Episode 3.09

Janet, Steve, Kelly and Jake by Shari,
Donna, David, Brenda, Jake,
Brandon and Dylan by Heather,
Carly And Lexi by Val, Valerie by Jessica

Janet

At Casa Walsh

Steve hung up the kitchen phone and looked over to Janet, "At least one of them had the decency to return our calls!"

"What did Rush say?" Janet asked.

"He's sorry that he left and he truly is happy with the news. He can't wait to be a grandfather again. Not like he sees Maddy so often. God, I hate when he puts on a phony act."

"Well, it's a start. You know, I've called my parents four times since the other night." The phone rang before Janet could go on.

"Maybe that's them," Steve said, going to answer the phone, "Hello....Oh, hi, how are you Ms Taint?....We're fine thanks, happy............ ....Okay, we have to go into the office for a little bit but we can come in around two-ish....Great, see you then."

"Ms. Taint? What did she want?" Janet asked when Steve hung up the phone.

"She wants us to come down to her office. We better leave now for work, or we're going to accomplish nothing."

"Okay, okay. Let me go get Maddy and I'll meet you at the car."

Donna

At the Bungalow

Donna rolled over to see David sleeping soundly beside her. Her heart smiled as she watched him breathe, so thankful to have him there. She quietly got up and went to the kitchen to make a few calls. She needed to find someone to cover the store for the next few days. She didn't want to work, she didn't want to see anyone, she just wanted to spend all her time with David.

Donna looked in the refridgerator to see if they had anything to make for breakfast. There wasn't much. Looked like they would need to go to the store.

Donna walked back to the bedroom and saw that David was not in bed. She hadn't heard him get up. She walked closer to the bathroom and heard the shower running. Donna smiled to herself and quickly let her robe fall to the ground around her. She entered the bathroom and stepped into the shower with David.

David turned around with a huge grin when he saw her. "Need help washing your back?" Donna asked with naughty smile.

David pulled her to him and kissed her neck. "I'll wash yours if you wash mine."

Donna giggled, "It's a deal!"

Carly

At Melrose Place

Carly was getting ready for Erin's visit to their apartment. She was busy straighting up because she didn't want Kelly to see the house a mess--as it was since she hadn't been home between school and work.

"Mom did you get the teddy bear yet?" Zach yelled.

"Yes Zachary." She handed him a light brown teddy bear. She smiled. "Think Erin'll like it?"

He nodded. "Yeah I really do."

"Good. Now one other thing...for the day you will get your Nintendo back."

"Thanks mom!" he said and rushed over and hugged her.

"That's what I'm here for."

Lexi

At Whilshire Memorial

Lexi sat upright in her bed thinking about the rape. She was having nightmares like crazy...good thing she got out of the hospital soon.

"Good morning," Megan said and walked in with Sarah.

"Hey Lexi," Sarah said.

"Hey guys."

"We just wanted to give you this." Sarah was holding a small black bag. "Sarah, give it to her."

Sarah handed her the bag and Lexi ripped open the tissue paper to find an angel with her name on it. "Thanks, it's not quite my style but it's cute."

Megan looked down. "Well...I couldn't think of something to get someone who was almost raped," she said in a sort of snotty tone.

"Calm down. It's fine."

She sighed. "I'm sorry it's just been really uptight lately with work. Things aren't going well."

"Kelly hasn't hit it big in PR yet?" Lexi asked.

"Far from it."

"Well good luck to you. Bye Sarah. I have to get some rest."

"Okay, we'll see you tomorrow."

"Bye."

When they left, Lexi sat down and began to start looking around her. She was in a basic white room and she was moving out of intensive care today. She had to gather her things and she would be sharing a room with someone. This could get interesting, she thought.

Jake

The Beverly Royale Hotel

Jake walked into The Beverly Royale Hotel carrying a huge bouquet of beautiful flowers. He approached the Front Desk, wanting a bell boy deliver the flowers, rather than he himself. Afterall, he and Clare did breakup.

"Can these please be delievered to room 104?" Jake asked the woman.

"Surely," she smiled, taking the flowers into her hands, "She must be special."

"Yeah, she is," Jake said before walking away.

Before Jake even walked two feet, he was stopped by the woman's voice yelling after him, "Ohh, sir. Wait."

Jake returned to the desk, "Yes?"

"The resident in that room is currently on a leave."

Jake looked puzzled, "A leave? What the hell does that mean?"

