As they all headed to their respective cars Kelly nudged Donna to tell her that here was her chance to find out what was happening for her and Brandon's date. Donna handed over her keys, smiled, and headed over towards where Brandon was getting in his car. It was dark out so, of course, Bandon couldn't see what was inches in front of his face, as he had just managed to find the key hole to open the car door, when Donna tapped him of the shoulder.

"Hey, Brandon can I talk to you about something?" Donna asked as Brandon turned around.

"Holy... Donna what the Hell?... Sorry... you scared me... sure what's on your mind?" Brandon said as he regained his composure.

"Well, I was kind of curious as to what you and Kelly had planned for tomorrow night..." She started.

"Wait a minute... I know where this is going... and the answer is no! There is no way I am telling you what I have planned... because you are going to tell Kelly and then I won't be able to surpirse her!" Brandon said getting ahead of himself.

"Suprise her... What are you going to do propose?" Donna said half laughing.

"Is it really that hard for you to believe?" Brandon asked hoping she would take the bait.

"No, I... I just don't want to see Kelly in tears because things didn't go well"

"Trust me, Donna, you don't have to worry about me hurting Kelly... I love her very much, and wouldn't dream of ever hurting her." Brandon said so sincere that he was starting to scare himself.

"Wow..." was all Donna could say.

"Does that answer your question?" Brandon said wanting to get the hell out of the parking lot.

"Yeah... thanks Brandon... I feel much better knowing that you feel that way about Kelly." Donna said as she turned back to her car.

So... What... I can tell her best friend that I love her, but I can't tell her to her face? What is wrong with me? Brandon knew that he loved Kelly it was just saying it to her that proved to be the problem. Thinking it was never a problem and neither was his atraction to her. He couldn't believe that all she had to do was look at him, and he just wanted to take her in his arms and never let her go. He sat in his car and pulled out the letter that had been written to him at the paper and read it out loud.

" Dear Editor, I have been dating this guy for a really long time... and no matter what I do it seems that every time I turn around, I say something that is taken the wrong way. I feel like I am wounding his pride... and sometimes I'm not so sure if I want to know him. You see he has this thick skull, and he's very stubborn, and for some strange reason I still love him... I don't want him to change exactly, I just want him to be able to slam a door, yell, argue with me... I want us to be able to get all of our feelings out in the open, and I feel that I am the only one doing this. I want him to have a say because I think we have a love that's strong and can withstand anything, and I want him to be himself. Just in case he is reading this, like I know he will, I want him to know that sometimes what he doesn't say can hurt more than anything. When he does this it hurts my feelings, and I feel like I am going nuts. I don't want to be ignored... but I do want to be loved by him. I know there's is not much you can do... but if you can just print this, it would be a start. Thanks, a fan." Brandon read to himself.

As he started his car up he began thinking about how he could respond to the letter in the next edition. What this girl had described in the letter was just like his relationship with Kelly, although he hated to admit it. He was stubborn and had a thick skull, oh, and the pride in him was like no other. How could this relationship remind him so much about his feelings for Kelly?... and how he couldn't seem to tell her how he felt for her. It was like a mirror of his relationship and it scared him... that is why he had made up his mind about their date later on that night.

When Brandon got back to his house he imediatly went up to his room, being careful to not disturb Steve or David, who were in the living room watching television. He basically snuck up into his room and laid down on the bed that smelt like Kelly. No matter what he did he could never get away from that smell. He loved the smell and he loved that everything in his room reminded him of her, and of his feelings for her.

Of course, as soon as he thought about those feelings, the vision of that night came back to him... He could see the guy in the back seat point and shoot that gun right at her. All he could think was that those bullets were meant for him and not Kelly. When she was shot and laying in his arms in that parking lot all he could think about was how much he didn't want to lose her, and that he wouldn't be able to live with himself if anything were to happen to her. He wanted to protect her from everything but not the feelings he had for her... he just wasn't sure how to tell her that.

