Well, it's been a long time but I am back in the fanfiction seat. I think my days of Supernatural fiction are well and truly over. But I've always had a soft spot for the Hardy brothers which was recently reignited. There's so few 'older Hardy' fics out here that I figured I'd just go for it and make my own. This is an evolving story which started when my brain imagined the end game. So the beginning and middle are not strictly there yet. But I will aim to get at least one update a week done until this is finished. Maybe even more. I was going to wait until this was finished to post but I admit, I got over excited and went for it.
I don't have a beta so feel free to point out any glaring mistakes. I have proof read it a few times but you know how it is. Anyways, enjoy!
Frank Hardy leant back in his chair. An ear splitting yawn accompanied the hollow sound of his back cracking as he rolled into a satisfying stretch.
"Gross Frank, you know that goes through me," Joe Hardy frowned at his brother as Frank shot a grin across his desk towards the younger man.
"Don't ever deny a man a good stretch when he's getting towards the end of his working day little brother," quipped Frank, settling himself back into his chair. Grabbing the mouse of his computer he saved the open documents as he began the process of winding down.
Joe grumbled as he shuffled the stack of papers he had been pretending to work on for the last hour, his mind drifting towards thoughts of the home cooked meal Vanessa had no doubt started making. Stacking them neatly, he dropped the pile onto the top of the clutter of pencils, staples, wrappers and other detritus littered across his desk and nodded satisfied.
Frank shook his head, chuckling as he eyed the performance. It seemed a little ridiculous to him that his brother bothered to be so neat with his paperwork when his desk was so entirely messy. Turning off the computer he stood, grabbing his coat and breaking into another yawn.
"Who would have thought spending the day catching up on the paperwork could tire you out so much?" he said, rubbing at his eyes.
"I could, I could have told you that hours ago. In fact, I did. I distinctly remember saying paperwork is probably the most boring thing on the planet, even worse than a day shopping with Vanessa and boy does that woman know how to shop," Joe said a little petulantly. Frank knew that Joe's least favourite part of being a private investigator was the paper trail that came with the territory.
"Well you knew as well as I did when we got into this business with dad, it couldn't all be chasing bad guys and swindling smugglers," he chuckled. His grin getting a little wider as Joe rolled his eyes at him before getting up from his chair and grabbing his own jacket.
"Yeah, funny how he suddenly decides he's in the middle of a 'huge case' the second we mention the growing pile of paper based fun," Joe grouched, switching off his lamp and heading for the door. He shuddered a little as he stepped outside, the winter wind whistling through the opened doorway and chilling him to his bones. Standing in the dark of the evening he waited for Frank to lock up the shutters, pulling his jacket closer and zipping it all the way up to his neck.
The brothers walked in companionable silence, side by side, away from the small office building now shrouded in darkness and bearing a sign reading 'Hardy and Sons'. Heading towards the car park opposite, their shadows danced ahead of them as they trudged under the street lamps. Their breath was visible in the frosty air, their shoulders bowed in a vain attempt at staving off the cold.
"Well I'll see you tomorrow bright and early," said Frank, pulling out the keys to his car "we only made a small dent in the admin today." Laughing to himself at the groan emitted from the recesses of Joe's van, he hopped behind the wheel, turning on the in car heating as he beeped a good bye to his brother and headed back to his apartment.
Fenton Hardy, renowned private detective, had approached his sons the day after they had each graduated high school with an offer for them to join his business as fully fledged investigators. Though they had both pretty much expected the offer to be there waiting for them, it had come as a pleasant surprise and the men had been excited at the opportunity. However, they each wanted to first pursue a full education and Fenton had been only too glad and more proud to watch both of his sons enter college and achieve degrees. Thus Frank returned home qualified in Criminal Psychology and Justice to begin working with his father, joined a year later by Joe sporting his equally impressive degree in Criminology. Fast-forward two years and the young men had well and truly settled into business with their father, and Hardy and Sons had an established name and a steady stream of custom.
Joe sighed a little as he drove, grimly amused as he thought about the bulk of the cases that Hardy and Sons were called upon to solve. Mostly jealous lovers or over bearing parents which offered little more than mind numbing surveillance but, as Fenton so often reminded them, kept the electricity running. Although he didn't revel in the super dangerous side of investigating which usually resulted in one or more of the Hardys bloodied and bruised, he was hard pushed to kid himself that they weren't the more exciting cases.
He grinned as he noted the lights of his and Vanessa's apartment, which almost seemed to shout of warmth and comfort, the grin getting a little wider as he entered their home and the smell of lasagne assaulted his senses. As he had correctly predicted, Vanessa had been cooking.
The next day saw the brothers once again arriving to work, trotting a little to escape the frost of the early morning. Entering the building Joe blew on his hands after removing his gloves, his first move being to turn on the coffee pot as Frank fiddled with the thermostat. First one in makes the coffee being the unwritten but universally understood rule of the Hardy men.
As the smell of coffee began to permeate the room, they headed to their respective desks removing their winter layers as the heating started to kick in.
"Hey Joe...look at this," Frank said, his tone unusually grave considering his annoying habit of being one of those morning people.
