After the food was gone, people began to move around, changing seats and catching up. Steve found himself talking to Brenda. "Where's Janet, Steve?" Brenda asked him.
"She's working late tonight," he told her. At Brenda's look, he laughed. "No, really, she is. We're good." Taking another drink, he blurted out, "She cheated on me a few years ago."
Shocked, Brenda waited for him to go on. "It was a pretty miserable time. I love her. I love our daughter. But that's something that's hard to get over. We both made some pretty serious mistakes." Seemingly realizing what he was saying, he quickly said, "Sorry, I don't know why I'm talking about it."
Brenda put her hand over Steve's. "We've had problems, Steve. You and I haven't always gotten along so well." Steve started to say something but Brenda cut him off, "No, don't say anything. I know I'm not always the easiest person to be around." She chuckled. "Hell, I don't even like being around me sometimes. But I do love you, Steve," she told him, looking into his eyes. "And if there is ever anything you need to talk to me about, know that I'm here and that you can."
"Thanks Brenda," he said gruffly. "That means a lot to me."
"Am I interrupting?" Kelly asked, looking pointedly at Brenda's hand on Steve's.
"Nope," Brenda said, smiling and moving her hand. "Here, Kelly, take my seat. I'm going to get more booze." She winked at Steve, then walked off stage.
Watching her leave, Kelly asked Steve "What was that about?"
"Friendship," Steve told her, studying her face. Kelly looked at him.
"How's ours doing?" she asked him.
He took a long drink from his glass, then sat it down. "Ours is fine. It's everybody else's I'm worried about." Kelly grimaced at this.
At the other end of the table, Brandon and Dylan were catching up. "I don't know, man," Dylan told Brandon. "I thought getting away from everything and everyone was for the best." Watching Brenda come back to the table to sit by David, he took another drink of his soda. "I guess some things you can't run from."
"What about your son, Dylan?" Brandon asked him, more forcefully than he'd intended. "How can you not be here for him?"
Dylan turned to glare at Brandon. "You have no idea what you're talking about, Brandon. You don't understand."
"Help me understand, Dylan. Because frankly, there are a lot of things you've done in the past that makes no sense to me."
Dylan sighed. "Now's not the time, bro. But we'll talk about it." He looked Brandon in the eye. "We have to."
Donna, Val and Rick were bouncing baby names off of each other. "Too bad Ruby is taken," Rick said. "That's my grandmother's name and I've always really liked it."
"You can always have Pearl!" Donna told him. They laughed. Rick excused himself to go to the restroom.
"Okay, girl, tell me what's going on," Val told Donna.
Donna smiled but it didn't reach her eyes. "What are you talking about?" she asked.
"Donna, you and David haven't touched each other all night," Val pointed out. Donna flinched.
"I don't know, Val," Donna whispered, head down. Looking back up at her, she said, "I'm afraid I've lost him."
"You haven't lost him, honey," Val said. "He stares at you when you're not looking. No, don't look now!" she told Donna, who had started to turn her head to see if David was looking at her. "You can't let him know you know. So what's holding you back from telling him how you feel?"
"What if…What if he doesn't still feel the same way? I don't think I could take it if he didn't, Val." Donna got up and rushed off the stage. Val started to get up, but Kelly told her that she would go after Donna. Steve moved down to talk to the rest of the group.
"Yo Steve, I forgot man, where's Janet?" Steve explained to them that she was working, throwing a roll at Brandon when he raised his eyebrow like Brenda had done. "Trust me," he told them. "She's working."
"Who would have thought that Steve Sanders, of all people, would be in a committed, monogamous relationship for this long," Andrea said, hitting Steve lightly on the arm. Steve laughed nervously, then moved down to sit with Brenda and David. "Was it something I said?" Andrea asked Brandon and Dylan.
"Hey David," Val yelled down to the end of the table. "Why don't you put on some of that music you've been working on?"
Brenda nodded excitedly, "Yeah, David, let's see what they think!"
David went to set up the music and Brandon leaned close to Brenda. "This isn't opera music, is it?"
Laughing, Brenda shook her head. "Nope. Since he's been back here, David has really been working on his music again. It's great that he's helping me, but I have a feeling that his career may really take off this time. Wait until you hear it!"
As David's music began to play, the gang loosened up even more. The alcohol may have had something to do with it, too. "I can't believe I'm saying this," Dylan said to Andrea, "but I actually like his music this time."
"It is getting better," she agreed, drinking some more wine. A slow song had started playing and she began swaying in the seat to the music.
Brandon walked over to where she was sitting. "Want to dance?" he asked her.
Andrea snorted, getting choked on her wine. After laughing for a moment, she realized he was serious. "Brandon! You dance now?"
"Kate made me learn how," he said, smiling at the memory of his wife. "We took lessons for over a year. I'm still not any good," he warned her, "but I'm better at handling that now." They moved to an opening on the stage and began dancing.
"No way am I seeing this," Brenda said from behind Dylan. He turned to look at her and couldn't take his eyes away from her face. Memories flooded his thoughts, good and bad. When she smiled at him, he felt like he'd been hit in the chest with a bat. "What's wrong, Dylan? Wyoming take all of the dance out of you?"
"I don't know about that," he said, standing up slowly. Smiling, he held out his hand. "Want to find out?" The couple followed Brandon and Andrea out on the floor, holding each other close for the first time in years.
