My new story :-) It takes place one year after the series finale. Mostly B/D but I am sure everyone will show up here and there. Enjoy!

Speak Now Or Forever Hold Your Peace

Chapter 1 What Is Real And Just A Dream

Brenda walked into her apartment building with her friend Beth. She laughed as Beth explained her blind date she had the night before. Brenda unlocked her mail box and grabbed her mail. They walked up the 2 floor walk up to their flats. As Brenda came to her door, she stuck her key in unlocking it.

"So…then what happened?" Brenda opened her door slightly and looked at Beth who was in front of her door next door.

Beth shrugged, "I shagged him." she smiled.

Brenda laughed, "Oh wow…Beth…you have problems. You just spent ten minutes telling me how much of a…wanker, I think you said exactly." she teased.

Beth laughed, "Well excuse me, one of us should be shagging and darling it obviously isn't you."

Brenda rolled her eyes, "That's my cue." she opened her door further.

"Ha ha I thought so…bye." Beth opened her front door.

Brenda smirked as she shook her head. She tossed her keys on the side table she had next to her door and started flipping through her mail. She came across a odd shaped square envelope. It was an ivory color and had a shimmer to it. She looked at it as she walked to her kitchen table setting down the rest of her mail. Brenda walked over to her couch and as she lowered to it, she looked at the front of it and read, Miss. Brenda Walsh & Guest, she ran her finger across the flap, leaning back, taking her feet and resting them on the coffee table. She pulled out the contents of the envelope as a small piece of tissue fell to her lap. She looked curiously down at it moving the other small pointless piece of tissue from in front of it. Brenda stared down at it. She felt her chest tighten and her breath became shallow as she tried to breathe through it. She had to read it again.

Kelly Marlene Taylor

and

Dylan Michael McKay

request the honor of your presence

at their marriage

on Saturday, the twenty first of April

two thousand one

at three o'clock in the afternoon

Mount Zion Church

436 South Beverly Drive

Beverly Hills, CA 90210

Brenda looked up from her worst nightmare and stared straight ahead. That son of a bitch she murmured as she shook her head. No tears came to her eyes, no sadness came over her at all at that moment she was completely numb…then moments later it hit her. She crumbled the envelope that she held in her left hand and squeezed her eyes shut. Brenda began to cry softly as she read the invitation over and over. Request the honor of your presence, request the honor…at their marriage…Brenda shook her head she was driving herself crazy. Kelly and Dylan…were getting married. It felt like only yesterday her and Dylan were fighting about marriage and now…three years later, he was marrying her. Brenda closed her eyes and flashed back.

As Brenda and Dylan finished making love, he groaned softly kissing her deeply as Brenda moved from on top of him and settled on his side. She cuddled close to him feeling his arm wrap around her as she lay her arm gently across his chest. They lay silently for several minutes.

"What are you thinking about babe?" Dylan said with his eyes closed and a perma grin embossed on his face as he slowly caressed her side.

Brenda lifted her head off his chest and rested her chin on her hand, she smiled as he opened his eyes looking at her still with the goofy grin showing strong. "How much I missed you. And how happy I am that you are back." She leaned up a little giving him a soft kiss.

"It's good to be back…and…I missed you too." he said softly.

Brenda kept her closeness, "How was Iris and Erica?"

Dylan nervously shifted and looked away quickly. "Dylan? Was everything ok with them?" Brenda saw his demeanor change.

Dylan lifted his arm off her and nodded, "Oh yeah…they were good." He sat up, leaning his back against his pillows nervously playing with his hands. "So when do Brandon and Kelly get here or are they meeting us in Corsica?" Dylan changed the subject.

Brenda lifted her eyebrows, "Oh my God Dylan…I totally forgot to tell you. My mom called me this this afternoon before you got home, Brandon and Kelly didn't get married. They called off the wedding."

"Your kidding me…why?" Dylan said shocked.

Brenda shook her head, "I don't know…my mom said they had their reception and everything."

"Wow…that's crazy." Dylan looked down and took a deep breath.

