90210: 2012

He could feel the pain emanating from the gash on his forehead, not that he had could do too much with it…the kidnappers weren't exactly doctors and it wasn't in their role to bandage any wounds a person might suffer at their hands. Blood had blotted out the vision on his right eye so he had left it shut, when he opened it now it had hardened and was crusty, little specks falling down from the dried splatter, marring his vision even more than when his eye hadn't even been open – he was just glad that his wife hadn't gotten hurt too badly, Annie was everything to him, her getting hurt wasn't in his plan. He couldn't believe that his Dad had done this to him, to them.

As parents went Liam's hadn't exactly been his greatest, his Dad was never there and when he did turn up he just bounced as soon as he had some money in his pocket, his Mom had been pretty sweet for a while and then she'd married his Stepdad…his fricking Stepdad…who was such a bastard. He'd convinced his Mom to send Liam to Bootcamp to reform him, sent him against his will away from everything that he'd ever cared about. Now he had turned his back on both of them, and Annie's parents were twice the parents Liam's had ever been – to both of them. Unfortunately his Dad just couldn't leave him alone. Liam pivoted his head to look up into the eyes of one of their kidnappers, his pistol was holstered at his side as he crouched down in front of Liam. Liam spat in his face and immediately regretted it as the pistol smacked down on the back of his head.

"What'd my Dad do to you?" Liam demanded.

"Didn't pay us the money he owed us, got in over his head gambling in Vegas," he grinned down at us, "and then he mentioned that his son lived in Beverly Hills – so we thought we'd take you and your wife here for ransom, and if he doesn't pay up we cut our losses and run, and you die – no loose ends. So you'd better hope your old man pays up."

Liam let out a laugh, "You didn't do your research did you? My Dad doesn't give a crap about me or Annie – he never has that's why he always walked out, so you'd better kill me right now or get out of here," the guy's cell phone started ringing and he stood up, "he's not gonna come for us." Liam wanted to protect Annie, and he hoped that by panicking them he might at least distract them long enough for him to overpower them – the only downside was that making them jumpy might also make them trigger happy, and that was something that he really wanted to avoid.

"Alright I'll tell them – we'll meet you there." The guy disappeared, leaving them alone in the Warehouse together. Liam felt any stir against his back and he turned to look at her, she smiled weakly at him but the smile faded, she was hurting more than he had realized before, he hadn't considered how much of a toll it might take on someone as sensitive and caring as Annie – she'd been through a lot in her life but this was in a whole other league.

"I'm sorry I got you into this Annie," he murmured, "I know that it's my Dad and not me but I should've protected you better, should've seen something like this happening – I didn't protect you, didn't save you or get you away from this…and I should have by now…I'm meant to be your husband, meant to be more mature and your protector…instead I wind up like a helpless little boy tied up with you while some guys point guns at us because my Dad is the mother of all jackasses."

"It's not your fault," Annie soothed regardless, "I just…I want you to know that I love you…and…if we don't get out of here-"

"-don't say that!" he interjected but Annie pulled on his arms sharply tied against her, cutting out his voice.

"If we don't get out of here, I wanted you to know that I was already planning how we were gonna have kids and a house and a white picket fence," she giggled and could feel the tears beginning to stream down her face, "and how I'd go from being an actress to a High School Teacher and how you'd be some big business hotshot…how we'd live on a neighbourhood with beautiful houses and beautiful people…how Teddy and Marco would live at the end of street, Dixon and Ivy would live across the street…Ade would live next door with Alexander, Navid and Silver would live on the other side, even Naomi would have a place at the end of the street where she'd bring back a different guy every night till her late 30s when she settled down and started getting botox to keep looking fresh…it was gonna be perfect."

"It still will be." Liam deflected but Annie was crying hard now as the guy returned. He helped them up and they were roughly man-handled out into the light of the day and bundled into the back of a van. They drove them for what seemed like hours and Annie just cried and felt tears pour down her face and then they were forced out and Annie realized they were by the ocean, at the beach, she heard Liam swear under his breath as the guy stepped out. And then she heard two shots, and felt blood pour out of her stomach and sank to the ground with Liam. So this was what death felt like? Warm and serene. She felt as if she were already ascending into the light.

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"Okay so, I'm like your reserve, reserve port of call in a storm?" Silver raised an eyebrow grinning mischievously and Dixon had the urge to yell at her for letting him think she was mad with him, she took a long sip of her Smoothie as she sank into the comfortable cushion of the Beach Club's wicker chair, trying to get a read on Dixon who seemed…confused about his mood…there was happiness she could tell but also sadness, maybe even anxiety somewhere in the swirling storm of emotions?

"Teddy's working through things, Navid is…off limits obviously, Liam is…well he's M.I.A and you…know me best…and besides I can't really talk to Ivy…I mean she's…part of the problem."

Silver leaned forward intrigued putting her drink down, "What's on your mind?"

