The Brenda Walsh Story

A/N: Don't fear for the fate of my other stories; I've found that beginning something new helps break writer's block for me, because it filters ideas out of my head. So with that in mind, I'm beginning work on this story, which is really more a series of one-shots that all take place in my own little private universe.

Basically, the idea is, this story will cover pieces of Brenda's life that the show doesn't cover; glimpses of her time in London, her new friends, her career, etc., running somewhat parallel to the series, and going past the end of the series. Given that I'm the author here, I won't bother trying to hide the fact that Brenda will end up with Dylan, but this isn't all about B/D. He'll be important, but so will other relationships, and B/D fans will be very mad at me for a LOT of this story.

But hopefully you'll read it anyway :D

With that said… here we go.

London Fog

June 1, 1994

Brenda Walsh stepped off of the plane and immediately realized she was completely alone. There was no one waiting for her at the airport and no friends or family beside her, for only the second time in her life. And the last time, she'd been touching down in California and going straight to her family's home. Now, she was on her own.

Stopping in her tracks, Brenda took a deep breath, and counted to five, hoping to calm the paranoia that she quickly realized hadn't even hit yet. All she felt was tremendous relief. Here, she could be herself. She could start over. No Brandon to compete with, no Dylan to compete for. The only person she had to try to impress was herself.

Okay, she should probably try to impress her professors, as well, but since it was only a summer program anyway, there was plenty of room to relax.

After claiming her baggage and stumbling her way through the crowds of people greeting loved ones or bidding each other tearful farewells, Brenda stepped outside onto a London street for the first time in her life.

It was raining.

She didn't mind.

In fact, it seemed kind of ideal. If it had been a perfect day, with the sun beaming and the streets gleaming, it would seem too much like California. The rain proved that this really was a chance for a fresh start.

With a beaming smile, Brenda hailed a taxi cab and gave the address of the Bloomsbury Hotel where she'd be staying. It was costing her the entirety of her savings, but at least it was close to campus, and she'd be able to explore the museums and libraries fairly easily. She was determined to make these six weeks count, because all too soon she'd be forced to go back to California, where she'd come to feel a permanent weight on her shoulders.

It was exhausting, trying to maintain the increasingly frayed ties between herself and her friends and family. Even the easy friendship she'd once shared with Donna had come to be a chore to maintain, and she'd found she had trouble even speaking to Kelly without turning it into an argument. Her parents were clearly disappointed in her choices, or at least, her father was, and her mother was refraining from expressing an opinion. Brandon had made it clear he resented her presence in his life, and Steve, David and Andrea didn't seem to care whether she was in their lives or not.

And Dylan…

She had trouble looking at Dylan without feeling her heartbreak. Even the last week she'd spent in California, the last beautiful week when she'd been his girlfriend again, everything had felt wrong. She found herself not telling him things she would have once confided without trouble, not doing things because she was worried about what he'd think. She spent the whole week worrying that he'd run back to Kelly the first chance he got, and he'd sensed the tension, too. It was far from the happiest week they'd ever spent together.

Ultimately, they'd decided to let things be for the summer, and if they wanted to, they would get back together when she returned in September (because the Walshes would be traveling for the second half of the summer – her family would come to London for a few weeks in July, then they'd all go to New York to see the Malones for the first week of August, and to Minnesota to see family and old friends for the rest of August).

So for six weeks, Brenda was free of strings. She was Brenda Walsh, actress and student, instead of Brenda Walsh, sister, daughter, friend, ex-girlfriend. And it wasn't likely to affect her life one way or another if she excelled, or if she failed.

"First time in London?" the driver asked as they made their way through the streets of the city.

"How did you know?" Brenda asked, still smiling the same smile that had graced her face when she first entered the cab.

"You have a look," the driver smiled back, meeting her eyes in the rearview mirror. "Just visiting?"

"I'm here for a summer program," she answered, "with the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts."

"Ahhh," the driver's face, reflected in the rearview mirror, told her he was impressed, as did his voice. A warmth filled Brenda's stomach, a warmth she was entirely unfamiliar with. "They only take the best there."

"That's what I'm told," she answered, trying to appear modest, while inside she was doing jumping jacks. This must be what it felt like to be Brandon, when complete strangers were congratulating him on meeting the president and being on the task force, or when the hockey team went to the state championships way back in eighth grade.

"Well, here we are Miss," the driver announced a few minutes later, pulling to a stop in front of Brenda's hotel, a nice brick townhouse, with a small garden and a sign in front. He told her the price, and Brenda overpaid, still beaming. She climbed out of the cab and gathered her luggage, staying on the sidewalk for a minute to stare up at the building that would be home for the next six weeks.

"Oh and Miss," the driver called out the window, as she stood staring up at the hotel. Brenda turned back to face him, half in a daze. "Good luck."

"Thanks," Brenda smiled and waived as he drove off. Then, summoning her courage, she gathered up her luggage and walked up the front steps and rang the bell.

"Hi," she announced when a petite, elderly woman opened the door and welcomed her to the hotel. "My name's Brenda Walsh, and I'm here for the next six weeks."

And I am damn sure going to make them count, she added silently.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~