THE FUN HOUSE

PG15

The man watched the small family with great interest. It was a man, his wife, and their two young sons.

At first glance you might mistake the two boys for nothing more then friends.

One was older, dark haired and easy going. The smaller one had blond hair, blue eyes and definitely more then his share of fire as the man could see the animated way the child carried himself. No detail was unlooked or beyond his awe and the man wondered if it was his first time at a Carnival.

He watched the parents.

The father was a tall, handsome man with the same dark hair and eyes as the older boy. The watcher figured that whatever he was, he was successful for he carried himself as such.

The woman was petit and colored like the younger boy and the man was struck by just how beautiful this family was… each one of them.

Oh yes, they'd be perfect.

phx

6 and ½ year-old Frank Hardy, and you couldn't leave out the ½ as it was very important to a growing young man, counted to twenty very slowly. His younger brother, Joe, although very sharp for his age, sucked at playing Hide and Seek.

Their father, an up and coming Private Detective, had taken the day off expressly to take his family to the Labour Day Weekend Carnival.

An unexpected turn in a case he was working had caused him to miss Joey's 5th birthday only a few short weeks ago and he was determined to make it up to the small boy.

Of course both boys were pleased as punch to spend this time with their father, as it seemed that lately he was seldom home. Fenton had quit the New York Police Department only 5 short years ago to move his family to Bayport and pursue a career as a private investigator.

It had been rough in the beginning but as his reputation was growing, the detective team of Fenton Hardy and his associate, Sam Radley, were also growing… in demand.

Right now the brothers were playing Hide and Seek in the Fun House. It was their third trip through and the first time that their ride weary parents let them go in alone. Having been in twice themselves, neither Fenton nor Laura were at all concerned about their safety.

It was Frank that wanted to go in again.

He was in love with the twisted house and Joe had agreed to go back only after Frank told him how fun it would be to play the game in there. So with conspiring grins, the two little boys left their parents waiting outside and started to play.

"Ready or not! Here I come!" Frank yelled out as he began to search for his brother. And as with every other time, Joe had found a horrible hiding spot and Frank saw him almost immediately.

The younger boy was reluctant to go very far from his sibling so it severely limited his ability to hide.

Frank sighed in disappointment, wishing that one of their other friends like Chet, Tony or even Biff were here. At least they would have made it more challenging.

However, since it was him who had wanted to come back in the house anyway, the older boy pretended he didn't see the younger one for a few moments until Joe's giggling made it impossible to even keep up that guise.

"I found you!" He finally called out and Joe stepped out from his hiding spot, "It's my turn to count now!" The blond boy announced and then began counting before Frank even said he was ready.

Quickly the older boy slipped away from his brother and found a great spot to hide. He could hear Joe finishing his count and then from his vantage point he could see his little brother looking for him.

After a few moments of fruitless searching Joe began to get worried, "Frankie? Where are you?" Frank heard him but kept quiet. Joe had wandered into the hall of mirrors and he knew it would take him a few moments to get back out.

The older boy was just congratulating himself for his craftiness when he noticed something. Joe had stopped calling out to him. Listening intently for a few moments, he paused figuring that the younger boy was trying to fake him out.

The house had become eerily quiet and Frank strained to hear any sounds from his brother. But there was nothing.

After a few more long moments, he decided that fake out or not; he needed to find his brother, "Joey? Joey?" Frank called out tentatively but still heard nothing; he was hesitant about shouting to loudly in case he got in trouble with the Fun House ticket taker.

The boy began to really get worried. Where was his brother?

"JOEY!" This time he shouted no longer caring if he got in trouble or not.

But still nothing.

With his heart racing, Frank hurried towards the exit calling for his brother.

phx

Fenton Hardy looked at his watch and smiled. He would give the boys another five minutes in the Fun House and then he was going in after them. The day was coming to an end and both he and his wife were hot and tired. And they knew the boys were running on sheer adrenalin now.

He was just turning to say something to his wife when he heard someone shouting, "JOEY!" And his heart dropped when he saw the worried face on his oldest son when the child came tearing out of the Fun House.

"Daddy! I can't find Joey!" Frank shouted as soon as he saw his father.

Instantly the investigator and his wife had crossed the distance between them and Frank and then Fenton was running into the house shouting for Joe.

phx

Joe was terrified.

He had been starting to get really worried when he wandered into the hall of mirrors calling for his brother and getting an answer. He saw the reflection of a man but wasn't overly concerned about it until the man grabbed him.

Joe tried to scream out but the man clasped his hand so tightly over the child's mouth that it was hard for him to breathe let alone make any noise. And then he was pulled into a small dark crawlspace and that was when the real nightmare began.

phx

Police Chief Ezra Collig made his way towards the somber family. His heart went out as he saw the little dejected face of the child who sat so still and clutched his mother's hand so tightly it must have hurt.

Fenton saw his friend and quickly hurried over to him. They had known each other for a couple of years now and the detective could tell that the police Chief knew something… something he wasn't too happy to share.

"Ezra?" Fenton said impatiently imploring him to tell him whatever it was.

Sighing, the chief police pulled Fenton away from his family and looked up at the tall Ferris wheel as it lit up the evening sky, "As I was leaving we got an anonymous tip from a guy who reported seeing Fulton McBride near the fortune teller's tent about an hour ago."

"Fulton McBride?" Fenton said as he tried to place the name and then his face turned white and he gasped, "Oh no…"

"I'm sorry Fenton, "Ezra could not look at his friends face because he knew what he would find there – horror.

Fenton was whirling.

No, not Fulton McBride… anyone but him…

The detective turned to look at his other son and his wife. How could he tell them? What could he say?

How do you look at your loved ones and tell them their son might have been abducted by one of the FBI's most wanted? A man who had sexually tortured and murdered 6 young children… children like Joe.

Suddenly the detective felt light headed. No… this couldn't be happening.

"I…I didn't know he was in the state, "Fenton finally said as he tried desperately to deal with this. He couldn't afford the emotion right now. Not if he intended on finding his son before it was too late.

Ohmygod, what if it was already too late? Shaking the thought from his mind, the detective pushed the father out of his head and focused on the task at hand. Don't think of him as your son, think of him as just another missing kid…

Easier said then done, he thought a moment later as he saw his wife and Frank get up from where they were sitting and walk towards them. Ohmygod, what do I tell them?

phx

Frank was feeling horrible. Why didn't he just come out of his hiding spot when Joe called him? Why did he let is brother just go off alone?

His father had asked if Chief Collig could get someone to drive him and his mother home and as they left the Carnival Frank felt himself starting to cry.

Big boys don't cry, he scolded but as his mother wrapped her arms around him and held him tightly, he broke down.

He had never been so scared in his young life… scared that he would never see his brother again.

Right there and then he vowed if God would just let Joey come home Frank would never let anything happen to his brother again. Please God, he prayed, please.

phx

Gertrude Hardy, Fenton's older unmarried sister who frequently stayed with the family, met them at the door.

"Oh Laura", she said as she helped her sister-in-law in the house and gave Frank a little hug, "Don't worry, Fenton will find him. You'll see."

The pretty blond didn't look so convinced as her eyes looked hauntingly into Gertrude's and she whispered, "What if he doesn't?"

Numbly Frank left his mom and aunt and went upstairs. He had seen his mother's lip starting to quiver and did not want to see her break down. It was scaring him to see his parents so upset.

The dark haired boy didn't go to his own room though; instead he went to Joe's room and sat on the bed. As usual his brother's room looked like a cyclone had hit it… a cyclone named Joey.

Sighing, the older boy lay down on his brother's bed and stared up at the ceiling. Closing his eyes he drifted off to sleep wondering where his brother was right now and if he was alright… or if he was scared and calling out for his big brother…

phx

Joe was learning new meanings to word fear. Every time they heard someone coming near, the man would whisper to the boy and Joe's eyes would grow even wider.

And he said nothing.

Not that he could have anyway because the man was pressing him down to the floor, using his large body to pin him and the small child was having trouble getting enough air into his lungs to breathe, let alone enough air to scream.

That plus he was still holding his hand over the child's mouth.

Joe was trembling so badly and to his own embarrassment he realized he had peed himself and so he was now wet, cold and terrified. But still the man pressed his body down beneath his.

phx

"…breaking news tonight… one of the FBI's most wanted men in America, Fulton McBride was reported to have been spotted in the Bayport City area earlier today. McBride is wanted on 6 counts of child molestation and murder. An anonymous tip has put the pedophile at the Labour Day Carnival around the time that 5 year old Joseph Hardy was reported missing from the Fun House… anyone with any information on McBride or the missing child are asked to call the Bayport City Police Department immediately…"

Laura stared in shock at the television hardly daring to believe what she had just heard. Beside her Gertrude gasped and then Laura was running for the phone… why hadn't Fenton told her? Why hadn't he told her a monster might have taken her child?

A monster with an appetite for children…

phx

Fenton Hardy stood in the hall of mirrors and closed his eyes, where are you Joey? Where are you son?

He was still standing there 10 minutes later when Chief Collig found him.

"Fenton?" He said worried when his friend didn't acknowledge him right away.

The detective looked at his friend and exhaled loudly, "This is very hard Ezra. I never thought I would have to try and find my own child… not like this."

The police chief sympathized with him, "I know my friend. Believe my I know. You know how I feel about your boys, Fenton." In truth the police chief loved Frank and Joe like they were his own.

When his own wife, Rachel, had died from breast cancer leaving him a widow with no children, the Hardy's had become like an adopted family for him. And Ezra was finding it hard to keep his perspective as he had seen some of the stuff firsthand that McBride had done. Pictures of his unfortunate victims… and when he put Joe's face overtop of any of his other victims...

Ezra shuttered.

Can't think like that, he scolded himself, or else Joe's picture will join the rest.

"Yeah I do", Fenton sighed, "and thank you." The older man squeezed the detective's shoulder supportively, "Well come on then. We've gotten all the information out of this old house that she's gonna give."

With one final look around, Fenton reluctantly followed his friend.

Hang on Joey, he thought, hang on.

phx

Underneath their feet, the man whispered to the child again and now the boy sobbed.

His father had left him here… the stranger was right.

They had given Joe to him.

phx

Fenton's cell phone rang just as he was leaving the Fun House and he answered it immediately, "Fenton Hardy" and then his heart sank as he pulled the phone away from his ear, his face turning pale. Laura knew…

phx

"Dammit," snarled Chief Collig, "find out who leaked it… I want their head!"

phx

The next couple of hours were the longest in Frank's young life. His brother was still missing and although no one was telling him anything he could tell that there was something bad going on.

His father came home late. He heard the sound of the car in the driveway and then the raised voices of his parents as his mother ran out to meet him…

Why didn't you tell me!

Laura, please calm down…

Calm down… calm down? How can I calm down Fenton after I've found out a monster has my baby!

We don't know that for sure…

Can you tell me he doesn't? Can you look me in the face and tell me Joey is going to be okay?

No…

Then don't tell me 'you don't know for sure'… I'll tell you what I know… my baby is missing and until I can hold him again or touch his face and tell him everything will be alright, then… then….

Frank had heard his mother break down and then his father consoling her. They came back into the house and up the stairs. He heard the sound of someone going into his room and then a second later Joe's door was whipped open and the light turned on.

The boy sat up in the bed blinking owlishly in the sudden light as he saw the expression on his father's face turn from panic to relief and then his father engulfed him in his strong arms and was holding him.

"Oh Frankie", Fenton murmured as he held his oldest son close, "you gave me a scare."

"Sorry" the boy mumbled into his father's shirt and then Fenton let him go and looked into his serious young face.

"That's okay. Have trouble sleeping in your own room?" The man asked as he studied his oldest with the eyes of person used to picking up on the small stuff.

Frank shook his head honestly, "No I just didn't want to go in there. It didn't feel right."

"Ah", his father said understandingly.

"Is Mom okay?" Frank asked as he didn't see his mother come in the room behind them and his father sighed, realizing he must have heard the outburst in the driveway, "Yeah she's just real tired and worried right now."

Laura was sitting downstairs in the kitchen staring blankly into a cup of cold tea. Fenton was seriously considering having Dr. Bates, their family physician, call in a sedative prescription to the local 24 hour pharmacy.

Frank nodded and then looked at his father with intense brown eyes, "What did she mean when she said that a monster has Joey? I didn't think monsters were real."