"Well there's a lot going through my head Silver…it sounds weird but I think I kinda miss Navid…as a friend…but that's not it all…Ivy's…she's got a lot going through her head, she just got the opportunity to go surf in Australia for like three months...it's a Contract worth like…two million dollars…but she doesn't want to take it cause she says it's all commercial and that isn't what she's into. And now she's found out…well we found out she's pregnant…and then she found out that Laurel was admitted to the Hospital and she's just…like…imploded or something."

Silver nodded periodically as she absorbed all the information.

"You're in over your head aren't you?"

He nodded, she smiled sympathetically.

"Well…I guess that Ivy is pretty stubborn so if she doesn't want to take the job in Australia she probably has a reason to, and if she's having a kid I'd guess she'd want to keep it – but you have a say too, in whether you keep the baby or whether on this occasion it's too soon to have a child," she said slowly, making sure Dixon understood the impact of what she was saying somewhere in his shaven-headed skull, "because that's about you and her…as regards Laurel being in Hospital…I would guess it's something serious am I right?" Dixon bobbed his head affirmatively, "Then you have to play it by ear, listen to what Ivy's saying and do what she tells you, I think she'll be just as messed up and maybe hurting even a little bit more than you, you just have to be there to look out for her and keep her safe."

Dixon nodded, his worries seemingly assuaged.

"Why don't you let me take a weight of your shoulders? What's on your mind?"

Silver shrugged – she hadn't expected such a direct question.

"Honestly…a lot…can I be honest?" She didn't know why she'd asked she knew Dixon wouldn't mind, he always remained tight-lipped about their private exchanges. "Well…it seems to me that I'm getting left behind…I mean Annie, Naomi, Adrianna and Ivy all have these big careers which they're like forging ahead with…and I'm…I'm in College Dixon. I really want to be there for Teddy but I don't know how to be because I didn't stay close to him or Marco…I just let them slip past me and I lost hold of our friendship…so that's rotten to the core and as for Navid…well he was such a dick to you and everything fell apart after that."

"Wow," he made a whistling sound, "you make my stuff sound small."

She sighed, "I just…I thought out of all us…and I'm not trying to be pig-headed here but I thought I was destined for something really great you know…Film School…and instead I just stuck around in Beverly Hills, 90210…I mean is this where I'm gonna spend all my time from now on?"

"Not necessarily but I mean…I think it's a pretty nice place," he smiled at her supportively, "I mean what's stopping you going back to film-making, I know you like your Politics or whatever Course you're doing but I mean you could always make a Film outside of College, you enter it in a Festival some day and then you're launched onto the international film-making circuit." She shrugged, smiling in an I guess you're right way.

"Maybe losing Navid was the best thing I ever did, right?"

"Yeah," Dixon said uncertainly, "do you think you know…you two could ever…?"

"No," she shook her head vehemently, "Dixon he was a complete jerk to you and to everyone else…he called Adrianna instead of me to try and make up? He's more messed up now than he ever was before…and I don't think I want to be around someone like that anymore – we can just cut him out of our friendship group for ever…he never deserved our friendship in the first place did he? He just needs to go some place and forget all about us, with his Million Dollar Business you helped him create. Without you he'd be nothing Dixon, and you know that don't you?"

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"Hey," Ivy called out as Teddy came sprinting out of the surf, his board slung under his arm, his suit already unzipped down the back, exposing his golden-tanned upper-torso to the glorious sunshine of the morning, "you were tearing it up out there, can I have some of whatever you had…I could really do with a pick up!"

"'Fraid it's all natural ability," Teddy said with the lingering sign of what had almost been a smile across his lips, he flopped onto the sand beside her, looking out towards the waves, crashing onto the beach with thunderous roars, "so why are you down?"

"Yeah like you need any more drama in your life." Ivy said, she didn't want to burden Teddy, he hadn't said a thing to her when he'd clearly been in his dark time, it wasn't fair for her to suddenly open her soul to him and rely on him in such a big way when she hadn't been able to do the same…it wasn't an equal friendship, Teddy started making puppy eyes and she hit him and he yelled but it was good kind of yell…which made her at least a little more positive about how Teddy must be feeling, "I don't even know why I said anything man…it's minor league compared to what you're going through."

"If I'm being brutally honest I would love something petty to discuss…whenever I see you all you all try and comfort me, when honestly all I need is my friends to just distract me for a few hours…I'm getting through this…I'm getting counselling…and I spoke to Marco's Mom a few times and things are…they're slowly getting better…just little things keep getting in the way. Like Marco never made out a will." He murmured and Ivy nodded comprehendingly.

"Well, my Mom has Cancer…and it's terminal…and she actually suggested if I got everyone to visit it might bring everyone back together, I got offered a huge contract in Australia but I don't want to take it in case I suddenly start having to advertise Pepsi or whatever…and Dixon thinks I should take it because we need the money…and now I'm pregnant and," she looked at Teddy and saw that his eyes had been periodically bulging every time she threw some more of her drama out in front of them, "my life's falling apart."

