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Chapter 36: Out in The Open

Brad walked outside to see Elena sitting on a bench with her arms folded staring at the ground. He couldn't tell if she was pouting or if she genuinely felt bad about her shabby treatment of Gabrielle. You could never tell with her. She had politely excused herself from breakfast and walked away.

"What's going on Lena?" He sighed. She looked at him, her eyes rimmed with red. "Why are you doing this to me?"

"I'm not doing anything to you," She whispered. "Not on purpose. I just couldn't stay. I couldn't listen to you and her talk about Four Winds and," She looked at him, "I want to be happy for you."

"You're not acting like it," He shook his head. "You attacked my girlfriend Lena!"

"I know," She sighed, dropping her head into her hands, "I know, I'm behaving like Valerie Malone," He looked at her, "90210, Tiffani Amber Theisan."

"Uh huh," He nodded. "You can't do this to me! Over and over again, Lena, you're driving me completely insane." She looked at him. "You're with Portman, and before that you were with Jimmy. Why are you being such a crazy person?"

"Because," She whispered. "I don't think it affects you the same way," He looked at her. "Brad, I love you so much, and when we were together I was so in love with you, and when it ended I was crushed."

"You got back together with Portman like two weeks later!" He reminded her. "And then almost slept with Jimmy." She looked at him. "Sorry if I didn't realize your heart was broken."

"Well you should have," She sighed. "You haven't looked me in the eye since we broke up. Have you realized that?" He looked down. "And now," She sighed, "I'm not jealous,"

"Lena," he said, "You don't have to lie."

"I'm not lying," She sighed. "I'm not jealous of her. I'm just sad." He said, "Now that you have a girlfriend, things are going to change between me and you."

"That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard!" He laughed. She looked at him seriously. "Nothing is going to change!"

"Really?" She said, "Last night, what were we supposed to do?"

"Drink a bottle of Grey Goose and watch Boy Meets World, but" He stopped, "I spent the night with Gabrielle." She nodded.

"If you have a girlfriend you don't need me," She whispered, "That's what I'm jealous of Brad, not that she's with my ex boyfriend, that she's with my best friend. It's the same way I was with Angie at the beginning. And it is compounded by the fact that I was in love with you, and you weren't in love with me, or whatever."

"I never should have said that," He sighed, "I thought it was what you wanted!"

"To hear that the boy I'd thrown myself at, and always counted myself worthy because he loved me didn't really?" She blinked. "You thought I wanted that?"

"I can't figure you out," He shook his head. "But try to be nice to Gabrielle."

"Did you tell her to try to be nice to me?" She asked.

"She doesn't have to be nice to you," Brad pointed out, "You pulled her hair because apparently you're five years old." She looked at him. "Lena, she's not replacing you. No one in the world could replace you. You're Elena Cole. You're the dream girl." She nodded. "But it's time for me to wake up." She hugged him.

"If you ever fall asleep again," She whispered. "Call me, because I might be sleeping too."

"Is she always like this?" Gabrielle asked. Angela and Tommy looked at her.

"What you mean completely nuts?" Tommy said. Gabrielle nodded. "Yeah, sometimes though she's more coherent and then it's just kind of funny."

"Oh," Gabrielle said. "She hates me."

"Don't take it personally," Angela shook her head, "She hated me for a while too. We're the enemy, we took her boys." Tommy looked at her. "What?"

"You're cranky," He said.

"Will you stop?" Angela said. Gabrielle looked at them.

"Fine," Tommy shrugged.

"Hey," Rick walked over, "Come on, we're heading to airport."

"Our flight's not until tomorrow," Tommy said.

"Eva got sick," Rick said. "We're going now."

"Rick," Tommy said, "Eva is your daughter. I love her, but this is my first trip to New York, I'm not leaving early because your baby threw up."

"I told you they wouldn't want to come," Cassie shook her head, "Don't worry about it Tommy. If you see Allie and Cole, tell them we're sorry and we'll see them at Christmas."

"I'm on it Cass," Tommy smiled. "Kiss the baby for me."

"We will," Cassie said, "Bye Tommy. Angie, honey, we're so glad that you two got back together." Angela blushed and looked down. They walked away.

"Who are they?" Gabrielle asked, sipping her mimosa.

"That's my step brother and his wife," Tommy shrugged.

"His wife?" Gabrielle said, "How old are they?"

"Twenty," Tommy said, "Well, Rick is, Cassie turned twenty one a few weeks ago. They got married when they were nineteen."

"They have the cutest little baby girl," Angela said quietly. "Her name is Eva."

Julie, Jimmy, Taylor, Steve, Fulton and Tammy all sat in a restaurant. They were all completely silent. Even Taylor. The tension between Julie and Steve was palpable, as was the tension between Fulton and Tammy. Fulton finally spoke up.

"You know what this reminds me of?" He said. They all looked at him. "When we were all in California, except for you blonde girl who's name I can't remember."

"Taylor," She said.

