A/N: Sorry for the wait. And also, I'm sorry if it's slightly boring. I just wanted to make a point that Frank isn't perfect, because it seems like it sometimes. And I also wanted to fix the whole Faith/Frank feud and decided something good should happen to both of them for once. So enjoy!
Disclaimer: It's on my Christmas list, but for now I don't own the Hardy Boys. Excuse me while I go cry about it.
Chapter Nine
When Faith Hardy woke up the following morning, she couldn't help but feel slightly drowsy. Something felt odd, but she couldn't quite place her finger on what it was. Something felt off, something definitely wasn't right. She sat up, pushing her dark locks out of her face and felt a slight wave of dizziness rush through her. Groaning a little, she glanced down at her watch, trying to figure out what the fizzy figures were telling her.
She expected to see a time like 3:30am as she had seen every night previous to this. Instead, Faith got a bit of a shock when she read 7:04 am. She had slept through the whole night. That hadn't happened since she had gotten out of the hospital about two months ago. Her confusion was quickly replaced by realization as she remembered the last thing she did the night before was drink that juice her brother had given her. Faith had a feeling that it tasted a bit off, but she had disregarded the thought.
"I am going to kill you Frank Alexander Hardy," she muttered darkly as she got out of her bed. She quickly changed out of leopard print pajama shorts and one of her brother's old Adidas t-shirts into a pair of black jean shorts, white singlet and a red unbuttoned polo shirt. Faith didn't even bother to brush her hair, but tied it up in a quick bun before rushing downstairs to see her brother. Boy, was he going to get it, she couldn't help but think.
Frank had been having a particularly good morning. He had woken up an hour earlier, changing out of his camouflage pajamas into a gray singlet and running shorts, slipping on his Nike trainers before going out for his morning run. It was always how he liked to start the morning. It was the only time he was ever really alone and it helped him to think. Sure, he loved his family to bits, but sometimes it was hard to think properly when Joe was screaming at the television while playing some video game or when Laura gave him a huge list of chores he had to complete in a certain amount of time. He enjoyed having time out for himself, but with his insanely busy schedule, it could only happen in the morning when he went for a run. Frank had established a route to run around, making sure it calculated to four kilometers exactly, just because it was the kind of thing Frank Hardy would do. He had gotten used to the track by now, running it almost every day for the past three years and could probably run the route blindfolded, but he didn't mind.
The eldest Hardy didn't like change and he found it hard to adapt sometimes. That's why he enjoyed everything having an order. It meant that everything was going to be put in the place they were supposed to be and it stayed that way. It was just the way he liked to do things.
There were many things that Frank was thinking about that particular morning. His mind was mostly on the case and how they were going to approach matters. Fenton was going to be home in two days so they would be able to compare notes and see if there were suspects to find out more about, if there were any. He had read through the notes he had copied out, but there were no eye witnesses. Meaning that the chances of finding a suspect were minimal. The eldest Hardy tried not to be pessimistic, considering he knew how the families were feeling.
When he talked to Mr and Mrs Harris, it somehow reminded him of when Faith was kidnapped and how his parents were reacting to the police investigations. Mr Harris, like Fenton, had tried to portray a strong facade, but it was easy to see through. Anyone who looked at him could tell that he was growing increasingly worried for his daughter as every minute passed. Mrs Harris and Laura had also reacted similarly, the tear streaked faces and cracked voices pulling on Frank's heartstrings. He was determined to find Yolanda, no matter what. Just to do anything to get her family out of their misery. He knew exactly how it felt and was disgusted at the fact someone was making another two families feel the same way.
When he got home, he certainly was not expecting to see his sister awake and glaring daggers at him. Oh if looks could kill, Frank Hardy would certainly be dead by now.
"Morning Faith," he greeted her with a smile as he grabbed the kettle and placed it under the tap. It was a known fact that as soon as Frank got home, he'd like to have coffee, straight black with one sugar and a bit of milk before having his breakfast.
Every day, Frank had four pieces of whole-meal toast with sesame seeds on the crust. They were all in the toaster for exactly three minutes, buttered with either strawberry jam or honey, depending on his mood. Joe had always teased him, calling him predictable but he always rebutted that it was just his schedule, the way he liked to do things.
"Why Frank, why?" Faith cut straight to the chase. With other people, she would have tried to beat around the bushes a little, but with her oldest brother, she couldn't see the point. Normally, she wasn't the type who enjoyed confrontations; in fact, she pretty much hated them and tried to avoid them as much as possible.
But then again, it wasn't every day that your own brother gave you a drugged drink. As the words left Faith's mouth, Frank knew that he had been caught. He still had his back to her as he placed the kettle down and started to let it boil. There was part of him that wanted to deny whatever she was talking about, but he knew that there would be no reason to. He couldn't lie to her. Taking a deep breath, he started to talk.
