Disclaimer: I do not own Beverly Hills 90210 it is however owned by Paramount, CBS, and Aaron Spelling.

Author's Note: First of all Thanks for reading & Second of all I would like to apologize for the wait, I have been very busy with work and other things so I am sorry that this took so long and whereas I would like to say it won't ever happen again I hate to say it but I assure you that it might. I will soon be working SIX days a week which will leave me little time to write however I promise to write when I can and update as soon as I write because that is all I can promise. I hope you will all be patient with me and keep reading. Once again Thank you and now here's…

P.S. This chapter is dedicated to MargeretAndHawkEye4Ever for two reasons. One she is the one who gave me the idea for this fic and Two, she only asked one thing of me when I took it on and this chapter sort of works on that. I hope you enjoy this chapter especially MargeretAndHawkEye4Ever.

Beverly Hills 90210

Brenda's Cancer

Chapter 5

A Step in the Right Direction

How ironic that it was Sunday. 'Solemn Sunday 'Brenda thought alone in her room which was she had opted to spend her day. She couldn't face her family. Her Parents still hadn't really recovered from the shock of what Doctor Danna had told them just yesterday afternoon 'had it really been just yesterday?' Brenda thought as today felt like it had went by at the speed a decade might have. Her mother's face kept flashing through her mind along with Brandon's eyes and she just couldn't bare it. She lay in her bed staring at up at her ceiling and letting the silent tears stream down her face unabashed because there was no one there to see…

Mrs. Walsh had opted to spend the day keeping busy. She was currently in the kitchen baking her sixth batch of a dozen chocolate chip cookies. Never mind what the Walsh family would do with them it was just the act of making them that Mrs. Walsh needed.

As for Mr. Walsh he was off on Sundays as he often was, but he didn't really know what to with himself. For the first time in a long time he felt very out of control of things and he didn't like the feeling. He had been so sure that whatever Brenda had it would be treatable at least to some degree, but this-this he had been totally unprepared for.

Brandon was in his room talking on the phone with Steve. Yesterday what with the news and all he-he had forgotten about his promise to call his friend and tell him what was going on, so feeling the need to talk to someone he was calling him now.

"Hi Steve" Brandon greeted neutrally when his friend picked up.

"Ah, Hey Brandon I was wondering when I'd hear from you. How did Brenda's thing go at the Doctor?" Steve asked.

"St-Steve she's- got maybe six months" Brandon stammered barely keeping it together enough to say that. He'd almost said she was-'dy-dying' but he couldn't even bare to think that let alone say it out-loud so he'd said it the only way he knew how.

"Six months till what man?" Steve asked not understanding what his friend had been trying to say without really saying it.

"She got maybe six months to-to live" Brandon repeated.

The phone went dead silent for a moment while Steve processed this information. After a few seconds Steve finally spoke.

"I'm coming over." He said and hung up before Brandon could say anything.

After Brandon mentally shook himself he called to his Mom in the kitchen. "Mom, Steve's coming for dinner!"


Less than an hour later Steve appeared at the Walsh's doorstep and was let in by Brandon.

"Hey Bran" greeted Steve as he was ushered inside by his good friend.

"Hey" Brandon returned as he shut the door and the two boys made their way in silence up the stairs to Brandon's room so they could talk.


Once in Brandon's Room. Brandon shut the door and the two made themselves comfortable before speaking.

"So, how's Bren taking this?" Steve asked dumbly as he wasn't sure what to say in a situation like this seeing as how he'd never been in a situation like this.

Brandon looked at him for a moment but he knew what Steve meant so with a heavy sigh he answered him. "About like you'd imagine. After we left the Doctor's office she barley said two words and she hasn't left her room once today." Brandon admitted.

Steve nodded. "Has anyone tried talking to her?" He asked a minute later.

"I knocked on her door earlier but she just told me she'd like to be left alone please and I left it at that." Brandon told him.

