DISCLAIMER: I do not own Beverly Hills 90210 or any of the characters involved in this story.


A/N: Okay, here we are. Down to the part which centers around the final episode of season 4. A lot of this is going to seem familiar, but like with everything else it does have it's differences.

Pay close attention to Donna's announcement in the first part of this story while they are sitting around the waiting room. Pay attention to the contest that she's talking about. Because trust me, one of the main characters of the story is going to benefit from this contest greatly.


It has been a long 24 hours for everyone, but none more than for Andrea and Jesse. For Jesse, he got interrupted right in the middle of a convention in Palm Springs by a hotel desk clerk with an urgent message that his wife had suddenly gone into labor.

Without even thinking, Jesse rushed out of the hotel and got in his car and made the nearly two hour drive back to L.A., driving at nearly 80 miles per hour the whole way up the Santa Monica Freeway. It was almost midnight when he rushed into the hospital to find Andrea in labor. Andrea herself had been in panic mood nearly the entire time, and the doctors were forced to give her drugs to keep her calm and sedated. But when Jesse got there, Andrea seemed to calm down more and relaxed.

With the baby being premature, and the labor time unexpected, the doctors were forced to deliver it as a caesarian. Out in the hallway, the gang of friends has been waiting for hours to hear the news on Andrea and her baby. Brandon and Kelly have been there right from the get go. While they hadn't been on the best of terms as of late, they did manage to put their disagreements aside and work together to help get Andrea get to the hospital. Brandon even stayed in L.A. and took out a later flight in order to be there.

Steve is also there, having rushed out from helping his Keg fraternity set up at the Mardi Gras carnival in order to be there at the hospital when Andrea had her baby. David and Donna also rushed in as soon as they heard. They had just wrapped up a casual environment meeting with Babyface and his manager where, per the advice of Aerial, Babyface got to hear David play on his keyboard and asked him if he could fill in as his second keyboardist when he performs at Mardi Gras. In total surprise and amazement, David agreed much to the delight of Donna, whose joy was slightly offset by the presence of Aerial and her seemingly growing interest in Donna's boyfriend.

Also waiting there are Brenda and Dylan who got home from Scott's graduation party only to hear the news from Jim and Cindy. Having heard, they raced right over to wait in the lobby along with everyone else there. The only one not there is Scott who hasn't heard yet. While he has grown close to certain members of the gang like Brenda and Dylan, there are others like Andrea who he barely even knows and wouldn't feel comfortable around anyways. While some of the others have been there all night, Dylan did go home to shower and change into a suit and tie for his meeting that he has with Jim and the investors in the afternoon.

Dylan goes over to a coffee machine that has been set up in the lobby area and pours himself a cup. He takes a sip and then looks at his watch with an impatient look on his face. Seeing his expression, Brenda gets up out of her chair and walks over to him.

"Hey, is everything all right?" Brenda whispers to Dylan.

Dylan sighs. "Yeah, yeah. Everything's cool. It's just that I may have to leave soon if we don't hear some kind of news." he says.

"How come?" asks Brenda.

"I got a meeting with your father this afternoon." Dylan replies.

"Dylan, Andrea is having a baby. Dad knows the situation. I'm sure if you call him, he can reschedule it." Brenda says. Brenda still doesn't have much of a clue as to what is going on with Dylan, Kevin, and her father about Kevin's business. She just assumes this is a regular business meeting between Dylan and Jim in which Jim discusses the situation of Dylan's finances.

"Believe me, Bren, if I rescheduled this particular meeting, your father would kill me." Dylan says. After the trouble he made Jim go through to set up this meeting with these potential investors in such a short amount of time, he knows that the only acceptable excuse for him missing today's meeting would be if he was dead.

"Why? What is it?" Brenda asks in a confused tone. "Dylan, what's going on?"

With one hand holding his cup of coffee, Dylan holds up the other hand to Brenda. "Bren, don't worry about it, okay? Everything's cool. It's just a little investment I'm thinking of pursuing, that's all. Save your worry for Andrea and her baby. They're the ones who need it right now." Dylan says.

Brenda just stands there, not saying anything, but is worried about the way Dylan is acting. The ease at which he's brushing it off, as well as his reluctance to tell her anything about it is troubling to her. With his cup of coffee in hand, Dylan walks back over to the sitting area, along with Brenda. Everyone else is sitting in chairs that are gathered around in a square as they await the news on Andrea and her baby.

"B, you still here? Aren't Bill and Hillary expecting you for dinner in our nation's capital?" Dylan asks jokingly.

"Well you know, D, Andrea is having a baby, so I just gave ole Bill a call and told him I couldn't make it. It's just a silly task force, I figured I'd blow it off." Brandon jokes back.

"Dylan, don't pay any attention to him, he's catching a later flight out this afternoon." Brenda says. Kelly sits on the other side of the room, doing her best to completely ignore everything that is being said regarding Brandon and the task force.

"I just want to make sure everything is okay with Andrea and the baby before I go. As soon as I get the word that everything's cool, I'm out of here." Brandon says.

"You're leaving for Washington as soon as you get home from here?" David asks. Brandon nods. "No time to even rest?"

"That's the life of a politician, Silver my boy." Brandon says in a light hearted manner. "Too many places to be and not enough time to be in all those places at once." Brandon says. Kelly continues to sit there not saying anything.

"So you're not even going to have time to stop by the Mardi Gras?" Donna asks.

"Afraid not, Donna." Brandon replies.

