Hey peeps! So I know it's been almost two years since I published the prequel to this story, "Little Brother," but Sunny Lighter suggested this in their review and I've never been able to forget it. So here's a sequel! The title is from Phillip Phillips' song "Searchlight," which I felt was appropriate. Also... wow. I want to say thank you to everybody who reviewed the prequel, because while they were small in number, they were large in detail. Every single one put a smile on my face.
I do not own the Hardy Boys or the Hobbit. Oh, and I'm putting this in just the Hardy Boys archive, and not as a crossover, because the only Hobbit elements are those that Frank talks about, and I hope more people will find it this way. I hope you all enjoy!
As a white light filled the room, the several occupants looked up eagerly. "They're back!" Laura Hardy cried, squeezing Fenton Hardy's fingers so hard in her excitement that he winced.
"Of course they're back," Aunt Trudy rolled her eyes. "Did you ever expect anything else?" She ignored her brother's half-hearted glare in favor of, despite her words, focusing on the light.
Callie didn't say a word, just watched. Phil, Chet, Biff, and Tony exchanged exasperated glances for a split second, but did nothing else. They were too excited about their friends' return. And then... then the light died, and there was someone there, but that was the problem. There was only one person there. Not two. Just one, and he had tears trailing down his cheeks. When he saw them there, he lifted his hand hastily and wiped them away, but it was too late. They had already seen. "Frank?" Callie asked hesitantly. "What's wrong? Where's Joe?"
The brown-haired older brother took a deep breath and just looked at them. He shook his head and headed for the door, only to be waylaid by Biff and Tony. "Hold it Frank," Biff said sternly. "What happened? Why isn't Joe with you?"
Frank shook his head again, "I don't... I don't want to talk about it right now, ok? We can do it tomorrow."
"No, son," Fenton said softly, his voice drawing his son's gaze. "We deserve to know now. Why isn't your brother home?"
"He is home," Frank said bitterly. "He's exactly where he wants to be. With his older brother, and his mother, and his uncle, and his Company, and his kingdom, and... and... He is home. With them."
"Nonsense," Aunt Trudy scoffed, making her way over to her nephew while also making sure no one saw how she rested a comforting hand on her sister-in-law's shoulder for a quick second. "You're his older brother, and -"
"But I'm not!" Frank shouted, and the others stood stock still in shock. Frank never shouted. He was the calm one, the one that thought before he acted, the ice to Joe's fire. "I'm not his older brother, not now! He chose Fili over me, and he might be my little brother forever, but that doesn't mean that I'll always be his older brother!"
"Shut up!" Chet shouted, and if possible, everyone froze even more at the teen's outburst. "Frank, you will always be Joe's older brother. That won't ever change, even if he might have a new older brother. It's possible to have two. But for the love of all that's sane, can you please explain what happened?"
"We need to know," Phil added.
Frank looked around at all of them, and then down at Callie as she silently wrapped an arm around his in a show of support. "Fine," he murmured. "Apparently, we fixed the machine too well, because the doctor never managed to get it to work in the first place. I showed up in an alternate world outside of a place called Lake Town, perfectly fine. But Joe... Joe had arrived in that world almost eighty years prior." As gasps started to sound, he held up a hand. "Please... let me finish. In this other world, there were dwarves. They aged slower than humans, so eighty to them was about the time they became adults. And Joe, when he arrived, woke in the body of a newborn. He grew up as a dwarf, with a new mom, and a new dad, and a new older brother named Fili. And when he told me who he was, and I offered him the way home, he said no." Frank glanced at his mom as she muffled a sob, but continued. "He said he had spent about sixty more years in that world than he ever did here, and that he had changed, and that there was no guarantee he would get his body back if he did return. So he said no." Frank hung his head and collapsed in a chair, just in time for Aunt Trudy's hand to fly over where his head used to be.
"You numbskull!" the woman shrieked. "You stupid fool!" Frank gaped up at her. "How could you even... we thought he was dead! There was a possibility you wouldn't find him, that he had died, and you're upset that not only is he alive, he's lived an entire life there and made himself a new family that makes him so happy he doesn't want to leave! You! You! Argh! There aren't strong enough words for this!" She waved her hands in the air in a sharp gesture, then looked to the ceiling as if asking 'what did I ever do to deserve this?'
"She's right, Frank," Fenton said, smiling shakily at his oldest son and resting a hand on his shoulder. "From the sounds of it, Joe spent a lot of time debating, and chose the one that was the most practical. It wasn't about him choosing which would make him happiest - both would do that - but about him being able to still be him. And we should support that."
Frank looked up, shock clear on his face. "I do! I'm happy for him, I really am, it's just... he's my little brother, and I'll miss him, and it feels like he chose Fili over me."
"You silly man," Callie shook her head. "He didn't choose anything; he was given two families and two fantastic older brothers to keep him out of mischief. You'll see him again some day, and when you do, he'll merge his two families. Because that's the man Joe is."
Frank couldn't help smiling at the words. "Right..."
Chet nodded firmly, "Now that that's all settled, I know exactly how Joe would want us to pass our time missing him. Eating!" Frank gave a little laugh, and the others all glanced at Chet gratefully before following him out of the room.
Frank held back just a little, looking back at where he had appeared. "Good bye, little brother," he whispered. "Till next time." He turned to leave, hesitated, and then looked back again. "Just... not too soon, ok? Big brother can wait."
Right... so that was a lot shorter than I anticipated, a lot more dialogue, and a lot more seriousness from Frank than I counted on. But I think it worked out ok. I hope you all enjoyed, and please review!