"You're lying!" Joe hissed, his blue eyes spitting daggers.
"Look at him," Laurel instructed, rushing to Joe and thrusting his hands up so he had to look at the little boy again. "He has Fenton Hardy's eyes; his hair; even his facial structure."
Joe wanted to deny what she was saying but he couldn't. The boy looked like Frank had with only a few minor differences. "Then why didn't you switch us back when you found out?" Joe asked, his voice hoarse.
"Jeremy, your father, and I loved Danny," she replied. "For eight years he had been our son. We wanted you but we couldn't give him up."
"And now?" Joe asked, looking into her eyes. He was having trouble processing what he was being told. "Now, you'll give him back to the Hardys for me?"
"Danny died two years ago," Laurel said quietly. "Jeremy died four months after that."
"How?"
"The leukemia finally won and Danny died in the hospital less than a week after his fifteenth birthday," Laurel informed him. "Jeremy was killed by a Network agent, a man who works under the code name, The Gray Man, during an operation in Santa Fe."
"You're the leader of the Assassins," Joe said, his brain starting to function once again. "You had a bomb planted in my car," he accused her, his anger growing by leaps and bounds. "If I'm your son, why did you try and have me killed?"
"You weren't the target!" Laurel denied her tone fierce. "The bomb was meant for Frank. I knew the only way I could get you away from Hardy was to get him to concentrate on something else. If his son were dead he would be grieving too much to think straight. You would have been brought to me then."
"You wanted to kill my brother?" Joe rasped.
"He's not your brother," Laurel reminded him. "You're my son. Frank is the Hardys' son." She reached for Joe but he backed away. "I'm your real mother," she said softly; her eyes bright with unshed tears. Had she really thought this would be easy? "Joe, please. Forget the Hardys. You're home now."
"No," Joe denied, shaking his head and backing away some more.
"You can deny it but it won't alter the truth. Fenton Hardy's real son died from leukemia. It runs in his family! Not mine. Not Jeremy's. Fenton Hardy's! You are my son and now that I have you back I will not let you go," she vowed.
"I don't want to be your son," Joe snarled, his blue eyes filled not only with anger but also intense pain. "The bomb..."
"I told you," she interrupted him. "It wasn't meant for you. It didn't even kill Frank," she added, realizing she might not should have told him about Frank being the target.
"No," agreed Joe. "But it did kill Iola."
"Your girlfriend," Laurel acknowledged. "I know. But you're young. There will be plenty of other girls."
"She wasn't just my girlfriend," Joe informed her, all of the pain he had been keeping bottled up inside since her death creeping into his voice as his blue eyes grew sad and misty. "She was pregnant," he confessed, uttering the words he had kept hidden so no one else would have to suffer. "She was going to have a baby. My baby."
"Look at him," Laurel instructed, rushing to Joe and thrusting his hands up so he had to look at the little boy again. "He has Fenton Hardy's eyes; his hair; even his facial structure."
Joe wanted to deny what she was saying but he couldn't. The boy looked like Frank had with only a few minor differences. "Then why didn't you switch us back when you found out?" Joe asked, his voice hoarse.
"Jeremy, your father, and I loved Danny," she replied. "For eight years he had been our son. We wanted you but we couldn't give him up."
"And now?" Joe asked, looking into her eyes. He was having trouble processing what he was being told. "Now, you'll give him back to the Hardys for me?"
"Danny died two years ago," Laurel said quietly. "Jeremy died four months after that."
"How?"
"The leukemia finally won and Danny died in the hospital less than a week after his fifteenth birthday," Laurel informed him. "Jeremy was killed by a Network agent, a man who works under the code name, The Gray Man, during an operation in Santa Fe."
"You're the leader of the Assassins," Joe said, his brain starting to function once again. "You had a bomb planted in my car," he accused her, his anger growing by leaps and bounds. "If I'm your son, why did you try and have me killed?"
"You weren't the target!" Laurel denied her tone fierce. "The bomb was meant for Frank. I knew the only way I could get you away from Hardy was to get him to concentrate on something else. If his son were dead he would be grieving too much to think straight. You would have been brought to me then."
"You wanted to kill my brother?" Joe rasped.
"He's not your brother," Laurel reminded him. "You're my son. Frank is the Hardys' son." She reached for Joe but he backed away. "I'm your real mother," she said softly; her eyes bright with unshed tears. Had she really thought this would be easy? "Joe, please. Forget the Hardys. You're home now."
"No," Joe denied, shaking his head and backing away some more.
"You can deny it but it won't alter the truth. Fenton Hardy's real son died from leukemia. It runs in his family! Not mine. Not Jeremy's. Fenton Hardy's! You are my son and now that I have you back I will not let you go," she vowed.
"I don't want to be your son," Joe snarled, his blue eyes filled not only with anger but also intense pain. "The bomb..."
"I told you," she interrupted him. "It wasn't meant for you. It didn't even kill Frank," she added, realizing she might not should have told him about Frank being the target.
"No," agreed Joe. "But it did kill Iola."
"Your girlfriend," Laurel acknowledged. "I know. But you're young. There will be plenty of other girls."
"She wasn't just my girlfriend," Joe informed her, all of the pain he had been keeping bottled up inside since her death creeping into his voice as his blue eyes grew sad and misty. "She was pregnant," he confessed, uttering the words he had kept hidden so no one else would have to suffer. "She was going to have a baby. My baby."