Hey guys! I know it's been awhile and I apologize. I'm leaving for college tomorrow so I've been getting ready for that. I'm just going to say this now, once I get to college I might not update very much. I will finish the story, it might take me 5 years but it will be finished! Anyone who's recently read Never the Same or this story and who've seen some loose ends please tell me so I can tie them together.

ErinJordan: thanks! Frank and Joe are in this chappy!

JoeNeal: lol. Sorry. But they're in this one!

JoesFan: I'll try, but I might not be able too. Sorry.

RedCakeMaine: thank you for your suggestion. I will definitely use it in a later chapter. You gave me a fantastic idea. *Grins evilly*

walter: thank you for making me get my butt in gear and write. And yes it will be finished! Eventually.

Chapter 16: A Helpless Soul

(Frank is 17. Joe is 16.)

Joe slowly opened his eyes. His mind still foggy from the drugs and for a second he thought he was still asleep because all he could see was black. Joe looked around aimlessly grasping for some memory of how he got there. He tried to sit up, but found it impossible, the act making him feel lightheaded and nauseous. He tried to touch his throbbing head with his right hand but found he couldn't. He shook his hand, listening to the chains rattle. He couldn't move his left hand either. Once his eyes adjusted to the overwhelming darkness, he could make out both his wrists handcuffed to the bedposts. Joe panicked and began furiously yanking at the bedposts in an attempt to free his numb hands.

Giving up on trying to free himself, Joe racked his memories for some hint of how he got into this mess. Did something go wrong during a case? Was he kidnapped? Was he dreaming? Where the hell was he?

He closed his eyes and mentally assessed himself. Nothing hurt too badly, except for a soreness in his neck and a killer headache. It didn't take long for him to realize that his jacket, tie, shoes and socks had been removed as well. All that remained was his white dress shirt, belt and dress pants.

Joe took a deep breath and tried to relax. Ok, it was Saturday, the homecoming game was the night before, the football team won, then there was the dance, he and Frank were going to meet their friends at Mr. Pizza's when...

Joe's eyes snapped open as memories assaulted him. Louis had kidnapped them, held a knife to his throat and jabbed him with something sharp. Joe inhaled sharply, his mind reeling. How long was he out? It could be next month for all he knew! But most importantly, where was Frank?

The younger Hardy started calling out for his brother.

"Frank!"

He was terrified, what if Louis had hurt him? Or even worse, killed him?

"Frank!"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Frank awoke to someone calling his name.

"Go back to sleep, Joe." He mumbled sleepily.

"Frank! Frank! Where are you?" Frank heard the urgency in Joe's voice and opened his eyes.

He too was laying face up on the mattress, in nothing but his dress shirt and pants with both wrists cuffed to the bedposts.

*Oh shit* He thought as he remembered the crazed, emotionless look in Louis' eyes as he held a knife to Joe's throat.

Frank broke into a cold sweat as he remembered the fear he felt running through the woods. Who was that man in the woods? Frank pondered before Joe's call brought him back to reality.

"Frank!" Joe's scream was louder, more frantic.

"Joe!" Frank called back.

He was met with a moment of silence.

"Joe?" Frank called again, a little softer. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, Frank. I'm okay." Joe replied, relieved and slightly calmer. "Any idea where we are?"

The sound was coming through the thin wall behind the headboard. Joe must be in the room next door, Frank concluded.

"Not a clue, little buddy." Frank sighed. "Are you hurt?" He had to get them out, before Louis showed up.

"No, you?"

"No."

Another moment of silence fell upon the brothers.

"Frank, what're we gonna do? He's going to kill us!"

"We have to get out of here. I can't see much, but by the looks of it, we're in adjacent windowless rooms." Frank concluded.

"Great work, Sherlock." Joe said sarcastically.

"Joe, listen. If there's no windows then we'll have to find a door. Which could mean going through Louis and his friend."

"Wait, what friend?" Joe asked.

"I don't know. I didn't really get a good look at him. He was big, real big. Probably someone from prison."

"I wonder how Louis got out." Joe mused.

"Me too, little brother." Their situation forgotten for a moment as their detective senses kicked in.

"But now we need to focus on getting out of here. First things first, get out of these damn cuffs." Frank said, focusing on the task at hand.

Joe was about to reply when suddenly voices were heard outside their rooms. Both boys strained their ears but couldn't make out what was being said.

