I guess I should put (if you haven't figured out by now) that this is slightly AU. And don't worry - there will be some Joe whump coming soon...

Joe

Joe Hardy nervously approached his boss's desk. One of the first things he'd done after graduating was get a name change. Truth be told, he was far less upset with Frank than with Fenton, who had all but disowned him in a moment of grief after Laura died.

Still, Frank's words had stung, and more importantly, his actions had. Joe had basically had to get a full-ride scholarship while Frank had gotten everything paid for by Fenton. While Frank had never raised a hand on him, his father -

His boss gave him the one minute signal, and Joe smiled to himself. His boss had been far more understanding than Fenton had been.

"Listen, I understand you're upset at the children being removed but that's what happens when you do meth and speed down the road at 125 miles with them in the car." His boss paused. "No, Mr. Smith. The state appointed hearing will happen in three days. Correct. Don't do any drugs before then." He hung up the phone.

"Can we talk really quick?" Joe asked, nervously.

The social worker nodded. He slid into the conference room. Joe had told his old boss about him formerly being a Hardy and it had not gone over well.

"Sit, Joe. You look as white as a sheet," Benjamin said as he poured a glass of water for Joe from the water cooler.

Joe nodded his thanks, trying to formulate what he was going to say. "I. I don't know if the last boss told you, but my last name wasn't always Henderson. It was Hardy."

His boss stared at him. "Jesus, Joe. The way you reacted, you looked like you saw a ghost… I'm guessing there was a reason for the name change?"

He took a sip of water to give himself a minute to formulate his thoughts. "My father and brother never took too kindly to the idea I didn't want to do detective work. I told my father it wasn't safe. He suggested other law enforcement. When I said no to that…"

Joe closed his eyes, the flashback hitting him like a ton of bricks.

Flashback

"You want me to pay for your degree, you're going to have to get a criminal justice degree. I don't care that's not what you want, that's what I'm willing to pay for. I'm very much in doubt that you're smart enough to go into social work."

Tears stung Joe's eyes, but he refused to let his father see him cry. "Wow, you really don't pay attention do you? I graduated valedictorian."

Fenton shrugged. Joe had always felt like his father, after Joe had survived the car crash that killed Laura, had pushed him further and further away.

"Dad… it's not that I don't value detective work. It's…"

"Get out of the house, Joe. You're eighteen. You may as well start fending for yourself now. No son of mine will graduate with a social work degree. Utterly useless."

"I got a full-ride scholarship. I'm only seventeen dad…" Sure he turned eighteen in two weeks. But the fact that his father didn't care enough about him to know his actual age or that he'd graduated top of his class stung harder than he cared to admit.

"You have twenty minutes to pack everything and get out. You really think Collig won't take my side?"

Somehow Chief Collig had not, in fact, taken his side. He'd taken Joe in for the remaining two weeks, showed up for Joe's graduation, and even got Joe to be able to get on the fastfa despite Fenton refusing to give him his information.

Joe swallowed after he recounted the memory. "My brother just said there's someone after me, but he's always been a bit of a drama queen… But I wanted to let you know."

"Don't worry about it, Joe." His supervisor looked at him. "You're always carrying right?"

"I don't like it, but it's policy," Joe responded. "I follow policy."

His supervisor smiled. "Your brother gives you any trouble, you let me know."

"Of course."

Joe went and sat down, feeling a million times better. Like he often told kids he was moving, you can't change your past; you could only change your future.

There was a growing part of him, though, that wondered if Frank knew what his father had said that night. If Chet was insistent on Frank always being worried about him… maybe he hadn't.

"Hey, you want to go out for dinner later?" his boyfriend asked him. Joe lit up with a smile.

Yeah, that sandwich shop we usually go to is good. You're never going to believe what happened at work today…

Frank

"Chet," Frank said, "You don't have to stay. I'm fairly sure that you have employment options still with the CIA; I told off the Gray Man." He smiled a bit ruefully at that. "I probably shouldn't have dragged you down here in the first place."

"No, um, I actually resigned like, two days before you did." Chet sat on the hotel bed. "I was never really at home in the CIA. I got a job working for someone else and… I'm not even sure that's my thing, but that doesn't start in two weeks. I do think you're right about Joe being in danger and while I don't feel like it is." He hesitated. "Your Dad actually wanted me to work for him as an assistant, but I might have told him off."

"Don't blame you. Dad and I haven't really spoken that night since he went off on Joe," Frank said wearily. "I wasn't much better either, but… I don't know. I'd like to repair my relationship with him… but it's been five years since I said those things."

"It has," Chet nodded. "And I'm not sure you've forgiven yourself for it the entire time."

Frank shrugged.

Joe

Joe came in the shop first and ordered, groaning when he saw Frank and Chet. Still, he knew his boyfriend would be here soon. He'd been with him for three years; thankfully his partner already knew his last name was previously Hardy, and that wouldn't be a shock.

He ordered and sat down before picking up the phone. "James? James, what's wrong?"

"I stopped by your apartment to give you the papers the boss wanted. I told him since you and I lived close there was no reason I couldn't. Do you know that your door was wide open and there was blood on the floor?"

His heart was caught on his throat as his eyes narrowed, and he swung to look at Chet and Frank. He'd fully expected the perp to come after him, and he could handle his own. But his partner, god bless his soul, had almost brought home idiots shadowing him on more than one occasion, and he did kind-of look like Joe…

"How… how much blood?"

"I was debating on calling you or calling 911 first. I called 911, they're on their way, but I don't see Charlie anywhere."

Joe was distinctly aware of Chet and Frank watching him and he couldn't even bring himself to be mad. "I'll be there in fifteen minutes."

He stalked over to Frank's table, his food half-forgotten as he stood over it. "I think they took my partner," he said quietly. He didn't want to admit it, but if Frank could help him get Charlie back…. He'd do anything. "I think they thought he was me."

Frank's face tightened, and Joe almost panicked, wondering if Frank would react to the fact that Joe was gay as negatively as Fenton did. "What are we waiting for? Come on. You want Chet to drive?"

"Please," he said. He picked up his sandwich and gave it to the homeless guy who always sat outside the shop with a brief smile, no longer hungry anymore. He made his way to Frank's car, his stomach in knots.

Where was Charlie? What had happened to his boyfriend?

What do you think will happen next?