What up, people? Now we're getting ready for Act One of this thing...

Hm? These first four chapters? Just a prologue. This is going to go for a while, I assure you.

OoOoO

December 1942

Joseph leaned over the crib, wearing gloves to hide his artificial hand. Extending a finger, he frowned at the quiet whirring that the machinery made at every movement. Luckily, the baby girl curled up in a blanket didn't seem to react, still sleeping soundly.

"How is she?" came a soft voice from the doorway, one that made Joseph tense instinctively. He shook it off, turning to look at his moth- his former teacher.

"Lisa Lisa. Good to see you. How's Messina doing?"

The Ripple Master approached the crib, taking up a position across from Joseph. "He's doing well. He's planning on travelling for a few years, to try and find some students of his own. I'm planning on giving Air Supplena island to him when he returns."

"You planning on retiring, then?" Joseph's eyes flicked up to hers, still hidden behind a curtain of hair as she stared down at the baby.

"Perhaps. The Ripple was always meant to handle the Pillar Men, and now that you've handled them," she nodded to Joseph as she spoke. "Well, I can't help but feel I've fulfilled my purpose."

"Bull-" Joseph bit his tongue, cutting off the swear before he could wake his daughter. "That's a load of bull, and you know it. I thought you were the legendary Ripple Master, Lisa Lisa. Shouldn't you be looking for more students yourself?"

"What's gotten into you, Joseph? Did I say something wrong-"

"You-" Joseph's jaw clamped shut as the baby did wake, whether from the brief noise or the hostility in the room, he couldn't say. "Oh, no... Shh, shh, Holly, it's okay, Daddy's here..." he mumbled in a soft, soothing tone, picking her up to calm her before the mewling could escalate to full-blown crying.

Lisa Lisa backed off as Joseph quieted the girl's crying, rocking her gently until she fell back to sleep, pudgy hands clutching his shirt. Once it was safe, she cleared her throat softly to get his attention. "Very impressive, Joseph. You've got a real talent when it comes to parenting."

His eyes met hers, a hint of steel in the solemn gaze. "There's nothing I wouldn't do for Holly."

She winced slightly as the implications hit her. Really, she should have predicted this. Or, at the very least, had the conversation that they were about to have much sooner. "She is a beautiful child. Holly?"

"Holly Erina Joestar," Joseph confirmed. "I wanted to honour Granny Erina somehow, and lucky enough, Suzi Q loved the name too."

They fell into silence for a while, Lisa Lisa slowly gathering her courage to try and bring up-

"Why? Why did you never get in touch?" Joseph asked, breaking her out of her stupor. "I never even knew you were alive."

She sighed, taking off her gloves and scarf for the first time since entering the room. "It was too dangerous. Not only was I a wanted criminal, but there were still vampires out there who would have loved a chance to kill a Ripple Master's family."

"Too dangerous for a letter? Granny Erina and Uncle Speedwagon both knew who you were, where you were. Why was it only dangerous for me? Why couldn't you have left me a note, or, or even let one of them explain it?" Joseph was visibly angry now, though he managed to keep his voice low.

"Because I was a coward. I still am, really," she smiled weakly at his shocked expression. "I spent eight months terrified at the thoughts of what might happen to you. George wasn't... he was a natural when you were born, he could just tell instinctively what you needed. I never could. You... you'd spend hours crying because I wasn't a good enough parent to give you what you needed. And then, when your father died and I... I couldn't imagine raising you without him. I ran away, and I was too ashamed to let you know why."

She absently wiped at her eyes, where a few stray tears had built up despite her best efforts. "Erina was a better mother to you than I could ever have been. I'm s-sorry, Joseph." She kept her voice level despite the lump in her throat. This needed to be said, even if he'd never forgive her for it...

"Ugh, I still say you should have told me something," he grunted, before letting out a deep sigh. "But... I get it, I think."

"There was a while, just after Holly was born, when I was holding her, and I... I realised all of a sudden that I was responsible for this... this whole other life. I was freaking out, and she was crying..."

Lisa moved, sitting on the second chair next to Joseph's own. "What changed?"

He gave her a weary half-smile. "Uncle Speedwagon came in. He told me how proud Grandpa Jonathan would've been to see me," he chuckled, lost in his own memories. "I asked if it was because of all that happened with Kars, and he gave me this look, like I was an idiot. He said Jonathan would've been proud to see me growing up and taking care of Holly, proud that I was starting a family of my own.

