Thank you to DuskyoDawn21, sm2003495, BMSH, ErinJordan, max2013, and hbndgirl for your kind reviews on the last chapter.

Fly Away

Chapter 2

December 21

The next day, Joe decided that he definitely had to get in some holiday shopping. At this point, there was no excuse to avoid it. Although Frank was presumably done with shopping, and so was Vanessa, he had managed to convince them both to come along with him to the mall. He hated crowds, and at this time of the year they were inevitable. So, along with Callie, they all piled into the Hardys' van and began a shopping adventure.

As the entered the mall, Vanessa couldn't help but to tease Joe. "Hey! If you look closely over there, babe, I think I see Santa. Maybe I should talk to him to see if you've been a good boy."

"Me?!" he answered, feigning shock. "I'm always good." He reached for Vanessa's hand and winked at her.

"Oh, please," Frank snickered. He and Callie had come up behind them. "I don't know how you even manage to keep a straight face and say that at the same time."

Pretending to be hurt, Joe sighed dramatically. "For your information," he began, turning to his brother, "I have been making a list of things I wanted to get all of you. You just lost one of your gifts for that remark."

"Oh, no!" Frank replied, covering his heart with his hand. "Can it be I'm down to just one pair of socks this year?! Whatever did I do to deserve that?" The twinkle in his dark eyes showed Joe that he was only joking.

"They were nice socks," Joe replied defensively, to the laughter of the others.

"I'm sure they were, honey," Vanessa replied, gently patting his hand.

Ignoring Vanessa and Joe's chatter, Frank turned to Callie with a bright smile on his face. "Hmmmm…." he said teasingly to her. "I wonder if you've been good enough to receive something nice from Santa."

Callie looked up and met her boyfriend's eyes, forcing a smile. Deep down, her heart ached. How could she tell him that she couldn't afford a nice gift for him on their fourth Christmas together…that any hope of their trip was gone, and that she might not even be able to see him much over the holidays because of all the work she had do? As she looked at him, Callie felt an overwhelming sadness. She loved Frank so much… she'd have to do something to make this holiday special for him.

Frank's voice brought her back to earth. "Callie? Earth to Callie!" he said playfully, patting her shoulder.

"Oh, sorry," she replied sheepishly.

"Are you okay?" Frank asked, concerned. Callie was certainly acting more subdued than normal. Somehow, though, he hoped his gifts over the holidays would cheer her up. He knew she was bothered by something…and his thoughts automatically flashed to the case. "Is it the envelopes? Don't worry, Cal. We'll figure it out." He hugged her quickly, and placed a quick kiss on the top of her head.

"I'm fine. It's just…" How could she tell him? How?

"It's just what?" he asked.

After a moment's hesitation, Callie finally smiled. "Nothing. Really."

Giving his girlfriend a puzzled glance, he gave up and blew her a kiss, making her smile at last.

"Come ON…." Joe whined, as Frank ran right into him. The mall was jam packed with people.

With a sigh, Frank responded. "Joe—look, I'm hungry. I'm going to go to the food court and try to get something quick to eat. I think my chances of getting a table right now are pretty slim."

"I'm hungry, too," Vanessa chimed in.

"Fine!" Joe said, indignant. "I can buy my own gifts."

"I think that was the point anyway," Callie replied, dryly.

Ignoring the jibe, Joe protested further. "Come on, you guys. I'm hungry, too…but I really need to get this shopping done!"

"Well, whose fault is THAT for waiting for the last minute?" Vanessa teased.

"I'll go," Callie said quietly, among the chatter, as Frank and Vanessa turned to leave.

"What?" Frank asked her.

With a slightly louder voice, Callie managed a smile and said, "I'll go. I think Joe probably needs a little help picking out something for Vanessa anyway."

Catching Joe's grateful look, Callie turned to Frank, who was looking at her curiously. "Really- go on."

"Do you want anything?" Frank asked her.

"Nah," she replied, and stood on tiptoe to give him a kiss on the cheek.

"You can get me two orders of fries, a hamburger, and a shake," Joe said to his brother. When he noticed Vanessa's raised eyebrows, he smiled.

"For stamina," he added.

"Joe, that's like a heart attack waiting to happen," Frank added.

"Oh, well," Joe said with a shrug, and grabbed Callie's arm. "If I die, at least I won't have to worry about getting people gifts! See you later!" With that, Joe dragged Callie into the crowd, leaving Frank and Vanessa staring after them.

Having Callie around proved to be a pretty big help after all. She assisted him in picking out a nice leather jacket for Frank, along with a computer accessory he'd been wanting, and a beautiful heart shaped pendant for Vanessa. Somehow, she knew which perfume his mother liked, and she found the perfect gift for his father—a digital file organizer. After over an hour of shopping, Joe spent just what he'd planned to and was very happy with his purchases. He'd even managed to call Frank and Vanessa on their cell phones and arrange to meet them at the van in a little while so they could also finish up their odds and ends shopping. After dropping off his purchases in the back of the van and hiding them under a blanket, he went to go inside the mall again. As he started walking back with Callie, he realized that she had barely spoken, although she was great at shopping.

"Thanks for all of your help today," he said to her, sincerely. "I know everyone will love their gifts."

"Yeah, they're great," Callie said sadly. "You were very generous."

"Did you…you know… talk to Frank yet?" Joe asked awkwardly.

