Okay, we're back to the story line after some modifications to fit in the requested romance. I'm still not totally happy with this chapter, but posted it anyway because if I don't, I might not be able to finish it before my baby's due. Still, I'm happier with this than the previous chapter. And Andrew finally makes his move - I hope you would enjoy this chapter. Please let me know what you think - please? Hopefully, the future chaps would get better as I get the hang of writing back again. (prays)

Don't worry, I'm not dragging this out. As a matter of fact, the whole Andrew incident would be over in a few days' of story time. Its going to be sort of "action" all the way.

Tukkie: sorry - I cannot write, even a stupid scene of Joe and Vanessa running round and round a tree just for fun because I simply cannot envision it.

Note: I still put this as chapter 12 because this is chapter 12. The previous chapter was a request and not really necessary to this story. Thanks for reading anyway.

Thanks Chromde and franknjoe for being nice. I'm glad my attempted fluff was not a total flop.

please enjoy, cheers.


WHEN IT RAINS IT POURS

Chapter Twelve

-o-

In the airy and spacious living room of a rather brightly decorated two bed-room apartment, Frank Hardy was struggling to rein in his irritation as he glanced at the clock for the umpteenth time. It was almost noon! That girl was late as usual. He knew she was going to be late. But this time, she was almost two hours late. Two hours! That's ridiculous!

Still, there's no point feeling annoyed since the object of his irritation happened to be Callie's house mate and best friend. And there's no point complaining to Callie since she would only smile apologetically and gently remind him that her best friend was putting together a surprise wedding gift for them, including an afternoon of studio wedding photo shots.

The thought of his upcoming wedding brought out a smile. He had officially proposed two weeks ago on Valentine's Day. She accepted, as she always said she would. They would be speaking their vows in two weeks, on March 14th. Frank could not wait for the day when they would officially be man and wife. A surprisingly irrational part of him was still worried she might come to her senses and disappeared off to a safer part of the world without him. And of course Callie insisted on getting the wedding done as soon as possible before her pregnancy started to show. He wondered how she would look in her wedding finery, and then realized that was irrelevant since Callie would always be beautiful to him no matter what she wears. And he was sure her child would be beautiful too…

The image of what his future family and home might be only served to strengthen his resolve to provide a future as safe and as secure as he could make it. He turned his attention back to his case notes. He knew Callie was not too happy he brought his work with him today. He recalled a little guiltily that he had promised her that February 28th would be dedicated to all things wedding. Frank could only be glad she did not hold him to his word. Especially given what just happened in Bayport.

Three highly unusual yet seemingly unrelated homicides over the last week had the entire Bayport PD on high alert. The details of all three cases were kept from the public, but it was believed that a serial might be on the loose. There were no evidence or suggestions of any sort linking all three homicides to Andrew Kempton, but Frank thought it was better to be safe than sorry. He kept Kempton high on his suspect list. His only consolation was the fact that his father and Sam Radley were also working on the case. Like him, and unlike the rest of the BPD staff, they kept the Kempton possibility wide open. Then again, Chief Sean Freeman was right to point out that Kempton was the type who would take his time to plot and plan. On the other hand, his father was also right to say that one could never presume to know how a psycho thinks. Again he scanned his files, hoping for some breakthroughs.

A joyous tune sung by a familiar sweet voice drew his attention a short while later. He looked up, rubbed his bleary eyes, and spent the next few moments simply enjoying the sight of his fiancé flitting about the apartment like a butterfly, cleaning and packing her belongings into boxes. He could only be grateful that Callie had agreed to move into his home at the corner of Elm Street with his parents. Most women he knew would not agree to that. But Callie understood. They all need to be there when Joe comes home.

Callie was certainly high-spirited today. He could not resist the temptation. The next time Callie flitted pass him, he reached out and snagged her onto his lap for a spontaneous kissing session. They had been in the same apartment for the whole morning, yet he missed her already!

"If I didn't know better, I would have thought you are more excited about meeting your housemate's mysterious boyfriend than planning for our upcoming wedding," he teased – Callie had been rattling on and on about that mysterious boyfriend for a good part of the week by now.

"Of course I am!" Callie exclaimed rather mischievously. "Van said he's a handsomer and wittier version of you, into solving crimes without having to risk his life chasing after real life criminals. I really have to have a look at that before tying myself down for good!"

"Cal…"

"Van's my best friend, Frank," Callie rushed to add when she realized she had unintentionally hit one of Frank's sore spots. "You know part of her past and why she is the way she is. She never lets any guy gets close to her. This is the first guy she was interested in, her first boyfriend in all the years I know her. Of course I am both curious and excited about him!"

"She didn't tell you much about him, and she could have at least shown you a photograph," Frank pointed out logically.