"We talked for a long time, I don't even remember half of it, and it got me thinking. I grew up without you or Dad around, Caesar thought his Dad had abandoned him for years, Granny Erina and you lost your husbands. I don't want that. For Holly or for Suzi. I'm just going to try and focus on being a father, on taking care of my family before anything else," he paused. "I'm not going to keep training in the Ripple. Does that make me selfish?"

Lisa paused. Her first instinct was to admonish him, because yes, of course it was selfish. But she'd seen firsthand how her instincts could backfire on her, some very painfully. "No, JoJo, it's not. And even if it is, I think you, of all people, have earned a little selfishness."

"Hm! Glad someone agrees with me, at least..." he trailed off, sunlight just starting to peek through the curtains. Eventually, Holly's eyes fluttered open, fixating on Lisa and prompting a gummy smile. "Hey, see that? You know, me and Suzi are the only ones she's always smiled at like that. Maybe you're better with kids than you thought."

Lisa smiled back, sparkles of Ripple lighting up her finger and eliciting giggles from her granddaughter. "Maybe."

"Suzi wants more kids," Joseph continued, the sudden change of subject drawing her attention. "If we have another daughter, who knows? Elizabeth's a good name. But you'll have to be there, obviously."

"Hm! I think I can agree to that, Joseph."

"You better... Mom."

OoOoO

"Josuke, why is it every time you come to visit, either you, JoJo, or the both of you end up in a hospital bed?" Suzi asked, Shizuka wheeling her into the medical ward of the Speedwagon Foundation base.

"Luck?" he shrugged sheepishly. "Honestly, though, we're fine, I healed Dad earlier, and the only thing wrong with me is jet-lag."

"That and a terrorist attack," Shizuka frowned. "You got exposed to this Bronze Rain stuff, bro. I think getting checked out is a good idea."

"Shizuka's right, you know," Joseph croaked from his own bed across from his son's. "As usual. Hey, Suzi. Sorry to ruin your day like this."

"You're meant to be resting, JoJo, and besides, I was just starting to get bored," Suzi pushed herself to her feet, placing a soft kiss on his forehead. "Anyway, I've made a few calls. Jotaro's going to meet with Rollins in Florida, so he's taking care of that."

"Dad, I know you want us to stay safe, but this whole 'avoiding the topic' thing isn't helping," Shizuka frowned, perching on the end of his bed. "What did Jeeves need you and Jotaro for?"

"Um..." a raised hand drew their attention to the radiator, or more specifically, to the teenager handcuffed to it. "Should I really be here for this? It seems like a family thing. Also, can someone please open these cuffs? I kind of need the bathroom."

"You're only being held here until one of our specialists arrives, he'll be able to confirm you're not a threat," Josuke assured him. "He won't be long."

Joseph managed a weak smirk at Joel's expression. "Don't worry, he won't hurt you. Not much, anyway."

"Okay, forget kind of, I actually do need the bathroom." Joel gulped, flinching as the door opened inwards once again.

"I'm sure we can manage that, Mr... Williams?" the doctor smiled as he entered the room. Above him floated a large, cylindrical Stand, with red-tipped 'bandages' waving lazily around its form. Near the centre of its body, a sleeping face was visible, resembling a young man, marked with strange, angular designs on its cheeks. "My name is Dr Green, and my Stand, Broken Dreams, will be able to tell us what's best for you."

Joel looked around at the Joestar family, waiting for help. "No offence, man, but Broken Dreams? Not the most encouraging name."

Dr Green chuckled. "Don't worry. My Stand isn't a dangerous one. It got its name for its ability, to show bits and pieces of your innermost self, along with memories that represent those bits and pieces. You'll remember everything as it's shown to me, but not as clearly as I can see it. Like pieces of a dream, you see?"

"Just go with him, Joel," Shizuka rolled her eyes at the terror on the boy's face. "I've been to see Dr Green before, he's good at his job. It's not like you're secretly a murderer or something, are you?"

"Wha- No, of course not!"

"Then what's the problem?"

He stilled, looking around at them all. "Ugh, fine, let's get this over with. Don't leave me out of the loop, though. I want to know what the hell is going on."

OoOoO

Josuke frowned at Joseph's obvious discomfort. The old man was usually pretty upbeat, but whatever confession he had to make was clearly a rough one. After nearly fifteen years working with the Foundation, healing people and dealing with Stands, Josuke knew that Joseph's life had left him with a few scars too deep for Crazy Diamond. Obviously, this was one of them."

"Shizuka, I know I've told you about this in my stories, but... Josuke, what do you know about Pillar Men?" Joseph began. Seeing his son's blank look, he continued in a subdued tone. "Well, they are to vampires what vampires are to human beings. Almost unstoppable, able to manipulate their bodies in ways that should have killed them, able to consume living things just by touching them. There were four in total. The only weakness they had was sunlight, and by proxy..."

