Authors Note: I own nothing. No ownership rights to Beverly Hills 90210.
Chapter Forty-Eight: Memento
As we walked into the McKay house late Sunday evening my twin is just finishing wiping down the kitchen bench. From the smell of cleaning products and the even more pristine than usual house I'm guessing her weekend didn't go well. Val smelling the house looks at me and shakes her head, "they've all made my list."
I smile at her, "I thought they already had?"
"Just the blonde copycat but now it's all of them."
I loved how much she loved my sister but maybe we were jumping to conclusion, Art was coming down with a cold on Friday maybe this was my sister's need to ensure all the germs were gone. "Don't you think we should find out first before you pen their names to the list?"
She rolls her eyes, "fine I'll write them in pencil." With that she moves to stand next to the kitchen island, "okay hit me with it, who am I going to kill?"
As I follow her over to the island my twin tries to put on a smile and act like nothing out of the ordinary is happening, "you've just spent a weekend with the elite of CU haven't you learnt some refinement?"
"Fine who am I going to humanly and for the good of all women kind put out of their misery?" I laugh at that and kiss Val's head, she tried.
My sister clocks my action and gives me a look, I ignore it. "I think what Val wants to know is what has set off your obsessive compulsive need to clean tonight? Did you not get the part?"
It's clear she's distressed when she begins to fold the cloth in her hand like her mind must be kept busy. "No I got the part and Kelly got the understudy role; so after me calling time and giving my immediate notice to the Peach Pit Sorority last night the both of us in those positions should make for a supportive situation."
Val turns and gives me her I told you so look, it was a look I had grown very familiar with all weekend. There was absolutely no way my ego could get out of control under Val's watchful eye especially as she tended to read people so well. "Their names have just been rewritten over in pen." She looks at my sister, "that's not the only reason you're in this mood there's not enough care or numbness in your tone. Arthur's good as you would have led with that, is it Sleaze? He just got his name scratched off he seriously can't have-"
"No Dylan is fantastic and both kids are physically fine, Art's on the tail end of his cold." She sighs, "Suzanne and Kevin got engaged. Erica is distraught, it took Dylan promising he'd go inside with her and start a puzzle just to get her to agree to go home to her Mum's this afternoon."
Val's energy changes and her almost constant shield of confidence that she usually covers herself in drops. She was rarely serious and to see her this serious had me naturally move closer to her, "Kevin he's not dangerous at all right? She's safe with him?"
Bren immediately responds to Val, "no it's nothing like that she's been like that with him from the start. We've asked questions and made sure she knows she can talk to us about anything, she's not physically scared of him it's just that she doesn't like him and really doesn't want Suzanne to get married. She confessed today that she's afraid that it will mean she won't live here with us even part of the week anymore."
From my sister's tone it's clear she thinks the same as well, I go over and give her a hug. "Hey I'm sure it won't come to that, has Suzanne even said she no longer wants the support of you both?" As I'm holding her I can feel her sniffle and her voice-break on her quiet no. "Well then maybe Suzanne likes this situation, I mean she'll be a newlywed maybe having a few nights a week alone with her husband is what she is hoping for." As I'm speaking trying to soothe and reassure her Dylan comes through the front door and immediately becomes aware of the spotless house, his eyes dart to my sister.
As he walks quickly over to us he speaks up, "woman I thought you promised that you weren't going to panic?" Bren instantly moves back slightly and still hidden in my arms wipes her eyes before turning to face her boyfriend.
"I didn't panic I was just tidying up a little and saying hi to my brother." He looks at her and shakes his head.
"Baby this isn't tidying up this is hospital grade disinfecting the house, and while I know you love your twin you don't usually cry on his arrival." He lifts his eyebrow, "want to try that again without the fibbing?"
She shakes her head, "no."
He sighs and pulls her into his arms, "we promised no panicking. You were fine when I left for my meeting, what changed?"
From his chest she answer's, "I was putting the washing away, putting Erica's clothes in her wardrobe."
He grips her tighter hearing her voice crack again, "hey I've already promised that I'll talk to Suzanne it could be a long engagement, she may not want anything to change."
"And if she moves in with Kevin closer to his work? Erica would have to change schools. Suzanne will probably look for a job closer to home." He leans down and kisses my sister's head and then pulls back to see her face.
"Baby you are just spinning a little that's it. We don't know what's going to happen but you have to calm down till we know more information." He then pulls her back to his chest obviously seeing she is still not okay, "she's not exiting our life our family. Even if we have to change our schedules take her for the whole weekend instead, we can make anything work. You just need to relax, you have five day's left Baby please stop getting worked up over the unknown."