Fenton closed his eyes for a moment and wished Frank had not heard that. His oldest had never had the overactive imagination of his younger brother and had never been plagued with the belief of monsters… and Fenton was reluctant to teach him that unfortunately monsters do exist.

Just not the way Joe thought of them…

But he had to tell him something, "Monsters aren't real son, but people are. And sometimes there are people out there who are real bad and do things like take little boys from their family… and that is the kind of monster your mom was talking about."

"Oh", Frank said and then he had one more question he needed to know, "Dad…"

"Yes son", Fenton said sounding tired and feeling much older then his 28 years.

"Are we ever going to get Joey back?"

The detective's voice caught in his throat as he fought back the wave of emotion brought on by that innocent and very valid question. He couldn't lie to his son… but he couldn't tell him the truth either because while Fenton and the police were doing their best to find Joe, in all reality the odds were against them.

And every hour that the child was missing… for one less hour that they had to find him.

Looking his son straight in the eye he said, "I'm going to do my best to bring your brother home… my very best."

Even at six and ½, the child showed the keen perception that would serve him so well when he got older.

He understood exactly what his father meant… and what he wasn't saying.

His father… his hero… had no idea.

phx

Joe had no idea what they wanted.

After being hustled out of the Fun House, tossed into the trunk of the car and driven around for a while, he was pulled out and dragged towards a small house in a run down area.

He couldn't scream because the man had duct taped his mouth.

He couldn't fight because his hands had been duct taped tightly together.

And he couldn't run… there was nowhere to go…

A woman opened the screen door and quickly ushered them.

Her face lit up when she saw the child.

"Oh Miles", she cooed as she reached out to touch the perfect little face, "he's perfect!"

Joe tried to pull away from her but the man smacked him across the back of the head hard enough to make him see stars.

"That's no way for a boy to act around his mother!"

Joe's eyes widened in disbelief as he started to shake his head… this wasn't his mother! He tried to tell them but couldn't get anything past the duct tape.

Then the man, Miles, smiled tenderly at the woman, "Yeah it was him or his brother… either would have been perfect but this little guy came to me first."

Smiling the woman tried to touch the child's face and this time he couldn't pull away because the man had grabbed his hair, painfully, to keep him from moving, "Oh baby, you're going to work out wonderfully… absolutely perfect. Now momma is going to take that nasty old duct tape off so she can hear your sweet little voice."

As she started to take off the tape, Miles whispered into the child's ear, "And if you make any noise at all, I will slit your throat, drink your blood and then go get your brother… do you understand?"

Joe nodded and a few minutes later he was ungagged and untied.

"Now son", the woman was saying as she stroked his tear stained cheek, "tell momma you love her."

"You're… you're not… you're not my mommy", Joe stammered. Miles backhanded him knocking the child to the floor and splitting his lip.

"Wrong answer", the man said towering over him.

The woman knelt down by the crying child, "Oh sweetie," she cooed, "you shouldn't do things to upset you Daddy, you know how he gets."

Joe looked at Miles and before he could stop himself he said, "Not… my Daddy!"

Miles grabbed him by the front of his shirt and threw him against the wall, "WRONG ANSWER!" he roared again and then taking a deep breath, he pasted a smile on his face and said pleasantly, "Have you forgotten so soon? They don't want you anymore. Your brother… your father… they left you. They knew where you were. They could have gotten you back. But they didn't want to. Do you know why?"

Joe's eyes were huge and glistening as he shook his head not understanding the sick mind games they were twisting him with.

The man crouched down in front of the child. He had seen how energetic and rambunctious the kid was at the Carnival and made a logical leap, "Because you're too much trouble… you're not worth it. You don't sit still as good as your brother… you leave your room a mess… you just don't listen now do you?"

Joe was shaking as he heard the words hurled at him. And he was confused looking from one stranger to another. He didn't know them… how could they know him?

Miles pressed, "Do you?" He slapped the child again when Joe still didn't' say anything.

"Well you don't. You don't listen and they don't want you. In fact right now they're happy that you're not there making a mess of everything… ruining their life, "and then Miles made his mistake, "Your brother has always hated you and is glad you're never coming back. I heard him say that myself!"

Now Joe might have believe many things this man told him, but not about Frank.

Frank had always been there for him… nightmares… owies… bullies… Frank had always been there to keep the monsters in their place. Away from his brother.

Before.

Jumping to his feet, with his little fists clenched, Joe yelled at them, "YOU'RE LYING! FRANKIE WOULD NEVER SAY THAT… NEVER…" at 5 years of age Joe was unable to control the temper that would give him enough trouble later in life… and at 5 years of age he was too young to realize the danger he was in.

He was just upset, scared and angry and he yelled at the surprised couple, "AND MY DADDY WOULD NEVER LEAVE ME… OR MY MOMMY! YOU'RE LYING! YOU'RE NOTHING BUT STINKING LIARS…"

Miles moved fast. He needed to shut the kid up before the neighbors heard him.

Grabbing the angry boy, he dragged him across the kitchen, opened the door leading down to a dark basement and tossed the child down the stairs. Pulling the duct tape out of his pocket he descended on the form that was now lying silently at the foot of the stairs.

"Had enough of his sweet voice yet?" he asked his wife sarcastically as he went downstairs.

"As a matter of fact", she said tiredly, "I have."

phx

Fenton Hardy was woken up by the sound of the phone ringing. Rolling off the couch, he groaned as he saw the time. 5:30 AM. He had only fallen asleep an hour earlier.

"Hardy residence", he said with a hoarse throat.

Fenton its Ezra, meet me at the station. I'm just leaving my house now and then the police chief hung up before the investigator could give him any details.

Horror squeezed his heart, the police must have found out something about Joe. And if Ezra couldn't tell him on the phone… it must not be very good.

phx

30 minutes later, Fenton rushed into Ezra's office and found the police chief on the phone. When he saw the detective he indicated for him to sit down.

Fenton listened worriedly to his end of the conversation. He had woken Laura and told her where he was going, promising to call her as soon as he could.

"Okay… you're sure… no that's fine… thanks for letting me know."

Hanging up the phone the Police Chief wiped a hand across his face. Although he had turned into a certifiable workaholic since Rachel's death, he still wasn't a morning person and did not relish the call he had gotten only a few minutes before he called the Hardy house.

"Ezra?" Fenton questioned, too impatient to wait for his friend to begin.

"That was Chief Sanchez from the LAPD, they picked up Fulton McBride a couple of hours ago," Ezra said and Fenton's face went white, "Joey?"

The Chief of Police shook his head and waited for the detective to put it together. He was 30 minutes ahead in his knowledge but knew the astute investigator would figure it out quickly.

And Fenton did.

"Wait a second, the Los Angeles Police Department? Unless McBride has powers we don't know about, there is no way in hell he could have been anywhere near Bayport, let alone the Carnival, when Joey was abducted…"

Relief flooded the father, "oh thank god" but then he realized a new problem, "so if it isn't McBride… " he looked at his friend in frustration, "who the hell took my son?"

phx

Frank lay in his brother's bed and wondered where Joe was. He wished for the millionth time that he had telepathic powers so he could at least tell him brother he missed him.

And he did.

Frank's first memory of his brother was of being a toddler and looking down at his brother crying in his crib or playpen, the child couldn't remember what. But his brother was only a baby and he was crying.

He had watched this newcomer with much interest and it bothered him whenever the baby cried. It made him sad.

So when his mother left the room, the toddler did the only thing that made sense to him… the thing that always made him feel better and made him stop crying. He took the pacifier out of his own mouth and popped it into the baby's.

And baby Joey stopped crying.

That was also Frank's earliest memory of anything so in all honestly he could never remember what it was like to not have his baby brother around.

Sure Joey got on his nerves sometimes but he was still the coolest person that Frank knew. He was always fun and had interesting ways of looking at things.

The small boy also worshipped his older brother and told him about everything that he had seen or done when Frank was at school.

And that made Frank feel important.

Frank cried quietly as he wished a pacifier could fix things now… what was he going to do without Joe?

Downstairs he could hear his mother's voice and his aunt's. He couldn't hear exactly what they were saying but he knew they were arguing.

That was always a problem. Frank loved both his aunt and his mom and he hated it when they argued.

His Dad had explained to him once that it was because his aunt and his mother were too very different people who saw things differently… but cared about the same things.

And when he saw that his son didn't quite get what he was explaining he changed tactics…

"Okay son think of it like this way", the investigator said, "do you remember what happened when Mr. Fitzpatrick went to Jamaica and we watched Moses for him?"

Their new neighbor, an avid dog lover had a young golden retriever named Moses and the Hardy's had looked after him for a couple weeks at the beginning of summer while he went back to Jamaica to visit his family.

"Yes", Frank said smiling. It was fun having the dog around.

"What happened while the dog was here?" Fenton watched his son for a few moments waiting for the child to sort past the obvious.

"Well", Frank chewed his lip thoughtfully, "we had lots of fun…" he hoped his dad would get the hint as the brothers were dying to get a dog. And then he smiled sheepishly, "Me and Joey argued."

"oh yeah", their father had grinned, "that you did. Why?"

"Well", Frank screwed up his face as he thought about it carefully before answering, "because Joey wanted to feed him more then he should have."

Fenton laughed, "that among many other things if I remember correctly. But the bottom line is that you and your brother are two very different people with very different ways of thinking about how things should be done. And when you put Moses in the mix, you both wanted to do what was best for him and so you argued about it…a lot."

"Like Mommy and Aunt Gertrude!" Frank said very pleased to see the connection.

As his father ruffled his dark brown hair he said with pride, "Exactly. You'll make a fine detective some day, Frankie. Now come on I think your Aunt is trying to get your brother to help her ball up her wool, we should go save him… or her…"

Frank smiled as he remembered the talk with his dad but it did nothing to help him out much as he heard the two women downstairs.

It was only know that he realized that Joe's room, closer to the stairs then his, afforded him much more eavesdropping privileges then his own… there might be uses for that later on but right now, as he tried not to listen, it made things worst.

phx

"Gertrude that wouldn't have changed anything," Laura was trying her best not to fight with her sister-in-law at such a tender hour in the morning but their normally tense relationship was not responding very well to the added stress of Joe's abduction.

"Yes it would have Laura. If Fenton hadn't quit the force then you guys wouldn't have been at the Carnival yesterday and my nephew wouldn't be missing right now, having lord knows what done to him by that pervert!"

Laura paled when she heard that and gasped, "Gertrude..!"

"I'm sorry Laura but I know what I'm talking about. Do you even know what that man did to those poor children?" Gertrude did not realize just how cruel she was being as she tried to make the distraught mother admit she was right by forcing Laura to imagine the unimaginable horrors her baby might be living through right now.

If he was still alive.

"As if raping them wasn't' bad enough, he…."

"SHUT UP!" Laura screamed. She did not want to hear this. She did want to know what might be happening to her son, she just wanted him back, "GERTRUDE SHUT UP! THIS IS MY CHILD YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT NOT SOME PERSON X! I CARRIED HIM INSIDE ME… I GAVE BIRTH TO HIM… NO! NOT MY SON… I WILL NOT LISTEN TO THIS… NOT NOW!"

Laura was so upset she started to hyperventilate and Gertrude got her a paper bag to breathe into. After she had calmed down, Gertrude sighed, "I'm sorry Laura. I just… it's so frustrating to think of him out there and to think…"

"Gertrude", Laura's voice, though exhausted held a warning not and the older woman stopped.

"Its just that if Fenton hadn't…"

Laura stopped her with a weary hand, "We can't live for what-ifs. What if Fenton didn't quit the force? What if we didn't leave New York? What if we never let them go in the Fun House by themselves…"

Gertrude jumped up and headed out of the kitchen surprising Laura who called after her, "Gert?"

The older woman turned back to her and shook her head sadly, "That last what-if… is what you and my brother will have to live with for the rest of your lives…"

And then she was out of the kitchen and down the hall to the first floor guestroom that she called 'hers'. She could never forgive that one, no matter what else. It was as if Fenton and Laura sometimes forgot how young the boys were.

They never should have been left to go into the Carnival Fun House by themselves!

phx

Laura was left sitting at the table in disbelief.

Her sister-in-law was right… and was wrong.

Yes that was something she and Fenton would have to live with for the rest of their lives, even after they found Joe (she would accept the alternative) but Gertrude was also wrong about it.

Fulton McBride was a predator.

Predators chose their prey and if Joe had been chosen then it would not have mattered where he was when he got taken. It would have just been about timing then.

