What you see is what you get

Summary: This takes off from where what you is not what you get left off. Katherine Blake is at large but not quiet. She is seething at the events that led to her partner being in jail and upended her smooth life into one of chaos. She has decided that she was done being on the run and it is time to turn back and strike at the ones that changed her life in the first place…the Hardys. She will avenge the humiliation and destroy their lives forever…especially the spirited younger blond haired boy.

Chapter 1

Katherine Blake leaned back in her seat with a gleam in her eye and a smug smile on her lips. The time had come for her to act and she was ready to start the game once more. For eight months she had reigned in her temper and waited for the hunt to cool down. For eight months the police had tried to track her down thanks to Fenton Hardy but finally the police had moved on and Katherine Blake was now a lost statistic in the police files. Her patience had been tested time and again as she saw the Hardy boys bounce back to their life but this time she promised herself that they would not bounce back. She would break them and break them irreparably she vowed silently. How dare they treat her so insignificantly!

Everything in good time she had told herself these last few months and now it was that time. Idly, she thought of her gift for Joe and her lips curled into a cruel smile. He would not rest easy for a while, not after today. He would not forget her now and soon she would have him at her beck and call again.

The subject of her thoughts was however taking a final bow to the ecstatic crowd and making his way to the lockers. Joe was feeling exhilarated and a wide grin split his face. It had been liberating and he had finally completely shaken off his fear that the injury to his hand would impede his activities in some way. It had been an uphill battle with many stops and tears in between but he had made it to the top. He was finally back to his life as it was before Cooper created havoc and he vowed to bury that experience forever. He would gladly forget the experience and move on forward with Frank by his side.

Frank…he did not know from where he could begin to express his gratitude for his brother. Through the eight months he had been his rock, never wavering and never losing his cool. Not once had he been frustrated when Joe had once again dipped into the pits of despair and had lost all hope. Never once had he given up on him when Joe had shouted at him in misplaced anger…never once had he lost his cool and he once again thanked God for giving him the best brother in the world. He honestly would have thrown in the towel and let go of his life completely if Frank had not pushed him and made him rise above his own insecurities and pain. And he owed Callie an apology too.

Any other girl in her place would have made a scene with her boyfriend's brother claiming so much of her boyfriend's time. But she had gracefully given up Frank and gone to the sidelines and Joe felt the guilt rise up in him at the thought. He decided that he would apologize to her and make up to her somehow. That would be the right thing to do. He would also hunt for a good Christmas present for her he thought his guilt appeased a bit at the idea. Now what would be a good Christmas gift he wondered as he suddenly found himself in front of his locker which he absent mindedly opened.

So caught up in his thoughts was he that he did not notice the white envelope in his locker right away. He should have been wary of the unassuming cover that would blow his day to hell but he just casually reached for the cover thinking that Frank had left something for him and saw that there was a note and something else inside it.

He emptied the contents of the cover and almost threw up as his stomach clenched in fear. The color drained from his face as he saw his own face staring up at him from the photos. Photos of him taken at different times during his captivity with the words "Forgotten me already? Don't worry, we will meet soon" emblazoned across the snap. Rational thought fled and he felt a cold chill engulf him as he slowly sank to the floor. "No..no no"" he muttered as his mind violently rejected the input from his sight. No…Dear god…what did he do to deserve this? She cannot possibly be back..not when he was just getting back on his feet.

His body broke out into a cold sweat and he felt fear overpower him. The last few months had been sheer torture and it had taken every ounce of willpower that he had to claw back into his life. If he had to do it all over again he might just roll over and die. He gripped his hair in despair, God…this was so unfair he thought as the initial shock passed and a cold anger started seeping in instead. He wiped his tears away angrily and straightened up with newfound determination. This would not be like last time and he would make sure that this time she did not escape he wowed. First of all he would call Frank…not let anything come between them like last time.

He fished out his phone from the locker and almost called Frank but held back at the last moment. He had already taken so much of his brother's life, he cannot take more, not now at least. For this evening at least he would try to give Frank a bit of his life back with Callie. Yes, that's what he would do he nodded to himself and kept back the phone and headed to the shower. The photo was safely ensconced in his bag for the time being.

Half an hour later he was seated at Prito's Pizza with the gang and found himself slowly unwinding as the photo got relegated to the back of his mind. He had been minutely aware of Frank's gaze on him the whole time and he really hoped that he had managed to hide the earlier events well. But then this was Frank…and there was no fooling the person who had been with for every minute the last few months. No, not just the last few months, the whole of his life really. So when they reached home it was not very long until Frank walked into Joe's room and sat on the bed.