"Why didn't you tell us about them in the first place?" It wasn't exactly the first thing he had wanted to say, it just came out. Frank had wanted to apologize first, but had stopped himself. There was no need to apologize, seeing as he wasn't sorry.
For a lack of a better word, Faith was shocked. It wasn't quite how she had thought Frank was going to react. She was expecting an apology, an explanation, or something that wasn't a question directed at her. The uncharacteristic behavior was something that she could've expected from Joe, but never her oldest brother. The eldest Hardy was usually the calm, collected and logical one. His offhand reaction worried Faith a little bit, but she tried not to show it.
"It's my well-being Frank, you didn't need to know," she muttered in a low voice, doing her best to try and remain peaceful. There was a small part of her that wanted to run up to Frank and give him a hug, thanking him for thinking about her and worrying about her, but the latter wanted to just yell at him, demanding to know why. She folded her arms across her chest, waiting for him to reply.
"Exactly Faith, it's your well-being. We all deserved to know," he shot back instantaneously and almost defensively, back at his younger sister. Frank didn't exactly like the look of where this conversation was heading, but nothing could be done. There were things that they needed to talk about, regardless of whether they were things that were easy to discuss. And this was one of those things that were undeniably difficult to discuss.
"I can look after myself," she replied, doing her best to keep her tone down. Faith just wanted to scream at him and tell him to leave her alone, yet she didn't for a few reasons. The biggest and main reason was because she had far too much respect for her eldest brother to yell at him, let alone scream at him to mind his own business. Although at this point in time, it was a rather enticing thought. The second reason was because Faith didn't like yelling full-stop. When she got angry, she would either give the poor victim silent treatment or just speak quieter and quieter. It was just the way she did things.
"Look Faith, I'm not saying that you can't," Frank sighed, after a moment's thought as he tried to take another tactic. They both knew that the way they were talking was going to get them nowhere and he thought that he'd take the initiative and try to change the way they both saw things. It would be good for the both of them and it would be easier for them to talk, instead of argue. If there was something both of the pair didn't like, it was arguing.
"Then what are you saying?" she snapped, sounding much harsher than she felt the need to be. As soon as the words came out of her mouth, Faith regretted making them so rude. It was suffice to say that Frank was slightly taken aback by his sister's tone of voice. He hadn't expected for her to bite back so severely, and it sort of concerned him. Had he really gone too far? Maybe giving her the pills without her knowing wasn't the best idea. No, really? The cynical voice in his head told him.
"I'm saying that we all want to help you Faith," he started, his voice getting soft as he glanced down at his sister. The first thing that he thought was innocent. She looked so freaking innocent, and it physically pained Frank to even think about all the things that the stupid Firm had done to her. He didn't actually know exactly what they had done to her, but he could never forget the day they had found her.
"I think she's this way," Joe hissed, motioning for his brother and father to follow him. They were just outside an old abandoned warehouse which happened to be in the middle of nowhere, about one-hundred and sixty five miles south east of Bayport.
At the present time, all three of the Hardys were overtired, both physically and emotionally. Frank couldn't remember how much sleep he had gotten in the past week, although he highly doubted that it was going to reach more than fifteen hours when totaled. Since his sister had disappeared over three weeks ago, all three of them, along with the Bayport Police and a few helpers from the NYPD had joined forces to find Faith Hardy. All Frank was praying was his sister was still going to be alive when they found her.
Whoever had her loved to taunt the Hardys, he (or she) had made it extremely clear. It started with little things, taunting notes in the mailboxes, encrypted emails, phone calls from a strange person, but they started to get weirder and weirder, more terrifying each time. The last phone call was so threatening, it nearly made Joe wet his pants. That was unquestionably saying something.
Whoever had Faith made it very clear that he wanted all three of the Hardy males, or else she was a goner. It was suffice to say that they were all quick to hop into Fenton's car and drive to the destination that they had been told, eager to do anything to get their baby girl back. They hadn't quite formed a plan yet and to be quite honest, Frank was too tired to even think of one. They had discussed what they were going to do on the way to the abandoned warehouse, which included Fenton calling a few police officers and a number of other tidbits.
"Boys, are you sure you want to do this?" Fenton asked, glancing back at his two sons just before they were going to enter the warehouse. The expressions on their faces clearly showed their tiredness, but also showed their determination.
"You know it dad," Joe replied, answering for both of the Hardy boys. Fenton merely nodded, before checking the surroundings once again.
