Hello again! I am so sorry, I would have had this chapter up sooner but there was a problem with our internet connection. Ok, I hope you're all having a good summer

Raven678- Sorry! And thanks!

Hardydrewsgirl- YAY! I really tried to put as much detail as possible in that last chapter and hopefully this one too. Ok, I feel like a genie, your wish has been granted. It was a great suggestion cause I needed a lawyer for the boys. Haha but one question, is Elizabeth his husband? Sorry it's been awhile since I've read Nancy Drew.

Chapter 5: The Calm Before the Storm

(Frank/Michael is 11. Joe/Daniel is 10.)

The men sat on chairs opposite of the couch where the Hardy's and Callaway's were seated. The strange man Fenton didn't recognize had introduced himself as Carson Drew, the boys' lawyer. He was a handsome man in his late thirty's with chocolate colored hair with a slight cowlick and livid blue eyes. He was dressed business casual in a pair of slacks and a dress shirt with a black tie.

Drew cleared his throat and began the traditional speech. "Ok boys, we're going to build a case against your father. We're going to try to make sure he'll never hurt anyone ever again. So we're going to need your full cooperation for the next few weeks. Can you do that?"

The boys nodded.

"Ok, this may be a little hard to grasp. But there are no birth records for Michael and Daniel Callaway. At least none belonging to Louis and Vivian Callaway. The first records that we have are school records starting about five years ago. Just to make sure, we took blood samples from both of you and Mr. Callaway. They do not match. There is no evidence that you and the Callaway's are related."

An eerie silence filled the room before Laura broke it. "So what does that mean?" She asked, confused.

"It means that Mr. Callaway can never claim possession of these boys. He is not the father, there is no DNA relation. He cannot be a legal guardian. Basically, even if we lose this case, Louis and Vivian Callaway will not be given custody of the boys." The lawyer smiled as faces lit up around the room.

"But-" Michael began.

"How?" Daniel finished.

"We're no sure. We were hoping to get the full story from you guys and then put the pieces together like a puzzle." Officer Radley answered.

"But to establish an unbeatable case, we're going to need to start from the beginning. You can't leave out any details." Officer Riley spoke up.

The boys were silent. They didn't know where to begin.

"Why don't you start with the first thing you remember, Michael?" Fenton pushed.

"Um," Michael scrunched up his face trying to remember where it all started. "I remember being happy." Michael stated. "I remember playing catch with Danny. And the ball went into the woods, and someone, I think it was Mom, had told me to watch out for him. So we both went into the woods to get the ball. Then we woke up in a room."

"What kind of room?" Asked Drew.

"Like a bedroom. The walls were white, and there was only one mattress. But we woke up on the mattress. I think Daniel had a cut or something cause his head was bleeding pretty bad." Michael continued.

"Where? Where was the cut?" Radley asked, scribbling away on a notepad.

Michael turned to his brother and smoothed back his blonde hair. He put his finger on a faint scar above Daniel's right eyebrow. "Here." He said. The scar was photographed.

"Then what happened?" Fenton wanted him to continue.

"I'm not really sure. We went downstairs, and he was really angry." No one needed clarification as to who 'he' was.

"There was something about our names that he didn't like. Then, I remember being in

pain, and we were thrown into a closet. And I think I said something like 'let's just go by Michael and Daniel for now.'"

The three men scribbled furiously. "Do you remember what your names were before he made you change them?" Riley questioned.

"Ummm, something like Freddy, and maybe James?" Michael questioned himself. Daniel nodded. "You used to call me Jamsey sometimes, I think." He added. Fenton and Laura stared at each other with eyes the size of dinner plates, but remained silent.

"Ok. Um, has Mr. Callaway ever hit you before?" Radley knew the answer, but they needed the official statement from the boys.

Michael and Daniel exchanged a glance. "Yeah." Daniel muttered.

"How often?" The lawyer pushed.

"At least twice a day." Michael said. "Each." He added quickly.

"Did he ever drink?" Carson asked.

The boys nodded.

"Were the beatings worse when he was drunk?"

The boys nodded again.

"Can you list the implements he used?"

Michael's ears went red. "P-pretty much anything he could get his hands on, wooden s-spoons, belts, the belt buckle, k-knives, a horse whip, cords, hammers, a sock filled with two oranges, frying pans, vases, lamps, chairs, lit cigarettes, his beer bottles."

"And his fists, and hands, and feet." Daniel added quietly.

"I know this question is going to stir up some bad memories. But can you both describe some of your worst beatings from him?" The lawyer smiled gently as Fenton and Laura put their hands on the boys shoulders.

Daniel bit his lip. "Ummmm, I guess I was about six or seven, and I got sick at school and he had to come pick me up. He came in and was flirting with the school secretary, he was actually really nice to the school staff. Until we got into the car and he punched me in the jaw. Then when we got home he still made me do all the chores, and I was cooking lunch, and I guess I wasn't working fast enough because he came in and slapped me a couple of times. Then he grabbed me by my hair and slammed me into the stove and held my head there. He turned on the gas burner and laughed as my face was charred. "

Michael reached into his back pocket and pulled out a journal. "This is my Injury Diary. I started it when I was about five. The beginning is mostly pictures, but then it turns into sentences and paragraphs. I wrote down every time he ever hit us."

