Author's Notes:
Hey everyone! Thanks for clicking on my story and giving it a chance. As the summary alludes to, this story picks up like there was an 11th season to our beloved 90210. I was never exactly happy with the finale – especially the fact there were no Walshes and one of the couples that ended up together – so this is my attempt at fixing it. You know… Because I, a mere fan, know so much better than the writers that were actually paid to do the show. Ha, ha.
A few things you should know:
1. I'm a huge fan of the original eight cast members, so the focus will be heavily on them
2. I always felt that Brandon and Kelly were the perfect couple (even before the writers of 90210 hooked them up)
3. I love Brenda and Dylan's chemistry together and think they're one couple that really shouldn't have been parted the way that they were
4. Though not a huge fan of Kelly and Dylan, I've gotten used to the idea of them together somewhat, so the scenes where they're actually together (don't worry KB and BD fans, there won't be many) I'm not going to write them as if they hate one another or something like that.
5. My favorite characters are: Kelly, Brenda, Dylan, Andrea, and Brandon (much love to D&D, and S, but they're not my favs…)
Now with the usual spiel… I don't own 90210 or any of its characters. Never have. Never will. If I had the show would have ended much differently and also, I wouldn't be trying to write this story on a busted up laptop keyboard that is missing 15 keys. Don't sue me because I don't have any money.
And on with the story…
Chapter One
Homecoming
August 2000
Beverly Hills, California
In all of her travels and all the places she had lived, Andrea Zuckerman had never been able to find something that could quite compare to a mild summer evening on Los Angeles' Westside. The late August sun was leisurely making its downward descent into the far western horizon, casting brilliant hues of lavender, magenta, fuchsia, and burnt sienna across the baby blue sky. The heady scent of summer was in the air and Andrea found herself wishing she were in the Walsh's backyard about to enjoy some of Jim Walsh's famous barbeque.
In other parts of the country – New Haven, Connecticut to be precise – people were already contemplating bringing out their winter sweaters and jackets, preparing themselves to face a chilly fall that would swiftly become a frigid winter. Yet this was not the case in Beverly Hills. Summer refused to relinquish her control over Southern California and would not for several more weeks, even if the young children were already readying themselves for the first day of school in barely over a week.
It was so good to be home.
"Home." Andrea tested the word out on her tongue as she deeply inhaled the rich, fragrant air, a contented smile spreading across her lips, softening her tense features and relaxing her muscles. The balmy weather had eased her, allowed her to set some of her worries aside for the time being. This move had been good for her and though a part of her missed Connecticut, she knew that would fade in time. She could only pray that Hannah, her young daughter, would be able to join her in California soon.
Currently, Hannah was still living in New Haven with her father, Andrea's ex-husband, Jesse Vasquez. Though after their mostly amicable divorce nearly two years ago, they had agreed on joint custody, Jesse had suggested Andrea leaving Hannah with him until she was able to get herself settled in Southern California. Andrea had easily assented at the time, not realizing just how sorely she would miss her daughter's young face and brilliant smile.
An old, jet-black Porsche suddenly zoomed down Olympic Boulevard, pulling Andrea out of her dark thoughts as it stirred up dust and wind as it blew by. Andrea's gaze followed it, nostalgia stealing over her. The sports car was very similar to the one that Dylan McKay used to tool around in back in high school, impressing all the girls and sweeping them off their feet. Andrea had never been swept off her feet herself, being far too enamored with Brandon Walsh at the time, but she had not been completely oblivious to his charms and at times she wondered if she and the handsome brooder might have made a good match.
It was far too late for silly thoughts such as that, though. Dylan was with Kelly Taylor, the woman he had, at one time while trying to steal her heart from Brandon, claimed was his soul mate. From what Andrea understood from various phone calls with her friends, it was also quite serious. Donna Martin, Kelly's best friend and confidante, had even hinted that Dylan might be popping the big question soon.
