Warning: This chapter has adult content and innuendo in it. It's mild but I still wanted to warn you.

Chapter Seventeen

Six weeks later…

Joe stood at the entrance to the living room. It was already decorated for the party that was to occur the next day. The tables were set up, waiting to be weighed down by food and drinks. Streamers lined the walls and ceiling, devoid of the balloons that would arrive the next morning. He sighed, knowing how long it took to prepare and it was only a celebration for CJ's christening. Joe had no idea what he was going to do when the kid turned one.

He turned around and went back to the kitchen where his parents and Vanessa were preparing the food for the next day. Fenton and Laura had been staying with them since they returned from Colorado while their house was being rebuilt. Once the clean-up of the ruins was complete, work began nearly automatically on a new house in the same spot. Since the Hardy residence was destroyed, the town came together to help the family. When they came home, the Hardys were told of a warehouse that was being kept for them. It was filled with clothes and furniture that were donated to them for the new house once it was finished. Although keepsakes and photos were destroyed, the town was able to give them the basic needs to help and the hope for the future. The Hardys were just thankful that nobody was killed in the blast.

"Hey, Joe," Fenton replied, looking up to see his son watching them. "Are you going to help or just stand there and gape at us?"

"Yeah," he shook his head and sat down beside Vanessa. It was a quiet evening since the baby was put to bed but small conversation kept them going. "So, when is Brenda's trial anyway?"

"In a few weeks," his father replied. "Even though she pled guilty to a couple of the charges, she still has the chance to get off on the more serious ones she pled not guilty which she had nothing to do with. I think we need to help her in any way we can since she did turn around toward the end."

"But she really hates us, Dad," Joe replied, grimacing at the grape that seemed too mushy for his taste. "Why should we help after everything she's done? Plus how are we going to get her off on murder charges without anything more than our word?"

"They'll believe us," Fenton stated firmly. "Besides, Nancy is a witness too. She saw a lot of what Brenda did and didn't do. Brenda wasn't at the Drew house so there's that."

"But she knew about the car accident," his son said. "That's partially her fault."

"Let's not talk about this right now," Laura said. She was cutting up vegetables on a cutting board in front of her. "We will deal with it when the time comes. Brenda knows what she did and so do we. She understands that we don't have to help her in any way but we should do it out of gratitude for saving Nancy's life."

"Speaking of which," Joe chimed in, "are they still coming?"

"Yes, for the thousandth time, Joe!" cried Fenton, exasperated. Laura laughed, shaking her head. "I talked to Frank this morning. They'll be here late tonight and we'll see them tomorrow morning at the church. Do you honestly think he'd miss this?"

"No," Joe shook his head. "I just wanted to make sure he was still going to be here."

"Well, they're coming in on a late night flight," his father replied. "We've already talked about this."

"Yeah, but I don't understand why they didn't come in with Hannah, Bess, and George," he said looking glum. "They've been here since yesterday."

"Frank said they had to take care of a few things before they arrived," Fenton explained. He knew the reason but didn't want to say anything until the next day. "Don't worry they will be here."

"I'm not worried."

"Yes, you are."

"Oh, will you two stop!" Laura cried, giving them both a look. She shook her head. "The house can't get done any faster, can it?"

"Nope," Vanessa laughed. As much as she loved having her in-laws stay with them, she was looking forward to a peaceful house again.

"When is it going to be done anyway?" Joe asked. He also couldn't wait for his parents to leave. He loved them very much but he missed having time with his wife.

"Questions, questions," his father stated, rolling his eyes.

"A few more weeks, dear," Laura said calmly, giving her husband a dirty look. They too were looking forward to the moment their house was done.

"That's what the contractor said," Fenton reiterated. He sat back and looked at the food they were just about done preparing. "Please tell me that we are ready for tomorrow."

"As long as Frank and Nancy get here on time," Joe grumbled.

"For the last time, they'll be here!" cried Fenton.

"Okay, okay!" he cried, holding his hands up. "I think we're ready. This kid is going to be so spoiled tomorrow and doesn't even know it."