She takes a moment then whispers "fine."
"Thank you. Shall we go check your blood pressure-"
Her frustrated tone tells me she is calming down and trusting Dylan to figure this out, "it's fine."
"It's been a big weekend with everything can you please just go make sure, it will make me feel better?"
"Like the other five extra readings you've asked me to do over the last two day's? Fine but I think I need ice cream."
He chuckles, "of course you've broken the seal and now your addiction is back. I'll get us a bowl."
As she walks away to take her blood pressure she calls out over her shoulder, "you mess with my clean kitchen Mr McKay you'll be in trouble."
He rolls his eyes at me and yells back, "wouldn't dream of it dear." He then moves to the freezer and removes the ice cream, "you guy's going to have a bowl?" Val nods to Dylan and sits down on one of the island stools.
"Sure D, so last night?"
Once he puts the tub's on the bench he moves to get the bowls and spoons while I begin to open them up, "didn't go well. Kelly blames Brenda for me being a jerk and for all the problems that were there… accusing her of having an emotional affair with me since Jack's death. Your sister listened through that rubbish and then politely tried to set her straight. Andrea and Donna still refused to address or acknowledge the problems with all of their friendships so Bren up and left."
"Excellent. Did she set them straight?" Val's enthusiasm for my sister being more like her old self willing to stand up for what's right is evident.
"She spoke to them-"
"That's it? I was hoping she would do another Emily Valentine bbq rant on them, burn it out of her system." When I give her a look indicating that I don't agree she again rolls her eyes at me, "come on those rants of her's are amazing making a gynaecologist trip into an insult was brilliant or when she caught you on your first date with Kelly, walks like a duck… maybe I should nickname her duck from now on as referring to her as the blonde just ruins at perfectly good band for me-"
"Val you're showing your claw's a little." She shrugs her shoulders not phased in the least. "Anyway Bren only goes nuclear when she's blindsided or on emotion overload, she'd have had no need to do that on Saturday she was prepared for it all."
"Yeah you're right she was I'm not sure the girls were as prepared. Silver said tonight that-"
My sister walking back into the room cuts Dylan off, "he spoke about it?"
He turns to her "blood pressure?"
She sighs and sits down at the Island, "high but in the normal range. David?"
"Yeah we had to talk about it-"
"Because you are proper friends unlike the Duck and her posse-" Bren gives Val a confused look.
I try again, "Wife I know you've had to be sweet and innocent Val all weekend but releasing all of your pent up energy in the space of half an hour may not be a good idea." I give her her bowl of ice cream, a gentle smile and then sit next to her.
"Fine."
Dylan puts the ice cream tubs away and then moves over to Brenda with their bowl, taking the stool next to her. "Silver didn't speak much about his sister just that he got grilled, she wanted to know what had been discussed about her and me, about that time-"
"Sleaze that's the second time since you've come home tonight that you have avoided using the word relationship to describe her and you, you do know avoiding saying it doesn't stop making your idiotic behaviour any less severe?" I shake my head and send my brother a look saying I tried.
He though just laughs at Val's antics and nod's his head in agreement, I guess after a week he's grown familiar with her type of honesty. "He did say Donna is really upset. He had to talk to her for a while when she got home to calm her down, he asked why she didn't say anything if she was that upset over your friendship, and she said she is mainly concerned that having left it so long now and with how it all turned out with Kelly being hurt-" he puts his hands up to stop the onslaught from Val, "Donna's words not mine. But with her being so hurt from the relationship, the divorce and seeing us so happy together, with Art and setting up our life, she doesn't want to add more onto her worried that it'll be too much for her."
"Duck is so fragile she can't hear the words 'I didn't like how you used me or betrayed our friend, I don't want that type of behaviour in our friendship again'?" The sarcasm drips off Val's question.
"I said it a little differently but the sentiment was the same. I also added that it's nice that Donna's priority has been to not hurt Kelly while Bren has been going through a major health crisis and dealing with cutting her parents off. I told him it's a joke that whole night and their inability to admit that they priorities their friendship with Kelly over their's with Bren is an absolute joke. He gets my frustration and said if it was Donna in Bren's place he'd be just as hurt and frustrated. He though doesn't think it's a priority thing as Donna isn't like that, but he also thinks that she may not understand what that hurt feels like the importance, the losing of a friendship you trusted and believed in."
What the hell happened last night? I turn to my sister, "I'm guessing there are some details I may need to be aware of from the dinner-"
She turns to me and her eyes tell me she is exhausted by this conversation by the excuses by the pain, "if you don't make me repeat it again I'll let you believe that your Grandma Walsh's favourite? Steve has the details anyway, I'm sure he will give you a great step by step of the night with his own personal commentary."
