Part I: The Return

"May the dreams of your past be the reality of your future" -Anonymous

Bayport, Massachusetts:

Biff

My bedroom window was fogged from the night's warm rain. Glancing out on the city of Bayport from my second story bedroom in the farmhouse brought back so many memories. Too many memories...

...

"What are you thinking about?" I asked my fiancee as she fiddled with her hair in front of the bathroom mirror.

"About how angry I am that Frank and Callie eloped without telling any of us. Don't you need witnesses or something like that?!" Hope ranted as she pushed past me and walked out to the living room.

"Mr. and Mrs. Hardy were their witnesses, and you can't tell me that you didn't see this coming love," I said trying to calm her down from her melodramatic spout.

"I suppose you're right." She finished putting in her hoop earrings, "We better get a move on or else we're going to be late."

Since Frank and Callie had eloped, Hope pestered them into having a small get together at a small Chinese restaurant downtown to celebrate. They finally gave in when she threatened to throw them an extravagant surprise party. Everyone was looking forward to it though. It would be the first time that we'd all been together since Joe's funeral.

With both the babies and everyone's work schedules it was hard enough planning a small party like this. Chet had also promised that we'd get to meet his fiancee, Lana. They were planning on moving back to England, where she's from and getting married there.

When we arrived at the restaurant Frank and Callie were already there. We hadn't seen them in person since they made it official and so Hope immediately ran to Callie and engulfed her in a hug, careful of the baby of course.

"Congrats Hardy," I said shaking Frank's hand. He looked slightly tired as usual but still in good spirits. It was unfortunate that Joe's death had taken such a toll of Frank. He just wasn't quite the same.

"So how was the ceremony?" Hope asked, finally getting over her annoyance with the couple for leaving her out.

"Wonderful," Callie said with a huge smile.

"It was nice," Frank added and grabbed Callie's hand in his. I gave Hope a look and she practically read my mind.

"Don't get any ideas Allen," she said using my real name to make her point. I laughed and then noticed that a few more cars had rolled up behind us...

...

"Joe?" Hope asked quietly, walking towards him. Joe struggled in my strong arms but it was no use. I was definitely not letting him go, "You're-you're alive," Hope whispered again trying to fight back a surge of emotions.

"Joe, we thought you were dead, the-the motorcycle crash, everything..." I said staring at him. His eyes were black as night and his face restraining any emotions.

"Listen I don't know who you are, and my name's not Joe," he said as forcefully as he could, and began struggling to get free again.

"Joe listen to me," I growled as I fought to keep my hold on him, "What are you talking about? Of course it's you, I've known you since we were five!"

"Joe. It's us. It's your friends. Listen to us Joe. Please," Hope croaked in a futile way to calm him down. By now he was breathing heavily and gasping for air.

"Let. Me. Go," Joe hissed.

"Uh-uh," I shook my head, "Not until you tell us what the hell is going on Joe."

"I am not Joe!" he yelled again. Both Hope and I just stared at him, our faces like stone. We weren't backing down. With a rough sigh Joe finally pulled one of his arms free of me and looked around as if he was making sure no one was watching. Then he grabbed Hope's wrist.

"Come with me..."

...

"Allen? Hon? Are you coming back to bed?" a groggy voice came from behind me, breaking through my reverie. I looked back to see Hope, her sweet face half shaded by the moon's shadowed light coming through the rain spotted window.

"Yeah," I said walking over and climbing back into bed with her.

"Allen, what's wrong?" Hope asked in a quiet voice.

"Nothing babe. Nothing. Just thinking, that's all," I replied as I kissed her lightly.

"Thinking about the boys again?" she asked. I smiled and nodded. How does she always know?

"Hope?" I whispered.

"Yeah?"

"How come you never call me," I paused, "Biff anymore?"

This question made her smile. Hope's sapphire eyes twinkled in the dim light. She shifted a little under our comforter until she was facing me completely and she rested her head in her hand.

"I know why. You said it reminded you too much of them. You decided you'd rather be called Allen, no matter how much you hated it, than to have to be reminded of them," Hope said in a soft voice. A small tear escaped from her eye and rolled down her cheek, "Allen?" she paused, "Biff, I know you miss them, I do too, they were like brothers to me. I know you don't want to pry into their lives. But, Biff, honey, I think it's finally time that we found them."

...

Hope

I couldn't help but think about the Hardys. Biff had gotten it in my mind. I started to drift of to sleep again but couldn't keep the memories away...

...

I couldn't keep my eyes off of Joe and his unusually depressing looking appearance.

"Sorry," I whispered, quickly averting my eyes and fiddling with the ring on my finger.

"Don't be," Joe whispered back. He seemed almost normal sitting with me.

"It's just..." I paused and looked back up at him, "Your face. It's not the same as it used to be."

"Lots of things aren't the same about me anymore Hope," he replied looking me straight in the eyes. I looked deep into his own.

"I wish things hadn't happened like this Joe," I said solemnly. I was playing with my engagement ring again, but still staring at his face.

"Me too," Joe sighed. We sat there in silence for a while. I was still studying his face. Joe looked up and our eyes locked again.

"What's so interesting?" he laughed. I smiled and didn't answer right away.

"You're eyes, they're so..."

"I know. Dark. Emotionless. Lifeless," he whispered, looking down at the table.

"No," I said, which got his attention. He looked back up to my smiling face.

