Authors Note: I own nothing. No ownership rights to Beverly Hills 90210.
Chapter Thirty-Six
Dylan was apologetic the whole way to my parents house, he knew that he had backed us into a corner limiting our ability to control how and when we told them. My instinct was to make light of the situation to make him feel better but that was not how I was genuinely feeling, I was frustrated. My parents would be getting ready for bed they wouldn't be expecting us to walk in on a Sunday night and completely alter their lives. It was bad timing and while I know it was an accident, and with us being away from the eye's in The Pit I could admit I was frustrated that we were making a difficult conversation worse.
"I get it. I fucked up."
"Yep, but I fucked up as well with running away and lying to you about Baja… Look we are going to make mistakes, maybe even more because of our age. You don't hold mine against me and I won't hold your's. I think we should add that to one of our choices."
He takes his hand off the gearshift and picks up mine laying a kiss on it, "I like that. I like it even more that you were honest about how you are feeling. We aren't perfect and I let my frustration get in the way tonight, I'm sorry-"
"Dyl, stop. It happened it's not ideal but it's happened, and together we will deal with it. I told Brandon tonight that we have learnt to communicate even more with each other, to me that's being comfortable and knowing that we have to say the difficult things so they don't fester. I hope though you know that it's aired and we've discussed it and now it's on both of us to let it go. I don't need the apology Baby we are in this together through the amazing, the good, the mundane, the bad, the sad, and in the face of dealing with the wrath of my father."
"Can I get you to change your mind about coming home tonight?"
"No your parents and Brandon agree that I'm making the right call. Unless they kick me out I need to stay till Tuesday night, it will give them time to get used to it and hopefully not try anything stupid."
"Stupid like trying for an emergency hearing that would potentially annul our marriage?"
"Yeah, though I'm hoping our lawyer is right and that if by some chance they could get an emergency court hearing, that it being legal in France, and with the documents in French along with a Judge having to a review the US's international treaty with France… I hope he's right and all of that may delay the judge from being able to make a swift decision, delay it so it would be pointless to annul as I'll be eighteen by then."
"Regardless, eleven fifty-nine on Tuesday I'm picking you up. If it's annulled we will then have another midnight wedding before we go home." At that moment we turn onto my parents driveway and Dylan switches off the car, in the silence you can hear me take a calming breath, "are you regretting asking Brandon to wait to come back?"
"No it's about us. We didn't tell Brandon about our marriage to keep him out of it, walking in with him tonight would make it look like he knew all along." I take another deep breath and undo my seatbelt, "come on no point putting it off."
Dylan holds my hand as we wait on the path for his parents to join us. When we get to the front door he squeezes it and then lets it go so I can open the door. As I walk into the foyer I see my Dad sitting on the couch, he is reading the same book him and mum have pretended to read for years as they wait up for us. I'm hit with a rush of nostalgia, a memory of a simple time when my Dad and I were on better terms. I don't think that we will ever get back there. In time he may learn to accept Dylan and I, he may even see the parts of Dylan he used to like but he won't ever forgive me, that I know. I'm forcing his hand, shaming him by being outside of his control not his perfect daughter. Me I'll never be forgiven for what he'll see as disloyalty and disrespect, for choosing the McKay's over the Walsh's.
He looks up, "hey how was it? Were you both surprised?" He immediately stops the smile when he sees that the person behind me is not Brandon but Dylan. "Brenda I thought-"
"Dad, Dylan and his parents are here. Dylan and I have something to tell you and Mum. Could you please go get her?"
He stands all warmth has left his face, "Brenda if this is you both pleading for another chance your mother and I have been pretty clear on our decision. You may be turning eighteen this week but-"
"Dad please can you get Mum? It's important."
As he had been speaking Iris and Jack had come in behind us, Jack closes the door as I finish my plea. My Dad's eyes instantly land on the man that he has always disliked the man he has always judged Dylan to be exactly like. It's funny that they are so alike in so many way's, knowing Jack now I see that as a positive connection, my Dad was actually right but in his mind it's still the biggest cross against Dylan.
He nods but he is clearly unhappy as he moves up the stairs. When he's out of sight I look at Iris and Jack, "Dining or Lounge Room?"
My mother-in-law walks up to me and places both hands on my upper arms. "Darling let's go to the lounge room it will give everyone space."
When my parents come back downstairs Iris is in one armchair with Jack standing like a guard behind her, Dylan is doing the same with me in the other chair, though he is touching my shoulder reminding me that he's there with me. When my parents are sitting on the couch my Dad looks at me.
"Okay what's this about? I've already told you we are not interested in having you try and convince us that we can trust you both together, we have heard it too many times and we no longer-"
"Jim! Just… let's let Brenda say whatever she needs to say. We can at least hear them out."
I give my Mum a grateful look, she's not as against Dylan and I as Dad is. I actually think she knows we will end up together but she just doesn't want my life to only be him. She met Dad in college got married and fell pregnant with twins, whatever career aspirations she had then were completely pushed away in order to take care of the two of us. When we were about to hit junior high Sheila had just been diagnosed, any thought of establishing something for herself then was surpassed by supporting her family, and then we moved. Nineteen years and life had continued to put obstacles in her way she became secondary to all of us. I know that is what she fears for me, but how do you tell your mum that she is projecting her disappointments on you? How do you say she may feel like life has happened to her but I'm jumping into mine I'm making mine happen the way I want? I'm not her.