For hours the boys took turns telling gruesome stories about their experiences in West Virginia. They used the diary as both reference and proof. By the end, both boys were shaking and had tears streaming down their faces, while the adults were clenching their fists and their jaws in pure anger.

"That journal will be very useful in court. Mind if I hold on to it?" Riley asked kindly, and Michael handed over the book.

"There's just one more question." Carson Drew was almost in tears himself, "What happened to Vivian? She wasn't in the house, and no one's seen her for a few days."

It was deathly quiet in the living room before Daniel said, "He killed her." Barley above a whisper.

"What?" Con Riley heard, but he couldn't believe it.

"We got home and she was tied to the kitchen table. He made us sit down and watch as he-" Daniel stopped talking as memories clouded his vision.

"He what, son?" Carson asked sympathetically.

"He cut her tongue out." Daniel continued, his voice was hardly audible.

The adults held back gasps.

"I didn't want him to hurt Mom so I jumped on him, but he stabbed me in the thigh." He rolled up his shorts and the officers photographed the still present gash. "He-he made us cut out her eyes." Daniel continued, his voice shaking. "I cut out one, Michael cut out the other. Then he stabbed her and made us bury the body. We really liked her, she was so nice. She was finally caring for us like a mother should." Daniel cried harder and Michael and the Hardy's comforted him.

"After we buried Mom, he wanted us to come to the barn, but we ran to the old church, but he found us and took us back to the barn and strung up Daniel with chains. He said we were going to play a game, he tried to get Daniel to admit to killing Mom. Every time we denied it, he would punish him. He would punch him, and whip him, and cut him. I thought he was going to kill him! Then he made me hurt Daniel, and when I wouldn't do that, he beat me. Until, Mr. Hardy stepped in." Now, Michael was sobbing.

"Why? Why did he kill her?" Sam Radley was astounded. Sure Mr. Callaway was a violent man, but now the officer suspected he was clinically insane.

"Um, he was cheating on Mom with this woman named Christine. Mom came home one day and caught him, so she hid a picture of her sister' husband Mike, in her purse. He found it and thought she was having an affair with Uncle Mike, but she wasn't and he got so mad." Michael stared at the floor.

"I know I said this before, but just one more question, where did you bury Vivian?" Drew asked, he held his poker face, but inside he was shocked. They weren't just dealing with a child abuser; they were also dealing with a murderer.

"Fourteen steps West, and six steps North of the barn entrance." Michael replied as Con Riley relayed the information into his radio.

"Okay boys, that's all we needed from you today. With this testimony, Michael's Injury Diary, and the photographs from the hospital we should have a solid case. Just to warn you, the judge may ask you to testify. All you have to do is tell the truth. Thanks for your time, all of you." Carson Drew nodded to each Hardy before Fenton led him to the front door.

"Oh Fenton, the judge and defense will most definitely want you to testify as an eyewitness account." The lawyer said.

"That's fine, Mr. Drew. I would do anything to protect these boys." Fenton replied.

"You know I have a daughter of my own who's around Michael's age. If anyone did anything to harm my Nancy, I'd kill them." Drew took a moment to collect his composure. "I'm glad you're handling this so well."

"Trust me, Carson, it's hard not to find the bastard and strangle the life out of him." Fenton said as he opened the door and showed Carson Drew out of the Hardy home.

A few hours later, the boys were sitting at the kitchen table enjoying huge pieces of Gertrude's apple pie. Fenton, Laura and Gertrude were in the living room, discussing the events of the afternoon.

"What do you think, Fenton?" Gertrude asked her brother.

"I think these boys have been to Hell and back." He replied solemnly.

"But do you think they're Frank and Joey?" Laura inquired.

Before Fenton could answer, the doorbell rang, and he and Laura went to answer it. Fenton opened the door to see an ecstatic Dr. Bates, the family physician.

"Hello, Fenton, Laura. Sorry for showing up unannounced, but I have some amazing news." Dr. Bates greeted the Hardy's with a smile on his face and a twinkle in his eye. He was quickly ushered into the entryway.

"Dr. Bates, it's good to see you. What was your news?" Laura said politely.

"Fenton, you remember when you asked Dr. Stephen Gray to run a DNA test on the boys?" Bates continues excitedly.

Fenton nodded.

"The test results are in, and I have come here personally to tell you that Michael and Daniel Callaway are indeed Frank and Joe Hardy!"

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"Don't worry, Freakshow." Snake said quietly as Louis did push-ups in the jail cell. "No matter how the trial goes, I have a plan."

Louis stood up. "What kind of plan?"

"A plan for revenge." The two laughed manically, as the lights went out, signaling bedtime in the prison.

Thanks for reading everyone! And don't forget to review for me please! I promise the next chapter will be the court case. If anyone knows anything about trials and court please PM me, and help me with this next chapter. Thanks again, and please review.