A/N: Thank you so much for the feedback, Leya and Virtute! Yeah, they did rely heavily on the Frank/Nancy thing in the show, but she won't show up in this story. LOL I also like hearing your theories, Leya, since that's my favorite thing to do as a reader...guess the culprit. Virtute, I'm glad you liked the Fenton interaction, because he is featured heavily in this story. A little more fluff in this chapter while Joe takes a side trip and gets roped into playing Barbies, and then some serious investigating in the next with Frank and Fenton as partners...because I love seeing him work with his sons. And he's just so darn good. LOL Thanks for reading!

Chapter 26

Emily finished making the bed in the Hardys' guestroom the next morning then reached into her purse for her pocket datebook. She thumbed through it and sighed. Oh geez, I totally forgot what day it was.

She dressed quickly in her favorite pair of jeans and a lightweight sweater and hurried across the hall to Joe's bedroom. His door was open and she rapped lightly on it as she stepped inside. "Are you awake?"

"Yeah, come on in."

She entered the room and stopped short. Joe was standing near his closet, his back to her, wearing only a pair of faded jeans slung low on his hips. He turned around and she gulped. She couldn't help but stare at the tight bands of well-defined muscles on his abdomen and chest. Put your eyes back in your head, Emily. Before he notices you're ogling him.

A slow, sexy grin spread over Joe's face.

He noticed. She forced herself to look in his eyes. "I, um, didn't know you weren't dressed. I'm sorry." She felt the heat creeping over her cheeks. Great. Now I'm blushing. Or I'm having a hot flash, because the temperature in this room must be well over a hundred degrees right now.

"It's okay," Joe said as he turned back toward his closet and reached for a long-sleeved t-shirt. "Guys are allowed to walk around without their shirts on, right? It's not illegal."

Well, it should be with that body. Emily couldn't resist checking him out from behind. Wow...just wow. And now I'm reduced to speaking in monosyllables.

She forced herself to walk over to the bulletin board hanging on the wall over his desk. Say something intelligent about something on here. Something more than a grunt would be preferable. She cleared her throat. "Um, is this a ribbon for surfing? I didn't even know you could really surf on our beaches."

Joe came up behind her holding his t-shirt in his hand. "I got that one in Hawaii. Frank's the real surfer, though. He was in a pro-level competition there."

"He was?" Emily turned and found herself face to face with Joe's chest. Joe's rock hard, incredibly muscular, sexiest thing I've seen in a long time, chest. She looked down at the floor, not trusting the expression on her face. "That's really cool."

"Yeah," Joe said, smiling at her obvious distress. "We solved a case while we were there, too."

"Great," Emily squeaked out as she watched Joe put his arms through his t-shirt, then pull it over his head. Biceps. I really, really like his biceps.

"Was there something you wanted to tell me?"

"Huh?" She looked up at him, puzzled.

Joe flashed her that sexy smile again. "When you came in here? Was there something you wanted to tell me?"

"Oh, um, yes." Emily took a deep breath and tried not to seem flustered. "I just realized it's the third Sunday of the month and my family always gets together on that day at my parents' house. It's kind of a big thing. I really can't miss it. So, I wanted you to know that I need to head up to Twin Lakes today."

"Oh." Joe looked disappointed. "I see. Um, yeah, sure."

"Will you go with me?"

"What?"

She gave him a little smile. "I wanted to know if you'd like to come with me."

"Really? You want me to meet your family?"

"Yes, if you want to." She sighed and tried to ignore the nervous sensation of butterflies in her stomach. Make that bats. Bats with a huge wingspan.

"I'd like that," Joe said softly. "Thank you for asking me."

She nodded.

"Not that I would have let you go up there alone, but thanks for asking me. It makes it easier."

Emily's head shot up and he winked at her.

Her eyes narrowed. "Well actually, I was going to ask Frank, but he's still in the shower, so I didn't really have any other choice except to ask you, because I need to leave in ten minutes."

"What?" Joe's mouth hung open.

Emily giggled as she watched Joe's expression change from disbelief to understanding the second he realized she'd only been teasing him. He reached out and grabbed her to him. "You're going to pay for that." He held both of her arms in one hand and began tickling her with the other. Her knees buckled as she squealed and gasped.

"Joe, don't! I'm way too ticklish." She squirmed and bent down, pulling them both to the floor as she struggled to get at least one of her arms out of his strong grip. "Joe!"

He laughed and loosened his fingers and Emily quickly yanked her hands away and reached for his ribs. Joe laughed harder as the tickling sensation overwhelmed him and he fell backwards pulling her on top of him. His foot hit the dresser and knocked over a stack of old board games piled haphazardly on top of it, sending dice and paper money raining down on them. "Em, honey, give me a break!" he gasped.

"You can dish it out, but you can't take it Hardy? Is that the deal?"