Though Andrea was happy for both Dylan and Kelly, glad that each one of them seemed to have finally found a little joy in their lives, she couldn't help but feel that if they did actually get married, it would be a huge mistake on both their parts. She had always believed that Kelly and Brandon were the ideal couple – perfect for each other. She had been heartbroken for them after the aborted wedding, though neither the would-be-bride nor the would-be-groom had seemed that broken up over it at the time.
Andrea slowly shook her head, still not fully understanding what exactly had gone wrong there. The one time she had attempted to bring it up during a telephone conversation with Brandon, he had cut her off so quickly that she had been afraid to broach the subject again. She seriously doubted that Brandon had gotten over Kelly so quickly and vice verse. They had been so in love. There was no way.
"Hey, hey, pretty lady. Going my way?" A man's husky voice interrupted Andrea's thoughts and brought her jarringly back to the present moment. She whirled around, ready to give the young man a piece of her mind, but as she turned she found herself staring up into a pair of very familiar warm brown eyes.
"Dylan!" She joyfully exclaimed, throwing her arms around the tall, lean young man's neck and giving him an affectionate squeeze. She then detangled herself and took a quick step back and gave him the once-over. He was still as good looking as ever. "You look great. How've you been?"
"So do you." Dylan returned the compliment with a smile that still had the ability to turn Andrea's knees to jelly, even if she didn't feel for him in that way. "I've been doing good. Really good, especially the past few months. How about you?"
She considered lying for a moment, but abandoned the idea almost as soon as it crossed her mind. "It's been tough." She admitted at last, nervously running her fingers through her short blonde hair. "I really needed to get out of Connecticut."
Dylan nodded in silent understanding. Andrea hadn't told him herself about the situation with Tyler, her ex-boyfriend, the man she had begun dating shortly after her divorce from Jesse, but it was obvious that someone had filled him in. Unlike how it had been with Jesse, after she and Tyler had split up, New Haven had suddenly become far too small of a city for the both of them. He had begun calling her at all times of the night, showing up at her apartment unannounced, sending her unwanted flowers at work… All minor enough things that she couldn't file a restraining order against him, but enough to make her feel very uncomfortable and almost threatened.
Andrea had needed to escape Tyler's oppressive presence. It had seemed like fate when Kelly had called her and asked her to be a part of The Martin House, a free clinic that, with generous donations from Felice Martin, would be opening in the fall. Andrea had almost immediately accepted the pediatric physician position that Kelly had offered her. The salary would not be nearly what she was making in New Haven, but she was more than willing to take that cut in pay to escape Tyler, work for a good cause, and return home once and for all.
"You on your way to the Pit?" Dylan asked her suddenly and Andrea became aware that neither of them had said anything for several minutes.
"Yeah." Andrea replied with a smile. He was referring to The Peach Pit, the little '50s-style diner that she and her friends had always hung out at during their latter high school and early college years. It had been far too long since she had sunk her teeth into a Megaburger and she had really been looking forward to it. "You?"
Dylan nodded. "Actually," He added, motioning for her to walk with him in the direction of the Peach Pit, a short ways down the block from where they stood. "I'm meeting Kelly, David, and Donna there."
"Really?" Andrea's face lit up. She hadn't seen anyone since she had been out to California for David and Donna's wedding back in May. She knew Kelly and Donna would have met her at the airport if she had told them of her plans to come out several weeks before the clinic's opening, but for fear that Tyler would somehow find out, Andrea had kept all the details to herself. She had planned on calling Kelly the next morning and informing her that she was in California and then hopefully set up a reunion with the whole gang, or rather what was left of them in Beverly Hills.
"Yeah. We actually have a tradition of meeting at the Pit once a week for dinner. Usually it's Tuesday nights when it's the slowest, but David had to go into the station early last night so we pushed it back to tonight. We would have invited you if we knew you were in California, but I don't think anyone did."
"I didn't tell anyone." Andrea informed him as they approached the old diner. It was exactly as she remembered it, though it did look like it could use a new coat of paint. "Habit of mine that I picked up in New Haven."
Again, Dylan seemed to understand her cryptic comments and nodded. "Understandable." He pulled open the door to the Peach Pit, then held it open for her to go through first.