McBride might have even broken into their house and taken him from his own room.

Shivering at that thought, Laura got up and ran up the stairs.

She needed to see Frankie for herself and assure herself that at least he was still okay.

phx

It was morning when Joe regained consciousness. Trying to sit up, he cried out in pain as his body hurt everywhere and he looked around growing increasingly alarmed as he did not know where he was.

His mouth was duct taped again but not his hands so he gingerly pulled the tape off.

"Fwankie?" he called out for his brother first like he always did when he was afraid and not hearing him he tried again, "Thaddy?" His mouth hurt and it was hard for him to get the words out.

This got a response as he heard the sound of footsteps walking across the floor above him and then a door was being opened.

"Yes son?" a man's voice called down to him a moment before Joe saw him.

And the child's heart froze with fear as this man was not his father, Fenton Hardy. And then everything that had happened to him came back to him in a rush and he scurried as far away from this man as he could.

"Ah you remember me then?" Miles taunted as he watched the youngster who was chained by his foot to a small bed in the dark basement.

The bed had no pillows or blankets it was just a dirty stained mattress on an old frame.

The ankle chain didn't let the child get very far though.

"Are we ready to try this again?" he asked satisfied that Joe was sufficiently frightened of him. He hoped the kid would be more cooperative today because quite frankly he was not looking very good. The fall down the basement steps had marred him worst then Miles had… yet.

He called over his shoulder to his wife who Joe could now hear moving around above him, "Darla, I think James is ready to see you now!"

"Doey", Joe said and the man looked at him not understanding what he was saying so Joe tried again, "Ny nane id Doey."

The man moved closer to the bed and Joe shrank back even further, "Your name is James."

Unable to hold the man's terrifying gaze, Joe looked down at the dirty mattress he had crawled up on to get away from the man.

Darla came downstairs holding a piece of toast and the child's stomach growled. He hadn't had anything to eat since a candy apple sometime yesterday afternoon.

"Good morning sweetie", she said pleasantly, "Are you hungry?"

Joey nodded not trusting his voice to say something he'd get hit for.

"Good that will make your more cooperative", Miles sneered.

Darla sat down across from Joe and ate the toast without offering him any.

"Do you know who I am?" she asked sweetly.

Joe shook his head.

Instantly, Miles roared, "WRONG ANSWER!" and Joe felt something strike his arm.

Squealing from the unexpected pain, the youngster dived as far away from Miles as he could. Looking at him with wide eyes, Joe only now saw the bamboo switch the man was holding.

"Let's try again", Darla said completely unfazed by her husband's brutality, "Who am I?"

Joe wasn't sure what to say. He had no idea what the right answer was. His terrorized mind didn't know what they wanted from him.

His silence cost him as the switch hit him across the back this time and he curled up into a small ball and sobbed. His whole body was hurting and he had no idea what they wanted.

Darla curled up her nose in distain as she leaned in towards him and then looked at Miles, "He stinks!"

Miles shook his head in disgust, "Little shit peed himself when I grabbed him."

"Children get dirty Miles, you can't blame them… it's what they do. Okay, James", Joe looked at her realizing she was addressing him, "Momma's going to get a bath ready for you okay? So you just sit pretty for a few moments and then Daddy's going to bring you upstairs."

The last thing in the world that Joe wanted was some strange lady giving him a bath…especially one who was once again insisting that she was his mother.

"No… pwease", he sobbed but then Miles moved in on him again and the small child found out there were many new definitions for the word "fear'.

phx

"It has to be related somehow", Fenton Hardy was saying as he paced in Chief Collig's office, "why would someone call in a false tip when McBride wasn't anywhere near here. He was under surveillance in Los Angeles… it just doesn't make sense unless it's somehow related."

"To throw you off…buy time to get away with Joe?" The suggestion came from Sam Radley, Fenton's close friend and associate. Sam had flown in as soon as he heard Joe was missing and then came straight to police department suspecting that his friend might be there. He had wanted to be there last night but it had taken some time to get back from Antigua where he had gone to relax after finishing their last case.

Fenton had called him immediately for help once he heard Fulton McBride might have been involved. He needed everyone firing on all cylinders to find his son.

Fenton paused and stared at his partner incredulously, "You might be on to something Sam. That's the only reason! It certainly kept us looking elsewhere when we thought we already knew who we were looking for!"

"But why Fulton?" Sam mused, "he's never struck on the east coast before. Why didn't the tipster pick someone local? New York has some enough nastiness without bringing McBride over."

Ezra watched the two detectives with great interest. It wasn't often that he got to see them in a jamming session like this. They both had great minds, and he was awed to watch them work this around.

Fenton stopped to rub his head. He could feel the start of a migraine but tried to shove it away. Right now he didn't have the luxury of giving in. And then he stared open mouthed at Sam as he worked it out, "unless… unless the tipster was someone who had personal experience with McBride and knew what kind of impact it would have on the investigation if his name was thrown in."

Ezra caught on, "I get what you're saying Fenton. A lot of information was withheld from the public so unless you were in law enforcement or…"

"or family of the victim, you'd would never know just how sick he was, " Sam finished excitedly. They knew they were grasping at straws but they had no where else to go.

phx

Joe fought with everything he had as Miles tried to pull his shirt off over his head. He did not want this man taking his clothes away or that woman giving him a bath!

"Go away!" He cried out through swollen lips as he brought up his small fist and caught Miles right in the nose. Unprepared for the blow, the man released the child and staggered back holding his nose.

Removing his fingers he saw blood and he backhanded the little boy twice in rapid succession, "Little shit, " he spat as he then whipped out his handkerchief and held to his nose, "that was a mistake!"

Grasping the chain that was fettered to Joe's ankle, he pulled the protesting child towards him and then grabbed him by the throat and lifted him up off the bed. The child struggled weakly but as the enraged man continued squeezing his throat the protest was short lived and as Joe felt the world turn a sickening shade of yellow and felt his eye lids close, he knew he was going to die.

Frankie… the child thought as the darkness claimed him.

phx

A few minutes later when Miles dumped the unconscious child into the tub Darla looked at him in disappointment, "I wanted him awake', she sulked.

"You're lucky he isn't dead", Miles snarled as he checked out his nose in the mirror, "that kid is a real piece of work."

"Well if there's one thing you're good at sweetheart", Darla purred, "It's working out those kinds of things."

He smiled at her compliment and then nodded towards the child, "Look."

Turning back to the child, Darla's face lit up… the shock of being dumped into a tepid tub of water was bringing him around.

phx

Joe gasped in shock as he coughed and opened his eyes.

Looking around his eyes widened in fear.

He was in a tub of water…

And then he saw Darla reaching for him… and he started to cry.

phx

Frank sat down in the backyard on the lush green grass and frowned. His aunt was locked in her room and his mother was sitting at the kitchen table again crying.

It was nice morning but the child hardly noticed it. Normally his family would have been getting ready for their annual Labour Day picnic at the park, but as he glanced back at the unnaturally quiet house, he decided today was anything but normal.

And tomorrow he was supposed to start school – grade 1. He wondered if his parents would still make him go if they hadn't found Joe yet. So far no one had said anything.

Frank had been looking forward to going back to school… until yesterday that was.

Now he dreaded it. How could he go back there without his little brother?

Joey had been pestering him since Frank started Kindergarten to go to school with him. And now that it was his turn to start, the younger child had been talking about it almost nonstop. It had gotten to the point that on Saturday he even told Joe to "just be quiet about it for a second will ya!'

But then when he saw the hurt look on his brother's face, Frank had felt bad and recanted, "Sorry Joey… but can we play dinkies for a while or something. Today is Saturday… school starts on Tuesday. That makes it only 3 more sleeps until you can start. Besides that we're going to the Carnival tomorrow!"

Joe's face had lit up, "Oh yeah, I forgot!" the younger child was so excited. He had never been to a real Carnival before. Last year when their parents took Frank, Joe had to stay home with his aunt because he had a bad chest cold.

Eyes wide in his excited face, Joey had begged Frank to tell him everything about the Carnival. And Frank did starting with his favorite place… The Fun House.

And that was only two days ago… pulling his knees up to his chest, Frank lay his head on top of his arms and cried.

He really did not want to go back to school without Joe.

phx

At lunch time Sam Radley found his friend sitting in his car in the police station parking lot, staring straight ahead at some spot on the dashboard.

"Hey", he said as he leaned against the side of the car and looked at the children playing in the park across the street, "how you holding up?"

Fenton sighed and sat back heavily in his seat, "I'm just so frustrated. We've tracked down and talked to 5 of the victim's families but it's like the Nightingale's have just dropped off the face of the earth or something! I just don't know what else to do Sam."

Sam sighed. He knew exactly how Fenton felt. As he watched a man and his son throwing the football around he hoped that wherever Joe was right now, that he was okay because as he glanced over his shoulder at the dejected form of his friend, Sam knew it was something neither Fenton nor his family would ever get over.

phx

Joe sat on the dirty mattress in the dark basement and sobbed noiselessly. He had his knees pulled up to his chest and was sitting with his cheek resting on his arms which were wrapped tightly around his knees. He was tired, hungry, sore and very terrified.

His hair was still damp and he was shaking from more then the cold. At 5 he wasn't sure what the proper word was to describe how he was feeling but he knew it wasn't right what they did. And he felt very alone.

After they had given him the bath, they had given him a pair of blue pajama's with little ducks on them to wear. They were a couple of sizes to big but he obliged. He didn't really feel like protesting as his body reminded of him of what his other protests had gotten him.

He wondered if anyone missed him yet.

Was his father looking for him?

Was his mother sad?

Or was it like these people were telling him… were they happy he was gone?

Miserably he shuddered and then he thought about Frank.

Frank would be worried. He always took care of Joe… always.

But then as the little boy remembered calling to his brother in the Fun House and Frank not answering him, he wondered if maybe… just maybe…

"NO!" he whispered, "No. Frank would miss me. He'd make them find me… he would!"

But then as he heard the sound of Miles coming back down the basement, he prayed that they would hurry up and find him soon. He really wanted to go home now.

phx

Special Agent Daniel Podeszwa, watched the two detectives carefully. As was usual with missing children, the FBI was involved and he had been sent down to help co-ordinate the search.

He waited until Fenton Hardy, Sam Radley and Chief of Police, Ezra Collig were seated around the board room table before he introduced himself and his colleague, Special Agent Miranda Monroe.

Somehow he knew that what he was about to tell them was something that the distraught father was not going to want to know… but he needed to. They all needed to know exactly what they were up against and what the real chances were of ever finding the missing child alive.

After the introductions, he cut right through to the chase, "Okay folks. What I am going to tell you cannot go outside this room as it is highly classified and not common knowledge."

"Go on", Collig said gruffly. They had a child to find and he hated wasting time in briefings when they needed to be pounding the pavement.

"What do you know about Miles and Darla Nightingale?" Agent Podeszwa asked and saw Fenton's face pale as Sam glanced at him. Ah, thought the Agent, impressed, so they've gotten their own suspicions on these two… good.

Fenton spoke, "Their son, James, was Fulton McBride's last victim. Since his death, they've been moving around a lot and currently we don't know where they are."

Agent Monroe smiled sympathetically at the detective knowing how hard it was going to be on him to hear what they were going to tell him. Her eyes glanced down again at the picture of this newest missing child and she felt a tug on her heart as vibrant blue eyes stared up at her from a small angelic face. The child was beautiful.

"Very good", Agent Podeszwa said before continuing, "However there is lot more to them that you wouldn't know about. Apparently after their son was murdered so brutally, they changed. Yes you're right, they did start moving around however we have determined a horrifying correlation between their movements and missing kids."

Sam heard Fenton suck in his breath and looked at his friend with unconcealed worry on his face. His worry intensified as Agent Podeszwa kept talking, "It seems whenever they are in town, a child goes missing. A child like your son, Mr. Hardy. A small boy of about 5 or 6, abducted from somewhere like a carnival or fair. One was even taken from a kids restaurant in Tulsa."

"Have any of these children been found?" Ezra asked.

The FBI agents traded glances before Agent Monroe answered softly not able to look at Fenton but keeping her eyes on the little angel looking up at her, "Yes. They all have been."

Fenton knew she wasn't telling them everything and demanded, "Alive?"

The Special Agent shook her head, "No. There have been 8 children taken and 8 children found. Dead."

