Brenda watched the actors' auditions for the TV show. By now there was a list of names left. She had promised herself to take care of her friends. To take similar people. She observed the features. The movements. The light in the eyes.

Dylan joined her in the middle of the morning.

"So how is it going?" He asked her by approaching her ear.

"Let's get on. Filming will start soon and we're not all there yet"

A boy came in at that moment, big blue eyes, messy hair in the air.

Brenda stared at him for a moment.

"Here is Brandon!" They said in unison Brenda and Dylan laughing.

The boy began to play nd his words were the backdrop between Brenda and Dylan.

Dylan looked at her with a strange look "are you okay?"

Yes, she's head, she was all right.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes" Brenda tried to distract herself "how did it go for the Peach?"

"Nothing new. You can't find a buyer."

"I can't believe it ends like this"

"Bren, don't make me feel more guilty than I already feel"

"There will be a solution."

"I tried, Bren," Dylan replied, "I can't go on running that place"

"It will break Joan's heart," Brenda thought, "we owe it to Nat."

"I know," Dylan replied sadly, "so, did you pack your bags?"

"I haven't done anything, I've been here since this morning."

"So why don't we leaving?"

"I promised Kelly that I would help with the the party."

"Let's get it then," Dylan said.

Brenda wrote the names of her chosen ones on a sheet of paper she handed over to production.

The two greeted and left the Fox studios. They got on the bike and disappeared behind the curve.

The fresh air hit Brenda's face and gave her the relief she had been nervously waiting for throughout the morning. She closed his eyes. She held on to him.

Andrea entered the I4ever Offices with Steve still busy at the desk.

"Bad time?" She asked him.

"Hey," he replied.

"I brought you lunch and then I'm going to take the My shift"

Steve raised his eyebrow.

"Okay," Andrea admitted, "I didn't want to eat alone. And so I came to see if you had time for an old friend."

"Come on in," Steve told her, "is Hannah back?"

"She's back from New York, of course she's only excited about New York and certainly not for her father."

They settled in the back of the Beat where Steve's old kitchen still survived.

"Are you coming to the party tonight?" Steve asked

"As soon as I finish the shift, did you talke the gift?"

Steve smiled at her "I'm not so unable, you look like my secretary"

"Why aren't I? Aren't we a good team?"

"Great, Janet's scolding, has decreased by thirty percent since I remember things"

"Good' Said Andrea.

"What have you prepared?"

'Rice salad'.

"Fantastic," Steve said unenthusiastic, "maybe it was better to go to the Peach," he immediately noticed what he had just said and her gaze saddened almost immediately.

"Dylan can't find someone to run the pit , Brandon told me he's next to the sale," Andrea told.

"That's not exactly what Nat would want from us."

"Yeah," Andrea replied, "he would do anything for us," she sighed.

Steve smiled and began to eat in the silence of the kitchen.

"How did it go with the guy you dated on Saturday night?"

Andrea laughed " a deadly boredom, it seems like they've all been boring since you and I spent time together. No one who takes life more lightly and frankly I need lightness."

Steve smiled "we really had fun already"

"True," Andrea admitted.

"Here is My problem's day"

"What?"

"Janet leaves for Mexico for few days and now I have to come up with something for Janet to leave the little girl to me. She doesn't want to go. She called me this morning."

"Maybe talk to her tonight at the party. I don't think she couldn't understand"

"And what do I tell her?" Steve asked

"You know Steve, sometimes people really appreciate the truth," Andrea revealed.

"Yeah yes, I know. You say don't invent anything and just tell her that she doesn't want to go?"

Andrea nodded, put down the fork "I have to go, see you tonight".

Andrea got up.

"I'll take back this bowl next time. Wash the dishes."

"Thank you very much Andy"

Andrea smiled "see you tonight."

Brandon's office

"Walsh is the ratings report ready?" Dummer asked him.

"I'm almost done with it, you'll find it on your desk when you get back from lunch"

Dummer nodded and walked away almost immediately.

Brandon was really late, and had promised Kelly that he would be back in time to help for the party.

He clicked on the intercom.

"Yes sir?"

"Betty can you come a second?"

"Yes"

Betty looked at him with a smile.

"Mr. Walsh.."

"I promised Kelly that I would be back at a decent time today. It's Grace's birthday."

"I understand Mr. Walsh."

"I need an help with this data and this news analysis."

"Okay no problem"

"We can divide, take the first six months and I will take the last six, let's analyze the drop for news, it seems that people care more about gossip than foreign policy."

"It doesn't amaze me Mr. Walsh"

"Betty, when we're alone you can call me Brandon."

"It's hard for me but I try Mr. Walsh, I mean Brandon. But anyway I thank you for getting me hired here"

"You are a great collaborator Betty"

"When the dismissal from the Chronical came for downsizing staff it seemed to me to collapse. The mortgage, the boys in college, my husband who left."

