Disclaimer: Nothing IaHB related is mine. Again I must mention, though, that Disney has made a stupid, stupid mistake by not ordering any more shows for a second season. I mean, really, people. It seems to me like a stupid mistake. If I owned the show.................

Note: Thanks so much to the people who have reviewed so far. You all are so wonderful! :) And I promise that this fic will be ending sometime soon. I want to get it done with so I can start writing a new fic. *grins devilishly*
Okay, don't forget to review, people. Thanks lots.


Tyler was confused. He had been confused ever since Hank told him how he planned to let Melanie go back to her life without him. Didn't Hank love Melanie, Tyler wondered. Wasn't their new relationship worth something to Hank?

Tyler had always considered Hank the leader of their little group. He was the one who everyone looked up to; the one you could always rely on to be there to lend a hand or an ear when you had a problem. To Tyler, Hank was his ultimate source of wisdom. He had been the one to encourage Tyler to become a teacher when Tyler had been struggling over the question of what to do with his life. Hank had been there the million times that Tyler had needed advice concerning certain areas of his life. And whatever Hank said always made sense. He always seemed to know exactly what to do, exactly what the right thing to do was. Until now, it seemed.

And that's what had Tyler confused because for the first time as far back as he could remember, he disagreed with Hank. This wasn't some petty thing that they were disagreeing about. It was the difference between right and wrong. Was it right, Tyler wondered, to ask Val to be in his life as more than just a fleeting figure? Hank would say no. Hank would say that Val had created a life for herself and Tyler should not take that away from her. After all, that's how Hank felt about Melanie and her career.

But, Tyler disagreed. Why couldn't he be a bit selfish just this once and ask Val to stay with him? Maybe she would want to stay. Maybe she would want me to move back to the city with her, Tyler thought. I'm willing to make the sacrifice. They're always looking for teachers in the city. I could always find work there.

But, who knew what Val wanted? She hadn't told him herself yet. In fact, she hadn't even talked to him yet about the letters that he had given her. Maybe, Tyler thought hopefully, that's why she is on her way down here.

See, Val had called Tyler a few minutes after a very sullen Hank had left. She had explained that she wanted to talk to him about something and was wondering if she could come to his room. She wanted to talk before the dinner started. Tyler could still feel the excitement that had bubbled up in his throat when Val had stated that she wanted to talk to him before the dinner. At the time, he had thought that perhaps Val wanted him to come back to the city with her or something of the sort. He thought that perhaps she was going to ask him when she came to his room. But, now as he waited patiently for her to arrive, uneasiness overtook the excitement. Now, he was unsure of what he wanted.

He didn't want Val to give up her life for him. And he did not want to interfere in her life if he was not wanted. What if Hank has a point, Tyler's conscience seemed to ask. What if Hank had the right idea all along?

A soft knock sounded at the door to his room and Tyler jumped off his sitting position on the bed to answer it. He crossed the room quickly, hoping that it was Val outside his door.

Tyler opened the door and smiled at the blond that stood in the hallway. "Hey," he said, not knowing what he should do. Should he step forward and lightly kiss her cheek? In a friendly manner, of course, Tyler told himself. Or should he just bid her come into his room?

Although Tyler wanted to do the first idea, he opted for the latter one and motioned for Val to come into his room. She smiled at him and stepped inside, a blush clearly written on her cheeks.

Tyler closed the door and turned, his eyes locking with Val's own. They stared at each other, not saying a word. For not the first time that weekend, it seemed as if they were in their own little world. Nothing else seemed to exist. And, Tyler realized, he wanted nothing more than to keep staring at Val for the rest of the day.

A smile graced Val's face, and a brighter blush crept up into her cheeks. She looked away suddenly, breaking the moment between them. Tyler watched her, hoping that she was not turning off her feelings. Something had just happened between them, even though no words had been exchanged. Tyler had felt the connection between them growing, until Val looked away. He hoped desperately that she wasn't trying to think rationally. No, he thought, she shouldn't do that. All she should do is feel.

But, Val was not smiling anymore as she turned her eyes back to Tyler, more hesitant this time. "Tyler I wanted to talk to you about something before we go to the dinner," she said.

Tyler nodded, encouraging her to go on. This was it, he knew. Whatever Val had to say, it was truly important. Tyler could tell how serious Val was from the way the smile had seemed to leave her face so quickly. Nervousness crept into Tyler's stomach, but he tried not to show it. He tried to smile, hoping that it would encourage Val to continue.

He gestured to the bed behind them and Val sat down slowly. Tyler sat down next to her on the soft mattress and turned to face the girl he had been in love with since high school. Tell me, he pleaded silently.

"It's about the letters you gave me last night," she continued.

Tyler's heart dropped. Shouldn't she be smiling, he thought wildly. He thought she would like the letters, but she wasn't smiling yet. Did that mean she didn't like them? Did it mean that he had made a big mistake?

Tyler realized that giving Val the letters was putting her in a somewhat awkward position. He knew that he was putting her on the spot, making her decide her feelings for him. He knew that there was always a chance that Val did not want what he wanted. He knew all of this all too well.

