Chapter 2

"I'm still pissed as hell Robs" Brenda said to her friend on the phone

"It's been ten years Brenda, you have to let things go" Robin Scorpio said as she prepped for her next patient.

"I thought I had, I really did, I was moving along fine, I met Maxwell, and we had a nice healthy relationship" Robin was glad that Brenda wasn't there to see her facial expression at the mention of Brenda's last long-term boyfriend. He was what people would call the "nice guy", nice and boring, the kind of guy that didn't challenge Brenda at all, which is what Bren was hiding behind. She hadn't known Brenda when she and Dylan had dated but she had a feeling that he challenged her friend and Brenda didn't want to go there again, so she dated guys like Maxwell "the nice" and ended up breaking up with them because they too…everything.

"Yes, B, you did, you had a nice somewhat healthy with Max, so what happened?"

"I don't know, I got back here, and I was all zen and L.A. happy and then I stepped into my old room and even though the room is different the memories just came back and I can see him everywhere" she sat down on her bed "Dammit Robin, I'm over him, I'm so fucking over him, it's not even funny, I'm back here because I wanted to come home. I don't want the stupid drama that I left behind ten years ago"

'Maybe that's the problem" Robin said

"What do you mean?"

"You just left, you never really dealt with it. Dylan broke your heart and Kelly hurt you and never really faced it, you just left and you've been gone all this time. And even though everyone's been moving on, it's still there. I mean you are going to have to see them eventually, they are still close to Brandon"

"Ha, speaking of my brother, are you going to tell me what happened with you two?" Brenda jumped up

"No! Don't change the subject, we're talking about you." Robin reminded her

"Who's avoiding now?"

"Still you"

"I hate you"

"You love me"

"Yeah I do"

""I gotta go, patients to see, call me and let me know what happens… and Bren" she waits a few seconds "How is he?"

Brenda knew who she was talking about "I haven't seen him yet, cause he couldn't pick me up from the airport, but we are having dinner, but maybe you should call him and find out for yourself, because he sounds just as miserable when he asks me about you"

"Bye Brenda" Robin turns off her phone

"Stubborn idiots" Brenda murmurs to herself

"Who are you talking to sis" Brandon asked leaning against the doorframe of his sister's room and smiling. Some things never changed and for that he was glad. Brenda Walsh would always be over the top and a bit dramatic, but he loved her for it.

"Brandon!" She ran and launched herself into his arms. She hadn't realized how much she missed him until he was actually standing in front of her. She felt tears come to her eyes and tried to blink them away before they fell, but was too late.

"What's this?" Brandon pulled her away when he felt the tears on his shoulders. "Hey" he said softly when she started sobbing harder. He pulled her back into his arms and just held her.

"I'm… sorry… Bran… I'm just so… happy to…be back"

"Yeah, I can tell" he led her downstairs and into the kitchen and sat her on one of the stools. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing…everything, really Brandon, I think I'm just overwhelmed coming home, you know, it all just hit me." She smiled at him and wiped her eyes "I'll be fine" she jumped off the stool "besides Robin said I just need to deal with all of my shit" she wasn't looking at him so she didn't see him look up sharply at the mention of Robin's name.

"You talked to her?" he asked casually

Brenda rolled her eyes "Yeah Brandon, she my friend, I talk to her all the time, maybe you should try it sometime, wanna tell me what happened? I mean a few weeks ago you two were in happy blissful land and then nothing, so what the hell happened?"

"It's complicated" he murmured

"Yeah, that's what she said too" she looked at her brother's face and saw that he was in pain "You're in love with her Brandon" when he didn't say anything, she sighed "Ok, so uncomplicated it, you don't get a lot of chances in life for the kind of happiness you guys had, so don't screw it up"

"Stay out of it Brenda" he warned her

"Whatever" she shook her head "let's go eat, I'm starved"

"Stubborn idiots" Brenda muttered to herself as they walked out the door.

xxxxxxx

She had been back in town for a week and had been settling in, a least that's what she told herself. That was her excuse for not going by The Peach Pit. She'd talked to Nat and he'd told her to come by the place and she'd said she would as soon as she could, but she was avoiding. She knew that everyone (meaning the old gang, as people use to call them) still went there regularly. Even though they were all grown up, they had remained close, and their lives had gone on without her. Her brother and parents had given her occasional updates on their lives with the exception of Dylan and Kelly. But even now and then the tidbit of information had filtered through. She knew that Donna and David were still together, even after all this time, though they had had their ups and downs. After the whole Dylan/Kelly thing, Donna had tried to remain loyal to both she and Kelly, but things had gotten weird and they had drifted apart, and David had followed suit. Andrea had gotten married and had a kid, which was crazy, but she was a doctor, which was more like Andrea. She talked to her once in a while since she'd moved to Paris. The most surprising relationship to her had been hers and Steve's. He had been the most supportive, next to Brandon, and they had stayed in touch over the years. Now she was back and she knew she had to man up. Robin was right, she wasn't someone who hid behind her problems and ten years were long enough.

"Brenda Walsh, do my eyes deceive me, or are you more beautiful now then when you left here" Nat called out in surprise when the woman walked through his door.

The two people in the corner booth of The Peach Pit heads snapped up simultaneously at the comment.

"Gee Nat, Brandon's always telling me you have 20/20 vision, so who am I to dispute" Brenda laughed

"Come here" he came around the counter and enveloped her in a hug "look at you, all grown up, and you finally decide to grace me with your presence huh"

"I got thirsty for the best milkshake in town" she sat down at the counter "How are you Nat?"

Dylan had been watching Brenda from the moment Nat said her name. He couldn't take his eyes off her, Nat was right, she was even more beautiful now then when she had left ten years ago. Brenda Walsh, Brenda fucking Walsh, the only woman who had ever haunted him, left him wanting and broken his heart. Ok, the last part was his fault, but still she shattered him and he'd never been whole since her.

