Summary: Joe Hardy isn't like his brother Frank. He doesn't have perfect grades like Frank and he wasn't responsible like Frank. Those things coupled with a secret not even his family knew about pushed Joe to runaway. When the Hardys find their lost son two years later, Joe is stuck. He ran away from home, in Bayport, but now he is home, in Annapolis. Friends and family-both old and new-will pushed to the breaking point. Home is where the heart is...But where is Joe's heart?
Parings: Joe/OC, Frank/Callie, Fenton/Laura, Iola/OC, Past-Joe/Iola Onesided-Iola/Joe, and others!
Note: This story contains lots of OCs and Aunt Gertrude!
This story is VERY AU and Vanessa doesn't exist in this Universe, Iola doesn't die and some character tweaks will be made.
Positive and Negative reviews are welcomed, but NO FLAMES. Please be nice. If you really hate my piece, don't read it!
Thanks,
Enjoy,
SlyLittleLuna1234
Home
Chapter 1: Leaving
Joe Hardy knew it. He always had known it. He didn't think he could ever forget it. He was constantly reminded of it; random Bayport residences, his teachers, his friends, and most of all, his family constantly reminded him of it. Frank Hardy was the perfect one; he was the better student, the better leader, the better friend, the better son. Joe Hardy was the screw up; he didn't get good grades, he followed Frank around like a lost puppy, his friends were really all of Frank's friends, the sucky son. Whenever Joe saw anyone the first question out of their mouths was "Where's Frank?" People didn't ask about Joe when they saw Frank alone. Joe had watched a couple of interactions with random Bayport residences, teachers, friends and even family. Naturally there were exceptions; the three most notable ones were Frank and Joe's Aunt Gertrude, Con Riley and Biff Hooper. Even Joe's girlfriend, Iola Morton, asked about Frank!
"JOE!" Iola called spotting her boyfriend and longtime crush. Joe spun around a smiled at the pretty dark-haired girl. His smile was brutally murdered by Iola's words, "Joe…Um…I think we need to take a break…I don't feel the same way about anymore…" Joe's smile became the fixed smile he wore to fool the world,
"I understand. I'd get tired of me after eight months too,"
"I'm sorry, Joe. I hope we can still be friends,"
"Of course," Iola smiled and kissed her boyfriend turned just friend a kiss on the cheek,
"I'll see ya,"
"See ya," Joe knew he should have seen it coming. He had heard Liz Webling and couple of other girls talking about Iola and Harry Caine. He should have seen it coming, but he didn't. And shoulda coulda woulda didn't mean Joe wasn't feeling pain. Blindly, while still smiling, Joe headed towards the bathroom and walked right into Blaze Aberdeen. Blaze Aberdeen was a sophomore, like Frank, and was Joe's secret tormentor. Blaze was Joe's Achilles heel…
"Well, well, well. Looks like Baby Hardy's eager for a beating today," Joe gulped when he realized that besides him and Blaze, there wasn't a single soul in the bathroom…School was out after all… Joe didn't respond, but braced himself for the beating he was sure to get. Blaze wasn't stupid, he knew that if he left too marks on obvious places that people would notice…
Punch in the stomach
Punch in the stomach
"You're completely worthless, Hardy,"
Head but
Tackle
"Nobody likes you,"
Punch in the face
Kick in the stomach
"Your girlfriend doesn't want you,"
Punch in the stomach
Punch in the face
"Your friends don't like you, they like Frank,"
Punch in the lip
"Your family doesn't even like you. Not your parents. Not your aunt. Not even Frank. You're the screw up, the stupid one, the worthless one, the weak one. Why would they like you?"
Punch in the stomach
Punch in the stomach
And Again
And Again
Again
Again
Again
A—
"Get the hell off him!"
PUNCH
"Go get the hell out of here. NOW!"
Joe's mind was clouded in pain and he couldn't place the familiar voice, but he didn't realize that Blaze had gone. Joe stumbled, trying to get up. His mysterious savior rushed to his side and helped him to stand,
"Jesus Joe. What did that asshole do to you?" Joe recognized the voice. It was Biff Hooper.
"I'm fine Biff," Joe managed out,
"You're kidding me, right!? Your lip's bleeding and that ass just beat the shit out of you,"
"I'm fine Biff," Joe snapped, "Why do you even care!?"
"Why do I care? You're my friend Joe. I care about YOU. Not just Frank. I care about you AND Frank," Joe tried to respond but found himself being led outside by Biff. As the pain clouds in his mind began to dissipate, Joe started feeling bad. He shouldn't have snapped at Biff. The pair of friends reached the bleachers and sat down in the mid-April breeze. After a moment, Biff spoke,
"How long?"
"How long what?"
"How long has Blaze been beating you up?"
"Long time…Don't know exactly…1st maybe 2nd grade…"
"Why?"
