The sun had long set in the sky and nighttime had fallen over Beverly Hills. Many of the attendees from earlier had left, leaving only a select few family members and the good old gang lingering around the former Walsh house.
Kelly was sitting alone in the kitchen, feeling anxious. She spun the ring on her finger, hoping she didn't look as awkward as she felt. Her son had disappeared to God knows where and Donna was off tending to the baby. During the lonely moments like this in her life, Kelly wished she had done things differently, made different choices.
Her husband was off in some other county, Germany maybe… or was it China, she didn't know. He had told her he was too busy with business to fly home and attend the service with her. It didn't surprise her that she didn't seem to care that he wasn't coming, rather more upset at the thought of facing all of her old friends alone. If she was honest with herself, she stopped caring about her husband and their so called marriage long ago.
She stood up quickly, trying to shake away sadness. Being back in this house was like having a closed wound ripped open again, resurrecting a lifetime of insecurities she long ago tried to forget. Her emotions were all over the place and the pills she had taken had long worn off. Leaving her feeling raw and exposed.
Kelly pushed open the kitchen door and walked in the entry way looking at the front door, she needed some air. Kelly stopped, looking at the door, thinking of all the times she come and gone. She was about to walk into the living room and rejoin everyone, when Brandon's figure disappearing upstairs caught her attention.
Impulsively, she darted after him. As she walked down the hall, she couldn't shake the strange feeling of déjà vu. There was a time in her life where she cared more about this house and its occupants more than her own family. It was strange to be back here now feeling completely the opposite.
She walked towards the master bedroom first, expecting Brandon to run to the room they once shared, but frowned at the emptiness in front of her.
Kelly shut the door behind her, disappointed. She walked back towards the steps giving up. Placing her hand on the rail, she went to walk away, but couldn't. The little voice in her head was screaming at her to wait, and keep looking for Brandon, even when the rational part of her brain knew she walk away.
Earlier during the service she noticed he was all alone, holding onto his Mother and Sister, letting them cry while he sat between the two. Kelly could tell was hurting. Even from far away, Kelly noticed his red rimmed eyes. It broke her heart not being able to reach out and comfort him like he was for her when her Mother died, but things were different.
Kelly thought back on her mother dying. Her mother being the outrageous socialite she was had many friends and admirers reach out to her and Erin after she died. She received so much love and support she almost felt overwhelmed, but Brandon Walsh had surprised her the most.
He had dropped everything going on in his life to be there for her. In return she had clung to him in the weeks after her Mother had died. They had danced along the fine line between friends and lovers, often blurring the lines between the two.
Just when she thought they were really about to become something serious, he got the offer of a lifetime, a chance to run for Senator of California.
He was the perfect person for the job; smart, determined, an almost impeccable record…people really fell in love with him. As the spotlight started to shine brighter on Brandon, Kelly panicked, afraid of what the political spotlight may expose about her past so she broke it off.
Running away, too afraid to admit her true insecurities to Brandon and broke up with him. It was only weeks after she had called things off, she met and married her current husband Paul. Brandon hadn't spoken to her since.
When she had gone to pay her respects at the service he was polite and cordial, looking surprised to see her. She was nervous to talk to him now, but she knew if she didn't at least try to one more time to find him she would regret it.
Determined, she stomped down the hallway thinking of one last place he would go, his childhood bedroom. She paused in front of the door, suddenly unsure.
"Come on Kelly." She muttered to herself, "Buck up."
She pushed the door open and couldn't help the smile that spread across her face. There he was.
Brandon Walsh, the one that got away. He was standing in front of the window, overlooking the backyard with his hands clasped firmly behind his back. Kelly was thankful the door didn't alert him of her presence, so she could take the chance to really soak him in.
Even though they hadn't spoken in a long time, Kelly felt like she still saw Brandon everywhere due to him being a public figure and all, but it was different seeing him in the flesh.
She often day dreamed about what her life would have been like if she had actually married Brandon and became Mrs. Brandon Walsh. She pulled herself from her own musings and gazed longingly at him.
