happened when he was a kid. Therapy has been helpful and Frank tries, too, but only his Dad really understands what he’s going through."

Callie looked at Vanessa, touched. It occurred to her that while both Joe and Vanessa had been through horrible psychological trauma’s, they were always more concerned about each other than they were about themselves.

"Joe is finally learning how to deal with it and most of that is due to Mr. Hardy. Joe’s been talking to him a lot lately. Their relationship has grown so much." Vanessa smiled. "You know as bad as this year has been for us, its brought Joe and his Dad so much closer together."

‘Always looking for the silver lining.’ Callie thought watching Vanessa dry the last pot and put it away.

"I just hope they’re okay, you know?" Vanessa continued. "Joe really needs them. Especially with the trials coming up." She said referring to the trials of the two men who had abducted Joe from Chicago’s O’Hare Airport and nearly killed him.

Callie looked up at her tall, long-legged friend. "Try not to worry, Van. Remember, everything Frank and Joe know, they learned from their father."

Back in the living room, Frank, Joe and Con had just concluded their search for clues finding nothing out of the ordinary.

"Well," Con began scratching his head, "the law says if there is no sign of foul play, I can’t do anything. I can’t file a missing persons report until you’ve had no contact with them for twenty-four hours. I’m sorry but my hands are tied."

"Well mine aren’t!" Joe responded angrily, despite knowing Con was right.

"Come on, I’ll walk you out." Frank told Con.

As they walked, Frank promised to keep Con updated and call immediately if they found anything to indicate Laura and Fenton had been taken against their will.

"For what it’s worth, I don’t think they left voluntarily any more than you do." Con said.

"Thanks." Frank smiled gratefully. "I’ll call you if anything turns up before tomorrow night." After bidding Con goodbye, Frank returned to the living room to find Vanessa and Callie sitting with Joe.

Joe looked at his brother, determination in his eyes. "We’re not waiting!"

In the short time Frank had been outside, Joe’s mind was playing an endless loop of how much closer he and his parents had become this year, particularly he and his father. While Frank had scoured the country looking for evidence to clear Joe when he’d been on trial for murdering Vanessa’s rapist, Fenton had been by Joe’s side every day offering his son support and comfort. In recent months Joe had turned to his father repeatedly, needing to talk about the horrors he had been forced to watch as a small child, knowing Fenton was the only one who could truly understand his anguish.

While Frank and Fenton had a unique bond Joe had sometimes been a little envious of, it suddenly dawned on Joe that he and his father shared something just as special. Different maybe, but no less special.

Glancing at Vanessa, Joe was reminded how his mother had helped Vanessa in her own ongoing recovery. He recalled Vanessa telling him how Laura had offered herself up as a hostage in place of Vanessa, and how she had been there for Vanessa when Joe was missing. She had pushed aside her own fears for her son to help Vanessa cope. And when Joe had returned home from Chicago with strict orders of "bed rest" for several weeks, Laura had come to their apartment every day to visit and help out.

As Joe looked at his brother, he realized that despite how close he and Frank were he knew he needed his parents more now than ever had in his life.

"Of course we’re not waiting." Frank’s reply snapped Joe out of his reverie. "Let’s get started."

Using both the computer and paper files, the foursome began to search, looking for anything that could help. Recent parolees, prison escapees and anyone who had threatened the Hardys in the past were to be scrutinized.

Several hours later Frank yawned and checked his watch surprised to see it was close to midnight. Glancing around the multitude of files they still had to go, he realized they were going to be there all night.

Getting up, he stretched and went to stand behind Callie. Squeezing her shoulders, he leaned down and kissed her cheek. "Why don’t you and Vanessa go home and get some sleep?" He suggested. "Joe and I are going to be here all night."

"Are you sure?" Callie questioned him. "We’d like to do anything we can to help out."

"I know," Frank smiled, "but you two have jobs to go to in the morning."

Shrugging her shoulders, Callie stood up and looked at Vanessa, who glanced at Joe, hesitating. Watching, the exchange Frank noticed she seemed to be extremely uncomfortable with his suggestion.

"I…I’d rather stay here," Vanessa finally announced, "in case Joe needs me."

Knowing the real reason Vanessa wanted to stay, Joe did not try to talk her out of it. Nine months after being raped, Vanessa had made remarkable strides in her daily life, but she was still afraid of being alone at night, something Joe knew would take a long time for her to get over.

"Why don’t you sleep in my old room?" Joe suggested.

Again, Vanessa hesitated before replying. "That’s okay. I can sleep on the couch in your office."

She looked at the other three feeling utterly ridiculous, but no less afraid. Even though Frank and Joe would be in the office it was technically separated from the rest of the house, so she would still be alone – something that was too frightening for Vanessa to even consider.

As Callie watched the puzzled looks passing between Frank and Joe, it suddenly dawned on her why Vanessa did not want to sleep in Joe’s room.

"Actually Frank, I think I’d rather stay here too. Just in case you need me. Would it be all right if I stayed in your old room?" She asked.

Seeing Vanessa visibly relax, Joe finally understood her initial hesitation. Catching Callie’s eye, Joe mouthed a silent "Thank you", which she acknowledged with the slightest nod.