The tinkling of the bell alerting Nat that customers had come in brought back a tidal wave of bittersweet memories that Andrea did not want to sift through at the moment. Instead, she forced a wide smile across her face and surveyed the diner, pleased to see nearly all the booths and seats at the counter were filled with patrons. She was sure Nat was pleased as well.
"Dylan, over here." Andrea spotted Donna waving them over to where she, David, and Kelly were already seated at a booth in the back corner of the restaurant by the jukebox. Donna stood to her feet so Dylan would see her better and then, spying Andrea at his side, a huge grin broke across her face. "Andrea! Oh my gosh! You're here already!"
"Yes. Yes, I am." Andrea greeted her friends as she and Dylan approached the booth. Dylan pulled up a chair from one of the few empty tables and stuck it at the end of the booth for Andrea to sit in before he took his own seat against the back wall next to Kelly. She quickly exchanged hugs with everyone before sitting down and smiling at them, feeling more at home with them in the diner than she ever had in Connecticut.
"You look fantastic, Andrea!" Donna complimented then took a sip of her ice tea in front of her. "I love what you've done with your hair."
"Thanks." Andrea ran a self-conscious hand over her recently-dyed golden blonde hair. It was perhaps one or two shades lighter than Kelly's was naturally, but the similarities ended there. Andrea had also had it cut short, with heavy layers and whispy bangs to frame her face. "I just had it done a few days before I left. Thought I needed to put a little more California into my look." She chuckled.
"Well, it looks great." Kelly reaffirmed. "So, what brought you out early? We weren't expecting you for a few more weeks yet."
"I know. But some things changed back in New Haven that enabled it for me to come out early. Anyway, I figured you girls could use some help with getting everything ready for the big opening day at The Martin House."
"That's for sure. I feel like I'm going crazy trying to get everything coordinated and put together. Do you realize how much government red tape you have to go through just to open a free clinic? It's exasperating! You would think that they would make things a little easier to do a good deed, you know? " Kelly let out a long, frustrated sigh, snuggling deeper in Dylan's embrace.
Andrea found herself studying the couple, Kelly specifically, as conversation continued to flow around her. To say that Kelly looked like she was under a little stress was an extreme understatement. Normally meticulously groomed, Kelly looked as if she had barely had ten minutes to throw herself together that morning. Her hair was swept back in a messy ponytail, golden strands of it falling into her face. She wore minimal makeup, if any at all, and her under eyes were marked by dark circles that suggested she had not gotten much sleep lately.
Her gaze shifted towards Dylan and noticed the marked difference between he and Kelly. Where Kelly looked harried and stressed out, he seemed far more rested and relaxed than he had the past several times she had seen him - probably even more so than she had ever seen him. He seemed to laugh and smile more easily, and whereas Kelly looked older than her years, Dylan was starting to look more like someone in their mid-twenties should.
"What about you, Andrea? Have you ever heard of him?" Donna's query interrupted Andrea's musings.
"Hum?" She felt a little sheepish, having not paid attention to any of the conversation that had taken place over the past several minutes. "What was that?"
"Dr. Ethan Goldman." David supplied for her. "Have you ever met him? Heard of him?"
Andrea furrowed her brow. His name sounded familiar to her, but she couldn't place from where. "I'm not sure. Why?"
"I'm trying to get him to be the head physician at The Martin Clinic." Kelly informed her. "One of the other doctors who turned me down recommended him to me. Turns out, he used to work under Donna's father and I was wondering if anyone knew or had heard of him before. The doctor who recommended him said he was one of the best. But, if he's one of the best, no doubt we can't afford him. No offense, Andrea."
"None taken." Andrea smiled at Kelly. She knew the salary she was going to be paid at The Martin Clinic was no real statement of what she was worth as a physician. Kelly had assured her that once some more funding came through she would see about increasing Andrea's salary, but as it was, it was a comfortable amount for Andrea to get by on so she wasn't too worried about it.