"Well…." Donna begins with a shy sounding voice. "Before you go, would you like to enter our grand prize raffle?" Donna asks Brandon.

"Grand prize raffle?" Brandon asks with confusion on his face.

"Yeah. See all the money the carnival makes this year goes to help underprivileged kids across the state be able to go to camp this summer." Donna says. "And one of my mom's best friends is vice president of a cruise line, and she got her company to donate the grand prize for the drawing, which is…." Donna says getting cut off.

"Donna, how much is it to enter this raffle?" interrupts Brandon.

Donna grimaces for a moment with an awkward smile. "Fifty dollars." she answers.

"Fifty bucks? For a raffle? Forget it." Brandon says.

"Oh come on Brandon, every entry ensures that 4 kids get to camp this summer. And the grand prize drawing, which will be held on the last day of the carnival, is for two tickets on a three week tropical cruise in the Florida Keys this summer, first class accommodations all the way." Donna says. Almost instantly Brandon's interest perks up along with everyone else's there.

"A cruise?" Brandon asks. Donna nods. Brandon immediately pulls out his wallet.

"Hey, I'm there, count me in." Brandon says. "After the semester I've had, working my but off with running the Peach Pit and this task force, three whole weeks of lying out on a deck by a pool on a cruise in the Florida Keys sounds mighty good." Brandon says as he pulls a fifty dollar bill out of his wallet and hands it to Donna.

"Not so fast there, Walsh." Steve says. "You'll have to get by me first. Donna, sign me up for this too." Steve says as he reaches into his back pocket for his wallet.

"Sure Steve, you can sign up too. At the Mardi Gras like everyone else." Donna says.

"Hey, why does Brandon get to sign up early and I have to do it later?" Steve whines.

"Because Brandon is going to Washington and won't have time to do it at the carnival." Donna says.

Steve snickers. "That's okay. Because I'm still going to enter this raffle and I'm going to win. Why? Because it's Steve Sanders destiny to go on this cruise. That first class cabin was destined to have only one person occupying it. Me." Steve says, prompting a snicker from Dylan first followed by everyone else.

"Yeah, but who is destined to be the one going with you?" asks Kelly. Before Steve can answer, Jesse walks out from around the corner, still wearing a yellow hospital coat that they made him wear while he was in the delivery room with Andrea.

"Hey look who's here." Brandon says enthusiastically as everyone jumps out of their seats and rushes over to Jesse to hear the news.

"So, are you a dad?" asks David who shakes Jesse's hand.

"Yeah. Looks like I am." Jesse replies back with a slight laugh.

"Wow, congratulations papa." Brandon says as he shakes Jesse's hand.

"Is it a boy or a girl?" asks Brenda.

"It's a girl, a very tiny little girl." Jesse replies.

"Well, can we see her?" asks Donna.

"Uhm, not right now. Since she's a preemie, they had to take her right into ICU." says Jesse.

"How's Andrea doing?" asks Dylan.

"She's good, pretty good. She's still a little out of it though." Jesse replies.

"Can we see her?" asks Steve.

"Steve, she just had a caesarian." Kelly says in a scolding manner.

"Well, give her our love, will you?" Donna asks

"I will. And thanks for coming, you guys. It means a lot to both of us." Jesse says as he receives hugs from Brenda, Kelly, and Donna, while Dylan, Steve, and David shake his hand.

"Yeah, listen I got to run. I'll see all you guys when I get back from Washington." Brandon announces to everyone.

"Hey Brando!" Steve says. "Bring me back something cool from the White House, will ya?" Steve jokes with a cocky grin on his face as he shakes Brandon's hand

"Yeah B, knock em dead, man." says Dylan as he gives Brandon the hand shake finger snap.

"Good luck, Brandon." Donna says as she hugs him. David follows shaking his hand as they all head to the elevator to leave the hospital, along with Brenda. At this point, Kelly walks by Brandon. At first she intends to just walk by without saying anything, but as she walks by him, she stops and turns to look him in the eye.

The feeling between Kelly and Brandon at this point is very tense as they both stare at each other. While there is still a lingering feeling of bitterness between them, each is also feeling a certain amount of emptiness inside. For Kelly, she feels empty because she has decided to let go of her feelings for Brandon once and for all. But it's still hard. And for Brandon, all his hard work on the task force is getting ready to pay off with his trip to Washington, but there is still something missing. Nobody is going along to share it with him.

As the two look at other, many thoughts race through their heads, and many feelings are being felt. While there are so many things they want to say, what is said between them is very brief.

"Have a nice trip, Brandon." Kelly says.

Brandon nods back in an unemotional manner. "Thanks Kelly. For everything." He says. Kelly flashes a very brief and slight grin, then walks off. Brandon watches her with a regretful look in his eyes as she walks away and gets on the elevator and disappears from his sight.

At this point Jesse comes up to Brandon and pats him on the shoulder. "Listen Brandon, I know you got to head out to Washington. But if you have a few minutes, I know Andrea would really like to talk to you before you leave." Jesse says.

Brandon slowly turns away from looking at the elevator and faces Jesse and nods. "All right, lead the way, ace." he says.


Jesse opens up the door to the private hospital room where they are keeping Andrea. Brandon slowly walks in where he lays his eyes on Andrea who is sleeping peacefully in her hospital bed, visibly exhausted after giving birth to her daughter. As Brandon walks over to her, Andrea groans slightly then turns her head and opens her eyes and sees Brandon sitting there at the foot of her bed with Jesse right behind him. She smiles.

