Chapter Three Edited

Homecoming

Itsmeocean@hotmail.com

Joe gazed out of his side of the window of his black Land Rover which was smeared with the dirt, mud and grime of the long drive back. They were in his driveway and on his side, he could see right past the Tudor-styled house into the backyard where the swing swayed minutely to the sluggish rhythm of the hot summer's occasional breeze. Frank pulled up and patted his shoulder.
 
"Back home." 
 
"Yah…" Joe bit his lip, an action that he longed wanted to quit ever since Elle teased him about it, telling him that it made him looked juvenile. He wondered then what Elle was doing- probably hailing curses upon his blond spikes for splitting so suddenly with their firm's Land Rover.
 
She should have known better than to do what she did.
 
The front door opened and Laura Hardy stepped out to check who was in the foreign vehicle that just parked in her driveway. No, his mother did not change much too. She still had that shrewd, feisty air about her and her blond hair, though shorter, was still straight and trendily cut into a bob. Her penchant for loose blouses and tapered jeans to lounge around at home never diminished with time as well. Joe's eyes stung with precious saline as he agonizingly remembered the awful power behind the last few words he exchanged with her before he packed his bag and left.
 
Frank stepped out of the vehicle first and from his tinted window, Joe could see his mom peering into the Land Rover warily to see who the passenger was. 
 
"New car, Frank? Your Lexus' barely a year old. I know you're earning much and going places but you need to learn to be thrifty if you want to make Callie's dream wedding come true. Not to mention getting for yourself a bigger apartment… yours could never house a fam…"
 
"I know mom…" Frank leaned over and kissed Laura once on each cheek. Joe remembered doing that too in his youth- the embraces, those times when he would loiter in the kitchen pretending to help his mother when what he was really after were her words of wisdom- they revisited his memories, wrung more tears from his heart to his eyes. "It's not mine and besides, you know I have always been prudent. It belongs to someone very special…"
 
Laura raised a questioning brow up at her son who towered over her at six feet one before an understanding dawned onto to her. Her hand flew to her lips as she hastily walked over to the vehicle. Before she could reach it though, Joe pushed open his door and stepped out. He took off his shades and smiled shakily at his mother while shuffling his feet awkwardly.
 
His mother slowed her steps as if she was walking in a dream and her eyes- just like his- rounded in disbelief. Words of apology which he had been rehearsing for years failed him then- language reduced to incoherent babbles when he tried to greet her. When she was right in front of him, he forgotten how to breathe. His thoughts were in a swirl and his heart twisted achingly when he saw the deepened crowfeet at the sides of her eyes and unfamiliar creases on her forehead. No, he was wrong. She was not the same any more; she had grown older and sadder. He knew, with a sinking stomach, that he was the cause much more than the sands of time.
 
She caressed his cheeks- her hands still tender and soft. "Joe… baby…"
 
He reached up and took her hands into his before kissing them. "Mom, I'm sorry. Forgive me, please…" That was all he could manage before the suppressed tears found their way out of his blue orbs.
 
Laura embraced him lovingly, tiptoeing up to kiss him on his cheek. "Silly boy, there never was anything to forgive."
 
*****
 

"So, what have you been up to all these years?" Fenton sat down on Joe's bed. Laura had happily put on a new bed spread for him when he was in the kitchen having milk and cookies with his father and brother. He had thought there would be long spells of silence but the bonds between them were too strong even for time to dilute much away. When his father had said nothing for a moment upon seeing him, he thought that was it- that today was going to be the last day of his life.

"Darling?! Darling! Our baby's back! He's back!" Laura raced into the basement den to drag his father up. As Fenton climbed up the stairs to the living room, he gave Joe's punk image a once over and frowned.

"Dad…" Joe uneasily greeted the man he had always been in awe of- the one person that he wanted to measure up to and never thought he could. Fenton now stood before him, his arms akimbo as his beaming wife nudged him not too subtly to show his son some affection.

"When you called in the morning, were you already in Bayport?"