"According to my mother," Donna spoke up, "He's a really nice guy. Young, good-looking… Actually," She cast a sly smile over towards her husband, "Felice had been hoping to get the two of us together, but when she mentioned me to him, he politely told her he had no time for women. That was several years ago."
"Sounds a bit egotistical." Kelly stated as she picked up a salty French fry and began to study it rather than eat it. "But he's one of my last leads. If he turns us down, I'm afraid we'll have to push back the opening date. There's no use having a free clinic if you don't have a doctor."
"You can't push back the opening date, Kel." Donna argued. "Not after all the hard work you've put in over the past few months to try and get the place ready to open in September. It'd be like it was all for nothing."
Kelly only shrugged her shoulders and offered her friend a helpless smile. "What else am I supposed to do?"
"Well, I could handle it until you were able to find someone." Andrea suggested. "I know I specialize in pediatrics, but my degree is for family medicine."
"But won't that be too much for you?"
"We won't know until we open, right? Unless you've spent half of the donations on an advertising campaign, not a whole lot of people will know about the clinic at first. So I should be able to handle it by myself until things pick up. Odds are, if you had two full-time doctors anyway, one of us would be sitting around on our hands most of the time." Andrea chuckled.
"True." Kelly assented. "I just don't want to put too much on you after you've just moved out here. It would only be a last resort, though. I'm determined to find someone before opening day."
"Just please don't kill yourself in the process." Dylan finally spoke up, his voice thick with concern as he stared down at his young girlfriend.
'Good.' Andrea thought to herself. 'At least he's not completely oblivious to what she's going through.'
"Don't worry, I won't." She smiled pertly up at him. "Let's change the subject, though? I'm getting tired of talking about The Martin House. Don't get me wrong," She quickly added, "I'm excited, but when it's all you do for sixty plus hours a week, well, you don't want to talk about it when you're supposed to be relaxing."
Andrea's brow furrowed in apprehension. If Kelly were putting in sixty-hour work weeks it was no wonder she was looking so worn down. She was about to ask Kelly about it, but stopped herself, intent on honoring her request. There would be plenty of time for Andrea to caution Kelly about not taking on too much and running herself into the ground in the process.
"So," Andrea began, redirecting the conversation. "When are Steve and Janet supposed to be back from their 'Tour Across America?'" She inquired with a small laugh.
She had heard about the Sander's Tour from Donna only a few weeks ago. On a complete lark, Steve had decided that before opening a new newspaper where they'd never be able to take a day off for at least three years, he and Janet needed to go on a long, extended vacation. They had both always wanted to travel across the United States, so they had invested some of their nest egg into a good sized RV, packed up their bags and their daughter and headed out on their great adventure.
"Last I heard," David stated around a mouthful of Megaburger, "There were someplace in Arkansas or something. Steve's been taking a lot of pictures and emailing them to me. He claims they'll be able to use them for the paper. Somehow. But I doubt it. Steve is definitely an amateur photographer, the emphasis on the amateur part."
"Steve's a photographer? When did this happen?" Andrea was curious. She had stayed in pretty good touch with her tall, blonde friend, but he had never mentioned an interest in photography, but somehow, the thought of it seemed to sit right. She could really see Steve enjoying the life of a photographer.
"Our wedding." Donna informed her. "He was pestering our wedding photographer during the entire reception and then, from what I've heard," She glanced over at Kelly with an amused and knowing smile, "For hours afterwards as well. The poor guy deserved more than what we paid him, huh, David?"
"Oh, I don't know about that." David gave a mock-groan. "He was pretty expensive."
"But your pictures turned out beautiful." Kelly scolded her ex-step-brother. "Besides, the pictures and photographer taking them are the two things you should never scrimp on when planning a wedding. Cheap tablecloths and place settings will be forgotten, but you'll always have your pictures. And, if you went cheap on those, well, it will show."
"Thinking about weddings, eh, Kelly?" Dylan teased her gently, treading on ground that neither Andrea nor the Silvers were willing to walk on. After her aborted wedding with Brandon and then her recent broken off engagement to Matt, Andrea was surprised that even Dylan was willing to go there.
