Frank stood as still as he could though his heart was pounding painfully. He kept his breathing calm and tried with every ounce of effort he was born with to not let his anxiousness for his brother stop his mind from thinking of ways to halt Andrea- to make her see the light.

Mina had flipped through Andrea’s journal as they drove and came across, very quickly, a page filled with Andrea’s delusional rambling. She read it out aloud, tearing as she did so. With each word, his heart twisted with both anger and regret- anger that he could not see the evidence laid before his eyes; regret that Andrea had sunk into such deep depression that she had taken something very simple in a complicated fashion and that his brother had to bear such a terrible brunt.

Simple? No, death can never be simple. Vanessa was all Andrea had.

"Andrea, remember this? You wrote the truth in it, you knew what happened. We don’t. Andrea, we need to know the truth as well…"

"The truth? Your brother killed her! That’s the truth and now, he must die!" Andrea reverted her attention to Joe who was slumped down on his knees, his shoulders hunched in a state of pure despair. She pressed the barrel forcefully onto his forehead and Joe swayed backwards but did not fall.

Frank turned his sight away from Joe as soon as he saw it. Joe depended on him. He could not let his emotions run wild and lose control.

"How, Andrea? How did Joe do it?" Frank gently inquired and, from the corner of his eyes, he saw Mina emerge from the shadows just next to him. Callie was near him, he could feel her presence so close to him- the tips of her fingers touched his back and he drew strength from her love.

Andrea’s lips trembled and she shook her head at Joe. A drop of tear plopped down onto the soil from her chin. Frank heard it- he heard it as clearly as he heard the breathing of everyone around him- Biff, Chet, Tony, Phil, Callie, Maggie and Mina. He heard it as clearly as he heard his fear pulsating through his veins. The sounds of the night only heightened and emphasized their clarity.

"He murdered her and to save his own ass, condemned her with the guilt of suicide! He was the one who asked her to go to Boston. He was the reason why she wanted to go to the damn party! He was the reason why my daughter wanted to run away from me!"

"But how did he do it?" Frank insisted vehemently this time. The events of that night must be heard. If Andrea would not speak of it, he would make her see. Make her see that it was not anyone’s fault.

Then he would try to convince Joe of it too.

"What happened that night, Andrea? Do you remember? Did you meet with Vanessa on the night of the party? You must have seen her crying… you wanted to console her, right?"

"Vanessa? Crying? Yes… she was crying. My baby girl… she was so sad… . I called her earlier and she told me that she was going to the tree house with Joe and had no time to speak to me. I was incensed and finally drove over to look for her. When I reached the tree house, I climbed up and sat next to her. She cried on my shoulder and I asked her to go home with me. But she did not want to. I got angry and told her it’s the anniversary of her father’s death and she must go back with me. That he died and she was having fun- that she was an ingrate…" The tears in Andrea’s eyes stopped flowing and she stared weirdly at Joe before the hand, holding on to the gun, fell down her side.

Frank realized that he did not care for the confession now that the immediate danger to his brother’s life was gone. He did not care for anything but the safety of the brother but once the dam broke; there was no stopping the water from gushing out. And the confession must be continued for Andrea and Joe’s benefit.

"Yes… I remember…we started screaming about many things… she was so headstrong. She started saying, ‘You never loved Jack! You’re only using him to get over a man who can never put you in first place! And now, Jack died and you’re guilty but what’s the point? Why can’t you let go of him?’ I… I just couldn’t see... I told her to go home and she can forget about Boston but those were just angry words. She insisted that she wanted to decide it for herself and she was not in the right mind to do that then because all she wanted to do was to go to Joe and tell him she was sorry. I just lost it and slapped her, shouted at her for wanting to desert me. I climbed down the tree house and she called for me. But I would not turn back…" Andrea knelt down and the aggressor now became the comforter. She placed her gun by her side and with both hands, caressed Joe’s hair.

Joe simple stared down on the ground and even in the blackness of night, Frank saw the vacant look in Joe’s eyes.

"When I did, finally, I saw her scrambling down and suddenly, she slipped…and she fell…. She did not even scream, maybe the tears choked her. I ran to her and she had stopped breathing. I could not think! I did CPR on her. I tried all ways I knew to revive her but she was gone. There were so much noise around and suddenly, I panicked. I was afraid they would say I pushed her just like how Jack’s parents insisted that I killed him by not loving him enough. But I tried! I really tried! I know I was wrong in having the affair but I put an end to it and tried to love him the best I can, I tried to love him more than I love Jacob but I can’t… I can’t take his accusations and we fought all the time. I didn’t know he would kill himself. And now, Ness is gone too. I was afraid they would say it’s me again so I… I saw my gun in her sweater’s inner pocket which had flapped opened. I kissed her once and shot her in the head. Then I placed the gun in her hand to make it seem like a suicide. I don’t know why I did it… I just don’t want the fingers to be pointed at me anymore…. I…" Her eyes widened then and abruptly, she released her hands from Joe’s hair and staggered up. A gasp escaped from her as truth once again spoke to her. Teetering backwards, she almost fell when Mina and Chet rushed to her and helped her up.

Frank took the chance and ran to his brother, dropping Andrea’s journal onto the ground. Kneeling down, he held Joe close to him but Joe did not return the embrace.