Joe stumbled for an answer but before he could open his mouth, Fenton waved him off. "Forget about answering. You were in Bayport- downtown to be exact. When we were speaking, I heard the giant cuckoo clock in town square crowing noontime."

"Ah… yes, sir,… I…"

"Seven years." Fenton stated blandly.

Even Frank bristled next to him. He knocked his big brother's knee with his- Joe could really use some support and strength now.

"Six years eleven months and twelve days to be exact." Joe corrected Fenton, not knowing why his motor-mouth would want to risk his father's wrath. Frank elbowed him and, from the corner of his eyes, glanced at him like he was a madman who no longer valued his life.. Even Laura Hardy knitted her brows in anxiousness, shaking her head at him violently as she did so.

"And that's supposed to make us all feel better?" Fenton coldly replied. Joe wanted to kneel down then, grab his father's ankles and beg for him to spare his life when Fenton suddenly pulled him into a bear hug, laughing as he did so.

"Welcome home, sonny. Welcome home! My golden boy is back after seven years!"

"Ah… six years eleven months and twe…"

"Do you want to die?" Fenton pulled away, glaring at Joe. Joe cringed, wondering if he had made his father quite mad with his antics.

"Nope sir… too young to die…"

"Good. Food, Laura! We must celebrate the return of our prodigal son!"

"Dad's watching a lot of soap-operas and shows from the era of Benhur. He's having a middle-age crisis dream of becoming an actor like Charlton Heston. " Frank whispered in his ear. "He can be a little quirky at times but he will be back to his serious self soon."

"Should I tell him that 'prodigal' means 'spendthrift' and I didn't like go squander my inheritance away?"

Frank stroked his chin sagely. "Better not. Don't want to drive him over the edge."

So, in seven years, his dad gained a sense of humor as well, probably able to see the lighter side to the mess Joe left behind. Whatever it was, Joe hoped Fenton could tell him the funny side to all these because he sure could not.

Basically, they were just making small talk as they sat around the table, reiterating cases they had solved. Joe felt extremely inadequate when Frank simply brushed away the case of the "Perfect Crime", which had stumped even the Feds, as nothing.

However, his heart was put at ease when Fenton never pressured him for any details about his own life. He told them the funny situations he entangled Elle in mainly because he was messy and disorganized and she was annalistic about cleanliness. His parents sensed that he was not exactly ready to tell them of his failed marriage to Vanessa and let it go- for the moment. Vanessa, Joe had no idea still how he should feel towards her. Antagonistic?  Lost love? But whatever it was, no matter who was to be blamed more, he would always think of her at least as the mother of his angel.

Joe was now sitting up on his bed with the duvet covering his crossed legs. He was getting ready to take a nap when Fenton stepped in for a personal, heart-to-heart talk. His lids were heavy but he knew his father was concerned about him. Of course he should be, Laura as well. When parenthood came to Joe, he could finally comprehend the fearful nights he put them through- the magnitude of the anxieties he had inadvertently forced upon them- and felt even guiltier. However, he wished his dad could understand him enough to leave him alone to dreamland for the time being.

"I told you guys… Maryland then Chicago with California in between." Joe was evasive, knowing his father was really asking about something else.

"I don't mean where. I mean what and not just college and the PI firm which I'm extremely proud of you for achieving.  What happened between you and Ness?"

"Dad, I'm really sleepy…"

"You're gone for seven years and you're sleepy. Your mom let you off easy just now. But I'm not going to. You have a lot of explanation to do."

"Yes. I'm not a child anymore, dad. You know… statistics… these things happen." Joe gestured around vaguely before he stretched his lips into a thin, taut line.

Fenton clasped his strong fingers together before cracking his knuckles and sighing. "I didn't want to bring this up just now with your mom around. You know how she is. I'm not an inept investigator and you're not that experienced in such ways as to outwit me with your constant moving. Before I say anything else… do you want to tell me anything? I won't judge you anymore, son. Like you said, these things happened and it is evident that you're wiser now. Much wiser."

