Brandon watches Madeline and Kelly as they swing, racing to see whose toes can reach higher. Madeline is laughing, her giggle carrying through the warm, sunny air. Kelly is smiling as well, her own voice almost as loud as the little girl. They both look content and carefree, like the child Madeline is and the child Kelly always wanted to be.
Glancing down at his watch, he is disappointed to realize that it's about time to meet up with the rest of the gang at the Peach Pit. "Kel, we better go."
"Is the rose on the five, Uncle Brandon?" Maddy called.
Brandon laughed to himself. "Yes, the rose is on the five, sweetheart. It's time for dinner."
"Yay, we're going to see Nat and Daddy and Donna!" she yelled, jumping from the swing and taking off toward Brandon. Throwing herself in his arms, she chuckled happily as he swung her around. He sat her back on the ground while Kelly made her way back to them. Carrying her heeled sandals in her hand, she looks tired but content. And breathtaking, Brandon added mentally.
Andrea, Donna and Steve rode silently in the van on the way to the Peach Pit. In the driver's seat, Steve tapped nervously on the steering wheel in time to the acoustic tune on David's radio station. Beside him, Donna looked absently out the window. Since the blowup in the kitchen, she hadn't really said much to anyone other than Steve. She knew that she was being juvenile, she wasn't even actually angry at Andrea. She had just happened to be the innocent bystander who'd tried to get her to act rationally.
In the backseat, Andrea flipped through her email on her PDA. There wasn't much to speak of outside the customary hospital business. Flipping of the device, she leaned back against the seat and prayed that they'd make it to the Pit in record time.
"Andrea, I'm sorry about earlier," Donna said, turning around to face her friend. "I shouldn't have chewed you out like I did. You were only trying to help."
The other woman shook her head. "I shouldn't have said anything at all. I just didn't want you and Bren to get into a fight based purely on emotion. I was hoping that if I said something, maybe you'd stop and think."
"You were right, just like you always were."
"That's my girls," Steve said. "I'm glad you two are making up. Maybe you can spread that compassion to Bren."
Donna looked at him pointedly. "Don't press your luck. Besides, I thought you took my side."
"I did take your side. I just don't want you to let her upset you anymore."
"She's not worth being upset over," Donna declared as Steve pulled into a parking space behind the Pit. Scanning the lot, he noted that David's jeep and Dylan's Porsche were already there. As he started to get out of the van, Brandon's rental pulled up beside him.
"Daddy!" his daughter screamed, running at him full speed. He picked up his daughter and rained kisses down on her sweet face. She giggled hysterically, squirming in his arms. "I missed you, Daddy."
"I missed you, too, Maddy," he echoed as they headed into the back entrance of their favorite restaurant.
Inside, Dylan and Brenda were pouring over the menu. It hadn't changed in all the years that Brenda had been gone. She wasn't sure why she was even bothering to look. She was going to order the Megaburger. She'd been around the world a time or two, and it was still her absolute favorite sandwich.
Across from them, David was in another world. Valerie's message was on constant replay in his mind. He had dissected each and every word, the tone of her voice, the time she had called. Not a single detail had gone unanalyzed. Still, despite all his examination, he wasn't any closer to figuring out what it all meant.
"Dylan, do you have another quarter?" Brenda chirped, leaning against him as she requested his spare change.
"Here," he said, flipping the silver coin into her open palm.
She smiled and thanked him before skipping over to the jukebox. As she scanned the music selections, she realized that the songs hadn't changed either. Dropping the two coins into the machine, she selected her old favorite standby, trusty B-7. As the Bay City Rollers started to sing "Bye, Bye, Baby," she saw her brother come in with their friends in toe.
"Hey, Bren," Kelly called, waving. Brenda looked up and smiled, noting that she was the only one who had acknowledged her presence. In fact, of the group of five, Kelly was the only one even talking to her at the moment.
"Hi, Sis," Brandon said, stopping to lean against the jukebox next to her. They watched as Donna, Steve, Andrea and Kelly all arranged themselves around the table, their empty seats blatantly obvious between Dylan and Kelly. "I'm sorry about earlier."
"I know what I did was wrong, Brandon. I just wanted your support this time. I wanted to be more than important than our friends."
"You are more important, Bren. No one in the entire world matters to me like you do. You are my best friend, the person who knows me best. You feel what I feel, think what I think. I guess I just need to be reminded of that sometimes."
"I guess we both do," she said brightly, reaching up to hug her much-bigger brother. He squeezed her tight, lifting her off the ground and groaning for emphasis. She punched him lightly on the shoulder as they headed over to the table.