"I love you Kelly..." He whispered into her pillow as he driffted off to sleep holding it close to him.

The Beach Apartment

Kelly and Donna had just arrived at the apartment and unloaded all of their stuff. They had made a midnight run to the store to get a few munchies for the girl's night they were having. As Kelly turned the lights on she saw the place that she had called home for so many years. She remembered when her and Donna first moved in together, and all the fun they had sitting on that couch and talking about all the boyfriends they had had over the years. Tonight would be no different except for the fact that they had both been with the same guys for a few years now.

"So... Did Brandon tell you anything about tonight?" Kelly asked as they sat down on the couch to watch one of their favorite movies.

"He said a few things..." Donna said trying to hold back her smile.

"Really... that good?... Spill!" Kelly said her eyes wide with antisipation.

"Well... I think he might be considering asking you to marry him..." Donna started but was unable to finnish because Kelly cut her off.

"Wait a minute... he is ready to propose to me but he can't say that he loves me?" "At least not to your face..." Donna said with a smile plastered all over her face.

"Why do I get the feeling that you aren't telling me something..." Kelly said emplying that Donna spell it out for her.

"Okay... Okay... twist my arm... Brandon said he loved you more than anything... but I got the feeling that he was preoccupied with something else..." Donna said trying to remember Brandon's exact words and his facial expressions.

"Well... that right there is a big relief... I wonder why he couldn't tell me that he love's me to my face? I gave him plenty of chances... and even spelt it out for him earlier today. What is going on in his head?" Kelly wondered aloud as she began to think.

"Kel... I think it has more to do with almost losing you than it does with just saying I love you... I mean you didn't see him in that hospital room. You were lying there in that bed and he couldn't do anything to make your pain go away... and he wanted to so bad. I think he still blames himself for what happened." Donna said putting a hand on Kelly's shoulder.

"I know he does... and I've told him over and over that there was nothing he could have done to prevent it... we were just in the wrong place at the wrong time. I have come to terms with it... I don't know why he can't!" Kelly said as a single tear started to form in her eyes.

She hated that she had made him feel like it was all his fault. All she could remember about that night was feeling that bullet hit her in the stomach and the pain it caused her. It felt like someone had just ripped out all of her insides. Then there was the ride though the hospital coridors... she could remember bits and pieces of that... mostly crying out for Brandon. She wanted him with her and the doctor's and nurse's were pushing him out of the operating room.

"Hey... why don't we just watch the movie..." Donna said as she got up to put the movie in the player.

"No... that's okay I think I am going to call it a night... I'm kinda tired." Kelly said as she to got up.

"Okay... well you know where to find me if you feel like talking some more..." Donna said as she put the tape back in it's case and headed for her room.

"Thanks... for everything." Kelly said as she walked down the hallway leading to her old room.

Once she walked into her old room and shut the door, she leaned her back against it and thought about what Brandon was doing. He was probably sleeping in their bed, but then again he could be talking with Steve and David. She smiled as she saw the bed, which was made and ready for her, unlike when she walked into the room earlier that morning. Donna was so thoughtful sometimes it made Kelly laugh. She sat down on the bed and slowly put her head on the pillows. She tried to sleep but just ended up staring up at the ceiling all night. It didn't occure to her how much she had gotten use to Brandon being next to her, until he wasn't there. Yes, she had been alone when she first got out of the hospital, but that was only because she couldn't remember what it felt like to have him there. It was like being in heaven to her, she never felt safer than when he was holding her.

"I love you Brandon..." Kelly said as she clutched the pillow next to her and closed her eyes trying to sleep.

Casa Walsh Brandon and Kelly's Room

Brandon seemed to be having the same trouble falling asleep as Kelly was having, only he just couldn't seem to get this feeling out of the pit of his stomach. He knew he loved her and he was thinking of a way to tell her... One that would prevent him from chickening out at the last second, which was what he had seemed to be doing everytime he saw her. It was just, everytime they talked he looked into her eyes and saw that night flash in front of him as the thought of losing her became a reality to him.