Dylan's words, however, didn't seem to bother Kelly, though she did flush a delicate shade of pink. "Stop, Dyl." She murmured, ducking her head. Obviously Donna was correct and those two had been discussing the next step in their relationship.
"Anyway," Dylan suddenly brought the conversation back to the subject of the Sanders. "Steve and Janet left Arkansas about a week and a half ago. Last I heard they were on their way to Washington, DC."
"DC? Were they planning on visiting Brandon while there?" Andrea inquired.
The mention of the male Walsh twin brought mixed reaction around the table. Both Dylan and Kelly quickly looked away or down at their food while Donna's eyes immediately went to Kelly's face. David, on the other hand, seemed almost oblivious to the discomfort of Kelly and Dylan.
"I doubt that, Andrea." He told her. "Steve and Brandon haven't exactly been on the best of terms for the past few years."
"Really?" This was news to Andrea. "Why is that?"
"Uh…" David began, and then trailed off. He was looking at Kelly now as well. "It's um, well-"
"Because of the wedding." Kelly quickly jumped back into the conversation, cutting David off and saving him from trying to make an obviously uncomfortable explanation. "Or rather, lack of one. At first Steve was pretty much 'whatever' towards the whole thing, but that was because he assumed that we were just putting it off or something. He didn't realize Brandon and I were breaking up as well."
"I see." Andrea nodded with understanding. She knew that Steve felt like a surrogate 'big brother' to Kelly, even though she was older than him by several months. He felt it was his responsibility to look out for her and protect her. While Kelly was dating, Steve had felt she was safe because Steve trusted Brandon. However, when Kelly and Brandon broke up for good, Steve had obviously been upset with Brandon for hurting Kelly and causing her to be vulnerable to all the male predators out there once again.
Andrea glanced over in Dylan's direction, taking note of how tenderly he held Kelly, how supportive he had been towards her while she was discussing her almost-wedding to Brandon. Steve couldn't possibly view Dylan as a predator, could he? And yet, Andrea couldn't help but wonder… Of the two, Brandon and Dylan, Andrea knew she always thought Brandon was the better match for Kelly, but that didn't mean she thought ill towards Dylan.
It had seemed so unreal that the two men had once fought so viciously over Kelly, each one of them wanting to be the only man in her heart. Andrea had felt sympathetic towards Kelly, knowing that the blonde had a difficult decision to make and that no matter who she chose, the young men's friendship could never be the same again. Kelly had learned that lesson the hard way back in high school when she, Dylan, and Brenda were in similar circumstances.
However, Andrea felt that Kelly had made the best of the terrible situation. In the end, choosing herself had been the only way that Kelly thought she might preserve Dylan's and Brandon's friendship. Andrea knew that Kelly understood that relationships can come and go, but friendships are supposed to be for forever.
"Anyway," David began once again, attempting to break up the tense moment. "Donna and I really need to get going. My show begins in about an hour and I need to stop by the house to pick up some demos. Do you need a lift or anything, Andrea?"
Andrea shook her head. "No thanks, David. I'm alright. I rented a car until my car and belongings arrive on Friday."
"Do you already have a place to stay?" Dylan inquired, looking concerned.
"Well, sort of." She gave a half-hearted smile. "Brandon said that since Steve and Janet were on the road, I could stay at his house until, well, um, well, until Brenda gets here."
"Brenda?!" Kelly's head shot up startled. She glanced over at Dylan, but his face was carefully neutral. "Brenda's coming back to Beverly Hills?"
"Yeah." Andrea suddenly felt extremely uncomfortable being the center of attention. Brenda had wanted to keep it quiet that she was returning to Beverly Hills as well. Only Brandon and the Sanders had known, and Andrea knew they had been sworn to secrecy. Brandon had reluctantly told Andrea when she had asked for the use of his house until she managed to find a place to live. However, since Brenda was supposed to arrive around the same time as the Sanders were due back in town, there wouldn't be room for Andrea to stay there past that point.