Joe took hold of her upper arms and forced them gently behind her back. She collapsed on his chest, unable to hold herself up. She lifted her head just inches from his and noticed they were both breathing heavily. From the tickling or from something else? She caught the intense look in Joe's eyes and her breath hitched. He slid his hand up behind her neck and began to gently pull her closer. His eyes moved to her lips and Emily felt a flutter of excitement in her stomach. She nervously ran her tongue over her bottom lip and Joe groaned, the desire on his face more than evident to her now. She slowly closed her eyes as he brought his mouth up to hers.

"Is everything okay in here? I heard a huge crash downstairs." Fenton Hardy appeared at the door of Joe's room.

Emily's eyes snapped open as she looked to Mr. Hardy, then back at his son. Realizing they were both on the floor and she was straddling Joe, she jumped backwards, her cheeks burning with embarrassment.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I, uh, didn't mean to interrupt," Fenton said, as he ducked his head and turned to leave. Instead, he ran into Frank.

"You guys okay?"

Joe dropped his head back on the floor and stared up at the ceiling. "I don't believe this."

Emily was scrambling to stand up. "Oh, you're not interrupting. We just, um, knocked over some board games. Sorry if the noise bothered you." She peered over Fenton's shoulder to see Frank choking with silent laughter.

"No, it didn't. I only wanted to make sure you were okay." Fenton turned to go. "I'll be heading back to my office. I have work to do and Callie should be here in a few minutes."

"Yeah, um, I actually need to call my parents and tell them we're coming, Joe." Emily slipped past Fenton and Frank and hurried downstairs to use the kitchen phone.

Joe turned his head to look at his brother and dad from his position on the floor. "I hate you both."

"Sorry, son," Fenton apologized, trying to hold back the laughter. "But really, this could have been worse."

"Oh, yeah? How? Because right now I can't imagine it being any worse."

"Just be thankful it wasn't your Aunt Gertrude who walked in on you."

OOOOOoooooOOOOO

Joe pulled Emily's little red Honda Civic into the driveway of her parents' house, already crowded with vehicles. He walked around to the passenger side and opened her door for her. As she stepped out, he paused to look at her home.

"Wow, this is a really cool house."

"You think so?" Emily smiled. "My dad loves it. He's an architect, so he's really into unique construction. This one was built in the nineteen-twenties. It's the storybook style of architecture that was really popular then, so it makes for a fun home." She took his hand and led him up the cobblestone walkway to the arched front door. "Lots of great nooks and crannies and cozy hiding places. I loved it when I was little."

"Sounds like it might be kind of fun now, too," he said with a wicked grin.

Before Emily could reply, the front door flew open and two strikingly beautiful young women in their twenties, one of them pregnant, came toward them. The one who wasn't expecting, pulled Emily into a tight embrace.

"Oh my gosh, we've been so worried about you ever since we heard what happened at the museum. Are you all right?"

Emily laughed and hugged the girl, whom Joe assumed was her sister, closely. "I'm fine." She stepped out of the embrace and took Joe by the arm. "And here's the reason why. Sarah, Rachel, I want you to meet Joe Hardy. He's a detective working on the case and a good friend of mine. Joe, these are my big sisters."

The girls turned and smiled at Joe, who was momentarily stunned by the display of beauty in front of him. He cleared his throat. "Nice to meet you."

Sarah, the one who appeared to be older and was about mid-way through a pregnancy, Joe guessed, leaned in and gave him a quick hug. "Thank you for taking care of Emily, Joe. She told us everything."

"Yeah, we're very grateful," Rachel echoed, giving him a hug as well.

"It was my pleasure," he said with a smile.

Emily tugged on his arm. "Well, come on in. You need to meet the rest of my family."

Joe stepped into the entryway and took a deep breath. "Wow, something smells amazing."

"It's just dinner." Emily smiled. "We all love to cook in this family."

I have hit the jackpot. She's gorgeous, she's smart, and she cooks. Joe was momentarily distracted as a tiny, dark-haired, little beauty came barreling into the foyer and straight into Emily, who scooped her up in her arms.

"Aunt Emily, you're here! Will you play with me?"

Emily laughed and Joe felt his heart beat faster at the sound. That's the first time I've heard her really laugh since this case began.

"Well hello, Miss Lizzie. And what have you been up to? Keeping your mommy on her toes?"

Sarah shook her head. "You have no idea. She's a three year old who thinks she's at least sixteen and has more energy than Rob and I put together."

"I would love to play with you," Emily said, giving her niece a little tickle in the ribs. "What are we going to play?"

"Dolls."

"Sounds good. Why don't you get them ready and I'll come play after I talk to Grandma and Grandpa for a minute."

Lizzie looked over at Joe. "Is he your boyfriend?"

Emily blushed as Joe grinned and winked at the little girl.

"I don't know," Joe spoke up. "What do you think, Lizzie? Should I be Emily's boyfriend?"

