"Vanessa!" Joe awoke screaming her name. He was drenched in a cold sweat. His heart was racing, pounding in his chest.

Looking around, confused, Joe tried to get his bearings. He wasn’t at home, but the bedroom was still familiar – comfortingly so. Suddenly, the door burst open and Frank rushed in.

"Joe! Are you alright?" he panted, slightly out of breath.

"Yeah…I…" Joe blinked, not quite sure why he had awakened so abruptly.

Looking around, he saw he was in his old bedroom at his parent’s house. With a loud gasp, he suddenly remembered why he was there. And the dream came roaring back in all its horror. Blinking back tears, he looked at his older brother, hoping the reality was also a dream. Sadly, he knew it wasn’t.

"Vanessa! I dreamt…they were…Oh God, Frank! I could hear her screaming!" His voice broke and he quickly brushed away a tear, not wanting the floodgates to open.

Immediately, Frank was seated on the bed, facing Joe, squeezing his shoulder, alarmed at how badly Joe was shaking.

"They have no reason to hurt her, Joe. They’d be slitting their own throats. They know you’d never turn over the file if they so much as looked sideways at her." Frank kept his voice calm and steady. He never thought he’d want to be up against professionals, but this time he was grateful for organized crime.

"You know that, right?" Frank pressed when Joe continued to stare at him in absolute fear. "Right, Joe?"

‘Come on, little brother. You’ve held it together this long. Don’t lose it on me now.’ Frank practically willed Joe to regain the same composure he’d had the night before.

"Yeah…right." Joe finally responded, not sure he could believe his brother or himself.

Frank hoped he could get Joe back to the positive, productive frame of mind he’d been in before they went to bed just a few hours ago. He was concerned about his younger brother and wanted to do everything possible to make sure this situation was resolved with a happy ending. At least for Joe and Vanessa. Deep inside, there was a very different reason Frank was so focused on Joe; a reason he was reluctant to admit even to himself. The more time he spent helping Joe deal with this and stay focused, the longer he could put off thinking about his own problems. Searching his brother’s face, Frank was struck by how totally lost Joe seemed without Vanessa.

"We’ll find her, Joe. You and me. A team. Just like always." Frank repeated the words Joe had spoken to him the previous evening. "I’m not going anywhere, little brother. Not until she’s back home with you, safe and sound." Frank reassured him.

"We’ll find her." Joe agreed, though not sounding quite as certain as Frank had.

"We will." Frank smiled, giving Joe’s shoulder a final squeeze.

The ringing of the telephone floated down the hall ceasing partway through the third ring. Laura’s muffled voice could be heard briefly, followed by footsteps approaching the room. Seconds later, Laura stood in the doorway smiling wistfully at her two sons. A lump formed in her throat as she was transported back to their teen years, where the sight before her now had occurred on a daily basis. For all intents and purposes, Frank and Joe had moved out of the house years ago, when they started college, but for Laura it still seemed like it was just yesterday. There were times she still could not believe her sons were old enough to have lives of their own.

"It’s Callie." She finally announced, looking at Frank.

He nodded in acknowledgement before looking back at Joe. "You’re ok now?" he asked, still slightly uneasy.

"Mm-hmm." Joe replied with the tiniest of smiles. "Thanks, bro."

"Hey, that’s what big brothers are for." Frank couldn’t resist reaching out and ruffling Joe’s hair, knowing how much he hated it, as Joe made a half-hearted attempt to swipe Frank’s hand away.

As Frank stood up to leave, Joe impulsively reached out and grabbed his arm, jerking him to a stop.

"If you need me to return the favor…" Joe said. "That’s what little brothers are for."

Smiling, Frank nodded and walked out the door, stopping to give his mother a kiss on the cheek. He continued down the hall into his parent’s room, closing the door behind him. Sitting on the bed, Frank took a few deep breaths and picked up the phone.

"Hi."

"Frank, hi. I…I was a little worried. You didn’t come home, you didn’t call. I…I just wanted to make sure you were…alright." Callie said. She had started out in a breathless rush, her voice fading as she finished.

"Oh. Sorry. Didn’t mean to worry you. But I told you I wasn’t sure I’d be home."

"I know, it’s just that...you always call." Callie replied trying to keep her voice from shaking.

"It slipped my mind. Besides you knew where I was." Frank said, his voice strained. "Joe didn’t want to go home last night and I didn’t want him to be alone."

"But your parents are there. He’s not alone." Callie blurted out, realizing instantly that it was the wrong thing to say.

"My brother needed me, Callie!" Frank responded, a little more harshly than he intended.

"I know. I’m sorry." Callie said softly, her voice starting to quiver. "How is Joe?"

"He’s a wreck." Frank said, bluntly. "But he’s holding it together."

"Will you be coming home at all today?" Callie asked hesitantly.