But, Tyler thought as he watched Val try not to fidget nervously, Val has to realize what a chance I am taking. In giving her the letters, Tyler was also putting himself on the spot. He had put himself in a position he feared the most- to be rejected by the one person he had not been able to forget since high school. The one person who meant the most to him in the whole world.

Maybe I pushed too much, Tyler thought, his feelings of nervousness overpowering now. Maybe I shouldn't have given her the letters so soon after seeing her again. Maybe I should have waited longer before giving them to her. Maybe........

"Look Val," Tyler said before Val could say anything else. "You don't have to say anything at all. I understand. It was a bad idea to give them to you."

Val shook her head, trying to disagree with Tyler. But, he was beyond hearing her. All he wanted to do was explain his way out of this mess. He now understood that giving her the letters was a mistake. Thus, there was only one thing left to do. He would explain and they would go back to being just friends. No big deal, Tyler thought. But, he was having a hard time ignoring the dark feeling that was growing in the pit of his stomach.

"But I liked the letters," Val mentioned, trying to calm Tyler's fears. But, he was still too busy forming an explanation in his mind to hear her.

"Val, it's okay. I know I shouldn't have---what did you say?" Tyler asked, her last words finally filtering into his mind. Had she just said that she liked the letters? Or was his mind playing tricks on him?

"What did you say?" He repeated, looking at Val cautiously. It would be asking too much, he knew, to hope that he had heard her right.

Val smiled rather shyly and lad a hand casually on Tyler's arm. Tyler tried to ignore how his pulse seemed to race at her mere touch. And was it his imagination or was his entire arm covered in heat from her light touch?

"I said I liked the letters," she repeated. 'They were sweet. Thank you."

Tyler felt like screaming for joy. Every fear, every doubt in his mind was suddenly laid to rest. She had liked the letters. She was thanking him for the letters. And, he thought pleased, she's touching my arm. Could things get any better?

"I just have one question," Val added and she pulled her hand away from his arm and let it fall to rest in her lap.

"Why didn't you give them to me before this?" She asked, her eyes full of confusion.

Ah, Tyler thought, the inevitable question. He should have known that was coming. After all, he had put the date he had written it on each letter- some dating back to mere months after graduation.

So, why hadn't he sent the letters out? Tyler almost laughed. How could he explain to her the torment he had put himself through for so long over the darn things? He had wanted to mail them to her, and almost had a few times. He would stand at the end of his driveway staring at the mailbox, trying to get up enough courage to shove the envelopes inside. But, he never had been able to do it. Then he would always walk back in his house and put the growing stack of letters back in their box. And he would always hope that the next time, he would have the courage to mail them.

Even Hank had thought that Tyler should mail them to Val. Hank was the only person that Tyler had ever told about the letters and their significance. And Hank had encouraged his friend to just do it, to get it over with. But, until the reunion, Val had never received the letters because they simply were never sent. Rejection, Tyler knew, could be a very horrible thing.

"I was afraid you wouldn't.................like them," Tyler said softly. And he watched as Val's eyes softened with concern and something else that Tyler did not readily recognize.

"I loved them," she said equally soft as she stared into the blue eyes before her.

They stared at each other in silence, as they had when Val had first come to Tyler's room. The connection that Tyler had felt earlier reappeared and grew between them. And it suddenly seemed to Tyler as if time had stopped. Nothing else seemed to matter or exist as he leaned slowly towards Val, watching intently as she closed her eyes.

They had kissed once before in high school and Tyler had never forgotten how absolutely wonderful it had been. His anticipation grew as he leaned slowly forward. Ah, to again feel the same rush of sweet happiness he had felt when he had kissed Val years before!

He was almost there. Mere inches separated their faces. Tyler watched as Val started to lean forward slowly, waiting expectantly for the kiss they both wanted so much. And...............and............

A knock sounded on the door to Tyler's room.

Val gasped and her eyes flew open as if she had just woken from a dream. Tyler cursed softly. Whoever was at the door would have a lot of explaining to do.

Another knock sounded on the door and Val stood, looking around as if she didn't really know where she was. Her eyes were wide with fright and she reminded Tyler of a deer caught in the headlights of an oncoming car.

"Val--," he said, not liking how she seemed so nervous all of the sudden.

"Um, Tyler.........I have to go," she said and she started fro the door.

Tyler stood from the bed and looked at her in surprise. "Val, it's okay," he said slowly. His mind raced to figure out what had just happened. What was wrong with her all of the sudden? She had been fine just minutes before.

Another knock sounded at the door.

"You have another visitor," Val said unnecessarily and she pulled the door open the reveal a very sad-looking Hank standing in the doorway.

"Hi Hank," Val said quickly as she rushed past him. She started down the hall quickly, as the two boys looked on. Halfway down the hall, Val turned around. "I'll see you guys at the dinner, okay?" And without waiting for an answer, she spun around and turned a corner and was out of their sight.

