"I'm quite excited tonight" Valerie had a very aggressive dress, with pants and leather jacket on white bodysuit, her hair pulled back with gel and motorcyclist boots; David had introduced himself with a wide pants and the Los Angeles Lakers t-shirt. They were the two souls of the place, rock and rap.

"Tonight, on this stage, there will be an icon of the Peach Pit by night, then become After Dark, which now reopens its doors – a dashing applause – is a way to start again with the grit of the early days, when the trend, in Los Angeles, passed by us. We have a few more years, but the same energy and much more grit. We, like him: ladies and gentlemen, Ray Pruit!!!"

Ray made his entrance to the stage, where the band was already positioned, and sang his evergreen, "Hold on", with the audience following the notes humming the words, although few remembered the text with punctuality. Valerie went to the entrance, to see how the receipts proceeded and what queue was outside; while David, responsible for the musical performance, did not move away from the stage.

"How's it going, Silver?" Steve reached him immediately

"Well, I'm a violin string"

"I see, relax everything will be fine; where did you put the naftalin?"

"What?"

"The naftalin from where you exhumed Ray"

"Ah, yes. It's an idea from Valerie. I would have made other choices, but when I got on board, the opening night was already planned and I couldn't start this collaboration with a clash"

"I feel you"

"So, ok for Ray Pruit; the place is full anyway," David looked around smugly

"Everyone is already there, Brandon and Dylan are down"

"Ah I see them - David nodded to greet them and was reciprocated - but Brenda and Kelly?"

"Somewhere there are them too, we said hi earlier"

"I haven't seen Kelly since I told her I was about to leave Donna"

"Didn't she come tonight?"

"In your opinion? On the other hand, however, there is Clare"

"Where?" Steve began to look at the nervous club

"There, near the counter; she's looking this way – greeting her too - are you two in a good place?"

"More or less, I'm going"

"Ok"

Steve headed for Clare, when he crossed Andrea and Philipe

"Hi Steve"

"Andrea, what a pleasure to see you"

"Can I introduce you to Philipe? I told you about him"

"Hi Philipe"

"My Pleasure"

"How's it going?"

"We just arrived, I didn't see the guys"

"They're all here, somewhere. Excuse me, we'll catch up later"

"Ok," Andrea replied a little in amazement

"Nice your friend," Philipe said sincerely

"He is usually more - following him with her eyes he noticed that he was approaching Clare and smiled - but he will have his commitments tonight, come let's go, I saw David, the owner of the place; I'll introduce him to you" Philipe followed her without replying

"Hi Clare"

"Hi Steve"

"You are beautiful"

"Thank you; are you alone?"

"And who should I be with?"

"I don't know; there's a big queue outside; that I skipped thanks to Valerie, she saw me and asked the security to let me pass"

"She did well"

Steve touched her hair, but she moved aside her head.

"I need time for this.. but now I'm here and I didn't come for Ray Pruit"

Steve smiled, "Yes, I guess; do you drink anything?"

"A Mojto, please"

"Ok..." Steve smiled to her.

Steve approached the counter and made the order, adding to Clare's request a gin tonic for himself

"This are on me" Valerie came out

"Tonight you're everywhere," Clare told her,

"I'm the hostess"

Steve had grabbed the glasses

"I had an area reserved for my friends, sit in a coffee table there at the back; and to order, you don't need to get close to the counter, there is service"

"Thank you Val, see you later"

" See you later" and the two went to the indicated table, while Valerie saw David talking to Andrea and approached

"Good evening Andrea"

"Hi Valerie, how are you?"

"I was telling Andrea that some time ago we saw her on the beach and called her, but she didn't notice anything," David intervened

"No no, just nothing," Andrea replied, squeezing Philipe and resting her elbow slightly on his side

"How not - Val intervened - how to forget that morning, it was when you came to my house to confirm that you would enter into society with me"

"Yeah, just that; I was so nervous, happy, worried"

"Then everything went well, didn't it?" Andrea smiled embarassed

"More or less," David replied; Andrea understood that he was alluding to the breakup with Donna, whom she had in fact not seen around.

"I also tell you what I just told Steve and Clare, there's an area there for special guests, like our friends. If you want you can sit on that side"

"Oh, how cute; yes, with pleasure, let's go for a ride and go. I haven't seen Brandon yet"

"Yes, he should be around here; excuse me, duty calls me"

"Yes, to me too" added David "See you later"

Steve and Clare were sipping their own cocktail, in an area Valerie had carved into what was once the Peach Pit, now merged with the rest of the venue. The music was heard clearly, but it wasn't deafening, you could chat with decent intimacy. A kind of privè not physically separated from the rest.