"Unfortunately Julie decided to leave and things didn't go too well anymore"

"Yeah and then she was no longer available, she chose to go to San Francisco.."

"Betty I owed you"

"What about Mr. Walsh?"

"If you hadn't gone to deliver that envelope to Kelly that day maybe I wouldn't be here today either."

"Brandon seemed important"

"And it was," Brandon smiled, "courage, let's finish this stuff in time or I'm in serious trouble."

Betty opened the flaps and began looking for audience data by sitting in the chair under the office window and placing the cards on the coffee table.

Willy looked out at that moment.

"Hey Will!"

"Hi Bran, I came to say Goodbye.

Brandon looked up at Willy.

"Why?"

"I've found another job. A small broadcaster from San Diego."

"Oh."

"Don't look at me with that Walsh face. My wife works there and I'm tired of living in separate cities. And then it pulls out a bad air around here."

"What do you mean?"

"There will be a downsizing. Someone will be relocated, others fired. The new property pulls the rope" winked at him "but don't worry about you I didn't hear anything. In fact, it seems that you are on the list for a management position."

"Seriously?"

"You, Claudia, Jake from the sportsman, will talk about it in September. But there will also be a lot of heads that will fall."

Brandon and Betty looked at each other quickly. They were confused. They hadn't heard anything but Willy was very close to the staff. It was their reliable source.

"Goodbye guys. Take a good look at your back Bran."

"Why?"

Willy winked at him "I don't think you need to ask."

They shook hands.

"Good luck boy," Willy told him.

Walsh House

Erin and Kelly were busy decorating the garden. Fresh flowers. White flakes and a soft shade of pink.

Brenda arrived at that moment.

"Do you need an help?" She asked.

"Did your brother send you to replace him?" Kelly asked evidently nervous.

"Wow no, what happened?" Brenda replied.

"No," Kelly apologized, "forgive me. This morning he escaped it and left all the load to me. He said he had to work":

"Maybe it's true," Brenda replied, raising her eyebrow.

"Let it go, she is been like this for a few days," Erin added.

"Erin!" Kelly scolded her.

Brenda looked at Erin who had the expression of one who wanted to spit on something but couldn't. Then she turned to Kelly alone.

"Can I help you?" Brenda asked to Kelly.

"Yes, there are bows to hang and lanterns," she replied without looking at her as she machined with some candles.

Brenda stopped her hand.

"Can I help you?" SHe repeated them.

Kelly looked at Brenda and surrendered to her. Sometimes her friend had an innate instinct for things that writhed her from the inside.

"Is everything okay?" Asked Brenda "I mean with Brandon is everything okay?"

"Yes," she replied, "it's all going great," she sat heavily on the chair in the garden.

"So what?"

Kelly took a few seconds for herself.

"I got a phone call a few days ago," Kelly revealed.

"Okay and ...?"

"The University of California would like to offer me a job they want me to teacher clinical psychology course," Kelly replied, "one of the magnificent consequences of the publication of My the book."

"In fact it's magnificent what's a problem?"

"It would be great for anyone but they would like me to organize a course already and would like to send me around the country during the summer to give lectures."

"Okay and Brandon doesn't agree?"

"Brandon doesn't even know."

"And for what reason?"

Kel sighed.

"I don't think I'll accept, so there's little to say."

Brenda was surprised by that answer "why don't you even want to consider this proposal?"

"Grace is too small to be parked in a kindergarten and I don't want a stranger to take care of her. Brandon has impossible schedules. How do I reconcile things?"

Brenda poured some iced tea for her and Kelly.

"But at least talk to him about it.."

Kelly took a sip of Italia.

"What about you? I almost forgot. Happy anniversary"

"Thank you" smiled Brenda "I preach to you but I'm not good at bringing things out either"

""What is it?" Kelly asked.

"I wish I had a child" Brenda takes a break "with Dylan I pretend I don't care every time the test is negative, but it's not like that, I would like it. In the past few months I had a crying crisis for yet another negative test and with Dylan we determined that I would no longer do tests. That if it came it was good, I actually kept doing it. The last one this morning" Brenda was moved "negative"

"I'm so sorry Bren," Kelly hugged her.

"He doesn't care. Maybe he doesn't want this as much as I do. He doesn't ask for anything."

"I don't think it is like this ," Kelly replied, "I think everyone processes the pain and the frustrations."

"This morning he gave me a trip to Thailand," Brenda revealed to her.

"Seriously? WOW. I would give anything to make me a trip to Thailand with Brandon, be free to do a job that, hell, I'm sure I would love it, instead of sniffing my house"

Brenda looked her straight in the eye "it's strange Kel as we always want what the other has".

Kel didn't answer but he knew Brenda was right. Sometimes life seemed too tight for those who didn't have the courage to take a step back and thank them for what they had. Kelly wanted freedom and personal fulfillment. Brenda wanted a family. They looked at each other ally inside the Walsh garden. Inside their lives. Parallels in the road they were walking.