AN: As I was watching the series finale on soapnet yesterday, I got the idea to rewrite that episode the way I thought it should have been done. This story injects Brenda and Brandon back into the finale, and wraps things up the way I think they should have been wrapped up. For now, this is a one shot, but I'm contemplating continuing it. I think it depends on people's reactions to it, and how bad my writer's block gets on "There goes my life". Enjoy! And don't forget to review. ;-)
Mrs. Teasley stood in the living room, ladling out punch to some of the girls at Donna's bachelorette party. "I hope my punch isn't too strong. My secret ingredient is a shot of peach schnapps."
"Oh, one shot, Yay!" Kelly giggled as she took a glass of punch over to Donna.
"Ok, the fondue pot is lit, so while we're waiting, let's play 'toilet paper bride'!" Felice offered, shaking three rolls of toilet paper in her hands.
"Oh, we did that at my bachelorette party!" Jackie exclaimed.
Kelly put on a fake smile. "Why do I feel like I just stepped back into 1965?" She questioned, taking a sip of Donna's punch as Andrea appeared in the room.
"Speaking of going back in time…" Andrea waved a video tape in her hands. "A blast from the past." She continued as she placed the tape in the VCR. "Kill the music."
Brandon's face appeared on the television screen. "Hey Donna! I'm sorry I can't be there for your wedding so I just wanted to tell you how happy I am for you. You and David were meant for each other. Smart guy, David. He chased you until you caught him. Congratulations, baby! And give my love to Kelly!"
Kelly grinned a little bit. "Is it just me, or is he still disgustingly cute?"
As the tape finished, the girls began to make their toilet paper wedding gowns when the doorbell rang. Donna walked over to the door, revealing first Valerie, who Donna quickly enveloped in a big hug. Beyond Val, however, she caught a glimpse of none other than Brenda Walsh. Donna's jaw nearly hit the floor.
"Brenda!" Donna's face lit up. "I had no idea you were coming!!" She exclaimed as she squeezed her up into a tight bear hug.
"Up until two days ago, neither did I. My understudy was supposed to be going away, so I wasn't going to be able to make it." Brenda began. "But she had a last minute change of plans, which, fortunately for me, allowed me to catch a flight."
Donna could hardly contain her excitement. "And I'm SO glad for that. It wouldn't have been the same without at least one Walsh twin here."
"Well, I'm sure Brandon is heartbroken that he couldn't make it out here." Brenda said with a mischievous glimmer in her eye.
Val interrupted by handing over a box wrapped with a big bow on top. "I had to hand deliver my wedding present."
Donna examined the package that had just been given to her. "Oh, a box of condoms?"
"Yeah, I didn't think you registered for that" Val joked as she shut the door behind herself. She put an arm over Donna and the other over Brenda as she caught sight of the toilet paper gown making going on in the living room. "Oh. It looks like we got here just in time." She said, flashing her trademark 'up to no good' grin. "What is going on?"
~*~*~
Muntz was lying back in a chair as Noah poured liquor into his mouth. "Muntz! It's David's bachelor party, not yours!" Steve half scolded, picking his drunken friend up and helping him over to the couch.
"Ooh!" Dylan passed his beer off to Muntz. "Somebody light a match." He stood up, grabbing a video tape off of the table. "I'll tell you what." Dylan flashed the tape to the group of guys. "The real entertainment of the evening." He popped the tape in.
"I'm not going to like this, am I?" David questioned from the couch.
Brandon's face again appeared on the screen. "Hey guys! Sorry I can't be there for the party or David's wedding, so have a couple for me. But don't let David drink, we don't want a hung over groom. David, you & Donna make the perfect couple. I remember the first time you kissed… The first time you slept... Okay, forget that… Dylan, Steve, David.. I really miss you guys"
"I miss you too." Steve said, obviously feeling sentimental. "In any ever, I had a little time this morning," Steve said as he pulled a folded up piece of paper from his back pocket "So I thought maybe I'd write a little poem for this occasion." It's entitled "Ode to Silver". The boys passed around a poem that Steve had written about David's past girlfriends, each of them reciting a line or two.
Just as they finished, the doorbell rang. Steve opened it to find Brandon standing on the front porch of Casa Walsh.
"Brandon!" He screeched. "What are you doing here?"
"Well, a certain sister of mine convinced me that I couldn't miss a wedding 10 years in the making." Brandon admitted, stepping into the living room and joining the rest of the guys.
"Hey! B!" Dylan greeted his friend with a handshake and pulled him in to a half hug. "I just showed your tape. When did you decide to come?"
Brandon smiled sheepishly. "Brenda convinced me last night." He answered. "Actually, you could almost call it 'guilt tripping'. But I'm so glad that she did."
Dylan's face brightened up a bit. "Brenda did, huh? Does that mean she decided to make a trip across the Atlantic, as well?" the hope obvious in his voice.
"Yup. She and Val are crashing the bachelorette party as we speak." Brandon felt relief wash over him at Dylan's reaction to his sister's name. If he were excited about seeing Brenda, then that must mean that he isn't seeing Kelly, Brandon reasoned in his head.