"So, are you going to tell me what happened or do I have to take potshots and guesses?" he asked lightly. Joe turned to Frank but found himself stuck for an answer. He remained silent wrestling with himself over whether to tell his brother or not until Frank broke the silence again. "Joe, you should know by now that you can share anything with me. I swear I will only listen…or whatever it is that you want me to do" he offered calmly.

Joe lifted his head to look at Frank and walked to the bed. He sank onto it with a sigh and ran his hands through his hair and slowly started speaking. "Frank, I have taken so much from you these last few months and I don't want to take more of your time. Callie must be so mad at having to share you with me all the time and I feel really bad about that. But I honestly don't know if I can handle this by myself. I can't go through everything all over again" he confessed softly.

"Can't go through what Joe? Please tell me and before you beat yourself about it…Callie understands and we can make it up to her later. Right now what is this that we need to handle?" Frank pressed for details reaching out and squeezing Joe's shoulder. Joe hesitated a moment before getting up and rummaging through his bag. He retrieved the envelope and held it out to his brother, his eyes going blank.

Frank took the envelope and slid out the photo and a pang of alarm filled him before pure outrage overtook everything else. Later he would realize that it was more rage than outrage but whatever it was he was angry…very very angry. Why couldn't his brother ever catch a break? What right did people have to interfere in their lives like this?

They never sought out to hurt anyone did they? especially Joe who was all bluster outside but so soft on the inside. His brother for all the jokes and quips was the more sensitive one between them and he was still recovering from the hurt on his psyche as well as his body. This was too soon…well anytime was too soon. But this…there were no words for this. The injustice of it rankled his every pore and cell.

Outwardly however he kept his calm. "I will give this to dad and let us run the usual tests on it. Sometimes it is the cocky ones that get caught on some minor error" he said hoping to banish the haunted look that had crept into Joe's eyes. Joe nodded dumbly knowing deep inside that the woman was too clever to have made mistakes.

He continued to listen however as Frank spoke "don't go anywhere alone okay? Let's not make it easier for her to get her hands on you. I am sure that the gang would be happy to take turns being with you at all times. And keep me updated on what you are doing at all times alright? Just…just don't take any chances" he said trying to break through his brother's defeated countenance.

"Joe, listen to me. She is not getting you, not this time…by warning us she has made her first mistake. I promise you that she is not getting to you, not as long as I am there" he spoke fervently but Joe shook his head sharply.

"I don't want you to put your life on hold for me …you have don't it enough. I am not your responsibility Frank. Tell you what, I will be careful…very careful but you have to do your usual things. Live your life normally…please" he begged pushing Frank into silence. Frank instinctively started to refuse but after a moment of contemplation he realized that he would probably feel the same if he was on the other side. Moreover his brother was already feeling guilty and if by living his regular life he could give some relief to him then he would.

"Okay" he agreed "I will do my thing but you have to keep me updated and agree to at least take whoever is available wherever you go. I don't want to be worrying about you every minute and before you object I can't help it. That is the way I am" Frank stipulated his own conditions. Joe reluctantly nodded with a "but please go on a date or something" under his breath.

"You know that is something I can live with" Frank quipped back with a smile and then yawned as the day caught up with him. "You okay with sleeping alone? I can always sleep on the floor" Frank offered as Joe immediately refuted the offer. "You just promised to live your life as usual and you are already breaking it. Go sleep in your room..I will be fine. I doubt she will make a move tonight" Joe said as he fished out his own pajamas.

"Alright then …don't let these things get to you. Get a good night's sleep. This time we are forewarned and therefore forearmed. She has gotten over confident that's all" Frank reassured his brother and headed to his room. Joe however found reassurance elusive as the pictures kept flashing into his mind. The night would not be pretty and he was not looking forward to the next day in a while now.

Author notes: Hi everyone! I know…I know…after many requests for a sequel here we are finally. I didn't have a tangible story line and was stuck for a starting point until it finally hit me on the head one fine day. I have just started the story and have an idea of where it's going to go but you know with stories sometimes they have their own mind. So here's hoping I can make it as good the second time around and keep your fingers crossed for the boys…they are going to need it.

As usual reviews are my mojo, you know that by now so please do read and review. Seriously it was the reviews that made me pick up the story again. So thanks and looking forward to starting the journey together.