Author's note: Yeah, yeah, I know, I know. I told you this story was finished, didn't I? However, Frank Hardy told me otherwise. In fact, he said that if I didn't write an epilogue to this book, he wouldn't allow me to make stories about him ever again. He was really offended. Guess why? Well, this chapter will give you the answer.
What's really good about this, is that I can give you all a proper thank for your reviews to the "last" chapter!
Candylou: Thanks!
HappyReadingGirl: My pleasure! Og jeg er helt enig: Jeg håper vi ses snart!
Ecaxtely: Thanks! And yes, you wrote that "bye" right! You can also say "noensinne" instead of "noen gang". That means pretty much the same, just said a bit differently. And I have to say, you are really good at learning Norwegian! Before my carrier here on Fanfiction is over, I am sure you will be a master at it! :-D Regarding when I will write your story, that will be very, very soon! :-)
CommentOfErrors: Thanks! About why Chambertin would reveal so much: I suppose he just is a braggart… :-)
OinBed: Gledenerpå min side! (My pleasure!)
Sofia: Thank you so much, you really made my day! Awesome in Norwegian is "fantastisk". Actually, it means "fantastic", but it is used the same way you use "awesome". Ha det bra fantastiske kanadiske leser av Hardy-guttene! (Bye awesome Canadian reader of the Hardy-boys!)
Emmerrss92: Thank you so much! Glad you liked it!
Epilogue
Three weeks later
"So, what's your plan for today?"
A blond-haired, blue-eyed boy sat at the Hardy's white couch, eyeing his one-year-older, brown-haired brother up and down. To Joe's surprise, the answer he got wasn't the usual "Today I am gonna play foooootbaaaaal, hurrah!". Whenever Frank answered that, and that was often, Joe would always throw a pillow at him with deadly force. After all, Joe was the one loving football, and… he was the one with a broken leg. But happily, the doctor had told him he would soon be able to resume his carrier at the football field.
With a half-joking, half dead serious smile, Frank answered: "Today, I am gonna cry. The whole day."
A small smile spread across Joe's face. "Oh, I see… May I ask what exactly inspired you to do that?" His voice was filled with a teasing spark.
Sighing tiredly, Frank flopped down next to his brother. "I actually mean it seriously, Joe. Well, okay, not quite. I won't exactly cry, but…" Another sigh. "I am in a bad enough mood to be boring, in the least" he finally said, staring at his hands.
"On the contrary! You are actually pretty funny, right now" Joe assured him, his voice filled with amusement. "So, tell me: Why is it you are planning to cry all day long? Spill!"
"Okay, if you insist… You know my math exam? That one I did the day you were kidnapped? I am getting the test-answers today. Delivered straight at my doorstep. I have NO CLUE what I wrote. I failed. Totally." The graveness in Frank's voice really was rather comical. In the least if you asked his brother.
"Poor. You." Joe, his face purple by the effort of remaining serious, managed to choke out two words before he doubled over with laughter. The stare he received was more than a little sinister. Frank's usually sincere, brown eyes were filled with phlegmatic irritation. It was like he said: "Yes, Joe, I know you are evil. I have experienced it too many times. If I wasn't used to it, I would have killed you. KILLED YOU!"
The death-glare didn't exactly make Joe any less amused. In fact, he laughed so hard that Fenton felt the need to go and see what was going on. Standing on the doorstep and eyeing his sons, he couldn't help but smile. Frank was sitting at the couch, his eyes dead, panting like a volcano. Joe, sprawled out next to him, fought to catch his breath. The tears streaming from his eyes were the ones of amusement.
Before Fenton could ask what was going on, someone knocked at the door. Immediately, Frank stiffened. Exchanging a quick glance with Joe, he walked after his father. He still hadn't gotten the time to speak to Fenton about the exam. Their father had come home as soon as he heard Joe and Frank's story. Since he was the one investigating the case, he was more than a little surprised by finding out his sons had solved it.
The following weeks had been hectic. Monsieur Chambertin's trial had taken most of the Hardy's time. But now, he was finally locked up behind bars. He was going to spend the following twenty years there. That problem called "Monsieur Chambertin" was finally out of the Hardy's world. But the math-exam wasn't.
"Come in!"
Fenton opened the door with a smile. Frank, on the other hand, didn't manage anything else than a gasp. This was worse than even he had thought. Instead of the custodian who was supposed to deliver the exams, it was his own math-teacher. Not good at all.
"Thanks!" The brown-haired teacher entered, smiling friendly. "I am here to deliver Frank's exam" he continued. Handing Frank a brown package, he explained: "It's in here."
"Uhm… thanks" Frank answered, feeling more than a little stupid. Desperately hoping the teacher would just shut the door and leave, he felt himself pale considerably by the brown-haired's next word: "And Fenton? I will call you tomorrow. I think we need to have a small conversation about your son's results."
"Oh, I see." Fenton still smiled, but his friendly expression suddenly seemed a bit strained. "Have a nice day!" he added as the teacher waved goodbye.
Closing the door shut, the private investigator turned to face his son. "Are you not going to take a look at it, Frank?" he asked. Frank just shrugged. "I don't know" he finally replied, letting himself dump down on the couch again. Seeing the confused look on his father's face, Joe spoke up: "Frank believes he failed. Totally."
