Chapter four

Dylan stayed at Brandon's for the rest of the day, with both of them catching up on everything that was going through the other's lives. Brandon couldn't help but be surprised when he heard Dylan's motives for leaving Kelly and New York, but as he thought about it longer, it didn't surprise him.

Dylan couldn't believe that Brandon had finally settled down, with an ex high school girlfriend. Then again, as he thought about it, he'd often seen him and Melissa sitting at a table talking and laughing, and now it didn't surprise him that much. He especially couldn't believe that Brandon had settled down with a woman who wasn't Kelly; he could just see her face when she discovered the news.

Throughout their entire conversation, Brandon always expected to hear Brenda's name uttered from Dylan's lips. At the same time, he tried to look for similarities between the man sitting opposite him, and his young nephew. But it never came, although that didn't quash the feeling Brandon had in his gut that Dylan was desperate to utter her name.

They had been talking for close on to an hour when Brandon noticed the time, and remembered that the woman who he knew Dylan most wanted to speak of was due to arrive for lunch with him and Melissa.

"Dylan, you must stay for lunch." Melissa's voice sounded from the kitchen. "Brandon's sister is coming and it would be wonderful for you and Brandon to not be interrupted." She appeared in the doorway.

Brandon, for a moment shot daggers at her, and then remembered she didn't know the complete history between his sister and Dylan. Melissa noticed his look and didn't say anymore.

"I don't know." Dylan responded, glancing at Brandon who was looking at neither his wife nor his friend.

Because she had offered the invitation with such a disposition, Melissa could only think of doing the polite thing and enforcing her invitation, and after a second half refusal from Dylan, she succeeded in her initial suggestion.

After a few moments of silence Brandon, beginning to feel sick with the silence between them, spoke. "I hope things won't be too awkward between you and Bren?" He asked, but Dylan picked up the warning he was sending: hurt my sister and die.

Dylan smiled in spite of himself, and looked to his lap. "I'll try, I promise." He glanced up at his friend, and, for the second time, as though on cue, the doorbell rang.

Along the hallway, the two men could hear Melissa's voice, along with that of a young child's, and a moment later, the same young boy Dylan had seen the night before appeared in the doorway and ran to Brandon, attaching himself to Brandon's legs like a leach. "Uncle Brandon!" He had cried with the same usual amount of boundless energy all children have.

"Hello Christopher." Brandon moaned, wincing as he felt the young boy's alarming amount of strength pressing into his thighs. "This is Christopher." Brandon told Dylan whilst pointing down at Christopher's head which was pressed into Brandon's hip.

Dylan smiled at the interaction between child and uncle, but it was the thought that she was bound to walk through that door any moment that had Dylan's heart pumping.

Brandon, who was talking to Christopher, hadn't noticed that the young boy's attention was focused squarely on staring at Dylan. Dylan however, did notice the boy's attentions and stared back at him, whilst at the same time looking for Brenda in his face. His nose, his cheek-bones, his well-set eyes he recognized immediately, whilst his bone structure was far more masculine, similar to Brandon's, yet at the same time different. His hair was also the same as the feminine Walsh twin, and had been cut loose, but close to his head. His eyes were the most difficult. From the distance between them, and the light, Dylan couldn't tell whether they were blue or green.

By this point, Brandon had realized Christopher wasn't paying any attention to him. He glanced at Dylan who was staring at the little boy, still clinging to his legs, then back at Christopher's head.

Brandon had never had the courage to ask Brenda about the paternity of her son, instead relying on her announcement that it was a one-night stand, and she hadn't got the guys number. But there had always been that doubt. He had known Dylan and Brenda had got together during his few years away from Beverly Hills after Toni's death, and had such wondered whether she had been lying. But he wasn't about to question her about it, because he knew she would close herself off and most likely leave again. What he most hoped was that Dylan would only see Brenda in the little boy, and if indeed he saw any of himself, he would have the heart to not ask questions whilst he was a visitor in Brandon's house.

"Christopher, do you know who this is?" Brandon asked, squatting down to be at the little boy's level. Christopher shook his head.

"Dylan?" Brandon opened his mouth to speak, but instead, heard Brenda's voice in the doorway.

Everyone was silent as they all looked to each other, Brenda staring at Dylan, and he back at her. Brandon, Melissa and Christopher all looked between the two confused and with apprehension, whilst Christopher, after staring at his mother for a moment, resumed staring at Dylan.

Brandon sighed inwardly. This was going to be hard.