"Brandon, you stayed." Andrea says in a groggy, yet cheerful voice.

"Are you kidding? There's no way I'd miss this." Brandon says in a soft and comforting tone. Andrea takes a deep breath as she tries to wake up. "So, how you doing, chief?" Brandon asks.

"Fine. Just tired." Andrea says as she yawns. "They won't let me see my baby yet."

"Well that's just because they're sprucing her up for you." Brandon says. Andrea grins as she rests her head back against the pillow. "So how long are they going to keep you in this joint?"

"As long as they let me." Andrea says. "I'm not going home without my baby."

Brandon takes a deep breath. "Well, listen, I'd love to sit here and chat all day, but I got to get home and finish packing. I got a plane to catch." Brandon says. Andrea lifts her head up slightly and looks over at Jesse.

"Jesse, do you mind?" Andrea asks as Jesse looks at her. "Could you give me a minute with Brandon?"

Jesse nods. "Sure, I'll be right out side." Jesse says as he quietly leaves the room. Brandon wonders what this could all be about.

"So what's on your mind, chief?" Brandon asks Andrea.

"Listen Brandon. I know you and I haven't had much chance to talk as of late." Andrea says.

"Well, you've kind of had other things going on. So have I." Brandon replies with a soft and cheerful grin.

"Look, in high school, working on the Blaze, I know we didn't always see eye to eye on everything. But the truth is, I always looked up to you. And I could tell when you first started working on the paper that you had a certain quality about you that made you unique, made your special, made you a leader. Your work ethic actually made me want to do better, get better grades." Andrea says. Brandon chuckles.

"You? Make better grades?" Brandon replies. "Andrea, I don't think that's possible."

"Look Brandon, what I'm trying to say is you deserve this. Everything you've done, you've helped not only me but so many other people. And all the hard work you've done on the paper while working at the Peach Pit, and now with this task force. I just want you do me one favor." Andrea says as she reaches for Brandon's hand. He takes it. "Enjoy Washington. Enjoy the White House. Savor every second you are there. You've earned it." Andrea says as she squeezes Brandon's hand then lets go.

Brandon frowns slightly as he takes in the words that Andrea has just told him. "Thanks chief." Brandon says glumly. Andrea's smile turns into a look of concern.

"Is something wrong?" Andrea asks. Brandon takes a deep breath and tries to play it off as he shakes his head. "Brandon, come on, you can talk to me." Andrea says.

Brandon looks away for a second as he composes his thoughts and then begins to speak. "I don't know, Andrea. You know, I should be happy. I should be thrilled. I mean I'm going to Washington. I'm going to get to meet the President and shake his hand. Yet for some reason, I can't completely enjoy it. It's like there's still something missing."

"What's missing?" Andrea asks.

"Well…." Brandon says as he takes another deep breath. "Here I am about to do something historic, and I feel like I have nobody to share it with me."

"What are you talking about? Everyone back here will be watching." Andrea says.

"Sure, everyone will be watching. They'll turn on the tv, see me shaking hands with the president, smile and laugh and then go there merry way and forget all about it ten minutes later. But nobody will be there with me, to experience this by my side. I mean David and Donna got each other. Steve has the Keg house. Dylan's got his new family. Bren's got her new acting career, and all her acting buddies. You got Jesse and your baby. But who do I really have, Andrea?" Brandon asks. Andrea then realizes something and snickers out loud. "What's so funny?" Brandon asks.

"You know, you mentioned just about everyone. But there's one person's name you left out." Andrea says.

"What are you talking about?" Brandon asks.

"I didn't hear you mention Kelly's name." Andrea says. Brandon goes silent, feeling almost as if Andrea's peered into his deepest thoughts and read his mind. Brandon doesn't say anything back to her regarding Kelly, but the look on his face says it all, and Andrea can read him like a book.

Looking to change the subject quickly, Brandon stands up. "I'd better go." Brandon says.

Andrea just looks at Brandon and smiles. "Give em hell, Brandon." she says encouragingly. Brandon leans over and kisses Andrea on the cheek and says goodbye as he slowly makes his way out the door.


Dylan sits in the conference room at Jim's office. His typical cool and casual demeanor is hiding the fact that he is feeling totally out of his element here. In this conference room, he has Kevin sitting to his left and around the table are a group of millionaires in business suits who have all come there today to listen to Jim go over the business deal he has pieced together.

Hearing terms such as "investment capital" and "start-up funds", Dylan realizes to himself that he still has a long way to go before he gains his father's business savoy. Still, he hopes that Kevin is grasping all of this. The two of them sit there as they try to follow in the prospective manual that everyone is looking through.

As they are following and listening, Jim is standing up at a transparency projector and putting up different graphs and charts as he does what he does best, try to come up with the best deal for everyone.

"So if you'll look up here, this is on page 17, what we did was try to separate out the R and D costs from the initial start-up funds." Jim says. "This will allow for a decent first quarter profit, but still maintain a level of financial security as well. It's a nice conservative approach."

"A little too conservative if you ask me." says one of the investors.

"Well, we just want to air on the side of caution until a steady monthly profit can be sustained." Jim says. Dylan looks around the room, feeling completely lost by everything that is going on. He then turns to look at Kevin to try to gage how he's feeling. But from the looks of things it doesn't look like Kevin is any more comfortable than he is. Little does Dylan know, Kevin is doing everything he can to keep from sweating bullets. Jim and his investors make him extremely nervous. All these business men are making him worried that they might see him for what he really is, especially given that Kevin hasn't been able to carry on an intelligent business meeting.

