A/n: At long last, my next story. did ya miss me? Retirement, new job and moving from TX to FL took up most of the past several months. but everything is unpacked; I finally finished my marathon screening of 'The Dark Shadows' so have nothing preventing me from writing.

Sins of the Past

Joe Hardy was relaxing on his back deck, enjoying a rare long weekend off from all responsibilities, work and personal, when he heard a car screech into his driveway, brakes squealing as the driver stomped on them. He then heard a car door slam so forcefully he winced in sympathy. The blond man had just forced himself to a standing position when the door leading from the kitchen flew open with a crash.

His brother Frank, normally the calm, placid, even keeled one, was so angry Joe swore he saw steam coming off his sibling's dark brown head. He stepped back in self defense even as he racked his brain to find something he may have said, done or not said or done to piss his brother off so much. He needn't have worried.

"That BITCH" Frank seethed so vehemently that Joe blinked in shock. Frank never swore. And if there was ever a poster boy for Chivalry, he was it.

"Glo—ria?!" Joe half whispered, shocked and confused over what Frank's girlfriend may have done to warrant such a reaction (oh shit he didn't propose and she turned him down, did she?!" ) he thought in dismay.

That shook Frank out of his rage. "Wha?!" he stopped, looked at his brother and visibly tried to calm down by closing his eyes and taking a long, slow, deep breath. Once he stopped trembling with suppressed rage, he opened them. No longer chocolate daggers of impending doom; but there was still some strong emotion lurking beneath the surface. "No. Not Glo." he bit off each word precisely.

Frank threw himself into the Adirondack style chair so recently vacated by his sibling. He did so violently enough that it skidded back a few inches. "Well, then who?!" Joe pleaded, curiosity driving him insane. "and for that matter, Why?"

"She had the nerve to involve Mom in her little scheme." Frank was still furious.

"For the umpteenth time, Frank, She WHO?!" Joe was at the end of his rope waiting for his brother to just give him a straight answer. "and what scheme?!" he threw his arms up in exasperation.

It was at that moment that Halloran decided to come out onto the deck, bearing a tray of lemonade and a bowl of freshly made guacamole along with some corn chips. She silently approached the small side table next to the chair Frank was in, placed it gingerly there and without a word turned around and went back inside. Joe stuck a foot behind the matching chair and dragged it back enough to match it's companion's new location and threw himself into it all while staring pointedly at his elder brother.

"Spit it out, Bro." Joe crossed his arms in front of him and leaned back.

"Mom called me about twenty minutes ago." Frank began, obviously still incensed.

"She does that. She's a mom. It's kinda their thing."

"She ordered me to take on a new case." Frank glowered. Joe blinked.

"Mom doesn't ever get involved in the family Biz that way." he said, frowning.

"Apparently she does now." Frank replied acerbically. "She didn't even ask if we could do it, she just told me I was going to handle this personally."

"Again, I will ask, with the patience of a saint I might add, What. Are. We. Talking. About?" Joe tried to insert some levity but even he was getting fed up with the run around.

This time, something got through Frank's skull. He sighed, before continuing. "Mom told me that I was not only going to take on this new case, but that I personally would be the one handling every aspect of it, including the field work." he shot a look at his brother, "Also, that you were welcome to join in the fun."

"Gee, thanks ever so."

"Don't thank me until you hear who the client is."

"I have been waiting 15 minutes for you to come to the point. So who is it already?!"

"Callie."

Joe gaped. "Yer kidding. I TOLD her, to her face even, that we were booked solid and couldn't take on any new cases even if you were willing, which I knew you were not."

"Yeah, well she went behind your back and cried to Mom."

"That Bitch!"

"Told ya." Frank replied with a small, slightly smug smile.

"Well what the hell are you going to do? Not like you can openly defy Mom, can you?"

"It's a done deal, unfortunately. She has informed me that Callie will be in the office tomorrow morning at 8 and threatened to be there as well." Frank rolled his eyes. "So, despite my best efforts I have to at least see her and listen to what she has to say." he sighed. "Part of me wants to be petty and complain to Dad but I know that won't go over too well."

"Want me there too? I can glower and glare and generally be intimidating."

"Appreciate the offer but no. You and Joanna need to get moving on the Caruthers case. I will have to suffer alone. But I already intend to tell Martha to interrupt me in 20 minutes no matter what and I will regretfully be forced to cut the meeting short." Even Frank could be devious when it suited.

The spent another 45 minutes or so enjoying the afternoon and Halloran's guacamole. But eventually Frank stood up and said his goodbyes. "See you tomorrow." with a wave he headed out, being far less forceful to his car than when he arrived.

"Everything okay?" Halloran asked as she came out in the evening air.

"Well, let's put it this way, remember how I was bitching we had too much going on at the office?" Joe asked as he reached around his tiny wife and pulled her close for a kiss. "It just got worse." he sighed resignedly. "So any plans you may have had involving us being nekkid together will have to wait."

"Oh, darn." she pouted all mock upset. "And here I had designs on your person all weekend, too." she turned in the direction her brother in law had gone. "He needs to hurry up and propose already. Clearly he has no idea of the needs us married people have."

"Not his fault this time, babe. However you can blame Mom if you want."

"That's worse! She keeps dropping hints about grandchildren!" Halloran was shocked at the announcement that her mother in law had butted in on the case load.

"It is what it is. You don't go against Mom when she puts her foot down." Joe sighed. "Let's go inside. I need a beer." and he led the way back into the kitchen for the night.

A/n: short and sweet. don't get used to it.