"He's almost five months old, Joe," Vanessa replied, rising from her chair. She took all the bags of food they prepared and put them in the refrigerator. "As long as he's getting attention, I don't think he cares what happens tomorrow."

"I know," Joe shrugged. "I just don't want to overdo it. He gets enough attention already." He gave his mother a dirty look.

"If memory serves me correctly," Laura said, looking right back at her son, "you had a lot of attention yourself as a baby. And demanded it too. Your brother was never so demanding."

"He still isn't," Fenton laughed.

"Why do I get the feeling that I'm the butt of the joke here?" Joe muttered.

"That's because you're always the butt of the joke, sweetie," Vanessa said sweetly, squeezing his hand. She leaned over and kissed her husband. Joe blushed a little. If his parents weren't there, the things that he would be doing right now… "Joe?"

"What? Sorry," he looked at Vanessa and smiled. She rolled her eyes and shook her head. Vanessa had a feeling what he was thinking about for she felt the same way. Only a few more weeks.

"Well, we have a long day tomorrow," Fenton replied, getting up. "I suggest we all get some sleep. And don't about your brother, Joe. They'll be here. They wouldn't miss this for the world."

As they settled into bed a half hour later, Joe wrapped his arm around Vanessa who snuggled into him. He missed Frank the past few weeks and wondered how he was doing. Neither he nor Nancy called much except to say that they were coming to the christening. Joe sighed, listening to Vanessa's deep breathing as she fell asleep in his arms. He just hoped the next day went off without a hitch.

Though they were both tired from arriving late the night before, Frank and Nancy were still able to get up the next morning with ample time to spare to get to the church on time. She was just finishing her hair when she looked at his reflection in the mirror. He was struggling yet again with his tie, his face flustered as he tried tying it.

"Here," Nancy said softly, gently taking his hands away from the tie.

"I can do this, Nan," he protested.

"I'm sure you can," she smiled, "but you're doing a piss poor job of it."

As Nancy tied his tie, Frank though about the last time she took over and smiled down at her. Even in the most terrible of times, she didn't miss a beat. Only this time, she didn't seem to realize he did it on purpose. Once she was done, Frank took her hands in his own, kissing one of them. "Thank you," he said. Nancy smiled as he leaned in to kiss her.

"Were you really trying or just faking it?" she asked, turning around to face the mirror before he was done with her. "I know you know how to tie a tie, Frank."

"I just love the way you do it, Nan," Frank said softly, wrapping his arms around her waist. He took in her perfume and closed his eyes, reveling in the scent. They swayed gently to music that didn't exist.

"Frank, stop that," she scolded him, hitting his hand. He nuzzled her hair and kissed her bare neck.

"Stop what?"

"That," she replied, trying to move away but he pulled her closer. Nancy raised an eyebrow, staring at his reflection. He smirked back at her and continued kissing her bare skin. "You are bad, you know that?"

"And you love me for it," he whispered as he kissed her neck again.

"We're going to be late."

"They can't start without us." He shifted her hair and kissed the nape of her neck, a necklace chain somewhat in his way.

"You're going to mess up my hair." Nancy closed her eyes.

"Bummer," he mumbled, drawing her closer to him.

"Your brother will kill you," she said breathlessly.

"Let him try." His hands roamed her body and she was lost.

"I'm going to kill him!" cried Joe. He looked at his watch then up and down the street. Fenton stood next to him though he wasn't as angry. In fact, he wasn't even surprised that Frank and Nancy were late. They had gotten in at an obscene hour and they probably just overslept.

"Don't be too harsh on your brother," he replied. Fenton looked at his watch. It wasn't quite noon so the service hadn't even started yet. "I'm sure he has a good explanation for being late."

"Uh huh," Joe rolled his eyes. "He's usually the first one to arrive, Dad. Of all the days for him to be late, he chooses today."

"He's not late…yet," his father stated. He looked down the street and saw a familiar motorcycle making its way toward them. "See? Not late. I'll go let your mother and the pastor know."