"How's it going in the new old house?"asked Steve.

"It's not easy, Steve; I haven't lived there in so many years - Steve nodded - now go back, without my father...in short, I'm not entirely comfortable"

"I imagine"

"Every night I have nightmares, I dream my father at the end of his life or in a hospital or already in church. Always the same heartbreak; I wake up in the middle of the night, in that terribly quiet house and too big for me."

"I'm sorry"

"Don't worry, they are obligated steps in the processing of mourning; I've already been there for my mother. Only I wasn't alone then"

"You're not this time either – Steve reached out to cover her own; Clare looked at the man's hand first and then at the Steve's blue eyes – I'm still not sure I can trust"

"But tonight you're here and you are for me"

Clare arched an eyebrow, Steve smiled embarrassed "You said it, five minutes ago"

"Yes, it's true – Clare deflated herself - I said it; yes Steve, I came to see you, but I don't want to suffer like that anymore"

"You won't suffer" Steve leaned towards the girl and kissed her slightly on the lips; Clare smiled, a tear ran over her left cheek

"Do you mind the Ray Pruit concert?"

"Not really" Steve smiled

"Do you want to spend the night at my house, holding me tight without...well, without"

"I don't ask for better," Steve stood up, reaching out to the girl, who followed him.

The two left , Steve nodded to Brandon who had watched the scene from afar, and they headed towards Arnold's house.

The evening was fully successful, Valerie replied to the reporters who had been invited to the event with diligence and enthusiasm; all the glamour magazines would talk about the new trendy venue on the west coast. The After Dark was now empty, Valerie was struggling with the accounts in her office, while David was giving the last directions to those who were in charge of dismantling the stage. So he reached the partner

"Great success"

"I would say" Valerie looked away from the dollars, she was tired and beautiful. David let himself go in an armchair

"I'm devastated"

"It was worth it"

"They all came tonight"

"Almost all"

"What is it?"

"Donna"

"She was at home with Ethan, she has a fever"

"Otherwise she would have come?"

"I don't think so"

"David, I'm sorry your wedding shattered because of the place...or because of me" she seemed sincere

"My marriage was already shattered"

"You know what I mean"

"You are not to blame, you made me a proposal that I considered worthy of being accepted; my wife gave me no choice, sinking a relationship that for me was already underground."

"I'm sorry anyway"

"Thank you Val"

"And now, what are you going to do?"

"Now I want to decree the success of this place; the premises, we have seen, are all there"

"I'm glad to hear that," Valerie smiled. Tired, her hair a little ruffled, David couldn't help but notice how beautiful she was. He thought it was better not to stay any longer

"I'm going, what are you doing?"

"I finish these accounts and go home"

David threw it there, without thinking "Do you need a ride?"

Valerie had no hesitation "No, David, I'm fine like that. See you tomorrow"

"Yeah tomorrow" David smiled.

David went near his car, he didn't know whether to be disappointed: he had offered her a ride, but he probably hoped Valerie would understand more "Okay, it's definitely better that way" he tought

Dylan and Brandon were sitting opposite each other. The white corridor looked longer and whiter than it actually was. They didn't need too many words. They had already spent them that night at the pub. They did not look at each other but felt comforted by finding themselves in the same place. Inside and out of the soul.

Brenda arrived a few minutes later. Seeing them in two separate rows broke her heart. She sat next to her husband shaking his hand.

"Doesn't Kelly come?" She asked her brother well aware that it was a stance in favor of her friend.

Brandon looked up "it's okay. I wouldn't even know what to tell her."

"I noticed it at the opening of the Peach"

"What do you mean?"

"That you're acting like a moron.." Brenda said bluntly.

"Bren please..." Dylan tried to stop her.

"And you too," she turned to him.

The two didn't answer.

"She made a mistake. She should have said it," Brenda began, "but you weren't there," she said, pointing her finger at Brandon, "and you, after all, you wanted a reason to stay here," she pointed straight at Dylan's chest.

Neither of them answered and Brenda gave up right away.

Andrea looked out at that moment along with Dr. Dawing.

"Brandon, are you ready?"

"Yes," he said, getting up with little desire.

Andrea smiled at Brenda and Dylan. One replied to the smile, the other barely hinted at a sorrow for a sadness that had found a gap: he could lose his son. He was there for that. To lose it or to find it again.

Brenda put her arm around his shoulders.

"I can imagine how you feel. But I'm your wife and I'm here, don't leave me out of this thing Dylan. When she says she believed it was yours, I believe her. Why do you have such a hard time?"

"Probably because I feel guilty Brenda. We believe we have all the time in the world and instead we don't have any."