He still held onto his looks. His hair was still styled in its familiar pompadour fashion and he was dressed in a sharp black suit. Kelly cleared her throat lightly trying to get his attention.
"Hey you." she whispered, stepping into the room. She watched as his shoulders tense up, recognizing her voice, but he didn't turn around.
"I didn't see you downstairs." She explained, walking over to him, "So, I came looking for you."
Kelly stopped talking and gasped when Brandon turned around to face her. He didn't bother to hide the tears that were steadily falling down his face.
"Oh, Brandon." She whispered, crossing the distance between them and pulled him to her. She let him cry into her shoulder, letting him grieve for the father he had lost. He pulled back suddenly, catching her off guard.
Kelly looked away, giving him a minute to compose himself. She knew from their relationship he wasn't the sort of man felt comfortable crying openly. He cleared his throat a few times, wiping the tears quickly from his face, trying to get rid of any evidence of his moment of weakness.
"You ok?" she asked after he had calmed down.
Brandon stopped fiddling with his tie and looked at her. He wasn't surprised she turned out to be the one who found him, but didn't expect it to be in the middle of his breakdown. He had snuck off a while ago, looking for a place to be alone and catch his breath.
He had worn a tie pretty much every day for the past decade, but today was the first time it felt like it was actually choking him. His father was gone and the waves of sadness wouldn't stop. "I'm holding on Kel." He replied finally looking up and into her eyes, "I just needed a minute, alone."
"Oh. Well sorry, uh… I'll just get out of your way." She blushed, trying to leave the rom. She stopped when she felt his hand slip around her wrist, keeping her from moving.
"Wait just a minute." Brandon said.
They stared at each other, letting their eyes do the talking. "I haven't seen you in forever and the first time we get a chance to be alone you want to run away."
"Sorry, I thought you wanted to be alone." Kelly stuttered looking down.
There was so much she wanted to say, but she was unsure if he would be willing hear what she had to say. She felt his grasp move from her wrist down to her fingers, stopping to play with the diamond ring adorning her left ring finger, silently acknowledging the elephant in the room. Her marriage.
It was like a cold bucket of water was dumped over her body as he fiddled with the diamond. Her cheeks flamed red once more, as she pulled away. She took a step back, but Brandon countered coming closer.
"Brandon, I'm…." Kelly whimpered, looking up at him through her lashes.
"You're what?" he asked almost pressed up against her. The tension between the two was thick. Kelly swallowed a few times, trying to relieve the dryness in her mouth.
"Mom?" She heard her son say, interrupting their moment.
Instantly, Brandon pulled away, almost leaping across the room to get away from her. Kelly frowned at how much space he put between them. She rolled her eyes, Kelly knew they weren't doing anything scandalous, but she felt offended at how quickly Brandon backed away from her.
"And where have you been? Don't think I didn't notice you had run off." Kelly said, turning to look at her son.
She narrowed her eyes and watched him squirm under her gaze, something was off. His eyes were bloodshot and his face looked clammy.
He was high. She shook her head in disbelief, shocked that her son would decide to behave like his on today of all days. And of course, it would be in front of Brandon. "I can't believe you right now." she said raising her voice as she walking towards him. Before she could reach him, another figure darted out behind him and was rushed towards Brandon.
"Uncle Brandon." Prue cried out, jumping into his arms. "Catch me!"
Brandon sprung into action, catching the little girl before she hit the ground. He caught her quickly and hugged her close. "Oh, I got you." he teased, spinning her around.
She giggled loudly in his ear, pulling back with a big smile on her face, unaware of how close she came to actually hurting herself. "I missed you Uncle Brandon."
He smiled for what felt like the first time all day. When Brenda told him she was pregnant, he was shocked, not understanding how she could fathom giving up on her acting dreams to have having a baby on her own. He was even more shocked when she asked him to be by her side in the delivery room.
Since she was unmarried and didn't want her parents in the room for the birth, it made sense for her to ask him. At first he was put off, but getting to witness Prue being born was the best day of his life, even better than being sworn into office.
"I missed you too, but where were you hiding again sneaky girl? Nana sent me looking for you, said you had run off." he asked the girl.