"Ripple energy," Josuke finished for him. "You said there were four?"

"Yes. Esidisi, Wamuu, Kars and Santana. I survived fighting them mostly because of my friend Caesar, my... my teacher, and a lot of luck. Esidisi I managed to kill when he tried to attack Suzi Q; Wamuu fought me in an honour duel, and Kars was blasted into space."

"Wait, but... you always said you beat Santana," Shizuka pointed out. "You and that German guy who kidnapped Uncle Speedwagon."

He sighed, balling up the blanket in his fists. "I know I tell a good story, but the truth is I nearly died there. A couple of times, even. My Ripple was barely strong enough to affect him, but I was able to lure him into the sunlight."

"The sunlight doesn't kill them?" his son questioned. Joseph shook his head, frowning.

"Not immediately. They can survive by petrifying themselves, creating a stone skin that protects them from almost everything. He was taken into the Foundation's custody, and we've kept him contained under UV light for the last seventy years. That is, until two days ago.

"Around ten o'clock, the night before last, a Foundation base in Texas had every single one of its security measures fail. Cameras, locks, communications, everything. Once they managed to fix the system, they ran a full check, and discovered that two of the storage units were missing. The first... was Santana's petrified body."

"Shit..." Shizuka breathed, eyes wide. "No wonder you seemed so out of it. That's, that's pretty heavy stuff."

"What was in the second one?" Josuke pressed. "I mean, if you led with the immortal vampire-killing-vampire, then..." Joseph grimaced, biting the bullet and pressing on with his explanation.

"The second one. It shouldn't have been in the same facility as Santana in the first place, but after Jotaro broke into it eighteen months ago, it had to be moved. Whoever our thieves are, they managed to get away with the Bow and Arrows."

OoOoO

"I don't know where you found this kid, Mr Joestar, but he's- hm?" Dr Green stopped short as he re-entered the room, seeing Joseph clutching Suzi's hand like a lifeline, his children muttering hurriedly to one another at the end of the bed. "Something wrong?"

"Just discussing the Texas break-in. If someone's trying to get to us, better that we all know about it beforehand," the oldest living Joestar shook his head. "Anyway, you had news on our 'prisoner'?"

"Ah, yes, horrible to think that someone could outmaneuver us so completely..." the doctor cleared his throat. "I have to say, you've brought a most fascinating case to me. It seems young Mr. Williams, which I'm sure is a pseudonym, has selective amnesia, but on a scale I've never seen before."

"What, like, missing a couple years of his life?" Shizuka chimed in, curiosity piqued. "I've seen that on TV before."

"Well, unfortunately, Ms Joestar, the entertainment industry has a habit of both under- and over-simplifying conditions like this one. Normally, selective amnesia causes a person to lose either specific events, such as the loss of a loved one, or they lose memories of certain skills or capabilities. It's usually in response to a severe physical or mental trauma, or in rare cases, the product of hypnosis.

"Mr Williams' case is odd, possibly unique. While his learned skills and information seem untouched, any memories with personal attachment are... fractured. He has no knowledge of his family, of his home, even his schooling. It's as though he was given his entire history, with every significant name and face blanked out," Dr Green shook his head, glancing down at his notes. "The closest I've seen was the effects of the Whitesnake Stand, though this seems to be a- a refinement of the technique, perhaps. One that doesn't leave the target as an empty shell."

"You think he might be connected with Pucci?" Josuke cut in, eyes hard. "An accomplice or something?"

"No, no, of course not. That threat's been dealt with, as you know. But if I had to guess, I'd say Joel was the victim of a similar Stand. He has several gaps in recent memories, but everything from the past week or so is fairly clear," he looked up from the clipboard. "He's no threat, he even tried to ensure Shizuka's safety when he thought he'd hurt her, but I do have to ask. What do you plan to do with him?"

Joseph glanced over at Shizuka, who pointed at herself in confusion. "Huh? Me?"

"Makes sense, I suppose," Josuke shrugged, patting her on the head. "You beat him, you probably know the most about him... yeah, it's up to you, sis."

She paused, looking a little like a deer caught in headlights, before swallowing and nodding. "Well, I guess..."

OoOoO

Joel flinched as one of Broken Dreams' tendrils brushed his cheek, its eyes opening wide and projecting an image from his youth, of himself and Piano Man in a forest with... someone.