Lizzie shrugged. "Maybe. She doesn't have one." She squirmed to get out of Emily's arms. "Hurry, Aunt Emily. I want to play dolls." She looked back at Joe after Emily set her down. "You can play, too."

Sarah sighed. "Sorry about that."

"No problem." Joe grinned. "She's cute."

"Um, why don't we go meet my parents?" Emily said, seeming eager to change the subject.

"Mom's in the kitchen," Rachel called. "And Rob and Mike are with Dad setting up the volleyball stuff."

Joe looked at Emily. "Volleyball?"

She smiled at him. "Are you any good at it?"

"Better than average, I suppose. Why?"

"Because my dad is passionate about it. He played for Pepperdine all through college and it's his thing. He plays with my brothers-in-law every weekend." She gave him a big smile. "They are going to be very happy to have a fourth person."

"Very happy," echoed Rachel, as she followed them into the kitchen.

OOOOOoooooOOOOO

Frank rapped lightly on the half closed door of his father's office.

"Come on in," Fenton's voice rang out.

He stepped inside and found his father sitting behind his large oak desk while Callie Shaw was rummaging through papers in the filing cabinet. "Are you busy?"

"Not at all," Fenton said. "Just tying up some loose ends on that counterfeiting case I was working on for the government. I need to get the reports in on Monday."

Frank grinned. "Oh, so that's why you're making your office assistant come in on the weekend. You're behind on your paperwork."

Callie smiled. "I don't mind. Besides, your dad promised me bonus pay."

"Really?" Frank leaned against his father's desk and crossed his arms in front of him. "I'll have to remember that when he asks Joe and me to work late or on holidays."

"Rules don't apply to family, son. Read the labor laws," Fenton said with a chuckle. "Did Joe and Emily head up to Twin Lakes?"

"Yeah, and I think it'll be good for them."

"Joe and Emily?" Callie said. "Anything I need to be filled in on?"

"You'll be the first to know, Cal. I promise," Frank said. "And, actually, if I know my brother...I'll have plenty to fill you in on by tomorrow."

"Good. I can't wait to hear the details." She picked up her purse. "I'll be in around nine-thirty tomorrow morning, Mr. Hardy. Is that okay?"

"Make it ten, Callie. It's a school holiday, right?"

She nodded. "Ten it is." As she walked by Frank she said, "Don't forget to call when you hear from Joe."

Frank grinned at her. "Maybe I'll just let you pump him for information."

"I don't want to have to hurt him, Frank. You tell me."

Frank laughed as Callie left Fenton's office and walked out the front door. He turned to his father. "Are you up to talking through this museum case? I need another point of view."

"You bet." Fenton settled back in his chair. "Fire away."

OOOOOoooooOOOOO

Joe followed Emily and his nose into the Clarks' warm and spacious kitchen. Emily's sisters both resumed what they must have been doing at the kitchen counter before the doorbell rang, and an attractive woman in her late forties or early fifties, whom Joe assumed was Emily's mother, smiled over at them from the stove.

"Oh, honey, you're here!" The woman, with dark hair the color of Emily's, but cut in an efficient page-boy, ran over and embraced her daughter. "We've been so worried."

Emily smiled and patted her on the back. "It's okay, Mom, really." She pulled away slightly. "Mom, I want you to meet Joe Hardy. He's the one I told you about. The one who saved me the other night."

Joe blushed and hung his head slightly. "I didn't save her."

"Well, then what would you call it?" Emily's mother asked as she enveloped Joe in a warm hug. "I'd say that bursting into a house where a masked intruder was trying to hurt someone and chasing him off qualifies as saving somebody." She rubbed Joe's back and squeezed him hard. As she stepped away, there were tears in her blue eyes. "Her father and I can't thank you enough."

Now Joe was truly embarrassed. He glanced over at Emily, who seemed to be enjoying his discomfort. He shuffled his feet and looked back at her mother. "I was just happy I could be there, ma'am."

"Now, don't you 'ma'am' me," Emily's mother said with a smile. "My name is Caroline. Emily's father is Steve and he should be in any minute now. I know he wants to thank you as well."

She turned around to find Emily basting the roast in the oven. "You're not here to work, young lady. You and Joe go have some fun. You let us do kitchen duty today."

"Cooking isn't work for me, Mom, you know that," she protested.

"We saved the pie for you," Sarah called from across the room. She smiled in Joe's direction. "Emily makes the world's best apple pie."

"I can't wait to taste it." He couldn't help but glance at her lips when he said that, and Emily's cheeks turned pink.

"Come on, you guys!" Lizzie ran into the room and tugged on Joe's hand. "You said you'd play with me."

"That's right, we did," Emily said, relief at her niece's interruption clear on her face. "Let's go do that right now." She looked up at Joe. "Okay with you?"

He nodded and allowed Lizzie to lead him out of the room.