"If you have found me many times… why didn't you just show up and drag me home?" Joe retorted. His keen intuition told him that his father had somehow dug out the nasty details of the divorce and after.

"I didn't find out exactly where you were, that I'll give you. When I actually did, your address changed. I merely found out what happened… but not soon enough. How's therapy coming along?" Fenton voice softened and Joe's eyes were downcast- there was no use denying to those piercing eyes.

"I didn't need it. I never hurt anyone."

"Vanessa was scared. She must have reasons to be afraid."

"Dad!" The ugly monster riding on his back reared its head but he controlled it and shoved it back where it belonged, away from him. "I know I was wrong and I am going for 'Anger Management Classes'. I'm all right. All ok now." Joe raked a hand through his hair in frustration. Fenton patted his knee reassuringly.

"I'm sorry. Maybe I did sound like I was jumping on you but that was never the intention. Seven years… my boy left home and returned a man."

"A man?" Joe laughed shortly and self-derisively. "Hardly."

"You admitted to your mistakes. Even if you won't tell us the details, I can see you're trying to make amends and learning to deal with your shortcomings. Marriage is a sticky thing… you were so young then and it's partly our fault too. We didn't stick up for you enough and support you when you needed us most."

"I always thought if you and mom had been there to guide us… maybe things would have worked out between me and Vanessa… at least it won't be so… ugly." Joe blew at his fringe. Now that he had taken a shower, the spikes were gone and his hair once again fell softly all over his forehead. He hated that- it made him appear much younger than he was.

"But you do know you'll always be my son and my child. Don't run away for seven years again. I'm not that young, Joe. If you do it again, you're going to return home to an old man with spit dribbling down the side of his lips, sitting indolently in his wheelchair while hitting out at punks who talk too loud with his cane." Fenton ruffled his hair and Joe chuckled at the image his father conjured up.

"Not to mention becoming overly dramatic at times. Probably going to spout the Ten Commandments like how Charlton Heston did." Joe kidded, still a little amused from his dad's initial reaction at seeing him.

"I'm just letting you know that I don't have many years left. Just like you hate being out of Hallie's life the way you were, I hate to be out of your life. And I did miss a lot of important milestones that you've been through which I can never turn back time for to either congratulate you or offer you assistance." Fenton explained patiently to which Joe nodded silently.

"I'll leave you alone for now. If you ever want to talk about it, you can always come to me. We will be able to think of something." Fenton stood up. He looked at Joe with some unspoken concern before smiling grimly and left the room. Joe waited until his dad had shut the door to slink down onto the soft bed.

Before he closed his eyes though, he gazed up at the display shelf and saw that Frank had maneuvered the movable joints of Spidey in a crouching position with its head resting on a fist as if it was waiting for something or someone.

Sorry to have kept you guys waiting.

But I'm back, ain't I?

***

"Vanessa… calm down. I'm sure Joe would not do that… why would he?"

"No! I will not! He took my baby…"

"Con…"

"Fenton, I have my orders. Joe fits into motive. I have to bring him in for questioning."

Joe woke up as the dialogues of reality streamed into the sub-consciousness of his dreams. Rubbing sleep out of his eyes, he struggled up and stretched himself, hearing his tired muscles scream. He thought he heard a voice which he never wanted to hear again unless it was absolutely necessary- hers.

"He took my baby… is Hallie here? She's here, right?"

"Ness… I know my son and Hallie's his baby too." Fenton reproached Vanessa sternly. "Besides, he traveled here on road from Chicago and just arrived this early afternoon. He did not go anywhere before he came here except Callie's house and Frank's condominium. Besides, Frank was with him the entire time… he couldn't have gone over to the Mall and took Hallie…"

Hallie? Kidnapped? Hallie in Bayport? Damn you, Ness! You never tell me where you're bringing her to! Hallie…

Hallie!

Joe scrambled out of bed and threw on a decent t-shirt. Racing down the stairs, he saw Vanessa, looking classy but disheveled, with Con Riley next to her in the small foyer, talking to Fenton who was standing with his arms akimbo. He slowed his steps and glared at Vanessa.