"Let's do this," Fenton said with a slight nod of his head. He ran his hand through his dark hair, just for good measure. It had become a habit he'd established after many years of disturbing cases that rattled his brains. "And remember," he added quickly. "If everything goes pear shaped, our only concern is Faith. Got it?" he tried not to sound remorseful, but it couldn't be helped.
"Got it dad," Frank replied quickly. They all nodded at each other, not wanting to say goodbye. If they did, it would feel too final. And they were not saying goodbye, because they would be seeing each other soon. With Faith in tow as well.
"Help me Frank?" Faith couldn't help but question, sending her older brother out of his trance. It took a moment to remember exactly what they were talking about, since he had been so engulfed in his thoughts. Frank looked down at his tennis shoes, suddenly not trusting himself to speak. As an amateur detective and with a danger magnet for a brother, the elder Hardy had seen plenty of horrid things in his short life. But nothing had ever prepared him for what he saw the day they found Faith.
"Oh my goodness," Frank murmured as he caught sight of his sister, feeling all the oxygen leave his lungs the moment he laid eyes on her. Behind him, he heard Joe swear softly, but it barely registered in the elder Hardy's mind. Faith was lying in a corner of the small white room, curled up in fetal position. The track pants she had been wearing the day she disappeared were ripped in various places, dried blood caked all over the tattered fabric. The purple shirt she had worn was now torn with a dark red patch forming around her left side, hardly resembling clothes of any type. Her feet were bare with red scratches everywhere and her normally beautiful dark hair was in a greasy, tangled mess above her head. Faith herself was a sickening pale shade, with purple bruises on her arms and legs. A mixture of dry and wet blood covered parts of her body, showing the horrid extent of the torture she had endured. Faith's eyes were closed and if it wasn't for the small rise and fall of her chest, Frank would've sworn his sister was dead.
There were over a million thoughts running through the eldest Hardy's mind as he stared at his sister. Every fiber of his being was screaming at him to run over and pull her fragile and broken body into his strong arms, and if it wasn't for the gun prodding the back of his head, he would've. His initial reaction had been relief. Relief that they had found her, and she was alive. Part of him wanted to tear his eyes away, but he couldn't. After looking at his sister and analyzing her injuries inwardly, which included broken ribs, starvation, dehydration, a twisted ankle and possible head trauma, among the things he could see, Frank felt a wave of anger rush through him.
How dare Gary Paulsen or anyone else for that matter treat such a beautiful, precious and oh so innocent girl in such a way. He wondered what kind of sick things Gary had forced his younger sister to go through, what kind of pain she had to go through to just because she was a Hardy.
It was not the first time that Frank felt like a bad big brother, but it was a rare thing and he never enjoyed it. He hated failure of any kind, especially when he failed somebody he cared about. And he cared about his sister deeply. Just seeing her in the pain was like a repetitive stab in the heart, as if he was being mocked for failing to protect his own sister. Right then and there, he had made an internal promise to himself. He was never ever going to let his sister endure anything of this sort ever again, not if he had anything to do with it. He promised to protect her from anything that could harm her as long as he lived.
"Yeah," Frank murmured softly, trying to hold back the tears that were threatening to trickle out of his dark brown eyes. The elder Hardy was not one who ever showed great emotion, especially tears, but his sister in pain was definitely something worth tearing up about. She just looked so fragile, as if she was going to be swept away by a small gust of wind. Frank had never told anybody, but he was so worried that something was going to happen to her again and she was going to be broken beyond repair. He wasn't sure that he would be able to live with himself if something happened to his sister again.
The elder Hardy hated vulnerability. He hated seeing those he loved in vulnerable positions and he most definitely hated being vulnerable. Frank never liked to express his worries to people, as he didn't want to burden anyone, but he felt that what he was thinking needed to be told.
"Frank?" Faith questioned, worried about her brother's silence. Although Joe was the more forward of the pair, the youngest Hardy knew that her brown haired brother also spoke his mind if need be. The silence was unnerving and Faith didn't like it. There was something in Frank's eyes, a flash of concern or maybe a flash of regret that made Faith's stomach turn.
Throughout her whole life, Frank was always the strong rock of the family in her point of view. Growing up, her father was hardly ever home and when he was, he was attending functions or dealing with other business. She could count the number of times they had dinner as a whole family on her fingers. In all of Faith's fifteen years of living, she couldn't remember one soccer game or music recital that her father had been in. Yet, Frank was always there, cheering her on. Although Faith and Joe were close and usually spent more time together, whether it be playing a video game, watching a movie or just hanging out, but Faith would always go to her oldest brother for advice.