"Well, I certainly want to thank you for putting this all together at such short notice." Kevin says to Jim. "Uhm, could anyone else here use a bathroom break?"

"I could." Dylan says, seizing the opportunity to break from the room. Both Kevin and Dylan hop up and walk out of the conference room. After walking down the hall far enough so that nobody can over hear them, Dylan goes up to Kevin who is trying to gather his composure. "Hey, you all right?" Dylan asks as he slaps Kevin on the shoulder.

"Oh, yeah, I'm fine." Kevin replies. "Just needed a break, too much financial lingual, you know? My brain can only process but so much."

"So, I'm not the only one who didn't fully grasp everything that went on in there?" Dylan asks.

Kevin snickers. "No. To tell you the truth, a lot of it flew over my head. I mean, when it comes to bio-chemistry I can talk and talk for hours. But money talk, that stuff makes me sleep with my eyes open." Kevin says. At that point, Jim walks out of the conference room and over to Dylan and Kevin.

"Hey, everything all right?" Jim asks Kevin.

"Yeah." Kevin says. "I'm sorry, Jim. I wish I could have paid more attention in there. I really do. This is just a lot to grasp all at once. That, along with getting married tommorow, I uhm, I just kind of feel like my brain is on overload."

"Well, just relax, go to the bathroom, get a drink of water, I promise we'll iron out all the details when you get back." Jim says. Kevin smiles and walks away leaving Jim and Dylan alone. "All right, Dylan…" Jim whispers. "What's going on?"

"What do you mean?" Dylan asks, not knowing what Jim's talking about.

"What do I mean?" Jim repeats, sounding annoyed. "Dylan, those people in that room represent an awful lot of money, an awful lot of investment capital. And I worked my tail off putting this deal together on such short notice, at your insistence I might add. And Kevin sits there, barely says two sentences the entire time, and both of you look like you're not even interested. Is he trying to make me look foolish?" Jim lectures.

"Jim, cut the guy some slack, okay? He's getting married tomorrow." Dylan replies.

"Dylan, I don't think you guys realize how much I went out on a limb here. I had to twist a lot of arms and work a lot of hours to arrange this meeting. So I would appreciate it if Kevin, as well as you, would stay awake and pay attention, okay?" Jim says.

"All right, Jim, I got it." Dylan replies back, getting fed up with Jim's pushiness. "Just give him five minutes to gather his composure. Is that too much to ask?"

Jim takes a deep breath to gather himself. "Look, I don't mean to sound pushy. But it would be a lot easier to get this deal done, if Kevin would participate." Jim says. "Just pay attention, and if you get lost, for god sakes ask questions, okay?"

"Okay, okay, I got it." Dylan says, in a tone letting Jim know he's getting fed up.

"Good." Jim replies. "I'll see you guys back in there. Tell Kevin to hurry up. These guys don't like waiting."

Jim turns around and walks back into the conference room leaving Dylan there with his thoughts. As far as he's concerned, this is just Jim Walsh being Jim Walsh. The fact of the matter is, Dylan is there to look after Kevin's interests, not Jim's. And the dangerous part about it all, he really has no idea what is going on.


Suzanne walks over and serves a couple of older gentleman their breakfast at the Peach Pit. As she walks back to the cash register, she is approaches by Nat.

"Suzanne, you got a minute?" Nat asks.

"Uhm sure." Suzanne replies hesitantly as she puts a pencil behind her ear and puts her notepad down and turns her full attention to Nat. "What's up?"

"I've been racking my brain trying to figure this out." Nat says as he pauses looking confused as he stares at a notebook where he keeps his records. "There's two hundred dollars missing from the petty cash drawer."

"You're kidding?" Suzanne replies, trying to be nonchalant about it.

"No, I'm not kidding." Nat replies. "According to my records, given everything I've used petty cash for, I should have a thousand dollars in there, and there's only eight hundred."

Suzanne bites her lip, trying to put on a surprised expression, doing her best not to give off any indication that it was her who took it for the fake passports. "So where is it?" Suzanne asks.

"I have no idea. That's why I'm asking you" Nat says. "There are only three people have a key to the drawer, you, me and Willie. Now I didn't take it, and I know Willie didn't take it. So who else…." Nat says.

"Woah, wait a minute." Suzanne says in a serious tone. "I never touched the petty cash drawer." Suzanne says in a defensive tone. Nat looks at her closely, thinking she's getting a little touchy.

"I never said you did." Nat replies. "But there's two hundred dollars missing and I'd like to have some kind of idea as to where it might have gone. I mean, cash just doesn't get up and fly away."

Suzanne thinks for a moment and comes up with the first thing she can think of. "Well, things were kind of hectic right after you had your heart attack. Brandon was paying your suppliers with whatever he could and…"

"He was taking money out of petty cash?" Nat asks in a surprised tone as Suzanne shrugs. "He knows better than that. What was he thinking? I pay all my suppliers with a cashier's check, that way I have a backup record on my bank statements if I lose the receipts. Brandon knows this, I told him that a million times." Nat says

"Well, maybe he forgot. It was a crazy time while you were out, Nat. He was doing whatever he could to keep this place open." Suzanne says. "We all were."

