Author's Note: Just an FYI: I have the next two chapters done, but this time, I am holding them hostage. Evil, yes. Cruel, maybe.

The way I see this, as much as I could then keep rewriting this season, I'm going to have to wrap up this story within a few more chapters. Perhaps I'll do another AU piece, maybe go further back to high school. I have a point-of-view one-shot piece done as well, and I have the general framework for Baby Love written. I just need the motivation.

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Chapter 10: Leaving On a Jet Plane

"Comfortable?"

"Yeah, very," Brenda replied, nestling her body against the plush seat and laying back against the head rest.

"Once you fly first-class, you can never go back," Stuart declared, reaching up to adjust the air flow coming from the nozzle above his seat. "But don't worry, my dear, you won't have to." He leaned over and pressed his lips to hers, but quickly drew back when a stewardess passed by their row. "Could I get a Jack Daniels straight? Brenda, honey, you want something?"

"Oh, I don't know, Stuart," she began. He waved his hand absently.

"We should be celebrating. Get a drink!" he ordered playfully.

"Um, can I get a vodka and orange juice?" she asked tentatively.

"Absolutely," the stewardess, whose name tag read "Heather," replied with a forced smile. "IDs?"

"Excuse me?" Stuart balked.

"I need to see your identification, sir," she repeated. "Airline policy. We're held to the same standards as a bar when it comes to serving alcohol."

"Yeah, cause I'm sure lots of underage kids can fly first-class," he snorted. She gave him another tight-lipped smile.

"You'd be surprised," she answered dryly. "Do you have identification?" Stuart rolled his eyes and shifted in his seat to retrieve his wallet from his back pocket. He flipped open the wallet and flashed his driver's license sardonically in front of the woman's face. She nodded and turned her attention towards Brenda.

"I'll have a Coke," Brenda replied meekly. "I don't have identification with me," she lied.

"Very well." And the stewardess walked to the front of the first-class cabin where the drinks were stationed. Stuart sighed and took Brenda's right hand in his. He brought it to his lips and kissed it gently.

"I could have gotten you a drink if you really wanted it," he suggested. "I have my ways."

"It wasn't worth it, Stuart. Don't worry about it," she said, glancing out the window.

"We should be taking off soon," he pointed out. She nodded. "You're awfully quiet."

"I'm just thinking, that's all," she hedged. And she was. She couldn't stop thinking about how Brandon had reacted to her news. Or how he hadn't reacted, really. She knew she had done some impulsive things over the years, and Brandon was usually the one who had to pick up the pieces where their parents were concerned. But she had figured that eloping to Las Vegas would easily top the list of the craziest things she had done, and she had full expected Brandon to read her the riot act when she came face to face with him in the entry hall.

And he had done nothing. He had been…supportive. She was still puzzled by it, and it had consumed her thoughts since Stuart had rang the doorbell and whisked her off to the airport.

"You think our mothers are going to be mad when they realize they've missed out on the big wedding?" Stuart interrupted her quiet reflection.

"Oh, probably," she nodded in agreement. "I think my mom is going to be just plain mad, and it'll have nothing to do with not planning a wedding. And my dad is going to hit the roof. They'll probably hear him screaming all the way back in Minnesota."

"And you didn't tell anyone, right?" Stuart prompted. Brenda twisted the large diamond ring resting on the fourth finger of her left hand. "Bren?"

"I didn't tell anyone. But as I was waiting for you, my brother stopped home, and he figured out something was up. I had to tell him," she confessed. Stuart's brow dipped, and his expression clouded over.

"He won't ruin this for us, will he?"

"No, no," Brenda replied, shaking her head. "He promised me. And he was strangely cool about the whole thing. I mean, Brandon's so level-headed, I had really expected the worse when I saw him."

"Well, good. Ah, thank you, very much," he announced, taking his drink from the stewardess, who had returned.

"Miss, here you go." Brenda accepted her soda with a smile and a quiet 'thank you.'

"If you say you trust your brother, I believe you," he reached over and squeezed her hand. "I just don't want anything to stop this wedding, you know? I can't wait to make you my wife." He took her chin in his hand and guided her lips towards his, catching her in a heated embrace. Brenda responded, though she was surprised to find her heart just didn't seem into it. What is wrong with you? she chided herself. Snap out of it.

"I think I'm going to use the restroom before we take off," she murmured, breaking the kiss. Stuart wiggled his eyebrows at her suggestively.

"Maybe I should join you. I've always wanted to become a member of the Mile-High Club." Brenda stood and shook her head, letting out a soft laugh.