"Yeah I got that," Teddy said and he actually offered a real grin this time, "well me and Silver went through losing our Mom's to cancer so you can talk to us about it…as concerns the contract I guess that's your choice…you're one of the most assured people I know Ivy…I don't think your integrity should be a worry if you believe in yourself and you're having a baby! Not entirely sure what to think about that…"

"My point exactly," Ivy sighed, casting her head back to catch more of the rays of the sun on her face, "I just…I'm not ready for a kid and neither is Dixon…but it isn't like getting a termination doesn't mean something you know? If I get rid of the kid I'm basically killing a life…or at least that's how it seems to me…sorry…I just-"

"-I get it, it's complicated," Teddy said soothingly, "I think you need to talk to Dixon, he'll be just as messed up as you are…if not more messed up in his head…he has a say in the kid too – the surfing thing is your choice too but think about it this way, you go to Australia then you have to ask whether you take Dixon with you…if you don't what happens if you meet someone…do you really need the money…I don't even think you're at the discussion stage till you get your head straight, you know?"

"I think so," Ivy laughed, "turns out you aren't all brawn."

"Nah I look tougher than I am, I'm a real teddy bear once you get to know me."

"You're my Teddy Bear," whispered Marco in his air and suddenly Teddy was on his feet, his board already under his arm and he was sprinting for the crest of the dune and his car beyond it, the wind was getting up but amongst the wind and the sand whipping up he could hear Ivy get up and start running behind him.

"Teddy what's wrong, what's the matter?"

He couldn't stop, he couldn't talk to her, he opened the door to his car and pulled out, driving and driving and driving till he reached the Apartment pulled into the Lot, ran up the four flights of stairs and slammed the door behind himself, sinking down it in tears and shaking with the tragedy of it all as he opened the phone and thumbed Doug's number…he couldn't be alone now…he needed someone to be there with him…someone who got him.

"Can you come over…now please…I need…I need to talk to someone."

.

"And he just flipped out…wow…I thought he was getting better," Naomi said, seemingly absent-mindedly as she rummaged amongst a rack of clothes, she pulled out a cropped check shirt that could be tied up in a knot so that it showed of your toned abs if you had a beautiful chest while enhancing cleavage and then she teamed them with a pair of torn denim short-shorts, "does this look like something a surfer would wear?"

"Yeah…if she wanted to get beat up," Ivy mocked, it was generally accepted she didn't do girly-girl, "yeah it looks great Naomi."

"Perfect," Naomi murmured bustling over to one of the intern's, a particularly gormless red-head who was dressed in a particularly vulgar tartan maxi-dress paired with over-sized sunhat, it might have worked if the girl had been a few sizes smaller, known to use a dark lipstick and used a darker eye shadow…instead…she just looked…bad, "thanks again for coming and helping me on this shoot, I knew surfing was your thing and we're doing a segment on…rugged girls."

Ivy sniggered involuntarily, if she'd been drinking she would have sprayed it all over Naomi.

"It's not funny, Kisses & Lies is doing a serious piece, we're trying to encourage girls to you know…take their makeup off once in a while and try something outside their comfort zone." Naomi said officiously, and she thought passionately – showing how much she cared about the magazine and had become determined to make it a success.

"Yeah cause you're always going out surfing…if there's a boy involved," Ivy winked at her and turned back to the rack and pulled out a floral playsuit and tried it against herself, pulling out a pair of gladiator sandals and then turning to look at Naomi, "do you think this is me?"

"Completely!" Naomi yipped excitedly, "I didn't realize that you understood fashion!"

"I do," she replied sardonically, "clearly you don't," Ivy laughed as she put it back on the rail, "I would never wear something like that in a million years, and you should know that…you've been trying to get me to change what I wear for like…two years."

"And to use some conditioner on your hair," she said pouring at Ivy's still wet, dusty-blonde locks, "your hair has so much salt-water damage, did you ever consider dying it? Because my stylist could definitely do you, I mean I get highlights from time-to-time so he could do you in foils…let me get it you for your birthday! Oh please let me get you a hair-dye session for your birthday!"

"No," Ivy deflected, turning back to the rails, "you are not dying my hair for my birthday."

Naomi was about to give her a pouty face but instead turned to her phone picking it up.

"Yeah Ade I'm with Ivy why? Oh…oh god…I'll be there right away."

"What happened?" Ivy quizzed raising an eyebrow in interest.

"Liam and Annie are in the Hospital…they've been shot."

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Hope you liked Chapter 7,

8 up kinda soon,

Acrobat

X

Reviews and responses welcomed and appreciated!

And just a note, I know some people don't like that Teddy's all sad and torn up but I think that's more realistic and truer to the character and I'm just trying to convey that, things are gonna get better I promise…but I think there's a period of sadness he has to come…anyway I digress, enjoy!