A heavy silence fell over the room and then Fenton pressed, as painful as it was, he had to know, "How?"

Podeszwa spoke, his eyes hardening as he did, "They were beaten to death."

The detective gasped as he felt like the air had been sucked out of the room and he felt Sam patting him on the back, "Its okay Fenton we'll find him… this won't be Joey. He wont' be their number 9."

Fenton appreciated his friends' conviction even if he was beginning to doubt it as with each passing minute, he knew that he was closer to losing his son.

"Mr. Hardy", Agent Podeszwa waited until Fenton had recovered and was looking at him again, "The Nightingale's are in Bayport and we do believe that they have your son."

Ezra leaned back heavily in his seat. His own heart felt constricted as he too cared about the missing child. Looking at the FBI agents, he asked, "Where?"

"We don't know", they admitted, "but now, at least, we know who we are looking for."

Agent Monroe pulled a file out of her briefcase and put two pictures on the table as she said, "We only just got confirmation an hour ago that they're in town."

Nodding Fenton Hardy leaned forward and picked up the two photographs and he got his first look at the two people who had stolen his son.

Shuddering, he put them back down, their faces already burned into his brain, hold on Joey… Daddy's coming… hold on.

phx

"Now James, "Darla purred as she approached the bed. Miles stood to the side and was holding the bamboo switch again. Joe's eyes darted nervously between her and the switch, "Momma's not been very happy with you so far. You haven't been a good boy. Are you ready to make it up to Momma?"

Flinching, Joe's eyes widened in fear as Miles punctuated the question by smacking the switch against his own hand.

The little boy nodded although he had no idea what he was agreeing to.

"Good", Darla said as she sat on the bed next to him. Immediately Joe moved away but stopped when the switch hit a spot just in front of him.

"Your mother wants to sit next to you", Miles said his voice low and threatening.

Joe froze and stayed where he was as Darla moved closer to him again. He stiffened when he felt her put her arms around him and try to draw him close in an embrace.

He was shaking and she frowned down at him, "What's wrong baby? Momma's here with you."

The terrorized child could not take his eyes off Miles who was now frowning at him.

Darla kissed the top of his head and inhaled the smell of his shampooed hair, "You smell so much better now James."

"Thank your Mother", Miles roared making Joe jump in Darla's embrace and he managed to stutter, "T-th-thanks."

That wasn't good enough and Miles came closer, "Say Thank You Momma."

"T-th- thank…you", the child tried again. He knew what they wanted but he could not give it to them. He was terrified that if he did call this man and woman, Momma and Daddy, that he would never see his real ones again. So he couldn't do it… no matter the cost.

He wanted his real family back!

So he shook his head, "N-not my Mommy!"

And he paid dearly as Darla let go of him and walked away from the bed, sighing tiredly as she did, "I hate bad children, " and then as she reached the stairs she turned a dispassionate eye on the child who had once again scurried as far away as he could from Miles, "Punish him Miles. James has been very bad."

Closing the door, she could hear the sound of the beating as she sat down at the table and polished her nails. Giving the child his bath had removed some of their scarlet color, so as her husband 'punished' her bad child, she finished her nails and then popped a frozen pizza into the oven.

She knew from experience that Miles was always hungry after a good workout.

phx

When Miles was finally finished with the child, he tossed the switch to the side of the stairs and headed upstairs.

Joe had nothing left inside him to cry with as he lay curled up on the floor staring ahead blankly. His body was hurting and his sides screamed in pain. His chest hitched painfully as he breathed… he had no frame of reference for the type of brutality that had been inflicted on him.

His parents had always warned him about strangers… and as Joe found his thumb and stuck it in his mouth, he sucked it vigorously, having learned the hard way what they were trying to warn him about.

I want to go home, he thought miserably as he continued to suck his thumb – something he had never done, even as a baby, please Daddy… Frankie… come get me. I want to go home. I won't ever be bad again… please take me home…

phx

"Where is my baby?" Frank heard his mother's voice wail as soon as his father got into the house. It was late and he was just starting to get ready for bed but now sat down and listened desperately hoping to hear his father say he knew where Joe was and that he was coming home soon.

"We don't know yet Laura", he heard his father's reply and could hear the frustration in his voice.

"What are you doing to look for him Fenton? What? I want my baby back… NOW!" he knew his mother was crying and Frank pulled his knees up to his chest.

"I want him back too Laura!" his father's voice was raised this time and Frank gave a little shiver. He wasn't used to his mom and dad talking to each other like this. Something else that's changed, he thought miserably.

Gertrude must have come into the room then Frank decided, as he then heard his aunt's voice.

"Fenton this never would have happened if you didn't let them go alone into the horrid house!"

Frank cringed at the tone and wasn't surprised to hear his father's exasperated reply, "Gertrude we were standing just outside the door and it wouldn't have mattered anyway. Joey was picked by these people so it wouldn't have mattered. They would have taken him anyway!"

"Picked by these people? Fenton what's going on? What aren't you telling me?" his mother's voice was near hysterics, "You mean this McBride monster doesn't work alone?"

His father paused. Fenton had not wanted to tell Laura the truth but it had slipped out.

Frank heard a heavy sigh before his father continued, "McBride didn't take Joey. We now believe Joey was taken to replace someone's dead son."

"Thank goodness, "Gertrude said, "at least we don't need to worry about that monster molesting him!"

Frank felt a chill go over him… molesting him? Joe? No!

Although he did not know what it involved, he had received the same "Bad touch/Good touch" instruction as everyone else had in his kindergarten class. And he remembered hearing that word related to bad touching.

No… not his brother! No one was going to 'bad touch' Joe, not if he had anything to say about it!

Determined, the 6 ½ year old changed out of his pajamas and back into his regular clothes. He needed to go downstairs and talk to his dad, man to man. Instead of arguing with his mother and aunt, his Dad needed to be finding Joe… and now!

phx

The adults never noticed the quiet form that slipped down the stairs and watched them as they continued to argue in the living room.

"This still should have never happened," Gertrude persisted, "you give those boys too much freedom! They are just too young."

"This is irrelevant right now", Fenton argued, "We have to focus on getting Joey back right now… not on trying to figure out how it might have been prevented."

"Fenton it is highly relevant! Frankie is an old soul but he's still too young to be expected to keep an eye on anyone… particularly Joey! You know how Joey is, "his aunt never did know when to give up.

"Gertrude", his father warned.

"No Fenton", his aunt continued her raised voice sending cold shivers down Frank's spine as he stood unnoticed behind them, "I have held my tongue long enough… too long maybe. But honestly what is the use of getting Joey back now if you're just going to let it happen again…"

"SHUT UP… SHUT UP… SHUT UP!" the sound of the small furious voice behind made them turn in shock realizing too late that not only was Frank here but that he had heard them.

Instantly Laura was moving towards her son but Frank shook his head as he backed away from her and then bolted out the front door.

"Frankie! Wait!" she screamed after him but the little boy was sprinting down the sidewalk and did not even pause when he heard her.

Turning worried eyes on her husband, Laura did not need to say anything as he had already grabbed his car keys and took off out the door after his fleeing son.

"I'm sorry Laura", Gertrude said tiredly, "I never would have said that if I knew he was standing behind me."

Laura shook her head, "It wasn't right of you to say either way Gertrude. For god's sake, this is our house… you are a guest in our house. When you are here you don't have to like how we raise our sons but you will show us some respect…"

"Sons?" Gert said icily not liking being rebuked by her sister-in-law, "don't you mean 'son'?"

Sucking in her breath sharply at her sister-in-law's insinuation, Laura managed fiercely, "No Gertrude… I mean my sons. Both of them! Fenton will get Joey back."

Shaking her head Gertrude walked down the hall towards her downstairs guest room. She paused at her door, "You need to face the truth Laura, Joey isn't coming home."

In the living room, the distraught mother heard her and broke down. Falling down on the couch, she sobbed as she thought, maybe Gert is right. Maybe we do expect too much from Frankie… he is only a child. But then as she thought about both her sons, she realized that Gertrude was wrong. They did give their boys freedom to grow and learn to do things themselves but not without being there for them and giving them guidance.

Frank loved his role as big brother and it was something they would have never denied him.

And it was only a Carnival Fun House that both herself and Fenton had been through a couple of times already… it should have been safe.

Oh Joey, she sobbed, wherever you are sweetie… just remember that Mommy loves you!

phx

Frank had never run so far or so fast in his life.

He knew his father would come after him but he was determined not to get caught so he cut through yards and got off the road as quickly as he could.

And he ran.

For some reason it made him feel like he was doing something. Anything was better then waiting… he wished he was a superhero like superman who had x-ray vision so he could just look inside every house he ran by to see if his brother was there.

But of course he couldn't. He was just a little boy. A very scared little boy who was terrified beyond reason that he would never see his best friend… his baby brother… again.

So he ran.

phx

Fenton slapped the steering wheel in frustration. Frank had gone off road.

Oh god, he thought, what have we done? We were so caught up in ourselves and our grief that we forget about the child upstairs. The big brother who was no more…

Frank.

Oh my god, he thought again, let me find him…please…

I can't lose them both.

phx

It was dark and he was afraid.

He was hurt and there was no one to comfort him.

He did not have to see it to know it was there.

The man had shown it to him.

So he knew.

He knew that leaning against the wall at the bottom of the stairs was a bat.

Hard carved, the man said.

And in the morning, if he could not give them what they wanted… then the bat would.

So he waited and sucked his thumb.

He could never give them what they wanted.

phx

Frank was exhausted. He had run as far as he could and now he realized with mounting horror, that he was lost.

He had no idea where he was.

Looking around he saw the houses were very run down and there was broken bikes and trash in many yards. Absently he wondered if this was Buckmaster Circle, the hard side of town that he had often heard some of the bigger kids at school talk about.

They said it was the tough side of town and that if anyone who wasn't from the area was caught anywhere near it, they were dragged behind Chevy's until they were dead.

Frank was a bright kid but this late at night, in a strange part of town… all alone. He wondered if maybe there was just some truth to what they were saying.

Glancing around he saw one small house that seemed better up kept then the rest it. There was a silver car parked in the driveway and no trash on the lawn. It might have even been recently mowed.

As he got closer, Frank saw a man standing on the step having a smoke and decided he might be a good person to ask for help. He knew he shouldn't talk to strangers but he figured if he stayed on the side walk and far away from the man, he could shout out and ask him to call 911 for him.

That was his plan anyway.

But as he got closer, the man turned abruptly and went back inside.

Sighing, the little boy went as close as he dared and was just debating with himself over what to do when he heard raised voices through an open window. Curious, he moved closer to see if he could hear what they were saying. It was a man and a woman talking.

Frank listened with a growing anxiety. He had no idea who they were talking about but he heard the man saying to the woman, "he can spend another night in the basement. If I can't work it out of him in the morning… we'll have to find another kid. He's a stubborn little cuss."

Backing away in horror, Frank decided these were not good people to go to for help.

They've got someone in the basement, the child thought and then out of inbreed curiosity, Frank snuck around the back of the house to see if he could see in. He had to know who they were talking about… it could be Joey!

phx

Fenton was at his wits ends. He had checked out every spot that he could think of that Frank might have run but now over three hours later, he was at a loss.

Chief Collig also had his guys out looking but so far they hadn't turned up much. Yes, some people remembered seeing a small dark haired boy running through the streets, but he was long gone by then.

Pulling over, Fenton hauled out a map of city. He knew the area very well but he just wanted to see if he could determine the best next place to look. It was one thing to look at the city from the road, but as he glanced down at it as an overview and pictured himself as a small, distraught boy, he needed to see it as a grid.

Where would I run? He thought as he traced the path that they had been able to pick up so far.

Frowning, he shook his head, oh no Frank. Not there.

But deep down he had no doubt where his son was. Buckmaster Circle.

And that was the last place in the world that Fenton wanted his 6 ½ year old son to be.

phx

As Frank snuck around to the back of the house he saw a small window at ground level and knew it must be the basement window.

Lying down on his stomach he saw the window was dirty and he had to use his hand to wipe away the dirt before he could even think of seeing anything.

"Yuck", he whispered as he then wiped his dirty hand off on his pants.

And then he pressed his nose against the glass and peered in.

Unfortunately, the basement was too dark for him to see anything and he once again wished he had x-ray vision.

Sighing, Frank was just about to crawl away when he saw the light come on. Pressing his face back against the window he saw the same man who had been having a smoke, come down the stairs.