Joe's eyes widened in fright as the door was thrown open, blinding the boy with the harsh, sudden light.

In stepped the feared man from their childhood, the man who had haunted their dreams for more than a decade. It had been more than six years since they had seen each other, but it felt like yesterday.

"Good morning, son." Louis greeted him with such fondness he almost seemed like a real father. "Ya sleep well?"

Joe kept his mouth shut, swallowed his fear and glared at the man.

"Well, I hope yer comfortable boy, because ya are never leavin'." Louis drawled menacingly.

The predicament fell on deaf ears though as Joe continued to silently glare at his captor, his mind creating scenarios in which he tortured Louis in the same manner as he had tormented them.

Louis sat on the edge of the bed, his hand reached out to caress Joe's face, but the youth snarled and threw his head towards the opposite shoulder.

Louis tsked and forcefully grabbed the young Hardy's face with both hands, forcing Joe to look at him.

"Are ya scared, boy?" He whispered staring into Joe's eyes, "ya better be fucking terrified ya little shit, because after I'm through with ya and yer brother you'll wish y'all were dead." He slapped Joe across his face, smiling as his head snapped to the left. "That's a promise."

Joe still didn't utter a sound. That seemed to displease Louis. "I hate defiance, boy. Thought ya had had enough after you lied about killing yer mother. Thought I beat the defiance outta ya." Louis frowned. "Guess I was wrong."

Snake and the other members of the Black Dog gang filed into the room. Each carried a weapon of choice; brass knuckles, knives, baseball bats, guns and lighters. Joe's eyes flicked around the room, astonished at the sheer size of Louis' army- both in numbers and physically. His fearful eyes were met with cold, heartless ones of the gang members.

Louis reached down and slowly undid Joe's belt.

"Get your hands off me!" Joe attempted to wiggle away from Louis.

"No! Don't touch me!" He shouted as his belt was completely removed and Louis was fiddling with the button and zipper on his black dress pants.

"You were always the pretty one"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

In the next room, Frank was pondering something awful. There were so many questions and not enough answers. It bothered Frank greatly that he couldn't hear much coming from the other room. Just a muffled voice, no doubt Louis Callaway. Frank prayed his father would find them before... Frank didn't want to think about the horrible things that could happen.

He absentmindedly felt around with his toes, he traced the wooden base board slowly, feeling for anything useful. His big toe came to rest upon a loose nail, Frank felt himself light up. Maybe they'd get out of this alive after all. Now all he had to do was get the nail out, and into one of his hands, somehow.

As Frank worked on loosening the nail with his toes, questions kept nagging his distraught mind. How Louis had escaped a maximum security prison in the first place? Knowing him, things must've gotten messy. Where were they? The last thing Frank remembered was being in a densely wooded area, not to far off a side road. Would their dad be able to find them before it was too late? Frank prayed to God that he did.

Suddenly, a scream tore through Frank's thoughts. The scream sounded terrified, helpless and painful.

"Joe!" Frank yelled, stopping his work, anxious to know what was happening. There was no doubt in his mind the scream came from his brother.

Another cry came from the room next door, now sounding more panicked.

"Nooooo!" Joe's voice cried out in pain and suffering. "Frank!" Thumping could be heard against the wall.

"Joe! Leave him alone, you bastard!" Frank felt hot tears slide down his face, he couldn't help Joe, couldn't protect him, couldn't take away his pain. And it was killing him.

"Frank!" The anguished cry for help sent new tears down his face. Frank began tugging at the handcuffs, rocking the bed and chaffing his wrists in the process. But he didn't care, his brother needed him.

The screams turned into pleads of mercy as Frank gave up on trying to break the bed. He focused on the loose nail, furiously twisting it between his toes, not caring if he got Tetnus.

The quieted pleads turned back to screams. "Damnit!" Frank yelled as the nail wouldn't come any looser.

"Joe I'm so sorry." Frank whispered to himself. He couldn't do anything to help his poor brother who was suffering through God knows what.

"FRANK!"

The older Hardy let out an anguished cry of his own. He was useless. He couldn't do the one thing big brothers were supposed to always do.

"FRANK!" He cried into his shoulder as more screams and cries for help fell on his ears.

Suddenly, silence was all that was heard from the other room.

"Joe?" Frank called out tentatively.

No answer.

"Joe?" Frank tried again, a little louder.

Silence.

Thanks for reading all! Review please. And check out my new story!