As Fenton headed into the church, Joe folded his arms and waited. The bike pulled in front of the church, parking just between a car and the No Parking Zone. The couple took their helmets off as Joe took them in. It had only been a few weeks but he immediately noticed how different they were. They both seemed more at ease than anything.

"Where the hell have you been?" Joe cried, forgetting the observation. He watched as Nancy climbed off the bike while Frank shut it off.

"Joe, we're in front of a church!" Frank quipped with a smirk. "Such language!"

"Oh, that's nothing, Frank!" he cried. "Just wait till later. I'll have a few more for you then!"

"I'm sorry, Joe," Nancy smiled sweetly. She came over to him, giving Joe a hug, completely knocking him off guard. "It is totally my fault that we're late. I forgot to set the alarm when we got in last night."

"You guys overslept?" Joe asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yep," Frank nodded enthusiastically. Joe looked between the two and rolled his eyes.

"Whatever," he grumbled. Nancy gave Frank a kiss on the cheek before heading into the church, leaving the brothers behind. Joe turned to Frank and gave him a look.

"What?" Frank asked, shrugging his shoulders. He got off the bike, making sure the stand was down.

"Seriously?"

"Huh?"

"You know what I mean."

"No, I don't," Frank laughed nervously. He started going toward the church but Joe stopped him.

"Overslept, my ass!" Joe cried softly. "You, Mr. Punctuality?"

"Yeah," Frank said innocently, turning back to Joe.

"You know, I've had to endure Mom and Dad for weeks now," he said, keeping his voice low. "Do you know how awkward that is?"

"Actually, I do."

"You do?" Joe was taken aback.

"Yeah." Frank leaned in. "Her name is Hannah, remember. And my ribs too."

"Oh…oh! Was it really that hard?"

"That sounded so wrong in every which way." The two brothers broke down laughing.

"There was no pun intended in that remark," Joe said, still laughing.

"So, you didn't actually…" Frank turned serious again, looking skeptically at his brother.

"Uh, no," Joe chorused. "I may have my moments but I'm not that crazy."

"What are you trying to get at, Joe, besides making this conversation really uncomfortable?"

"I thought I said it."

"Okay, I'm sorry we were late," Frank said apologetically. "I thought we had more time."

"Thank you for that visual that I will probably never get out of my head again," Joe cringed, shivering.

"Well, you brought it up…"

"I'm sorry I did."

"If it makes you feel any better…"

"Nope, I'm done," Joe threw up his hands in frustration. "It's my son's christening. Let's concentrate on that."

"Agreed."

Several hours later the Hardys and their guests were gathered in Joe and Vanessa's living room. The celebration was energetic and loud with food and drinks to make it more merry. Hannah, Andrea, and Laura sat on the couch and chair, talking while Laura held the baby. Sam and Jack stood together, laughing while drinking beer. Stacy and Xander sat in the loveseat together, holding hands while whispering to one another. Frank, Joe, and Dean were bunched near the food while the younger Hardy brother kept snatching veggies from the tray.

"Are you sure it's a good idea for both your ex and your current girlfriend to be talking to each other?" Joe asked in between bites. He stole a glance over to where Nancy, Vanessa, Callie, Bess, and George were standing together. They were laughing loudly at something making Joe even more nervous. "What if they're telling each other all your dirty secrets?"

"Joe, I'm not worried," his older brother stated confidently. He too noticed the girls together. "Nancy and Callie seemed to hit it off right away anyway."

"You have more confidence than I do, Frank," laughed Dean.

"You have no idea, Dean," Joe rolled his eyes.

"I'm not the one who has all the secrets though," Frank said, raising an eyebrow at his brother. "You have more dirty laundry than a laundry mat."

"Uh, huh," Joe looked at his brother skeptically. Frank seemed calm but balked just a little when the girls erupted into fits of laughter as if they all had been friends for years. "Oh, yeah. Nothing to worry about, huh, Frank?"

"Shut up, Joe."

"I guess we should get used to it once you're back here permanently."

"Yeah, about that…" Frank started but he wasn't able to finish. His father hit a glass calling everyone to his attention.

