"Then how did you get attacked, er, scratched in the first place?" demanded Frank, his eyes locking with Joe's. "If it's only once, maybe twice, a month, then how did Craig or this Jonathan become a wolf and get you at the university when we were there? It wasn't a full moon."

Joe's eyes fell. "I...I don't know," he admitted.

"Well, I do," Frank said in a gentle voice. "Mayhem and Anderson have managed to play with your mind somehow. You're not a wolf. You're just as human as I am."

"Really?" asked Joe, his expression pleading.

"Really," asserted Frank.

Joe smiled. "I'm being silly, huh?"

"No," denied Frank with a firm shake of his head. "They did something to you to make you believe it and we're going to find out what it was and make sure they don't do it to anyone else."

"Thanks, Bro," said Joe as Frank gave him a quick hug.

"Come on," said Frank, pulling away and rapping Joe lightly on the leg. "We've got to pick up the girls soon so we had better get ready."

Almost an hour and a half later the boys arrived at Mr. Pizza with their dates. "Hey, Gorgeous!" shouted Chet as they neared the table occupied by some of their friends. "You can sit right here," he said, smiling at Vanessa as his girlfriend, Helen, gave him a punch in the side.

"Don't mind if I do," said Joe taking the seat and pulling Vanessa onto the one beside him and immediately placing his arm around her shoulders.

"Alas, my days as a Casanova seem numbered," lamented Chet, his brown eyes taking on an imploring look as he looked at Callie. "What say ye, fair maiden? Wilt thou grace my knee?"

Frank broke out laughing as he and Callie took their seats. "What's with the theatrics?" Frank asked.

"Chet's trying out for the part of Cryano in the Bayport Little Theater production," Helen explained. "But he hasn't even looked at the script yet," she added, her green eyes twinkling at her boyfriend's jovial nature.

"When are the tryouts?" asked Joe, his eyes not quite as blue as they had been when he had first sat down.

"A week from tomorrow," answered Chet. "Thinking about trying out too?"

Joe shook his head. "No way," he declared. "Not my cup of tea."

"It sounds like fun," Vanessa commented, her gray eyes alight with interest. "I think I will try out for a part."

"Don't do that," Joe ordered, turning and frowning at her.

"Why not?" asked eighteen-year-old Tony Prito, his dark eyes looking at Joe curiously. "I think it would be cool if we all got parts."

"Go for it," Joe told him. "I just don't think Vanessa should."

"Why not?" demanded Vanessa, her eyes stormy as she flipped her long ash-blond hair over her shoulder and glared at him. "Don't you think I would make a good actress?"

"I know you would be a great actress," Joe responded. "You're great at everything you do. But if you had to rehearse every night we wouldn't have any time together," he explained.

"Of all the selfish..." began Callie, her brown eyes flashing only to break off in surprise when Vanessa snuggled up to Joe.

"That's so sweet," Vanessa purred, kissing Joe lightly on the lips. "And you're right. It isn't worth it. I would much rather spend my evenings with you."

Callie smothered the shock she felt by bowing her blond head and looking at her hands. She couldn't believe Vanessa had bought that line of garbage. But then, maybe Vanessa was just being nice because of the trauma Joe went through when he had been kidnapped only days before. Taking a deep breath she looked up at her boyfriend. "Have you found out anything about Craig yet?" she asked.

"He's still missing," answered Frank. "There is a strong possibility Dr. Mayhem is behind his disappearance," he continued. "Anderson may have been involved too."

"Then whatever happened to Craig could have happened to Joe?" demanded blond and beefy Biff Hooper, Joe's best friend since fifth grade. "It's a good thing you and your dad found Joe before he disappeared," he added.

"Agreed," acknowledged Phil, frowning slightly as he watched Joe from the corner of his eye. Joe had tensed up when Frank spoke of Mayhem. Vanessa had noticed it as well.

"Want to dance?" Vanessa asked Joe, wanting to take his mind off the subject.

"Sure," Joe agreed, standing up and pulling Vanessa to her feet.

"Just one," Tony said, getting to his feet. "Your pizza should be about ready."

"Ah, the joys of having a friend in charge," Joe said grinning. "We just have to show up and we get what we want."

"But you still have to pay," retorted Tony as Joe and Vanessa moved away.

"Frank, is Joe all right?" inquired Phil after Tony had gone into the kitchen to check on their dinner.

Frank frowned. "I don't know," he replied honestly after a brief hesitation. "He's preoccupied most of the time and..."

"And possessive," Callie inserted, watching Joe skillfully keep Vanessa away from everyone on the dance floor. She turned back to Frank. "I swear, when you picked me up and kissed me he was almost consumed with anger."

"What makes you say that?" asked Karen, Biff's ebony haired girlfriend.

"After Frank let me go, I could see Joe watching us from the van. His lips were tight and his eyes were so dark they were almost black," explained Callie.

"No way," Frank said, not altogether believing his own objection because he had seen Joe's reaction to Chet's teasing with Vanessa. He looked at the dance floor where Joe was holding Vanessa.

"Mmm, this feels good," Vanessa said as a slow song began playing and she moved closer to Joe.

Joe stiffened and bit his bottom lip. "Excuse me," he said as Vanessa pulled away with a hurt expression on her face. Joe hurried into the men's room as Vanessa returned to the table alone.

"What's wrong?" asked Frank as Vanessa sat down.

Vanessa shook her head. "I have no idea," she replied. "One minute he's fine and the next..." she broke off with a shrug.

After Joe left Vanessa he hurried to the men's room and locked the door. He pulled his shirt down a fraction of an inch and looked in the mirror. The skin where his shirt had been open was marred by a burn mark in the shape of a cross just like the silver one Vanessa wore around her neck.