I Won The Battle But I Lost The War
Donna, Steve, Andrea and David watched as Kelly ran from the elevator and across the lobby followed swiftly by Brandon.
"Kel, wait," Brandon chased after her, amazed at how quickly Kelly could move in three inch heels.
Donna exchanged a significant look with Andrea. Five minutes later their curiosity was rewarded by the sight of Brenda emerging from the elevator with tears staining her face. She met their eyes for a second before running out of the hotel.
Brandon caught up with Kelly in the hotel restaurant, it was empty apart from the staff who were cleaning down and resetting tables. She was standing by the huge windows that looked out onto the hotel garden, her shoulders shaking as she tried to hold back the tears. Brandon wrapped his arms around her slender body and held her close to him, kissing the top of her head, overwhelmed by the fact that once upon a time he would have married this girl.
"Kelly I'm so sorry, I had no idea what Brenda was planning." He lifted her chin so that he was looking into her huge china blue eyes.
"Brandon, it's not your fault, it's not even Brenda's fault." Kelly managed a small smile.
"Yeah well I don't think Brenda's entirely blameless." Brandon was determined not to defend his sister.
"When it comes to Dylan I really think Brenda loses all perspective, he does that to you."
"Yeah I guess time doesn't change everything." Brandon looked at Kelly, it was the first time he'd seen her up close for a while, the illusion of everlasting youth was shattered. Her hair was brittle from over bleaching and there were faint lines around her eyes from too much time spent in the sun.
"Time makes it easier to pretend though." Kelly sank down onto one of the dining chairs and put her head in her hands.
Brandon sat down opposite her. "What's going on Kel?" Brandon cut to the chase.
"Is it that obvious?" Kelly looked up.
"Only because I know you, come on talk to me." Brandon met Kelly's eyes and the sincerity on his face almost made her cry.
"Okay, well I guess you've figured out that things aren't exactly great in the McKay-Taylor house."
"I never really understood why you married him Kel."
"To keep him, to prove that he's mine."
"Why would you need to do that?" Brandon was confused.
"Because he's Dylan, you don't know what it's like to love him Brandon. Not that brotherly love you have for him, but real heartbreaking love." Kelly watched as fat tears dropped onto the table between them, soaking the white linen.
"He's a free spirit, that's always the excuse I use for myself anyway, Dylan runs away when things get to hard or too real, by marrying him I thought I could hold onto him, change him, make him need me."
"And you couldn't do that. You can't change someone like Dylan."
"No, I made the same mistakes Brenda did back in high school, she learnt a lot earlier than I did that the more you try to control him, to plan a future with him the more he pushes you away." Kelly wiped her eyes. "I guess I always thought he'd grow up, and decide what he wants from life."
"He has changed Kelly, he's clean, he's successful."
"But he still runs away, whenever I try to make plans for our future he packs up his car and heads for Mexico. I can't carry on like this, I'm twenty-eight years old, I want kids and grandkids and a family home. The security I didn't have growing up. I'm sick of living in the beach house and eating at the Peach Pit every night. I've been waiting too long for Dylan to grow up." Kelly felt relieved to finally be talking to someone.
"So what about Dylan and Brenda?"
"I've always known that I'm not the love of Dylan McKay's life, I thought I could get over it with time but I've always known that if Brenda came back I'd lose him. Dylan and I are kindred spirits but Brenda's his soul-mate."
"You're not even going to fight for him?"
"I don't know, it's not just Brenda, my marriage to Dylan has been on the rocks for a long time, we don't sleep in the same bed anymore, in fact most nights we don't even sleep in the same house. We don't want the same things, I'm not sure we ever did."
"So you're giving up on your marriage, just like that, in one night." Brandon was amazed.
"No Brandon, I'm not giving up, I'm just too tired to fight anymore, I can't keep my life on hold while Dylan decides what he wants to do."
"So what now?" Brandon couldn't believe that Kelly was about to walk away from her marriage.
"I'm going to walk away, let him chase after me for a change, if he wants me Dylan has to realise it for himself if I push him he'll run. He's staying here tonight, in his and Brenda's room if you can believe it, he didn't even tell me so it's not like he wants me to stay. I'm going home." Kelly stood up and smoothed down the front of her dress.
"Do you want to share a cab?" Brandon stood up too, he couldn't believe how calm Kelly was being, when they'd walked onto the roof and spotted Brenda and Dylan together he'd been expecting Kelly to freak out, this measured rational reaction was worrying him.
"You're still the same sweet guy Brandon." Kelly stood on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek, "I'll be fine, you stay and have fun."
"Nah, I think I'm going to head home. I've never been much of a party guy." Brandon threw his arm around Kelly's shoulders as they walked out of the restaurant.
"You want to check on Brenda?"
"I want to make sure she hasn't done something she'll regret."
"See Brandon Walsh, I told you you're a good guy."