Author's Note: If some of this chapter doesn't make sense I'm sorry I was in a hurry when I wrote it and when I reread it I tried to fix most of the problems but if some of them are still in there... just let me know if something doesn't make sense and I will try to clarify it for you!


Steve's Room

Brandon had been spending a lot of his time hanging out with Steve because, truth be told, Kelly was getting on his nerves. All she had been doing the past few days was complaining because she had to go back to work at the store while he got to lay around the house all day. It wasn't that he didn't want to work it was just that with all the jobs you would think you could get in the Los Angeles area... he could find just one that would pay him enough so that she wouldn't have to work, but no there wasn't a single job that could pay him even a half of what he was getting before. Sure if they had to, Kelly could take the kids with her to the store but she didn't want to do that unless they absolutely had too.

Steve on the other hand was just hiding from Janet's wrath... she hadn't been too happy to find out that her job was on the line because of something Brandon had written. In fact, she had almost flat out quit and she would have if it wasn't for how much she liked Steve. They weren't exaclty dating or anything but she liked him none the less and everyone could see it except Steve. He was a morron when it came to that sort of thing and Brandon wasn't about to inform him about it... mainly because he was his only means of excape at the moment.

The two men were in the process of playing a game of airhockey when Steve just stopped the puck and stood straight up. Brandon knew what he was doing and he also knew that it wasn't good. Whenever Steve stood up like that... especially when he was winning the game... it always meant he had, what he thought was a bright idea. Usually when Steve came up with these idea... they were hairbrained skeems that never seemed to work out the way he had planed them too... however, Brandon was in need of a good laugh so he braced himself for the blow of a lifetime.

"Oh my God I don't know why I didn't think of this before!" Steve exclaimed as he started to pace back and forth.

"Whatever you are thinking stop..." Brandon started to say.

"Wait just one minute Brando this could really work!" Steve said again trying to get Brandon to listen to him.

"I can't believe I am doing this... alright lay it on me." Brandon said the sound of defeat aparent in his voice.

"There is what... three weeks until the court case right?" He asked.

"Yeah and the bills are due in two weeks..." Brandon informed him.

"The lawyers just said we weren't allowed to write under our own names... that doesn't mean that you can't write under a false one and just send it to a random paper as a free-lancer..." Steve had almost a whicked grin plastered all over his face.

"Even if your master plan works... if Kelly were to ever find out... It would be suicide on my end!" Brandon said knowing exactly what Kelly would think of one of Steve's master plans... after all she did use to date him and listened to quiet a few of those ideas.

"That's the beauty of the plan as long as you don't say anything... she will never notice!" Steve concluded with an 'I am a genious' looks on his face.

"You're forgetting one small detail here Steve-o!" Brandon relpied.

"Oh and what is that?" Steve questioned.

"Ever since Kel and I got married she can read me like a book... hell she was able to do that from day one... there is no way I am going to be able to keep this from her... I'm not doing it!" Brandon finally said putting his foot down.

There were others he had to think about before he went into this... he had a family now and regardless of anything Sanders was saying he was going to get caught... he always got caught. He had to think about his kids too... if he did go through with the idea and did get caught he would be looking at jail time... and that was something he didn't think he would be able to survive. One night was bad enough... and that wasn't even a full night! He would be looking at about five years and he didn't think he would be able to leave his kids for that long... even if there was visitation he still didn't think it would be worth the risk.

Of course before he knew it he was on the computer in the corner writting up a piece that had been in his head for the past few days. It was a follow up piece on the restoration of the park piece that had gotten them in so much trouble in the first place. It wasn't an apology or anything but it was a great piece... one that any paper would grab if given the chance. Steve was reading the article over Brandon's shoulder... something he hated but wasn't about to say anything about. When he was finished he saved it to a disk and put the disk in his bag... then he turned to Steve and began...

"Just because I wrote it doesn't mean I want it published... at least not until the Beat is back in business." Brandon warned as he left to get something from the kitchen.

"What he doesn't know won't hurt him..." Steve said quietly as he took the disk and copied the file into an email... that he soon sent to the editor of the LA Chronicle.

Now Wear This...

The store had been packed all morning and right now Kelly was busy setting up a display of shirts in the front window. She was so busy that she hadn't even noticed that one of her best friends was standing right behind her. It was lunchtime and Donna was ready to close the store so they could both run across the promanade and grab a bite to eat at the new place that just opened up. Kelly on the other hand was too busy to worry about food... it was what she had to do to keep her mind off of the twins... she knew Brandon had them but she wanted to be at home... her heart just wasn't into working anymore. It was probably because the past six months or so she had been staying at home and taking care of the twins instead of working her butt off.

"Kel... you hungry?" Donna asked but Kelly didn't respond. "Kel... earth to Kelly!" Donna tried again as she put her hand on Kelly's shoulder to get her attention.

