The eight friends and Madeline were now seated around the living room. Brenda sat uncomfortably between David and Brandon on the long couch with Donna perched on the arm next to her husband. Kelly was seated on Dylan's lap in the overstuffed armchair with Steve and Andrea lounging comfortably on the love seat. Madeline was taking turns between sitting on Brandon's lap, Steve's knee and next to Donna's feet.
Glancing down at his watch, Donna watched as Steve's face darkened noticeably. "It's almost time to go. I should probably go upstairs and get dressed." The seven friends nodded as he left the room.
"I'll be right back," she excused herself, following Steve to the staircase. "Are you okay?"
Steve shook his head sadly. "How do I do this, Donna? How do I say goodbye to her?"
Donna ran up the stairs after him and threw her arms around his body from behind. Pressing her face against his shoulder, she laid a gentle kiss on his neck. "You find a way, Steve. We'll find a way. You're not going through this alone. You have six people downstairs that love you and are going to get you through this. And you have me. I'm not going anywhere."
"Thanks, Don," he whispered, turning around in her arms. He allowed her to hold him for a moment before letting the tears come. His body racked with sobs, Donna did her best to hold him up when everything else in him wanted to collapse. As they fell to their knees, she just held onto him with all the strength she had and whispered soothing words into his ear. Her sweet voice became his focus until he had finally calmed down. "I don't know what I would have done without you these past few days. You've really been there for me."
"It's what I do," she said simply, pressing a kiss on his forehead as he scrambled to his feet. Offering her his hand, he pulled her up next to him, her taut body brushing against his. For a brief moment, he felt something stir inside him. Chastising himself for giving into the loneliness, he put it aside and thanked his friend again.
Downstairs, Brandon had retreated to the kitchen to get a breath of fresh air. An air of sentimentality had made it impossible for him to breathe in his old living room. Seeking solace on the open porch, he let the warm California sun flood over his face. "There you are," his twin sister chirped as she stepped out beside him. They didn't look at each other, only stared up at the bright blue sky. "That was some reunion with Kelly."
Brandon sighed and shook his head. He had to chuckle, after all these years, Brenda could still read him like a book. "It was hard. To see her walk in the door with Dylan, I just wanted to punch him. And then, when she was in my arms, it was like not a single moment had passed. Everything else went away, it was just Kelly and me standing in the living room like we have a million times."
"I expected to feel like that when I saw Dylan, but I didn't."
"Really?"
"Yeah, it was more like seeing someone you know that you used to know but you can't remember how. I remember that I used to be in love with Dylan, I just don't remember the actual feelings of love that I had for him. Whatever used to be there is gone."
"You sound comfortable with that."
"I am. I'm glad that Dylan and I can be in the same room now without all the awkwardness. It took us a long time, but I think our relationship really is over. I don't miss him anymore, at least not like that. I just wish you could say the same thing for Kelly."
"I love her, Bren. I hate to admit it because I know that it's not the right thing, but I am still absolutely crazy about her. I've tried to convince myself a million times that I'm over her, but I'm not. Truth is, I don't think I ever will be."
"Then you owe to yourself to tell her that, Brandon. I know that seeing her wasn't the major reason that you came back to Beverly Hills, but let it be a part of it. Don't leave here without telling her how you feel. She deserves to know as much as you need to tell her."
"When did you become the smart one?"
"I always was, Bran, I always was."
Meanwhile, in the living room, Andrea and Dylan were wrapped up in a conversation of their own. Kelly watched them from across the room, both slightly jealous and pleasantly surprised to see two of her favorite people reconnecting so quickly. She had no idea what topic had them both so engrossed, but as her brother flopped down next to her, she couldn't help but smile at the sight of them together.
"Hey, Kel. So this is weird."
"Yeah, I have to admit, it's strange to see everyone back together, especially here. How is Steve holding up?"
"Donna said he is doing okay. She's been taking care of a lot of the details for him. Between her and Mrs. Sanders, they're managing to keep Steve going. Madeline is really clinging to her. It's sad."
Kelly agreed. "I can't believe Janet is gone. She was sick for so long, but I kept thinking she was going to get better. She was too young to die from cancer."
"Guess it goes to show you how fleeting life can be. Everything changes in a heartbeat," David remarked before changing the subject. "Dylan and Andrea sure look cozy."
"It's nice to see Dylan in a good mood for a change," Kelly mumbled. "Speaking of cozy, what was up with you and Brenda in the kitchen?"
