A/N: Sorry for the delay between the last chapter and this one. There is a time jump in here, not of One Tree Hill proportions, but significant enough after how slowly this story has been moving that I thought I'd let you know about it. It's about two weeks after Part Seven left off, so CU is back in session, and Brenda and Val are both back at home, although they don't interact much this chapter. Speaking of One Tree Hill, though, I know I totally stole the last segment of this from Brooke/Lucas, but since Brooke/Lucas/Peyton stole their whole damn love triangle from Brenda/Dylan/Kelly, I figured it was okay.

Part Eight

"Pick me up up the street at 10:30, okay?" Val whispered into the phone. She was seated on the windowsill of the bedroom she'd shared with Brenda for the last week, and even though Brenda had moved out of the room and into the newly fixed up garage bedroom, she still felt weird about the whole situation.

"You still haven't told her?"

"No."

It was all too clear that in about three months Valerie had destroyed a fifteen year long friendship, and she didn't want to make it worse by saying the wrong thing, or by having Brenda find out about Stuart in the wrong way.

When she'd come back from paradise, Val had gone straight from the airport to the hospital, with Brandon explaining on the way that Brenda was back from England, probably dying of metastatic breast cancer, and in the hospital recovering from brain cancer, and that, by the way, when she got out of the hospital, Brenda and Val would be sharing a room until the garage was fixed up. The situation had been bad enough with just Dylan and cancer between them, but then Stuart dropped her off one night and mentioned that he'd once been engaged to a girl who lived in that house, and had she ever met the Walshes? All in all, Valerie felt like just about the worst person in the world.

She should have just stopped seeing him, but with everything that was going on, with Brenda sick and all of "the gang" making it damn clear that she had only been Brenda's replacement, and that now that Brenda was back, Val might as well clear out… Val was feeling vulnerable and lonely and scared for her friend, and Stuart was the only person who was in her corner. So she'd explained everything but the cancer to him, and asked him to let her tell the Walsh family in her own time.

Of course it had only been a week and already Stuart was impatient for her to tell Brenda the truth. He didn't like sneaking around very much. Val was tempted to remind him that Jim Walsh probably wouldn't appreciate another one of Brenda's exes sniffing around the family's latest charity case, but so far she'd held her tongue.

"Val…"

"Things are still all weird around here. I promise, I'll tell her soon."

In the meantime, she had a 'housewarming' party for Brenda's new bedroom tonight.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Once again, her friends had completely blown her away. The party had been Kelly's idea, a housewarming party in honor of Brenda's moving into the new fourth bedroom of the Walsh house. It had been dubbed "The Garage Apartment" because it came with its own bathroom and kitchenette, complete with stove, fridge and sink. The Walshes had done a great job making the garage inhabitable, covering cement floors with wood ones, painting the walls a golden cream color and picking out a nice double bed for her. Her father had even installed windows and built-in bookcases and cabinets to surround the kitchenette and give her enough storage space for all the things that had been boxed up in the garage since she moved away. It was a great room.

But, as Kelly had said, when it came to personality, the room was lacking.

"That's the whole point of a house warming party," Kelly had said. "You get home decorating type presents, and you get to make us help you unpack and hang posters and stuff."

And so Brenda had been talked into having her friends and their significant others crowd into her room "bearing pizza, presents and amazing unpacking abilities" according to Steve.

The gifts had been wonderful; from Donna, a novelty doorbell that sang "Be Our Guest" from Beauty and the Beast, because Brenda had dragged Donna and Kelly to the movie twice; she and Dylan had seen it at least four times. From Kelly, a light purple comforter for the bed, and gold colored sheets. David and Claire had given her a new stereo, while Steve gave her a set of martini glasses (she hadn't had the heart to tell him that all the medications meant she couldn't really drink). Andrea, Jesse and Hannah gave her a set of picture frames. Dylan gave her a vase of wildflowers, and a promise to keep the supply fresh. He'd also brought over fruit, spices, herbs and teas that Iris swore would help her heal faster.