"You actually have to be off the ground to do that, Stuart," she indicated. Stuart chuckled and took a long sip of his drink.

"Touche, my love." He patted her rear end as she stepped past him. "Hurry back."

Brenda heard the captain's voice come over the loudspeaker as she was sliding the "occupied" latch across the bathroom door. She sighed, knowing she only had a few moments of privacy before one of the flight attendants would notice the restroom wasn't vacant and would order her back to her seat for take-off. She placed her hands against the metal sink, bracing her body with the weight of her upper arms. She looked up and caught her reflection in the tiny mirror.

"What am I doing?" she whispered.

***

Brandon walked briskly towards the main building that housed the student union, feeling good about the test he hoped he had just aced, but at the same time, anxious to deal with the other problem that had caught him off-guard that morning.

What the hell was his sister doing? Brenda had done some downright stupid things in her life, and he had served as witness to most of them. But running off to Las Vegas to elope with Stuart Carson…that bordered on insanity.

He had surprised himself with the calm approach he had taken at Brenda's revelation. He knew Brenda well enough to know his demeanor had to have thrown her. He also knew it would plant just enough doubt in her head to maybe buy him the time he needed to do what he knew he had to do.

And he had to stop this wedding.

Brandon spotted Kelly seated alone at table near the far end of the student center. She was twirling a straw in a cup absentmindedly and staring off in the distance. He quickened his pace and made his way towards her.

"Kelly!" he called as he approached her, a relieved smile spreading onto his face. She looked up, and he saw the concern etched onto her own expression. She rose to her feet just as he reached her.

"Brandon, what's wrong? You have me a little freaked out here, I'm not going to lie." He nodded, placing a hand on her shoulder and guiding her back down into her seat, settling his own frame into the chair directly next to hers.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to get you upset," he replied, regretting that he hadn't said more reassuring things on the phone. He hated to think she had been sitting in a panic for the better part of the last hour. "But you were the only one I could think to call."

"Me?" She looked surprised. He smiled crookedly.

"Yeah, well, I took a little bit of liberty with a promise I made."

"Brandon, please tell me what's going on," she pleaded.

"Okay, Kel, it's like this. My sister…your friend…our dear, crazy Brenda, has decided to up and head to Las Vegas to marry Stuart Carson. Tonight," he divulged, observing Kelly as the shock crept onto her face and her china-blue eyes widened more each second.

"Oh my God," she sputtered, covering her gaping mouth with a hand. "She did not!" she exclaimed in disbelief. Brandon nodded.

"I know," he lamented.

"What is she thinking?" Kelly said, shaking her head.

"I wish I knew," he laughed bitterly. "But there are so many things wrong with this, Kel, and I'm not even sure what the worst part is."

"Lying to friends and family is a start," she offered. He sighed.

"Kel, I need to tell you something," he murmured, making the split-second decision to tell her about Dylan's appearance at the engagement party. "And I'm not sure if it's going to upset you or not, but…" he trailed off. Kelly's brow contorted in confusion.

"If it has anything to do with Brenda's temporary insanity, you should just tell me. We've got to figure out what to do about this, Brandon," she declared quietly.

"I know some things about Stuart Carson, things that really make me worry about my sister tying the knot with him. And most of what I know came courtesy of Dylan."

"Dylan," Kelly echoed, an empty ring to it. "Yeah, Dylan had some choice things to say about Stuart as soon as Brenda introduced him to us all. Right before we…broke up…" At the words "broke up," Brandon noticed she had paused and took a minute before choosing that phrase. "Well," she continued, "Dylan told me that when he knew Stuart back in high school, Stuart wasn't exactly the cleanest guy, and his hands were dipping pretty deep in the drug scene."

"Yeah, he told me that too. And I tried to give Stuart the benefit of the doubt, saying time can change people, and people grow up, but there was still something nagging me about the guy."

"Some people just come across as assholes, and time does nothing but make them worse," she proffered. "Take John Sears, for example." She gritted her teeth and made a face. "You're a pretty good judge of character, Brandon. If you've got a bad feeling about someone, I'd believe that something isn't right." She paused again. "Why did you think I'd be mad about Dylan sharing some information?"

"I don't know," he confessed. "I guess I just don't know how you feel about Dylan right now, or the fact he continues to push at how wrong Stuart is for Brenda."

"Did you think I'd be jealous?" she asked softly. He looked away, not sure how much he should say or how far he should press the issue.

"Maybe," he replied. "I also think you should know that Dylan did show up to the party the other night." Kelly drew in a breath, clearly surprised by this revelation.

