Author's Notes: Sorry this took so long for me to update, it's been a whirlwind kind of year. More soon, I promise. Thanks and much love to those who've been asking about this story's progress, you make it all worth it.

* * *

            "I know." Jules had told him, shutting the door of the office behind her and pulling Frank aside.

            Frank lifted wide, brown eyes at her. "What?"

             "Look, I'm not supposed to talk about the health problems of some of the players at Bayport High…but Tom Harding has a medical condition that requires him to be on a certain mixture of medications."

            "What?" Frank asked horrified.

            "I really have said too much already," Jules replied, frowning. "Let's just get out of here."

            Frank reluctantly rose, glaring at the folder of him as if he were afraid it would hurt him, before nodding slowly and shuffled out after Jules, a nagging feeling that he had left something still on the back on his mind.

            Outside, Chet Morton was fiddling with his watch when he saw Frank making his way towards him.

            "So?"

            Gnawing his lower lip, Frank shook his head. "He's clean."

            "Man, what is going on here?" Chet demanded, hitting his fist against a nearby locker.

            "Do you know what kind of medical condition Tom Harding has?" Frank asked slowly, looking around him to confirm that they were indeed, alone.

            Chet shrugged. "Guy's an enigma. I've never heard anything about his folks, where he lives or anything like that…didn't even know he had a medical condition nonetheless guess what it may be."

            "Yes, that is odd," Frank mused aloud. "Anyway, Jules wouldn't say anything about it only that it was serious and he's on some heavy medication."

            An odd look crossed Chet's eyes. "What?"

            Chet shrugged. "I don't know. I don't trust that girl. She's been in the same classes as Joe for a long time and she's always had this manner about her, you know? Like she was hiding something and she would give us the funniest looks whenever the three of us were together."

            Frank gave a thin smile. "I thought I was supposed to be the paranoid one of the group."

            Chet raised his hands as if to fend off an attack, "I'm just giving you my opinion. As little as we know about Tom Harding, at least he's been in Bayport for only two or three years, Jules has been here forever and if possible, we may know even less about her."

            Nodding, Frank eyed the empty hallway where he and Jules had parted ways moments ago, "Point. You know me Chet, I've never been one to give in to a hunch, that's always been Joe's thing, but…I just…trust her. But, you're right, let's have a chat with Phil and see what he can find out about either one of them."

* * *

"How are you feeling?"

Joe felt a pang of guilt upon hearing the concern poorly concealed in Vanessa's voice.

            "Like I've been steamrolled. You?"

            At her laugh, Joe relaxed a bit. This was Vanessa, Joe silently reprimanded himself, he had nothing to worry about.

            "Better than you I guess. Play was cancelled indefinitely after the…incident at the football game today."

Joe nodded at this, Frank had called earlier to check up on him and to tell him about the collapse of his old teammate at the game. Vanessa's anxious voice shook him out of his reverie, "Joe, what has been going on? I'm starting to worry we've got some nut at school sabotaging the school games."

            "I'm afraid I can't answer that," Joe replied, scratching his head. "Frank's been doing all the detective stuff while I've been…well, I slept a lot."

            A pause and Joe thought he could feel Vanessa smiling at him through the phone. God, he thought, I'm an idiot.

            "Vanessa?"

            "Yeah?"

            "We'll always have each other no matter what may come, right?"

            "Huh?"

            "Just answer the question."

            A pause for deliberation.

            "The alternative is unthinkable."

            Joe smiled, feeling better than he had been for days.

            "Okay. Just making sure. Hey, what happened on 'Friends' today? I missed it."

* * *

            "Tom?"

            Instinctively pulling away at the touch, Tom turned and stared at the shadow approaching him.

            "Yeah?"

            "It's okay, Harding. It's me."

            Tom smiled wanly at the figure that quickly came into focus before his eyes and sighed, "Jules."