"I know." Brenda shook her head sadly, "It's a shame, I wanted them to work out. I thought they were adorable…they seemed to be really in love." Brenda grabbed the sheets covering herself as she sat up next to him.

"Yeah." Dylan breathed out, "Maybe they just decided marriage wasn't for them." Dylan shrugged.

"Likely excuse." Brenda looked over at him with a smile.

Dylan smiled back, "Ha ha you think your cute right now don't you?"

Brenda leaned forward letting the sheet drop, "I am cute." she leaned forward and raised an eyebrow as she noticed Dylan's eyes travel down to her chest.

Dylan smirked taking a deep breath, "You are…more than cute…come here."

They shifted laying back down on their sides. Dylan brought the sheets over their heads as they kissed deeply.

Brenda came too, she brought her fingers to her cheek as she brushed the stray tears. She looked down at the invitation and brought the reply card closer.

Kindly Reply by

March 1, 2001

M_____________________

Will Attend______________

Unable To Attend_________

Brenda laid her head back on her couch and stared up at the ceiling. Why did they even invite her? She hadn't talked to Kelly in years and her and Dylan didn't end on good terms, she wasn't even invited to David and Donna's wedding. Then she thought about who's idea it was to actually invite her in the first place. Was Kelly trying to rub it in her face? Bury the hatchet? Or was Dylan trying to get closure? Was Brandon invited? Was he actually going? He was just as heartbroken to find out they were back together. A million questions ran through her mind. She took a deep breath, getting up off the couch as she moved her way to the kitchen. She set the invitation down on the counter and went into her refrigerator grabbing an opened bottle of Pinot Grigio, she grabbed a wine glass out of her cupboard glancing at the invite again as she poured her a glass. She moved over to her stereo and hit power. She took a deep breath staring down at it as she brought her wine glass to her lips. She walked over to the counter and picked it up again. It was not Dylan's style at all. It was ugly, Brenda thought. It had a mocha bottom layer and shimmering champagne top layer. It had a hideous floral blossom design. Their initials a big scripted K in the top right hand corner and a equally big scripted D in the bottom left hand corner. Brenda took another long sip of her wine setting it down. She took a pen out of her drawer and wrote her reply. She slid it into the envelope licking it closed. She was again numb as she set it down on her kitchen counter, grabbing her glass of wine and making her way into the living room away from the nightmare. Brenda sat emotionless on her couch again grasping her wine like it was about to run away. She listened to the radio silently as the tears ran down her cheeks again. Here I go again, she thought, but this time it was different. This time it was real. This time is was really over. Brenda stared straight ahead almost weak and listened to the song by Lifehouse blast through her flat.

I can't be losing sleep over this, no, I can't
And now I cannot stop pacing
Give me a few hours I'll have this all sorted out
If my mind would just stop racing

Cause I cannot stand still
I can't be this unsturdy
This cannot be happening

This is over my head
But underneath my feet
Cause by tomorrow morning
I'll have this thing beat

And everything will be back
To the way that it was
I wish that it was just that easy

Cause I'm waiting for tonight
Then waiting for tomorrow
And I'm somewhere in between

What is real and just a dream
What is real and just a dream
What is real and just a dream

Would you catch me if I fall
Out of what I fell in
Don't be surprised if I collapse
Down at your feet again
I don't want to run away from this
I know that I just don't need this

Cause I cannot stand still
I can't be this unsturdy
This cannot be happening

Cause I'm waiting for tonight
Then waiting for tomorrow
And I'm somewhere in between

What is real and just a dream

**

Dylan sat on him and Kelly's couch at the beach apartment. He glanced up from his book and glanced at his fiancé as she sat on the floor at the coffee table. She was silently going through rsvp's sorting them into two piles. Guests who were coming and guests who were not. She raised her head and noticed him looking at her.

She smiled sweetly, "What?"

Dylan shook his head, "Nothing…what are you doing?"

"I am going through our replies, so far there are more people coming." she said with a teasing smile

"How many?" Dylan said holding back his aggravation.

Kelly looked down at the pile, "So far…about 150 people said yes."

