It Should Have Been Me by Emachinescat
A Hardy Boys Fan-Fiction
SUMMARY: Joe's thoughts during Casefile 29, "Thick as Thieves," when he sees Chavo "shoot" Frank on the dock. Don't have to read the book to get the story.
A/N: Another little plot bunny. In Casefile 29, Thick as Thieves, Joe is pretending to be a thief in a gang and Frank gets caught by an undercover agent in the gang. They don't know he's undercover and when he tells Frank to play along and shoots him with a blank, all Joe sees is his brother shot right in front of him. A peek into his mind at that devestating moment. Please review!
It Should Have Been Me
Oh, dear Lord, please don't let that be true…that didn't just happen…oh, God, no, please, no…not him…not him
This frantic, jumbled prayer was the first thing that raced through my mind when I saw that lowlife Mexican, Chavo, pull the trigger. I didn't believe it. I couldn't believe it. My eyes were telling me what my brain simply would not comprehend or acknowledge. My brother was dead.
I'd never thought it would happen. I knew, of course, that we would both die someday, most likely in the line of duty…but not like this…not when we hadn't even meant to stumble onto a case…and not Frank. I'm the impetuous one, the hotheaded idealist that would sooner propel himself into danger than let anyone get hurt if I could prevent it. I know I can be careless when it comes to my life, but I don't do it intentionally. It's just…I see someone in need, and I absolutely have to do everything in my power to save them. To me, it's not something I can methodically sit and think about, deciding if the risk is worth it. No, if someone's in danger, my gut instinct is to help them, no matter the cost…
That being said, I'm usually the one who gets into trouble, propelling myself into dire situations because of a moment of rash reaction. If either one of us were going to die early…in the line of duty…I was sure it would have been me.
It should have been me.
It's all my fault. If I hadn't been so eager to go undercover as "The Kid" since everyone thought I was him anyway and the real Kid was dead, this never would have happened. I shouldn't have gone to the second meeting to try to find out what was going on. I should have bull crapped my way through the first one—like I did - and then I should have ignored Charity, ignored the allure of another mystery…I should have gotten out of there and left well enough alone. If I had, my brother would be alive.
A/N: I know it was short, but... review? :)
~Emachinescat ^..^