"No," Callie replied. "I'll think of something."

"I'm telling you, Cal- you have to believe me- Frank really wouldn't care about the gifts."

"I know that," Callie replied, "but I would. I know your brother, Joe. I'm quite sure he went crazy and spent all sorts of ridiculous money to make me happy. I…I can't just get him nothing." She sighed.

"Well… make him something, then. You're a good cook. Make him a cake or something."

In spite of herself, Callie smiled. "Yeah—okay. Merry Christmas Frank- here's a cake!"

"Well, it was an idea at least!" Joe replied. He felt really bad for Callie, but at the same time he thought she should just be honest. After all, he WAS telling the truth. Frank loved Callie, and he really wouldn't care about material things. On the other hand, he understood Callie's point. He'd feel terrible if he couldn't afford to get Vanessa something nice, even if she wouldn't care, either.

Callie didn't answer. As they were walking in the mall, she noticed a sign for a pawn shop. It was a pretty popular place for high school and college kids who needed some extra cash. What did she have to pawn? Nothing, really. As she was about to turn away, Callie accidentally hit her wrist against a wall as she was pushed aside by some teens who were apparently in a hurry. It was then that she thought of it…her bracelet.

If there was one piece of jewelry that Callie cherished, it was that bracelet. Years ago, when she and Frank had started going out, he had bought it for her. She rarely took it off. It was thick gold and pretty expensive, and she knew that Frank had saved for months to buy it for her. Whenever she felt sad or lonely, she always looked at it and it made her happy.

Almost at once she got angry at herself for even thinking of it. The bracelet meant so much to her…and it was the beginning of the most special relationship in her life. Yet, every time she and Frank had come to the mall over the past few months she saw how he was eyeing one particular watch. It was really expensive, and she knew Frank would never splurge on it for himself. Still, he would love it… and he would be so surprised. Callie felt her heart start to pound in her chest, and she closed her eyes, picturing the look on Frank's face when he would open the gift. Then, she looked at her bracelet. Taking a deep breath and fighting back tears, she knew what she had to do—there was no choice, really. Frank's happiness should come before her own, and if he was happy, then she would be, too.

Finally, she felt a tug on her arm. Looking up, she saw Joe. "Where were you?" he asked, angry. It took her a moment to realize that he wasn't so much angry as worried. "I went all the way up ahead and I didn't see you. I thought you got kidnapped or something!" He was being dramatic, but he wanted her to know he was upset with her.

"Well, with the Hardy brothers, you never know!" she quipped lightly to ease the tension.

"That's not funny," he said seriously.

"I know," she replied, and squeezed his hand. "I'll meet you in 20 minutes by the entrance, okay? I have to do something. Tell Frank and Van I'll see them then."

Shaking his head and muttering under his breath about women, Joe went to catch up with his brother and girlfriend. In the twenty minutes she had to herself, Callie was able to turn in her bracelet and run to the watch store. Although she couldn't bear to think about the bracelet, she felt a silly smile sneak up her face when she thought about how happy Frank would be about his gift. She felt instantly better.

Arriving at the mall entrance, Callie found Joe and Vanessa engaged in a rather enthusiastic kiss, but Frank was nowhere to be found.

"Ahem!" Callie coughed, and Joe and Vanessa slowly pulled away from each other. "Ready to go?" she asked, suppressing a smile.

"You seem in a better mood," Joe surmised, happy at Callie's change of demeanor.

"I am," she said with a smile.

About five minutes later, the small group arrived at the van and found Frank there, with a disturbed look on his face. Instantly, Joe was on alert. "What is it? What's wrong?" he asked.

"Someone got into the van," Frank began, slowly.

Joe felt the color drain from his face. He had spent several hundred dollars on gifts—this couldn't be happening! Seeing the look on his brother's face, Frank held up a hand at once. "It's okay, Joe," he began. "Don't worry-nothing appears to have been taken. And I didn't peek at your gifts, either!" he added.

"What?!" Joe, Vanessa, and Callie asked at once.

"Did you leave the door open?" Frank asked, seriously.

"No! I locked it. I mean, I think I did—right, Callie?"

Callie nodded her assent.

"How do you know that someone broke into the van?" Vanessa asked, puzzled.

Hesitating, Frank finally answered, looking directly at Callie. "There was another envelope—for you." He held out his hand, from which an envelope hung.

Callie gasped, and Frank immediately put his arm around her. "Don't worry, baby. We'll get to the bottom of this." Looking at Joe, he said gravely, "We need to start working on this- now!"

"What does it say?" Joe asked his brother.

With trembling hands, Callie opened the envelope and read the paper, answering Joe's inquiry. "It says "ring" with the bells, and it has a bird again. This time, though, there's a cutout of a crowd of people from a magazine, it looks like! It says, 'Many possibilities.'" Turning to her boyfriend, she asked him, "Oh, Frank- what do you think it means?!"

Giving her a reassuring hug, Frank shook his head. "I have no idea. But I'll do my best to find out. Don't worry," he added. Whispering in her ear, he continued, "I won't let anyone hurt you."

With Frank's arm around her, Callie let herself be comforted, not failing to miss the exchange between Frank and Joe with their eye contact. She knew they'd get on this right away. At that moment, all thoughts of the bracelet were forgotten. All she wanted was a safe and happy holiday season—for all of them.