Hank looked at Tyler, surprise and confusion written all over his face. "What just happened?" He asked slowly.

Tyler just shook his head. Hank had a very good question, indeed. What had just happened with Val?

"I have no idea," Tyler mumbled.

............................................

Stupid, stupid, stupid, Val berated herself silently. How could she have been so careless as to let things go so far with Tyler? We almost kissed, Val's mind screamed. How could I have let it get that out of hand?

Sure, she had wanted to kiss Tyler. And if Hank had not pounded on the door when he had, chances were extremely good that she would have kissed Tyler. But, that was so wrong to do! So very wrong, Val thought to herself.

Val hurried to her own hotel room and didn't dare to breathe until she had shut the door behind her. And then she sighed.

The next day, she knew. She was leaving without Tyler. So, she never should have let things go so far with him minutes ago in his room. I shouldn't make things worse that they already are, she thought, and then sighed again as she thought about having to see him at the dinner later on.

............................................
Later On


Tyler followed Brooke through the maze of tables. Vaguely he wondered exactly where and who he would be sitting with for the dinner. A part of Tyler wanted to sit with Val and try to talk to her about what had happened in his room just a bit of time before. Yet, an equally big part of him was hoping that they wouldn't have to sit at the same table. He wished with all his might that there would not be awkward feelings between them if they sat together. But, how could they possibly get around it? Because of what had happened in Tyler's room and especially because of how Val reacted, awkward feelings between them were practically inevitable.

Someone called out his name and Tyler turned to wave to the long forgotten classmate. They had been somewhat close in high school, played on the football team together if Tyler wasn't mistaken. Mark......something, Tyler thought as he turned back to follow Brooke further into the maze of tables. It struck him as somewhat funny how he could not seem to remember Mark's last name. Or, Tyler thought, it's weird how I can't really remember anything else about the guy.

Tyler's brow furrowed as he tried in vain to remember a time when he and Mark had hung out together. We were close in high school, Tyler thought silently. Why can't I remember anything about him other than his first name? That's strange.

It truly was strange. After all, Tyler could remember everything he had ever done with his other friends. Val, for instance, Tyler told himself. I can remember the smallest details of our times together.

His mind wandered to the time he had given her the little leprechaun trinket and then had spent the night playing scrabble in her living room. That was right after her father had his heart attack, he thought. It might seem like such a trivial memory to anyone else, but for Tyler it was golden.

But, he questioned, how come I can remember stuff about the time I spent with Val in high school and I can't remember Mark.........something? The question hung heavy in his mind, but Tyler thought he might already know the answer.

"Here we are," Brooke announced cheerfully as she came to a stop next to a table with only two other occupants.

Tyler smiled weakly at Jamie and Caitie, both who were already seated at the table. They smiled back at him, looking almost grateful that there was now someone else at the table.

"Your other dinner companions will be here shortly," Brooke chirped before moving away from the table to take up her post again at the door.

Tyler pulled out a chair slowly and sank into it. On any normal day, he would have definitely taken the opportunity to talk to Caitie and Jamie, to catch up on what they had done in their lives. But, this was no normal day and he simply was not in the mood for easy chitchat. It didn't seem to be a problem, though, as Caitie and Jamie did not say a word to him. They sat across from him, seemingly lost in their own misery.

Suddenly Tyler wished he had never come to the reunion at all.

.............................................

Brooke smiled as she watched her sister walk slowly to the door. She seemed to drag her feet on the carpet as if she really did not want to enter the dining room any time too soon. Brooke smiled. Yes, she knew the problem her sister was facing. And she knew what she could do about it too. All Val and Tyler need is a little push, Brooke thought.

"Val," she said as her sister finally made it to the door. Brooke hugged her sister and then stepped back, a bit worried at the sad little frown that seemed to be locked in at the corner of Val's mouth.

"It's great to see you again, Brooke," Val said, trying to smile genuinely. It truly was good to see her sister again and she wished that she could be happier about it. It was just that a certain other person was on her mind right then and Val was having trouble thinking of much else. Was he already in the dining room? Would he be happy to see her? She would not be surprised if he was angry with her for running out of his room so fast. She just had not know what else to do.

"It's great to see you too, Val," Brooke said as she thought of how that little frown on her sister's face would definitely change that night. Just wait a little bit longer and you will be happy, Brooke thought happily.

Val narrowed her eyes as she saw the devilish look in her sister's eyes. Yes, Val knew the look in Brooke's eyes well. She had seen it many times while they had been growing up. It seemed to always make itself known right before Brooke had outlined one of her crazy ideas. Val wondered what her sister was up to. What devilish games are planning on playing tonight, Val asked silently. But, Brooke's eyes gave away none of her secrets and Val almost smiled. Oh well, she thought as Brooke took her by the hand and started in towards the dining tables, I can only feel pity for the poor soul that Brooke has decided to pick on tonight.


K, so what did you think? Next chapter will focus on Hank and Melanie. Hopefully it will be up soon. Don't forget to review. Thanks everyone!