"You should say that too Brandon," she said looking at the door.

"Yeah," Dylan smiled bitterly, "I wasn't a great father. Most of the time I wasn't even there and for sure Brandon would be better than me."

"Don't punish yourself like that. No one is better or worse. Sometimes life takes strange ways."

"I'm sorry," he sighed.

"For what?"

"I feel like I haven't been close enough to you during this time and haven't understood enough."

"We should have talked more about it, I should have talked about how I felt. You about what you thought."

She kissed him.

Andrea took the blood sample from Brandon. She would have recognized his dark and wounded look everywhere.

Dawing's presence prevented her from any other words..

Yet she wanted to tell him that she too believed Kelly and believed her for how that afternoon she spoke to her, it felt like Kelly wasn't waiting for anything else for someone to knock on her door and come and ask. Whatever it was, it had quickly risen from inside her and had suddenly emptied her. Raised.

As she thought about all these things, Andrea looked Brandon in the eye, told him to open his mouth to take saliva with a swab.

She smiled at him.

"We are done"

"When will I get the results?"

"Typically between seven and ten days, but with emergency procedures in 48 hours you could have results"

"It's been eight years, I'd say it's an emergency procedure."

Andrea decided it was time to break the embankments even in the presence of Dawing.

Brandon," she said, accompanying him to the door, "there's worse in life than having a child from the woman you love, right?"

Brandon stopped for a fraction of a second and then said goodbye to both doctors. Andrea followed him by calling Dylan for the procedure.

Dylan got up leaving the seat next to Brenda free.

Left alone, Brandon gave his sister a kiss on the cheek.

"I have to go get Grace," he said.

Brenda wanted to say something her brother sensed even before she spoke.

He smiled at her hoping that no more words would come out, they looked into each other's eyes and Brenda didn't say anything.

Casa Walsh.

Kelly was waiting nervously. It had been a difficult day. It had been a difficult week. She had tried to work a little bit but had been distracted almost immediately by Sammy's requests for attention and even more so from Grace.

Brandon had promised to pick her up right after going to Andrea's but she was scared to meet him, fidgeted to see the distances that were created between them.

B's car put in the driveway. Kelly tried to see the features and mood from the window.

"Hey," he told her.

"Hi," Kelly greeted him.

"Is Grace ready?" He asked.

"Can we talk Brandon?"

Brandon would have liked to say no. That he couldn't handle this, that maybe he was a moron as Brenda claimed.

He looked at Kelly, the jeans, the white sweater, the hair tied with a tail.

"Yes, of course," he replied.

"Brandon" Kelly began "I know you're hurt and that of course Dylan is too, and you can make all the decisions you want, that's right, I deserve it" Kelly had a proud look, she tried to keep her head to and not to betray despair "But never a minute, never for a minute," Kelly said, "you must think that I didn't want you as a father and not even that I preferred this son, I fought for this son because I thought it was Dylan's while our child years before I would let him go, because I want you to know, that I probably wouldn't. I just thought about it, since the birth of Sammy and then Grace, if there was anything in them that could look like him or her, whatever you want, punish me as you want, Brandon, but please don't think about it for a minute. It's not. I wanted that child And it wasn't a day since I didn't think of him/her, when I realized I was pregnant with Sammy, I knew it could be yours, but the fear of losing everything again was superior. I ask you for forgiveness but never think that I didn't want you as a father, because I wanted you. Desperately. But I had to make a choice, and I made it. Wrong I Know"

Brandon had listened to her carefully because Kelly had found the key to which he had not been able to find a name. Years ago Kelly had not fought for his lost son, Brandon's son, and had not wanted to tell him that this could be his, she had preferred to keep Dylan's son, let him be the father. He felt rejected, he had felt rejected, but those words had generated a crack in Brandon's heart.

Kelly was still standing in front of him fearing to collapse at any moment.

"I want to come back home with my family," Brandon asked without adding anything else.

Kelly was moved. Finally the embankments could pulverize.

They could disappear under them.

He opened his arms and to her he seemed like a lifeboat, yet another one he offered and to which she clung. In the middle of nowhere.

Brandon didn't like what had happened, but he understood it. At that time he was around the world doing his career, he wasn't with her, she couldn't know that he would come back as soon as she had nod, she couldn't know that he was waiting for nothing but a nod. He thought she was happy. He believed she safe.

Kelly didn't know that all that wandering hadn't actually been of any use to him.

She couldn't know and believed she had done the right thing, because deep down it was he who asked her to let him go.

He kissed her again and then on the forehead.

They went to the kids, hugged them as they would have hug that lost child. One will be always missing. And he was missing, every day..

What about you? Do you believe Kelly?