Vanessa came over to Joe along with Bess and George. Callie waved to her new boyfriend, David, who had just reentered the room. Frank strolled over to where Nancy stood next to Callie.

"My, you're happy," he replied to a beaming Nancy.

"Shouldn't I be?" she asked giving him a strange look.

"Oh, yeah," he stammered. "I was just noticing…"

"He was worried about us, Nancy," Callie said knowingly. Nancy giggled. "That we would tell his deepest, darkest secrets to each other. Right, Frank?"

"Were you?" he asked.

"You'll never know," Nancy said a twinkle in her eye. Her and Callie exchanged looks and burst out laughing. Although he was glad to see the two getting along well, it didn't help his whole fear of what they were talking about. Frank turned his attention to his father who cleared his throat.

"Thank you all for being here to celebrate CJ," Fenton replied, looking around the room in gratitude. "I know this is usually something that the parents do but I hope they don't mind."

"You just go right ahead, Dad," Joe called out. Vanessa lightly slapped him on the chest. "I had absolutely no intention of speaking anyway."

"That's what I thought, Joe," his father said after the laughter died down. "Anyway, this is more than just celebrating Carson Joseph. We have gone through a lot in the past year. The loss of dear friends." He looked at Nancy. "The gain of new ones. " Fenton looked at Stacy and Xander. "We've learned that life is too precious to ignore." He looked at Laura holding the baby. "We've realized our friendships are strong and the bonds of family stretch further than blood." Fenton turned his gaze to Sam and Jack. "This is what we all are: family. And nothing can break that." He raised his glass and everyone followed suit. "To family."

"To family," everyone said in unison.

"Also there are some of us who wouldn't be here if it hadn't been for the acts of a few," Fenton replied once the toast was over. He looked from Sam and Jack to Stacy and Xander then finally to Joe. Getting a little choked up, he continued. "Thank you from the bottom of our hearts. There are no words to express the gratitude we all have for saving our lives. To you."

The rest raised their glasses silently and took another sip of their drinks. Laura sniffled, beaming proudly at her sons and those around them. Fenton rubbed his eyes then cleared his throat again.

"There are a few other things I have to say," he said. "Mostly business but I feel that now is the best time to say it. As some of you know, we have welcomed Stacy and Xander into our fold. They have shown their strength in what they do and they are more than just colleagues anymore. We recently had an opening for a senior investigator and Stacy has graciously accepted the position."

Joe leaned over to his brother. "What's he talking about?" he asked over the din of cheers around the room. Frank didn't say anything but gave him a sympathetic look. "What's going on?"

"Just listen, Joe," Frank said vaguely, looking back at his father.

"I'm sure you are wondering how this position opened up so suddenly," Fenton replied as if answering Joe's questions. "I've been toying with an idea for over a year now. Carson Drew had given me advice about it then and I've finally made a decision on it."

"You're not retiring, are you?" Sam asked concerned, asking what was going through the minds of nearly everyone in the room.

"As much as Laura would like it to happen," Fenton smiled at his wife, "no. On the contrary, we're expanding. During the months we were being bombarded with problems, our reputation suffered and we were in the red. Fear of closing was constantly on my mind and expanding our trade flew out the door. In the weeks since Colorado, the FBI has helped in clearing our name and clients are returning to get help from us. I'm happy to say that, with a new investor, we are finally able to add another office to our company. In the next few weeks, we will be getting ready to open a new office…in Illinois."

The group collectively turned toward Nancy and Frank who smiled. Joe was the only one who didn't look happy.

"To Frank and Nancy," Fenton toasted, "the new owners and partners of Hardy Investigations West."

Cheers broke out after the toast but no one paid attention to Joe as he set down his drink and left the room. Frank excused himself from Nancy who nodded.

Joe went out the back door and into the warm night. He was angry that Frank neglected to tell him about the development. Stacy was a good investigator, Joe thought, but she wasn't Frank.

"I'm sorry I didn't say anything earlier," Frank said softly coming up behind him. "I meant to before Dad made the announcement but you were so happy with the service today, I couldn't bring myself to do it. Besides, you were already upset with me about being late this morning. It would have added more salt to the wound."

