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

Chapter Fifty: Extraordinarily Simple

"The airport, Dylan where are we going?"

He picks up my hand and lays a kiss on it, "that's a surprise."

Not this again, "come on you know I don't like surprises."

"You have always loved my surprises." I couldn't even argue that and from his smug expression he knew it.

Breathing out calmly I try another strategy I give in a little, "can I get a hint?"

"No."

I let out an exaggerated sigh he was infuriating, "fine I'll find out when we get to our gate."

"We aren't going to a gate."

Huh, we are going to the airport but not getting on a plane. "What? Why are we going to an airport if we aren't travelling somewhere?"

He laughs, "we are I just thought a private plane would be quicker and easier with our schedule, so no gate."

"Dylan that's… I don't… Dylan that's so expensive can we afford-"

He gives me an amused look, "Baby you do know we are rich right? I mean I've told you we aren't the rich that can say let's go buy an Island but we are rich enough that you and I don't ever have to work; I think we can afford a private plane for a very important occasion."

My brain couldn't even fathom the idea of a private plane and him even thinking of organising one for a quick trip away. A few years ago I was ripping apart my own jeans as I couldn't afford to buy the designer ones in the store, and now I'm supposed to comprehend being able to charter private planes; my life since arriving in Beverly Hills had become a weird dichotomy of completely normal and utterly bizarre. I could understand the property purchasing we did, bricks and mortar investing, the dream of owning your own home and even a holiday house; cabins by the lake were common in Minnesota, but chartering and travelling on private planes was completely out of my wheelhouse of normal. This was stuff that only happened in the movies.

Choosing to not dwell on the bizarre I focus on what I do understand Dylan and I, "important occasion?"

"Our last first date I think is a very important occasion, especially as our first one was unplanned."

"The first one you stood me up on?" That joke was never going to get old.

"Funny, oh but you reminded me I packed that skirt just in case."

"Dylan."

"What you could wear what you have on for dinner and just wear it afterwards?" He pulls up at a red light and looks at me, lifting his eyebrows suggestively.

I shake my head, all week he had been taking that skirt out of it's designated space in the wardrobe and leaving it on the towel rack in the bathroom, hanging it on the wardrobe door, laying it out on our bed, leaving it anywhere he could think that I'd see it as I went to get dressed each morning. I had not said anything to him about his new favourite article of my clothing and instead had just returned it to the dressing room each day. He was incorrigible when he got a thought like this in his head.

"I'll consider it if you tell me where we are going."

"Maybe you'll consider it as it's the only thing I packed for you."

I laugh he was such a fibber, "you spoke to Val right?" He nods, "yeah she made you pack me other clothes, and you wouldn't risk Val being mad at you by not following her instructions especially with her moving back in five weeks."

"What risk? Brandon will be able to calm Val for me." I couldn't deny it they were closer after their weekend away and his magical gift of always calming her had increased considerably, it was obvious as she began to get emotional when she was saying goodbye to us on Monday.

"You think Brandon though will support your skirt fantasy, defend your methods to make it come true? You do remember I'm his twin sister? Actually ask him but I want to watch when you do, maybe I can put Val on speaker… I should get popcorn for this event."

"What it's just you wearing a skirt?" He flashes me his most innocent look.

I lean over and whisper in his ear, "just me wearing a skirt nothing more to that fantasy of yours Mr McKay? I mean you haven't once asked about the blouse I wore with it, should I assume you want the complete picture or have you got another idea in your mind?"

His voice takes on that breathy quality, "you can wear whatever you like with it or nothing at all the choice is completely up to you."

I lean back in my seat, "Dear you know after so many year's together I know how your mind works, I'd bet what's in our account right now that you are hoping that I'd be choosing the latter."

"Oh look here we are." I laugh, yep busted Mr McKay.

With a quick turn we are driving up to the entrance to the valet and our skirt conversation has been forgotten. Once we exit the car we are following our bags carried by our private baggage handler into the airport. It's a surreal experience made even more so when Dylan just says his surname at the counter and immediately someone else arrives to take us to our plane that is ready to depart. When we are sitting in the small plane and the cabin hostess has left after serving us sparkling mineral water I look over at him, "this is crazy. You do know I didn't need all this?"

