Disclaimer: Nope, don't own any of the characters (except for Richard). The rest belong to NBC's Passions and JER.

Chapter One - Warm Homecoming

"Hello? Anyone here?" Richard Crane asked, as he opened the doors to the Crane mansion. He peeked inside, before entering. He didn't expect anyone in his family there to greet him, but was disappointed nonetheless. He dropped his bags on the foyer, wondering who would be the first one to greet him home. His guess was Pilar. She was more like family to him than the Cranes.

"Richard? Is that you?" Pilar Lopez-Fitzgerald asked, coming out of the kitchen. She smiled her warm, comforting smile. "You've grown so much," she said. She looked at his tousled blonde hair, and piercing blue eyes. He was almost a mirror image of his mother.

"Yeah, well, I haven't been here since I was a kid, and you know, people grow," Richard answered. He didn't mean to sound rude, but he hated how he had been shipped off to boarding school by his parents. Only the best for the Cranes, Julian often told him. But why couldn't his family see that the best thing for him was being at home with them in Harmony?

"Richard, you know your family means well," Pilar said softly.

"Yeah, but... why does..." Richard's voice trailed off, as he looked down at his shoes. The last thing he wanted to do was start crying in front of Pilar.

She leaned over and gave him a hug. Richard felt comfort in the arms of the woman who was almost a second mother to him. Hell, she was even better than his own mother. She cared about him, and didn't brush him off in favor of Ethan.

"So what are you doing in Harmony?" Pilar asked, pulling away.

"I needed to be home," Richard said simply. He couldn't handle Worcheisler Academy anymore. He hated the fact that he couldn't even remember what his family looked like. He hadn't even seen Paige or Amanda since they were four and five, respectively. They had been sent off to the Harrison Academy for Girls when they were young, and he hadn't seen them since. Him and Ethan were both sent to Worcheisler, where Richard always faced living in his older brother's shadow. He just couldn't take it anymore.

"You know Julian and Alistair won't like that," Pilar said, a warning tone in her voice.

"I know," Richard sighed. "But it's not their decision. It's not like they even care where I go to school," Richard replied.

"They just want you to have the best of everything," Pilar responded.

"What's best for me right now, is being in Harmony," Richard argued.

It was Pilar's turn to sigh. "I'll have someone bring your bags up to your room," she said.

"Thank you," Richard said, giving Pilar a quick hug before walking up the stairs. It had been a long time since he was in the Crane mansion. It was just as cold and deserted as it had always been. So much for the warm homecoming, Richard thought, as he walked down the halls in search of his old room.

* * *

"I can't believe summer vacation's over," Jessica Bennett complained to her sister. "Just when things finally pick up, is when school is about to start."

Kay Bennett raised a perfectly plucked eyebrow. "And just what things are you talking about?" she asked, looking up from her magazine. "You've done practically nothing this whole summer, but complain." Kay looked more closely at her sister. "Or is there something, or someone, you're not telling me about?" Kay asked with interest.

Jessica blushed. "No," she said slowly. "Nothing like that. It's just that..." her voice trailed off. "Forget it," she said, as she got up and walked out of the bedroom the two sisters shared.

She walked down the stairs, and into the living room, where she found her half-brother Ethan Winthrop reading the latest issue of a sports magazine.

"Hey, Jess," he greeted her.

"Hi," Jessica said, sitting down in the armchair. She sighed.

"Something wrong?" Ethan asked. "Got the end-of-the-summer blues?"

"Something like that," Jessica said. She sighed again.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Ethan asked. He put down the magazine he was reading, and looked at his younger half-sister, his face full of concern.

"Sure, I guess," Jessica responded. "It's just that the summer's ending. And just when I began to realize... Well, that maybe I'm in lo-"

Ring! Ring! "Sorry. I'll just get that," Ethan said. He reached into pocket, and pulled out his cell phone. "Hello?" he asked, to whomever was on the phone. "Richard! Great to hear from you, bro! What? You're in Harmony? Yeah. I'm at the

Bennett house, visiting my family. Sure, you could meet my sisters. They're about the same age as you. Yeah. Okay. I'll see you in a few minutes," Ethan said, before hanging up the phone. He put his cell phone away, and looked over at Jessica. "Sorry. My brother's back in Harmony. He's coming over here, if that's okay with your parents," he said.

"They won't mind," Jessica assured him.

"So what were you saying?" Ethan asked, with interest.

"Um... You know Reese?" Jessica asked.

Ethan nodded. "That's the kid who has the glasses, and is always on his Palm Pilot, right?"

It was Jessica's turn to nod. "I think that I might be in lo-" she blurted out, before she was interrupted.

"Jessica! Can you come into the kitchen?" Grace Bennett called to her daughter.

"I'll be back," Jessica told Ethan. She walked into the kitchen, where her mother was placing objects into a box.

"Would you mind running these over to the shop?" Grace asked, referring to the craft shop she owned and ran.

"No problem," Jessica replied. She picked up the box, and walked out the back door.

It was only a short walk to the shop, which Jessica was thankful for, since the box was very heavy. The weight of the box finally caught up to Jessica, and she struggled to keep it from falling. Just as she regained control of the box, she crashed into him.

* * *

"Ow!" the girl cried out, as the box dropped on her foot.

"Watch it!" Richard said, his voice full of annoyance. He was already in a bad mood after an argument with Julian over where Richard should go to school.

"I'm supposed to watch it? You're the one who ran into me!" the girl exclaimed.

"Whatever. You should just watch where you're going," Richard said, looking at the girl. Under any other circumstances, he would've found her to be really cute, but he was just angry with her now.

She slipped her foot out from under the box. "You've got some real nerve. I couldn't exactly see where I was going," she said angrily. "You should watch where you're going. I mean, it's not too hard to notice a big brown box," she said.

"It's not my fault some people are uncoordinated, and can't look where they're going while holding a puny box," Richard replied, emphasizing the word puny. This girl had some attitude problem.

She bent down and picked up the box. "If this box is so puny, you must be micro size compared to it," she said, looking at him directly in the eye, before brushing past him.

Richard struggled to keep his anger under control. He wasn't going to let this girl get to him. Right now he just wanted to spend some time with whatever family of his that would welcome him home.

"It's not like I'll ever run into that girl again," he muttered to himself, before walking up the steps to the Bennett house.

Jessica Bennett

What's my problem? Why couldn't I just tell Kay or Ethan that I think I might like Reese as more than friends? I think they would've been supportive. Well, Ethan at least. Kay would have probably laughed her ass off at me, then tell Simone or something. I'm glad I kept my mouth shut with her. But Ethan would've probably given me some good brotherly advice, and maybe I could've worked up the courage to ask Reese out.

I guess I'm just scared to admit that I like Reese. I've never even admitted it in here, my dear old journal, until now. Maybe it's because I don't want to admit that liking Reese like that could lead to love. I'm still against the whole love thing (read my last entry). I don't even know how I developed these feelings for Reese. Maybe it's because he's just so nice and kind, and really cute, underneath those dorky clothes and the glasses. But he's been a good friend to me, especially during the time when I found out Ethan was my brother. He helped me get through it, and gave me the encouragement to get to know Ethan better. I guess Reese is just the type of person I'd want to fall in love with, that is, if I ever decided to fall in love.

Unlike that rude, arrogant guy I ran into before coming into the craft shop.

Richard Crane

What's that girl's problem? She gets all mad at me, when she was the one that ran into me. Then she insults a certain piece of anatomy of mine, for no particular reason. I don't know why I'm still thinking about her, when she doesn't even deserve my time.

I just hope that the rest of the girls in Harmony aren't as crazy as her.