Joe. That HAD to be it. Despite Frank’s constant reassurances that what had happened to his little brother hadn’t been her fault, she had never been able to shake her own guilt about it. And knowing how much Joe meant to Frank, she kept coming to the same conclusion—that he still blamed her, as she blamed herself.

Deciding not to think about it, Callie slowly made her way into the kitchen, knowing that she had to prepare a nice meal for that evening. As soon as she took out the food, though, she had to put it down and walk to an open window. This nausea that she had experienced almost every morning was beginning to get to her as she was almost overcome with weakness. Sitting down, Callie buried her face in her hands, willing herself not to cry. Placing her hand on her stomach, she tried to concentrate on the life growing within her, the promise and joy that a child, created in love, could bring into her life with Frank. But how can a baby add to our love if he doesn’t love me now? The thought was almost too much for her, and she found herself about to cry.

However, a knock on the door prevented her from doing that. Glancing at the clock, Callie noticed it was just after 10:00. "Who could that be?" she asked herself softly, as she stood up slowly and made her way to the door.

Opening it, she found herself staring at a smiling Vanessa Bender.

"Van?" she asked. Vanessa and Joe weren’t supposed to be there for hours yet.

"No—her evil twin," Vanessa replied, reaching down to give Callie a hug. "How’re you doing, girl?" Vanessa pulled back an instant to look at her friend, and noticed that she looked pale and drawn. She felt her heart go out to Callie as her need to protect her took over. After all, she thought, trying not to be bitter at Frank, and losing, Someone has to.

"Okay," Callie said, trying to smile. "Wha… I mean, you’re here way early. Where’s Joe? Is he here? Why are YOU here?"

Vanessa smiled at her friend. "Is that your way of saying I can come in?" she asked.

Callie finally smiled sincerely. "Yeah, of course," she replied, and ushered her friend in.

Sitting down at the kitchen table with Callie, Vanessa said, "Cal, I know I’m here early. Joe will be by in an hour or so. He just dropped me off. We decided to get Frank balloons and stuff, and a nice meal, so you wouldn’t have to cook or anything. He’s picking them up now. I just asked him to leave me here early so I could talk to you." Vanessa reached over and took Callie’s hand. "How ARE you?" she asked, concerned.

Callie swallowed the lump in her throat and just shook her head, squeezing Vanessa’s hand. She couldn’t break down now. If she did, she didn’t know if she could get it together again.

Vanessa felt her own eyes well up with tears. "Oh, Callie," she sighed. "He still hasn’t gotten any better? What the HELL is the matter with him?!"

"It’s okay," Callie whispered, getting her voice back at last.

"It most certainly is NOT!" Vanessa said, trying to control her temper. "He’s acting the same way to Joe for God knows what reason. But at least Joe has me to talk to about it! I ought to slap him- hard!"

A laugh escaped Callie’s lips in spite of herself. Vanessa, like Joe, had always had a fiery temper. They’d both be menaces to deal with, if their passion and kindness weren’t equally as intense. "You think you could take Frank?" she asked with a small smile.

Vanessa wasn’t amused. "I’ll be happy to try!"

"Oh, Van," Callie said, getting up slowly. "Let’s not ruin tonight. It’s Frank’s birthday. Let’s make it special for him, okay?"

"Callie, you’re unbelievable!" Vanessa countered. "How can you deal with him now?!"

Callie turned to her friend. "Because I love him, Vanessa, that’s why."

Vanessa was quiet for a moment. What could she say? If the situation was reversed, she knew she’d stand by Joe, too, even if she thought he had lost his mind. That’s what real love was. And, until three months ago, no one had exemplified that as Frank and Callie had—for years.

Deciding to give Callie a break, Vanessa said, simply, "Okay." Then, she had to add, "But, honey, you’re pregnant! You can’t go through this alone!"

Callie looked shocked as Vanessa uttered the word. "Van, you cannot tell anyone—please! You gave me your word!"

The pleading quality in Callie’s eyes got to Vanessa, who gave her a hug.

"Callie, you know I’m dying to tell Joe, so he can knock some sense into his brother. But I won’t," she emphasized. "I’ll be here for you."

"Thank you," Callie said gently.

Deciding to change the subject, Vanessa decided to launch into a hilarious story about what Joe had said to one of his professors upon returning to school, and by the time she was done, she noticed that Callie looked to be feeling better. For the next hour or so, Vanessa entertained Callie with stories of what had been going on at college and back in Bayport, and helped Callie get together little snacks for everyone.

At about that time, there was another knock on the door, and Vanessa ran to get it. Callie watched at a distance as Joe and Vanessa greeted each other with a rather enthusiastic kiss, and Vanessa grabbed the bags from Joe’s hands. Callie felt a pang as she watched the scene unfold. She wished more than anything that Frank would look at her the way that Joe looked at Vanessa.

Before Vanessa took the bags, Joe whispered to her, "An hour, babe. That’s all I need. Thanks." He watched as she smiled back at him, and again was hit by the thought of how lucky he was to have her.

He watched as Vanessa said to Callie, "Cal? We totally forgot to get a cake! I knew that Joe would forget something," she added, playfully. "I’m gonna go—be back soon. Stay with Joe and make sure that he behaves himself!" With a quick wave at Callie and a quick kiss for Joe, she was gone, leaving Joe and Callie by themselves.

Callie looked up, surprised by Vanessa’s whirlwind disappearance, and found herself looking at handsome Joe Hardy. Right away, she noticed that he still walked more slowly and looked a lot more stiff than before the incident last summer. Still, in his characteristic fashion, he acted like it was no big deal at all.

