Authors Note: I own nothing. No ownership rights to Beverly Hills 90210.

Chapter Thirty-Five: Company

Bren had been very quiet. She had listened to Laura's story of how Kelly had gone for coffee with Roy at the end of the auditions, but had said nothing more than I see. She had also been quiet as we walked back to the car, choosing instead to listen to Erica's enthusiastic ramblings about how she had got a call back; our little girl had the right idea this should be an exciting announcement, Bren should be thrilled. When she auditioned she didn't know if she'd get even a callback with how contested these roles were. Every drama student on the campus was supposedly trying out, and considering this was LA there is a lot of them.

We should be celebrating, instead Kelly had come in and managed to steal Bren's joy, making it all about her. For someone who had never expressed any desire to be involved in the performing Arts, and according to Bren had only gone for the audition hoping that it could be something they both could share, for her to turn around and do this it was crazy. As always she was the typical Beverly Hills Princess, she defined the word entitled. I had avoided that type all my life it was why I had been a loner at school, I have literally no idea how I had let that eighteen months happen; she represented everything I tried to keep out of my life.

When we got to the car and Art was in his car seat and Erica was buckled in back, I walked around to her side. Before she opened her door I stopped her, "congratulations Baby!"

"Thanks", there was no enthusiasm in her voice at all, it had seeped away since finding out about her rivals for the part. I gave her a please talk to me look, I wouldn't push I knew sometimes you have to sit with things. She sighed then let me in on what was running through her head, "what does it say about my talent, that after hours on hours of rehearsing, nearly a year as a drama major and all my summer school classes, that Kelly after reading over a scene with me for an hour, can come in and land a callback as well?"

Shit! I thought she would be mad I didn't think that this would play to her insecurities. "Baby this is on Kelly-"

"Really? Maybe she is naturally talented and I'm the hack." She ran her hand through her hair and looked at me, "let's just go okay. Steve, Brandon and Nat will be waiting and I just don't want to think about this right now."

I leaned in and kissed her forehead, "okay." As I walked around to my side of the car I was reminded again of how fragile Bren really was, she was such a strong woman and could be fierce when needed, but underneath that she was breakable. She was so good at hiding it often taking the high road but internally it played on her. I was hit with a wave of self-loathing, I had forgotten that that summer. I had held her a few day's after she had moved in, supporting her when she was so low because of the pain she was causing her family because of us, then a few weeks later I had gone and made the blonde apart of our lives making her sacrifice appear stupid. I had forgotten how fragile my girl was, and now my girl was still taking the hits for my actions like she had continuously been taking them since that summer.

When we arrived at The Pit Erica ran in ahead of us straight to our usual reserved Sunday Brunch table, running straight to the three men and announced Bren's success. All three cheered as Brenda approached and she simply smiled, greeted them and then excused herself for the restroom. All three men gave me a curious look and deciding speaking in code would take too long I fished out a bunch of quarters out of my pocket and told Erica to go nuts on the jukebox. When she was gone I filled them in on the callback list.

"Shit. How did she take it D?"

"She's really quiet but she's thinking that it must mean Kelly is more talented and that she is the hack."

"McKay that's crazy Kelly is not an actress, she's good at flirting and appearing to be a guy's dream girl but that is not the same thing as acting. It's actually the opposite, she has no idea who she is so she isn't shedding herself to take on a role. Really she is just taking her cue's on what she thinks the guy wants to hear, though she can't even hold that form for too long and end up's hating that manifestation of herself." We look at Steve in shock, "dude's I was raised by a great actress and well the KEG study guides they have a whole section on big words that Professors love to see in papers, let me know if you both want to borrow the list."

I shake my head and go back to my girl, "I know but Bren has been feeling like she is competing against Kelly for… well too long and-"

"She has always lost to her." Brandon's anger was palpable and I knew a large chunk of it was aimed at me.