"Well, I love the kid like a son, and he was helping me out. No big deal." Nat says with a grin. Suzanne smiles and inside lets out a sigh of relief, realizing Nat has bought it. "Look, just forget about it, all right." Nat says. At that point Scott comes into the Peach Pit and takes a seat at the counter. Suzanne politely dismisses herself and walks into the back, leaving Nat to talk to Scott.

"Scotty!" Nat greets with a huge grin. "'How was graduation?"

Scott shrugs. "Hey Nat. It was all right, I guess. Got a lot of money from relatives I've never even heard of." Scott replies.

"Well hey, you can't beat that, right?" Nat replies.

Scott chuckles, but can't hide the look of sadness that is etched on his face. "Yeah, I guess." he replies in an unenthusiastic manner.

"Well hey, let me get you something eat. Mega burger?" asks Nat.

Scott nods. "Sure." he says. As Nat walks away to take care of Scott's order, the bells on the front door of the Peach Pit ring. Scott doesn't turn to look and see who it as he just assumes that it is some random stranger. But he is caught off guard when he hears a feminine voice speak to him from behind.

"Hey. I was hoping to run into you." Kelly says to Scott. Scott gulps hard as he turns around on his stool to face her.

"Kelly!?" Scott replies with surprise in his voice. "Uhm, how's it going?" Scott says, stuttering at first but gaining his composure.

"Ah, tiring." Kelly says. "I just came from the hospital."

"The hospital? Is everything okay?" Scott asks. Kelly takes a seat on the stool besides Scott.

"Yeah, everything's fine. Andrea had her baby." Kelly says. Scott gapes with a look of disbelief on his face.

"Andrea had a baby?" Scott repeats.

"Yeah, she has a really small little girl this morning. I was at her house last night when she went into labor. I went with her to the hospital and was there all night, only got a few hours of sleep in the waiting room. So I'm really tired." Kelly explains. "Anyways, I'm sorry I missed your graduation. I was actually on my way there when I stopped by Andrea's and this happened. I hope you're not mad or anything." Kelly says.

Suddenly Scott begins to perk up as the glum expression on his face disappears and he lets out a slight smile as he realizes Kelly didn't just blow off his graduation. "Oh no, I'm not mad. I understand." Scott says with a smile. At that point Nat returns from the kitchen with Scott's mega burger.

"There you go. A mega burger for the mega graduate." Nat says with a smile as he places Scott's burger down in front of him. He then turns to Kelly. "Oh hi, Kelly. What's the word?" asks Nat.

"Well, I got some big news." Kelly says as Nat listens on intently. "Andrea had her baby."

"All right!" Nat says with excitement. "Is it a boy a girl?"

"It's a girl. I haven't seen her yet. But Jesse says she's really small, being premature and all." Kelly says.

"Well, if she's anything like her mama, not only will she be all right, but she'll be talking in no time. Give her my love when you see her, will ya?" Nat says.

"I will." Kelly replies as Nat walks off. She then turns her attention back to Scott. "Oh, I meant to give you this yesterday. It isn't much, just a little graduation present." Kelly says as she reaches into her purse and pulls out a black plastic case and hands it to Scott who looks back at her with surprise.

"What is it?" Scott asks.

"Open it, silly." Kelly replies in a light hearted and bubbly tone.

Scott slowly reaches over and puts one hand on the case and slides it on the counter toward him. He picks it up with both hands and opens it. As his eyes feast down on what's inside, he sees a California University Condors watch. He looks up at Kelly and grins. "Wow, Kelly, I love it." Scott says with excitement.

"Like I said, it isn't much. But now that you're in college, one thing I can tell you is that you're going to have to pay attention to what time it is a lot more. Because unlike high school, there are no bells telling you when class is over." Kelly says jokingly. "Anyways, happy graduation."

"Thanks Kelly. This means a lot. It really does." Scott says sincerely as he gazes at Kelly who just smiles in a friendly manner. In that instance, Scott's crush on her has been reignited. But for Kelly, it was just a friendly gesture. Kelly grabs her purse and hops down off the stool.

"Anyways, I got to go. I just dropped in to tell Nat the news on Andrea. But I need to go home and take a nap. I'm beat." Kelly says.

"Oh okay." Scott says. "Thank you again for the watch."

"You're welcome." Kelly says as she starts to head out, but turns around when she gets to the door. "Listen, if you're not doing anything tomorrow night, you should come to the Mardi Gras carnival." Kelly says to him.

"Mardi Gras, what's that?" Scott asks.

"It's this carnival that the school is sponsoring. Donna and David are actually the chair people on it. There's all kinds of rides and games and food. And everyone will be there. Donna, David, Brenda, Steve. You should come." Kelly says encouragingly.

Within a second Scott nods in the affirmative. "Hey, I'll be there." Scott says.

"Great, see you then." Kelly says as she dashes out the door. Scott just sits there with a giddy grin on his face. Kelly just suggested that he should come. But the way he heard it in his own mind was that she wanted him to be there. And for him, that's almost as good as it being an actual date.


As Brandon packs the last of clothes into his suitcase, he closes and latches it tightly. He then looks around his room at the same four walls he's been staring at the last four years. But suddenly it was looking different. It seemed smaller, or maybe it was that the world outside of his room seemed a lot bigger. Whatever it was, he knew that a big journey lie ahead of him.

A soft knock comes from the adjoining bathroom to Brenda's room. As Brandon yells to come in, Brenda opens the door softly and enters.