Normally Joe wouldn't have bothered dignifying his brother with a response, the second unwritten but universally understood Hardy rule being that Joe doesn't wake up until his second cup of coffee. But the tone of his brothers voice broke through even the youngest Hardys morning haze and had his spidey senses tingling.
Tossing Joe the paper Frank lent against the front of his desk, arms crossed, as Joe's eyes flicked through the front page article widening a little with each sentence.
"Heh..." was his less than eloquent reply.
"...What do you mean 'heh'..." Frank asked, a little incredulously "there was a body found on the outskirts of town and your answer to that is..'heh'?"
"I'm sure that once I have been correctly caffeinated to a respectable level I'll be able to come up with a reply that Shakespeare himself would be in awe of," Joe said more than a little sarcastically "but until that point oh brother of mine, you will have to grin and bear my answer of 'heh'".
With that, Joe stood and headed to the coffee pot with a pronounced air of self importance, pouring himself a cup and wiggling his eyebrows at Frank over the rim.
Frank couldn't help but let out a bark of laughter as he strolled to fill up his own cup before returning to his desk and fixing a mock look of awe on Joe as he waited for his response.
"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh," Joe sighed in exaggerated contentment before fixing his eyes on his steadily frustrated growing brother. "Well what the hell are you waiting for Frank? Let's go check this out."
Pulling up to the tell tale crime scene tape in Joe's van a little later the cloud of amusement died, replaced with a steady professional air on the part of both brothers. Seeing the familiar figure of Con Riley the Hardys exited the vehicle shutting the doors at almost identical times. The noise alerted Con who whipped around angrily clearly spoiling to fight with what he assumed to be more Goddamm reporters.
His features markedly relaxed into a grim smile of recognition as the brothers approached.
"I wondered how long it would take for you two to show up" he said with a forced chuckle. The attempt at dry humour was a little lost with the air of tense sadness that hung round the officer.
"You know us Con, always on the job," Joe replied with a sympathetic smile. It was clear to both brothers that the homicide was affecting the man's professional air more than the handbook said it should. Bayport was not known for it's high murder rate after all.
Con blew out his cheeks and wiped the back of his hand across his forehead before re-focusing his gaze upon the brothers. "So what do you want to know?"
Although not part of the Police force officially, the Hardys were allowed a little more access than your average civilians due to their pretty impressive track record with Bayport's finest, and also the continuing friendship of both Con and the chief of police himself, Ezra Collig.
"Anything you can give us Con," Frank said, equally sympathetically.
"Well the victim was a young female. Blonde, in her twenties we reckon although she doesn't have any id on her...or it was stolen," Con said, frowning as the memory of the girls staring eyes flashed in his head "happened yesterday night as far as the coroner can tell without a full post mortem."
At these words Con sighed again before continuing "single gunshot wound to the head. Execution style. Looks like there was a bit of a struggle and she put up a fight. But not many people can win against a point blank shot."
The three men looked at the ground in a moment of respect for the memory of the poor girl now lying on the slab of the county mortuary.
"Have CSI found anything?" Frank asked.
"A few fibres but nothing too hopeful," Con said in frustration "she was left to the elements for a few hours before she was found, and the perp apparently cleaned up after himself. Probably watched one too many crime shows."
Frank let out a humourless bark of laughter before patting the officer once on the shoulder, "we'll find him Con," he said "after all, your guys are going to be chomping at the bit now."
Con nodded stoically before turning back to the tape and the small white marquee erected over the crime scene saying almost to himself "before he strikes again."
Knowing they had been gently dismissed the Hardys turned to go back to the van. Joe stormed ahead, tension almost visibly radiating from his shoulders. Frank eyed his little brother sadly. He knew what would be going through his mind. Thoughts of Iola Morton, ripped from the world at a tragically young age. It might have happened seven years ago, but the pain was still apparent on Joe's face on occasion when his guard slipped or Iola was mentioned. He was in a perfectly happy relationship with Vanessa, but the violent death of his first love had carved him into the man he was today.
Watching his brother get into the van, he winced as the door was slammed shut with more force than was strictly necessary. Trotting slightly to catch up, Frank entered the passenger side and noted Joe's white knuckle grip on the wheel, and the intensely focused expression on his face.
"We have to find this guy Frank," he said tersely.
"We will," Frank said quietly but with conviction.
The Hardy van rumbled to life and sped off slightly faster than it normally would. Chuckling to himself from his vantage point in the darkened alley way, the man's eyes flashed wickedly after seeing the distant exchange and the younger Hardy's reaction. Step one of his plan had fallen beautifully into place.
Well there you go. Chapter one, done! I have attempted to stick to the cannon of the old books, more I guess in regard to the boys personality traits than anything else. I have taken the liberty of making up their college careers (incidentally, I am from the UK and don't really know how college works in the US other than it apparently lasts four years making the guys 24/25 for my story. If this is wrong then feel free to correct me..gently).
I considered making their degrees more computer based for Frank and maybe sport/history based for Joe as I remember this being their interests. But I figured that with them planning on going into the family business as it were, they would probably settle for something more crime based.
Anyways, all comments are appreciated. Critiques included. My writing skills are a little rustier than I would like so all help is appreciated.
Cheers!
Sarah
(Edit: had to go back and change a couple of things I mixed up/got wrong. Thanks to Caranath for spotting them and keeping me right!).