"What's this about Hallie being kidnapped? Why is she even here?"

"I brought her here to visit my mother. Took her to the mall where I met Tony who told me you've returned. I was going to bring Hallie to see you, out of kindness that you don't deserve when…"

"When you lost her, right?" Joe stormed over to her angrily but was held back by his father. "

"This is no time for anger, both of you. When did you discover Hallie lost?" Fenton asked Vanessa calmly. Vanessa glowered at Joe before inhaling in deeply for coherent speech despite her tears of a mother's fright and anxiety.

"About four hours ago. We were in the Bayport Mall and after Tony told me you were back, Hallie shrieked and yelled that she wanted to see you. I tried to… to placate her by bringing her to Toys'r'us but she wouldn't stop crying for you."

"Placate her? You didn't want her to see me in the first place! Where's this mysterious kindness that you were talking about?!"

"JOE!" Fenton laid a heavy, restraining hand on Joe. "Carry on, Vanessa."

Vanessa ignored Joe's smoldering eyes and spoke to Fenton. "There was a crowd in Toys'r'us because of some entertainment that was being staged and Hallie was distracted for a while by it. But you can tell she's not happy so I relented and was about to bring her over when suddenly, she broke away from me and ran into the crowd, shouting "Daddy! Daddy!" I thought you were there as well… but I lost sight of her and with the security guards, we kept searching for you and her. She was nowhere to be seen and so I made a police report. I heard her shout "Daddy." Why would she do that unless she saw you?"

"I was nowhere near Toys'r'us four hours ago! You're probably lying about what she was shouting! You can't wait to see me in jail, bi…"

"JOE! Back off! You're both not helping the situation by losing your tempers. Hadn't experiences taught you two enough?" Fenton reprimanded them with such forceful vehemence behind his measured tone that even Con Riley cringed.

"Well, we just need Joe to go down and take some statements. That's all."

"Hell no! I'm going off." Joe was about to push past his father when once again, his father pulled him back by the shoulders with strength he did know his father had. "Dad, I got my daughter to bring home!"

"Go with Con. Vanessa heard what she heard. Vanessa, if you don't mind, come into the study with me and we'll go through some details. I'm calling Frank over. Con, do I have your word that the statement-taking will be fast?" Fenton wielded the clout he held over the police department of Bayport, having helped them in very valuable ways in many crucial investigations before.

"Yes, Fenton. Very fast. Your boy will be back in no time. Procedures, you know." Con Riley promised.

"DAD!" Joe yelled. "HALLIE'S MISSING!!!!  And I have to go down to the station? This is FREAKING CRAZY!!!!! If I'm not so angry about the lies she's telling and scared out of my mind, I'll roll down on the floor and DIE LAUGHING!"

"Go, Joe." Fenton repeated softly. "The faster you get it over and done with, the sooner you can work on this. We'll get Hallie back safely. I promise you… son…"

"Daddy! Daddy! Where are you? Daddy!!! Hallie's scared!"

"Sheesh… sweetheart… I'm here… I'm here…"

"I don't like hide and seek. Don't like! Don't wanna play this game, daddy."

"We won't play this game then. We'll go for ice-cream? Don't cry Hallie… daddy will never lose you… ok? Daddy loves you so much…"

Joe inhaled and exhaled deeply. Hallie's childish laughter, the secret meetings they had, those wonderful hours with her just listening to her chatter on and on about the new things in life she learnt and afraid that Vanessa would find out about him seeing Hallie despite the court orders…

"Promise me, daddy? And it's not Hallie who's lost. Hallie knows where she is! It's daddy who's lost. Daddy never lose himself again?"

"I promise you."

"I love you, daddy."

He covered his mouth and blinked the tears away. Silently, he nodded and left with Con Riley, clenching his fists as he marched past Vanessa, his heart twisting with the rage of betrayed love, and anxiousness for the daughter who was his reason for being alive- who was really, his life.