Date Submitted: 12/28/00
Title of Story: "Deja Vu: A New Love Ch. 1"
Author: shuis_4everinlove@hotmail.com
Chapter One
The door of the Crane mansion opened, and a young woman walked in.
"Bring my bags in here, Charles," she commanded the chauffeur who had driven her, and was now carrying her luggage out of the limo.
"Very well, Ms. Crane," he replied.
The woman walked up to the foot of the stairs. "Hello, is anyone home?"
Pilar Lopez-Fitzgerald came out from the den, and looked in amazement at the figure she saw before her.
"Ms. Victoria?"
The woman turned around. "Pilar!" she exclaimed as she ran to give a hug to the woman who was like a second mother to her. "It’s so great to see you!"
"What are you doing here? I wasn’t aware that you were coming for a visit."
"I’m not."
"Then why…"
"I’m moving back home."
Pilar was shocked. Victoria hadn’t lived in the mansion since she was fifteen, and she was 21 now.
"Why, may I ask, are you moving back to Harmony?"
"Of course you can ask Pilar! I just wanted to take a break, and have some fun at home. And, I missed everyone terribly while I was gone."
Pilar smiled. "We missed you too, Ms. Victoria. This house hasn’t been the same without your mischief!"
Victoria sighed. "I was a real brat, wasn’t I? And you don’t have to call me Ms. Victoria, my name is fine by itself."
"Excuse me Ms. Crane," Charles said as he came in with the last of her suitcases. "Where do you want these?"
"Oh, you can just leave them her. The trip is to be charged to my father, of course."
"Yes ma’am."
After the chauffeur left, Victoria and Pilar brought up the luggage to Victoria’s old room. The walls were painted turquoise, and covered by framed pictures of her immediate family, with each person having there own section.
"Do you want me to help you unpack?" Pilar asked.
"No, I’ll do it myself. Later," Victoria replied Right now I want to see Mother and Father. Do you know where they are?"
"Julian is in his office, and Ivy is in her room, I believe."
"Thanks Pilar. I have to talk to you later, I can’t wait to catch up on the adventures of the Lopez-Fitzgerald clan!"
Pilar left the room. Victoria went to the full length mirror on the wall, and made sure she looked perfect, it wouldn’t do to have a hair out of place when she saw her parents. Convinced she looked her best, she left the room and walked down the hall to the bedroom of her mother, Ivy Crane.
She knocked on the door.
"Come in," her mother’s voice called from inside.
Ivy was standing by the window when Victoria entered, and she turned around to see who it was. She was very surprised to see her eldest daughter.
"Victoria! What are you doing here?"
"Hello Mother, I’ve decided to move back home, for awhile at least."
Ivy was very surprised by this news, as Pilar had been. "Moving back? Darling, why didn’t you tell us? We could have thrown you a welcome party at the Seascape, it would have been the talk of the town…"
"That’s why. I don’t need a party, I came home to relax a bit. I want to just enjoy being back."
"Fine, whatever you like, dear. I’m still shocked that you’ve decided to return to Harmony, you haven’t lived here for years!"
"I know. I miss living here, boarding school is nothing like having a real home, especially not a mansion like this!"
"Does Julian know you’re here, you know how much he spoils you."
"Yes, I’m his favourite, just like Ethan is yours."
"Victoria, darling…"
"Don’t deny it. We both know it’s true."
"Fine. You haven’t answered my question."
"No, I haven’t seen Father yet, I only just arrived. Pilar said he’s in his office."
"Oh, probably, that’s where he always is. You go see him, I’ll come down in a moment."
"All right Mother."
As Victoria was leaving, Ivy turned back to her daughter. "Victoria?"
"Yes?"
"I’m glad you’re back."
Victoria smiled, "Me too."
Julian Crane was talking to his father on the phone. "Yes Father, I’m trying my best, but it’s not my fault the FBI assigned Luis to be Sheridan’s bodyguard. If she just had better taste in men, but, well what can you do?"
"Everything possible to keep them apart. Do you hear me Julian? Sheridan must stay away from Luis!"
"Who’s Luis, Grandfather," a voice rang out, and Julian looked up to see Victoria standing in front of his desk. "Do you mean Luis Lopez-Fitzgerald, Pilar’s son who hates the Cranes?"
"Victoria," Alastair said, "is that you? What are you doing in Harmony?"
"Yes it’s me. And I’m very shocked and disappointed that you didn’t already know I was in Harmony. Don’t your spies keep track of me too?"