He hoped that his sister will ignore the scarlet blush making its way up his throat. The truth was that his heart hadn't stopped racing since he had seen the raven beauty. With his relationship with Donna crumbling, it felt nice to have some kind of attraction toward another woman again. Though it stood no chance and neither would ever act on it, he figured some harmless flirting couldn't hurt. Besides, it's not like Donna would notice. "Nothing," he said innocently. "Just catching up with an old friend."
"Look, Donna is my best friend and you're my brother. I know that things haven't been great between you two lately, but you owe it to each other to at least try," Kelly declared.
"We've been trying, Kel. It's not working," David retorted. "Besides, you're not exactly one to talk. I saw the way you were looking at Brandon. I haven't seen you giving those moony eyes to Dylan lately."
She winced at the honesty of his words. Things were at a standstill in their relationship, and seeing Brandon again reminded her of how great they used to be together. "Shut up."
"Come on, Kel, fess up."
"Okay, fine, I still love Brandon. Are you happy?"
David smiled at her knowingly. "That's not the question you should be asking here, Kel. You should be asking if you're happy."
"So are you happy?" Andrea asked Dylan across the room. "I mean, you've been with Kelly for five years now. Are you thinking about marriage any time soon?"
Dylan smirked and shook his head. "I know that I should be, but I just can't see it with Kelly. Don't tell anyone I told you, but I think our relationship may have come to an impasse. We're afraid to break up because we don't want to be alone, but we're afraid to commit to more because we know it isn't right."
"I know that feeling. That pretty much defines the last two years of my marriage to Jesse. We'd created this whole comfortable life for ourselves, but all the love was gone. Soon, the bad days outnumbered the good, and I realized that I couldn't subject myself to a loveless relationship anymore. It wasn't fair to either one of us, and it wasn't the best thing for Hannah."
"Did they know before today?" he asked, waving his hand to indicate everyone that was there.
"No, I didn't tell anyone other than you, not even Kelly." Dylan cocked his head at her questioningly. "I guess a part of me was afraid for them to see me as anything but perfect. And another part of me thought they wouldn't care. A lot of time has passed, so much has changed. These people, they're not in my life anymore. Well, other than you."
Dylan's face lit up and her last confession. "Thank you for that," he said softly as Steve and Donna filed back in the room followed by Brenda and Brandon. A car beeped outside, causing everything in the room to stop.
"That's the car," Donna said softly, peering up at Steve expectantly.
The blonde man bobbed his head. "Come on, Madeline. It's time."
She looked at her father with a sad smile, reaching for his hand. Nudging her way between him and Donna, she slipped her other hand into the woman's hand. "Donna, will you come with me and Daddy?"
Donna looked down at her and then up at Steve. He nodded slightly, indicating that he wanted her to accompany them to the service. "Sure, sweetheart. Let me just get my coat."
David stood up and excused himself to where his wife was retrieving her belongings. "Do you want me to come with you or just follow?"
"Why don't you just come with everyone else? You don't need to go through that."
Her husband nodded at her and smiled. Patting her hand, he agreed that was probably best. "I'll see you there."
As Steve and Donna escorted Madeline to the waiting black town car, the rest of the gang filed out of the house and onto the sidewalk. "I'll drive," Dylan offered, scanning the crowd for takers.
"Brandon, are you going to drive?" Kelly asked.
"Yeah, Bren and David can ride in my car."
"Actually, I should probably follow in my jeep in case I have to cut out early. I told Steve that I would take care of getting the house ready for guests."
"I'll ride with David," Brenda offered, skipping past her brother and hopping into the passenger seat of his car.
"I'd really like to catch up with Brandon," Kelly whispered to Dylan, clutching his hand in some kind of fake semblance of a connection. Dylan looked at her pointedly before sighing.
"Fine. Andrea, do you want to go with me in the Porsche?"
She got the hint of annoyance in his tone. "Sure. Um, Bran, I'll see you there."
"Okay," he called dismissively as the car pulled out of the driveway. He watched as David maneuvered his vehicle through the grass and around Brandon's rental. As the jeep pulled onto the street, he realized that he was left standing alone with Kelly.
"Well, I guess it's just you and me, Miss Taylor," he announced chivalrously, offering his arm. She looped her hand through his as he guided her to the passenger seat. Opening the door for her, Kelly dropped effortlessly into the leather bucket seat as Brandon jogged around to the driver's side. As he started the engine, he didn't hear when Kelly's reply finally came.
"Maybe that's how it should be."