"No. I promised Joe I’d stick close to him until Vanessa is home safely. When Vanessa is home, I’ll be home."

"I understand." Callie’s voice was barely above a whisper.

"Ok. I’ll see you…later."

"Frank?"

Yes?"

"I love you."

The same feeling that had taken root last night resurfaced and clutched at Frank’s heart. He knew Callie needed to hear those same words back. Deep in his soul, Frank still felt them. But as much as he needed to say them – wanted to say them – he couldn’t give them a voice.

"I know." Frank replied, ignoring the ache in his heart. Silently, he hung up the phone.

Returning to his old bedroom he stripped off the shorts and t-shirt he had found to sleep in and walked into the bathroom, turning on the shower. He waited until it was nice and hot, then stepped in hoping to lose himself and think of absolutely nothing for just a few precious minutes.

Frank stood in the shower letting the hot water wash over him. Mesmerized, he watched the water swirl down the drain at his feet and found himself wishing it could take both his and Joe’s problems along with it. He didn’t want to think about Callie or her betrayal, but it haunted him, refusing to let him have a moment’s peace. Frank found it incomprehensible that his short-lived mistrust of Joe three months ago had such far-reaching consequences.

Frank had seen it as an isolated and very private issue between he and his brother. It hit him with sudden clarity that regardless of what he thought, it had obviously shaken Callie’s faith in him considerably. The heaviness in his heart got much heavier when he forced himself to acknowledge the ripple effect his one lapse in judgment may have had. Did his friends look at him differently now? Was there mistrust in their eyes that he simply hadn’t noticed? Did his mother still trust him implicitly?

Inhaling sharply, Frank nearly choked on the water still streaming from the showerhead as a thought struck him out of the blue. Turning off the water, Frank leaned against the wall, feeling as if someone had just punched him in the stomach.

Did Joe still trust him? Or was he haunted by the same doubts Callie had? After that one heart to heart talk the night Joe had forgiven him, Frank’s error had never been mentioned again. Frank had just assumed everything was fine between them. Wouldn’t Joe have said something if it wasn’t? It had never occurred to Frank that his brother didn’t trust him as completely as he had before. As the knife gouged out another piece of his heart, Frank realized that when all this was over, he would have to confront Joe. He had to know for sure if Joe no longer trusted him as he once did.

Stepping out of the shower, Frank’s mind was spinning with all the realities that had suddenly chosen this moment to make themselves known to him. Wrapping a towel around his waist, he grabbed another, half-heartedly drying his upper body before throwing it around his neck. Walking back into the bedroom, Frank was frustrated with himself. He wondered why, with an I.Q. close to genius level, it had taken three months and a heartbreaking betrayal for him to clearly understand the consequences of his actions. He had made a lot of assumptions and taken too much for granted. Why was it that people only had twenty-twenty vision when looking back in hindsight?

As Frank rubbed the towel over his head to sop up some of the water dripping out of his thick, dark hair he groaned and slumped his shoulders. He always kept a duffel bag in the trunk of his car with an extra change of clothes for occasions just such as this one, as did Joe. However, he had forgotten to run out and get it before getting into the shower.

Not wanting to give the neighbors who had watched him grow up an early morning peep show, he headed for the bedroom door, intending to yell down to Joe and ask him to retrieve the bag. Still swiping at his hair with the towel, he tripped over something and almost ended up face first on the floor before he caught himself on the dresser. Looking down to see what had suddenly turned him into a klutz, he smiled.

"Thanks, Joe." He said with a little chuckle, as he picked up the duffel bag, which Joe must have brought in while he was in the shower.

Five minutes later, Frank walked into the kitchen to find Joe and his parents sitting at the table eating breakfast. As his mother started to get up to prepare a plate for him, he insisted she sit back down, but Laura was having none of it.

"My boys are home." She said, kissing him on the cheek. "Humor me and let me mother you. Is that too much to ask?"

"Whatever makes you happy, Mom." Frank said taking a seat across from his brother.

He noticed that Joe seemed to be rearranging the food on his plate in various shapes and patterns more than eating it. Every few seconds he would glance at his cell phone which was lying open on the table. Nudging his father, Frank tilted his head towards Joe with raised eyebrows. Fenton shook his head slightly, and shrugged his shoulders, indicating that’s what Joe had been doing since he sat down.

Deciding it was best to leave Joe alone for the moment, Frank dug into his breakfast, while chatting with his parents. He had just finished the last of his coffee when Joe’s cell phone rang. Frank saw the expression in his brother’s weary blue eyes and knew it was the call he had been waiting for…

*****

Vanessa awoke with a start, scared and disoriented at the unfamiliar surroundings, and felt the anxiety building fast and furious. Sitting up she leaned back against the wall, attempting to regain some semblance of control. Taking several slow, deep breaths helped to control her racing heart. Thinking of home, of Joe, helped to control her racing thoughts of Chris Taylor, which would quickly lead to a terrifying flashback if not brought under control.

