Full Summary: What would happen to the gang if there was just one extra person? How would her appearence change people's lives? Who would she find love with? Follow the lives of the people you know and love, from their highschool years, to their parenthood years.
Please Note: I made David the same age as the rest of the gang to make the story work better.
Part 1, Junior Year at West Beverly High, 1990-1991
Chapter 1, Where It All Began
This was it, Ashley was back at West Beverly for her third year. She looked in the back seat at Donna. "West Beverly, watch out. Here we come." Donna laughed. Kelly smiled from behind the wheel of the car. "Oh," Ashley said, remembering something, "I almost forgot. There are these new kids on my block, and they're going to West Beverly this year. They moved here from Minnesota. Twins. Brandon and Brenda Walsh. I told them I'd meet them and show them around."
"Okay, cool," Kelly said, parking the car.
"There they are," Ashley said, pointing to a car a couple of yards away.
"Wow, he's pretty cute," Donna stated.
"I know, isn't he?" Ashley replied with a smile, "He's really nice, too."
They were only in their junior year, but Donna, Kelly, and Ashley pretty much ruled the school already. Ashley loved Kelly and Donna to death, but she was very different than them. Kelly and Donna were really into the Beverly Hills scene. They weren't bitches or anything, but Kelly could be quite self centered, and at times, loose. Once you get to know them, they're the nicest people you could imagine. The three of them did have something in common though. They all had beautiful blonde locks. They were also pretty big fashion icons at West Beverly.
Ashley wasn't anywhere near conceited, but she honestly didn't mind the way she looked. Most of the time, she barely wore make-up. The only must-have in the make-up department is eyeliner. She hated her almond shaped eyes. People were always telling her how much better she looked without it, but she refuses to listen to anybody. Without the eyeliner, she's a self-conscious freak. Kelly and Donna go all out though. Lip gloss, lip stick, cover-up, mascara, eyeliner, eye shadow, lip liner, bronzer, blush, the whole nine yards.
Ashley only wears cover-up when she's got a zit, and bronzer on one of her particular self conscious days. Lip gloss, once in a while, but that's all she'll go near. Ashley was scary-short for her age, standing at only 5'2". Kelly stood at 5'5", and Donna at 5'6". Her height had always been something Ashley was very self-conscious about. Her friends and family always told her what she lacked in height, she made up for in looks. She doesn't necessarily think this is true, but it's a good confidence booster, and not bad to hear every once in a while.
Her blonde hair fell a bit past her shoulders, and her wispy bangs were something that always needed cutting, because her hair grows alarmingly quickly. Ashley had incredibly dark eyes, which she had always hated. She always wished that she had green eyes, so she got colored contacts, but Ashley hates touching her eye. She has a weird pet peeve about that, so she'd only wear them once in a blue moon. Her nose was a feature she loved about herself. It wasn't too big or too small, just perfect. Not bumpy or anything. Kelly had always been jealous of it, and tried to upstage Ashley with her nose job.
They got out of the car, and Kelly and Donna trailed behind Ashley as she walked up to greet Brenda and Brandon. "Hi, guys!" Ashley said cheerfully.
"Hi, Ashley," they greeted.
"Hi Gilmore," Ashley heard a familiar voice behind her. She winced, and turned around.
"McKay..." she muttered.
Dylan McKay was number one on her hit list. He was your typical heart throb. There wasn't a single girl who didn't want Dylan McKay. Ashley's very two best friends thought the guy was a gift from god. Ashley, on the other hand, thought he came from somewhere a little south of god.
The thing is, it's hard for her to pretend to not like Dylan. He's honestly not a bad guy, but she absolutely hated being just another giggling swooning teenager. Whatever the other kids want, Ashley needed to want the opposite. She was just programmed that way, and at times hated herself for it.
As they walked inside the building, Steve Sanders, Kelly's ex, made another pathetic attempt to win her back. Ashley had introduced them in Sophmore year. She had been friends with Steve since grade school, and introduced them, thinking they may make a cute couple. Steve was a very close friend of Ashley's, and they had almost gone out once, but she changed her mind at the last minute, and then he met Kelly.
They were walking down the hall, when Ashley's books slipped out of her hands. "Butterfingers strikes again. It's a new record, school hasn't even started yet," Donna announced. Ashley rolled her eyes. Butterfingers was a nickname Ashley's had since freshman year. She's one of the biggest klutz's this universe has ever seen. She was about to bend down to pick them up, when a boy did the job for her. Ashley was sort of used to guys doing that whenever she dropped something.
