Author's note: First time posting a Hardy Boys fanfic. A bit AU, but I hope you enjoy it. Pairings are Frank/Callie, Joe/Vanessa as per usual. I haven't read any of the casefiles nor do I live in the USA so if my spelling and other whatnot (such as schooling, measurements, etc) is a bit off, I apologize. I'd rather you didn't flame, but if you must. Go ahead. Reviews are much appreciated. Thanks for reading.

Disclaimer: Although I wish to, I do not own the Hardy Boys or any of their friends. But I own Faith.

Prologue

When eighteen year old Frank Hardy had gotten home, he was surprised to see that the kitchen light was still on. He was about half an hour late from his curfew and expected everybody to be in their rooms. As what his brother one year his junior liked to call his 'spidey sense' turned on, he cautiously entered the kitchen.

"Faith," he couldn't help but hide his surprise when he saw that it was just his fourteen year old sister sitting at the countertop, eating what looked like cereal.

"You're late," she said with her eyebrow raised. Frank looked at his watch, it was 11pm.

"I'm aware of that," he said plainly, his face going slightly red. He was at his long time girlfriend, Callie Shaw's house and they had managed…to lose track of time. "What are you doing up?" It was a school night and usually, Faith would be sound asleep. She shrugged, her face masking her emotions. Something all three of the Hardy teenagers were good at doing. As she looked at the ground, Frank knew something was wrong. Her eyes had always given her away, hence her looking away.

"I can't sleep," she said, her voice a meagre whisper. Ever since Frank and Joe had rescued their only sister from The Firm last summer, she wasn't the same. The Firm was an organization that was set up by Bernard Paulsen, the man Fenton had put in jail many years ago. After being released, he vowed revenge on his foe. While trying to do so, Frank and Joe were the pair that managed to imprison the man once more. Now, he was even more hell bent on getting revenge on all the Hardys. It had become his life goal, he had even said if it was the last thing he would do, so be it. They had taken Faith in the middle of last summer, holding her hostage and torturing her. Since her rescue, she had become a lot quieter, kept to herself more than before. Frank didn't blame her, although he would never admit it, The Firm scared him. He'd seem them break apart one of the strongest girls he knew, the one sitting in front of him right now. Lately, Faith hadn't been going to bed early, although she never told her family the reasons why. Joe wanted to question her about it, he was getting as worried as everyone else but Laura reasoned that when Faith was ready, she would tell them.

"Why's that?" Frank asked tenderly. He didn't want to interrogate the poor girl but he wanted to know just like the rest of his family, maybe even more. Frank and Faith never used to be so close, it was always Faith looking up to Joe but when she was kidnapped, Frank came to the realization he might lose the only sister he had, without even knowing her and something had clicked in his brain. Since then, the pair had gotten a whole lot closer. Faith just shrugged, hopping off the countertop and placing her bowl in the sink.

"I should probably try and get some sleep," she said, almost as if she was trying to reason with herself.

"That sounds like a good idea, I'll see you tomorrow," he kissed her on the forehead as she past him.

"Good night bro," she said, smiling at him. Frank smiled back. It felt good to see Faith smile, it was something that he didn't see very often.

"You're not a real Hardy," the voice spat menacingly at her. The man was wearing a ski mask, his appearance unknown to her.

"Yes I am!" she cried out. Faith tried to reach out to the person, to punch them, to slap them, to hurt them. To hurt them like he was hurting her. But her hands were tied up behind her and she could feel the rope rubbing against her flesh. She didn't bother crying out, she was so used to the pain that it barely registered. She had been taken for three days now and had no idea where she was. That thought alone was terrifying her.

"Laura and Fenton may be your parents, but you aren't a real Hardy. You aren't a sleuth. You aren't smart like Frank, you aren't athletic and outgoing like Joe. You're useless, worth nothing!" the voice started laughing. It wasn't a nice laugh, it was a cackle that bought even more fear to Faith's heart. No-one could argue with the first statement. Even though she didn't look exactly like one of her parents, it was obvious that she was their daughter. Inheriting Fenton's dark wavy hair and slim figure while also gaining Laura's deep blue eyes and small nose.

"Then why have you taken me?" That's what Faith couldn't understand. For three days, this person, whose face she hadn't even seen, had been telling her how worthless she was but yet he had kidnapped her. For what? Some name calling.?There had to be more than that. Physically, Faith wasn't doing so hot but it was her mind that was practically shattered. Punches and hits she could handle, there were bruises all over her body but Faith just felt numbness to that. She had a feeling that her ribs were cracked, maybe even broken by the number of kicks and punches aimed at her stomach and she had managed to even cough up blood at some point. But the taunts, the words, they cut her like a double edged sword. She actually had begun to believe this man. That she was inadequate, that she didn't deserve to be a Hardy. She wasn't the smartest in her class, but Faith was certainly bright. And she knew that she was nowhere near as athletic as her brother Joe, but she was on the school's track team and she was on the soccer team. She was quiet and logical, like her brother Frank but she liked to have fun and was known to be very witty, a lot like Joe. Her father teased her about being the best of both of his sons. But unlike her brothers, the idea of mystery didn't appeal to her. She didn't want to follow in her father's footsteps like her brothers had done so successfully. But that certainly didn't mean she wasn't a part of any. Faith grew up around murder cases and had been kidnapped more times than she could even count. Yet she didn't like sleuthing and being mysterious.