And then as he looked past the man, he did not understand what he was seeing at first.

Someone, a child, a little boy, had been beaten and was chained to a bed and as Frank watched he saw the man talking to the little boy. The child shook his head and then Frank flinched as he saw the man draw back his hand and hit him.

The sound of flesh striking flesh… the pain filled little cry…

Frank felt sick. He had never anyone strike someone like that before.

And then the child fell back on the bed. Frank got his first good look at him… and doubling over, he threw up.

This kid, beaten almost beyond recognition was his little brother… it was Joe.

phx

"Okay Fenton", Collig's voice on the cell phone rang loudly, "I'll have Riley and Higgens swing by the Circle. You guys can work it out together."

Hanging up, Fenton slowed down to make sure he wouldn't miss anything. His mind was racing… both his sons were missing and as he looked for his oldest, he couldn't help but also hope to find his youngest.

He could not bare the thought that he might lose them both.

And that they had failed them both.

They had not been able to protect Joey in the Fun House, and now they had also not been able to protect Frankie in his own house.

Shaking his head, he pushed past the despair. He could not afford the luxury of emotions right now. If he did…. he would lose them both.

phx

The basement was once again shrouded in darkness when Frank was finally able to look in again. He felt shaky and scared as he wished his father was here but there was no one. Just him… and his baby brother.

Frank knew he needed to get help but first he had to see Joe. He needed to let him know that he was not alone. That one brief fleeting glimpse of his brother's face had been enough for Frank to see how terrified Joe was. And, a habit started in infancy; he needed to make Joe feel better.

Only then could he go for help.

But first he had to let Joe know he was here… and to tell him he was sorry for hiding from him in the Fun House.

No matter what.

phx

Joe heard a sound coming from the other side of the basement but he was too miserable to give it much thought. Miles had come down to give him one more warning.

"Okay you little piece of shit", Miles said as he glowered above the cowering boy, "are you ready to behave nicely and give your Momma a good night kiss?"

"Not my Mommy", Joe whispered, the words barely audible through his swollen mouth, as he shook his head feeling the world swim as he did.

Immediately Miles backhanded him again and the force knocked him back on the bed and stunned him.

Turning away in disgust, he pointed towards the bat as he said to the child, "Come morning, if you don't feel the love… I'll see how thick your skull really is…"

There was so much hatred and loathing in his voice, the little boy sobbed… he'd peed himself again.

Shivering and terrified, he sat in the dark and listened to the sound… there it was again.

phx

Frank tried the window. He had to get inside.

Pressing on the window, the little boy felt a surge of hope when he felt it give a little. It wasn't locked… but it was stiff and resistant from disuse.

Grunting, he pressed harder and slowly, painstakingly, the window began to open.

Just a little more, he panted and then… yes! He had the window open.

Slipping his feet in, he wiggled and squirmed his body into the small opening, getting stuck once before he slipped and then fell into the basement, hitting the floor squarely on his butt…hard!

Stunned, Frank sat there for a few moments trying to see if he had any more damage then his pride. But everything seemed to work, although as he stood and winced, he figured he was going to have a bruise. And then all thoughts for himself quickly diminished as he realized where he was… he was in the basement with Joe!

Whipping around, he saw his brother curled up in a small ball and hurried towards him.

phx

Joe watched in growing horror as a dark shadow fell into the basement and then proceeded right towards him. Terrified, the child sat up and moved back in against the wall as far as possible. His right eye had now swollen completely shut so he couldn't see very well.

Not knowing who this shadow was or what it wanted, he figured it was something else horrible sent down to punish him and he began to whimper as he drew his knees up to his chest, wrapped his arms around them as tightly as he could and rocked, "Not my Mommy… not my Daddy… not my Mommy…"

phx

The shadow stopped and stared at him in confusion. Why was Joey acting this way?

Taking another look at the beaten and bruised child distressing in front of him, Frank wondered if maybe he was wrong. Maybe this wasn't his brother.

So he just said softly, "Joey?"

phx

Joe heard the voice and started to shake and cry. The shadow sounded like his big brother… it sounded like Frank. But it couldn't be. Frank wouldn't be here….

He wanted it so desperately to be his brother… but he was too scared to just believe in case this was some horrible trick.

phx

Frank slowly moved closer to the bed and any doubts of whether or not this was his brother, were erased. It was Joe.

But he had never seen his brother behave like this before in his life… but then again he'd never seen his brother beaten up like this before he either.

Joe was more scared then Frank had ever seen him and the older boy desperately wanted to make him feel better.

He needed to.

So he tried again, "Joey? It's me."

Traumatized vibrant blue eyes looked at him and he heard his younger brother whisper, "Frankie? It is really you?"

"Yes Joey… it's me," and then the smaller boy was throwing himself towards his big brother, ignoring the pain… just wanting to be held and comforted by his brother.

Frank held his shaking brother not knowing what to do. He had seen Joe upset many times before usually after a nightmare and even furious, usually after a playground fight, but he had never seen him this way before.

After a few moments, he asked, "Are you okay?"

His brother refused to let him go but Frank heard him whisper, "I wanna go home!" The sound in his voice made Frank's heart ache. He wanted to be home too.

Glancing around, Frank saw their only ways out were the door from the basement up to the main house or the window he had come in through. The basement door was out of the question because that would mean running into the people who had done this to his brother… so that left the window.

Frowning, the small boy regarded the trembling mass that seemed to have affixed itself to his ribcage and knew the window was out of the question too.

He was no doctor but he knew his brother was badly hurt… too badly for climbing out a window…and then glancing down at the chain still shackled to his brother's ankle, he was still too captured as well.

Frank was going to have to go for help.

"Are you hungry?" Frank whispered as he tried to distract Joe into calming down a bit.

He felt his brother nod his head and keeping one arm still around his brother's body, Frank rooted through his pocket, positive that he still had half an Aero Bar in his pocket from the Carnival. He pulled it out and then frowned at the squished, icky mess that it had become during his frantic race through darkened Bayport.

"I have a bar… but it's squished", Frank said wishing he had thought to at least not have lain on it when he was looking in through the window.

Joe sat up a bit and looked at the brown mess in his brother's hand and then he grabbed it and began wolfing it down as Frank just watched.

"When'd you last eat?" the older boy asked thoughtfully as Joe was so hungry he almost ate the wrapper and would have if Frank hadn't grabbed it away.

"Dunno", Joe admitted leaning over and groaning as the rich food hit his empty stomach, "Cotton Candy…"

Frank's eyes widened, "But Joey's that almost 2 days ago! They didn't give you anything?"

The younger boy couldn't answer as he held his stomach and moaned, "My tummy hurts!"

"Here", Frank pulled away from his brother enough to let him lie down on his side and he gently rubbed his brother's stomach, alarmed to feel it moving beneath his hand as the devoured food made Joe's stomach cramp painfully.

Joe kept one hand firmly grasped to his brother's arm, as if afraid Frank would vanish if he let go.

As Frank tried to console his brother, his mind was a whirl with what to do. Joe needed help, that much was obvious but Frank was very reluctant to leave him alone now that he had found him in case Miles came back.

His kid brother was so terrified, it was terrifying him.

Glancing down again at his brother, Frank remembered he needed to tell him something, "Joey?"

"Um" the little boy moaned as he writhed on the bed with the next stomach cramp.

"I'm sorry", Frank said feeling his throat well with emotion, "that day… at the Fun House. I didn't mean to not answer you. I…I just wanted the game to go on a bit longer… I'm so… sorry."

As he lowered his head so that it touched his brother's shaking shoulder, he felt Joe reach up and touch his face, "Frankie…"

"Y-yeah?" he managed to stammer.

"Okay… just don't ever say… I don't hide good, no more okay?" Frank stared dumbfounded into the pain filled blue eyes that somehow still managed a brief twinkle before the pain took over again and he hugged him tight and whispered, "Oh Joey… no one hides like you."

phx

Fenton Hardy drove slowly as his sharp eyes scanned for any signs of his missing son.

"Where are you Frankie" he whispered, "Come on son, don't' do this to me too son. I can't lose you both… I can't"

And then he almost slammed on his brakes as he saw a man standing outside his small house having a smoke. But it wasn't what he was doing that startled the detective. It was the one glimpse of the man's face as it was briefly illuminated when he stuck the match… it was the face Fenton Hardy had been looking for.

Miles Nightingale.

phx

Frank frowned. He had no idea how to get the shackle off Joe. He kept one hand on his trembling brother as he screwed up his face and contemplated the bed frame. Maybe he could get the frame apart some how and get his brother lose that way.

But that would require tools and except for the bat he saw leaning against the far side of the wall, he saw nothing else that he could use.

"Joey…" he whispered having decided that he had no choice, he was going to have to leave him to go get help but then the sound of shouting and a loud commotion from upstairs, interrupted him.

"NO!" Joe screamed and flung himself at Frank but the older boy gently disentangled himself as he whispered, "Shhh Joey! It's okay… Shhh!"

Grabbing the bat, Frank hid around the corner. No matter what, no one was going to hurt his brother anymore.

Joe shrunk back against the wall as far as he could, his good eye wide with terror and his thumb once again planted firmly in his mouth. He was shaking so bad, Frank would see it from where he had hidden.

Frank tried to make his brother feel better; "Don't worry Joey. I know how to use this thing."

His younger brother didn't say anything as he continued to watch in terror, his mind ringing with Mile's threat… I'll see how thick your skull really is…

Frank whispered across to him, "Remember how dad taught us how to hit a ball?"

"Yeah... but", Joe said in a small shaky voice that Frank had to strain to hear over the commotion above them, "but he... that…. him..." Frank nodded knowing who he meant and then he shivered as Joe finished, "he...w-was gonna hit me with it! He said so!"

Holding the bat even more securely, the little boy's eyes darkened and he vowed, "No one is going to hit you, Joey…no one!"

Joe was shocked. He had never heard so much venom in his big brother's voice and then when he saw the look on Frank's face, he knew it was true and he felt protected.

Frank would protect him.

phx

Fenton Hardy knocked on the front door of the house. He had waited for Con Riley and another officer Todd Higgens to back him up and they stood just out of sight.

The door was opened by Miles and it took him one second to recognize that man who was at the door was the father of the child locked beneath them… but one second was all it took.

All hell broke loose.

phx

As it grew quiet above them, Joe started to whimper and Frank whispered loudly, "Don't' worry Joey… Dad will find us! He's a hero and that's what Hero's do." And he added thinking with sympathy about Joe's stomach, "And he's gonna buy you a burger from Johnny's so your tummy will stop hurting…"

Whatever else he was going to say was lost as they heard the sound of the door at the top of the stairs being opened and then the light was switched on.

Frank tightened his grip on the bat and took careful aim as he saw a pair of long legs come down the stairs.

And he swung.

phx

The bat was caught in a pair of strong hands… familiar hands and then he saw his father looking at him in disbelief.

"Fr-Frank?" Fenton stammered before his oldest was grabbing his hand and pulling him away from the stairs, "Come on Dad! I found Joey and he's hungry! They ain't fed him nothing at all!"

Fenton pulled Frank towards him and gave him a tight hug, "Thank god…. I thought I lost you too." Releasing the dark haired boy he quickly turned around and got his first look at the son he had lost.

And he was appalled.

"Oh sweet god", he whispered as he quickly moved to the side of the bed and reached out to touch his child. Joe drew away but then Frank was there encouraging him, "It's okay Joey… It's Dad. I told you he would come! It's Dad! You're safe now."

Joe turned his one good eye on his older brother for a moment and then he turned back to the man kneeling in front of him and whispered tentatively, "D-Daddy?"

"Yes Joey", Fenton said softly to his traumatized child, "It's Daddy and I'm here to take you home."

And then the little boy flew into his arms and as he was engulfed by the stronger ones, Joe sobbed brokenheartedly – he was finally safe.

They were both safe. He and Frank.

Their Daddy was here.

phx

"Fenton? Is everything all right down there?" Fenton heard Ezra Collig's voice on the stairs and realized that his friend must have just arrived. He had been just sitting on that dirty bed in that dark basement for about 10 minutes now holding his broken child.

His heart ached when he saw how badly beaten his son was and as much as he knew they needed to take Joe to the hospital, he couldn't let him go yet. Frank was sitting beside him, with one small hand protectively on his brother's back and the detective was floored.

How in the world had his 6 ½ year old son managed to do what he, the police and even the FBI had barely managed to do?

