Where My Demons Hide

Disclaimer: I do not own the Hardy Boys or any of the book characters.

Thank you! To Wendylouwho10 as usual for reading for flow and content. Typos are mine and I find them all the time!

Rating/Setting: Rating is T. Started as kinda blue spine with a touch of Casefiles but is now completely AU. Frank is 20 and Joe is 19.

Summary: F/20 J/19 "Taken" series. Follows "Survival Instincts." It's summer time and the trio are working for ORT and Joe contemplates taking a serious step with Vanessa. But as Joe tries to help a friend the boys find their lives are also in danger. Now they are pulled into a life and death struggle when the Assassins decide enough is enough.

Author's Notes: This is NOT a songfic. At least I don't think it is because I had the idea first and then thought how the song went so well with it. The title IS inspired by the song though. If you want to listen to the song go to youtube and search for 'demons by imagine dragons.' Go with the one by ImagineDragonsVEVO channel, it'll be the official one. You can also Google the lyrics for the song as well.

Series List (just the teenage fics listed below):

Taken
Recovery
Retribution
Wild Pitch
Undercover Trouble: Covert Contention (yeah, little bit wordy there)
For Who You Are
Mission Parameters
Debts
Survival Instincts
Where My Demons Hide

.*.

Chapter One

"So it's been two months since we last spoke," Dr. Thomas Childers said as he adjusted his reading glasses and peered over them.

Joe smiled at him. His leg was bouncing but it wasn't out of pent up frustration or anger. This time is was just a way to release a little energy. "No death or destruction on this last assignment."

Childers smiled back as he propped his elbows on the armrests of the dark leather wingback chair that seemed standard for any self-respecting psychiatrist. "You seem remarkably happy."

Joe's smile didn't dim. "I guess I am." When Childers didn't answer, Joe chuckled knowing the doctor wanted him to elaborate. As he reflected, his smile faded. "I know I killed someone just three months ago and I'm not trivializing that. Really, I'm not." He drew in a deep breath and let it out. "There wasn't another option and that choice was the only one I could make. But you know that. We've already talked about it." He looked at Childers and waited.

Reaching up, Childers removed his reading glasses and carefully folded them and placed them on a small side table. "I'm not trying to make you feel guilty about this, Joe. I'm just trying to determine if your state of mind about the incident has changed. There is nothing in any of the reports I've read that indicated you acted inappropriately." Childers folded his hands in his lap. "But you still haven't told me why you're happy."

Joe smiled shyly and looked down at the patterned rug on the floor. "Vanessa."

.**********.

Later that afternoon, Joe stood in the doorway of ORT's Cyber Surety Division and stared at the profile of his girlfriend in the muted lighting as she talked into her headset and typed on her keyboard. Vanessa is beautiful, he thought as he placed his shoulder against the door frame and continued to stare. She had worn her hair down and pulled over her shoulder the way he liked it. God, how I've missed her.

The brothers had been on a mission for a month. They had left on assignment almost immediately after the end of the spring semester. Thankfully, it had just been an uncover operation to gain information. In a way, it was kind of embarrassing as it was information gathering and it would have seemed more appropriate for Vanessa to have gone. However, the mogul owner of the small jet construction company had four daughters between the ages of seventeen and twenty-two and they were all currently unattached and in the mood to party. All it took was going to the same restaurants and coffee shops as the girls in order to strike up a conversation. It didn't take long for the two handsome young men to get asked to attend some of the loud and boisterous parties the girls threw at the family mansion. Then the two of them tag teamed to get the needed information from secure paper files in the house. Thankfully, the father was not as security conscious as Joe's assignment in Chesapeake.

A sound drew Joe's thoughts back to Vanessa as she took off her headset and laid it to the side. It was his cue to move.

"Are you free to take a break," he said softly as he stood behind her chair. Bad decision, he thought belatedly as the roller hit his foot and the back of the chair pressed sharply into his abdomen taking his breath and giving him a moment's pause about that extra cheeseburger he had at lunch.

"Joe!" Vanessa squealed as she hopped up from the chair and rushed around it to fling herself into his arms causing him to take a quick step back. "When did you get back?" she asked in a rush as she continued to hold him.

Pushing back slightly so he could see her face, he explained. "We got in last night. I had a couple of meetings earlier and I just finished my debrief." He looked around and saw the office was still mostly empty. "I thought maybe I could steal you away long enough to get a soda in the break room."

A quick grab of the hand and Vanessa was pulling him from the room. "Let's go!"

Joe laughed as he followed along behind her.

.**********.

