DISCLAIMER I don't own any of the Beverly Hills 90210 characters, storylines, etc. This is based off of Mel & Jackie's many split-ups, of which I own none.

NOTES Title is from Pink's song Family Portrait, thought it fit the theme of this story quite well.


Family Portrait

Yelling from downstairs awoke the small girl from a pleasant sleep. Erin Silver, jumped slightly, when she heard someone slam the phone down on it's base. She knew this sound, because it seemed everyday, phone calls between her mother and father ended this way. Erin pulled her pillow over her head, hugging her favorite stuffed sock monkey, Lorenzo as tight as she could, shutting her eyes even tighter. If there was one sound she hated, it was arguing, and it seemed like no matter where she went, it was all she heard.

For the next few hours, the little girl, drifted in and out of sleep and eventually even more yelling awoke her, only this time, she heard her father's voice added to the mix. Tears fell from Erin's eyes and she shook under her pink quilt. When the shouting didn't subside, Erin rolled out of bed and tiptoed into her mother's room, dragging her monkey behind her, as she swiped at her falling tears. The tiny five year old, reached for the phone on Jackie's desk, and dialed a familiar number.

The phone rang for what seemed like an eternity to the child and finally a groggy, unimpressed voice greeted her on the other end. "Hello?" Said the voice irritatedly.

"Kelly!" Erin sobbed into the phone.

The voice of Kelly Taylor's baby sister thawed the annoyance in Kelly's voice, "Erin? What's wrong, sweetie?" She asked, sitting straight up in bed. Kelly was exhausted, but now wide awake as her heart raced, wondering what was going on.

Erin sobbed uncontrollably and tried to explain to Kelly, but finally Kelly cut her off. "Okay, baby slow down." She said softly. "What happened?"

The small girl, sniffled and wiped her eyes with the arm of her monkey. "M-mommy and daddy..." She started crying again, and Kelly was unable to make out words in Erin's sobs. "...and they're yelling a lot!"

Kelly grew angry at the thought of Mel and Jackie hashing it out at home with young Erin asleep upstairs. She cradled the phone between her ear and her shoulder as she rolled out of bed, turning on her bedside lamp, "Okay, sweetie, just go back to your room and I'll be there in a bit to come get you." She said as she walked to her closet, sliding out of her pyjama pants and slipping on a pair of jeans.

Erin nodded, even though Kelly couldn't see her. When Kelly didn't hear a response she held the phone with her hand, tight against her ear. "Erin?"

"Okay, can you please drive fast?" She asked shakily.

Kelly smiled sadly at her baby sister's innocence. "I will drive as fast as I can." She walked out of her room and grabbed her car keys, "I'm on my way. I love you."

Erin nodded again, speaking softly and dismally, "I love you too." She hung up the phone with both her thumbs, still clinging to Lorenzo. She jumped when she heard a vase smash against a wall followed by more yelling and shouting. Erin ran to her room crying intensely, and slammed the door behind her. She hurdled into her bed and crawled under the covers, sobbing into her pillow, praying Kelly would show up fast.

Kelly sped through Beverly Hills careful to remain within reason of the speed limits. She hated that Erin was being put through this, especially so many times over again. Kelly pulled into Jackie's driveway, nearly hitting Mel's car with her own, before she slammed on the brakes. She shut off the car, getting out and slamming the door. Kelly walked up to the porch and calmed herself down. She didn't want to end up shouting at Mel and Jackie, and upsetting Erin even more. When she felt ready, she opened the front door and her mouth gaped open at the scene before her; Jackie had her finger in Mel's face shouting at the top of her lungs, Mel shouting back just as loud, making wild hand gestures, denying everything that came out of his ex-wife's mouth. Kelly took note of the broken glass, on the floor and glared at the two supposed 'adults' in disbelief. She shut the door behind her and stepped in between the battle.

The yelling stopped all at once, and Mel and Jackie stared at the interruption. "Kelly?" They said in unison.

"What are you doing here?" Jackie asked cautiously. "Is everything okay?"

Kelly shook her head and scoffed at her mother. "Are you kidding me? At two o'clock in the morning I received a phone call from your sobbing daughter, telling me her mommy and daddy are yelling at each other." She glared back and forth between Mel and Jackie.

The two of them glanced up the stairs and back at each other, exchanging guilty looks. Mel hung his head, running his hand over his face, that had beads of sweat forming on it. Jackie closed her eyes briefly and finally spoke. "Kelly, I'm sorry she called you. I'll go talk to her." She turned to walk up the stairs, but her oldest daughter stepped in front of her.

"No."

"Excuse me?" Jackie said, stepping back in disbelief.

"No," Kelly repeated firmly. "I don't know what the hell is going on with you two, but you need to work it out on your own, not when your five-year-old daughter is upstairs!" She glared at her mother and pointed up the stairs. "I'm taking her back to my house, so she can calm down, and maybe get some sleep."

Jackie scoffed in annoyance, "You can't just take our daughter away in the middle of the night!"

"Mom, you and Mel are at each others throats. She called me in tears, begging me to hurry over here. So yes, I can take my baby sister to my house, where she can feel safe for the night."

Mel finally spoke. "Jackie, Kelly's right.."

Jackie turned her head around so far, that Kelly thought she might pull an Exorcist. "Oh so now you're worried about your daughter's well being? Because you certainly weren't when you skipped off to Cabo with your slutty dental assistant and left her with David!"

"Oh you just had to bring that up!" Mel retorted, and the argument started up once again, with more shouting and accusations. Kelly rolled her eyes and shook her head, as she turned around and walked up the stairs to little Erin's room. She smiled softly at the picture on Erin's door, of the backwards letters that spelled her little sister's name in Tickle-Me-Pink crayon.

Slowly, Kelly turned the door handle and stepped inside the dark room, the only light, coming from a butterfly night light, that matched Erin's quilt and furniture perfectly. It was truly, the perfect little girl room. Unfortunately, what sat curled up in a ball in the bed was far from perfect. Kelly frowned at the sight of a broken little girl, her innocent face stained with tears and flooded with new ones. She shut the door behind her and sat on the bed, gathering up the little girl into her arms. Almost instantly, Erin started sobbing again, clinging to her older sister. Kelly rocked Erin back and forth, holding her close as she kissed the top of her head, smoothing the thin blonde hair, that resembled her own. She pulled away from the embrace, studying Erin's features, her cerulean eyes overflowing with tears, the rims a shade of light red and dark circles forming underneath. Kelly tucked a strand of hair behind the small girl's ear and cupped her cheeks in her soft hands. "You're gonna come sleep at my house, okay?" She said softly.

Erin nodded slightly and frowned, sniffling quietly. Kelly offered a slight smile, "Does Lorenzo wanna come too?" She smiled more, watching as the little girl picked up the sock monkey, whispering into his ear, waiting for his silent approval. Erin looked at her older sister and nodded again. "He said 'yes.'" Her voice was raspy from crying.

Kelly kissed the top of Erin's head and stood up, putting an outfit for the next day into Erin's backpack and walked back over to the bed. She scooped up the five-year-old with her free arm and held her against her hip. Erin held on to Lorenzo with one hand and wrapped her other arm around Kelly's neck loosely. Kelly carried her baby sister down the stairs, walking right past the screaming adults unnoticed.

Kelly buckled Erin in the booster seat, she now always kept in the car and shut the door. She got in the driver's side, pulled out of the driveway and the two of them drove away into the darkness.