Brenda blocked out the past. She focused on being here, tonight, dancing with the only man she'd ever loved. She knew that they could never be together, but she decided to ignore that thought for now. Closing her eyes, she leaned her head onto Dylan's shoulder and sighed.
Dylan looked up as if for guidance. He had spent his life making mistake after mistake and he'd lost his way for a long time. Looking over at Kelly, he knew he had to set things straight or he'd lose the only woman he'd ever truly loved. Kelly looked over at him and gave him a tight, sad smile.
"They really love your music," Donna told David, watching Val and Rick join the couples on the floor. She looked at David, saying, "I really do too. I think it's great."
David looked away, watching them dance. When he looked back at Donna, he smiled. Donnas' breath caught. David hadn't truly smiled at her in a long time. "Do you remember," he asked her, taking her hand, "when you took a chance on a geek, kissing him in front of the entire school and daring anyone to say anything about it?"
Donnas' eyes welled up with tears as she nodded. She remembered. It had been her and David's first actual date, though in the beginning she'd maintained that it was only a friendly evening. Her friends considered David a nerd and she had been afraid of what they'd think if they knew she liked him. For the first time in her life, Donna had taken a stand and decided to act on her feelings. It had been love for her from the beginning.
"I've done so many stupid things," David told her, looking into her eyes. "I don't know if we can ever get over them." He paused and looked down. "But we have to try, Donna. We can't let that bold and courageous act," he smiled and she giggled, "go to waste."
"Oh, David, I've messed up too," she told him, leaning closer to him. "But I still love you today as much as I loved you then. As much as I loved you on the day we got married…maybe even more," she finished in a whisper. Leaning closer, David lightly brushed his lips over Donnas'.
On the stage, Steve tapped Brandon on the shoulder. "Excuse me, Walsh, are you making time with my Zuckerman?"
Laughing, Brandon pulled back. "Maybe," he said. "Are you trying to cut in?"
"It's been too long since I've danced with this little lady," Steve said, taking Andrea's hands. "Beat it, Shorty," he told Brandon, smiling. Laughing, they twirled off.
Stopping by Brenda and Dylan, he picked his sister up and swung her around, kissing her forehead before handing her back to Dylan. Laughing like a kid, Brenda shook her finger at him. Shaking his head and still smiling, Brandon walked back to the table and took a sip of his drink. He had to admit, his sister could throw a party. It felt good to be a part of this group again. "Like old times, isn't it?" Kelly said, walking up beside him. She'd gone to call Silver to check on Sammy and Ruby.
"Hey, Kel," Brandon said somewhat awkwardly. He hadn't really talked to Kelly alone in years and didn't know how or what he was supposed to say.
Kelly watched Brenda and Dylan dance. "They've always danced like they were made for each other, have you ever noticed that?" she asked Brandon. Brandon looked to find Dylan dipping his sister, both of them laughing. He had always thought Brenda and Dylan looked right together, from the beginning. Like they were two pieces of a puzzle made just for each other.
"Maybe they were," Brandon said, studying Kelly's face. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. He immediately felt bad for hurting her. "Hey, Kel," he started.
She opened her eyes and he could see the tears in them. "I have hurt so many people, Brandon. Almost every person on that floor? I have hurt them in some way." She turned so that she was facing him. "And I know that I hurt you." She waved off whatever he was going to say. "It's true, Brandon. Because of my own selfishness, the people that I love are constantly getting hurt. And I'm so sorry," she said, turning to run out of the room.
The song ended and Brandon turned to follow her. Brenda had walked up to him and put her hand on his arm to stop him. "Let me, okay?" Brandon nodded and sat back down at the table.
Everyone else had returned to the table and a discussion of the Peach Pit was going on. Laughing at something Val said, Brandon replied but his thoughts were with Brenda and Kelly.
"Hey Kelly, wait up," Brenda called out, rushing after Kelly.
Kelly slowed down but didn't stop walking. Finally reaching her, Brenda touched Kelly's arm. Stopping abruptly, Kelly whirled on Brenda. "I get it, okay?" Kelly said shrilly. "You win, Brenda. You can have them all." She began crying in earnest. "I don't deserve them anyway."
Taken aback, Brenda didn't know what to say. "Kelly, it's never been a contest," she started.
"It has always been a contest, Brenda. Maybe not for you, because you're not like that." Kelly looked up. "You're a good person, Brenda. You always have been. I'm not like you." She wiped some tears off of her face. "I always wanted to be you, you know? Everyone gravitated to you, everyone loved you. I thought if I could just have what you had, then everyone would love me. It didn't work like that."
"Kelly, you are a good person," Brenda told her. "You help people all of the time."
"Brenda, how can you even say that to me? After everything I've done, why can't you just hate me? Why do you have to be so perfect and forgiving?" Kelly raged. "I saw what you had with Dylan and I took it! I took the love of your life and made him mine. I have his son, for God's sakes. And you're telling me I'm a good person?"
Brenda jerked back, feeling Kelly's word like a physical blow. Of course it had hurt her that Kelly and Dylan had fallen in love with each other. It still hurt her every day. The past was the past, though, and she couldn't do anything about it. "Kelly, I-"
"Just forget it, Brenda. Just leave me alone." With that, Kelly ran out the door.
Standing in the hallway, Brenda wondered what the hell had just happened.