"She has gone away...on vacation. If the resident is away, we can't deliver the flowers. We're sorry sir."

"Can you at least tell me when she's due back?"

"Well, she checked out early this morning. She did not give a return date."

"A number where she can be reached? Or at least where she's going?" Jake asked, hoping to get some information.

The woman shook her head no, "Sorry, no other information is given."

The woman handed him the flowers, and he grabbed them from her. "Thanks for nothing!" he said before storming away.

Jake proceeded through the lobby and headed for the door when he stopped and shoved the bouquet into a garbage can and continued to storm out.

Brenda

At Melrose Place

Brenda sat by the pool covered with sunscreen, reading over the script that her agent had sent over. She couldn't believe how much had happened in the past few days.

Dylan had gotten her the names of a few agents, probably from Steve, Brenda thought to herself. Not that Dylan had admitted to that. She had made the rounds and had found one that she really liked.

Gabriel 'Call me Gabe' Walker had seemed honest and sincere, two traits rarely found in an agent. He had instantly won Brenda over despite his movie star good looks and smooth talking. He really seemed to have his act together and had gotten her an audition and a sneak look at the script that she was now holding in her hands.

The script was good, really good, Brenda realized as she read over it. Television and film was an area that she hadn't ever given much credability to, preferring theater, but she couldn't help but be excited.

Aaron Spelling was like a TV God after all. Any project he touched turned to gold and any actress would be lucky to work for him. The pilot script really did look promising. It was about a group of twenty-somethings who were just starting their careers and building their lives. There was a part for a hard talking, tough woman that Brenda thought she'd be perfect for. She couldn't wait for the audition!

Kelly

At Melrose Place

Kelly and Erin walked up to Carly's front door.

"Ya ready?" Kelly asked. Erin nodded. "Alrighty..." Kelly knocked on the door. A minute or so later, Carly answered.

"Hi Erin, morning Kelly. Come on in. Zach's been waiting for you," Carly said with a smile.

"Is she here? Is she here??" Zach came running towards the door.

"She's here," Carly said with a laugh.

"Erin, come into my room," Zach said excitedly and grabbed Erin by the arm and pulled her.

"Want some coffee?" Carly asked Kelly while pouring herself some.

"No, thank you. I have to go do some errands and then meet Brandon for lunch."

"Okay, then..."

"I'll pick Erin up around 6-ish. Is that okay?"

"Yeah, that's fine. See you then."

"Bye. Bye Erin," Kelly yelled before walking out the door.

Lexi

At Whilshire Memorial

Michael and Lexi were making their last trip back to Lexi's new room. "Is that it?" Michael asked with her purse, and her book in his hands.

She nodded. "I think so."

"Okay, lets go!" They walked across the hall into the other room and Michael got Lexi all set up. She was laying in bed when she couldn't help but be curious anymore and she pulled the curtain and saw a little girl lying there.

"What are you here for?" she whispered to her, sort of loud.

"Leukemia. Don't worry its not contagious," the girl said and laughed.

She nodded. "Well...I hope you feel better," she said at loss of words.

The little girl nodded. "Likewise."

Lexi lay in bed thinking of how lucky she was to be okay. That little girl was going to die and Lexi...well, she wasn't.

David

At the Bungalow

Donna refilled David's cup of coffee before sitting down next to him. David took a sip and then smiled at his wife. He had missed the little stuff that being married brought, waking up next to each other every day, having coffee together, having someone to come home to.

When he glanced back at Donna, he noticed that she had an odd look on her face. "Whats up?" he asked.

Donna thought about her words carefully before speaking. She didn't want to ruin the mood but she needed to know some things. "David, you being here, this is great. I am really happy. But I guess I need to know what it means."

"What it means?" David asked confused.

"Yes. Does it mean that we are officially not separated anymore? Are you going to move back in? What does it mean?" Donna tried to explain how she was feeling.

"Does it have to mean anything? Can't we just take it slow and see what happens?" David asked. "Donna, I love you and I want to give our marriage a second try but I don't know that I should just move right back in like nothing has happened."

Donna nodded, some of her happiness from earlier gone, but she smiled to cover her feelings. David noticed however and reached over to hold her hand. "I love you."

Donna smiled at him, "I love you too."

"Then thats all that matters."

Carly

At Melrose Place

Carly placed two sandwiches in front of Erin and Zach. She smiled. "One turkey mayonaise and one roast beef mayonaise, right?"

"Yes Carly." Zach nodded, as Erin spoke.

