Summary:
He didn't know he would be gone for Christmas. No one did. Three shot

Answers to the guest reviews:

Penlew: I love Cliffies! ;) Thanks for reviewing!
Candylou: Sorry for the suspence...;) I'm glad you are liking it! Thanks for reviewing!
Sophia: Yes, we all know that the Hardys won't be the same if (see! I said "if") Joe dies. Fenton will probably retire from the PI business... sigh... Yes. you might want some tissues in this chapter!
Hardy boys fan: I'll TRY to NOT kill Joe...but I might have to... I'm sorry.

Thank you so much for reviewing, ya'll! Thanks to HNB FJRAY for the help.

(Side note: I'm listening to such happy music right now so i'm gonna switch to sad music so I can write this horrible tragic story ending!)

Here's the the FINAL chapter in this story! The Epilogue!

Warning! - major character death, angst, tragedy...

I'll Be Gone for Christmas -Epilogue- by VintageRoseTaylor

"Laura?"

"Did you find Joe?"

"Yes, we found him."

"Is he all right?"

"No, Laura, he isn't."

"What are you talking about? My baby isn't okay?"

"No...The snow won't let us travel him to the hospital."

"No! No, no, no, no, NO!" Laura shook her head on the phone, blinking back tears. "Can't you do anything?"

"He's lost too much blood, honey,"

"I want to talk to him then," Fenton felt a lump in his throat as he got to his feet and handed it to Joe. Pain was scrawled all over Joe's voice as Fenton explained to him it was his mother.

"Hi, Mom,"

"Oh, Baby, sweetie... Do you feel okay?"

"...Sure, I'm fine.." Joe lied.

"Don't be stubborn with me, Joe!" Laura scolded as Fenton took a step backwards, heartache settling inside him. A hand landed on his arm making him whirl around to see Con giving him a sad look.

"Fenton, let Joe have some time with his Mom." Fenton nodded brushing his hair away from his eyes. He needed to cry at the moment.

"Are you okay?"

"Can we talk some where Laura can't hear us?"

"Sure, what's wrong?" Fenton and Con left the area where EMTs and police officers were. Fenton blew up at the words 'what's wrong?'.

"MY SON! That's what is going one! Christmas is screwed up! Joe's too young to die! He's TOO young?!" Fenton exclaimed. His anger, fustration, heartache taking the best of him as he poured out his words of what was going inside his head. How he ignored his little boy that past week, how he never say "great job" to his younger son when he got good grades. He blinked as he stopped to take a deep breath. Con let out a breath before saying,

"That's horrible...What are you gonna do?"

"I don't know..." Fenton sighed, wrinkles appearing on his forehead as he tried to think of a solution.

"Why don't you pray?"

"I haven't prayed in a long time, Con,"

"There's always time for praying, Fenton."

"Bye Mom. I love you. Frank, can you take the phone?" Joe asked, brushing away tears with his fist. He was so tired of staying awake. All he wanted was to sleep. He needed to sleep so bad. Drowsiness was taking him deeper inside the dark hole that was swallowing him further. Frank nodded and took the phone from his hand.

"Hey Mom," Frank greeted as he walked away. Iola kept quiet for a few minutes before stepping up to Joe's medical bed that he laid on.

"...Iola..." He whispered, blinking back the tears, the pain that was overcoming him.

"Joe, I'm here, it's gonna be okay."

"I know...but I need to tell you something."

"What?"

"I'm a Christian." Joe blinked for a few seconds before laughing. "What's so funny?"

"I'm a Christian too."

"You are?"

"I got saved a few weeks ago," Iola suddenly broke down again into sobs, still clutching her boyfriend's hand.

"He can heal you, y'know."

"But I think it's my time."

"But you don't have to die, Joe. Please."

"My race is finished, Iola. I fought the good fight."

"Oh, Joe, I bet you witnessed to all the girls who flirted with you." Joe's blue eyes twinkled before pain clouded them again.

"I love you, Joe Hardy."

"I love you, Iola Morton."

Iola took her seat beside Joe's bed, and leaned against the wall, thinking about all the wonderful memories she had with her boyfriend... She had been friends with him for such a long time. It was as if they were meant to be together. She took her phone out and got into her picture albums. She tapped the picture of her and Joe smiling at Tony Prito's dad's pizzeria. They were grinning, so happy. His eyes were sparkling beautifully with his handsome grin. His hair...was so perfectly blond. She wiped the tear that fell down her cheek. She zoomed in the part where Joe was holding his iPhone. Music was playing on it... Don't Leave Me by BTS. He was a crazy Kpop fan. Her breath caught in her throat as she looked at the other playlists...Christian Worship...Iola Themed...LofFi..Oh my word.. If only she could get his phone...