"So you all packed?" Brenda asks.

"It would appear like I am." Brandon replies.

"You pick out something nice to wear when you meet the president?" Brenda asks.

"Yeah, I thought I'd wear my old Minnesota Twins jersey and my favorite pair of jeans. You know the ones, with the holes in the knees?" Brandon jokes sparking a giggle from Brenda. "I'm going to be wearing a suit and tie, same as Bill Clinton." Brandon says, in a more serious tone.

"So you ready for this? You ready for your 15 minutes of fame?" Brenda asks.

"You know, with the average person living to be in their eighties now, doesn't 15 minutes seem kind of unfairly short to be famous?" Brandon asks in a joking and good humored manner.

"Well, knowing you, I'm sure you'll find a way to stretch those 15 minutes into a good solid half hour." Brenda replies back with a smile and an equally good humored nature. Brandon laughs. At that point Jim and Cindy walk just into the doorway from the hall.

"Honey, the shuttle is here." Cindy says to Brandon, referring to the airport shuttle that Brandon called to take him to the airport.

"Thanks." Brandon replies.

"You sure you don't want us to take you to the airport?" Jim asks.

"I appreciate it, Dad. But this is kind of something I want to do entirely on my own." says Brandon.

"Well, at least let us walk you out to the shuttle." Jim says. Brandon nods as he grabs the two suitcases he packed. Brenda follows Jim and Cindy out. Brandon walks to the door, takes one last look at his room and turns out the lights. He walks downstairs where Jim, Cindy, and Brenda meet him and walk with him outside to the airport shuttle that is parked in the driveway.

"You know, when Bill Clinton was in college he shook hands with President Kennedy. Maybe this is a sign." Cindy says.

"A lot of people shake the president's hand, and most of them don't become president." Brandon replies. The shuttle driver takes Brandon's suitcases from him and puts them in the shuttle. He then turns to face Brenda.

"Just don't forget to invite me to the white house when you become President." Brenda jokes to Brandon.

"Will do, as long as you get all your Hollywood friends to contribute to my campaign after you've become a big time movie star." Brandon says back. Brenda and Brandon stand there smiling at each other.

"Well, have a good trip." Brenda says as she leans in and hugs her brother who hugs back.

"You know, if I had to have a twin sister, I'm kind of glad it turned out to be you." Brandon says to Brenda as Jim and Cindy chuckle.

"Gee, thanks." Brenda replies in a friendly sarcastic manner as she hugs Brandon again. Brandon then goes over and hugs both his mom and dad who wish him a safe and happy trip. He gets in the airport shuttle and Jim, Cindy, and Brenda all stand there waving goodbye as the shuttle backs out of the driveway and takes off down the road.

Brandon turns around and waves once more before the shuttle takes off. As he watches his family get smaller and smaller out the rear mirror, he can't help but get the feeling that something is going to be different the next time he sees them again. He doesn't know what it is, but it's a feeling he just can't seem to shake


"Well, it looks like the spring Mardi Gras carnival has officially begun." announces David over the PA system. "And already we have our first lost kid."

"That's right would the parents of Tabitha Hall please report to the announcers booth? You have a lovely little girl here who's looking like she's itching to have some fun." Donna announces.

"And for anyone else looking for fun, there is no shortage of it here. We have games, we have rides, we have food, and remember, all of it is going to the California Camp general fund." David says.

"And don't forget to sign up for our grand prize raffle. For only 50 bucks, you will have a chance to win our grand prize, which is a three week tropical cruise in the Florida Keys for two." Donna says. "And special thanks to Southeast Cruise Lines who generously donated this gift as part of their effort to help see to it that every kid has a chance to go to camp this summer."

"And don't forget, we have great acts up on our main stage over the next four days. And we'll go out with a bang on Sunday night with Babyface, where we will hold our grand prize drawing to find out who the lucky person is that wins our cruise." David announces.

"Well look no further, because that lucky person is standing right in front of you." Steve says as he stands in front of Donna and David with a fifty dollar bill in his hands. Steve is wearing a green KEG house t-shirt and a gladiator helmet as he is one of the KEG brothers currently on mud pit duty.

"Uhm Steve, the sign up is right over there." Donna says as she turns off the microphone, as she points Steve to the raffle sign up table which has a significantly long line.

"You mean Brandon got a free pass while I have to wait in line? How bogus is that?" Steve complains as he walks off. Just as Steve walks off, Aerial comes running up to them.

"Hey guys." Aerial says to Donna and David.

"Oh hey Aerial." David replies.

"The stage looks great, you really did an amazing job, David." Aerial says with a big grin on her face which irks Donna.

"Actually, we both worked on it." Donna says.

"Oh, okay." Aerial replies. "Well, I just stopped off to give you guys the guest list and to ask if you have any extra parking passes."

"Uhm, sure." David says. "There actually this way, here come with me." David says in a cheery tone as he walks off with Aerial. Donna watches David leave with her with a look of jealousy and anger on her face. She doesn't like Aerial's cheerful tone, or how she always seems to be coming on to David, or how she always seems to wiggle her butt when she walks.

Meanwhile, Brenda is walking around the carnival area, taking in the music and all the sights and sounds of people having fun. There are clowns juggling and people laughing and screaming as they go on the rides and play games. As Brenda soaks up the atmosphere, she is approached by a very familiar person.

"Well howdy, purdy lady. Mind if I wins you a stuffed animal over there at the bean bag toss?" Dylan jokes putting on a country accent.