"Ok here ya go, eat up." Erin and Zach wolfed down their sandwiches and quickly finsihed their lunch.

"Wanna go play videogames Zach?" Erin asked excitedly. Zach nodded and they got up and ran into Zach's bedroom. Zach turned on the tv, followed by the game and they sat down and played.

Steve

At The Beat on the Street

"Brandon, this is great!" Steve said in reference to the article he just handed in.

"Thanks. I wasn't sure about this part thought..." Brandon said, pointing to the section with his pen.

"No, leave it. I like it. Good work."

"Ya know Steve, " Janet said from across the room, "we're going to have to give Brandon a raise soon otherwise we're gonna lose him."

"Speaking of which, The Chronicle did give me a call the other day," Brandon mentioned, teasing Steve.

"Haha...don't start with me on raises. First Brandon, then the rest of the staff and Silver. By the way, have you seen David lately? His column was due yesterday."

"Suprisingly, no," Brandon said, "he hasn't been to the apartment in a few days. Though I have noticed some of his stuff is gone."

"Uh oh...hope he's not with that Jennifer."

"You and me both. Trust me, she's a handfull. Nice chatting with ya, but I have to go meet Kelly for lunch."

"Bye, Brandon," Janet said, barely looking up from her computer.

"Hey, don't forget to get your other article in to me Thursday."

"Don't worry, Stevie, I will," Brandon said with a smirk before walking out. He loved pushing Steve's buttons, as did Steve enjoy pushing Brandon's.

Jake

At Now Wear This

Jake walked into Now Wear This, looking among the customers, hoping to find Clare. Instead, he found Gina ringing up a purchase.

"Jake, hey. What are you doing here?" Gina asked, suprised to see him.

"Where's Clare?" he immediately asked.

"I don't know," Gina handed the customer their purchase, "Donna called me last minute. Clare apparently didn't show up for work today."

"Damnit," Jake mumbled under his breath.

"What?"

"Nothing...if she calls, tell her I'm looking for her."

"Will do."

Valerie

At 7250

"What exactly are we looking for again?" Val asked as her and Ginger browsed through racks and racks of different clothes in a boutique.

"Hmm, not sure. Whatever catches my eye I guess," replied Ginger.

"But for what? The parties we go to, you could go naked and no one would give a damn!"

"Ooh, we should do that next time!"

"I'll pass."

"Just a suggestion..." said Ginger as she kept looking through the clothes.

"What about this?" she asked as she held up a slinky, rather slutty black dress.

"I've seen better," replied Val.

"I bet. But I like it so here," she said handing it over to Val.

"And what exactly am I supposed to do with it?"

"Stick it in your bag and keep looking."

"Ugh, the things I do for you."

"I know," she said with a smile. The two were about to leave the store when a sales lady began approaching them.

"Miss, can you please open your bag?" the lady asked.

"Excuse me, and why would she want to do that?" asked Ginger.

"We have reason to believe that she shoplifted an article of clothing. Security is already on it's way so you might as well follow my orders."

"Fine, no problem," Val said with her cheeriest smile and opened her bag for the lady to look into. She poked around in it but when she couldn't find anything out of the ordinary, she reluctantly let them leave.

"I'm sorry for the inconvience," the saleslady called out to them as they left the boutique.

"What happened to my dress?" Ginger asked. Val reached down her shirt and produced one black dress.

"Hunny, I've been at this longer than you have. They always check the bags," she laughed as the two walked on.

Kelly

At the Moonlight Cafe

Kelly and Brandon were having a quiet lunch at The Moonlight Cafe when the subject of Mr. Lemme's diet drug came up. Kelly quickly started filling Brandon in on all the information she found out.

"So anyway, this drug Fen-Phen was extremely popular among those trying to lose weight," Kelly said in between bites of her salad.

"But once people started taking it, unknown side effects started occurring," Brandon said putting two and two together.

"Exactly. Today, the lawsuit is still going on. When it's going to be settled, I don't know, but the drug is clearly responsible for many serious health problems. Jackie's friend, Maryanne, is supposedly suing too. She had some circulatory problem from it or something."

"Okay, so you're thinking...?"

"That, based on my research, the same hidden, secret ingredient in Fen-Phen may be in Mr. Lemme's drug. I mean, he didn't want me researching it and he never mentioned getting FDA approval. I just assumed it was approved."

"But it's not?"

"No, of course not, which is why we have to do something."