Then a few seconds later, the words shattered her heart forever.

"HE'S GOING INTO SHOCK!" Fenton and Frank got up from the ground as fast as they could as the EMTs did their best to get Joe's heartbeat steady again. Iola blinked a few times as she held Joe's hand.

"He's NOT BREATHING!"

"NOOOOOOOOOOO! JOE, JOE!" Voices mixed as Iola's vision blurred, pain stabbing her heart over and over. Frank started crying, for the first time Iola had ever since...since...since Joe had been kidnapped two years ago and hadn't come back for months.

"I'm sorry, Joe! I'm sorry, Joe, please forgive me, please forgive me." Frank begged as Joe's back arched and settled again.

"He's breathing again..."

"What happened?!" Fenton asked.

"Someone needs to monitor him all the time now." Iola looked down at her boyfriend's closed eyes, tears slipping out of them.

"Joe...please don't leave...You have too much to do in your life, please little brother," Frank said his knees weakening as he sank to the ground. Fenton took him by his shoulders and helped him up to the other side of the room.

"I'll watch him," Iola said quietly.

Joe's eyes opened slowly as he looked around, partially forgetting what happened but then he remembered everything when he looked at Iola who was still holding his hand.

"Iola!"

"Joe, you're awake! He's awake!" Iola exclaimed, dark circles under her eyes from the lack of rest. Frank and Fenton ran to the bed, waiting and watching the conversation.

"You need to rest, you look horrible."

"Hey!" She scolded. "You scared us, that wasn't right."

"Iola...?"

"Yes?"

"I love you and please I know this will be hard for you..but please...do one favor for me." His voice turning into a whisper.

"Yes?" Iola leaned closer to his face. He kissed her on the cheek and smiled. The pain that clouded his eyes was gone for a few seconds.

"Don't forget me."

"I won't, I promise."

"Tell Dad," Joe coughed, pain radiating through his body. "Tell Dad and Frank that I forgive them." Iola looked back at Fenton and Frank as tears flowed down their faces freely.

"They heard you, Joe, they heard."

At least two minutes had passed when Joe's heartbeat started to slow down. Joe's crystal brilliant blue eyes flickered open to look at Iola. They were glistening with tears.

"Joe?" Everyone including the police officers and the Hardys watched the EMTs trying to make him survive...to live past the morning...but Iola knew that he wouldn't. His eyes slowly closed as she watched, his breathing slowing down.

"Joe, I love you." Frank and Fenton stood by the bed, unable to speak at all. They were speachless.

"I love you, Frank...Dad..."

And he slipped away.

Gone.

Forever.

To Heaven.

Iola looked away as the EMTs sadly pulled the sheet over his face.

"Someday I'll see you, Joe, someday."

Several Years Later

Iola was in senior year in Bayport High School as she walked towards her boyfriend's gravestone. She put flowers down on the ground and smiled.

"I'll see you again, Joe." The writing on the limestone said:

Joseph Shaun Hardy
2005 - 2021
Son, boyfriend, brother & detective

"I'm sorry," She jumped to her feet, startled as she turned around to see a boy her age.

"Who are you?"

"I'm new in town."

"Oh, hi."

"I heard about Joe. I'm sorry."

"It's okay...I know he's with Jesus." The boy's eyes lightened as she sat down again.

"Can I sit here?"

"Sure,"

"What's your name?"

"Iola."

"I'm Victor."

"Dad?"

"Yes, son?" Frank stepped into Fenton's office.

"I got accepted to Harvard."

"That's great, son!"

"It's snowing."

"Oh," Fenton's face fell as he remembered the death of his younger son.

"You do realize its Christmas Eve."

"I know,"

"Can we go to the cemetery tomorrow morning?"

"Of course." Fenton nodded, rubbing his forehead.

"With Callie...and Iola?"

"Yes, son. Joe would want us not to forget him."

"Yeah..."

"I'm still thinking of what you and I were talking about earlier."

"And?"

"I think Hardy and Sons is a great name for the new agency!" Fenton got out of his chair and grinned at his oldest boy.

"Let's get going, your Aunt Gertrude is gonna get angry at us." Fenton left the office leaving Frank to stare at the family album that his father had been looking at.

There was a piece of paper that was in Joe's handwriting that flew out...Frank picked it up and read:

My Favorite Scripture:
We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord. ~2 Corinthians 5:8

THE END

And...There is the end. Wow. I cannot believe it's done. I hoped you liked it... I really felt like this was a good ending... What do you think? Please review! ~VRT