"B I know you can kick my ass later but right now I need help, how do I get her confident so that she can nail this next audition?"

He was quiet choosing instead to take a gulp of coffee, I'm guessing buying time so he could figure out how to help his twin, "there is nothing we can do. She doesn't need us she needs a best friend, another girl who can understand her feelings and who knows how and when to challenge her. None of us can do that, she knows we love her too much and she'll think we are simply telling her what she wants to hear. Andrea and Donna are out as they don't have that level of trust and they have shown they care more about the appearance of impartiality rather than what's right when it comes to Bren." He takes another gulp, " okay whose got frequent flyers that can be transferred?"

"B it's fine we'll pay for whoever you think is needed from Minnesota."

"No it's not Minnesota they are travelling from but Buffalo New York. It's time you met Arthur's Art Val in person, she'll snap Bren out of this and get her game ready."

I smile I had spoken to her and watched Bren talk to her on the phone, it was the closest I had seen to that fierce, confident and brave woman who had talked Emily off the edge, who had gone through day's of worry over a lump but maintained her grace throughout the whole process, and what I imagine she had been like taking down those sexual offenders and helping that cheerleader in sophomore year. I reach into my wallet and remove my credit card and slide it to him, "can you call her straight away and get her out here ASAP if she can support Bren I'm all for it."

He laughs, "no Dylan she won't support she'll just kick Bren's ass and then Bren will fight back and kick hers. I love both of these woman but be careful man don't step between them, if they wanted to both of them together are capable of world domination and they know it. When we were growing up, I swear they were loved and feared by both kid's and adults when together. Thankfully Val has a soft spot for me so I was never too fearful of them." Brandon's eye twinkle told me that that soft spot may travel both way's.

"Can you go call her now, she's more than welcome at our place or we can get her a hotel if she likes?"

As Bren and Erica come back from the jukebox the former having joined on her return from the restroom, Brandon excuses himself for a minute but takes our orders to the kitchen before leaving to make the call. He was gone long enough to come back with part of our order as the waitress followed with the rest.

Noting her brother's long absence Bren inquires, "where did you go? You aren't working over family brunch?"

"Oh I needed to make a phone call, I'm still looking for someone to take to the taskforce retreat next weekend and well I just had a great idea. It required an immediate phone call as they live interstate and would need time to fly out. They can come and well they'll be staying with you, Dylan was kind enough to volunteer your den."

"Brandon if this is Emily- actually she lives in San Francisco so not interstate, did you call Sheryl? I can't imagine Dylan agreeing to any of your other ex's staying with us."

"God that's a blast from the past, no I called Valerie she agreed and well I was able to reserve her a ticket for tonight. It's the six thirty flight out of New York and with the time difference she lands at nine-thirty in LA. I have to go to a taskforce dinner so unfortunately I can't pick her up..."

He looks to me, "B I'm at AA with David tonight. It's his first night speaking so-"

"No problem D I get it, it's a big deal."

"I can go but Iris isn't back from her retreat till tomorrow morning and I'd prefer not to have the kids out that late, if there is another way that would be great though I'd like to avoid a car service as it seems so impersonal."

Brandon turns to his roommate, "Steve do you feel like making the trip to the airport then up the hill to the McKay compound?"

"No problem, I'd like to meet the original third musketeer and obviously see how I'm an improvement on that."

Bren for the first time since hearing the callback list laughed, "don't say that to Val she'll be angry. She has a list of people who have annoyed her, once on it it's difficult to get you off it, I'm still trying to get Dylan removed."

I looked confused how did I annoy her, "she hasn't met me and I was nice on the phone?"

"Baby, really?" From her look I immediately understood, it wasn't just a list of purely annoyance but a list of people who had wronged her. "Just be glad you are no longer in a top three position." She squeezes my leg as she says it as way of reassurance.

"What happens when you are on the list?" I'd like to know if I should be expecting practical jokes as I walk through our home or if it's a little more intense than that.