"Well, first off, we need to figure out what's inside Mr. Lemme's drug."

"Yeah, but how?" Kelly asked, unsure of how they were going to pull this off.

"I'm going to make a call...I'll be right back."

"Wait...who are you calling?" Brandon didn't answer, he had already whipped out his cell phone and was headed outside.

Kel quickly paid the check and rushed outside to find what Brandon was doing. When she got there, he had just hung up the phone.

"This scientist guy....he owes me a favor. We're meeting him in a half hour at his lab. He should be able to decipher the ingredients in Lemme's drug."

"That's great!"

"You do have some of the drug right?"

"Yeah, at my office."

"Let's go then."

"Let's go," Kel said with a satisfied smile.

Lexi

At Whilshire Memorial

Lexi had been taking a nap and woke up from another nightmare. She was running away from John. This was it! She had to put him away. To see him behind bars would get rid of this nightmare forever. She was going to press charges.

She pulled out a pad from the drawer next to her and wrote: 7/27/01 Press Charges. She put the pen and pad back in the dresser and laid back. She thought about a lot of things, Michael, John, and most importantly court. She picked up her phone and dialed the number to the police station as Michael walked in.

"Hey baby." He kissed her forehead. "I brought you a treat." He handed her a brown paper bag. She took it. "Open it."

She opened it and found three cinnamon raisin bagels. "Michael, thank you!"

"I bought you your favorite bagels. I checked with Dr. Bell and he said it was alright for you to have regular food."

"Thanks."

"No problem." He checked his watch. "Listen, I have to go see my next patient. Can I check up on you in an hour or so?"

She nodded. It was the little things that mattered.

"Ok, bye." He kissed her.

Brenda

At the Peach Pit

Brenda sipped on a chocolate malt that Nat had brought her. She had barely looked up when he stopped by her table, her nose stuck in the script she was trying to memorize. Noah had given up trying to talk to her and headed into the club to prepare for the show that evening.

Dylan entered the Peach Pit and took the seat across from her. It was several minutes before she noticed him sitting there. When she did, she broke out in a huge grin. "Dylan, hi. What are you doing here?"

"Just getting some lunch. So, when's the audition?"

"Tomorrow! I'm so nervous," Brenda explained.

Dylan smiled, "You'll do great."

"I wish I was so sure," Brenda said and then raised an eyebrow at Dylan, "You could help me."

"How?" Dylan asked suspiciously.

Brenda handed him the script, "You could run lines with me."

"I'm no actor Bren," Dylan replied, tyring to hand her the script back.

Brenda wouldn't take no for an answer, "Just read the part of Landon."

"Landon?? What kind of name is that?" Dylan asked.

"Just read it!"

Dylan looked down at the page and found what he was supposed to be reading, "'I never thought that I'd see you again, Hayley.'" Dylan looked up again, "Hayley? That's you?"

Brenda sighed, "Yes, Dylan. Okay, start over. Read your line again."

Dylan shook his head but read, "I never thought I'd see you again, Hayley."

"I told you I'd be back Landon," Brenda said, looking into Dylan's eyes.

"Uum, Bren? It says here that we're supposed to kiss..."

Brenda grabbed the script out of his hand, "Well, we can skip that part. Never mind, I'm going to work on this at home." She stood up to leave.

Dylan smiled a cocky smile, "Hey, it was just getting good." Brenda ignored him and walked out the door.

Brandon

At UCLA

Brandon and Kelly walked up the long hall of the Launer Science Building at UCLA. Brandon had once interviewed the Chemistry Department Head and knew that he would be able to help them out.

They entered the lab and Kelly looked around in amazement. It was just she had imagined it would look. There were tubes and glass beakers set up all around the room. Colored liquids bubbled and a stong chemical smell filled the room.

A man in a white lab coat approached them with his hand extended. "Brandon Walsh, good to see you again."

Brandon smiled and shook the man's hand, "Thanks so much for you help, Professor Powers. This is my girlfriend, Kelly Taylor, that I told you about on the phone."

Professor Powers smiled and shook Kelly's hand, "Nice to meet you, Miss Taylor."

"We really appreciate you taking the time to help us, Professor," Kelly replied.

"No problem, I always love to do an analysis on an unknown substance. Where is the drug?"

"Right here," Kelly said offering him a bag with several pills in it.

"Now you fill me in while I do some tests," the Professor instructed. "And Walsh, please don't touch anything this time!"