He reaches out and gently rubs my cheek, "I know but as I said I wanted to get there quickly so we have more time together, and this… do you remember when I told you about my trips to Europe with my parents as a kid?"

I nod, "limo's to the countryside for picnics?"

"Yeah, I wanted that. He'd make these grand productions of first class everything only for us to get into the countryside to sit in the grass and eat baguettes and cheese. I loved those day's when I was a kid, they were my best memories. Our life is full of those moments now, the extraordinary mixed with the simple it's what makes each day magical to me- what I love. The extraordinary of you and me together everyday but doing the simplest tasks like folding washing, the extraordinary of waking up to our beautiful son and then having to struggle to get him to stop pulling off his socks every few minutes, or seeing the excitement- that extraordinary glow that takes over Erica's face when she learns a new fact even when it's just on the lifecycle of a snail. All of these moments I love and I want our first date to be just like that."

"Mr McKay are you saying that we are flying on a private plane to go eat cheese sandwiches?"

"I'm saying future Mrs McKay that I'm planning on our life being a perfect mix of the extraordinary and the simple, so I want our first date to be just like that."

"I like that, I like it even more that you see us being together and the kids as the extraordinary."

"That's because you all are irreplaceable and something I never imagined I'd get, our time together is a gift." When he says things like that how can I not kiss him, I lean over and lay my lips on his, it's not long until we are sharing his seat and I learn the true advantage of travelling privately- no consideration for public morality. We only stop when the pilot announces we will be starting the descent.

Dylan smiles, "best flight. The onboard entertainment alone was completely worth the-"

I cover his mouth with my fingers, "Mr McKay this is already feeling like a date from a movie I'd prefer that movie not be Pretty Woman." He kisses my fingers and then tries to suppress his laugh. He was so happy he was glowing, I loved that us together still did that to him.

It's not long until we are landing in Monterey, Dylan reading my unasked question looks at me. "We still have a little way to go until we are there but like us the journey to the destination is pretty spectacular."

When our rental pulls up outside the airport I must get a look of nervousness across my face, it's a modern Porsche convertible one that I think is similar to what he got carjacked in last year- crap and everything was going so well. He notices my expression, "I asked the car rental for this car specifically."

When we get in the car and as he starts to pull away he continues, "that carjacking triggered you calling me out at your parents anniversary, it took me out of a destructive cycle of behaviour. I had started that particular cycle when I hadn't got into Berkeley, I just stopped caring about so much that I was just accepting life to continue on being a disappointment. With everything I have ever wanted gone, you, my family and then when the hope of getting away getting a chance to learn writing from the best died, I gave into what was left just being my lot in life. You were right I was lost and very unhappy. When you looked at me with such disappointment that night I knew I couldn't keep living like that, I didn't want that ever to be the look you gave me. The carjacking means something different for me now, this car means something different." I reach out and squeeze his thigh. Him holding a gun on Brandon seems like a bad dream, him begging me to come back to him as we danced that night seems like a lifetime ago.

Lost in my thoughts it's not long till I see we are leaving town, I take a moment to try and figure out where we are driving to.

Eventually I give up, "I've been patient Mr McKay can you tell me now where we are going?"

"Ever hear of Big Sur?" I shake my head, "it's what they call the coastline in this part of California. I drove it when I first got my Porsche, when I needed to get away from my Dad for a bit. It's this incredible coastline where the ocean meets cliffs, waterfalls and the redwood forests. It's extraordinary but pretty remote, it's got a handful of hotels along the coastline. I've booked us in at an old ranch that's been in the same family for generations, two year's ago they converted the place into a hotel and restaurant called Post Ranch Inn. There's not much in the way of modern distractions around here, it's really a place people come to look at the scenery and hike. I just wanted a place that you and I could just be together. I wanted for our first date for you and me to be without the kid's, our family, our responsibilities, and just be us together forgetting about everything. I hope you don't mind?"

"You stealing me away to see something beautiful where it can be just us alone for longer than two hours and where no one can find us… Baby it sounds absolutely horrible." I smile at him and lose my teasing tone, "after our week, after the last few months I couldn't imagine a better first date."

"Are you sure you don't mind that I'm not taking you dancing, a concert, a play, some Beverly Hills restaurant? I know so much of our life has meant you have had to grow up fast." I lift my eyebrow and because he was worried about my authenticity that I was just being kind to him he saw it as he glanced at me, "I partied enough before I met you. I just don't want you to feel that I'm being boring, I don't want you bored. It was my only concern when booking this trip that you would be hoping for a big night on the town."