Brandon and her parents had gone in together on a plush armchair, and Val had given her a floor lamp, both of which now sat in a corner of the room making up a cozy reading nook. Things had certainly been strained between Brenda and Val since Val's return from the tropics. Forced to share a room after Brenda was released from the hospital, they'd nearly come to blows several times, but they were both trying. They'd been friends since they were four and Brenda didn't want to let that go. She wanted to forgive Val for going after Dylan, although that was proving difficult.

The gift that had proven to be the piece de resistance, however, was from everyone; a big royal purple rug with gold drama masks in the center. It was a perfect match for the bed set that Kelly had given her. Even the chair from her parents matched the rug.

"We all pitched in," Andrea told her quietly, "but Dylan picked it out."

After Brenda opened her presents, her friends had helped her unpack. Her books now filled the built-in shelves, and the pictures and wall decorations from the hospital were now up on the walls. With the work done, her friends were lounging about, resting on the bed, the floor, on the armchair and on the small bench that tucked under the bed when it wasn't being used. Everyone was munching on the leftover pizza and chatting easily.

The garage was finally starting to feel like home.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"That's the last of them," Brenda smiled, turning to Dylan as she closed the door. It was easy to see that she was exhausted as she crossed the room and sank onto her bed, now covered in the sheets and bedspread from Kelly.

A glance at the clock told Dylan that it was only ten thirty. Brenda used to be a night owl.

"Maybe I should go too," he offered, wanting to make sure she got her rest.

"No, please stay," Brenda propped herself up on her elbows, patting the bed next to her. "I don't want to sleep yet."

Shrugging, he settled beside her, awkwardly making sure that they weren't touching. They hadn't been alone together since the night before her brain surgery and Dylan wasn't' quite sure how to behave. It had been two weeks since that night, and one week since she was released from the hospital, and even though he'd seen her every day since then, there was always at least one Walsh around. He hadn't really been able to figure out where they stood.

He hadn't had the nerve to try.

"The room looks nice," he said. It wasn't quite 'I-love-you-I-need-you-I-miss-you-Please-tell-me-everything's-forgiven-and-let-me-kiss-you-and-tell-me-that-you'll-be-okay.' Dylan told himself he was working his way up to it.

"Yeah," Brenda continued to stare at the ceiling. "I think Val has a new boyfriend."

Val? Why are we talking about Val?

"She hasn't said anything but I've seen her sneak out at night," Brenda continued. It wasn't clear whether she was just making small talk or if this was something that was really bothering her. "Rich guy too. He has the same kind of car that Stuart used to have."

Stuart? As in Carson? Now we're talking about Stuart Carson?

"I think about him sometimes," she was still talking. About Stuart Carson. Why the Hell was she still talking about Stuart Carson? "Not in a regretful way or anything. I just wonder about him. If he wonders about me."

"How could he not?" Dylan rolled onto his side and gently let his fingers graze her hair. "You're a very mysterious person, Brenda Walsh."

"I didn't think I was a mystery to you."

She rolled onto her side and met his eyes. Dylan found himself shaking his head and laughing, though there was little humor in the sound.

"The longer I know you, the more of a mystery you are to me."

Their eyes met and held for a few long moments before Brenda rolled over once more, staring at the ceiling again, this time with more focus than before. That was an opening for you to tell me what you're feeling Bren, he thought to himself, struggling to keep his emotions in check.

He knew that Brenda was going through Hell and that she didn't need yet another person laying demands on her doorstep. Her mother was a wreck and had taken to bursting into tears whenever she was alone with Brenda. Her friends were trying to help, but they needed constant reassurance that they were helping and he knew Brenda felt as isolated as ever because of it.

Gifts and parties were great, but what Brenda really needed was for someone to listen to her, to hold her when she needed it and to leave her alone when she needed it, to be with her with no expectations and no demands. If he started asking her to clarify their relationship, he wouldn't be that person, and Dylan couldn't do that to her.

Her needs were more important to him than his own.

So he changed the subject.

"Jonesy found Kevin and Suzanne," he announced. "He thinks he can get my money back. Apparently they're in Mexico. He wanted me to go."