"When was this decided?" Donna inquired curiously, though she too was careful to keep all emotion from her face.
"Well, I guess she got some part on a television series that begins shooting in a couple of weeks. She just recently found out but kept it quiet. Brandon only told me because of the house situation."
"Wow." David shook his head in disbelief. "Brenda. Haven't seen her in over six years."
"Me either." Kelly added quietly and Andrea found herself wondering if Kelly was thinking about Dylan and Brenda's relationship or her friendship with the female Walsh twin. Probably both.
"It's so strange. I would have thought she would have mentioned it…" Donna trailed off. "I can understand her not wanting to tell everyone, but at the same time. I don't know. It's just strange."
"Well, it's Brenda for you." Andrea shrugged.
"Yeah. Going for the drama of shocking everyone when she shows up here for the first time in forever." David agreed.
"She was always a bit of a drama queen." Donna added.
Kelly frowned, shaking her head in disagreement. "Maybe she didn't tell anyone because that's exactly what she wants to avoid – the drama." She pointed out thoughtfully. "It's been a long time since she left and a lot has happened. If I were in her shoes, I'd be worried about the sort of reception I'd get when I showed up. So, rather than announcing it to the world, I'd keep it quiet. Maybe once I returned and got settled in, one by one call my friends and meet up with them individually."
"I don't know." David frowned. "That doesn't really sound like Brenda to me, but then again, I never really knew her all that well. But," He glanced down at his wristwatch, "I really need to be going, otherwise I'm not going to have time to run home before my show. It was really great seeing you, Andrea."
"Yeah, it was." Donna agreed as she stood up after her husband and began to follow him out of the Peach Pit. "You know what? The five of us should get together for drinks or something on Friday evening. There's a new club on Sunset that I've been wanting to check out. How about it?"
"Sounds good to me." Andrea grinned. It had been a long time since she had been to a club. Far too long.
"I don't know." Kelly hesitated, glancing over at Dylan as if trying to read him before giving her response. "It sounds like fun, but I need to check my calendar. How about I let you know tomorrow?"
"Okay. That's fine." Donna nodded. David had already made it all the way to the exit and was impatiently waiting for her. Donna smiled sheepishly then made her quick goodbyes before hurrying after him.
"I need to get going as well." Dylan spoke up for the first time since Andrea had mentioned Brenda's return to Beverly Hills. Andrea would have given just about anything to know what was going through his head at that exact moment.
"You sure?" Kelly turned to him with disappointment in her eyes. "I was kind of hoping to stick around for a little while. Catch up with Andrea some more."
"Go ahead, sweetie." He murmured softly as he gave her a quick kiss on her temple. "I just have some stuff I have to go over for the hotel that I've been putting off. Just come on over once you two are done."
"Where will you be?"
"Malibu." He answered. "Just give me a call if you're going to be too late."
"Don't worry." Andrea interjected. "I won't keep her long. She looks like she needs to get some rest anyway."
"Oh, I'm fine." Kelly disagreed, but found herself yawning almost as soon as she said it. She slid out of the booth after Dylan and gave him a hug which he returned with a quick, yet passionate kiss.
"See you soon." He whispered, tucking a lock of hair behind Kelly's ear.
"I love you."
"You too."
Both women watched Dylan as he made his way towards the door of the Peach Pit, Kelly not sitting down until he was completely out of sight. She then turned back towards Andrea, took her seat and offered her a brilliant, yet exhausted-looking smile. "So…" Kelly began slowly. "Brenda, huh?"
"How'd I know she would be the first thing we would talk about?" Andrea chuckled, shaking her head slowly.
"It's just so strange." Kelly commented as she loosened her hair out of its ponytail and allowed it to cascade down her neck, falling just past her shoulders. "I don't think I thought she would ever come back. It's not that I don't want her to. It's just, well, strange."
Andrea nodded in agreement. "Yeah. When I think of Brenda it's like I take a step back in time or something. When did she leave? Just after our Freshman year at CU, right?"
"Yeah." Kelly confirmed. "I remember it well because I never really got to say good bye. I was in Washington. With Brandon."