"Spies? What do you…"
"Oh, never mind, Grandfather dear, forget I mentioned them." Victoria was one of the only people who would dare interrupt or challenge the all-powerful Alastair Crane.
"Victoria," said Julian, "what are you doing here? I thought you were in Europe?"
"Oh, I was Father, but I decided I wanted to return to live in Harmony, with my family."
"Really? This is a surprise!"
"So everyone keeps telling me! Why does no one think that I might want to live here in Harmony, with my parents and brother?"
"It’s just that you haven’t lived here since you were fifteen," said her grandfather. "We all thought that you would never be living in the mansion again."
"Well, obviously none of you know me that well, but no surprises there. If you’d excuse me, I’d like to go see Sheridan and Ethan, if there here. Are they, Father?"
"Sheridan’s at her cottage," Julian answered, "but Ethan’s out right now."
"OK, I see him later." She turned to leave. "Oh yeah, I heard something about a bodyguard named Luis? Is he there too?"
"Yes he is. And you were right earlier, it is Pilar’s son," Alastair told his granddaughter.
"And you say you don’t have spies," Victoria said laughing, and she left the room.
"This may prove interesting. Julian, make sure your daughter doesn’t do any damage."
"Yes Father."
Victoria walked up the path to the cottage. She remembered when she was a child and the Lopez-Fitzgeralds had lived here. She had been forbidden to go to the cottage, but one day she had followed Pilar. She could still remember standing on her toes, trying to see in through the window. Victoria also remembered being caught by Martin Fitzgerald, and being brought back to the mansion. Sheridan and Ethan were supposed to have had her with them, so they got in trouble, not her. Her father had spoiled her rotten when she was a child, and she could still get almost anything she wanted from him.
She approached the door, and knocked on it firmly. After a few minutes, the door opened to reveal a well-built latino man.
"You must be Luis," she said, recognizing some of Pilar’s features in his handsome face.
"Yeah, and you are?"
"Victoria. I’m here to see Sheridan."
"Luis, whoever it is let them in!" Sheridan’s voice rang out. Luis scowled.
"Don’t worry, I’m not going to kill my aunt!"
Victoria brushed past Luis, and walked down the steps just as Sheridan came out from her room.
"Victoria! What are you doing here?"
"I live here," Victoria replied with a smile. "Or at least I do now!"
"You’re moving to Harmony?"
"Actually I already have. You guys are stuck with me now!"
Sheridan laughed. Then she noticed Luis still standing by the door. "Oh, I should introduce you to Officer Luis Lopez-Fitzgerald, my warden,"
"We met just a few minutes ago. Well, actually like a few decades, but I doubt he would remember that."
"What do you mean?" asked Luis.
"Well, we met when you were still living her in the cottage. I used to use any excuse to go see Pilar when she was here."
"Or," said Sheridan, "just sneak right over."
"Only once! And you should have been watching me better!"
Victoria smiled at her aunt. Well, I should probably go back to the house and unpack my things. I’ll see you later, OK. Nice to meet you again Luis." With that, she walked out of the cottage, and headed back to the main house.
Ivy was just coming down the stairs when Victoria walked in the front door.
"Victoria, I just realized I forgot something when we spoke earlier," she told her daughter. "I know you don’t like social gatherings like this, but I think you’ll be interested in this one. The Taylors are hosting the first Christmas party of the season. Does Amy know you’re back?"
Victoria smiled at the mention of her best friend, Amy Taylor. "No, I was going to surprise her tomorrow. But this party would be even better! I can’t wait to see her face when she sees the long-lost Crane daughter walk through her door!"
"Well, I’m glad you’re so excited about this party. I know some of Harmony’s most eligible bachelors will be there," Ivy said with a smile.
"Mother! You shock me! Why would I be interested in eligible bachelors? I want to be an old maid!" Victoria walked up the stairs, laughing. "Well, I had better go figure out what to wear, and then I’ll need to find it."
About an hour later Victoria had all her clothes put away, and had narrowed down her outfit options to three. One was a sparkling blue spaghetti-strap dress that went to just bellow her knees, and had almost no back. Another outfit was this cute sleeveless silk blouse and a long gold skirt that fit right on her hips and then flared out. Finally, she could wear this off-the-shoulders red dress that clung to her figure in all the right places, and went to her ankles. Finally, after much debate, Victoria decided on the red dress, it was Christmas after all, and she wanted to get into the spirit. Plus she had these strappy sandals that were the exact same colour, and a string of garnets as well. Now all she needed to figure out was her hair and make-up.
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