For her, Frank was her solid rock, the one who knew all the answers, the one who comforted her and reassured her. Part of her knew that it wasn't fair for her to put all that expectation on her eighteen-year-old brother, but he had always seemed so happy to help. Frank would never complain whenever he had to cancel a date with Callie to help his younger sister with physics or have to alter his schedule so he could take her to soccer practice. Sure, they weren't as close as they used to be, with all of Frank's commitments being Callie's boyfriend, potential valedictorian and of course, being an amateur detective and keeping his younger brother out of trouble, but Faith always knew that whenever she would need Frank, he would be there.
"Sorry," the elder Hardy apologized, looking sincere as he lifted his head to meet his younger sister's piercing blue eyes that gleamed like the sea on a hot summer's day. "Look Faith, you need to understand something," he said slowly, as if he was trying to find the right words to express exactly how he was feeling.
"I'm listening," Was all Faith said as she stepped a little closer to hear her brother out. She knew that she wasn't being fair earlier and that he probably had a good intention, as he always did. He is Frank Hardy for crying out loud, she thought wryly as she waited for her brother to speak. Frank took a deep breath before speaking.
"After…we found you," he began softly, his eyes finding the vinyl kitchen floor as he started to speak. "I couldn't live with myself. I couldn't believe that I had failed you," the words came out faster than Frank had expected and they left a sour taste in his mouth.
He never liked talking about things like this, especially when they concerned his feelings. He saw Faith open her mouth to object, but he quickly stopped her by raising his hand and silently asking her to wait. She seemed to understand and closed her mouth and glanced at her older brother expectantly.
"I had made a promise to myself to do anything in my power to protect you Faith. We all know that you aren't sleeping, you aren't as good of an actor as you think," he joked lamely, looking up to see his sister's reaction. To his delight, she let out a little laugh, playfully hitting him on the shoulder. "When I found out that you had pills that you could have been taking, I just wanted you to take them. I wanted you to sleep, I want you to rest," he continued. "I just want what's best for you," he finished suddenly, looking down at his hands that were clasped together in front of him.
To his surprise, Faith actually started to laugh. He frowned for a moment, not expecting that sort of reaction. Considering he had practically bared his soul to his youngest sibling, he didn't really want to be laughed at. Frank was certainly taken aback when Faith quickly closed the gap between them and wrapped her small arms around his waist. He stood there rigid for a second in shock, before relaxing and putting his arms around her. Faith buried her head in his chest, holding on tight.
"Thank you Frank," was all she could manage to say. It had taken Faith a moment to really comprehend what her brother was saying. Sure, they'd had heart to heart conversations before, but nothing ever liked this. She knew that Frank was a very private person and never liked to voice his emotions. The youngest Hardy felt a sudden surge of importance rush through her, partially glad that Frank loved her enough to tell her everything.
"Anything for you Faith," he replied in a genuine tone, gently giving her a kiss on the forehead. The brotherly manner made the youngest Hardy grin as she looked up at Frank.
"One thing though Frank," she began, her tone sounding mischievous. The eldest Hardy raised his eyebrows, wondering what she could be talking about.
"Yeah?" he asked.
"Just give me a heads up when you drug my drink again," she replied. The words stung Frank slightly, as he knew that he was stupid to even think about doing what he did, let alone actually go through it, but his sister's tone was teasing and he knew that she meant nothing by it.
"Of course," he replied with a little chuckle. "I'm sorry about that," he added quickly, still feeling obliged to apologize.
"Don't mention it," she told him as they grinned at one another. They both pulled out of the embrace and Frank was about to reply when Joe burst into the room. Throughout the whole ordeal, the blonde haired Hardy had still been fast asleep and missed the reconciliation. He had been awoken when his cell phone rung, the loud tone ringing right by his ear.
"Frank," Joe said urgently, as he ran his hand through his already tousled blonde hair. He was still dressed in his black and red boxers and obviously hadn't bothered to look decent as he rushed down the stairs. Before either Frank or Faith could question what was wrong with their brother, the middle Hardy spoke up. "I got a call from the Severson family," he told them. Faith looked slightly confused as she glanced from one brother to another, but the eldest Hardy knew the name was linked to their case.
"What about them?" he prompted.
"They got a package. Things aren't looking good for their daughter," Joe replied, his voice sounding strangely dark. Faith's eyes got wide as she tried her best to piece the information with the case. She didn't know much about it, but by the horrified looks on both of her brother's faces, something was definitely wrong.
"Get ready both of you. We're leaving in five minutes," Frank ordered, his face grim. His mind was racing. By the look in Joe's eyes, he knew that there was something his brother wasn't telling him as their sister was in the room. Joe was withholding important information and judging by the mysterious and slightly revolted look plastered on his brother's face, he concluded that whatever it was had to be sinister.
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