"Thanks," she said politely as the boy handed her books to her. Ashley smiled gratefully, waved at him, and continued on with her friends. When she was about four feet away, she heard the boy faintly whisper, "N-No problem." Ashley laughed, and went on walking with her friends.
By lunch, they had transformed into a group. Ashley, Kelly, Donna, Brenda, Brandon, Steve, and to her great displeasure, Dylan, had become some kind of clique. Little did they know that this was a group that still needed to be completed. Ashley was stapling up flyers for some fundraiser that her English teacher asked her to do, when Ashley felt a huge sensation of pain. "OWW!" she screamed, dropping the stapler and inspecting her hand. She had stapled her thumb, and it was bleeding wildly. "Damn it."
"Here, let me help you out," the same boy from this morning said, grabbing some napkins. He gently pulled the staple out, cleaned the blood, and wrapped the napkin around her thumb. "Uh, apply pressure so the bleeding stops," he nervously explained.
"Wow, you're my hero today. I'm Ashley Gilmore."
"I'm, um, uh...I'm David. David Silver." Ashley smiled at the kind and cute guy.
"How old are you?"
"Sixteen," David replied.
"Cool. Young junior or old sophomore?"
"Young junior. And you?"
"Sixten...Junior. Well, do you want to come sit with me and my friends?"
"Sure, I'd love to," David said happily.
Ashley smiled embarrassedly, looked down, and tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. "Well, if you stick with this crew," she said, pointing her non-bleeding thumb behind her back at where her friends were, "you'll do just fine," Ashley said, putting an arm around David and guiding him to her table. "Guys, this is David, my knight in shining armor," she joked, "David, this is Steve Sanders, Brandon Walsh, Brenda Walsh, Donna Martin, Kelly Taylor, and..." Ashley paused and sighed, "...Dylan McKay."
"Hi, David," they chorused. David sat down beside Ashley, and she put some different napkins around her finger.
"Lovely, Ash. Especially at the lunch table," Steve said.
"How compassionate, Steve. Your words are just dripping with sympathy," Ashley said sarcastically.
"And yours are dripping with sarcasm. But why should I be surprised?" Sarcasm was something Ashley was known for. Her close friends think she uses it as some sort of defense mechanism, but Ashley thinks that's utterly ridiculous.
"Maybe you should see the nurse," Brenda suggested.
"No way. All nurses do is give you ice and send you on your way. They think ice is the cure for everything, from swellings to world hunger."
Kelly laughed, "You have a point."
"So, Brandon, Brenda, how do you guys like West Beverly?" Ashley questioned, "They just moved here from Minneapolis," she added, filling David in.
Brandon and Brenda exchanged a glance, "It's all right," Brandon replied, "You guys are making us feel pretty welcome."
"Glad to hear it," Ashley told them.
Ashley finished her lunch, and she and David got up to throw away their trays. "Okay so, Steve is pretty much a goofball. He used to date Kelly. Kelly's sort of self centered at times, but a great person once you get to know her. Donna's just a sweetheart, nice to everyone, very friendly. Dylan's sort of the charming guy all the girls want. His charm doesn't fool me though. Brandon and Brenda I haven't known very long, but they both seem like nice people."
"I think pulling that staple out of your thumb was a really smart choice," David concluded.
Ashley laughed, "Well David, maybe everything happens for a reason, y'know? Maybe Brenda and Brandon were destined to move here, and I was destined to staple my thumb so you could help me, and maybe we'll all be together for the rest of our lives because of those events. I'd like to think everything happens for a reason and all of the little things you say or do effect how your whole life will turn out," Ashley laughed a little, "Or maybe I'm just nuts."
"Nah, I get what you're saying. I guess time will tell if that theory's right."
"Yeah, I guess so," Ashley replied with a nod.
Ashley sat in Kelly's backyard with her, Donna, and Brenda. "You know, I just don't get you," Kelly said thoughtfully. "Dylan McKay could have any girl in school, and he picked you, the only one out of about 900 girls that doesn't want him. Any other girl would jump at the ch-," it was then that Ashley decided to tune Kelly out. It was something she had mastered over her two years of knowing her. Kelly would give Ashley this same speech every so often. "Ashley? Ashley, are you even listening to me?"
"No," Ashley shrugged, making Donna and Brenda laugh.
"Why don't you want Dylan?" Kelly asked.