Bren begins to choose her words, "Val is creative and-"

Seeing his sister struggle to phrase the character of their childhood friend, Brandon steps in. "Out of the duo Brenda is the sweet, Val is the spice. She has a way of getting revenge in a way that you are both completely aware of and blindsided by at the same time. That list is a place you don't want to be on, I'm lucky though I have never got on it."

"Because Val loves you and forgives you for everything-"

"She doesn't love me sh-"

"Brandon I officiated your wedding when we were five, she loves you." All of us beside the twins cracked up, Brandon was too busy glaring at my girl I'm guessing for sharing secrets.

"Brandon, Kid you are married, and here I thought you were afraid of commitment." Steve laughed harder, when Nat teases you you know you have a reputation.

"Nat, yep Brandon is a married man. Val came over sad and nothing we did would cheer her up, her parents were being mean and she wanted to run away. Brandon asked her to move in with us and rather than get my parents to adopt her he thought the quickest way would be through marriage. Married people have to live together and are together forever according to a young Brandon." I grab her hand under the table and squeeze, I completely agree with five year old Brandon. "Their vowels were very sweet. He promised to never make her cry and to let her play with his action figures, she promised to always make sure a cookie was saved for him and to not make him play makeup Brandon again."

"Brenda what's makeup Brandon?"

"Oh sweetheart we used to make him our makeup doll. She'd do one side of his face and I'd do the other, it's really fun. Arthur's too little to play but I'm sure Dylan will play it with you." I look at Bren and raise my brow, she smiles "with your cheekbones you'll look gorgeous." Erica looked pleased.

Brandon who was too busy being laughed at by Steve to listen to his sister finally speaks, "it was the only way I could watch my hockey games in peace."

The rest of our brunch is full of funny childhood stories about the twins and Val. When Arthur woke from his sleep he got cuddles from all before we left to drop Erica off for the afternoon with Suzanne and then disappeared up the hill for a quiet afternoon together. A couple of hours later as Arthur was down for his nap and Bren and I were taking an afternoon swim she finally asked.

"Dylan is Val coming out for me?"

The truth is the only response as we don't lie to the other, I swim closer to her. "I'm worried that you are letting Kelly's games mess with you, I asked Brandon for advice and well he said we were all a little useless in helping you deal with this as we love you too much, he thinks you need your girl best friend for this one."

"So the taskforce thing was a lie?"

"No I actually think he invited her, he didn't mention anything to us about going to do that. Do Brandon and Val have a thing for each other?"

"He's always felt she was family so thirteen months ago I'd have said no, but with what happened well we spoke more and then when I found out about Art we spoke all the time either via letters or phone calls. Through that Brandon began speaking to her more and I guess that's continued when I was in Minnesota."

"Are you okay about us calling her?"

"It's an expensive trip," I give her a look, "which we paid for I'm guessing- good." I wrap my arms around her I love that she sees it all as ours but my concern is about how she feels about us stepping in and doing this. "Seeing Val will be good. I love you all and Iris is great at advice but Val will tell me the hard truth the stuff that I don't want to hear but need to."

"Did she do that about us?"

"She was the first and only person who said it was weird that Kelly and I were being treated as having an equal stake, she asked if you both had always been close. She suspected something had happened but I swore blind that neither of you two would do that to me. She never said I told you so afterwards, she just listened to me and well you both moved up her list after that. When I found out about Art she wanted me to tell you straight away, she was not sympathetic to my belief that you needed some stability in your life after your Dad and Kelly. I think her exact words were fuck what he needs, he's been prioritising his own wants for too damn long. She continued to challenge me on it until I got sick in Minnesota."

"What does she think of us now? Not that it matters but I'd like Arthur's and to us Erica's Aunt to like us together."

"Val trusts one man and that's Brandon. She doesn't trust men easily nor does she trust females that well. She thinks people are out to get what they want- she has a little bit of the early sophomore Dylan about her but is able to hide it better."