Frank had found Joe.

There is no way Fenton could ever explain the feelings that he had when he caught the bat and realized who it was who had swung at him. And then to see his other son, their baby, chained to a bed, and beaten… the investigator swallowed back the raw rage in his throat at the people who had done this.

They would be punished.

Both Miles and Darla Nightingale would be punished.

Already Fenton could hear the voices of the two FBI agents in the kitchen above but as he watched the look on Ezra's face change from relief to horror as he got closer to the bed, Fenton knew that whatever time they got would never be enough.

What they had inflicted on his youngest child would haunt Joe for the rest of his life, in some way. You could not be treated like this and not be scarred.

Fenton just prayed that he and his family had the strength to help Joe past this and hopefully put him in a place where, while he would never forget, he was not constantly reminded of it either.

"I'll call an ambulance", Ezra said and Fenton could hear the raw emotion in his voice but he shook his head, "No Ezra please. I'll take him in my car. But I need to get this damn shackle off his leg first", Fenton spat out the last part, infuriated that his son had been chained like an animal.

Chief Collig knelt down and examined the padlock on the chain and then straightening up he said to Fenton, "I'll be right back" and he took the stairs two at a time.

Fenton heard his voice and then the man's. He couldn't hear what Collig said but a few minutes later he hurried back down the stairs with a blanket… and the padlock key.

"Thank you", Fenton said huskily as he wrapped the blanket around the child and then lifted him up in his arms as soon as he heard the lock pop off.

Ezra didn't say anything but when he turned away, Fenton was sure the grizzled Chief of Police had brushed a tear away from his face.

"Let's get them out of here", Ezra said hoarsely and then patted Frank on the back as the small boy followed his father and brother up the basement stairs, "Good job Frankie… good job,"

The 6 ½ year old's chest swelled with pride.

Just as they hit the top step Frank said, "Hey Daddy can we get Joey a hamburger…I kind of promised him one?"

Fenton smiled down at him and said, "We need to get Joey checked out at the hospital first and then if the doctors say its okay... sure whatever he wants!"

phx

The scene in the kitchen had changed drastically since Fenton had run through it to get to the basement. In addition to Miles, Darla, Con Riley, Officer Higgens, and Chief Collig, the two FBI agents had arrived and as Fenton stepped into the kitchen, Sam Radly came from the other door.

A crowd of onlookers had already gathered outside the house, drawn in by the police cars and flashing lights.

Their eyes met briefly and Sam nodded. His eyebrows rose in shock when he saw Frank but then he saw the small boy wrapped safely in his father's arms and crossed to them quickly.

"Hey Joey", he said warmly his eyes hardening when he took in the bruised and swollen face. He could only imagine what other horrors the blanket was hiding, "How ya doing?"

Joe nestled in closer to his father but managed a small smile as he looked up at his father's closest friend, "Hi S-Sam." He didn't say anything else but just plugged the thumb back in his mouth. Sam swallowed back the lump in his throat and then gently squeezed Fenton's shoulder, "Take him to the hospital. I'll take care of things here."

"Thanks Sam", Fenton said and went to move towards the front door but Miles's voice stopped him.

"Stubborn little shit...I don't know why you'd would want him back when you've got your own little copy right there anyway," Miles pointed to Frank and Fenton felt the barely controlled rage he was holding in coming to the surface quickly, fuelled by the shudder that went through Joe's body at the sound of that man's voice.

But before anyone could say anything, Miles finished, enjoying the look on horror on everyone's faces, "Mind you a couple of hours with my bat, and I'd had had him calling the Pope Mom."

In one fluid motion, Fenton had passed Joe to Sam and rounded on Miles, knocking him flat on his ass and out cold with one powerhouse punch. Then he taking his shaking son back from his best friend, he strode out the front door with a very impressed and proud Frank following closely behind.

When the little boy got to the doorway he turned and glared at Darla, his dark eyes smoldering in his young face, "No one hurts my brother…. No one". And then he turned away and caught up to his father.

Sam and Con Riley flanked them keeping the onlookers and reporters, who had shown up sniffing out a major story, as far away as possible.

"Get in the front seat", Fenton told Frank, wanting to keep an eye on his sons as he drove. Frank obediently sat in the passenger seat and buckled his seat belt on. And then his father gently sat Joe down next to Frank and unbuckled the seat belt so it would go around both boys. He knew it wasn't the safest way for them to travel but right now he would have it no other way.

Then he slid into the driver's seat, started the car and raced to the hospital.

phx

Darla started screaming, "That's assault! He hit my husband!"

The two FBI agents exchanged glances hardly believing the gall of this woman but it was Ezra who answered her coldly when Con and Sam stepped back into the house, "Lady the only thing I saw was a father taking his son home."

As the other enforcement agents nodded in agreement, Sam shook his head at the woman. He was still in shock about what she and Miles had been capable of – as if Fulton McBride hadn't been bad enough…

"You know lady, if I were you I'd watch your back. Even in prison there's a code of conduct, and the one thing that isn't tolerated is the abusing and killing of children. Prisoners have ways of making lives hell… and it won't matter to them that Joey is Fenton Hardy's kid… to them it will just be a 5 year old little boy. A baby really. And he might have easily been their own child… yeah lady. I actually pity you for a second but then I think about what you did to the beautiful little boy… and to all those other children, and I don't pity you at all."

Turning for her in disgust he started to walk away when she called out, "Can we make a deal? I'll tell everything… everything! State's Evidence… isn't that what it's called?"

Sam stiffened but it was Special Agent Podeszwa who answered, "Only from not having to see the executioner's needle Mrs. Nightingale…."

phx

Dr. Bates, the Hardy's family physician, was waiting for them at Bayport Memorial and was shocked when he saw the shaking bundle in his father's arms. Overcoming it quickly, he ushered Fenton and Frank into a small examination room and had Fenton put his son on the stretcher.

"Are you okay?" Dr. Bates asked Frank as he carefully unwrapped Joe from the blanket. The older child was watching in through red rimmed swollen eyes and he winked at him, "Don't' worry I'll take good care of your brother."

"I'm fine", Frank admitted as he watched the doctor carefully removing pajama top.

"Hey", he said and both adults looked at him, "that's not Joey's clothes! He wasn't wearing PJ's!"

Fenton looked down and noticed that Frank was right but then Dr. Bates smiled and said Fenton, "I think it might be better if you and Frank waited in the waiting room." He glanced down at the blackened bruises on the little boys' chest, "I'm going to be taking him down to x-ray in a few minutes anyway."

Joe looked at his brother fearfully. He did not want Frank or his father going anywhere! He started to shake his head, "No… please… don't make them go!"

Looking down into the terrified little face, Dr. Bates felt horrible for suggesting it. And he recanted, "Okay they can stay but if they get in the way, they're going to have to go, is that a deal?" Both Frank and Fenton agreed.

It was very obvious to the doctor that his young patient had been severely traumatized and the last thing he wanted to do right now was make him more upset by removing his safety net from him.

Frank was just relived it was Dr. Bates who was looking after his brother because he was sure that if it was anyone else, he would have never been allowed to stay. Hospital's had strict visitation rules.

phx

Laura Hardy and Gertrude waited anxiously at home for word on the boys. Fenton had called them on his way to the hospital to tell his very relieved wife and sister that not only did he have Frank back but they had found Joe too.

At first the woman had wanted to come to the hospital but Fenton had asked them to wait at home as he was pretty certain Joe would be coming home with in a few hours. Although the little boy was badly beaten, he was conscious, lucid and had let Dr. Bates know in no uncertain terms that he wanted to go home…NOW.

So they waited for Fenton's call which came about three hours later.

"How is he?" Laura demanded as soon as she heard her husband's voice. It was the wee hours of the morning but she did care if she ever slept again until she heard about Joe.

He's going to be fine

"Fenton", Laura warned, although she was relieved she wanted the details, "Spill it now."

Laura the people who took him were exceedingly cruel he paused as he heard his wife gasp. He really did not want to tell her but she needed to be prepared for when she saw him They beat him with their fist and with a bamboo switch so he's heavily bruised and has a number of lacerations all over his body. He's got two black eyes and his right one is swollen shut

Another gasp as Laura smothered a cry. Oh her poor baby…

He just up from x-ray and while, thank god, none of his ribs are broken, 4are cracked and Dr. Bates is wrapping them right now. He's mildly dehydrated and hungry so they have him on a IV of fluids and antibiotics as a precaution. But once the IV is done, and he wakes up, they're going to give him something light to eat and then we should be able to bring him home.

"He's sleeping then?" Laura asked after Fenton stopped talking.

Yeah and Frankie is with him. In the bed actually. It was the only way Joey could sleep and neither I nor Dr. Bates had the heart to separate them. Those boys are really something Laura he admitted rubbing his tired eyes.

On the other end, his wife was smiling as she cried tears of relief. Although badly hurting, her baby was coming home in a couple of hours, "Yeah they are Fenton… they really are!"

Hanging up she told Gertrude the good news and then went to lie down. She was going to need all her strength to help her little boy when he got home. Fenton had only told her about the physical hurts… she could only begin to imagine what the psychological ones were going to be like.

I hope you rot in hell, the normally mild mannered mother said as she snuggled down in her bed and thought about the people who had done this to her son, prison is too good for the likes of you.

phx

It was 10 o'clock the next morning before Fenton was finally able to bring the boys home. Joe was still pretty wiped from his ordeal so his very much relieved, and livid mother (when she got a good look and realized that no matter what she had thought, it had in no way prepared her for her colorful child) insisted that they go upstairs and get some rest.

Noting his hesitancy to be by himself, and reluctant to let go of him again too soon, Laura went upstairs with Joe and held him in her lap until he fell asleep.

Frank went into his own room to catch up on sleep while his Dad squirreled himself away in his office to make some phone calls and his Aunt did some laundry. The dark haired boy sighed, except for his and Joe's 'nap' things seemed to be settling down nicely already.

Closing his eyes, Frank said a quick thank you to the powers that be for letting Joe be okay and then he drifted off to dreams of being Superman with x-ray vision.

phx

Gertrude was on her way upstairs with the laundry when she peeked into Joe's room and saw Laura still lying on the bed with her sleeping son.

"Laura", she whispered so she wouldn't wake Joe up, "Laura!"

Slowly Joe's mother opened her eyes and raised her head enough to see Gertrude standing next to her.

"What is it Gert?" She asked quietly as she gazed down contentedly at the little angel nestled against her. She felt very privileged to have her son back.

Joe was in a good sleep although it bothered her to see that he had his thumb in his mouth, something he had never done even as a baby.

"He's sleeping now, "Gertrude said impatiently, "Come on let's go."

"Go where?" Laura asked not sure she was following her sister-in-law's logic.

"Out of the room of course", Gertrude said matter-of-factly, "it'll ruin him if he gets used to you sleeping with him. He'll never be able to sleep in his bed alone."

Laura felt her back stiffen, "Excuse me?"

"You heard me", Gertrude said, "Come on. Joey's sleeping so come downstairs and help with this laundry."

"My son just got home", Laura said slowly pulling herself into a sitting position, "I am staying with him so that when he wakes up, he isn't afraid."

"Why would he be afraid?" Gert asked as if it was the silliest thing she had ever heard, "he's in his own room. Safe."

Beside Laura, Joe stirred and started as his aunt seemed to be looming right over him. Laura put a reassuring hand on her son and felt him tremble, "Gertrude please leave us alone. Joey needs to get some rest."

"And he will", Gert reinforced a bit louder this time as she saw her nephew was awake, "but it's best if you let him do so by himself. It'll make it easier for him to adjust then if he gets used to you always being in here with him."

"He just got home for Pete's sake!" Laura said more sharply then she intended but Fenton's sister always knew how to get her goat, "And this is hardly me being in here with him all the time!"

phx

Joe panicked. His aunt and his mother were arguing and as the volume of their voices increased, so did his fear….

…Miles roared, "WRONG ANSWER!" and Joe felt something strike his arm…

"NOOOO!" Joe screamed as he bolted from his bed and ran through the bathroom and into Frank's room.

phx

The older boy jerked up from his sleep in time to see his terrified brother come bursting into the room. Mindless of the pain it would cause, Joe launched himself into Frank's bed and Frank grabbed him and held his trembling brother unsure of what had happened.

And then he heard the raised voices of his aunt and Mother and knew.

They were arguing and it had terrified his little brother.