As best friends go, Frank never really understood the relationship between Callie and Vanessa Bender. Vanessa was… the most generous term he could use to describe her was "interesting". Her preferred color was black, her style of fashion 'gothic', her use of makeup was atrocious, and she had a way of getting on his nerves. No doubt she was a brilliant artist, but her works were far to 'weird', not to mention 'dark' for his tastes. And she carried a butterfly knife on her. Once, she had that knife held right next to his jugular at a speed that took him by surprised. But he would never forget that terror and rage burning from those stormy blue-grey depths. That was the first time he felt something, some sort of a connection to her. It did not last, simply because the very next moment, he really thought he was dead meat. Since that day he made sure she always had ample warning of his approaching presence. That girl was simply a dangerous and lethal accident waiting to happen. As a housemate, she loves her clutter. If not for Callie, Frank really did not want to imagine what this apartment would look like.

"She must have her reasons," Callie said simply.

She watched Frank rolled his eyes through her lashes. It was difficult to explain to Frank why she and Vanessa just hit off despite the vast differences in their personalities. She supposed it was a similar reasoning to why she loved Frank despite the dangers that comes with him. It's a package thing.

"I believed the fact that they lived in different states might be what held back the relationship," Callie tried to give an explanation. "Now that his family moved to Bayport…Apparently they were the mysterious buyers who purchased that old lighthouse on The Point at the end of Shore Road."

"His family must be pretty eccentric," Frank commented. "That crumbling old lighthouse had been unoccupied for ages because the heirs were squabbling over the inheritance."

That lighthouse brought back some happy memories. It stood at the heart of one of the very first cases he and Joe solved together leading to the exposure of a smuggling operation and the arrests of the smugglers.

"And they must have valued their privacy," Callie added. "Because their nearest neighbor would be at least a mile away."

Frank nodded. He supposed an 'eccentric' boyfriend would suit an 'interesting' girl like Vanessa. Whoever he was, that man is brave, Frank would give him that much. And good luck to that poor guy, whoever he was.

"Frank… I know you think Van's a little 'weird' at times," Callie started hesitantly.

'Weird' was an understatement, Frank thought as he recalled the few times he tried to match-make Vanessa with a number of his colleagues from the Bayport PD at Callie's behest.

"Van's really a nice person… if you let yourself get to know the 'real' her."

Frank arched his brow. Vanessa, after all, managed to scare away every single police officer he introduced to her. And every single one of them was used to handling rough and tough gangsters on a daily basis – like Tommy.

"You don't like her," Callie finally stated as she noted the expression on Frank's face.

"She doesn't like me," Frank corrected his fiancé – Vanessa always looked at him as if he was… never mind – its enough to say trading words with one Vanessa Bender could be real bad for a man's fragile ego.

There was some truth to that, Callie admitted a little sadly. And it was partly her fault. All those late night girl-talk about 'love' and 'heartbreak' over the years had convinced Vanessa that one Frank Hardy was responsible for her bouts of melancholy and repeated heartbreak over the last six years.

"She never showed you the 'real' her either," Callie said. "But try to be nice to her, okay? She's really running pulling favors and helping us make this wedding as perfect as possible given the limited timeframe…"

Frank sighed. He knew. Callie always said Vanessa would go the extra mile for her friends, and that she would never leave a friend out to dry, even at the risk of her own life. Once, she stayed to save Callie from being raped, even when she could have run and saved herself. But she saved Callie, severely injured the two thugs, and suffered two cracked ribs and a broken arm. He was immensely grateful to her. But it did not change his opinion that she needed more counseling to better manage the shadows of her past, especially her rather low opinion of the male population in general.

"I will try to be nicer to her, and I will refrain from making my usual sarcastic comments no matter what she says," he promised Callie with an internal grimace - what a man would do to his ego for the sake of his beloved…

Suddenly, the door burst open and in swept Vanessa in all her usual gothic grandeur. Except for the fact she did not look all that 'gothic' today. The new boyfriend must have been a positive influence, Frank decided.

"So sorry I'm late, Cal," Vanessa gushed out cheerfully. "We just got a number of last minute errands… But Callie darling, you're going to love what we got you!"

Then her tone turned a little frostier, her smile actually chilling, as she turned to him. "Hiya Frank. I've expended a lot of efforts getting things together for Cal's sake. So if you are planning to play the runaway groom, let me assure you there is no hole in this world deep enough for you to hide in."

"Van!" Callie sounded mortified.

But Vanessa simply waved her best friend aside without giving her a chance to respond and bore straight down on me. From that look in her stormy blue-grey eyes, Frank wondered if he should simply hide behind Callie's skirts until the storm blew over.