"Really," she murmured, drawing her bottom lip between her teeth. She began to fiddle with the straw in her drink again. "Why didn't he grace any of the rest of us with his presence?"

"I overheard him arguing with Stuart in the lobby. Brenda was there too. He had gotten some kind of evidence about a prenuptial agreement, and Stuart went ballistic. Apparently it had been a point of contention between Stuart and Brenda, and somehow, Dylan knew it. Once he had made his announcement, he said something about his job being done, and he left." He studied Kelly carefully as he explained what had happened, but her expression was impossible to read. She suddenly straightened her shoulders and exhaled deeply.

"Well, Dylan can do whatever he pleases right now," she replied. "We're not exclusive anymore. I wouldn't even know if we're even really seeing each other right now, Brandon, and I'm not sure I care," she sighed again. "I spend a lot of time and energy worrying about Dylan McKay, and I'm beginning to wonder if I'm wasting my time."

"Kel, I didn't mean…" Brandon began.

"We're going to need him though ," she said softly.

"I thought you might say that," he replied.

"He's the only one who even has a remote chance of stopping her," she continued. "If I tried…if you tried…if your parents tried…"

"My parents can't know. That was the promise I made to Brenda. And I'll keep that promise." He paused. "Do you want me to talk to Dylan?" She bit her lip again and pushed her hair back, kneading her scalp with her fingertips.

"I'll talk to him," she murmured. "Do you think we should tell anyone else?"

"What do you think?" he asked, leaning towards her. She shrugged.

"If we're not successful in stopping this insanity, don't you think she'd at least be happy to have her friends there?" she suggested. Brandon nodded.

"Good point. Alright, well, I guess we're going to Vegas."

"Not exactly how I thought I'd first be seeing Sin City," she mused quietly. Brandon chuckled.

"I know," he agreed. "Well, I guess I'll start with Steve."

"I'll tell David and Donna when I go home to grab a few things," she offered. "I guess we're going to have to stay the night?"

"I can't see flying there and flying right back, can you? Do you have class tomorrow?" She shook her head.

"I don't think most people do," she reminded him. "Mostly just the seminars on Wednesdays, since classes tend to be Monday/Thursday and Tuesday/Friday."

"Yeah, I don't have class either. So we might as well stay the night. I guess we wait and see who's going before anyone buys plane tickets or books rooms," he replied. "But we need to get moving. I don't know how many flights will run to Vegas between now and this evening. Brenda looked ready to leave for the airport when I saw her, so my guess is she and Stuart had a flight leaving right about now."

"We can worry about rooms when we get there," she pointed out. "It's Vegas. There will be someplace with rooms." She stood and pushed in her chair. "I'll go by Dylan's house, then I'll head back to my place. I'll give you a call when I get there, and we can figure out where to go from there."

"Sounds like a plan," he agreed. He reached over and grabbed Kelly's hand. "Thanks, Kel."

"Anything for you, Brandon," she replied softly, locking her eyes on his.

"You mean Brenda?" he corrected her gently.

"Maybe," she answered, turning and walking away. Brandon raked a hand through his hair absently, checking his watch as he returned his hand to his side. He was going to have to move quickly if he was going to pull this off.

He would have the flight to Vegas to consider the utterly confusing feelings he was starting to have for Kelly Taylor.

***

"Ladies and gentlemen, the captain has turned on the fasten-seatbelt sign, indicating the start of our descent into McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas, Nevada. We ask at this time that you return to your seats, fasten your seatbelts, and remain seated for the duration of the flight. Current temperature in Las Vegas is a balmy 87 degrees, and we should be on the ground shortly." Brenda stared out the window as the flight attendant's announcement came to a close. The reds and beiges and rust-tones of the desert blended into one shimmering gold sea from the sky, and the shadows from the mountains in the east cast spidery fingers across the barren landscape.

"Such an easy little flight," Stuart nudged her with his elbow. "Not even an hour, and you're at paradise's doorstep." Brenda looked back out the window and rolled her eyes. She knew Las Vegas was a hedonist's pleasure dome, but paradise wasn't usually the word she'd associate with casinos and nightclubs. Hawaii…Palm Springs…Mexico…now those were paradises.

She found herself thinking about those few days she had spent in Mexico with Dylan what seemed like so long ago. The little resort he frequented in Baja was still vivid in her mind's eye. She reminisced wistfully at how blissfully happy they had been when it was just the two of them and the outside world had disappeared.

She knew she and Dylan had never had a conventional relationship. It had been a good one, though, at least by her accounts, and she had mostly fond memories of the time that she and Dylan had dated. He had really been the first guy she had ever truly loved, and from what they said, that kind of love stayed with you forever. Brenda believed that, and she decided that there was a part of her that would always love Dylan McKay, no matter who else was by her side.