"How better?"

"My parents thinks she's the sweet one." Shit that means she's good.

"So you are saying I've invited into our home a person who loves you and sees me as a selfish jerk and if she is like me before I met you then she has very little care for social rules and is fiercely protective of what little bit of this world is hers."

"That about sums her up, but she loves me and well if you make me happy, if our family makes me happy then she'll guard it nearly as well as you and I. If she feels she is accepted in it, warts and all she may even rival us."

"So we did okay bringing her here to help you?"

"What is she supposedly going to help me do?"

"Kick Laura's ass, blow whatever Kelly's agenda is out of the water, find your inner Maggie and well remember that you are the strongest person I know and that other peoples opinions of you don't matter. I want you to trust your instincts again and not cater to entitled people who are fixated on trying to keep you down. Baby I want you to know that you have your family's support we love you, so if you think it's time to cut this shit out of our lives if you need to burn some bridges then I say light em up."

I look at him he is serious, "are you saying you are okay if I fracture the gang?"

"Family comes first and honestly I'm not sure what we are holding on to. Friday on the lawn was great but the eight of us together being cohesive, well it hasn't been like that without a level of tension since junior year. Our brother's are with me on this, it maybe time for you to decide to cut her out of all our lives, we can accept whatever other relationship ramifications that causes."

"Dylan she's your oldest friend."

"My oldest friend is Steve, we sat on the same table together in Kindergarten and we'd play together but even we weren't exactly close. I've known her just as long but she hasn't been my friend for that long, she's the one who feed you all those rumours about me when you first arrived in LA right?" I nod and laugh, on our third date we had gone to dinner and he had listened to all the West Bev gossip about him letting me know which was blatantly untrue and which had a hint of a factual basis. For most of the night he had laughed loudly at what people said about him. "Well you remember they were mainly untrue, a friend would have known that. We were friendly but not friends, and now we are nothing. I feel bad for treating her badly but I feel a level of guilt for being rude to anyone who doesn't deserve it, my level of guilt on that does not make me want to keep her in our lives and it doesn't justify her taking that out on you. If I had known what was happening from the get go I'd have kicked her out of our lives before her birthday, attacking you in anyway even when we weren't together… from the start you were my family that doesn't change with our relationship status, no one is allowed to treat you like that and no one is allowed to ask us to stop being family."

I lean up and kiss the tip of his nose, "come on let's get out the pool I'm getting all pruny and we need to still do some work on Malibu before Art wakes."

Throughout the rest of the afternoon, dinner, Erica arriving home, bed time routines and Dylan going to AA I'm wondering where my fire has gone. My parents were out of my life but in fairness I didn't see that as a forever move. Grandma Walsh had already warned me that we had a few months of calm and for them to come to their senses then she was coming out and stepping in. The matriarch of the Walsh clan was fierce, looking at me currently, the matriarch of the McKay clan was clearly not when it came to herself.

A little before ten-thirty Dylan arrived home and not long after the gate intercom announced the arrival of Steve. We both moved out to greet our new house guest, with Dylan giving me a hesitant look not sure what to expect from Val. He didn't have to wait for long, as my oldest friend climbed out of the car and sashayed towards us I noticed Steve climb out and watch her hips- another one under her spell. I raised my eyebrow at her, calling her out on her already developed LA fan club. She looked over her shoulder and then smiled back at me lifting her shoulder subtly.

"Don't look at me like that I did nothing but be me. Now we will get to the gorgeous house, the attractive devil next to you and my niece and nephew in a moment but firstly my soul sister what the fuck is this you've got going on?" She waves her hand at me, "I can read your insecurity from ten feet away and if I can do that then the blonde bitches of LA can at least do it at a foot." She then turns to Dylan, "you Sleazy Baby Daddy should have called me sooner, this supporting character shit she has got going on is not her, my Bren is the fucking leading actress the star of this show!"