"Dylan my life is anything but boring- actually it could do with calming down a little, especially after months of bed rest; coming back to Beverly Hills has been intense. Baby remember I don't lie to you and you don't lie to me, when I say I couldn't imagine a better first date I mean it. Getting you to myself for twenty-four hours alone I have had that twice in my life Baja and now. Baja always seemed like the beginning of the end for us so I like that we are on the same coast just north this time and we are making this the official start of us again. There is some great symmetry in that."

"Baby I'm glad you like the idea as much as I do, but you go any further into that symmetry and start talking about ying and yang then I'll be declaring that you are spending a little too much time meditating with my mother." I knew he was joking around as a way of avoiding discussing our last trips meaning.

"For that remark Mr McKay I'm going to take up her offer of teaching me how to read tarot cards."

He laughs, "I'll be getting the popcorn to watch that one. There is no way you could stop yourself from calling bullshit within the first five minutes." I give him a glare mostly because he was right.

It was a forty minute drive well would have been but I made Dylan stop repeatedly along the coast highway so that we could look at the view. Thank god he brought our camera with the timer and it had spare film in the case. I had gone through a roll even before we had arrived at the inn. I had never seen anything like this coastline, the McWay Falls was my favourite.

We arrived at the ranch just before sunset and I was expecting it to be a rough rustic inn, I wasn't expecting a environmentally friendly newly built modern inn with a gourmet restaurant and spa treatments. By the time the bellhop was being walked to the door of our suite by Dylan I was already mesmerised by the view from our balcony, it was like we were hovering over the ocean.

When his arms wrap around me a few minutes later I close my eyes, "this is incredible. This ranch isn't really a ranch anymore."

"Don't say that to the owner he's been working this land all his life, but yeah it's been upgraded some." That was a ridiculous understatement, the lobby pictures clearly depicted the changes.

"I thought you wanted simple?"

"This is simple, it's just us and nature if we want. They can set up dinner out here on our balcony or we can go to the restaurant, we can stay in this little hideaway on the cliff for the whole time we are here or go exploring tomorrow."

"Baby little hideaway's on cliff's don't usually have their own balcony spa's, fireplaces or delivery of gourmet food." I turn to him, "you my darling are letting your McKay show if you think this is simple, if you think this view is simple."

He smiles at me taking no offence as none was meant, a life raised in privilege and to him this was just normal. He teases back at me, "you don't like the view?"

"I love the view." Like when I had said that on the lookout years ago he knew that I wasn't just talking about the landscape, back then I had been falling for him and was confused by the new feelings, now I understood them cherished the intense emotions that flowed between us. I had yet to tell him I loved him directly it just never seemed like the right time, before I could consider if it was now, he interrupts me.

"So Baby would you like dinner in the restaurant or here? And yes before you ask I was joking and I packed more than just the skirt, though I'd be very supportive of you wearing that tonight."

"Would you be disappointed if I said that I love the idea of us not getting dressed up, of having a spa, listening to music and eating dinner in our pyjamas?"

"Thank god I was hoping you would say that, when I said I just wanted it to be you and me I wasn't joking." He pulls me closer and breathes deeply, his body relaxes. "Have I told you how much I have missed you this week? Actually how much I have missed you and I together?" He leans down and kisses me, "how much I have missed being able to do that whenever I want?" He kisses my neck, "or that?" He kisses along my neck to my ear, "or this?"

It's not long until we are completely lost in each other and I find myself laying on the sun lounge on the balcony with Dylan half on top of me and his hands pulling me even closer, "Baby?"

"Hmmm." He keeps kissing me.

"I'm going to have to get up." He shakes his head subtly while he continues to kiss me, "y-e-s." He reaches up and claims my lips again, eventually I gain the strength and self control to pull back, "Baby I need to express."

"Errrr…" he pulls back but looks at me seriously. "Okay coach but can we continue this afterwards?"

I shake my head and get up, "nope afterwards I'm having a spa."

He drops back onto the lounge and groans in disappointment. As I get to the doorway I look back at him, "though if you are up for it you are more than welcome to join me in there?"