Brandon gave a sheepish smile and took a seat.

Carly

At Melrose Place

"Hey Erin I have an idea."

"Yeah...?" she asked while the sat on the bed. Zach had given his room a complete makeover. He put on the blue comforter after he took off his red one because he heard Erin's favorite color was blue. His black tv had a sticker on it saying 'Zach's TV'.

"We could play house." Zach waited for Erin's response but she said nothing and he continued to talk. "I could be the father and you could be my wife. I know it's kind of young for us but you know." He laughed.

She laughed. "Yeah but Zach I don't want to be your wife."

"Why not?" Zach asked hurt.

"I don't want to be your wife."

Zach sighed and looked down with tears swelling up in his eyes. "Well...ok Erin. I'll tell my mom to call Kelly to come get you."

"I had fun Zach...I hope we can be friends," she said feeling bad.

"I guess so." He walked out of the room. Carly had been sitting at the counter and heard every word. She was crying--his first breakup!

"I'll call Kelly."

Steve

"It's nice to see you again," Ms. Taint said after she, Janet, and Steve all got settled in her office. "I'm sure you're just estastic with the news."

Janet smiled, "Oh, we are."

"I'm sure your family is thrilled as well," she added.

Steve made a face, "We wish...seems some of them were a little taken aback and angry, although I've yet to tell my mother. She's on vacation in Hawaii with her...friend."

"They'll come around," Ms. Taint said confidently, "They always do."

"So this is normal, right?" Janet asked hopefully.

"Oh, quite normal. A lot of grandparents tend to be a bit surpised but, they are grandparents, and they love their grandchildren and nothing will keep them away from them."

"Seems that may not be the case with our family..." Janet said sadly.

Carly

At Melrose Place

Erin and Kelly just left and Carly sat Zach on her lap on the couch. "Zach we need to talk about something."

"Yeah?"

"Well in life there are a lot of good things and a lot of bad things. This is one bad thing, love. At times it is bad...if you fall in love and that person doesn't love you back you just have to accept that."

"But that's not fair," Zach bellowed.

"Well..." she nodded. "I know. You just have to be strong. Your feelings are fragile and you should be happy Erin wants to be friends."

"I guess I should."

"Feel better?"

He nodded. "A little...but what can I say, love hurts."

Valerie

At the Beach Apartment

Valerie and Ginger were walking up the stairs to the apartment when Jen came rushing down, obviously in a bad mood.

"Well, well, well, look who it is," Val announced.

"There your are! What the hell is this about? You could at least have had the decency to tell me there was a change of plans instead of having me wait around the whole damn night. I could have been out--"

"Getting laid?" hinted Ginger.

"Excuse me?"

"Sorry, you just seem rather slutty. It must be a personality thing..." Ginger trailed off.

"As I was saying," Jen said, ignoring the comment Ginger had just made."Why did you just suddenly decide I wasn't worthy of your time?"

"Something suddenly came up," Val smiled sweetly.

"You know what? When you decide to drop whoever the hell this is and come back to your real friends, give me a call," Jen said, storming out.

"Nice work," commented Ginger as the two headed to the apartment.

Jake

At the Peach Pit

"So you haven't seen her?" Jake asked Nat.

"Nope. Haven't seen her. Colleen's been here once or twice though."

Jake got angry, "I'm not asking about Colleen! I don't care about Colleen! I want to know about Clare!"

Nat was taken aback, and a little mad that Jake could be so rude to him, and started to walk away. Jake yelled after him. "Nat, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap at you like that."

Nat walked back over, "Jake, listen pal, I love you like a son, you know that. But I don't know what's going on with you. But I suggest you figure it out."

"I know, I know."

"You want something to drink or eat?"

"Coffee, please. Lots of coffee."

Nat went to fufill his order and Jake got up from the counter and headed over the payphone. He inserted a quarter and dialed Clare's cell. No luck. Jake slammed down the phone and headed back over to the counter, wondering where Clare ran off to.

Brandon

At UCLA

"Well, Miss Taylor, it certainly sounds like your research has been thorough. You have all the information down on the drug known as Fen-Phen."

Kelly nodded, "I was amazed at how much infomation there was out there."

"It's a hot topic right now," Brandon threw in.

"Fen-Phen is actually a combination of two drugs: fenfluramine and phentermine. It seems that Fenfluramine is the actual culprit in the damage that the drug is causing. It has been withdrawn by the FDA. And it is precisely what I just found in these pills of yours Miss Taylor!"