After talking for a bit, Vanessa took his soda and sat it to the side and then took his face in her hands and moved it from side to side and then when she was apparently satisfied, she stopped.

"What ARE you doing?" Joe asked with a laugh as he picked up his soda and took a drink.

"Checking for hickies," she said with an answering smile.

Joe choked and coughed as he had swallowed wrong. He gratefully took the napkin offered by a giggling Vanessa. "I think some came out my nose," Joe said in a raspy voice as he wiped his face and coughed a little more. "Couldn't you have waited until after I swallowed?"

Vanessa leaned back on the break room couch and crossed her arms. "What? And miss your honest reaction to my question?"

"Well, there's no hicky and I'm happy to say it. Thankfully, the girls actually seemed to prefer brunettes for some unfathomable reason," he said with a smile. "Callie will be glad to know that GQ Sexy managed to avoid lip-locking as well."

Vanessa laughed some more. "You're never going to let him live that down are you?"

"No way. It's too much fun but I know I have to save it for critical moments or it will lose its power," Joe responded in a solemn tone.

Vanessa leaned forward and stared into his eyes. "Well, you certainly seem more than okay."

Not breaking her gaze, he said, "When I'm with you - definitely."

Vanessa blushed and sat back.

"Dinner tonight?" Joe asked.

"Name the time and I'll be ready."

"Six o'clock?"

"I'll be waiting on the porch," she said as stood.

"I'll walk you back, then I'm meeting Frank to catch the train," Joe said as he placed his can in the recycling. It was good to be home and great to be back with Vanessa.

.**********.

The sounds of the train hummed as the train reached full speed and the summer sunshine created flickering lights as the train moved past trees and buildings.

"So," Frank said as he stretched his long legs out and crossed them at the ankles under the seat facing him. "You seem to have something on your mind."

Joe sat on the seat across from his brother but over to the side. Both of them had the urge to stretch out their legs but they also wanted to talk. However, Joe had stretched his legs out and then brought them back in and leaned forward only to stretch them back out.

Frank chuckled and Joe pulled his legs in again and this time leaned forward slightly. "I'm going to ask mom for the rings."

Frank stared at him for a moment. "You want to get Grandma and Grandpa Blakeley's rings?"

Laura's parents had died in a car accident when Joe was nine and Frank was ten. The Blakeleys had left their wedding rings to Joe. Laura was to keep them until he turned eighteen.

Joe nodded. "I wanted to get them cleaned."

"You're going to ask Vanessa to marry you?" Frank asked slowly.

Joe leaned back frowning. "Wow, bro. Don't get too excited."

Frank shook his head. "It's just. Well. Okay. Congratulations, Joe."

Joe crossed his arms. "Which argument are you going to use? The 'you're a little young' argument or the 'you're still in therapy' one?"

Frank leaned forward and pointed at Joe as he said, "THAT was totally unfair. I would never use your therapy against you."

"Ah, then the 'you're too young' is what you're going for."

Frank leaned back, looking tired. "Joe, I'm not meaning to argue about anything. I just wasn't expecting to hear this on a train ride from ORT to home." His facial expression softened. "Listen, I'm really happy for you. You know I love Vanessa." He smiled. "I guess I always expected to get married first."

Joe broke into a large smile. "I thought you would too, but you are moving at sloth speed."

"Callie and I are just twenty. We just wanted to wait a while," Frank said. "What has made you decide now is the time?"

Joe's focus turned to the scenery passing by the window. "Life's too short to wait when you know what you want." He paused and looked back at Frank. "And please don't read into that. I'm not expecting to die. It's just that I've already cut things close a lot of times and I know that I want to be with her." He tilted his head to the side. "So why wait?"

Frank gave a soft snort and then grinned. "Can I ask who the best man will be?"

Joe laughed and settled more comfortably into the seat. "Let's get the rings cleaned first." He was relieved that Frank had shifted to a much more accepting tone but now that he had told Frank he needed to make sure of something. "Um, don't tell Callie, okay?"

Eyes widening in surprise, Frank responded, "I'd never tell Callie unless you said I could. This will only be told by you… to anyone," he added.

Joe relaxed further. "I didn't think you would but I know you've big on not keeping secrets from her now."

"I was never big on keeping secrets from her, but I understand what you meant." Frank smiled widely, "But I think she'll forgive me for this one."

"I'm sure she'll forgive you." This time Joe smiled broadly back. "But it might get her thinking about your future together." When Frank didn't rise to the bait, Joe looked at him curiously. Obviously his brother had already given the thought of marriage to Callie some thought himself. Maybe I won't be the first one married. He smiled even more.