Chapter Eleven

Present

"Oh my God," Phil said. "That was you?"

"I heard Tara tell someone she got that black eye from a fight against a gang of twenty guys," Tony stated.

"Twenty?" Biff echoed. "I heard fifty."

"So that's why Joe pestered me for some pointers," Frank realized. "I always wondered about that."

"What happened after that?" Callie wanted to know.

"Tara and her friends never bothered me again," Vanessa replied. "I know they still talk and all, but after that, they've left me alone. Still, Joe liked the idea of my being able to protect myself so much that he agreed to practice sparring with me every weekend."

"Sounds like a good idea." Callie leaned forward and tipped Frank's head back. "How about it?"

Frank grinned. "We'll do a double date. I'm sure we can all learn from each other."

"I think I'm beginning to find out that there's more to my youngest than meets the eye," Fenton commented. "Things I never knew about, or would know."

"I agree," Laura chimed in. "I've heard so many wonderful stories."

"So who's next?" Chet asked. "Frank?"

"Yeah, I bet Frank's got tons of dirt on Joe," Biff said. "Give us something good."

"Sorry, guys," Frank replied. "There are some things a brother's got to keep to himself."

"Give us anything," Tony coaxed. "We don't care."

Frank sighed. "I have too many to pick from. Let me think about it first."

"How about you, Callie?" Vanessa asked. "Got any good Joe stories?"

"Oh, I don't know," Callie said. "I mean, you'd think so, right? Everyone knows that Frank and Joe come as a packaged deal. You can't get one without the other. It used to drive me crazy when Frank and I first started dating."

"Why?" Chet asked.

"I'm an only child," Callie explained. "I had gotten so used to having everyone's complete attention that competing threw me for a loop. At one point I got so frustrated that Frank and I nearly broke up." She clasped Frank's hand and smiled faintly.

"What changed your mind?" Phil asked softly.

"Well, actually, Joe did," Callie replied. She grinned. "I guess I've got a Joe story after all. It's a pretty good one, too."