"He only wants what he cant have. It's a guy thing, Kel. Trust me, if by some chance I suddenly became interested, he'd give up in a heartbeat. He only likes the chase, Kelly."
"I dunno, Ash. What if he is in love with you?"
"If he's still following me around 20 years from now, I guess we'll know, won't we?"
Kelly groaned in defeat, "Whatever you say."
In Ashley's opinion, there was no way Dylan could possibly love her. She knew it. He was in love with the chase, and that was all. Honestly, there was a time where Dylan and Ashley were friends. They were great friends since the eighth grade when Dylan transfered middle schools, and then in Sophmore year of Highschool, they developed feelings for one another. Ashley didn't want to be just another Dylan-crazed girl, so she stopped hanging out with him and resorted to hating him to ease the pain. But Ashley's feelings for Dylan only got stronger and stronger, to the point where she felt like she may love him. If by some off chance Kelly was right, Ashley would have a lot of apologizing to do. And another thing about Ashley is that she absolutely hated admitting when she was wrong. It just wasn't something she did very often unless she really, really, REALLY messed up.
Brenda and Ashley left Donna and Kelly and went back to Ashley's house. When they walked in the door, the phone rang. "Hello?"
"Hi Ashley, It's David."
"Oh! Hi, David. What's up?"
"I was just wondering if you're free to maybe catch a movie on Saturday."
"Sorry, David, I have to go to my sister's basketball game, how about I pick you up for school tomorrow, and we can figure something else out?" Ashley suggested.
"All right," he said, giving Ashley his address, "See you tomorrow morning."
"Great, seeya then."
Ashley hung up, and looked over at Brenda, who was smiling. "That kid is completely smitten," she said.
Ashley shrugged modestly, knowing Brenda was right, "He's a really cool guy, but I don't think I want to get involved," Ashley said with a smile.
"Why not? He's really cute, and you looked so cute together today," Brenda told Ashley.
"Eh, we'll see," Ashley responded.
"Well, I didn't know you have a sister," Brenda said.
"Oh yeah. I've got a really big family, actually. Nicole's a sophomore, Michael's a senior, Joey's in seventh grade and Rebecca's in fifth."
"Wow. Where is everyone?"
"No idea," Ashley shrugged, and just then, the door slammed shut.
"Whose home?" her brother shouted. He came into the kitchen where Brenda and Ashley were.
"Brenda, this is my brother Michael. Michael, this is Brenda."
"Hi," Brenda said softly.
"Hi," Michael said back. Ashley looked at them carefully, and she was sure that she could see a spark there.
"Um, Brenda moved here from Minneapolis," Ashley informed Michael.
"Really? Well, welcome to Beverly Hills," Michael said.
"Thanks," Brenda said politely.
"Um, Ash," Michael said, remembering her existence, "Chris is gonna be here in a few minutes."
"Ugh. Brenda, do you think I could come over your house?" Ashley asked hopefully.
"Sure. Why?"
"Chris is my best friend, and Ashley's ex boyfriend," Michael explained.
"Oh, say no more," Brenda said, and the two of them walked down the block to Brenda's, "So, what's the story with this Chris?"
"We started going out last November and broke up in July. He had worse PMS than I did. One minute, he was the greatest, happiest guy on the planet, and the next he was so angry and bitter. Wanna know something?"
"What?"
"I hate being home. It's like we're a whole bunch of friends living together. It's not a real family," Ashley confessed.
"It's funny. I want something more like that, and you want something like I have."
"Dinner will be ready five minutes!" Mrs. Walsh called up.
"Okay, we'll be right down!" Brenda called back.
Her jaw dropped to the floor, "You mean you guys actually eat dinner at the table?" Ashley asked in awe.
"Well...Yeah," Brenda replied.
"Wow, I love it here already," Ashley said in amazement. The two of them made their way downstairs into the kitchen and sat down with Mr. Walsh, Mrs. Walsh, and Brandon.
"So, how are you guys liking L.A?" Ashley asked the family.
"It's all right," Mrs. Walsh replied with a shrug.
"Were you born here, Ashley?" Mr. Walsh asked.
"No, I was born in New York. I moved here when I was ten. Big city to big city. I've always wondered what it's like to live in one of those small towns where everybody knows everybody," Ashley said.
"You don't like living in Beverly Hills?" Cindy asked.
"No, I do. Just a case of the grass is greener on the other side, I guess," Ashley replied.
"Know what you mean," Brandon nodded. Ashley smiled across the table at him. He smiled back, and then looked down.
