Note: Merry Christmas to all who celebrate! Thank you very much to DusktoDawn21 (Callie sold the bracelet because it was the only thing that had value enough to get the watch for Frank) , sm2003495, BMSH, ErinJordan, and max2013 for your reviews on my last chapter. I appreciated them very much!

Fly Away

Chapter 3

December 22

"OOOHHH!" Vanessa cooed to Joe the following evening. They were standing in the Hardys' living room and setting up the Christmas tree.

"OOOHHH, WHAT?!" Joe asked his girlfriend as he handed her some garland so that she could wrap it around her side of the tree. Peering over some ornaments he had just hung up, he caught sight of Vanessa and made a silly face at her, causing her to explode in giggles. When she finally settled down and finished wrapping the garland around the tree, she came over to where Joe was and gave him a hug.

"I was just so excited that Christmas is only three days away! Yay!" She started clapping her hands like a little girl who just found out that she had received a favorite Barbie doll.

Laughing, Joe reached for her and pulled her into his arms for a lingering kiss. When they finally separated, he teased her. "Well, now. I may just have to talk to Santa for you and see if I have any pull in it getting here even sooner. " He winked at her.

Smiling, Vanessa led Joe to the couch, where she sat down comfortably on his lap. As Joe wrapped his arms around her, Vanessa leaned comfortably back against him, and they stayed that way for some time in contented silence. Finally, Vanessa sighed happily and turned to Joe, her eyes aglow with happiness. "It's not just Christmas, Joe!" she exclaimed merrily. "It's... I don't know… the whole holiday season. Christmas is just a part of it. Maybe we'll get to go into the city and see the tree and go ice- skating! And then there's New Year's! Maybe we can try to do something special. It's too bad that the party at the Airforce Base was sold out, huh?" She smiled whimsically at him.

Bayport Airforce Base was holding a huge extravaganza for New Year's. The whole place was going to be lit up and set up to be a fairy tale event. It was a black-tie only affair, and some of the best musicians from New York were going to be playing there. Unfortunately, tickets had been sold out since June even though they were remarkably expensive and hard to get. However, rumor had it that there would be several restaurants in the adjoining areas to host New Year's parties as well, and that fireworks at midnight which were being set off from the surrounding bay by the airforce base would be visible all over. Now, it was simply a matter of deciding which restaurant to attend to ring in the New Year.

Still, Joe felt bad about not being able to get tickets to the main event, and smiled sadly at Vanessa. "I'm sorry, babe. You know that if there was any way I could have bought the tickets for you, I would have." He met her eyes with a puppy-dog stare.

Playfully pinching his nose, Vanessa laughed. "I know that, hon," she said with a smile. "Don't worry- I'm sure we'll have a great time wherever we go!"

"Well, you'll look pretty hot in that new dress that you just bought!" he countered, making her blush.

"It's only once a year," Vanessa responded, sheepishly. "I think I'm allowed to treat myself!"

"The treat's all mine!" Joe teased, with a twinkle in his blue eyes.

"Oh, hush!" Vanessa whispered before kissing Joe again. After a few moments, Vanessa pulled back as if an idea had finally struck her. "Joe?" she asked.

"Hmmm…?" he murmured.

"Where are Frank and Callie?"

Joe straightened up from his comfortable pose. It was almost 10:00, far later than Frank and Callie would have been at the house. It was a tradition that every December 23rd all of the Hardys' friends would come over and help to decorate for Christmas. Vanessa and Joe had gotten a little bit of a head start tonight, and Frank and Callie were supposed to have been there to help a few hours ago. Still, they were nowhere in sight.

Looking into his girlfriend's eyes, Joe responded, simply, "THAT, my dear, is a very good question."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"We're going to be late," Callie said to Frank a little earlier in the evening. They were sitting in her dining room. Callie had made Frank dinner, complete with all the trimmings. When he gave her a surprised glance, she had only smiled and said, "A special dinner for a special guy." It made her feel happy to be able to control some aspect of her life. She was dead tired from having worked all day, but when Frank came by as scheduled at 7:00, she couldn't wait to see him. Besides, it would be only three more days until she could give him his watch, and the idea of it made her smile again.

"What?" Frank asked, looking at her. He had slowly watched the color come into his girlfriend's cheeks. Reaching for her hand, he linked his fingers through hers.

Looking into his eyes, Callie just shook her head and bit her lip. At any other time, she would have treasured this moment so very much. But there were so many things on her mind. Maybe she should tell him….