"But you could have said something!" Joe cried turning to face him. "Anything!"

"I know and I'm sorry."

"You're breaking up our team, Frank!"

"I'm not breaking up our team, Joe," he said calmly. "Just moving on to another. You knew this day might come, especially after everything that's happened. I knew Nancy would never leave her home."

"So you have to leave yours?" Joe looked hurt. "This isn't what I expected. I thought you would be here. You're CJ's godfather and you're leaving him!"

"I'm not and you know it," Frank stated. "There will be times when you might need help and I will be right there beside you, no matter what. I know that you will do the same."

"But you won't be here anymore," he said sadly.

"And I will still be a phone call away and an easy trip here," Frank smiled. "Just because I'm leaving doesn't make it the end. It's going to take a few months to get up and running so who knows? We might need some help until then."

Joe looked at Frank. He could see it in his face that it was what he wanted. They heard a noise and the brothers turned to see Nancy closing the back door. She came up beside Frank though her eyes were on Joe.

"Everything okay?" she asked concerned.

"Yeah," Joe smiled looked at Frank. "I think we're good."

Frank wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her close. "Yeah, we are."

Joe eyes the two of them as they looked at each other. "Is there something I should know?" he asked. The couple looked back at him confused.

"What do you mean?" Frank asked.

"I don't know," his brother shrugged. "Something planned…or unplanned. A surprise, I guess."

"No," Nancy laughed, though Joe felt it was a little forced. She let go of Frank and gave Joe a hug as she said something into his ear. "But you will be the first to know if anything does happen."

"Thanks," he said, hugging her back. "God, I'm going to miss you two."

"We'll miss you too, Joe," she replied with a smile. "But we'll always be there for you when you need it."

Joe sniffled just a little bit as he pulled away.

"Are you…are you crying, Joe Hardy?" Nancy smirked.

"No," he said quickly, wiping his face. "I just have something in my eye, that's all."

"Sure you do," Frank smirked. "There is something I wanted to tell you though, Joe."

"Yeah?"

"I gave Dad the keys to my apartment," Frank replied. Joe's face went slack. "I thought he might want to take advantage of it while it was empty. When we leave in a few days, Mom and Dad can move in. I've paid for it until the lease is up in five months so they have a place to stay rent-free until the house is done."

"Really?" Joe asked, tears coming to his eyes.

"Well, it's the least I could do to make up for the weeks they've been living here," his brother shrugged. "Plus you saved our lives. We owe you."

Joe didn't say anything. He was speechless. Giving Frank and Nancy one last hug he went back inside to find Vanessa to tell her the news.

"Tell me again why we didn't say anything to anyone," Nancy replied, watching Joe leave.

"Say anything about what?" Frank asked. She gave him a look. "Oh, that. It's not time to tell anybody just yet. I know you said we should but this is Joe's time. We'll say something in a few months. Besides, we've only been together for a few weeks. Let's get used to the idea then drop it on them. Do you still have it?"

"You know I do," Nancy said smiling up at him. She pulled out the necklace she wore, holding up the ring that was on the chain. Frank smiled at her.

"Have I told you lately how beautiful you look tonight?" he asked, drawing her near.

"Only a few times," she smiled, leaning in, "but what's one more time?"

Author's Note:

I am so sad to see this story go but as all stories go, they must eventually come to an end. There's only the epilogue left and by now, you should have a feeling as to what is coming next. I know this chapter was really long (and it took forever to write it on the computer!) but I hope that it brought some smiles and tears to you. Thank you to those who left a review for the last chapter! Rose12, you were paying attention, weren't you? I believe it was max2013 who had asked earlier in the story what the point of that little tidbit was and this was the reason it was mentioned so many chapters ago. Thanks to Drumboy100, katnissta,Tjcain, Candylou, and ErinJordan for you reviews as well! Happy Mother's Day to all the ladies out there, even if you are not a mommy yet! We all have the potential of maternal instincts. I will leave you for now but I hope to get out the last piece of this story within the next few days. Have a wonderful week and until next time, God bless.