There was a pause. "Do you think maybe I could try talking to her?" Steve asked hesitantly. Steve and Brenda hadn't exactly spent any real time together, so their friendship wasn't in actuality so much a friendship as an mutual acquaintanceship so Steve wasn't sure why he wanted to talk to her or even what he was going to say he just wanted to help his friends and he considered Brenda a friend, maybe not a close friend but a friend none the less and besides maybe this was a chance to change that. He'd always liked Brenda not in the way he liked other girls, sure she was pretty but he just didn't see her that way, probably because of his strong feelings for Kelly.

Brandon shook his head. "I don't see why not." He said shrugging his shoulders and standing up to get the door for his friend to point him in the direction of his sister's room.

Brandon not only pointed down the short hall but walked Steve to the door. Where he waited to see what would happen as Steve lightly wrapped on the young girls bedroom door.

"Wh-who is it?" Brenda answered the light wrapping you could tell she had been crying by her voice and this made Brandon's heart fill with a soft ache.

"It's Steve" Steve called to her through the door. "Mind if I come in?"

Brenda sat up in bed for a moment unsure what to say. She hadn't expected this. She had expected it be Brandon again or maybe even her Mother, but then again her Mother hadn't so much as been able to look at her since they'd been home. After thinking for a moment she decided she might as well let him in.

"S-Sure" she stammered as she wiped at her puffy eyes, Brandon was surprised and a little put off by his sisters response as she hadn't wanted to talk to him earlier, he'd thought surely Steve would get a similar response but somehow Steve was different he supposed and he waited outside the door as Steve slowly opened it and stepped inside.


Steve shut Brenda's door behind him and made his way over to join her on her bed.

"Heh-hey Bren" he greeted awkwardly as he sat down next to her.

"Hey" she practically whispered head bent, not looking him in the eyes whilst her fingers were busy twiddling with some lose bit of string on her comforter. Even without her looking him in the eyes he knew she'd been crying it was evident in her manner as well as her speech and Steve didn't know what to say, in fact he still didn't know what he'd expected to accomplish by coming to speak with her anyways.

"Brandon told me what the Doctor said." He admitted to her for some reason he felt like he should confess something to her and that was the only admission that he could think of for some reason.

She nodded. "I figured." She responded quietly.

"Bren, ugh I know this- this may sound stupid but I- I'm sorry." He finished and she finally turned her head to look at him, a bit funny but she still looked him in the eye before she spoke again.

"Don't be, its not your fault." She told him sadly.

Steve nodded. "I know. I know it's no ones fault bu-but it still sucks, you know?" he said to her feeling stupid but he watched surprised as she gave him something between a half smile and half grimace in response.

"You're right. It does suck." She agreed and the two sat in silent agreement for the moment until Steve spoke again.

"You know what Bren?"

"What?" she asked somehow finding it hard to believe that she actually felt better, not a whole lot better but better than she had felt a second ago.

"I was just thinking that you and I haven't really ever talked before- before now and you know what? This is nice. I feel oddly comfortable yet uncomfortable right now with you. Comfortable in the sense of with you as a person and uncomfortable because of the circumstances you know? Does that even make sense?" He asked her suddenly feeling a bit self conscious he'd never said anything like that before it felt somewhat out of character for him but yet not. He remembered how alone he felt on his birthdays thinking about his real Mother and this made him wonder how alone Brenda felt now? Facing death? And that's when it really dawned on him how hard this had to be for her.

Brenda nodded to his earlier statement but was surprised when she looked into his eyes again and saw the revelation in them and the two suddenly had instant transfer of understanding and before Brenda knew it the silent tears that had been falling earlier had returned but for some reason she didn't feel the need to hide them from him and she was even more surprised when she saw one of Steve's arms raise and he reached that arm around her back so he could gently pat and rub it as she silently let the tears fall with him there.


A few hours later Mrs. Walsh in a kind of shaky voice called every one down to dinner and that's when Steve and much to Brandon's surprise Brenda emerged. Brenda looked a paradox. She appeared a mess on the outside and her eyes though puffy still somehow looked better, sure something like this wasn't going to get easier or better in a day not that he figured this could get better only worse but it felt good to see Brenda at least and maybe that was a step in the right direction.


Author's Note Continued: Well? Any Comments? Questions? Concerns? You know what to do. Review!