Walking over to Callie with a smile, Joe bent down and gave her a hug and a quick kiss on the cheek. As he took a moment to look at her, he noticed that she seemed a little pale, and hoped that wasn’t because Frank was avoiding her like he had been avoiding him. God, he wished he remembered what had gone on last summer. The doctor had said—had virtually assured him—that his memory would be back by now. And he pretended to everyone, even to Vanessa, that it had come back. But it hadn’t, and he had the strong suspicion that whatever he couldn’t remember was the key to Frank’s odd behavior. But he needed to talk to Callie now, and try to figure that out.

"Hey, sis," he said to her with a smile as he sat down next to her.

Callie returned the smile and took his hand. "Hey, yourself. How are you feeling?"

Joe was a bit uncomfortable with Callie touching him… since his own doubts were still lingering over her words. Still, as he looked at her, he felt what he always had—a contented, platonic affection. And, although he couldn’t remember it at all, the bits and pieces he had been told by everyone made him know he had been through hell with Callie, and that bond could never be broken, even if he couldn’t remember it yet.

"I’m fine," he said to her, partially lying. "How are you?"

"Fine," she said back, totally lying.

They looked at each other for a moment, each knowing the other too well. Instinctively, Joe laughed. "Liar," he said, and Callie laughed weakly, too.

"Cal," Joe said seriously, "I… I need to ask you something. I need to know, again, what you said went on with us... in Cape May…" There. It was out.

Callie looked up at him, her brown eyes reflecting the horror she felt as she covered her mouth with her hand.

"Oh, God," she whispered, standing up. "Oh, Joe. You STILL don’t remember?!"

Joe met her eyes, knowing that he had just revealed a secret to her that he didn’t want anyone to know. Yet, he knew at the moment with absolute certainty that she wouldn’t say anything. Some pain was too deep to be shared.

Shaking his head, he tried to ignore the look on her face. "Callie," he said, gently, "I need to get my brother back, and you need to get your fiancé back as well. We both love him…and sometimes he’s fine, but other times… well, he’s not," Joe said bluntly. "I have absolutely no idea what’s wrong with him, but clearly something is. Maybe together we can figure it out. Please," he begged her.

Callie walked into the living room, turning her back on Joe. Maybe he was right; after all, she had been thinking the same thing. Still, why was she the only one who remembered that nightmare fully? Why did Joe look at her with such doubt when she had recalled it for him earlier? She didn’t want to remember—it hurt too deeply. To this day, she still had nightmares about Jenkins…and what he had almost done to her. That, and constant images of kissing Joe, being forced to, waking up next to him, their clothing tattered… the secrets, the lies, the heartaches…

She hung her head down, and choked back a sob.

Joe, watching her from the kitchen, suddenly understood it wasn’t that Callie didn’t want to talk to him, but that she almost couldn’t. Idiot, he said angrily to himself, you’re making her relive a nightmare that you don’t even remember. And in that instant, any doubt he had about Callie, that she might actually be attracted to him or have encouraged the kiss in any way, dissipated from his mind as he saw her body posture. She looked so… defeated.

Joe went to her, gently touching her shoulder trying to comfort her. He couldn’t ask her to talk. But… she whirled around on him, taking him by surprise.

Tears streaming down her face, she said to him, voice shaking, "You want to know, Joe?! WHY? You look at me like you don’t believe what I tell you, anyway," she said, trying to be strong and failing.

"Callie," Joe retorted, shocked, "I DO believe you. Please—just tell me. I promise to take your word." He meant it.

"You protected me, Joe," Callie continued, tears still falling. "It’s my fault- the whole, damned thing—it is!"

Joe stood, shocked. He was about to tell her not to be ridiculous when she went on, cutting him off.

"You want the truth? Here it is!" Callie went on. Joe noticed how she held onto her abdomen, and he instantly thought she was going to be sick. Still, she kept going, unraveling before him. "Nash and Jenkins roughed us up," she cried. "Let’s be honest—they were going to rape me in addition to playing their mind games. But to stop them—the only way---they insisted I kiss you. I refused, of course. But then you TOLD me to do what they said! They pushed us together, Joe—into each other. They MADE us!" She was shaking so badly Joe thought she would collapse.

"Callie," he said, reaching for her, but she pulled away.

"And then," she went on, "They made us think we had slept together! We were drugged, Joe! You were hurt. They made us watch a video—it wasn’t us. I… we…" she choked out, "Could never do that to each other- to Frank! And then they took you… with the truck… and you were hurt… and then Jenkins came back for me…Oh, God!" she cried. "I’m sorry, Joe!"

Joe felt his heart stop as he realized what she had said, and he felt instantly ashamed that he could ever think anything but the purest thoughts about Callie. They had always shared a special bond—their love for Frank--- and he knew in his heart that she was telling the truth. If only I could remember, he thought, angrily.

Joe reached out and took Callie in his arms, holding her tightly. He felt her trembling, her body wracking with sobs. She doesn’t deserve this, he said to himself, praying to God that somehow, someway, all of this would work out, and everyone could be happy again, like they had been before last summer.

Kissing her forehead in comfort, he said only, "I’m sorry, too," as he waited for his brother to come back so they could talk at last.

What he didn’t see was that Frank was already there, having come home in between classes to relax. And as he had peered into the window, the only thing he did see was Callie and Joe in each other’s arms.