"Callie's my best friend, and the closest to a sister I ever have," Vanessa began in a slow deliberate tone. "You dare hurt her again, and you have me to answer to, is that clear."

Frank simply acknowledged that statement. At least he could appreciate where Vanessa was coming from.

Then the threatening hardness melted away from Vanessa's face as she continued to admonish him in a gentler but no less firm tone. "Make her happy."

"I will. Make her happy," he promised honestly, and ever mindful of his earlier promise to Callie, he added politely. "And thank you for helping us out."

The next bit caught Frank off guard – as he found himself the recipient of a sisterly hug and a brilliant smile. "Truce, 'brother', and I promised you a wedding party to remember."

"Thank you," he was unsure as to what else to say. This 'new' Vanessa was not what he was used to.

"Everything's all planned. Just grabbed whatever items you want to include in your studio shots and meet us in the parking lot. There's only one van there, you can't miss it. And hurry, will ya? We're running late. We'll grab a quick lunch at Prat's Pasta before heading over to the studio. Our treat of course… you two just relax and enjoy your day."

And then she was gone, just like a gust of whirlwind.

"Well," Callie said after a moment of silence. "I've got what we need packed here. Shall we go?"

Frank nodded as he piled his casefiles into his backpack, slug it over his shoulder, and grabbed the little luggage at Callie's feet. They locked the door to the apartment, and headed, hand in hand towards the parking lot.

It was Callie who first saw him. He was too busy admiring her happy face and fighting the temptation to draw her in for another kissing session.

A sharp gasp from her drew his attention. That was followed by a painfully tight grip on his arm, but by then he barely noticed the pain. His eyes were fixed on the young couple leaning against the side of a black van locked passionately in each other's embrace a mere hundred feet away from them.

"Frank…" Callie squeaked. "Is that… is that…"

Frank could barely find the voice to answer. "Yes…"

After six long years, his brother, Joe, has finally come home to Bayport.

It did not matter that Joe clearly has yet to remember who he was. In Frank's opinion, he was back, and the rest would soon fall in place. Frank Hardy held Callie tighter to his side, thanking God for keeping Joe safe, and thanking Callie for having someone like Vanessa as her best friend.

He blinked away his tears as his joyously shell-shocked mind worked at a hundred miles per hour trying to decide on how to welcome his brother home again. In the end, his brilliant mind failed him. For the rest of the afternoon, he allowed himself to be led along, with his eyes fixed contentedly on his brother whenever possible.

And then, disaster strikes.

-o-o-0-o-o-

Callie might be Vanessa's best friend, but I swear the way she and her fiancé were staring at me was starting to freak me out. I wasn't kidding; even Vanessa was getting real uncomfortable.

'Sorry, No idea what got into them,' she mouthed when they were not watching. 'Wedding jitters?'

'Maybe. I'm okay,' I mouthed back just to reassure her.

But I stuck close to Van the entire afternoon. I really did not want to spend too much time one on one with either Frank or Callie. I really felt downright uncomfortable around them, especially Frank. Part of the reason could be due to the fact that I was never comfortable about the name 'Frank'. It was a name I instinctively disliked. Yet there was a familiarity about this 'Frank' that drew me towards him. So much so I was obliged to explain to him: "No offense to you, but I just do not like the name 'Frank'."

"I understand," was all he said.

I looked into his eyes and saw something close to sympathy. No, not sympathy… Was that pain or was that empathy? It was as if he knew something about me I don't. It was as if he knew why I did not like that name. It was just all too spooky.

After a somewhat tensed lunch, I drove them up the place my parents bought, that old lighthouse on The Point. Needless to say, I loved that crumbly building. There was a sense of déjà vu the first time I saw it. It was as if I was here running around those rotting ramparts as a child in another lifetime.

"Van, can you show them to my studio? I need to check up on Mom."

Vanessa knew where my studio was. She helped me transformed that little cottage storeroom a short distance from the main house into my professional workspace. And we spent the last two days rigging it up for today's photo session.

She nodded, and I was glad for that breathing space away from those two. The emotional tension was just about unbearable.

Mom, according to our live-in-nurse-cum-housekeeper Maria, was taking her afternoon nap after a light lunch. I went in anyway, if only to tuck the covers more comfortably around her. Was that my fears or has she lost several more pounds over the last two weeks? I wrote a little note and left it by the side of the bed where she could see when she woke up. Mike, Maria informed me, had gone out for groceries.

