A/N: Thanks to everyone for continuing to read. :)

Guilty

Chapter 11

Joe glanced at the clock on the dashboard as he approached the building where Vanessa worked. Between the flat tire and rush hour traffic, he was well over an hour late! He pulled up in front of the building and got out of the car. Walking up the steps he glanced around for Vanessa. Entering the lobby, he slowly walked around the perimeter looking for any sign of her. He approached the security desk by the front doors and was glad to see a guard he had talked sports with on previous trips to pick up Vanessa.

"Hi, Greg," Joe greeted the guard.

"Hey, Joe! How's it going?" Greg replied with a smile and an outstretched hand.

"Fine, thanks," Joe replied shaking his hand. "Hey, have you seen Vanessa tonight? I was supposed to pick her up at five but I got a flat so I'm a little late. I don't see her anywhere."

"Oh, yeah. She left a while ago. Last I saw her it looked like she was headed towards the bus stop."

"Great! Thanks, Greg. Bye."

"See you around, Joe."

Joe got back in his car and drove towards the bus stop, his blue eyes constantly scanning the sides of the road for any sign of his fiancée. He reached the bus stop and saw a few people standing there, but none of them was Vanessa. Since she wasn't at the bus stop and he hadn't seen her on the way, he assumed she caught the previous bus, which meant she would be home by now. He grabbed his cell phone and it was then that he noticed he had a message. Checking his voice mail, he listened to Vanessa telling him about her day and that she was taking the bus home. He dialed their number and got the answering machine.

"Hey, Babe, it's me. Are you there? If you are, can you pick up?" He waited a few seconds, and then continued. "Come on, Van. I'm starting to get worried. I just want to know you got home safely. Please, honey, pick up the phone." He waited a few more seconds and hung up. Vanessa would never let Joe worry needlessly about her safety. She must not be home yet. Despite her message, she obviously hadn't taken the bus.

While continuing to search the city streets, he systematically called Frank and Callie and all their friends, hoping desperately that Vanessa had called one of them for a ride. After each call, he re-checked his voice mail praying he'd find a message from Vanessa, letting him know she was at home, safe and sound.

Two hours later, having satisfied himself that Vanessa was nowhere in the vicinity and with a cell phone in need of recharging, he headed back to their apartment. During the short drive home, he repeatedly told himself that Vanessa had found another way home, ignoring the growing feeling of dread in the pit of his stomach.

As he pulled into the parking space directly below their apartment, he looked up and let out a huge sigh of relief. He could see the lights blazing through the sliding glass doors of the balcony and silently thanked God she had made it home safely. Eager to hold her in his arms, he bounded up the stairs and threw open the door.

"Hey, Babe, I'm sorry we got our signals crossed…"

Joe stopped dead in his tracks. Waiting for him were Frank and Fenton but no sign of Vanessa. Looking at his father and brother, the feeling of dread came back full force. He looked into his brother's eyes and saw pain, anguish and something he couldn't quite place. Pity? Sympathy?

"Where's Vanessa?" he asked quickly looking away.

Frank gently laid a hand on his arm. "Joe, something's happened…"

Joe shook off his hand and roughly brushed past him.

"Van? I'm home, hon."

He continued down the hall towards their bedroom. He knew something had happened. Something bad. He saw it in Frank's eyes and when he had briefly glanced at his father. In his growing panic he told himself Vanessa was here. She was home. She was safe. As long as he avoided returning to the living room to face them, he could continue to believe that.

He looked in their bedroom and bathroom. He even checked the walk-in closet Vanessa had fallen in love with when they first came to look at the apartment. Other than Joe's old Bayport High t-shirt that Vanessa had worn to bed the night before, there was no sign of her.

He slowly walked back into the hall, checking the guest bedroom and the second bathroom. He even opened the door to the linen closet – anything to avoid returning to the living room and learning the truth. He felt whatever had happened was his fault. If he'd been watching the road a little more closely, maybe he wouldn't have hit that piece of debris. He shut the door of the linen closet and leaned his forehead against it. He felt his eyes begin to well up with tears as he prayed 'Please, God, don't let her suffer because I wasn't paying attention.'

"Son…" He heard his father's soft voice next to him. Fenton gently put his arm around Joe's shoulders and led him back to the living room. He guided Joe to the couch and sat down next to him. Frank sat on the other side and put a comforting hand on his brother's shoulder.