A knock on the door pushed all thoughts of Taylor out of her mind, yet ignited a new fear.

'He said they wouldn't touch me.' Vanessa reminded herself. 'They left me alone all night. Maybe he was right. Maybe they won't touch me.'

The door opened and Trevor came in carrying a bag from a popular fast food restaurant and two coffees. She watched him warily, praying he hadn't lied to her the night before.

"Good morning." Trevor smiled at her. "I brought you some breakfast. After you eat, you can use the bathroom and wash up."

Vanessa nodded, but said nothing, still watching as he dragged a small tray table and a chair next to the bed. She noticed he made sure to place the chair an appropriate distance away, so as not to alarm her. Placing the coffee on the table, he pulled two breakfast sandwiches and two orders of home fries from the bag. Unwrapping the sandwiches, he placed one on a napkin within Vanessa's reach.

"How do you like your coffee?" He asked pleasantly.

"Cream and sugar." Vanessa replied quietly. She watched as he prepared one of the coffees for her and placed it next to the breakfast sandwich. Glancing at the logo on the bag, she felt a wave of sadness wash over her, which was clearly reflected on her face.

"You don't like the food?" Trevor asked noticing the look in her eyes.

Vanessa shook her head, still staring at the logo. "Joe's favorite place." She said quietly, thinking of how much of a kid Joe still was at times.

Joe still stopped at that restaurant almost every day for at least one meal or "snack", twice a day if the restaurant was having a giveaway of some kind. Vanessa recalled how she would tease Joe endlessly as the giveaways were usually for children, even though that never deterred Joe from collecting at least one of everything available. She felt her eyes start to burn and blinked rapidly, not wanting Trevor to see her cry.

"He loves you very much." Trevor said softly.

"I know." Vanessa whispered, quickly brushing away an escaping tear.

"I'm sorry about all this. I really am."

"Then why did you do it?" Vanessa asked, curiosity mingling with the sadness in her grey eyes.

"Orders." Trevor said simply.

"Do you always follow orders?" Vanessa asked, a slight tone of contempt creeping into her voice.

"Yeah….I like being alive." Trevor replied, with a sardonic smile.

"What exactly were your orders?"

"We really shouldn't be talking about this. The less you know the better."

"Callie seemed to be pretty heavily involved." Vanessa reminded him.

"Yeah, well, if she had just done what we asked you wouldn't be here." Trevor said, bitterly.

"Don't you dare try and blame this on Callie!" Vanessa cried out, angrily, unable to stop herself. "How dare you! You chose to take me as a hostage; Callie didn't force you to do that! Grow up and take some responsibility for your own actions and stop trying to blame it orders or Callie! YOU did it - no one else!"

The second Vanessa finished her tirade, she realized what she had done. Watching Trevor closely, she prayed she hadn't just overstepped the unusual friendship they had forged. If so, she knew his promise of the night before, that no one would touch her, would now be a moot point.

Trevor stared at Vanessa, both shocked and amused at her sudden outburst. He was silent for a moment, giving careful consideration to what she had just said.

"I guess you've got a point there." He said, somewhat chastised, although still smiling, and took a bite of his breakfast sandwich.

'I hope Joe Hardy knows what a lucky man he is.' Trevor thought, stealing a glance at Vanessa. The rest of the meal was eaten in silence.

True to his word, as soon as Vanessa had finished eating, Trevor untied the rope and escorted her to the bathroom, waiting outside until she was finished. Returning to the small bedroom, he again tied her arm to the rail of the bed, apologizing once more for the necessary evil.

Without even realizing it, Vanessa sat on the bed with her back against the wall and her long legs pulled up protectively in front of her. Watching her, Trevor was struck by the terrified little girl Vanessa was so desperately trying to keep hidden inside.

As he turned and walked to the door, he was haunted by the despondent look he had seen in Vanessa’s eyes. It was obvious that she was not at all sure she was going to make it out of this alive. Trevor had every intention of returning Vanessa unharmed, as long as Joe Hardy followed his instructions to the letter. But he had heard about Joe’s temper, and knew his best laid plans could go astray.

He had fully intended to leave the room to make the call to Joe Hardy with instructions for dropping off the file and where to eventually find Vanessa, once the exchange was complete. Yet he couldn’t shake the thought that if something went wrong, Vanessa or Joe – or both of them – could be killed in the ensuing confusion. He recalled the look on Vanessa’s face and in her eyes when she had been able to speak to Joe the previous evening. Sighing, he knew he would never be able to live with himself if anything went wrong and Vanessa hadn’t been able to speak to Joe one last time. Pulling out his cell phone, he turned and walked back to Vanessa, dialing Joe Hardy’s number…