"Jesus Donna what do you think you are trying to do... give me a heart-attack?" Kelly asked putting her left hand on her chest.

"Sorry I didn't know you were that into this display... my bad!" She said with a grin on her face.

"I'm sorry... what was it you wanted to ask me?" Kelly said regaining her composure and turning to face Donna.

"I was just wondering if you were hungry... there is this new place that just opened and I have been dying to try it out.

"Is it lunch time already? I didn't even notice..." Kelly said looking up at the clock.

"You really need to take a chill pill if you didn't even notice the time!" Donna said as her stomach growled. "Come on I'm starving!" She added.

"Okay just let me put this in the window and we can leave..." She replied putting the rack in the front window.

About twenty minutes later the two were sitting at a booth and eating probably the best food they had ever tasted... well except for the food at the Peach Pit... that was unbeatable, when Brenda walked by the window and saw them. She walked in and straight over to where they were sitting... there was something she just had to talk to Kelly about... and it was nothing bad really...

"Hey Kel, I got a question for you?" She said as Donna and Kelly looked up and noticed her standing there.

"Sure... fire away!" She said before taking another bite of her salad.

"What time was Crystal's doctors appointment?" Brenda said with a slight grin.

"One thirty... Why?" She asked not realizing the time.

"Oh no reason... its just that it is one fifteen right now and weren't you supposed to meet Brandon at the clinic?" Brenda replied.

"Crap... I gotta go Donna... I'll meet you back at the store right after I swear!" Kelly said grabbing her purse and heading for the door.

"No problem... good luck at the doctors!" Donna called after her but not really expecting her to hear anything. "So care to join me?" Donna asked Brenda.

"Why not!" Brenda said sitting down where Kelly had just been sitting.

Doctor's Office

It took Kelly twenty minutes to get to the office but once she did she found her way into the correct room and sat down next to Brandon and the twins. She was out of breath and Brandon figured it was because she had been keeping herself so busy to even think about anything. It seemed to be the only way either of them could get through the day anymore. He was hanging out with Steve to keep his mind off of all the jobs that he had been turned down from and she was finding things to do at the house or at the store that would keep her mind off of their finacial crisis... the bills were adding up to be more than she was making and with Brandon out of work there was no way they were going to be able to keep food on the table... let alone pay the electric bill.

"Hey why didn't you answer your phone?" Brandon whispered into her ear.

"I had to cancel my cell phone plan because we can't pay the bill anymore... we needed food this month." She whispered back as the doctor walked in with Crystal's folder.

"So how are things going with Crystal?" The doctor asked unaware of what they were just talking about.

"Great... We haven't heard her caugh in a few days!" Brandon said trying not to rub in the fact that he was the only one spending anytime with her.

"Well let's just see what we have here!" The doctor said as Kelly held Crystal in her lap, on the examination table.

Crystal clung to Kelly's arms as if she were about to be ripped away from her. It was almost like she was afraid that if she let her go Kelly would never come back. Kelly knew that she had been gone a lot lately but never really noticed that it hurt Crystal so much... she realized then just how much her daughter missed her and didn't want to let her go. Instead she just held her close and waited for the doctor to finish drawing blood before she said anything. The doctor finished and left the room with the sample of Crystal's blood... saying that he would be back in a moment with the results.

"She really misses you!" Brandon said noticing the tight grip the little girl had on her.

"I know... I wish I could be home more but... until the court case is over I'm afraid that isn't going to be happening." Kelly said a single tear excaping from her eye.

"Mama?" Crystal questioned as she whipped away the tear with her little hand.

"Mommy's fine sweetie pie... I love you!" She said giving her a big hug as Crystal turned around to face her. "Did you find anything today?" She asked looking back over at Brandon.

"Nat said that he could use some help and David said that he needed a good bartender... I figure together I would be making enough so that you could stay home again..." He began.

"But then you would never be home..." Kelly said as the doctor came back in.

"Yeah but we have to do something!" Brandon said not noticing the doctor.

"Fine... lets try it out for a few weeks and if you aren't completely worn out at the end of the night then we will talk about it further..." Kelly finished as she turned to the doctor. "What's the test say?" She asked as Crystal clung tighter to her.

"Well the test came back clean and from what I heard listening to her lungs earlier I would say that you have a mighty healthy daughter Mr. and Mrs. Walsh!" The doctor said as he handed both kids a sucker and left the room again.

"It's about time!" Brandon said glad that they wouldn't be making anymore trips to the emergency room any time soon.

"Three months... I'm glad its over!" Kelly added as she slid off the table and carried Crystal out of the room.

Maybe things would work out for them... Brandon was going to try and work two jobs just so that Kelly would be able to stay home... and Kelly was going to take the kids into the store with her while Brandon was at the Peach Pit just to make sure they could make all the bills. It was going to be tough but that was life... it doesn't matter where you live... life is always something that has its ups and its downs... you just have to wait it out and hope everything works out the way it is suppose too.