As she made her way down the academy steps and on to the street, Brenda Walsh zipped up her jacket and pulled her scarf more tightly around her neck. As she walked, the snow crunched under her boots and soft flakes fell on to her hair and jacket, glittering momentarily in the moonlight before melting away. It was mid December and for the first time this winter London was covered in a light dusting of snow.
Already people were speculating eagerly on the odds of it being a white Christmas. Brenda couldn't help being amused at the fervour created by a few lousy flakes of snow. In Minnesota a white Christmas was pretty much a given and the first snowfall of the year was often lamented rather than celebrated. Still their enthusiasm was infectious and even she couldn't help feeling just a little excited.
Oxford Street was always crowded, but tonight, with a little over a week to go to the holidays, the streets were buzzing with late night shoppers who hadn't been deterred by the weather. On the corner, a street vendor handed out steaming bags of roast chestnuts and as she hurried past him she could hear the strains of 'We wish you a Merry Christmas' from the brass band of the Salvation Army playing on the next street.
Brenda couldn't believe that it was Christmas already. Her first semester at the Academy had flown by. It'd been tough to begin with, a new city, a new life. But she had stuck it out and she was glad. Her classes were exciting and each day had brought new challenges and discoveries. Already she could sense that she was making progress, developing as an actress. She had a long way to go before she fulfilled her dreams, but somehow she knew that she was on the right path.
She had fallen in love with London immediately. The city was vibrant and cosmopolitan, yet at the same time the sense of history and tradition was so strong she could almost taste it. There was something about old London town that tugged at Brenda; awakened feelings she never knew existed. Each morning as she looked out of the window of her digs, she was filled with a rush of excitement. Here she was a budding actress in London. She was no longer dreaming about her life, she was living her dream.
She'd immersed herself completely in academy life. Her evenings were spent with her classmates, sitting in dark and dingy cafes full of the oddest assortment of colourful characters. Her parents would have been horrified, but Brenda would watch them enthralled, storing away their foibles and accents, in case she needed them for a part. The evenings were full of laughter and companionship, drinking what passed for coffee and munching sticky buns, whilst attempting to learn lines for whatever play they were currently rehearsing.
Religiously she'd leaf through back issues of 'The Stage' lamenting along with countless others, the lack of strong parts for young women. She'd been to almost all the student productions, during which she'd studied every nuance of the female leads' performances, in her head figuring how she'd play it herself. She'd even blown some of her allowance on fringe theatre productions and the occasional West End show.
She'd loved it all.
It still amazed her how quickly she had managed to blend in and feel at home. She had gathered around her a diverse assortment of friends from the Academy. Their personalities were as different as their ages and backgrounds, but they all shared a love of acting, a love, which bonded them together. As they struggled to learn new techniques, to open up and lay their emotions on the line in the name of art, they had come to depend upon each other. These people had become her surrogate family, an integral part of her day-to-day life.
But today the academy had shut its doors for the Christmas vacation. Already she had said goodbye to friends who had returned to their families for holidays, travelling to places she'd never heard of, like Leeds, Wolverhampton and Manchester. She'd even brushed away a couple of tears as they'd leant out of train windows waving frantically and wishing her a Merry Christmas. Tomorrow she would be leaving London and heading back to Beverly Hills to spend the holidays with her own family.
Tonight, shivering in snow-covered London, it was difficult to picture the sun soaked beaches of LA. Tomorrow she would be there. But she wasn't sure she was ready to go back. Being in London had given her the breathing space she'd needed and she didn't relish the prospect of giving that up.
Guiltily she thought about how she had let her correspondence slip. Donna had written to her faithfully every week, whereas she hadn't been nearly so diligent. Although her days were packed with activities and she often fell in to bed exhausted at night, she knew that her busy schedule was just an excuse. She could make time to write if she wanted to. She'd had every intention of keeping in touch, but it had been nice to cut herself off for a while, to enjoy her new life and some time alone.
Time alone with him.