"Yeah," Fulton said, "No one was talking to each other then either."

"Hm, that tends to happen when Steve's acting like an ass," Julie said stabbing a potato with her fork.

"Oh yeah," Steve said, "It never has anything to do with you being an uptight bitch."

"Right," Jimmy nodded, "Its obviously totally uptight that she doesn't want you kissing her."

"You know something rich boy," Steve looked at him. "Sometimes I want to rip your preppy little head off!"

"Whoa," Fulton said, "We are all annoyed by Jimmy's insistence on wearing polos all the time unless he's playing soccer, and the fact that his father gives his sister more money for shoes in a year than our parents paid for our houses, that doesn't mean that we're going to resort to violence about it."

"Thanks," Jimmy said, "Um, I think."

"Kelly does spend too much money on shoes," Tammy said.

"Yeah," Julie sighed, "But Logan Vanderbilt pays for half of them."

"Good point," Tammy said.

"Besides which Steve," Taylor said, "You're dad's a doctor, and not like a poor doctor working at a hospital he's an OB/GYN, they make major bank."

"Gosh Taylor," Steve looked at her, "I thought we were in denial about me and you, but since apparently you love me, thanks for telling Julie that before you told me."

"Like telling you would have made a difference," Taylor said with a snort. "Besides I'm with Brett."

"Please," Julie rolled her eyes, "You had sex with Steve, you can't really still claim the 'I'm with Brett' thing."

"I did a bad thing didn't I?" Fulton leaned over to Tammy.

"Hm?" She looked at him, "Oh I'm sorry I only listen to people who aren't leaving me to go to college in stupid Illinois."

"Oh," Fulton said, "Alright then." He leaned back in his chair.

"It's just two weeks," Allie giggled as Cole nuzzled her. "Right?"

"Two weeks way too long," He said and kissed her.

"Ew," Ellie walked over to them.

"Hi Ellie," Cole smiled. "What are you doing?"

"I'm going home early with Cassie and Rick, thought I'd tell you." She shrugged. "See you in two weeks big brother."

"Bye honey," He hugged her tightly. "I love you. Be brave for Mom OK?"

"OK," She said, "You're coming right home after your finals right?"

"On the first plane," He winked and kissed her on the forehead. "You pick me up at the airport, alright?"

"Alright," She said. "Bye Allie."

"Bye," Allie waved as Ellie trotted away. She smiled, because it hit her, she was really attracted to guys that were wonderfully loving big brothers. First Rick, then Luis and now Cole. She wondered what a psychologist would say about that, but seeing Cole with his arms around his baby sister just made her feel incredibly safe. If he took that good care of Ellie, who was forced on him, he'd have to take good care of her, who he chose.

"Hello beautiful apartment," Scooter said as they walked into the place in New Haven. Kelly laughed as he plopped on the couch.

"Yes, clearly our crappy New Haven apartment is so much better than the suite your publisher paid for," Kelly sat down next to him. He looked at her.

"Kelly, you realize that next semester I get to have a normal college existence again?" He kissed her. "Until this summer."

"Book tour!" She giggled. "We're going to have so much fun."

"I'm going to check my email," He rolled his eyes, he walked over to the computer and logged on.

"I have to start planning Christmas," Kelly sighed.

"Honey," He looked at her, "That's Ana's job now."

"Ana doesn't know how Aunt Jane likes her scotch," Kelly said. He frowned. "What's wrong baby?"

"You know how we were going to spend Christmas apart so that ringing in the new millennium would be more special," He said. She nodded. "That's not happening."

"Why not?" She asked.

"Hello my dear boys!" He said.

"Oh," She nodded, "Kat, of course."

"We're just so happy here in Florida, we can't bare to go back up to the snow," He read, "I'm sure you four will be fine, even better without us. Love you lots. Mom. PS Scottie, congratulations, I can't wait to pick up a copy." She looked at him. "I sent her an advanced copy two months ago."

"I'm sorry sweetie," She said, "But Logan will pull something together, that's what he's for."

"Nope," He said, "Next e-mail, Scottie, took Claire to Paris, staying through New Years. Please break it to Mom, don't have the energy. Logan." He looked at her. "Will your family mind if I crash?"

"Of course not," She said and kissed him. "My family loves you. But you're going to be subjected to loads of 'Baby's First Christmas' crap. Although, Tammy showed me the designs for the little reindeer outfit she's making for Eva, it's too cute."

"I will buy the poop monster an 'I love Santa' stocking if it means I get to eat Ana's Christmas meal," He said. "The things your step mother does with food are glorious."

"Mm, so true," Kelly said, "I feel like my mom sent my dad a good cook to make up for years of her culinary catastrophes." He laughed. "Mm, I am glad that this whole novel editing nightmare is over. We can get back to being us."

"I like being us," He said and picked her up. She giggled. "You've been amazing through all of this, putting us on hold." She smiled. "I love you so much."

"I love you too," She said and kissed him.

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