Fenton nodded. When the teacher had told him he needed to talk to him about Frank's results, he had understood something was wrong. He only hoped it wasn't too bad.
Frank reached out for the brown package. Before he even touched it, his attention was caught by a strange sound next to him. Joe. Without warning, the younger Hardy had started sobbing. He buried his face in his hands, and Fenton could see a small tear color the couch bright grey. Horrified, the father approached his son. Joe never cried. And yet, here he was, crying so hard the sobs shook his whole body.
"Joe…" Fenton whispered softly. He was about to put his arms around his son's shoulder, when something stopped him. Something that shocked him even more than a crying Joe. Frank, his son, the Frank Hardy who had always been the best big brother in the world, threw a pillow at his sobbing brother. Hard. Very hard.
"Frank?!" The name at Fenton's lips changed, but his horrified expression didn't. Before Frank could utter a word, Laura rushed inside, her face showing just as much shock as Fenton's. "Joey, what's wrong?" she asked, afraid something terribly had happened. What could possibly trigger such a reaction out of her youngest?
"Joe?!"
It was Frank's voice, demanding, irritated, exasperated. Finally, Joe lifted his head. To their parents relief and confusion, it were fits of laughter that made the tears run down Joe's cheeks. "You asked me to feel sorry for you!" Joe exclaimed accusingly, staring at his brother. He still hadn't quite managed to catch his breath, but the tears had slowed down considerably.
"I asked for a bit of sympathy, not a cry-baby!" Frank threw back. Knowing any further argument was doomed to failure, Frank reached out for the brown package. Once again, he didn't even touch it before something interrupted him. And again, the interruption was Joe Hardy himself.
Literally snatching the exam out of his brother's hands, he started to open it. "Joe…" Frank protested weakly. The older boy didn't put a lot of effort in getting his exam back, though. If he should be quite honest with himself, he was glad he didn't have to open it.
The room were suddenly filled with a breathless silence. Joe slowly slid the documents out of the brown paper. Turning to the page whit the results, a gasp pierced through the silence. Frank watched anxiously as his brother's face drained from every trace of color. Joe didn't say a word. All he did, was staring at the page with big, spherical, baby-blue eyes.
'I knew it was bad, but I hadn't dreamed about a failure that could silence my own ever-talking brother!' Frank thought, wishing the world would swallow him.
When Joe remained in the same posture for another endless ten seconds, Laura finally took the paper out of his hand and stared at it. Seeing her reaction, Frank closed his eyes shut, silently counting to ten. Laura had been just as thunderstruck as his brother.
When Frank finally opened his eyes, he was met of a "pleasant" sight: His whole family staring in front of themselves like roman statues, all eyes big with shock.
"Okay, okay, I know I did bad" he muttered under his breath, reaching out for the paper "but do you really have to make it that obvious?"
Steeling himself, he stared at the test paper - and gasped in shock.
"What?!" That was the first thing Frank managed to choke out. Joe, now being fully back to normal, patted his brother's back (or, if you asked Frank, slammed a fist into the brown-haired's spine with the intention of making an invalid of him). "You are a genius, Frank, a real genius!" Joe exclaimed "a real, proper genius! Now wonder, though, after all, you are my brother…" he added teasingly. The grin that covered his face threatened with cutting his face in two parts.
"So true!" Fenton agreed. Soon, the room was filled with congratulations and relieved laughter. A few moments later, a screaming phone interrupted them. Joe fixed the black thing up from his pocket and excused himself.
"Hello?"
"Joe?" It was Phil on the other end. "I just wanted to call you because of the exam we received today."
"Yes?" Joe asked, wondering what Phil could possibly have to tell him about that. He knew Phil were one of the smartest boys at the whole school. Perhaps he wanted to tell about his results?
"I know Frank failed. I mean, no wonder, he used four hours less than me. It's just… I know he will be scolding himself anyway. Could you please tell him it was a really, really hard one? I got 90%, and that was the best result at the whole school. Literally no one got more. 100% is impossible" Phil finished. The answer he got was nothing less than a scream. "Not for my brother! He got 100% - and he used one hour!"
Phil laughed softly. "I know Frank is smart, but…" he started. He was cut of by Joe's exited voice. "Indeed he is! He shut down his brain, that's true, but he shut down the skeptical, doubting part. The logical one seems to have been rather intact."
A good talk later, Joe had finally managed to convince Phil it was true. Heading back to the Livingroom, he found his brother with a book. "It was Phil" he informed "he wanted you to know it was impossible to get 100% percent." Frank grinned broadly. "Well, when you are a genius…"
Joe couldn't fully suppress the smile when he answered. "Mr. Frank Hardy, please remember one thing: It was my merit you used only one hour. I was the one to get kidnapped, after all."
Frank winked. "So true, so true. We are a team, after all. I do the work, while you enjoy yourself getting kidnapped and dumping into other nasty stuff."
"Right" Joe replied, his eyes twinkling "that's how it works."
Believe me: This time I actually am done! Hope you liked the epilogue! I am sorry to say it, but I won't be able to update "Danger – Keep out" in another week because of a lot of things I can't do anything with. Hope you understand! And please review!
Au revoir!
HNB FJRAY