Brenda often found herself wondering what might have been if she had never taken that trip to Paris the summer before senior year. Would she and Dylan have made it, in spite of her father's opposition? Would they have survived the rest of high school, or would they have broken up down the road anyway? Would Dylan have fallen for Kelly regardless?

Somehow, Brenda decided that it would have been far more painful to have lost him to her best friend right in front of her face, and she knew it was easier to blame the nearly six-thousand miles separating them that summer. But it still irritated her that she was never completely sure how the two of them had gotten together and betrayed her in the first place. She wanted to believe that things would have been different if she had never left, that if Kelly had been the one to make a play for Dylan, she never would have done so with Brenda right there. Consequently, she also wanted to think if Dylan had pursued Kelly, he wouldn't have given her a second look if Brenda had been nearby.

Still, the pain had never completely gone away.

She wasn't surprised that Dylan and Kelly had had their ups and downs; they just never really seemed to fit in her opinion, and that wasn't her jealousy talking. She wouldn't deny her friend was beautiful, and most guys would have been instantly attracted to her, but Dylan had always sworn to Brenda that he cared more about what was beneath the surface than what was on the outside. So she liked to think it had to have been more than just physical beauty that had drawn Dylan to Kelly. That had at least done a little to ease Brenda's own insecurities that he had just stopped being attracted her when tempted by Kelly.

"Brenda?"

"Hmm?" she murmured.

"You've been daydreaming for, like ten minutes. We landed just a minute ago." Brenda flushed slightly, chiding herself silently for getting so caught up in her memories she hadn't even noticed the plane touching down.

"Oh," she replied meekly. Stuart laughed and unfastened his seat belt.

"I guess you've got a lot on your mind," he joked.

"You could say that," she replied vaguely.

"It's only natural," he added. "It is your wedding day."

"Yeah, it is," she echoed.

"Well, I've got a driver waiting for us once we taxi and arrive at the gate. Having just carry-on luggage is good, since we can skip the damn baggage claim," he said. "And I figured we'd have the car take us right to the hotel, and we can put our things in our suite, and maybe relax or just walk around the casino for a bit. I don't think it will be too hard to find a suitable wedding chapel later tonight." He paused. "Unless you just want to all out take the plunge right away?" he added quickly. Her chest tightened at the suggestion, and she shook her head slowly.

"No, getting settled and relaxing for a bit sounds great." Stuart smiled brightly.

"Okay." He leaned down and kissed the top of Brenda's head. "We'll make tonight a night to remember, then."

"Absolutely," she whispered.

***

Kelly took a deep breath and knocked on Dylan's door. She shifted nervously on the porch, not sure why she was so anxious about talking to a guy she had been sharing a bed with as recently as two weeks ago.

"Yeah," Dylan swung open the door, and she saw a flicker of surprise in his eyes as they settled on her. "Kel. Surprise, surprise."

"Hi," she replied smoothly. "We need to talk." She raised an eyebrow at him and waited for him to invite her in. He leaned against the doorframe and placed a hand on the wall.

"We always need to talk, don't we? What is it this time?"

"Dylan, this isn't a time for you to be facetious with me. Can I please come in?" She clenched her fists tightly and then unfurled them just as quickly, trying to keep her rising annoyance in check. He waved his arm in an exaggerated gesture.

"Suit yourself," he answered. Kelly rolled her eyes and pushed past him. "What's the occasion?"

"Thought you might be interested in knowing that at this moment, Brenda is on a plane to Las Vegas with the intention of marrying Stuart Carson. Tonight," she emphasized. Dylan's forehead wrinkled in contemplation, and she watched the anger slowly seep into his eyes.

"I told her that scumbag was no good for her!" he yelled. "What the hell is she thinking? How do you know this?"

"Brandon," she replied. "He found her waiting for Stuart to pick her up this morning, and he called me. Said he had promised Brenda he wouldn't tell Mr. and Mrs. Walsh, but he knew he couldn't stand by and let her do this." She licked her lips. "Brandon and I figured you might be the only one who could stop her."

"And why is that?" he snarled. "She hasn't listened to me up to this point."

"Because, Dylan, you and I both know that no matter what happens, Brenda still cares what you think. She always has, and she always will. There have never been only two people in our relationship," she added. "She's always been looming there, even when you chose me over her."

"Kelly," he began, exasperated. "I'm not going to do this again. I'm not gonna talk about you, me and Brenda. I did make a choice, and I chose you. And you were the one who decided we should see other people, may I remind you?"

