"I can't believe I'm stuck here with Callie for the holidays!" Joe Hardy complained, folding his muscular arms petulantly. He slouched his six-foot frame and kicked the back of the driver's seat where his brother Frank was sitting.

"You're stuck here with me?" Callie, Frank's girlfriend, raised one eyebrow as she pivoted in the passenger seat of the Hardy's black van to scowl at Joe. Her brown eyes flashed with anger. "You should be so lucky. I'm stuck here with you."

"Witty," Joe retorted. "You're a ball of fun. It's going to be so exciting watching you dye your hair from blond to brown and back again."

"It was a phase! I changed my hair less than you changed girlfriends," Callie fired back. "No offense Vanessa."

The willowy blond sitting next to Joe awkwardly shifted in her chair.

"Settle down you two," Frank joined in from the driver's seat. "Joe, you said you were going to stop making jokes about Callie's hair."

"That was before she attacked me," Joe protested before smirking. "And before she copied Vanessa's hair."

"I took it as a compliment," Vanessa said. "And Joe," she slapped him on the arm, "you should be happy for your brother and girlfriend's success."

"Sorry," Joe apologized, "don't get me wrong, I am happy for you. It's just not going to be fun being home all alone. I wish I could come with you guys."

Frank and Vanessa had entered an engineering competition, and their software program had been selected as a finalist. They were flying to a weeklong conference in Seattle the day after Christmas and returning the day after New Year's.

"You know Dad doesn't want to leave Mom and Aunt Gertrude home alone after that last case," Frank replied.

The boys' father, Fenton Hardy, was a world-famous private detective. While finishing up his last case, some criminals had threatened his family.

"Besides," Frank continued, "you might be able to help Dad out on this new investigation."

Joe rolled his eyes. "Gee, insider trading on Ducroy Airlines. Sounds thrilling."

"Cheer up," Vanessa said, patting Joe's leg, "I'll send you a postcard."

Everybody except Joe laughed as Frank pulled into the parking lot of the Bayport Mall. The group's destination was the twelve-screen movie theater located in the four-story structure.

"I hope they fixed the electrical problems," Vanessa said as the group briskly walked through the freezing wintry air, "I'm sick of the whole theater randomly going dark."

"I'm not," Joe said, waggling his eyebrows.

"Ugh," Callie groaned, "there's a reason Frank and I don't sit next to you in theaters."

"Yeah, it's so me and Vanessa can sit through the movie without getting nausea from hearing the two of you drool on each other." Joe said as they entered the theater. "How do the two of you keep your saliva from ruining the popcorn?"

Joe dodged Callie's attempted shin kick but didn't see Frank's elbow. Joe rubbed his ribs in pain as Callie gave Frank a high-five.

Vanessa grinned. "You know you deserved that."

Joe gave her a wounded look. "I thought you had my back."

"Yes," she replied, "but Frank hit you in the side."

They all groaned at the pun before splitting up amidst the crowd: Frank and Joe to get concessions and the girls to save seats.

"Get seats in the back row," Joe called out through the din.

"Callie, which side?" Frank shouted, "Are we sitting on the left?"

Callie looked back at the two brothers. "What did Frank say?" she asked Vanessa.

"I think he asked which side you were sitting on," she replied.

Callie turned back to Frank. "Right," she yelled.

"Looks like we're on the left and you're on the right," Frank told Joe as they stood in line.

"Just keep it down this time," Joe lectured Frank, "I actually want to see this one."

Frank glared at Joe. "Which one of us is banned from the Westdale Theater again? I forget."

"I wish you would stop throwing that in my face. You know that's only because the owner caught me with his daughter."

"Have you told Vanessa that's the reason you never go there? Or did you come up with some cockamamie excuse?"

Joe looked guilty. "I told her the seats were too uncomfortable."

Frank scoffed. "Typical. You know Joe, one of these days your womanizing is going to catch up to you, and you're going to ruin a great thing."

Joe raised his hands defensively. "Hey, I've stopped that."

Frank raised an eyebrow.

"I've severely cut back on that."

The duo grabbed a popcorn and drink apiece before returning into the theater.

"You sure you want to go to Washington and leave your girlfriend all alone with your womanizing brother?" Joe asked as he walked to the right-hand door.

Frank paused. "With my seventeen-year-old kid brother? I think I'll be fine. Callie's only interested in adults." With that parting shot, Frank grinned and pushed through the left-hand door as Joe frowned.

"Kid brother," Joe muttered to himself. "I could bench more than you can now when I was fifteen." As Joe walked down the aisle to the stairs, the entire theater went pitch black. Joe smiled as he strode up the stairs via muscle memory, his bad mood quickly dissipating.

Hands took the popcorn and soda out of his hands as Joe sat in the end chair. He turned and embraced the girl next to him in the blackness. Although Vanessa was usually coy in public, Joe was surprised to find the girl next to him being quite aggressive. His lips found hers as she climbed onto his lap. Joe grabbed her waist with one hand and her hair with the other.

Frank was still chuckling at his own wit when the power went out. He rolled his eyes and quickly climbed to the back row. He set the popcorn down against the wall and put the drink in his cupholder. As he sat, Frank decided to take advantage of the darkness. He put an arm around the girl next to him and went in for a kiss. Something felt off. The girl's shoulder was too high, and her scent was different. Frank quickly realized his mistake.

"Vanessa?" he whispered.

"Frank?" she whispered back. "Is that you?"

A horrible realization struck Frank. "That means . . ."

The power kicked back on and light flooded the theater. Vanessa and Frank looked down the aisle to see Callie and Joe locked in a passionate embrace.