"That's right. Hannah had just been born." Andrea gnawed on her lower lip thoughtfully. "Do you think her coming back is going to cause any issues between you and Dylan? You two seem really happy together."
"We are happy." Kelly smiled wistfully, her eyes gazing off in the distance. "Happier than we've ever been together. As far as Brenda goes… Do I think she'll cause a problem between Dylan and me? No. Not really. It might be uncomfortable at first, but Dylan and Brenda are done with each other. I doubt they'll even see each other, unless it's by accident, of course."
"Oh really?" Andrea was surprised by this. Even when Dylan and Brenda weren't dating, they had always maintained a close friendship. That was part of the reason Andrea had always thought those two were meant to be together as well.
"They didn't end on the best of terms. Dylan won't tell me exactly what happened between the two of them, but I gather it was something pretty bad. The most I've ever gotten out of him about their time together in London was that things were never quite right between them, that something was always there, between them, keeping them apart."
"Sounds cryptic."
"It was." Kelly grinned. "You know Dylan. I had always assumed it had something to do with Toni. You know he went to Brenda right after Toni's funeral, right?"
"I had heard that."
Kelly let out a long sigh. "Brenda was the one who told me about it. Right after I found out Dylan was in London, I actually tried to get in touch with her. I had her email address, but I wanted to talk to her. I finally got her number out of Brandon. When we talked, all we talked about was Dylan and the past. It was odd. At that moment in time I had honestly thought she was going to be my sister-in-law someday and that, through her, Dylan would be my brother-in-law."
"You mean, you thought you and Brandon were going to get married and she and Dylan?"
Kelly nodded. "Exactly. Strange how quickly things change, huh?"
"You ever think about Brandon anymore?" Andrea inquired, wondering if Kelly would actually respond. Brandon always clamed up whenever Kelly's name was mentioned.
"From time to time." Kelly admitted, running her fingers through her now freed golden blonde hair. "How could I not? I almost married him. Every time I pass by a bridal boutique, hear about someone getting married, attend a wedding... He always crosses my mind. Even if for only a brief moment."
"Do you think about Matt like that?"
Kelly frowned, her face pensive as she reflected on Andrea's question. "No, not really. But that's probably because deep inside I always knew he and I weren't going to get married. He and I made sense, but there was no romantic spark between us. Not like there is between Dylan and I."
"And there was between you and Brandon."
"Brandon and I had romance, but not really the sparks." Kelly laughed ruefully. "We tried a few times to spice up our relationship, but always it seemed like we had already been married for twenty years or something. When Brandon and I were together I felt like an old woman. With Dylan, well, I feel young again."
'You just don't look it.' Andrea thought to herself, once again taking in Kelly's drawn features. She hoped it was only because of all the preparations for The Martin House. "Do you and Brandon ever talk?"
Kelly shook her head. "No. Never. At first we pretended to keep in touch with each other but honestly, it was just too difficult. You know, when Brandon and I called off the wedding I had thought it was a good idea. But afterwards I really regretted it. Especially when he wanted to end things all together. I won't lie to you. It hurt. Hurt really bad. But I got over it and I got over him. If I had kept in touch with him, I don't think it would have been so easy for me to do."
"Getting over Brandon Walsh is not an easy thing to do."
Kelly met Andrea's gaze and they shared a sad smile. "No, I guess it's not. But truthfully, I am over him. It look me quite some time, but I did it. Matt helped me a lot, and for that I'll always be grateful. I couldn't be with Dylan now if I were still in love with Brandon."
"I guess I'm glad for you, Kelly." Andrea offered her a meager smile. "You and Dylan seem really happy together and I really hope it works out for you two. And Brandon, well, I was always routing for the two of you. But obviously fate had other plans so I'm glad you're over him. The whole unrequited love thing with Brandon is the pits."
"I'm sure." Kelly gave her a sympathetic look. "Do you still talk to him?"
Andrea nodded at this. She and Brandon had actually kept in touch really well over the past several years. There were periods of silence from time to time when one or the other of them got especially busy, but those never lasted more than a month or so at the most.