"Mina, I’m sorry… I didn’t know… I wasn’t thinking…Joe… I’m sorry… I’m so sorry…I just snapped and believed you caused her death… I don’t know why… it just seemed so… I… I just can’t… I’m sorry… oh… I’m so sorry…" Andrea wailed from behind Frank but Frank had lost interest in everything but the welfare of the statue in his arms. He stroked his brother’s back and wished desperately to bleed love and strength into Joe’s veins. Joe could not afford another breakdown.

"Hush, Andrea… it’s over… we’ll go home now… everything will be all right… " Mina consoled Andrea. Frank heard Andrea’s sobbing and was reminded of the time in the trial when the defense they built up for Joe drove Andrea to tears.

But who will console Joe now?

"Frank, is Andrea all right?" Joe spoke finally, his voice dulled and flat. Frank pulled away from his brother and looked into Joe’s face, disturbed by the blankness he saw.

"She will be… what about you? Let’s go home too, all right?" Frank replied softly, squeezing Joe’s shoulders lightly to offer comfort and support. Joe nodded listlessly and Frank heaved a sigh of relief. He ruffled his brother’s blond hair and smiled.

"C’mon. We’ll go home, have a good rest and talk about this tomorrow if you want to. I promise you, it’s all going to be fine…"

"You stand up first so you can pull me up. My legs are numbed…" Joe smiled at him and though the smile was sad, it was nonetheless still a smile. The madness was gone. Their search was over.

Maybe he found his brother again. Maybe he never lost Joe. Joe just needed someone there to help him out of the jungle.

"Ok…" He struggled up. Too late he discovered Joe’s intentions. Too late he blocked the shove which caused him to fall backwards.

Too late he remembered the gun which Andrea left behind.

Joe got up with some effort but no one dared to come near him for fear that he would just shoot himself there and then.

Maggie let out a shriek.

"Joe!!! Please!!! Let’s go home! Let’s just go home!" Maggie hollered out of control and was about to run to Joe when Chet pulled her back after everybody heard Joe cock the gun in response to her actions.

"Joe, don’t do this to yourself… listen to you brother and sister… please…" Mina pleaded with him from where she was. Frank heard some footsteps behind him and sounds of movements. Besides that, most of them were frozen by the new evil that had strangled life out of the air, making it difficult to breathe.

"Mina… don’t come near me. Don’t any of you come near me!" Joe demanded, glaring at Frank as he did so.

"Bro…" Frank pleaded, stretching his hands out from his fallen position. "Kiddo, put down the gun, you have to help me up…"

"I’m sorry, Frank. You are capable of standing up yourself…." Joe tottered back, the gun at the side of his head. "You’re the best brother… I’m sorry. I just can’t face up to it… I can’t go back…"

"Of course you can go back home… Joe…" Frank struggled up, not breaking eye-contact with Joe for even a split second, afraid that he would miss any chance to push his brother away from his own destructive lunacy. He stepped a little forward and Joe responded to his approach by pressing the gun with vehemence against his skull.

"STAY BACK! I CAN’T GO BACK! I KILLED HER! I KNOW I MUST GO BACK TO PRISON BUT I CAN’T! I JUST CAN’T! I can’t live like that… I can’t live with her blood on my hands… " Joe moaned- despairing without hope of ever hoping again. Rivulets meandered down sunken cheeks. He squeezed his eyes shut as the finger pressed tighter down on the trigger.

"Joe, no one’s bringing you back… you heard Andrea spoke the truth finally… it was all a mistake. An accident. It was not anyone’s fault…" Frank begged, mustering up all his strength for the one most important battle of his life- the fight for his brother’s life and his sanity. The truth should dispel away the curse of darkness but Joe seemed darker than the shadows ghosting in the forest.

"Not anyone’s fault? I made her want to go to Boston. I wanted her to share my joy and forgot it was her dad’s anniversary. I shouted at her and walked away! I should never walk away!"

"Joe! Listen to yourself! Why are you giving yourself so much blame that’s not yours to take? It was an accident… please Joe, don’t do this. When you thought Vanessa committed suicide, you felt like it was the end of the world. You’re going to do it to me too if you go… Joe… please… come here… drop the gun and come here…" Frank felt hot tears scorching his eyes and he heard Maggie crying as well from where she was. The moonlight danced off Joe’s mien and Frank saw pain in his expression- the mental torture already etched permanently on the once carefree face. There was more to Joe’s torment and Frank just wanted another chance to take his brother away from the licking fires of hell he threw himself in.

"Tell everyone to go away, Frank. Tell them all to go away. Callie too. I don’t want anyone around but you."

"Joe…"

"Tell them." Joe repeated softly, looking down on the mushy ground, the gun still poised at his skull.

Frank obeyed his chancy brother, hoping it could mean something, that somewhere inside, Joe could still be reached, could still be reasoned with. He had to take the chance or risk losing it all. With a hand, he waved at his friends to go away. With his eyes trained on Joe, he only knew that everyone had gone when he heard the retreating footsteps diminishing into nothingness and the sobbing of the girls quiet down.

All that remained in the clearing was the sounds of the night, the ragged breaths, and the cool, indifferent wind.

And his brother and him.