I give her an understanding look, "okay but I have always been her favourite."
"I think I'm her favourite I speak to both grandma's more than either of you." I turn to Dylan what the hell?
Bren steps in and clarifies, "ignore him he's only winning because he's a complete suck up. We still call one each week but mother hen over here has taken to calling them for Art advice regularly. I found out when they surprised me by asking if Art had cut that tooth yet. I caught him twice this weekend on the phone discussing cold remedies with each of them."
"They have a lot of experience with kids and the baby books I borrowed from the library kept giving conflicting information. We didn't all babysit for years and have a natural affinity with kids."
"You have a natural affinity you just become a mother hen when your family is sick- it's very cute."
As I begin to give my brother a mocking little "awww", my sister kisses him and well it turns quickly into something more which has been the custom since sophomore year. I give Val a look when it continues past acceptable, "see I wasn't lying it's like they forget we are here."
"Of course they do, if you haven't felt that then you just haven't been kissed properly. If you can remember your name by the end of a kiss you've done it wrong." I give her a look to indicate she's more than welcome to show me, she shakes her head and mouths the word no. We had determined this weekend that the possibility of us is something we both want to consider but it can't be a random weekend and nothing more, both of us will get hurt by that and our friendship would most likely be affected. We decided that waiting till she came out here for College and then figuring it out was the mature thing. For the first time in my life I had honestly felt that the mature thing sucked, it wasn't helped by the fact that since deciding at the barn dance that we wouldn't we had both by silent agreement been even more affectionate with each other, safe in the knowledge that it won't be taken too far and it was welcomed. This whole day had been torture because of it.
When Val and I stop our silent communication we turn back to my twin and brother to find them both staring at us, Dylan lifts his eyebrow in question but I ignore it. "So Sis funny thing happened when I got home on Friday afternoon, there was an angry answering machine message from Mum about her godchild being in town and no one informing her."
Bren's grown is loud, "do we know how she knows?"
"My Mum in their weekly chat. Luckily I told her before I left that I was coming out to support Brandon with some Taskforce events so he's in the doghouse not you on this one."
She looks at Val, "I'm not in the doghouse I've opted to be sent to the pound as I couldn't be a good girl and obey order's." She looks at me, "have you called them back?"
"Yeah on Friday afternoon, I've been told before I drop Val at the airport tomorrow night I have to take her there for an early dinner. Considering since the bbq I've been barely checking in with them and have instead mastered the art of answer machine phone tag it should be an interesting evening, especially as Dad on my callback on Friday mentioned he also wants to discuss my College fund and why it's so full; I haven't been withdrawing my living expenses because of The Pit."
"You know you could have engaged with them more it really is between them, Dylan and I-"
I give her my get serious look, Dylan might be once again her boyfriend but it didn't mean I won't also be there to support her. "They tried to send you and my nephew away from me, accidentally set you up with a drug dealer and continued to stress you risking your health, yeah I'm not okay with any of that." She nods and gives me her grateful look.
"B you going to tell them you are working the admin side of The Pit to lessen Nat's load since the heart attack?"
"If I do that they'll be angry that I'm working and breaking a promise, the deal was for me to concentrate on the college experience they'll cover the rest."
"Are you going to tell them then?" I get what he is asking.
"If I do that they'll know you are involved, you gifting me a quarter of The Pit won't sit well with them and I can imagine it will get out from there. As it is only our family who knows of our ownership I wanted you to know it probably will get out. You ready for the angry phone calls from my father?"
He nods, "sure though I can't say I've missed Jim's rants, and I can imagine that he is going to accuse me of buying back your acceptance of Bren and I through the percentage or using my money to buy more of his family."
"Well we both know that's not true I cost way more than twenty-five percent of The Pit."
"Really? You do know you are the cheaper twin? I mean your sister has way more priceless asse-"
My sister cuts off our attempt at lightening the mood. "Baby you keep going with this conversation and making me sound like a character out of Pretty Woman and I warn you that I will be staying up all night in the Den with Val having a movie night."
I have to give her credit even her threat was respectful, she wasn't willing to break her promise to me and say she'd be having a sleepover with Val, and I'm sure my stubborn girl would actually stay up all night watching videos just to prove that she wouldn't. Instead of answering I bury my face in her neck and give her some gentle kisses, there is no way in hell I'm willing to carry on a joke and risk missing my nightly time with my future wife. Brandon's cough of whipped makes me give him the bird while I keep my lips firmly glued to my girl's skin.