"To Mexico?"

"I told him no," Dylan hurried to assure her. "You need me here. He understood. He tried to up his share to sixty percent instead of fifty, but he understood."

"Dylan, you should go," Brenda reached for his hand and squeezed, meeting his eyes again. "If it were just money that would be one thing, but you need to get Erica away from them. You know she needs you."

"You need me too."

"One damsel in distress at a time, McKay," Brenda teased, gently poking him in the nose with one index finger. "I'll be fine for a few days. You're all that Erica has in the world."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Ray, I don't understand why you're upset," Donna stared at her boyfriend, feeling like he was a complete stranger.

He'd always been a bit controlling, but ever since Brenda had come home, Ray had been more demanding than ever. Quite honestly, Donna was sick of it, and a little frightened by it.

She needed Ray right now. She needed him to understand that she was incredibly torn, that she had finals and obligations and that she wanted to spend as much time as possible with Brenda, in case… She wasn't even going to finish that thought. When she was done with all of that, Donna wanted to be able to curl up in Ray's arms and cry herself to sleep.

He wasn't making it easy on her.

"You don't understand why I'm upset?" Ray exclaimed angrily. "You don't understand why I'm upset?!"

"Ray…"

"Donna, I haven't seen you in days," he slammed his fist against the living room wall and Donna flinched at the sound.

"I told you, I have…"

"Finals and obligations," he bit out sarcastically. "Yeah, I know, and I'm the dumb, poor boyfriend who couldn't possibly understand those things…"

"Ray, I never said that!"

Why was he being so hateful?

"And if it isn't finals it's this Brenda bitch."

"You need to leave now," Donna tried to keep her voice steady, but she moved to the door, holding it open for him. "I said now."

"Donna…"

"Leave, Ray."

His hands grabbed her shoulders suddenly and Donna shrieked. Before she knew what was happening, her back was against the wall. Donna felt tears leak from her eyes.

"Donna, baby," he was whispering. "I need you to understand. I go crazy when I can't see you. And I don't understand why this Brenda person gets to see so much of you when I don't…"

"Brenda's sick," Donna whispered. "She's really really sick."

"Get your hands off of her," Kelly's voice was cold as steel, and Donna heard it before she saw her friend and roommate put her hand on Ray's arm. "Claire, call the cops."

Claire began dialing 9-1-1 from across the room, but before she got to the second one, Ray let go of Donna, whispering his name as he did so. Donna looked away.

"Fine. I'm leaving. I'm gone."

Claire and Kelly wrapped their arms around Donna as Ray stalked out of the apartment. As he disappeared into the distance, they heard the sound of a potted plant smashing to the ground, and all three women flinched.

"I'm calling the police anyway," Claire announced. Donna didn't try to stop her.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Light was streaming in through one of the new windows and Brenda groaned as she rolled over in bed. Six in the morning. It was far too early for her to be awake, but the slight ache in her head told her she needed to take a painkiller before she went back to sleep. The surgery had removed the tumor, but the doctors had all informed her that the migraines might not go away. Ever.

She'd climbed out of bed and was making her way over to the cabinet where she'd unpacked her various medications when she caught sight of a car driving out of the driveway. A car that looked distinctly like Dylan's. Curious, she walked over to the door to get a better look.

There was a cardboard box in front of her door, with a note taped to the lid. Brenda opened the door and picked up the box. The note was definitely in Dylan's handwriting. Painkillers forgotten, she lugged the box over to her armchair and opened the note.

'Dear Brenda,

I'm leaving for Mexico this morning, but I promise I will be back, Erica in tow, before your chemo treatments begin. Iris knows where to reach me if anything happens.

In this box are the letters I sent you last semester, the ones you sent back. I promise that this is the last time I'll mention these letters or put any pressure on you to be more than friends. The last thing I want is to add to the pressure you're under, so the ball's in your court, Brenda. I will play whatever role you need me to, but if you ever need to know where I stand, or how I feel, these letters will tell you.

I apologize in advance for anything dated September to October.

~Dylan'