"Dammit, Dylan, this isn't about you and me! This is about Brenda. If you are so convinced Stuart Carson is bad news, you need to get your ass on a plane with Brandon and me and anyone else who's gonna tag along and lay it all out to her. In person."

"And I'm telling you, I've tried twice now to talk some sense into that girl, and she wasn't willing to listen either time."

"Telling Brandon how you felt about Stuart and showing up at a party for a few minutes to cause trouble isn't really talking to Brenda," she pointed out. "I don't think any of us thought she'd do something this impulsive…"

"You didn't?" he snorted. "I could have told you this is what she'd do if she was pushed too far. But I think Stuart is the one doing the pushing, and I don't actually think this is about him. I think she's doing this to prove a point."

"That's a little careless, Dylan. Even Brenda wouldn't be stubborn enough to go as far as to marry someone to prove a point. And to whom?" She watched Dylan's expression change, like a light had gone on and something had dawned on him.

"So you're going to Vegas?" he interjected.

"We…Brandon and I…we were planning on it."

"I'm in. Let's go."

***

Within two hours, Brandon was standing in a terminal at LAX, waiting for his friends to arrive. He had a small duffel bag at his feet, and his eyes were fixed on the arrival and departure screens. Flights to Vegas were plentiful, they had learned, but each subsequent flight out of Los Angeles closed the window a bit tighter as to them arriving in time to put a stop to Brenda and Stuart's wedding. He had already checked in and gotten his boarding pass, and he had deduced that the gate would actually be the most logical place to meet. So he stood, at Gate 12, waiting.

Steve, of course, had been on board the second the word "Vegas" had left Brandon's lips. In fact, Brandon wasn't entirely sure that Steve was as concerned with the true nature of the trip as the rest of them. But it wasn't really something he was going to dwell on at the moment. When they arrived in Vegas, what Steve did was his business. He wouldn't get very far with his fake ID, anyway, Brandon mused.

Donna and David had also decided to go, though Andrea had opted not to. She had told Brandon while she wanted to do her part to support Brenda, whatever that might have been, she was one of the few who did have Wednesday morning class, and it was a three-hour seminar for biology, a prerequisite for all students who eventually wanted to go pre-med. Brandon wished she had been able to come. Andrea was the very voice of reason, and her mere presence made people think a little clearer.

"Brandon!" He spun around at the sound of Kelly's voice and found her walking briskly through the terminal towards where he was standing, Donna and David following closely behind. Donna was dragging a large suitcase behind her. Kelly and David were both carrying small bags over their shoulders. Both Kelly and Donna had clearly dressed to impress, Brandon noticed. Donna's clingy mini-dress left little to the imagination, but Kelly's slinky sundress accented all the right curves without being obvious. Brandon swallowed hard.

"Hey, guys. Thanks for doing this," he said as they finally came to a stop before him.

"It's Vegas," David grinned. "I wouldn't miss it." Kelly smacked him on the shoulder.

"This isn't a pleasure trip, David. We're on a mission," she reminded him.

"Yeah, and if the mission is successful, I'm gonna experience some pleasure. It's stupid not to take advantage. It's Vegas!" he repeated. Kelly caught Brandon's eye and rolled hers for emphasis.

"Bright light city gonna set my soul, gonna set my soul on fire!" Steve's booming voice could be heard halfway down the terminal, his off-key singing announcing his arrival before he came into sight. Kelly shook her head. Steve spotted his friends and quickened his pace, jogging towards them. "Got a whole lot of money that's ready to burn, so get those stakes up higher!" He greeted the gang by grabbing Kelly around the waist and twirling her as he continued singing.

"Give it a rest, Elvis," she complained, straightening her dress, smoothing it over her hips. "Why are you guys so chipper? Brenda is planning to get married. This is serious!" Steve snorted.

"She's not going to go through with it," he laughed.

"I don't know Steve," Brandon disagreed. "You didn't see the look of sheer determination on her face."

"Brandon's right." They all turned. Dylan had suddenly materialized, nothing more than his boarding pass in his possession. "Brenda is just stubborn enough to do this to prove us all wrong."

"I guess now we wait for the boarding call," Donna suggested. Everyone migrated towards the rows of chairs lining the gate. Brandon nodded towards Dylan.

"Thanks for coming, man. I think if anyone has a chance to talking any sense into Brenda, it's you."

"I'm not planning on talking any sense into her," he replied curtly. Brandon raised an eyebrow cryptically.

"What are you planning on then?" he asked.

"You'll see."

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Author's Note 2: Aren't cliffhangers fun? :-P