Dylan took a deep breath, "150 people? How many people did you invite?"

Kelly sighed, "Dylan…I know you said small but there are people that I had to invite, it won't be over 200...I promise." she looked back down and continued to go through her stacks.

Dylan shook his head and returned to his book. Whatever Kelly wanted he tried to give her. He wanted a small wedding, she wanted a big wedding. He wanted a small private ceremony on the beach or outdoors, Kelly wanted to get married in a church. Everything Dylan had wanted he didn't get except one. About a month ago as him and Kelly made his guest list, which included a total of 15 to 20 people maximum there was one person he added to the list that caused a crisis. Her name was Brenda Walsh and Kelly had a conniption. She had no problem adding Brandon and Mr. and Mrs. Walsh to the list but Brenda was a never going to happen. He finally got his way but it took some serious ass kissing.

"I told you she is my friend." Dylan screamed.

"Yeah a friend that you have slept with numerous times…and lived with. Why would I want Brenda there? I haven't talked to her in years…and supposedly you haven't either."

"I am not going to do this right now, its my list, I am inviting her. Stop being such a pain in the ass, we have known her forever."

Kelly fumed, "A pain in the ass? If I am such a pain in the ass then why are you with me? Why don't you just run back to London like you do best and that way you wont need an excuse like our wedding to see her." Kelly yelled as she turned stomping to their bedroom slamming the door.

Dylan brought both hands to his head as he gritted his teeth turning toward the back door, slamming it behind him and taking off.

"Oh…Brandon is coming." Kelly smiled as she looked at Dylan bringing him back to the present, then looking back down.

Dylan nodded, "Oh good…what about Jim and Cindy?"

Kelly slowly raised her head, "You mean Brenda?"

Dylan wasn't going to go there again. The truth was he hadn't talked to Brenda since they had broken up and they didn't exactly end on the best terms, he couldn't even explain why he wanted to invite her, maybe he wanted to bury the hatchet? Maybe he missed their friendship? Or maybe he just felt like a total prick inviting her whole family and not her. "I meant Jim and Cindy." Dylan nodded his head and smiled at her.

"Yes…the Walsh's are coming…and…no reply from Bren yet. Then again who knows when she even got the invite, she's pretty far away."

Dylan nodded, "True." he agreed and went back to his book.

Kelly stared at him, she tried to read him but he did a good job hiding what was going through that complicated head of his. She hesitated but it just came out, "Why did you and Bren break up?" she asked innocently.

Dylan slowly lifted his head, "What?"

"Why did you guys split up? When you came back to Beverly Hills you said why you came back here but you never said why you broke up."

"It was a long time ago." Dylan said looking back at his book.

"Dylan? What's the big secret?"

Dylan smirked as he shook his head, "There is no big secret, it just didn't work out."

Kelly got up and walked over to him. She watched as he kept his head in his book. She climbed in his lap and wrapped her arms around his neck, "Come on…enlighten me, something had to happen."

Dylan closed his book and looked at her, he smirked, "Why the third degree?"

Kelly smirked back playfully moving closer to him, "No third degree" Kelly giggled as he tickled her.

Dylan leaned in and kissed her hard. Anything to change that subject. He dropped his book to the floor as they did what they did best. Skipped the chit chat and moved to their bedroom. It beats talking to Kelly about an old relationship, especially Brenda. Talking about Brenda…never ended well no matter what, no matter how playful Kelly was being.

So what do you think of the new idea? I have read a few stories with this timeline but came up with this idea the other day and decided to go with it. I don't know how long it will be or if it will even be calling me like the others do but we will see. And no I haven't forgotten about my others. Love Letters and Little Fish are still very much active. Actually Little Fish is almost done. Let me know if its interesting enough and if I should continue. Thanks for giving it a chance, and OH HELL NO it will not be all K/D…over my dead body. *grins and bats' her eyes* Oh and the song the chapter was named after and what Brenda was listening to was Somewhere in Between by Lifehouse. It helps to listen while you read, it makes it hit ya a little harder.