He groaned, rubbing his forehead as the image abruptly cut off once again. It was maddening, to be missing so much of his life and yet not even knowing what he was missing. He'd taken to reciting what he did know to himself, to try and find some clues as to where he came from.

He was sixteen years old, his birthday sometime during the summer. He'd grown up with two parents and at least one sibling. Probably older, since in many of the relevant memories, it felt like he was looking upwards. He didn't speak anything but English, and enough French to muddle through a short conversation or two. He'd left or lost his family no more than... two, three years ago? His memories started to clear shortly after that, though he still couldn't remember anyone close to him, only that they existed, somewhere.

The door opened, making him jump. Dr Green stood in the doorway, expression unreadable. "Mr Joestar wants to talk to you."

He nodded, silently sidestepping the Stand hovering next to him and following the middle-aged man back through the hallways of the Foundation building. Internally, he wondered what the family were planning to do with him. While the kid seemed too hyper for her own good and her brother was terrifying, in the way that only someone perfectly polite could be, he didn't know what to make of Joseph Joestar or his wife. The old man didn't look like anything special, until you saw his eyes. There was a spark of intelligence, of someone still full of life, along with a kind of calculation that made Joel feel like an open book.

He started as Dr Green waited at one side of the door, gesturing for him to enter. When he did so, Joseph was out of bed, leaning heavily on a cane in the middle of the room. He'd need to address this situation carefully. "Hey. What's up?" 'Damnit, brain, you've failed me once again.'

"So you've got no memories of your past whatsoever?" Joseph began, frowning sternly. "That makes you a risk, in more ways than one. You could have altered your memories yourself, to get close to us and manipulate us. You could be a proxy, a construct created without memories... you could be from another timeline for all we know. So, what do you think we should do with you?"

Joel flinched, looking downwards. "Yeah, in your shoes I guess it must look pretty bad. Look... I can't tell you you should trust me enough to let me go, 'cause I wouldn't. I promise, though, I've got no intention of trying to attack any of you, or of getting in the way when you look for these terrorists. If there's some way I can prove it..." he trailed off, glancing at Josuke, who was standing stoic behind his father. "Please don't turn me into a book."

Joseph's lips quirked upwards at that. "Good to know where you draw the line. Now, since we can't exactly let you run around knowing about this Foundation facility, and it kind of goes against my morals to let a thief and a pickpocket run free, so Shizuka came up with a way to deal with you and keep you out of trouble."

The man was grinning widely by now, his bared teeth reminding Joel of a predator, like a wolf or a lion, ready to clamp those jaws together in judgment. Joel nodded warily, eyes darting around in search of the girl - why did she have to be invisible? - before settling back on Joseph, replying with a lot more confidence than he actually felt. "Oh, yeah? And what's that?"

Achtung Baby suddenly appeared in front of him, Shizuka beaming from beside her Stand. "Congratulations! I got you a job!"

He blinked dumbly. "Wait, what?"

OoOoO

I know not much happened here, this was mostly a character chapter. Joel missed out on explaining his tragic backstory during the fight, so it had to appear somewhere.

Next chapter will start Act One, "New York's New Star", as I said, and we'll find out more about the Bronze Rain.

Now, New Stand!

Broken Dreams - Bill Green

Power; D - Durability; A - Speed; C - Precision; B - Range; C - Potential; B

Broken Dreams can use the tendrils wrapped around its body as prehensile limbs, capable of restraining even multiple people. When the red-tipped ends of the tendrils make contact with someone, the Stand can view and project their thoughts and memories for Dr Green to examine. However, its actual power is weak, and its limbs are easily destroyed if the opponent can outspeed or out-muscle them.

Other Stuff;

Chayera Hall; Giorno should have at least been mentioned in Part 6, right? The whole thing with Dio's partner carrying out a plan, and his other three sons turning up for a handful of chapters each? Jotaro never even thought of Giorno during all that?

G; Purple Haze Feedback was great! I only wish the series had more side stories like it. Hamon will definitely come back into use, since that and the sun are the only confirmed ways to deal with Santana. Who knows if he'd just be able to out-brawl a Stand user before they could hit him? I do...

As for the driver, it's just a little too soon for him to reveal himself. A clue, though. The Bronze Rain... is not a Stand.

reddevil47; Joseph's technique is so inspiring that it's spread even beyond the Joestar line!

ArthurLCK; Well, they're not in Florida right now, but a theme park sounds like a fun idea.

Q; Looks like you were right! (And is it JoBro or BroJo? 'Cause I've always used the former...) And sorry for not getting the reference, I've never been any good at fighting games, so I haven't played much Street Fighter.

Anyway, catch you next time!