"Honey?"

Callie looked up at him again and sighed. Then, standing up, she walked behind him and rested her hands on his shoulders, massaging them. He leaned back and looked at her quizzically.

"Oh, stop," she said and managed a smile. "Can't a girl give her guy a massage? There's not always a deeper meaning involved," she added, and leaned over to kiss him lightly on the lips.

Frank stood up next to her and gave her a hug before guiding her into the living room. Sitting down on the couch next to her, he pulled her to him, wrapping his arms around her. He allowed himself a few minutes to just enjoy some private time with his girlfriend before speaking. When he did, though, he said, gently, "Come on, Cal. I know you—and I know something's bothering you. Spill it."

Callie closed her eyes and involuntarily moved closer to him. Feeling Frank still holding her offered some comfort. She wished she knew what she could tell him and what she should remain silent about. Finally, she said, softly, "I'm worried about those stupid cards." Well, that was true in any event. She had received another one today when she had been at work. She felt Frank tighten his hold on her for a moment before her let her go. When he did, he sat up and grabbed a piece of paper that was sitting on her end-table.

"Wh... what are you doing?" she sputtered, thrown at Frank's sudden change of temperament.

"Trying to figure it out. I'm sorry, Callie. I've been so crazy with holiday plans that I haven't had much time to concentrate on this. Besides, it seemed like a stupid prank for someone's amusement, and you didn't seem to be in any danger. Things got more intense yesterday when the van was opened…and you got a new card today. I'm gonna look at this right now, and tomorrow, Joe and I will spend the day on this- promise. Do you want to help?" he asked her.

Callie blushed. "I… well, I'm working tomorrow."

"Again?" Frank furrowed his brows. "You're working a lot lately." He put an arm around her. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah…I mean, yes…it will be. If I can just stop getting freaked out by these stupid messages, I have a feeling everything will be okay."

Frank looked at her, and she knew that he knew she was lying. Still, she was grateful that he didn't push the issue. Besides, the truth was that she really was getting scared about these mysterious messages. "I feel like I'm being watched!" she blurted out, to Frank's surprise. "Why would someone want to do this to me?"

"Don't worry, Cal. I don't know- but I'll find out—okay?" He kissed the tip of her nose.

"Okay," she said, feeling only slightly better.

"Well, let's see what we have then, shall we?" Frank asked, and Callie nodded.

"You've gotten four cards, right? Each a day apart."

"Yes," Callie replied, looking at Frank writing things down.

"Okay," he noted seriously. "All four of them have this bell in the corner, with the word "RING" on it. The only other similarity is that all four have the birds."

"What does that mean?" Callie asked, hesitant. She hated puzzles like this—when she was at the center of them! It seemed like she and Vanessa—and Iola, Joe's former girlfriend—along with all of their friends, somehow got involved in Frank and Joe's cases unwittingly. Not that it mattered—she'd stay with Frank no matter what.

Frank, though, knew what was on her mind. "You're right," he said with a sigh. "This is probably directed at me or Joe. I'm sorry, baby. I don't want you to be scared, especially around the holidays." Pausing for a moment, he recanted. "Scratch that- I don't want you to be scared, EVER. I'll work on this until I figure it out." He looked into her eyes.

Finally, Callie broke the spell. "Um, Frank?"

"Huh?" he asked, still looking at her.

"We can't move on until this mystery is solved."

"Right."

"So…let's solve it!" she said, and nodded toward the paper.

"Oh...yeah," he replied, embarrassed. Refocusing, he began again. "So we have this "RING" and a bell, as well as a bird." Then, let's look at the messages." He jotted them down.

A picture of two hands clasping. Says so.

A helicopter that says "over air." Obvious.

A crowd of people from a magazine. Says "many people."

More ominous. "You'll pay" with a picture of dollar bills.

Frank looked at Callie and shook his head. "It doesn't seem to make sense. I don't like the last one, though- I'll be honest. What does "you'll pay" mean? WHO will pay? For what?"

"I don't know," Callie said and shivered, moving next to Frank.

Frank gave her a quick hug, and then said, "Wait here a sec. Let me get the original envelopes."

With a nod, Callie forced a smile and watched him head in the opposite direction. Not two minutes later, there was a loud BANG! That resonated through the house…and the place was surrounded by darkness.

Callie's screams were the only audible noises…