Holding him tightly, Frank grabbed his comforter and wrapped it around them both, making a cocoon out of it.

"Its okay Joey…" he whispered, "Its okay. I'll take care of you."

Frank heard rapid footsteps on the stairs and then the sound of his father's voice. Seconds later, the door to his own room opened, and he heard his father breath a heavy sigh of relief when he saw Joe safe in his brother's bed.

Slowly he approached the bed and sat down on the edge. He reached out to touch Joe's back but the little boy flinched so he stopped and said gently, "Its just Daddy, Joey. Are you okay?"

Joe turned tear stained cheeks to him and shook his head. It was the best he could do and his father accepted it.

The shouting from Joe's room had stopped so Frank assumed that his father must have stopped it. And he was relieved; he hated to hear anyone fighting.

His mother opened the door and stepped into the room. Frank could tell she had been crying.

"I'm sorry baby", Laura said as she knelt down beside the sobbing caterpillar.

Joe turned to look at his mother and when he spoke it was barely a whisper but it cut his parents to the quick, "I'm sorry."

"Sorry?" Fenton said softy afraid anything louder would spook his distraught child, "What do you have to be sorry for?"

"For…b-being t-trouble", Joe stammered, "I d-don't listen…. I l-leave my room m-messy… " he paused and squeezed his eye shut, "I'm n-not… as g-good as…F-Frankie."

Frank stared at his brother in horror, not as good as me?

But his mother was already talking, "Oh Joey… I know those mean people must have said that to you but baby it's not true!"

She turned to her husband for help and Fenton knelt down beside her and picked up, "Joey, you are not trouble. The people who took you… now they're trouble. In my life I have had many blessings but nothing comes close to your Mother… your brother… and You!"

Joe looked at his mother first and then his father… he wanted so desperately to believe them. And then he looked up into the face of his older brother who gave him a gentle squeeze and added, "Course you're not as good as me Joey… you're better!"

This made Joe laugh but then it turned to a frown, "So you d-didn't give m-me to them? When you l-left me in the F-fun H-house?"

Fenton's face clouded over with anger at the cruel mind games Miles and Darla had obviously played on his son and then asked slowly with a chilling comprehension, "Left you in the Fun House? Joey did you see Daddy when he was looking for you?"

The hurting child wouldn't look at him, Joe looked down at the comforter wrapped around him and nodded as he answered softly, "Y-yes… and then… and then you left!" Joe's anguished face looked up and Fenton sucked in a breath at the look he saw there.

And then he was gathering his baby in his arms and holding him gently as he rubbed the back of his head and rocked him, "Oh Joey. I looked everywhere… I didn't know you were still there. I couldn't find you… I would have never left you there… never!"

"Never?" Joe wanted so hard to believe and Fenton realized that this child was going to have a hard road back to them. So much damage had been done in so little time.

"Never", he asserted and then kissed the top of the child's head, "and I would move heaven and earth to find you. You're my son. I'm proud of you… messy room and all. And you know what else?'

"What?" came a sniffled reply.

"You and your brother are the two bravest people I know," Fenton watched as the compliment flittered across the pain filled face until he saw the desired result – just a little hint of the precocious child that had left with them on Sunday morning to go the Carnival.

Next to him he could almost feel the pride radiating from his oldest son.

"Really?"

Fenton hugged him, "Really."

phx

Fenton had one more thing to do. And he waited until everything was settled down again.

Joe was sleeping in Frank's room this time as Frank played video games on the floor next to the bed.

Laura was soaking in a hot tub working through another "Gertrude induced' headache.

And Fenton needed to talk to his sister. This had to stop.

His family had a hard enough time ahead of them trying to help Joe get past this.

The child would never forget but if they could get him to a place where he didn't always remember, then they will have done their job as a family.

Their youngest member needed to be healed… and he needed his family at full strength to do that.

Knocking softly on the door of the downstairs guest room, he waited until he heard his sister answer before he said, "Gert its Fenton. We need to talk."

"About time", Gertrude said opening the door and inviting him in, "I wondered when you would come down to apologize to me."

"This isn't an apology", Fenton said and then continued before she could say anything, "Gert I think until we can help Joey get past this, you need to go and stay with Mom and Dad."

"What are you talking about?" Gertrude scoffed, "Leaving? I can't leave now! Joey needs me here… you all do!"

Fenton sighed and ran a hand through his dark brown hair, "I don't want to fight Gertrude. Not right now when we need everything we have to let that little boy upstairs now he's safe with us and nothing is going to hurt him again... so I'm sorry but right now you can't help us."

Gertrude stared at her younger brother for a long minute before she said, "Fenton do you have any idea what you are doing? You and Laura aren't' playing house anymore. If you screw up, those children up are going to suffer."

"Frank and Joe are my sons Gertrude. Mine and Laura's. And we are not going to do anything to jeopardize them in any way. And that's why I'm asking you to leave now before something gets said that isn't so easily fixed, " Fenton sighed and stared at his sister imploring her not to make this more difficult on them, "Unfortunately you don't seem to want to respect Laura's place as the mother in this family… and when I have to run out of my office… to find you arguing with my wife… in my youngest son's bedroom, while he has fled… traumatized… to his older brother's room… well I have to make a choice. And this is it."

Gertrude shook her head and started to say something but Fenton cut her off, "Gertrude please" and then he softened his tone, "go stay with Mom and Dad. Give us time to help Joey. Don't make this about you when it should be about him."

"I want to help", she persisted.

"Not this way", he countered.

Finally Gertrude sighed and looked around the room, "Can you excuse me please Fenton? It would appear that I have some packing to do."

"I'll drive you to the airport when you're ready. Jack Wayne can fly you," Fenton offered but his sister cut him off with a glare, "No you won't Fenton Hardy. I will get a taxi and my own domestic flight. Make yourself feel better some other way."

Stung, Fenton left the room, closed the door and then went to his office. Sitting down heavily in his desk, he picked up the framed picture of his family that he kept there and he looked into their smiling faces.

Dear God, he prayed, please give me the strength to bring those smiles back…

phx

Frank was just getting ready to go to bed when he thought he heard sniffling coming from his brother's room. Quietly he tiptoed through the bathroom that they shared and stood in the doorway watching his younger brother.

Joe was sitting on the bed, in his pajamas obviously ready for bed… but he was crying.

Alarmed Frank wondered where his parents were but then he heard his mother's voice on the phone and figured his father was still downstairs talking to Sam and Chief Collig who had dropped by to talk to him just after supper.

It was turning out to be long talk.

Chewing his lip, the older boy considered his younger brother for a few moments, and then making his decision, he went over and grabbed his arm gently, "Come on."

"Where we going?" Joe asked wiping his sleeve across his runny nose as he followed his brother.

Frank led him into his room, pulled down the blankets and then patted the bed, "Here."

"What?" Joe was still confused but he did as his brother told.

Once Joe was settled into the bed, Frank went into Joe's room, turned off the light, turned off the bathroom light and then switched on a small desk lamp before turning off his own room light and climbing into the bed beside his brother, "Go to sleep Joey. I'll take care of you… those bad old monsters will never find you here."

The smile on his younger brother's face was all the reassurance he needed that he was making the right decision… and he made a silent vow to Joe right there and then that would stand fast even under the adversities that they would face in the coming years….

…I will always find you… I will come for you... I will always comfort you... you will never be alone…

And Frankie was right… the monsters never did find Joey hiding in his room…

phx

6 months later:

"Now Joey…" Fenton Hardy said as he knelt down in front of the small boy and made sure he had his strict attention. Joey was so excited he squirmed to try and see around his father. This was going to be the first time he was being left to play at the farm. Sure he had been there a number of times before to pick up or drop Frankie off when he went to play with his friend, Chet Morton, but this was the first time that Joey was going to be staying to play with them…all by himself…without his Dad or Mom around.

And Joey was so excited – the farm seemed to be screaming at him to be explored!

"Joseph?" The full use of his first name, made the child focus on his father's serious face. Satisfied that he had his youngest son's attention, the detective continued, "You will be on your best behavior and mind Mr. and Mrs. Morton."

"Okay Daddy", Joey said expecting his father to let him go now but Fenton continued, "And listen to your brother…"

"Okay Daddy", Joey repeated but still his father continued, "And stay out of trouble…"

"Okay…" Joey stopped as his father continued, "And stay away from the water!" Fenton was referring to the small creek that ran through the Morton's farm. It was mostly shallow but there were a few deeper areas and while Joey could swim, he was not a strong swimmer – unlike Frank who was like a fish in the water.

This time the little boy didn't say anything but listened as his father listed off a few more precautions and then finally something in the child's face made the man stop. Sighing at his overreaction, he stood and messed up the child's hair, "Now go and have fun."

Watching the boy run off to catch up with his brother, Fenton reassured himself that everything would be all right. He had already reminded Frankie repeatedly to keep an eye on his younger sibling… although that was really unneeded as his older son did that anyway.

But Fenton was still a bit worried. They had all become very overprotective of Joey since they got him back from the Nightingale's. His physical scars had healed and he had shown incredible emotional resiliency with the only obvious effects were his fear of strangers, his fear of the dark and his fear of being alone. But all in all, he was mostly the same precocious child that they had taken to the Carnival that fateful long weekend Sunday… and both Fenton and Laura counted themselves lucky.

"He'll be just fine", Mrs. Morton smiled as she recognized the anxiousness on the detective's face.

Mr. Morton grinned as he came out of the barn in time to hear his wife's reassurance, "We haven't lost a young'un yet."

Fenton smiled back at his own insecurity and then wishing them a goodbye he climbed back into his own car and headed down the driveway towards the hospital. They had dropped Laura at the hospital for day surgery before going to the farm and Fenton was anxious to get back and see how she was doing. It was a simple procedure but he always felt so helpless whenever someone he loved was in the hospital…even if it was only for a couple of hours.

phx

As Joe caught up with Frankie and Chet he wished his parents wouldn't be so…so funny about him. He hated being fussed over and he chafed under their over protectiveness. Yes… he still had the odd nightmare about his abduction but he was a big boy now and he could take care of himself!

"Come on Joey", Frankie yelled as he and Chet were halfway down the back pasture, "We got a secret clubhouse."

Joey was so excited – this was going to be the best day of his life!

Two hours later, the little boy was bored. His brother and Chet had spent the last hour pouring over their comic books and while Joey did love looking at Spiderman as much as any boy, he was itching to get out and do more exploring.

"Frankie…can we go and see the cows or something?" he asked as he stood up and stretched, "I'm bored!"

His older brother looked up from the comic he was reading and felt torn. His father had asked him to keep an eye on his brother and he knew that it was Joey's first real trip to the farm…but Chet had just gotten three new Spiderman's that he was dying to read…sometimes he hated being the older brother!

Sighing resignedly, he rolled his eyes and started to close the book when he heard a young girls voice. It was Iola, Chet's younger sister, "CHET! CHET!"

"What do you want?" Chet asked as he stood up and blocked the entrance to their clubhouse – after all NO GIRLS ALLOWED.

"Mom said you gotta let me play with you!" the 5 year old pouted. She had spent the past two hours tormenting her mother in the house before Mrs. Morton couldn't take it anymore and let her go and find the boys. She had done what she could to give them some time to their selves…now they had to let Iola play as well.

Chet groaned – little sisters were a pain. But then Frankie had an inspiration!

Jumping up from the ground, he pulled Chet aside and whispered to him. The other boy caught on immediately and nodded fervently. It would be perfect! They could continue doing what they wanted and not get into trouble for ignoring their respective siblings!

"Hey Iola", Chet started, "Why don't you take Joey over to the barn and show him Darling?"

Iola's eyes brightened – she had been smitten with the blond haired boy from the moment she met him a few months earlier, although he seemed very shy and hardly said anything to her.

But Joey looked skeptical – he didn't know Iola very well and girls were…well yucky. But Frankie piped up seconding Chet, "That would be a great idea. Come on Joey, it would be fun. And then afterwards you guys could come back here and we could play something." Deep down he was figuring that once Joey and Iola got to the barn they would find something to do by themselves and it would be a long time before they came back seeking them out.

Joey still looked unconvinced but before he could protest, Iola grabbed his arm and was dragging him away from the clubhouse, "Come on Joey – I'll show you my horse. Her name is Darling and she's just a baby but when she gets all grown up, then I can ride her all by myself!"