"I'll have to meet up with her while she's here. I've missed her." Dylan admitted.
"Yeah. I have a feeling that she's feeling the same way. Remind me to give you her cell number before I leave tonight." Brandon answered, accepting the beer that Steve had gotten for him. He looked around the room. "What? No entertainment? What kind of a bachelor party is this?" With that, the doorbell rang again.
~*~*~
Kelly looked up from her seat on the sofa. A look of happiness spread across her face, followed quickly by one of confusion and disappointment. On one hand, she was beyond happy for Donna that Brenda, one of their closest friends, could be here for her wedding. But on the other hand, she couldn't help but feel threatened by Brenda's presence in Beverly Hills now that she and Dylan were somewhat together. She quickly pasted a smile on her face and welcomed her old friend.
"Bren! It's been a long time. How are things?" Kelly made small talk.
"Things are fantastic! My current play is getting rave reviews in all the papers, and I'm finally getting my life together." Brenda stated with a sense of pride.
"That's amazing!" Kelly felt a sense of relief washing over her, as she assumed that Brenda would be heading back to her 'fantastic' life in London shortly. " How long are you staying for?"
"Well, I have to go back at the end of next week to finish up this play." Brenda began. "But I got an offer to do a movie that'll be shooting here in LA in August, so I'll probably be coming back for at least a little while when the play wraps up in mid June."
"Really?" Donna squealed. "Oh, it'll be so much fun!"
"Yeah! It'll be just like old times." Kelly agreed with badly faked enthusiasm. 'Just like old times…' She thought to herself, 'Hopefully not.' as she tried to push the thoughts of the Brenda/Dylan/Kelly mess from their past out of her head.
~*~*~
Dylan stepped up to read the poem that he had chosen to read for David and Donna. "A good marriage." He began, noticing Brenda's face in the crowd. "Is one in which each partner appoints the other to be the guardian of his solitude." He couldn't take his eyes off of her. "And Thus, they show each other the greatest possible trust. Once we accept that even between the closest people, infinite distances exist, a marvelous living, side by side, can grow up for them if they succeed in loving the expanse between them, which gives them the possibility of always seeing each other as a whole, and before an immense sky."
Kelly followed Dylan's glance as she fought the tears from falling from her eyes. How could she be so naïve? She had admitted to herself long ago that she was not the one for Dylan. Hell, she had even told Brenda at one point that she knew that Brenda was the love of Dylan's life, but yet she allowed herself to get swept up by him, yet again. And here she stood, watching him subconsciously profess his never ending love for Brenda. She struggled out a smile at David and Donna as she made her way to the podium for her reading.
She looked up into the crowd briefly before directing her attention back to the bride and groom. "I could never find the words to describe the incredible way you two love each other, but I think this comes close." She gazed back into the faces of the guests, avoiding Brenda's stare. "How do I love thee? Let me count the ways." She paused and couldn't help but look toward Brenda, wondering why it was that Dylan always seemed to gravitate to her. She wasn't prepared for the person sitting beside Brenda, though. His smile seemed to reach deep inside of her, tearing the anger about Dylan's love for Brenda out of her mind. Suddenly, she realized why her other relationships always seemed to fall apart. The same unresolved feelings that she had gotten angry about Dylan harboring toward Brenda, she still held for Brandon. She gave him a warm smile. "I love thee to the depth and breadth and height my soul can reach when feeling out of sight. For ends of being and ideal grace. I love thee freely as men strive for right. I love thee purely as they turn from praise. I love thee with the breath, smiles, tears of all my life. And if God choose, I shall love thee better after death."
The rest of the ceremony seemed to go by in a blur to her and she couldn't take her eyes away from Brandon. Every once in a while, he would look away from the center of the alter, and she'd shift her gaze away from him in an attempt to avoid being caught staring.
~*~*~
The pictures seemed to drag on forever as the photographer arranged Donna, David, Kelly, Dylan, Janet & Steve in various configurations in a million different places. As they finally made their way to the Hilton where the guests were waiting for them, Dylan pulled Kelly aside.
"Hey. Can we talk for a minute." He asked as the others entered the building.
"Yeah. Sure." Kelly answered somewhat distractedly.
"What are we doing, Kel?" He asked after a long awkward pause between them.
"I'm not sure." She answered truthfully. "I guess I just knew that I shouldn't be marrying Matt, and I was looking for a way out. But honestly, we both know that this won't last. It never does." She looked down at her feet. Dylan took a deep breath, nodding in agreement.
"So, I guess this is it?" He swung his arms out to the side, clapping his hands against his thighs.
Kelly looked up at him with a smile. "Romantically? Yeah." She whispered. "But you know that you're always going to be one of my best friends, right?" She blinked back a few tears.
Dylan wrapped her in a hug "Of course." He answered, placing a gentle kiss on her cheek. "Now go find Brandon." He instructed with a smile as he pulled away, nodding to the door. He watched her enter the building, and stood outside for a few moments, staring up at the sky. Memories of Brenda Walsh filled up his head and his smile grew larger. Taking a deep breath, he made his way in, hoping that he could convince the love of his life to take him back, one more time.