Bren and I eventually excuse ourselves for the night a bit before Arthur's dream feed, leaving Val and Brandon to say goodnight, hang out, whatever the hell is going on between them. When Bren and I are in bed later on we discuss their status and she's as clueless as I but it's obvious something has changed between them since her arrival last Sunday. Bren and I then go over our week, Eddie the stage manager of Roy's rang while I was at my meeting and went through all the rehearsal times this week. She'll be rehearsing every evening, I know this is what she wants for her chosen career but if she becomes a full time actress I hate the idea of her being away from me and our kids so much.
As is normal she picks up on my energy and leans up and kisses me and then pulls back, "I'll miss our family time this week, putting Art to bed each night, and dinner and homework with Erica."
"Not me?"
"Well you not so much. You see most nights this week when I get home our kids will be sleeping." She leans her face closer to mine, "you though I plan to keep awake in our bed, and up for hours each night to make up for our missed time together."
I roll her over and hover above her, "up for hours I think I might need a demonstration right now on how you plan on doing that."
The next day, Val, my mother and Bren spend the morning together by the pool until Iris insists on taking Val to lunch and then to one of her crystal store's. It gives Bren and I time to drive out to Malibu to check on the bathrooms and the progress of the houses as well as meet with our realestate agent, to show her the house that hopefully she will be selling for us at the beginning of summer.
She's excited by the progress, we are excited by what she thinks we can get for it. It's more than we thought and while not breaking even on both properties it's pretty close to it. When she offers to show us an old house in Malibu that is about to be listed we jump at the chance, it's nearly as bad as the one we ripped down on our block. The land size is good and we could fit two similar houses on it or one massive one. By the time we head back home we have put in an all cash offer as even if the county won't allow for the block to be split there is enough profit either way for us to take on the project.
After Bren's afternoon tea and chats with Val I find her in our bathroom getting ready for her rehearsal. As she puts on her makeup I wrap my arms around her and look at her through the mirror, "we had to offer another twenty more but we got it. I've already spoken to our architect he'll pull the plans from the city and start coming up with a few proposals for us to consider. He'll also come out here on Wednesday morning and discuss the library and the potential for an apartment over the garage for Val."
"That's great on Malibu and the apartment, and I liked how you tried to slip the library in as well though I didn't know that had been agreed to?"
I begin to kiss her neck and between kisses I respond, "I thought you liked the idea of decluttering the bookcases in the study?"
She had closed her eyes during my worshiping of her neck, "that could be done by donating some of our books-"
"Bite your tongue, you are marrying a man who loves his books. If you don't want the big renovation I could get Frank to just come and put normal wardrobes in our room, we could convert the dressing room into our library and leave the study library for the kids collection. You might have to get rid of some of your clothes though." She opens her eyes and stare's at me through the mirror, "I mean I'll make sure the wardrobes are big enough for some of your collection like the black dress you wore to the spring dance but the pink skirt may have to go."
She spins around and now faces me directly, "what is your fascination with that skirt you mentioned it twice since we moved in here on Wednesday?"
"It's not currently something you'd wear and you've never worn it around me so I don't see the emotional connection."
She looks into my eyes and within seconds leans close and begins her own assault of my neck, "you think I have worn it on a date?"
I moan out "yes."
She keeps kissing me, "I did."
Her words instantly prove my assumption was right and solidify my growing resentment of that skirt. It causes me to growl, pick her up and place her on our bathroom vanity and then quickly kiss her. As I give her time to catch her breath I kiss along her jaw to her ear, "I'm throwing it out."
With her hands buried in my hair she holds me even tighter to her and then stretches her neck to give me more room to work. "You touch that skirt I'll donate your favourite copy of the sister loving poetry man."
I relinquish her ear lobe and then kiss back to her mouth before pulling back so I can look at her seriously, "I'm not thrilled by your need to keep a memento of a date you had with another guy or me having to see it everyday."
She smiles and kisses me sweetly, "how about a skirt from a first date where an idiot guy stood me up?"
I pull back, "it's that date?" She nods, I smile and pull her forward on the vanity so we are as close as we can get. "Well in that case will you wear it for me? I'd like to see what I missed out on."
She keeps playing with the hair at the back of my neck, "are you going to touch my dressing room?"
I kiss her nose, "our dressing room." I pull back to look into her eyes, "are you open to the larger library?"
"It will make a mess-"
"I'll make sure all our furniture is taken out of the main room and that all work is completed while we are in Malibu then in Europe over the summer. We will come home and everything will look perfect, clean and there will just be a slight change to the ceiling height."
"You really want it?" I nod. "Fine but if our couches have a speck of dust Byron is history."
I kiss her, "fair enough. Now about you wearing this skirt…"