The photo session turned out much better than I expected. Callie, as Vanessa expected, was totally blown over by the fact that we managed to loan the Vera Wang creation she had been eyeing for the last two years for the photo session today, and for her wedding day. And of course when we told her that we managed to book The Chjimes for her wedding day…

The Chjimes was one of the most popular venues for a spring wedding. Callie was naturally ecstatic. From that moment on, her focus returned fully to the wedding preparations. Soon we were discussing the various décor, floral arrangements and meal plans as if we were old friends. The necessary decisions were made swiftly, thanks to Frank. The girls would have taken forever. The photo session turned out better than expected; both the bride-to-be and groom-to-be photographed well.

I and Vanessa were busy snapping away when we were rudely interrupted by someone banging loudly at the door. It was Maria, who burst in with hair flying, panicky eyes and arms gesticulating wildly. I could barely make out what she was saying…

"… Police … found dead body … arresting your father for murder … your mother…"

I dropped my expensive Leica camera and ran.

By the time I reached the main house, more police cars and a paramedic van were already quietly turning into our newly repaired driveway. I ignored the few police officers combing the front yard and taking pictures. Instead, I headed straight for the living room, where I was certain where everyone were gathered.

"What's happening here," I demanded in a loud clear voice the moment I stepped into the room. "And do you even have a warrant to search these premises?!"

Since I helped Mike research for his crime and mystery novels, I do have a good knowledge of criminal and legal procedures.

All faces turned towards me. There were several sharp gasps. It took a moment for me to realize that one of those was from me. One of the older men was suddenly standing in front of me, reaching out for me, staring at me with such emotional intensity…

"Joe…"

In an instant, my world shifted. I instinctively jumped backwards, avoiding that stranger's arms. Except I wasn't sure if he was truly a stranger to me. Those brown eyes were somehow familiar to me. I was drawn to them just as my gut instinct screamed at me to be wary.

"What's going on," I demanded again.

This time, my voice was harsher, perhaps even trembling slightly. I moved away from that man and nearer to my Mom. She hung on to me for strength and support. I let her. Or so I preferred to think. It could easily be the other way round.

"Michael Black is the prime suspect for a series of murders that took place in Bayport recently…" one of the officers in the room tried to explain in an official tone, even though he looked almost constipated.

"They found a body. Female. In the trunk of my car," I heard Mike saying in a calm tight voice as if from a distance.

That brown eyed man in his fifties was still staring at me. It was at moment that Frank walked into the room, closely followed by Callie and Vanessa. I paled the moment I put the two and two together.

"Your name!" I demanded to know, my voice barely above a whisper.

"Fenton…"

I did not bother to hear the rest. My head was close to exploding as forgotten memories rose to the fore. Fenton… and Frank… similar features… father and son…

Suddenly, I knew what happened. My past had caught up with me, and my adoptive family was about to pay the price for letting me be happy. They framed Mike…

"Why?" I hissed at Fenton. "Why can't you leave me alone?"

I think Mom heard me and knew instantly what I was talking about. After all, I kept no secrets from her.

She glared at Fenton. "You! It was you… You…"

But she never finished her sentence. Suddenly, she collapsed into a coughing fix and was soon coughing out blood.

"Mom!" I tried to help her while keeping the others off us, especially Frank and Fenton. No way was I going to let them get close to her. "Someone call the ambulance!" I screamed as I returned my attention back to my Mom. No, she can't die. Not now, when I needed her so…

Then Mike was shaking me, hard, and shouting into my ears "Joe… son… Son!"

I blinked through my tears and my fears.

"We will beat this, like we beat everything else, as a family," Mike said.

It was his calm and confident manner that gave me hope.

"Take care of your mother. Then get in touch with my lawyer. Get in touch with grandpa. We will play this game his way, and we will beat him at his game. But first, take care of your mother…"

Then the paramedics arrived.

"Go… I can take care of myself. I will be fine. They will not dare do anything in a public place like a police station. And not to someone like me…"

I wanted to refute that, but would not do it in front of Mom. And maybe Mike was right, it would be bad for Bayport PD to have a best-selling author like Michael Black die under mysterious circumstances while in their custody.

"Go… take care of your mother," Mike urged, pushing me after the paramedics and away from Fenton and Frank. "For me…"

I nodded through teary eyes. Mom was the love of Mike's life. And I, I was his son. I knew that now even more than before. He spared a thought for my safety even when he was in deep trouble because of me.

"Dad…" I called him. It was the only thing I could say to tell him that I really really am proud to be his son.

I could see the surprise in his eyes. I could also see his joy.

"Go, son," his reply was firm and grim.

"Dad… be careful…"

"I will. Now, just go…"

I left with Mom and the paramedics. But not before I turned and gave Fenton and Frank a look that promised retribution. I was no longer that teen they played with and tortured. And this time, they would not escape justice. Not when I have a family like Mom, Dad, Vanessa, and yes, Grandpa to protect, and to help...