"Frank kept my lunch money,"
"What?" Biff asked, his blonde eyebrow jumping to his hairline,
"At first Blaze would just take my lunch money. Then, Mom and Dad got tired of me "losing" my lunch money, so they had Frank keep it. Blaze decided that if he couldn't have my lunch money, he'd beat me up instead," Joe said with a shrug,
"Why didn't you tell anyone? Why didn't you fight back, you could easily take him!"
"Mrs. Aberdeen is on the School Board, he'd never get in trouble…I tried to fight back once in middle school, Mom grounded me for two months for fighting,"
"Oh…"
"I'd probably better be getting home. If Mom finds out that practice was canceled and that I didn't go home right away, she'll have my head,"
"I'll give you a lift!" Biff said quickly,
"No thanks. I can walk," The pair walked towards the parking lot. Joe waved goodbye to Biff before starting home,
"I can't believe I didn't notice," Joe heard Biff whisper. Joe smiled a melancholy smile,
"You'd be surprised how much you can hide with a smile," Joe whispered to the wind as he walked.
"JOSEPH CARTER HARDY! WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?!" Yelled Laura Hardy upon seeing her youngest son, "NOELLE KINCAID TOLD ME THAT PRACTICE HAD BEEN CANCELED, I THOUGHT WE HAD MADE IT CLEAR THAT YOU HAVE TO COME RIGHT HOME AFTER SCHOOL ON DAYS YOU DON'T HAVE PRACTICE, UNTIL YOU PULL UP THOSE HORRID GRADES UP! WHY CAN'T YOU BE MORE LIKE FRANK?! HE ALWAYS DOES WHAT HE'S TOLD?!" Joe opened his mouth to protest and his mother's anger quickly evaporated into exasperation, "NO! Just go upstairs Joe. I'm so tired of this…too tired…" Joe quietly followed his mother's orders and made his way up to his room, passing Frank's empty one on the way. The words Joe had overheard Frank telling Phil a couple of nights earlier, reverberated in Joe's mind,
"Sometimes I wish I was an only child…Joe's just so much trouble…"
"You're completely worthless, Hardy. Nobody likes you. Your girlfriend doesn't want you. Your friends don't like you, they like Frank. Your family doesn't even like you. Not your parents. Not your aunt. Not even Frank. You're the screw up, the stupid one, the worthless one, the weak one. Why would they like you?"
Blaze's words ran rampant in Joe's mind, killing any comfort and security Joe had gained from his talk with Biff. Joe fell onto his bed and fell into a turbulent sleep. Joe awoke a few hours later to his mother's shouts to come down for dinner. Joe tumbled up from his bed and stumbled into the bathroom. Joe quickly washed his face with cold water, to hide the tear tracks on his face and hurried down stairs. Joe slipped into his usual spot next to Frank and across from Gertrude while Fenton gave him a disapproving look. The topic at dinner surrounded Frank, something that Joe was, for once, grateful for. No one noticed Joe unusual silence, or at least Joe thought no one noticed. Fenton was simply too fed up with Joe's grades and lateness to comment. Laura was still angry and, like her husband, was fed up. Frank was too excited about the computer program he and Phil were designing to say anything and figured he could talk to Joe later. Gertrude noticed that Joe didn't want to noticed, and decided to not call attention to him. She resolved to talk to him later,
"Joe?"
"Yeah, Aunt Gertrude?"
"Are you alright? You were awfully quiet at dinner" Joe smiled his winning fake smile,
"Yeah. I just had a long day…I'll be 100% in the morning,"
"…Are you sure?"
"Positive,"
"Alright," Gertrude said hesitantly, "Good night, Joe,"
"G'night, Aunt Gertrude," Joe and his aunt went their separate ways. Joe went to his room and got into his PJs before walking to the bathroom he shared with Frank, brushing his teeth and saying goodnight to Frank.
At quarter past 1 Joe woke up feeling thirsty. Quietly, he made his way downstairs. Joe was surprised to hear his parents talking in the kitchen. Joe was about to go up and return to his room when he froze, catching bits of what his parents were saying,
"…one son…would be better…"
"…go wrong?"
"…not our fault"
"…wish not…"
"…bad grades..."
"…not Frank…"
"..Joe…"
Joe felt some tears well up in eyes. His parents wished that they'd only had one son. They wished he was more like Frank.
"Sometimes I wish I was an only child…Joe's just so much trouble…"
"You're completely worthless, Hardy. Nobody likes you. Your girlfriend doesn't want you. Your friends don't like you, they like Frank. Your family doesn't even like you. Not your parents. Not your aunt. Not even Frank. You're the screw up, the stupid one, the worthless one, the weak one. Why would they like you?"
"WHY CAN'T YOU BE MORE LIKE FRANK?! HE ALWAYS DOES WHAT HE'S TOLD?!"