Joe looked first at his father, then at Frank. They both had that same look in their eyes; the one he couldn't quite place. Then it hit him like a bolt of lightning. He had grown used to seeing that look reflected in his own eyes when he looked in the mirror, but never on his father or brother. It was guilt. Their eyes were filled with guilt. And that's when he realized what had happened to his beloved fiancée. The famous Hardys hadn't been able to solve this case quickly enough and as a result, someone they loved had become a victim.

Fenton broke the news as gently as he could. "I'm sorry, son. Chief Collig called me personally. A passerby heard crying from behind the old abandoned shopping center and went to check it out. They found Vanessa."

"No," Joe said softly. "No."

"I'm so sorry, Joe. She was raped."

Joe slid off the couch to his knees. He buried his face in his hands, sobbing. Frank and Fenton exchanged looks. They had to get Joe calmed down and get him to the hospital. Vanessa needed him now more than ever.

Without warning, Joe swept his arm across the coffee table in front of him. Magazines and papers flew everywhere.

"NO!!" He screamed and lashed out again at the few things remaining on the table. The half empty coffee cup he had left there early that morning flew across the room, smashing into pieces when it hit the wall.

"NO! NO!! Not Vanessa!" Joe yelled.

Frank looked at Fenton in a panic. Joe was obviously losing control, and fast!

Sobbing and crying out in anguish, Joe raised his right arm and brought it crashing down, shattering the glass top on the coffee table. Frank and Fenton threw their arms up to protect themselves from the flying glass. As the glass fragments settled, Frank looked up and saw his brother lunge for a lamp on the end table, blood starting to drip from Joe's right hand.

Frank threw himself at his younger brother. Grabbing him from behind in a tight bear hug, he pinned Joe's arms to his sides, dragging him backwards away from the shattered glass.

"No!" Joe continued to yell. "No! No! No!"

Fenton grabbed his younger son by the shoulders and yelled at him. "Joe! Stop it!"

Joe continued thrashing, trying to break away from the grip of his brother. He needed to break something else, hit someone, but Frank's hold was too strong. Joe was going over the edge and Frank knew if he somehow broke free, there would be no stopping him. Frank briefly flashed back to the day their car exploded in the mall parking lot, taking Iola Morton with it. Silently apologizing to Joe, he tightened his grip and pleadingly looked at his father.

"Dad, do something! I can't hold onto him much longer!"

This time Fenton roughly took his sons face in his hands, forcing Joe to look at him. Fenton was stunned, and terrified, by the seething hatred and blind rage he saw in his youngest son's eyes. He quickly regained his composure. They could deal with that later.

"Enough, Joseph!! Enough! Vanessa is hurt. She needs you. You need to calm down and get to the hospital now. You cannot let her see you like this. YOU have to be the strong one!"

Joe continued to struggle against Frank's grip and for a moment, Fenton feared he had not been able to get through to his youngest son. Suddenly Frank felt Joe relax. He loosened his hold on his brother but did not let go. Joe continued to cry quietly, but no longer lashed out at anything around him.

"Why, Dad? Why Vanessa?"

Frank's heart was breaking for his younger brother and for Vanessa. He remembered how Joe had changed after Iola had died. He'd always been a little wild but after the explosion his friends and family began to fear for his safety. It almost seemed as though he had no regard for his own life. When he met Vanessa everything changed. Joe had fallen madly in love with Vanessa and his whole world changed. Frank felt Vanessa had given him the greatest gift in the world – his wise cracking, care free, happy go lucky little brother was back.

Joe had once confided to Frank that he'd made a vow to himself to protect Vanessa no matter what. He would never let anyone hurt her, and if someone did, Joe had said he would kill them. Up until tonight, Frank always assumed Joe was "trash talking". The Hardys caught the criminals; it was up to the legal system to mete out the punishment. Tonight, however, after witnessing his brothers uncontrollable rage, Frank had a sense of foreboding that Joe had meant exactly what he said. Frank was terrified that this time, Joe would take justice into his own hands. His fathers voice brought Frank back to reality.

"I don't know son. I'm afraid she was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Right now, we need to get your hand bandaged and get you to the hospital."

Joe looked down at the blood now dripping steadily from his right hand. He hadn't even realized it had been cut. He allowed his father to lead him back to the bathroom.

Frank began picking up the objects that had been flung around the room during Joe's outburst of rage. Realizing it would take more than a few minutes to clean up and not wanting his brother to be confronted with the sight when he eventually returned home, he picked up the phone and called Biff.

He quickly brought Biff up to date on what had happened. He asked Joe's best friend to come over and clean up the remaining mess before Joe got back. Biff readily agreed. A moment later Fenton reappeared with a still distraught but much more subdued Joe. His right hand now bandaged, Joe allowed his father and brother to lead him out the door.