"Hey!" Brenda replies as she turns to Dylan with a smile. "What are you doing here?"

"Well seeing as how I'm going to be looking after Erica while Kevin and Suzanne are on their honeymoon, I thought I might check this place out and see what kind of fun it has to offer. What about you?" Dylan asks.

"Well, Brandon just left for Washington. And I just kind of wanted to be anywhere but the empty house right now." Brenda says.

"So care to walk around with me and check out what kind of crazy stuff they have going on here?" Dylan asks.

"Lead the way." Brenda says with a smile as she grabs Dylan's arm and he leads her around the carnival. As they walk past the mud pit, Dylan spots a familiar face.

"Oh god, look who it is." Dylan says as he nods over at John Sears who is waiting at the Keg house mud pit and arguing with Muntz.

"Muntz, I'm not going to ask again, where the hell is Sanders? I paid my five bucks, I want him here and I want him up on that plank right now." John Sears says in an intimidating manner as he gets right up in Muntz's face.

"John, look I told you. He went to sign up for the raffle. You're just going to have to wait till he gets back." Muntz replies.

"Raffle huh? By the time I get done with him, the only trip little Stevie's going to be taking it to the ER." John says loudly. Dylan and Brenda walk on.

"Looks like he hasn't changed a bit." Brenda says.

"What can I say, Bren. Once a jerk wad…." Dylan says.

"Always a jerk wad." Brenda finishes with a smile. The two of them slowly gallivant over to the raffle table where Brenda starts reading a flyer for the cruise they are giving away as the grand prize.

"Enjoy three weeks in the tropical sun of the Florida Keys with this all expenses paid first class cruise in one of our luxury cabins, where you will be treated to beautiful sunsets as you dine on five star cuisines and enjoy nightly festivities such as dancing, karaoke, luau parties, and so much more. Daily stops will be made in local villages and towns where you will have the opportunity to see the sights and shop at many local shops." Brenda reads. "So what do you think, Dylan?"

"I think I am already there." Dylan says as he reaches into his wallet and pulls out a fifty dollar bill and gets in line.

"You're going to sign up just like that?" Brenda asks.

Dylan shrugs. "Sure, why not?"

"Well, it's fifty bucks." Brenda says.

"So what?" Dylan replies. "Bren, if I wanted advice on how not to spend my money, I would have brought your father along."

Brenda takes a deep breath. "All right, but on one condition." Brenda says. "If you win, you have to take me."

Dylan grins. "I wouldn't have it any other way. So what about you? Why don't you enter the raffle?" Dylan suggests.

"Me?" asks Brenda.

"Sure. Come on Bren, live a little. Besides, it's for a good cause." Dylan says.

Brenda sighs. "Oh all right." Brenda says.

"That's the spirit." Dylan says as Brenda reaches into her purse to pull out the money. "So are you going to take me if you win?" Dylan asks.

"Well, if Tom Cruise isn't available." Brenda jokes, prompting a look from Dylan. "Of course I'll take you, Dylan." Brenda says with a smile. The two gaze at each other, almost romantically.

A bit later on, after Brenda and Dylan have each signed up for the raffle they are walking around looking at the rides as they begin to talk some more.

"So, in the unlikely event that neither one of us wins this thing…." Dylan jokes referring to the raffle. "….what are your plans for this summer now that this whole play thing is over."

Brenda shrugs. "To tell you the truth I hadn't really thought about it." she says.

"Really?" Dylan asks.

"Yeah, I don't know. I thought about maybe taking a few summer classes, or maybe taking the summer off and just working." Brenda says.

"Come on, Bren. That's it?" Dylan asks with a hint of disappointment in his tone. "You just had a great play. You should go out, do something fun and exciting this summer."

"Uhm, like what?" Brenda asks, as she wonders what Dylan is getting at.

"Well, like hang out with me." Dylan says.

Brenda takes a deep breath. "Dylan." she says.

"Just think about it, Bren. You and me taking off for Baja for a couple weeks, spending the days surfing and the nights dancing on the beach. Or maybe taking off one weekend and heading for the grand canyon, camp out underneath the stars at night." Dylan says.

"Dylan, that all sounds very nice, but….." Brenda says.

"But what? Give me one good reason why any of that would be a bad idea?" Dylan asks.

"Dylan, I don't know. I mean, we've gone down this road before. It usually never winds up good." Brenda says.

"Just think about it for a second. We've had our bad times, yes, I'll admit. But no matter what, we always find our way back to each other." Dylan says.

"Dylan, I uhm…." Brenda stutters.

"Bren, I really believe you and I were destined for each other. I really do." Dylan says.

Brenda thinks for a moment. "Are you sure there's room for me, I mean with your new family and all?" Brenda asks. At that point Dylan stops for a moment as he thinks about how to respond to that.

"Listen, I know that was a source of tension between us before. But with Kevin now getting married to Suzanne, they won't be around nearly as much. In fact if this new business takes off, we may….." Dylan says getting cut off in mid sentence.

"What new business?" Brenda asks.

"Well, Kevin and…." Dylan starts, but stops in mid-sentence as he questions whether or not to let Brenda in on what's going on or not.

"Dylan, what's going on? Is there something you're not telling me that I should know about?" Brenda asks with concern.

Dylan thinks for a moment, then shakes his head. "Nah, everything's cool, Bren. Trust me. For the first time in my life, I have a really good feeling about my future." Dylan says. Brenda looks at him closely. The look Dylan is giving her isn't really convincing her that everything is okay. But she decides not to press the envelope right there and give him the benefit of the doubt.