All of the words came flooding back to Joe. Joe tried to stay afloat, but the crushing pain of knowing that his family didn't want him was too much. Silently, Joe returned to his room and flopped onto his bed, using his pillow to muffle the sobs he could no longer contain. After nearly an hour of crying, Joe rose from his bed and walked to his closet…He had been tossing around the idea for a couple of months, but now…now he decided he was actually going to do it.
Fenton Hardy was an early riser. He was usually up first, followed by Joe, who, oddly, was an early riser too. Fenton walked into the kitchen and fixed himself a cup of coffee. He walked out to get the newspaper and spotted a piece of paper on the kitchen counter upon re-entering the house. Carefully Fenton opened the sheet of paper and read its contents. It was a letter,
Dear Dad (since I know you're up first), Mom, Aunt Gertrude, Frank and Anyone else,
I'm sorry. I really am. I'm sorry I'm a sucky son. I'm sorry I'm a dumb bum. I'm sorry I'm a failure. I've had an epiphany, Dad. I've realized that I can fix this. You, Mom and Frank have all expressed a desire for me to be more like Frank. I can't be like Frank. I'm Joe. That'd be impossible. But I've also heard you all say that you wish you only had one son/was an only child. That's something I can do. I guess this is goodbye then.
I'm sorry you were stuck with me for 15 years,
Joe Hardy
Tears slapped the paper as Fenton read the letter that contained his worst nightmare as a father. Fenton tore up the stairs, not caring about the sleeping residences of the house. Slamming Joe's door's open, Fenton sank to his knees as he spied the open window and realized Joe was gone. Fenton let out a loud sob. His son, his youngest son was gone. And it was partly his fault.
Joe had left his house a little after 3am and had walked forty minutes to the train station the next town over, Sayville. He had to wait an hour and a bit before catching the 5:14 train to Penn Station. He arrived at Penn Station at quarter to seven. Joe quickly found a small coffee shop and bought a muffin and a bottle of juice. Joe wandered around the city for two days, buying a little food and clothes and sleeping where he could. On Joe's second day in New York he bought a newspaper and realized his picture was in it!
The Son of Famous Detective Fenton Missing!
After seeing the article, Joe decided it was time to leave New York. Catching a ferry going to Hoboken, New Jersey, Joe decided to continue moving south. Hoboken to Newark, Newark to Philadelphia, Philadelphia to Wilmington, Wilmington to Baltimore, Baltimore to Annapolis, Joe didn't know where to stop. Joe had run for a week when he ended up in Annapolis, Maryland. April was rolling to a close and May was rushing in. Joe was dosing in an alleyway when he was spotted by a redhead who looked a little younger than him. Upon taking one look at him, the girl walked back into the bakery she had come out of. Upon returning outside, the girl handed Joe a box of cookies. Joe muttered a thank you and moved to give her some of the money he had taken out from his bank account before leaving Bayport, but she refused,
"You're a runaway," Joe raised an eyebrow at the pretty girl talking to him,
"What makes you think that?"
"You're Joseph Hardy,"
"Fuck!" Joe muttered quietly, "I can't believe my picture made it all the way down here!"
"It didn't," The girl said,
"Who are you?!" Joe nearly shouted at the girl,
"Does the name Arthur Gray mean anything to you?"
"The Gray Man? What does that have to do with anything?" Joe asked, surprised at hearing the name of the intelligence agent from the top-secret agency, The Network, who had previously worked with Frank and Joe,
"Stay here," The girl said, "I'm going to go get him…Eat your cookies," the girls scurried off and Joe wasn't sure whether to say or not. Curiosity won out and Joe stayed put behind the bakery waiting for the girl to return with The Gray Man. He was waiting for ten minutes when the redhead returned with The Gray Man,
"Hello Joe,"
"Mr. Gray?"
"I heard you ran away,"
"I'm not going back,"
"Okay,"
"W-what?" The Gray Man shrugged,
"Look, I like you and your brother, but your lives aren't any of my business,"
"You're not just going to leave him here!" The girl hissed,
"I didn't say I would," The Gray Man said quietly, "You have two options, Joe. You can return to Bayport with your family, which I don't think you want to," The Gray Man added seeing Joe open his mouth, "Or, you can let us find you a guardian. I'm warning you though; if you chose the last option you'll probably have to help out a bit,"
"Sounds fair," Joe said quickly, tired of being out on the road for so long, "I'll take the new guardian,"
"Thought you would," The Gray Man said, "Follow me," Joe and the girl followed The Gray Man to his silver Lexus,
"Oh!" The girl said, "I'm Elena, by the way,"
"I'm Joe," Joe said shaking her hand. Elena smiled at him,
"Nice to finally meet you Joe,"
Please let me know what you think!
SLL1234