"I was sleeping in there." She said sweetly, pointing towards the other room. She rested her head on his shoulder before finishing. "And when I wokes up there was Sammy."
Brandon looked over at the boy, who was standing uncomfortably by the door. He saw a lot of Kelly in the boy, with his sparkling eyes and bouncy blonde hair, but if you took a closer look he had Dylan written all over him. Brandon looked away from Sammy and cleared his throat. Brandon didn't like to dwell too long that Kelly had a baby with someone else, it made him think about the baby they lost and the painful hole it had left inside him.
"Uncle Brandon who's that?" Prue said in his ear, while pointing at Kelly. She peaked over his shoulder at her and ducked her head when Kelly looked over meeting her gaze.
Brandon walked her over towards them and he could feel Prue clinging to his neck, suddenly shy. "This is a friend of mine. Can you say Hi?" Brandon giggled when he tickled her stomach, trying to get her to lighten up.
"Hi." She said, still keeping her face hidden in Brandon's neck. Kelly watched Brandon rub her back and whisper a few reassuring words in her ear, before the little girl removed herself from the death grip she had on his neck.
"I'm Prue." She said softly reaching out to touch Kelly's hair. She ran her hands through it a couple of times, "Your hair is soft like Mommy's, but shiny like my Barbie's."
Kelly laughed and let the girl run her hands through her hair. She didn't mind, it was sweet, she forgot how curious little kids could be. "Why thank you. I'm Kelly, Sammy's mommy."
Prue gasped, "Barbie's sister." They all chuckled at the delighted look on Prue's face.
"Okay now Prue let go of her hair." Brandon said reaching for the girl's hand and removed it from Kelly's hair.
"You said you were sleeping huh? Where was Mommy while you were sleeping?" he said adjusting the girl on his hip as he moved to walk out of the room.
"Oh." She said, wiggling out of his hold and landing on the ground. She grabbed his hand and pulled him towards the bathroom. "She's in here sleeping, come see." Brandon looked back at Kelly, helpless, as Prue dragged him out of the room.
Kelly waited before Brandon and Prue had exited, before she turned to her son, "Don't think I don't know you're high. Just wait until I find your Father." Kelly snapped, not waiting for him to respond before following after Brandon.
'You won't have to look far.' Sammy thought, trying not to laugh out loud. He quickly trailed behind her, ready to see the surprised look on her face after she walked in the room and got to see who else was sleeping with Brenda.
He had woken up in the room earlier to Prue's little fingers poking at his face. After he had rubbed the sleep out of his eyes, he couldn't believe the sight in front of him. He had to blink a few times to make sure the sight before him was real, and not some alcohol induced mirage.
There was his Father ... his grumpy, old, infamously single Father snuggling with Brenda Walsh. And they weren't just sleeping next to one another, they were intertwined together. Sammy had to stop his jaw from dropping in shock. He had never seen his Father be so intimate with someone before.
For a long time he had thought his Father might be gay. The only relationship Sammy could recall his father ever being in was the relationship with his Mother ... and he knew what a disaster that was. He couldn't blame him for wanting to be single after the dealing with his mother for so long.
He thought his Father had sworn off love, until he found the mysterious journals hidden in his Father's office. There were dozens of them, spanning over decades of his Father's life.
Page after page, book after book, his Father had poured out his feelings and written about his broken heart. He had always assumed the journals were about his Mother, but after seeing his Father and Ms. Walsh laying together, he had his doubts.
"Wake up Mummy!" Prue yelled bulldozing through the bathroom door. Sammy winced at the loud bang the door made when it slammed open against the wall. "See Uncle Brandon ... there's Mommy, sleeping with Mr. Dylan."
His father was practically on top of Brenda. Half of his face was nuzzled into her neck and the other half was hidden in the pillow. He watched his Father blink a few times, still obviously half a sleep, and place a sweet kiss on Brenda's cheek.
He heard his mother gasp and he tried to cover his laughter with a cough, but failed miserably. "Well, well, well." Sammy said leaning against the wall not bothering to hide his smile. "Isn't this a picture."
R&R