"You're just bait my dear," the man leaned in close, running his finger down her cheek causing a chill to run down her spine. She couldn't handle it anymore. Part of her just wanted to scream but she knew it wasn't a wise idea. She couldn't let this man see how he'd gotten to her. No, she couldn't let him know that he'd won.

"Bait? My brothers and my dad will be coming. And they'll destroy you," she said, trying to keep her voice at the same octave and sounding far more confident than she felt. Her mind was telling her that she wasn't going to be saved, but in her heart, she knew that they were looking for him. She prayed that they were looking for her. The man had taken photos for her bruised body and sent them to her family like some grim reminder that they still had a daughter; a sister.

"That's what you think my dear," the man cackled loudly. He then grabbed what looked like a gas canister from the corner and doused the area surrounding Faith with petrol.

"W-what a-are you doing?" she managed to stutter, her heart grew cold as she thought of the worst. Her fears came alive when the man produced a matchbox out of his pocket. This man was insane, she thought. Frank, Joe and dad aren't going to let him get away with this. Part of her knew that was over.

"Such a shame for beauty to go to waste," the man called, lighting the match. Her brothers couldn't find her now. They were too late. It was over for her.

"HELP!" Was the last thing Faith cried out.

Joe Hardy awoke suddenly, hearing a scream that chilled his heart. Faith, he thought immediately, getting out of bed and rushing out of his room. In his haste, he almost ran into his brother, whom was thinking the same thing. They both looked at each other, Frank nodding grimly before they rushed into Faith's room. She was thrashing around in her bed, her sheets tangling her. Faith was screaming as if something that was haunting her. Joe knew exactly what it was and his anger for The Firm grew deeper. He ran over to her side, trying to stop her from falling out of her bed.

"Faith," he called out urgently and ducked as her hand almost made contact with his face.

"We need to wake her," Frank said, his mind racing. She was definitely in a state and he didn't want to harm her. Or harm himself or his brother.

"FAITH!" Joe screamed, shaking her. He desperately wanted to wake her, just to comfort her. As if on cue, Faith gasped and she sat bolt upright, almost smacking into her two brothers if it weren't for their quick reflexes. She was drenched in sweat and tears were pouring down her face.

"The Firm," she whispered as Joe climbed into the bed with her, wrapping his arms around his little sister. She rested her head against his chest and Frank joined in the hug, rubbing her back. He wasn't usually the type of guy to show his feelings of pain, but he didn't care if anyone saw how scared he was for his sister.

"It's okay Faith, it was just a dream," Joe whispered in her ear, stroking her hair. What had The Firm done to her? He questioned once more. She never talked about it and everyone knew better than to ask But he wanted to know. He wanted to know what they'd done to her inside. They had seen the effects of the physical. When they had found her, she was almost half dead. Several of her ribs were broken, there was internal bleeding in various parts of her body and her ankle was badly twisted. Bruises had covered her whole entire body and her skull had a hairline fracture and her brain had swollen up. Joe shivered, remembering the day his family had received that news in the Bayport Hospital. There was a fifty-fifty chance of Faith living, he remembered the doctor saying. But the bruises had faded, the bleeding was stopped and she was healed. Physically. But in her head, Joe knew that she was more messed up than he could begin to imagine.

"It was so real," her voice was a terrified whisper and it broke Frank's heart. But he didn't know what he could do. As the helpless feeling sunk in, Frank couldn't help but feel guilty. Deep inside, he knew that he was partially at fault for Faith's kidnapping. The day she disappeared, he was supposed to have taken her to her friend's houses. But he'd forgotten, making plans with Callie, Joe and the gang instead. Faith wasn't the type to make a big fuss about nothing, so she walked to her best friend's house, Alicia Prito (Tony Prito's younger sister). But she never arrived. They had found her backpack lying in a ditch about a kilometre away from the Prito's house. There the nightmare had begun. But it didn't seem to have ended. A cough from his sister jolted Frank back into reality. He stared at his younger sister, his heart aching and at his younger brother comforting him. What was he do to? He asked himself.

"You can go to bed if you like Frank. I'll look after her," Joe murmured, as if reading his older brother's thoughts. He knew very well that Frank wasn't the touchy-feely type, the type of person that Faith needed right now. He wasn't either but he was prepared to do anything to make her feel better. Frank gave a resigned nod, feeling even more helpless than before.

"Give a yell if you need me," he said quietly as he left his sister's room.

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