Frankie grinned at the distressed look on his younger brother's face as Iola's voice continued in a nonstop banter even after the two kids were out of eyesight. Now they could get back to reading their comics!

phx

It was almost lunchtime before Joey and Iola left the barn. He had been introduced to all the animals and thought that Iola was lucky to have her own horse…even if it was just a baby yet. And he had to admit that hanging out with Iola was kind of fun.

They were kindred spirits and became at ease with each other promptly. So after a quick peanut butter and jam sandwich, the two younger kids headed away from the house.

"Tell your brothers to come in for lunch!" Mrs. Morton called after them as Mr. Morton smiled behind his coffee mug, "and what are you smiling about?" She finished as she caught the grin.

"Nothing", he lied and then continued as she gave him 'the look', "It's just that I think our little girl is smitten with one blond haired young boy."

"What are you talking about?" Catherine demanded as she immediately leaned forward to catch one last sight of the youngsters as they started to run past the barn.

"Oh come on Cathy", he continued grinning as he used his pet name for her," don't tell me you missed the looks she kept giving the boy. It's the same look you give me…well when you're not giving me the look you're giving me now."

Catherine Morton didn't know whether to throw something at her husband or not but as she thought back to how attentive Iola was to their young guest, her eyes widened in disbelief. John was right – Iola was smitten with Joey!

"Oh dear", she said whimsically as the trace of a smile graced her pretty features, "this is going to be a long summer."

phx

"Come on", Iola beckoned as she took the lead past the barn, "let's go down to the creek. We can play shipwrecked on a dessert island like Gilligan's Island!"

"Don't you mean 'deserted island?" Joey corrected as the two raced across the field and towards the water.

"That's what I said!" Iola called back still in the lead but Joey quickly overtook her and got to the creek first. As he leaned against a tree and waited for her catch up he called out, "What's Gilligan's Island?"

Iola rolled her eyes as she came to stop in front of him in disbelief, "It's an old show that my Mom and Dad watched when they were younger. Mom has some tapes and she likes to watch them and sometimes she lets me and Chet watch them with her…" And then she went into a elaborate retelling of the series premise starting with the theme song, "Sit right back and I'll tell a tale…"

Fascinated, Joey begged her to teach him the song and they spent the next little while as Maryanne and Gilligan.

phx

"I'm hungry", Chet said getting up and stretching, "it must be lunchtime."

Frankie grinned and couldn't help saying, "If you're going by your stomach then it must always be lunchtime." That earned him a friendly swipe from Chet and the chase ensued back to the house.

"MOM!" Chet called out as he tore into the kitchen a step ahead of Frankie, "I'm hungry!"

Mrs. Morton came in from the pantry and shook her head as she pointed at the time, "No wonder. I was just getting ready to send your father after you. Why didn't you come home when Iola and Joey told you it was lunchtime? They left almost an hour and a half ago!"

Frankie and Chet shared a look before Chet said, "They never told us anything. We haven't seen them since this morning."

Mrs. Morton frowned slightly before sighing – kids. And then she quickly made them some sandwiches and milk before going out to the barn.

"That's it", Chet hissed to Frankie, "Iola's toast. She could have come and told us it was lunchtime!"

Frankie didn't say anything as he quietly ate his sandwich. He felt a bit guilty as he thought about his promise to his father to keep an eye on Joey. He hadn't seen his brother in a couple of hours…

"Maybe we should check on them and see what they're doing", Frankie suggested as he started to feel a little knot of worry in his stomach. He tried to brush it away but instead it seemed to intensify until his sandwich sat like a heavy lump in his stomach. It reminded him of how he felt when Joey was missing a couple of months earlier…, " we need to make sure they're all right."

Chet looked at his friend strangely before shrugging and taking a large swig of his milk, "Sure – if it'll make you feel better. They're probably out in the barn or something."

10 minutes later, tummies full, bladder empty, the two boys headed for the barn to see what their siblings were up to…and to give them a lecture for not telling them it was lunchtime.

phx

"Hey did you hear that?" Joey whispered as he put his fingers on his lips and grabbed the girl's arm to stop her making anymore noise.

"Hear what?" Iola whispered back suddenly feeling a bit anxious.

Joey cocked his head to the side listening and was rewarded a few seconds later as he heard another branch cracking, "Someone's coming," he hissed recognizing the sound of someone moving through the trees and towards them.

"It's probably just Chet or Frankie", Iola hissed back, "Come on let's hide and jump out at them – it will scare their pants off."

Giggling the two kids concealed themselves in some brush and waited. A few seconds later they were rewarded when someone stepped into view a little ways from the creek…and it was not Chet or Frankie. In fact it was someone neither child knew.

Joey fought the urge to scream and run. He was terrified of strangers and was rooted to the spot as for one second he was no longer hiding in the bushes with Iola Morton but he was back at the carnival…

Iola started to stand up but glancing over at her friend, she stopped. Joey looked like he was about to pass out as his face had gone deathly white and he was trembling. Concern for her new best friend stopped her and instead of confronting the stranger and demanding to know what he was doing on their property, she reached out and grabbed Joey's hand in her own. She felt him immediately squeeze her hand tightly.

The children watched as the man quietly made his way to the creek, looking over his shoulder periodically as he did. It was only when he knelt down by the water that they noticed for the first time that he was carrying something – a burlap sack.

And then to their growing horror, they saw the sack move and heard a plaintive whining. Neither child knew what was about to happen but they did know one thing – there was a puppy in that sack!

The man said something they couldn't make out as he opened the top of the sack and picking several larger stones, tossed them in. And then retying the top, he swung the sack behind him and tossed it into the creek.

Two sets of eyes watched in horror – the man was drowning the puppy!

The sack landed in the deepest part of the stream and was quickly sucked underneath. Satisfied that his task was done, the man turned away and quickly headed back to the road where he had left his car.

The children waited until he was out of sight, and then they both bolted to the creek. Without a second thought Joey jumped into the water and swam to where the sack had disappeared.

"NO!" Screamed Iola. For a second she hesitated not knowing whether to stay by the creek or go get help. But as Joey came up for air and screamed at her, "I can't find him!" Her mind was made up – they needed help.

Leaving her friend as he dived back into the water, she raced towards the house. She just prayed she wouldn't be too late. It never occurred to her that the prayer would be for more then the puppy.

phx

"Well they're definitely not in the barn," Chet said after they finished checking out every conceivable place for the kids to hide. He had expected them to hide and try to scare them but after 10 minutes of looking, no one jumped out and yelled 'boo' so he was ready to make his formal opinion known.

Frankie rolled his eyes – he could have told him that earlier. While Iola might have tried to scare them, he knew that Joey would have come out of hiding right away. The brothers played hide and seek a little differently now…

"So where do you think they're gone?" Frankie asked as they closed the door behind them and stood in the mid afternoon air. He was starting to really get worried now because he already knew the answer even before Chet said it, "The creek".

Suddenly the dark haired boy had a strong desire to find his brother and without warning his friend he started to run towards the creek. Yes while the creek ran through the whole property he knew exactly where Joey and Iola would be – at the part where the creek was the deepest and most dangerous.

Joey never did things gradually…it was all or nothing with him. So it would only be the dangerous spot…it had to be.

They hadn't gone very far when they heard someone screamed "NO!"

"Iola", Chet said as he was chilled by the horror in his sister's voice – something bad had happened.

The two big brothers picked up their pace and almost ran head first into Iola a few seconds later as the girl came tearing out of the overgrowth.

"CHET…FRANKIE…" she gasped and doubled over to catch her breath, "Joey…puppy…the creek…"

She didn't get a chance to say anything else as Frankie was already pounding through the brush in the direction from which she came. Something had happened to his brother that was all he knew.

phx

Once again Joey dived under and this time he found the burlap sack. He just prayed it wasn't too late. The child's lungs were bursting but he refused to go to the surface without it.

But the sack, weighed down with stones, was heavy and he couldn't budge it. Desperately he tugged at it and tried to lift it but it still wouldn't move. His lungs were now burning as he felt his strength diminishing and his head starting to swim.

The water was numbing but the boy refused to give up – he had to save the puppy.

phx

"Go get Dad!" Chet yelled at Iola as he sprinted after Frankie.

Iola nodded and ran towards the house. As she got close enough to yell she recognized the sedan that was pulling up in the driveway and within a few minutes she was racing back towards the creek with both her father…and Fenton Hardy right behind her.

phx

"JOEY!" Frankie screamed as he got to the creek. The water was quiet and there was no sign of his brother but he knew that was deceptive – Joey must still be under the water.

A sudden up rush of bubbles from the deepest part of the creek confirmed his darkest fears – his brother was drowning. Preparing himself for the cold water, he took a deep breath and dove into the creek. He would find Joey no matter what the cost.

phx

The water was colder then Frankie even imagined and it almost knocked the breath out of him. His concern for his brother overcame his instinct for self-preservation as he desperately searched the murky depths for Joey.

Suddenly his hand brushed something soft and he immediately grabbed it tightly as he kicked towards the surface. As he dragged his brother to the surface he was surprised by how heavy Joey felt until they broke the surface and he noticed that his brother was holding a burlap sack tightly in his fists and Frankie suspected that was what was making it so difficult.

"Hang in there…little brother", the boy gasped as he towed the limp body towards the rocky bank where Chet was pacing anxiously. He had arrived in time to see his friend dive into the cold water and prayed that his father would get here in time.

Reaching the bank, Chet helped him drag his brother out of the water and turn him on his back. Fear consumed them as they saw how lifeless Joey was.

"No" the dark haired boy whispered and then relief flooded him as Mr. Morton, Iola and then his own father burst into the clearing.

Fenton Hardy took in the scene immediately and pushed past the other two. Frankie looked at his father with a tear-streaked face, "He's dead."

Without time to consol his oldest son, Fenton immediately started CPR. He refused to believe his youngest son had drowned.

As he worked Mr. Morton managed to free the sack from the little boys tightly clenched fists, shocked that he had continued to hold on even in unconsciousness. Starting to unwrap the sack, he wanted to see what was so precious for a child to risk his life.

Behind him, Iola was in too much shock to say anything as Chet wrapped an arm awkwardly around her thin shoulders. He didn't know what else to do but it felt right.

Just as John Morton opened the sack he heard a sputter and then a cough as Joey breathed in a deep breath. Relieved he looked down and his heart broke – in the sack was a tiny black puppy.

phx

Fenton Hardy worked fervently – he had to save his son. He blocked out everything around him as he concentrated on what he had to do. An ex-NYPD officer, Fenton was well trained in first aid – CPR included but had never had to use it before. He had treated gunshot wounds, severed limbs and even heart attack but this was the first time he had to actually perform artificial respiration on anyone…and it was his own youngest child.

…Breathe…. breathe…breathe…his mind kept chanting as he continued the breaths, compressions and then checked for a pulse. Just when he was starting to believe what Frankie had said he felt a slight movement. Immediately he turned the boy to his side and Joey coughed up a lungful of water.

'Thank god", he muttered as dazed vibrant blue eyes opened wide and stared up at him. The man immediately gathered his son into his arms but Joey pushed away and looked at the sack that Mr. Morton was holding open.

Mr. Morton felt his eyes on him and turned to him sadly, shaking his head, "I'm sorry."

"NO!" Joey yelled making his father jump in surprise. His son was weak but struggling to move towards the sack, "NO! You have to save him!"

His eyes sought out his fathers, "You saved me." Fenton's heart tore but before he could say anything Frankie had moved past him to Mr. Morton and reaching into the burlap sack he carefully lifted out the still puppy. His own dark eyes, a mirror of his father's, told him the same thing…he had to try.

Fenton's youngest son had almost died trying to save the puppy – he had to try.

Taking the small body in his big hands, the detective placed his mouth over the puppy's and breathed a small gentle breath into his nose until he saw the little chest expand as it filled with air. And then he gently pressed down on the tiny breastbone to expel it. And then he breathed into it again.

It was hopeless but the man had to do this for his son. He saw the farmer shake his head. Not that John felt CPR on an animal was a waste of time but because he felt the animal had been dead too long. As a farmer, he had seen and heard tell of CPR working on animals but…

His thoughts were interrupted by a soft wheeze followed by a sneeze. Fenton was so shocked he almost dropped the puppy – it had worked!

Immediately he placed the puppy into Joey hands and taking off his jacket, he wrapped it around them both. Then lifting his son up, he carried both the boy and the pup back to the farm…

phx

And Joe called him Hero…

The End.