"So, do you have any siblings?" Cindy asked.
"Yeah. Two brothers and two sisters."
"Wow, your parents were certainly busy," Brandon joked.
Ashley looked down, "I uh...I never met my father."
"Oh, I'm sorry," Brandon said apologetically.
"No, it's okay. Uh, after I was born, my father left. He tried to get my mother back for months, and then she agreed to meet with him. He raped her and tried to kill her, and she got pregnant with my sister Nicole. When I was eight, my mom's sister died. She had two kids, and my mom adopted them."
"Aw, Ashley, I'm...I'm so sorry," Cindy said.
"It's all right. What's done is done. It could have been worse. And honestly, as weird as it sounds, my mom is glad that my father raped her, because he gave her one of the best gifts she's ever gotten. She really loves us, but she's sort of become a workaholic. It's like the five of us are roommates and not a family. I like that you guys all sit together at the table and eat. I like that you guys talk. I'm sort of like a mother figure to my siblings. I do the girl scout meetings, I go to the basketball games. It's important for them to see a familiar face in the crowd once in a while, and since my mom can't be there, I sort of feel responsible to take her place."
"You're a good sister, Ashley," Cindy told Ashley.
"Thanks, It's...It's not always easy," Ashley told her.
"And it's not always fair either, is it? Do you ever feel like you're being forced to grow up too fast?" Jim asked.
Ashley looked at him, and gave a half smile. "I'm not being forced to do anything. I do it because I want to and because I love my family."
"You're a great person, Ashley," Brandon said in an amazed tone.
Ashley smiled a little embarrassedly. "Thank you."
The next morning Ashley got up, got ready for school, and went to David's house. Ashley honked the horn, and in an instant he came walking out to the car. Ashley smiled brightly at him, and he returned it, hopping into the car. "So, are you ready for day two?"
"Yeah. The second day of school is always such a let down," David replied.
"Well, I was thinking, if you still want to hang out on Saturday, you're more than welcome to come to my sister's game. She plays on the girls team at school. Then maybe afterward we could see about a movie or something."
"Sounds good. Um, is this...is it a date?"
"Listen David, you're a really great guy, but..."
"But let's just be friends?" David finished.
"For now," Ashley said quietly.
Everyday after school Ashley had been going to Brenda and Brandon's, and becoming closer with their family. Brenda invited her, Donna, and Kelly to stay over Friday night. Brandon had Steve, Dylan, and David coming to hang out. While everyone was hanging out in the living room, Ashley went out onto the front porch. "Hey kiddo," she heard Brandon say behind her.
Ashley turned around, "Hi."
"What's going on?"
"Nothing, just a little worrying. It's my mom's eighteenth wedding anniversery tonight."
"Wait, your parents are still married?"
"Y-Yeah. My mother never bothered with a divorce. My father's in jail, and nobody's home with her tonight."
"You're a really beautiful person," Brandon told Ashley.
"It's nice to have someone know me as more than just the popular girl. It's really refereshing to have you and Brenda here. I'm glad I met you guys before school started, that way you could see who I really was, without the popularity garbage."
He smiled at Ashley, leaned in, and kissed her softly. She smiled against his lips, and kissed him back. And then the worst possible thing happened. Ashley looked up, and saw Dylan, who looked as if he had been slapped across the face. Dylan looked at Ashley, shook his head, and went out to his car. "I'll...be back." Ashley ran after Dylan, why, she didn't know, and stood in front of the car.
"Would you get outta the way?"
"No." Ashley still cared about him, the way she did when they were close friends, and deep down, she knew she felt for him as more than that.
"Why him?" Dylan demanded. "Why Walsh?"
Ashley thought for a second, "I'm more than just a pretty face to him."
"Are you out of your mind?" Dylan questioned angrily, "You think I'm in love with you because you're pretty? You care more about your family and friends than anything in the entire world. You'd do absolutely anything for them. You're one of the bravest, most stubborn girls I've ever met. You're witty, and never miss a beat. You're funny, and your smile can brighten up any room. When I look into your eyes, it's like I can see what you're thinking. You never let your guard down, but on the rare occassions when you do, I feel like the luckiest guy on the planet. You get so passionate about everything, and always have a hyper and fun-loving spirit. You're smart, and you're definitely going places in life. When you're nervous, you chew on your hair, and I think it's the cutest thing in the world. You're tough, and would rather die than let anybody see you vulnerable. You're absolutely beautiful, inside and out, and I can't see myself with anyone else in the world besides you. And that's why I love you."