"No?"

"No," I repeated, then took his hands in mine, "I see more emotions than I can handle. I see the old Joe. The kid I used to know. So impulsive, erratic, hot headed. Your eyes may be darker than usual but they're still the same as they used to be. You're still the same."

"Something must be wrong with you Hope," he quipped, "No one's ever said that about me before. Especially not my eyes. You see me so differently."

I grinned, and went back to fiddling with my ring, this time not out of sadness or nervousness but out of happiness.

"Hope," I looked up at him again, "I wanted to thank you for taking care of 'Ness. She told me about how you helped her through all of this. Thank you."

I smiled again,"What are friends for Joey?"...

...

The next day...

Reghan

The last day of school is always crazy. But this day seemed to be even more hectic than past years.

Maybe it was just everything floating around in my mind? I mean a whole lot was happening in the period of just a few days.

I barely heard the bell ring as my last class of the day was dismissed. I gathered my papers and stuffed them in my black, canvas bag.

As I entered the hall, a familiar voice rang in my ears, "Reghan Hooper!" I turned to see the shining brown eyes of my best friend, Clarissa Prito.

"Hey Claire," I greeted her with a half smile.

"Aren't you so glad we're officially Sophomores?" she said walking fast down the hallway. I had to dodge packs of upperclassmen and practically jog to keep up with her chipper pace.

"I 'spose so," I agreed with Clarissa.

"Just think, maybe this summer we'll meet some cute guys," Clarissa crooned, applying some of her bright pink lip gloss that had an annoying bubble gum fragrance that you could smell a mile away.

Clarissa and I had been friends since before I can remember. I guess maybe it's because our parents are such good friends. But even though we're "besties" as she likes to say, we have our differences.

I'm a lot more withdrawn than Claire is. She'll just about do and say anything that comes to her mind, no matter how crazy it is. Sometimes that's a good thing, sometimes not. She also has this crazy obsession with boys. I have to admit, they sort of...intimidate me. Which is saying a lot, 'cause not much intimidates me.

"Yeah, maybe," I agreed as she smiled at a pair of upperclassmen walking to the student parking lot.

We turned and walked out the front entrance, heading to her house. Her dad wouldn't be home from Amore, the restaurant he owned, but her mom would be there, and hopefully she'd have some good left overs in the frig.

Her little sibblings, Luc and Sophia, were home from elementary school. They had gotten out a day earlier. That also meant that my mom was done for the year too. She worked in the Bayport Elementary Library.

Should be fun. Or...not.

...

Three hours later Mr. Prito dropped me off in front of my house. Our bloodhound, Sherlock came bounding down the dirt driveway to great me.

"See you later Reghan," Clarissa said from the front seat.

"Say hello to your parents for me," Nic Prito said as I climbed out of his blue Ford Escape.

"Will do Mr. Prito," I told him, waved goodbye and tried not to be toppled over by Sherlock as I walked up to my house.

I walked in the front door and sat my bag down on the table in the front hallway like I always did. I saw my little sister, Audrey on the couch reading her Highlights and I could hear the twins, Camden and Aden in the kitchen.

I walked to the kitchen and saw the four year olds at the counter eating sloppy peanut butter crackers. My mom was on her hands and knees scrubbing the oven with all her might.

There's two things about my mom. One: She's a compulsive cleaner. Two: Even though she's got OCD the one thing she never cleans is the oven. The only time she cleans the oven is when she's anxious about something.

"What's up mom?" I said and she nearly jumped at the sound of my voice.

"Oh, Reghan, I didn't know you were home," she said, sounding sort of flustered. She wiped her hands on the striped purple apron she was wearing, "How are the Pritos? And how was your last day of school honey?"

"They're fine. School was fine too," I sighed and pulled up a stool next to Aden.

"Ray," he said using the name he'd adopted for me when he and his brother were just learning to talk, "Me and Cammy a gonna be in kind-a-garten next year. Dat's wha momma told us!"

"You sure are," I smiled, thinking of how much I missed elementary school. I wish I could take naps and play all day long. I saw my mom smile at the three of us and then go back to cleaning the oven.

"Oh, by the way Reghan," my mom said sticking her head up at me, "I was going through some old things and found some photo albums from like, forever ago. I though you might get a kick out of them. They're in the living room."

I thanked her and decided to take a look. It might be fun to see her and dad when they were younger. I walked to the living room, Audrey had gone to her room so I was alone. On the table next to the couch was a stack of photo albums in a range of colors and shapes.

I picked up the top one and opened it. The first picture was of my mom and a little baby with a blue blanket wrapped around it. Being that my mom had made the album there were captions under every photo.

Jared Hardy, 2 weeks old.

I flipped to the next photo. It was of a man in his early twenties. He had blond hair and blue eyes. The fair haired woman next to him held the same baby as the picture before.

Joe, Vanessa, and Jared.

The photo next to it was similar, but the man had brown hair and brown eyes, while his wife, strawberry blond hair.

Frank, Callie, and Seth.

The Hardys. Mom and dad spoke of them regularly, but not in detail. I knew about Jared and Seth as well, but I couldn't imagine what they looked like from their baby photos.

In the back of my mind I couldn't help wonder exactly what it would be like to know the Hardys. Face to face.

A/N: Like I said: original characters. Sorry there were no direct Hardys in this one, but I'm getting to that. :)