As she turned the corner and reached Trafalgar square, she gasped in delight at the magical scene before her. The giant fir tree, an annual gift from the people of Norway to the people of Britain, stood resplendent dominating the skyline. Hundreds of coloured fairy lights danced in front of her eyes and the water in the fountains sparkled under the spell of the bright white floodlights. Around her the air was filled with the sweet harmony of the carol singers crowded under the tree.
Then she saw him. He was standing with his back to her, hands jammed in to his pockets, collar turned up against the cold. She wondered how long he'd been waiting. A mischievous glint in her eyes, she snuck up behind him, the snow muffling her footsteps. "Guess who?" She demanded covering his eyes with her hands.
"Oh I don't know, seems familiar. Something about that perfume I'm sure I've smelt it before and that voice. Don't tell me." He paused dramatically pretending to think. "Could it possibly be Brenda Walsh, up and coming star of the London theatrical scene?" He asked, a hint of amusement in his voice.
"The very same." Brenda confirmed, removing her hands and grinning as he turned to face her.
"So, what do you think?" He asked, gesturing to the festive scene around them. "Was this a great idea or what?"
"I think it's beautiful Dylan." Brenda responded warmly "It was a wonderful idea." She sighed. It was perfect; exactly the way she wanted to spend her last night in London. She still couldn't believe that they were here together. When she'd walked away from him at the airport last summer, when she'd gotten on the plane she'd thought that was it, but she'd been wrong.
Dylan had been in the audience on the third night of the tour and had been a constant at every subsequent performance. At first she had asked him to leave, tried to run away, but his persistence had won her over. He had refused to give up, determined to prove to her how much he loved her. He'd even followed her back to London when the tour finished. He had rented a flat near the academy and registered for an English degree at the University.
Tentatively they had renewed their friendship. At first Dylan had accompanied Brenda and her friends on outings, but gradually they had begun to spend time together, just the two of them, catching a movie, going to a fringe production or just seeing the sights. They had started again from the beginning, slowly getting to know each other. Brenda didn't know quite when it had happened, but at some point she had begun to trust him again, begun to feel comfortable with him again.
They were still in the first few weeks of their new relationship and both were trying hard to make it work. Tonight they were having dinner together in town; tomorrow they would both be flying back to Beverly Hills to spend Christmas with her family. She was apprehensive about the reaction they would get, but she wasn't going to worry about that tonight, tonight she was just going to enjoy the moment.
"So?" She asked archly "About my Christmas gift, you promised you'd give me another clue."
"Actually I can do better than that." Dylan beamed, reaching in to his pocket and retrieving the battered envelope "I've got it right here." Teasingly he held it behind his back.
"Can I open it now?" Brenda asked intrigued and a little excited.
Dylan shrugged "I was going to wrap it, but if you want to open it now."
"Definitely now." Brenda decided, taking the envelope from him and tipping the contents in to the palm of her hand. She stared in surprise at the heart shaped pendant that Dylan had bought her for Christmas two years ago.
She looked at him in confusion. "Dylan I don't understand."
He nodded, swallowing hard, preparing to explain. "Brenda when I gave you this pendant, it was my way of saying that I loved you and that I wanted to be with you, that you made my life complete. When you wore it I always knew that you felt the same way, that we were meant to be together."
"Dylan what are saying?" Brenda asked nervously.
"I'm saying that I still love you Bren and I want to be with you. I'm asking you if you'll take it back, take me back?"
Taking a deep breath, Brenda looked up at the night sky and a multitude of stars blinked back at her. Christmas Eve a year ago, a young priest had insisted that when it came to this moment, she would know what to do. He was right.
She smiled. "Yes Dylan, I will."
THE END
Author's note
Well that's it; we've finally reached the end of the story. I had that ending planned right from the start. I hope you have enjoyed reading the story as much as I enjoyed writing it. I have to admit although I had planned it out in advance it took on a life of its own and ended up being much longer than I ever imagined. A year is a long time to write one story and I would like to thank all those who reviewed for their kind and constructive comments and for keeping me motivated. Special thanks to Crystal who I think reviewed almost every chapter. As for writing another Beverly Hills story, I could be tempted, although I'll have to wait until I have another story to tell. I can promise you that if I do write another, it won't be a work in progress, far too stressful!
Keep writing and reviewing!!