Dylan squeezes my shoulder and I reach up and cover my hand with his. "Dylan and I understand both of your positions regarding us, we don't agree with them but we understand. We also are clear on what you both see for our relationship for the foreseeable future and again we don't agree. Dylan and I are not here to try and change your mind, all our arguments have fallen on deaf ear's; you've made your minds up and are sticking to it. We have done the same, though we used more than just our minds to decide what we want and how we want to live." I take a breath and repeat in my head that this is a monologue that I'm not to get emotional here, I don't want to cry- I hate hurting them.
I take no pleasure no sick reward, I don't feel this is some kind of revenge for their treatment. I know I'm about to rip their world their idea of who we are as a family away. I'm doing this because I'm in love I'm not doing this for payback, even if Dylan and I have had months of hurts. Dylan's parents have had seventeen years of imperfections, some very cruel acts, and we see through that to the people they are the love they have for him. My parents have had year's of providing me with a stable, loving and supportive family, and they've had months recently of imperfection's, to hold them to a different virtue scale is unfair. Both our parents like Dylan and I are flawed, it doesn't make us love them any less.
Once I have exhaled I say it, "Dylan and I have decided that we want to spend our life together, that we want only each other. We've committed to that by-"
It's my Mum who flicks down and sees my left hand resting on my knee, sees the diamond first. "You've got engaged? Brenda you're too young, you have your whole life to be with Dylan. This is your time to live first, see the world, have adventures, not running off to get engaged-"
"This is foolish and not going to happen." My Dad was never going to let my mum calmly try and reason with us, it wasn't his way. "And here I thought you both had better sense than this. You are both just turning eighteen still in school and now you what want to play at planning a wedding. This is ridiculous, you are too young." He then turns his eyes on my in-law's, "do you both support this foolishness? I know you are trying to be better parents but catering to every reckless stupid desire he has is not how you do it. They are too young and I won't allow-"
"I wasn't asking for your permission Dad, I've said we aren't here to change your mind."
"Brenda you are being foolish, I'm sure him getting down on one knee in front of your friends tonight with a ridiculously too big diamond, and asking you with a range of empty promises was a fantasy come true, but that's what it is a fantasy. You both know nothing about commitment, about what goes into making a marriage. You'd be divorced in a month and ruin each other's lives in the process."
Dylan had sat quietly but his anger and impatience had become a living force behind me, he was done with listening to this. "Well we've been married for months now and neither of us want to be divorced. I guess your prediction is wrong Jim."
I'm starting to get used to the silence that comes from people hearing our news, this one is not as long as the one earlier tonight.
"You what? If you tell me you ran off to Baja earlier this summer when you were playing house together and did this-"
"You'll what, ban us from seeing each other, take away my trust fund, send my wife away? Jim go ahead and ban us, my wife will be living in our home by Wednesday. Try and go after our money sue us, our lawyer is well prepared for any action you want to throw our way. Send my wife away, I'll be right behind her and we will fly back midnight Wednesday. Jim if you haven't realised your control of me and her is over, your banning of us is done, your interfering in our relationship is finished. My wife may have accepted your stance, that your mind can't be changed but you need to realise what that means now for you. Her and I have sacrificed our first few month of marriage to try and reason with you, to try and show you that we aren't just going to forget each other, and it's done nothing. You've seen how upset she has been at times, how she bites her tongue now in front of you and goes quiet. She has become completely compliant to you and you still weren't happy, you still wouldn't just get over your prejudice of my family to see what you were doing to yours, to your daughter. You've taken away enough of our time together, we have more than met you half way but it wasn't enough. It's on you now to come to us. When she leaves-"
He's on his feet in an instant, "my daughter will be going no where with you."
"Oh so you want me to move in here with you then?" Dylan's sarcasm rings out throughout the room, it's clear to me my husband is over the hiding and the pandering to my father. "Jim we are a package deal-"
"Stop speaking on behalf of my daughter like you have some authority-"
"Dad, my husband is saying nothing that I don't agree with. He and I are honest with each other and talk, and if you think we haven't discussed this family situation before now you would be wrong. Dylan doesn't have authority over me nor do I have authority over him, we are partners-"
"Really? His house, his money, how long before it's his way? You want to be a kept woman-"
I'm on my feet in a moment and walk up to my Dad, "everything comes back down to my character every time you have a problem with Dylan and I it's your opportunity to try and emotionally guilt me by saying I'm immoral, and now you are trying to say I'm what a prostitute to my husband a possession?"
"Brenda your father didn't mean it like that-"
"Really Mum because it didn't sound like he was implying anything else." I look back at my Dad, "do you really think that is who I am, do you really think that is all Dylan wants from me someone he can own and control? Do you think so little of him and I? How can everyone else see the love we have for each other except you, why do you refuse to acknowledge what is right in front of your face?"
"Brenda he's not good enough for you-"
"Well considering you just called me a glorified hooker I think he's probably too good for me." I turn back to my husband, "I'm done. I'm not waiting till Tuesday night, I'm not staying in a house where they think so little of me."
Dylan just holds out his hand as his parents stand, "whatever you want Baby. Let's go."