"Okay Dylan, if you say everything is okay, I believe you." Brenda says.

"It is, Brenda. There's just one thing that would make it perfect." Dylan says.

"What's that?" Brenda asks.

"You." Dylan says as he smiles and gazes into her eyes. Brenda's heart begins to flutter as the look he is giving her is a look she's seen so many times before. Dylan stands there looking at her. Brenda closes her eyes at one point and leans in like she's going to kiss him, but stops at the last moment.

"Dylan." Brenda cries out softly.

"Yeah?" he asks.

"I have to go." Brenda says.

"Go? Go where?" Dylan asks.

"I'm meeting Roy Randolph on campus tonight. I guess he wants to say goodbye or something." Brenda says.

With a look of disappointment on his face, Dylan looks at Brenda. "All right, well if you have to go." Dylan says. "Just think about what I said, okay? You have the rest of your life to work your butt off, Bren. But you only have a few more summers to really make it count. Just promise me you'll think about it, all right?"

Brenda nods. "I will." she says to Dylan as she grins at him once more and then walks off slowly. Dylan watches her as she walks away amidst the crowd of people there for the Mardi Gras. Confused as ever, he wonders if he came on too strong.


Brenda walks into the student union building to find Roy sitting alone at a table. She approaches him slowly and quietly.

"Hey Roy." Brenda greets.

"Brenda, good of you to come." Roy responds in his British accent as Brenda takes a seat across from him.

"Well, I couldn't let you leave town without saying good-bye." Brenda says.

"Good to know." Roy says.

"So what's next on your agenda?" Brenda asks.

"I'm flying back to New York the day after tomorrow, got to begin blocking for my next play, it's a production of St. Joan." Roy says.

"Really? That soon? Not taking any time off?" Brenda asks.

"In the theatre business, Brenda, time off is a luxury the very elite can not afford. We have to take the opportunities wherever we can find them. Because we never know when the day will come that they won't be there anymore." Roy says. "I'm afraid time ticks on even the very best of us."

"I see." Brenda replies. "Well, I can't even begin to thank you enough for the opportunity you gave me with this play. It was truly an honor to work with you, Roy." Brenda says.

"Well, the window of opportunity hasn't closed just yet." Roy says.

"What do you mean?" Brenda asks.

"Brenda, what are your plans for this summer?" Roy asks.

Brenda shrugs. "I was just having this same conversation with Dylan an hour ago. I haven't made anything definite yet. Thought I might work, maybe take a summer class or two. Dylan thinks I should kick back and have fun, but I don't know. That just isn't me, you know?" Brenda says.

"The life is leisure isn't for you, I take it?" Roy asks. "You've spoken like a true go getter. And with that being said, there is this great opportunity in London. It's a summer program at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts that you should consider."

"Isn't it a little late? I mean haven't they had their auditions all ready?" Brenda asks.

"If you're interested. All it would take is one international phone call from me, and you'd be in." Roy says.

"Really? You'd do that just for me?" Brenda asks.

"You deserve it, Brenda. You're very talented, and with the right opportunity the sky is the limit for you. I'm offering you that opportunity right now, unless of course you want to spend the summer lying on the beach and working on your tan." Roy jokes.

"Gosh, Roy, I don't know what to say, this is all so overwhelming." Brenda says.

"Believe me, dear, I wouldn't make this offer if I didn't think you could handle it. I do have a pretty stout reputation at the academy. And everyone student I have recommended for their summer program has gone on to great things. I see no reason why you would be any different." Roy says with a grin.

Brenda smiles, but looks a bit uncomfortable. "Can I have some time to think this over?" Brenda asks.

"Eh, well, don't take too long." Roy says. "Classes start in just two weeks." he says.

Brenda sits there looking back at Roy wondering what she's going to do. This news has shocked and overwhelmed her, but also has her giddy as well. This is a major opportunity for her. Here her twin brother is on his way to meet the President of the United States for his opportunity. This though is her opportunity.

The downside to it though is what impact this will have on the people around her. Two weeks is a very short time to pack up and move to London for the summer. She'd have very little time to see her friends, much less say goodbye. There's Kelly, Donna, and Scott, but especially Dylan who now has made it clear that he has renewed hope of a future with Brenda again. While her head is telling her that getting back together with Dylan would be a huge mistake, there is something deep inside her heart that is crying out for him. But if she goes to London, that could very well throw any opportunity of that out the window.

As Brenda thanks Roy and gets up and leaves, she is left with a million different thoughts running through her head.

TO BE CONTINUED


A/N: So, unlike the actual show, somebody is going to win two tickets for a cruise here. And yes, it will be one of the main characters. But which one will it be? So many possibilities. Could Dylan win it and use the cruise as a way to convince Brenda not to go to London? Could Brandon win it and use it to try to patch things up with Kelly? Could Scott win it and use this as an opportunity to try to get closer to Kelly and let her know how he really feels? Could Steve win it and use it as a way to win back Celeste? Could Brenda win it and decide suddenly she doesn't want to go to London? Could either David win it and take Donna or maybe wind up going with Aerial. All of these are possibilities for you to ponder is we wind down this story with only a few chapters left to go.

A new poll has been posted on my profile page regarding this contest for the cruise, please take a moment go vote in it.

As always, your reviews are welcomed and encouraged.