"Does he ever talk about me?"
Andrea hesitated before giving Kelly the answer. When she had left Connecticut, she had fancied the notion of attempting to stir up the dying embers of love that were left between Kelly and Brandon, but after hearing Kelly talk for the past several minutes, Andrea began to realize there were no embers left. At least not on Kelly's end. Therefore, it would almost feel like a betrayal to Brandon if she revealed to Kelly that he went to great lengths to avoid talking about her ever. Which was exactly why Andrea had always suspected there was still something there.
"Occasionally." Andrea lied. "He doesn't really ask me about anyone from Beverly Hills because he knew I never saw you guys. Though after David and Donna's wedding he asked for an update on everyone."
"Does he know about Dylan and me?"
"Not that I know of. I didn't even know the two of you were giving it another go when I left to head back to Connecticut after the wedding."
"Yeah. We actually didn't tell anyone until after David and Donna were back from Aruba. We wanted to make sure it would actually work first."
"Makes sense." Andrea nodded her head.
"So, you don't know if he knows about Dylan and me?"
Andrea shook her head. "He hasn't mentioned it if he does."
"So that means Brenda probably doesn't know either." Kelly concluded with a frown.
Andrea quickly stifled the small spark of excitement that had begun to grown within her as Kelly had been questioning her over Brandon's knowledge of her relationship with Dylan. She had hoped Kelly was asking because she wanted to find out if Brandon had been jealous, but obviously it was just an indirect way of her asking if Brenda knew.
"Donna may have mentioned it to Brenda." Andrea pointed out. "You could ask her."
"Yeah. I suppose I will. It will make things less awkward between Brenda and me if she already knows about our relationship." Kelly gave a long sigh, slowly shaking her head. "There's just so much history between the three of us. Add Brandon into the mix and it's enough drama for a soap opera. Gives me a headache just thinking about it. Why can't love and relationships be simple?"
"Because love is a complicated emotion." Andrea stated philosophically.
Kelly nodded slowly then yawned once again. "I'm sorry." She hastily apologized. "I didn't get much sleep last night and I've been dragging all day."
"Looks like you haven't gotten much sleep for the past several nights."
"You're probably right." Came Kelly's response. "But somehow I doubt I'll get more than four to five hours until after The Martin House opens."
"Why not push back the opening date?"
"Because John's birthday was September 14th. Felice wanted to open the clinic on what would have been his birthday. Of course that meant me having to go slightly out of my mind in order to accomplish that feat."
"And give up your PR firm you had just opened."
"Well, I really just put a hold on that." Kelly informed her. "Nice thing about being in business for yourself. Besides, Felice and Donna really needed me. And honestly, no one else would do the amount of work that I've put into the place already for the amount of money they're paying me."
"What are friends for but to use and abuse?" Andrea chuckled.
"Right." Kelly grinned back. "Just like I'm using and abusing you."
The two friends chatted and laughed for a few more minutes, but then Andrea insisted that Kelly head on over to Dylan's, otherwise Andrea was afraid the blonde would fall asleep at the wheel. Kelly had finally given in to Andrea's demands and they had parted ways, leaving Andrea alone at the booth at The Peach Pit, going back over the various conversations in her head, slowly trying to digest everything once again.
Author's Notes:
Wow! You made it through! I'm proud of you. That was 12 ½ pages in Verdana size 10 font. I do tend to be a bit long-winded in my chapters, but most of them won't be quite that long. The first chapter always tends to be my longest.
Also, if you ever find yourself getting antsy for another chapter, either email me or leave a review or whatever. I thrive on feedback – positive or constructive criticism. Plus, as the story is unfinished, your thoughts and feelings on particular situations may show up in the story.
Coming soon… Chapter Two: "I Love Italian"
!!Spoilers!!
The Minnesota Twins are reunited
Who holds Brenda's heart now?
For that matter, who holds Brandon's?
More mystery surrounding Dylan and Brenda's already mysterious break up in London!!
Till next time…
Jianna