Her jaw dropped to the ground, and she felt utterly speechless. The only thing she could say was, "Dylan...I-I."
"Just...go be with Walsh," Dylan said, putting the key in the ignition.
"Can't we go back to being friends, like we used to be?"
"I don't think I can settle for that," Dylan stated.
"Please, Dylan. I had no idea you felt this way."
"I've been in love with you since day one, Ashley." Ashley stepped aside, and he drove off. That night, Brandon asked her to be his girlfriend. A part of Ashley knew it would be wrong because of Dylan, so she told him that she'd need some time to think, and the following Wednesday, Ashley found out about Dylan and Brenda. That's when she decided to say yes to Brandon.
Friday was her first real date with Brandon. He picked her up around eight, and they decided to go to the arcade. Ashley beat him at knock hockey three times in a row. Then they decided to go over and play skii ball. Her only problem with skii ball was that she didn't know her own strength, and would always throw the ball too hard. Ashley had thrown the ball, it hit the back wall, and came right back to hit her. Brandon pushed Ashley out of the way, and they both collapsed on the floor laughing. Then, in mid-laugh, they started making out.
"This is fun," Brandon said.
"Yeah, it is," Ashley replied.
"I'm starting to like Beverly Hills," he told her.
"Oh yeah?"
"Yeah," he said, kissing Ashley again. Then, they went on to play DDR, and, sadly enough, Brandon creamed Ashley, "I think we're getting our roles reversed."
"Yeah, I think so. Aren't guys supposed to be good at knock hockey?"
"And aren't girls supposed to be able to dance?" They laughed and went on to arcade bowling and basketball, which Ashley won easily. "You're good with sports," Brandon declared, clearly impressed.
"Yeah, I know a thing or two," Ashley replied.
"Want to head over to the food court?" Brandon asked.
"Sure," Ashley said, he took her hand, and they split some cheese fries. Ashley was really falling for Brandon. So much so, that she almost stopped caring about Dylan and Brenda.
When they finished their cheese fries, they went down to Brandon's car, and started kissing some more.
"I really like you," Brandon told her softly.
"I really like you, too," she told him, looking down, "I'm glad you moved here."
"Me too."
The next morning, Ashley woke up completely happy. It was a beautiful Saturday, and Kelly had called her the second she walked in the door to tell Ashley that she and Steve were back together. Ashley congratulated her, and asked her if she wanted to double with her and Brandon. Kelly suggested going to the beach, and that's what they decided to do. Ashley put on her black bathing suit, put on her sun tan lotion, got a tote bag for her towel and lotion, put her hair up in a high ponytail, threw on a blue cover-up, with matching blue shades, and Kelly picked her up.
They got Brandon first, since he lives right down the block, and then went over to get Steve. When they got to the beach, Kelly and Ashley decided to work on a sand castle, making the guys build a mote. Then, they decided to go into the water. They played around, splashing at each other for a while, and then Brandon and Ashley took turns trying to dunk each other, when Dylan showed up with his surfboard. He saw Ashley, and then started walking in the opposite direction. Ashley sighed, and Brandon said, "Go talk to him." She looked up at him, and smiled.
"You're really amazing, you know that?" Ashley told him.
"Yeah, I know," he joked, "Go ahead, talk to him."
Ashley ran out of the water and after Dylan. "Dylan? Dylan!" she shouted, and he turned around. "I don't understand why you're so mad."
"What reason do I have not to be mad, Ashley?"
"You started dating Brenda before I started dating Brandon."
"But you kissed him!"
"He was trying to make me feel better about the fact that it was the 18th anniversery of my mother's marriage, and she was home all alone. I felt guilty for leaving her, and he was comforting me. That's all. Maybe if you hadn't left in such a rush the other night, you'd have known that, and it would be you I was here with."
"Do you care about him?"
"Yeah, I really do," Ashley answered honestly, "Do you care about her?"
"Yeah," he replied, "but my feelings for her don't come close to the way I love you."
"I guess it's just bad timing," Ashley shrugged, digging into the sand with her feet.
"Yeah, I guess so. Maybe, if you want to, we could try to do that friend thing," Dylan said awkwardly.
"Really? Oh, you have no idea how happy that makes me."
"Good," Dylan said, giving her a hug. "I'll catch ya later."
"Bye," Ashley said, waving at him, and then running back to Brandon.