"Hello, my children," Nat said. "What will it be?"
"I think I'll have a Megaburger with cheese and a Diet Coke," Brenda said.
"I'll have the same only with a regular Coke," Brandon retorted.
"I'd like a tuna melt and iced tea," Andrea ordered.
"Can I have the chef salad with a water?" Kelly asked.
"Ooh, that sounds good! Make that two," Donna declared.
"I'll have my usual, Nat. Plain Megaburger with a coffee," Dylan stated.
"I want chicken strips and lemonade," Maddy told Nat.
"Cup of coffee and a plate of fries," Steve finished. Maddy always decided half way through that she wanted fries, abandoning the chicken strips for the salty side. He usually ended up eating whatever she had left over and had quit ordering an actual meal when she was with him months ago.
Nat noted the discomfort among the eight friends with sadness. There had been a time when they had been inseparable. He'd truly believed that nothing could tear them apart. But time and distance had diminished the so-called unbreakable bond, leaving it in a disarray of seemingly random friendships between them. Happily, however, he did notice the closeness between Kelly and Brandon. Nat had always been particularly fond of Brandon, often thinking of him as a son. He'd always known that they belonged together. It was nice to see that they had finally realized it, too.
Donna looked down at the placemat beside her. With a red crayon in her hand, Madeline was furiously scribbling away at the outlined drawing in the back. The little girl grinned up at her as she picked up the blue crayon. "That's pretty, Maddy," Donna complimented. She didn't say anything, she just continued coloring and smiling to herself. Next to them, the interaction wasn't lost on Steve.
Kelly and Brandon were talking avidly with Andrea about their respective returns back to Beverly Hills. Though Andrea's wasn't yet official, she still felt like her the City of Angels was calling her home. With her credentials, she would be able to easily find a job in the city, and Hannah would love the beach. Only Jesse might be difficult, but she thought the idea of moving closer to his family could prove beneficial for her situation.
David hadn't said a word since the others had joined them. Turned slightly away from the group, he leaned against the glass and stared out the window. The sun reflected on the steel letters of the After Dark. The entire situation was too awkward for him to want to be a part of. Donna hadn't acknowledged his presence, and Brenda was wrapped up in Dylan. He honestly didn't see the point of being there, but out of duty to his friendship of Steve, he was there.
"Donna, can I talk to you?" Brenda asked suddenly, ending all conversation at the table around them. Steve and Dylan exchanged nervous looks, both of them concerned about the women beside them. Brandon squeezed Kelly's hand, obvious to the woman's nervousness. Andrea looked between her two friends, hoping that they would find a resolution. Only David seemed unaffected, still staring vacantly out the window behind him.
Donna nodded silently, throwing a glance at Steve before sliding out of the booth. Brenda and Dylan traded a look of their own before she followed Donna outside the front door. "What could you possibly have to say to me now, Brenda?"
"I'm sorry. I made a major mistake, and I am sorry. I am sorry that my actions hurt you, that was never my intention. I was selfish and didn't think about how it would affect anyone but you. You were always a very good friend to me, especially when Kelly was not. I miss that," Brenda told her in one breath, not stopping out of fear that she would lose her courage and become defensive again.
Donna smiled at her. "There is no point in me being angry with you. The person I am really angry at here is David. I appreciate and accept your apology, Bren. You used to be my best friend, and I have to say, I really miss that too."
"Really?" the brunette squealed, throwing her arms around her friend.
"Really," Donna echoed, hugging her back. "Now, let's go back inside. They probably think we've killed one another by now. Beside, I'm hungry!"
Donna and Brenda strode back into the joint, giggling with their arms slung around each other. Kelly grinned and ran over to her two friends, grabbing them both into a hug. "Andrea, get over here!" Kelly called. Andrea jogged to where they were now standing, joining on the group hug. From the distance, the boys watched with contentment. Even David had broken out of his reverie to share in the special moment.
"If there's hope for them, maybe there is hope for all of us," David said to no one in particular.
Dylan laughed. "I guess you never know what is going to happen."
"I love how our girls can go from fighting to best friends in a heartbeat," Steve added.
"After all this time, they're still our girls," Brandon noted. "It's funny how different we thought everything was, but our friendship is still there. Under all the crap and the anger and the melodrama of the past, it's still there."
"And we're still trading partners," Dylan said pointedly, looking at Brandon out of the corner of his eye. Steve looked up at David, meeting his eyes for a moment.
"Maybe we'll finally get it right this time," Steve ventured, completely unaware of how dead on he could be.