"So, Brenda's back" Kelly Taylor stated in a quiet voice bringing his attention back to her

"Yeah, didn't Brandon tell you?"

"We haven't really talked in the last couple of weeks" she looked down

"Yeah, what's going on there?" He and Kelly had come a long way and had worked towards a close friendship. He knew her pretty well and knew when there was something going on with her. She had been acting strange the last few weeks, especially around Brandon. "Does this have anything to do with him and Robin?" He leaned in. "Ok, wow" He shook his head when she only stared at him "Don't tell me then" he turned back to Brenda only to find her staring in his direction with a look of part shock and part annoyance. After what seemed like forever, but had to only have been a few seconds, she broke eye contact and turned back to Nat.

You have got to be FUCKING kidding me. Brenda thought to herself as she continued her conversation with Nat. Of all of the people she could have run into on her first day back to The Peach Pit, those two? Those two! It was the middle of the freaking day, didn't they have anything better to do? Didn't Brandon mention that Dylan ran some sort of company, yeah Dylan running a company, if that wasn't enough to keel you over with shock, nothing was. So why wasn't he there? And Kelly wasn't she a counselor at a High school or something? It's a damn school day, so go to school.

"So, you want a piece of pie with your shake?" Nat asked her

"Yeah, but can I get it to go Nat? I still have a ton of stuff to unpack, and I have to head to the theater to start rehearsal for my new play"

"You got it"

Dylan watched Brenda as she stood to leave. He had been debating all week whether or not to casually 'drop by' cassa Walsh to see Brandon. He'd known from Brandon, Steve and Valarie that Brenda was holed up at that house unpacking her stuff. He'd wanted to see her, talk to her. It had been ten years since he'd last talked to her, not so long since he'd seen her though, although she didn't know that. He'd last seen her a year ago, at the debut of her last major play in Paris. He'd been to most of her plays, and had always left before he was seen because she had left her life in L.A. partially because of him and he didn't want to screw up the one she'd built in France. But now she was back and it was ten years later.

"I have to go, I'll talk to you later" he said to Kelly as he rushed out of the booth when he saw her walk out of the door.

"See ya Nat" he called out as he passed him

"Uh huh"

xxxxxx

"Hi Brenda" Brenda froze, she was almost at her car door when she heard that voice, that deep sexy voice say her name in the way only he could, all slow and drawn out, like he was savoring it. She was tempted to keep walking and pretend like she didn't hear him, but that would make her childish, so she stopped and turned around slowly.

"Dylan McKay" She took a deep breath "You haven't changed much" She lied as she slowly gave him a once over. He had changed a lot. She had first noticed it in the diner when she had glanced over and saw him and Kelly sitting all cozy in their booth. His hair was still full and dark, but it had some natural streaks in it like he spent a lot of time out in the sun, and knowing him, he probably did. It was just long enough to brush against his collar and gave him that unkempt sexy look. He still had that dangerous 'come with me and I'll take you anywhere you want to go, but when we get there I get to have my way with you" look in his eyes. Well screw you McKay, been there, done that and I learned my lesson.

"You've changed" he said as he walked toward her "Nat's right you know, you've gotten even more beautiful" he stopped directly in front of her and reached out to play with a strand of her hair. She had cut it a few years ago, but was letting it grow out now.

"And you've gotten even more bold McKay" she said coolly as she stood there and stared at him with raised eyebrow s. She wasn't going to let him rattle her, or at least she wasn't going let him know he was rattling her. She wondered if he could hear her heart pounding just because he was playing with her stupid hair. "Are you done re-styling my hair? I need to go" she smirked.

"Yeah, you've change" Dylan grinned, her coolness was starting to get to him. He wanted to affect her but she seemed immune to him, was she really over him? He knew it had been a long time, but what they'd had was more than…well it was just more and maybe it was naïve of him to think that he could recapture it, but he needed to try, because all these years he had been existing, not really living. He had been giving her time to find herself because he was the one who screwed it up and he refuse to believe that there wasn't a chance for them. "The Brenda Walsh I knew was all fire, not ice"

"Yeah well the Brenda Walsh you knew left a long time ago, McKay" she said, eyes flashing

"No, no there she is" he whispered right before pulling her to him and crushing his lips to hers.

Brenda didn't have time to process what was happening before Dylan's hands slid up the back of her neck and angled her head to give him better access to her mouth. She sighed and he took the opportunity to slip his tongue between her teeth.

The kiss had started out as a way to get a reaction out of her, to make her feel something for him, but Dylan wasn't sure if anyone had asked him in that moment what his name was if he would have remembered, he'd forgotten where he was, he'd forgotten everything but the woman in his arms.

Her skin was on fire, she was literally burning up. He tasted the same, and yet different, she stop thinking and started feeling, for the first time in a long time, a part of herself that she had buried came alive. She brought her hands up to wrap them around his neck and felt herself drowning in him.

"Bren" he moaned

That jolted her out of the state she was in, him saying her name like that, the same way he used to say it after they'd make love or just make out, like she was the only one that he would ever love. She dropped her arms and when he started to reach for her again she stepped back quickly.

Narrowing her eyes she glared at him "In the future, keep your hands to yourself McKay" she turned to walk the rest of the way to her car.

"Hey Brenda" she stopped without turning "you know this isn't finished right?"

She looked over her shoulders at him "There's nothing here Dylan, we're done"

If he hadn't seen the look in her eyes, he would have believed her, but even after all this time, he still knew her better than anyone and although her voice said it's over, eyes were singing a different tune, and Brenda Walsh heart were always in her eyes. "Oh no, Bren" he watched her get in her car and drive away. "We've just begun…again."