Kelly stared at the Professor in shock, "Oh my God! I knew it!"

"You have in your possession an illegal and dangerous drug. Unfortunately, many women don't care about the risks. They are willing to do whatever it takes to get thin, even if it costs them their lives, which it will, eventually." The professor handed Kelly a print-out of the analysis that he had run on the drug. "See, right here, the drug is 29.8% Fenfluramine. This drug is actually more dangerous than the original Fen-Phen."

Kelly shook her head and handed the paper to Brandon, "That is terrible. I have to do something."

Brandon read over the statistics, "I'll bet an article in The Beat on the Street would get some attention."

The Professor shook both Kelly and Brandon's hands again and said, "Well, I wish you both the best of luck. Let me know if I can be of any further assistance."

"Thank you," Kelly told him before walking out of the lab.

Lexi

At Whilshire Memorial

Lexi grabbed the phone on its last ring. She was aggrivated it woke her up from the sleep she had just fallen into. "Hello?"

"Hey, it's Kyle."

She sighed. "Hello Kyle, is there something you need?"

"Yeah. I need a date."

She laughed. "You idiot, you're married."

"I know, but Jane isn't feeling to well and I have to go to a banquet for work so I thought who better to take than you!"

"Ryan talked you into this, didn't he?" she asked bluntly.

"Yeah but I was going to ask anyway if I couldn't get a date with Megan."

She laughed. "I wish...I'm not out of the hospital for a while."

He sighed. "Well it was worth a try, may as well call Megan."

"Good luck Kyle, and thanks for asking me." Wait...did she just say thanks?

"No problem."

Dylan

At the Beverly Royale Hotel

Gina was very happy to see Dylan come into the store. She was supposed to be off today anyway but a desperate Donna had called begging her to come in. Clare hadn't shown up or something.

"Hey, what are you doing here? Not that I'm not glad to see you," Gina told Dylan as she walked around the counter to give him a kiss hello.

Dylan kissed her back, "Oh, I was in the neighborhood or something like that."

Gina smiled, "Are you sure it wasn't that you just wanted to see me?" Dylan kissed her again before replying, "Nah, I'm pretty sure that I was just in the neighborhood."

Gina pouted a moment before Dylan kissed the pout away. They stood together kissing and talking for a few minutes until Gina finally pulled away. "We better stop."

Dylan reached out and grabbed her, "Why? You have something better to do?"

"I am trying to work here," Gina told him firmly.

"Yea, it looks like you are busy." Dylan kissed her again. "Come on, don't you get some type of break? Donna can't keep you here all day."

"Dylan..." Gina giggled as he kissed her neck. "Okay, okay. I can lock the door for a little while but you'll have to be quick."

"No problem," Dylan replied with a grin.

Gina grabbed the keys and went over to lock the door. Dylan's cell phone rang at the same time.

"Don't answer that!" Gina yelled over at him.

"Yea?" Dylan said into the phone, ignoring Gina's demand.

"Dylan, are you busy? I know we just saw he each other." Brenda said.

ylan glanced at Gina, "Not really. What's up?"

"I'm still just really nervous about this audition," Brenda explained. Gina came over to Dylan and put her hands around his waist, leaned over and kissed his neck. Dylan twisted out of her grab and walked across the store away from her.

"You have nothing to be nervous about, you know that," Dylan told Brenda.

"I know, I know, I keep telling myself that. I can't help it," Brenda went on.

Gina walked over to the store door and unlocked it. She indicated for Dylan to get out. He walked over to the door and stopped, "Can you hold on a sec, Bren?"

Dylan lowered the phone and reached up to kiss Gina on the cheek, "I'll see you at home babe." He walked out of the store still talking on the phone.

"Don't count on it!" Gina replied angrily.

Janet

"Janet and I were wondering," Steve began, still in Ms. Taint's office, "when do we get to meet some of the foster children?"

"Well, you can meet them whenever you like however that usually isn't the best thing to do."

"What do you mean?" Janet asked, not understanding.

"You see," Ms. Taint started to explain, "it may be months before you actually get to take in a child. There is a waiting list, you know. And meeting the children way ahead of time usually gets the parents hopes up. A lot can change in a month."

"Months?!?" Janet said still taking it all in.

"Waiting list?!?" Steve said.

"Well, yes. We do have a lot of parents waiting to "pick out" children. The process alone of taking in a child takes a while. I'm not trying to burst your bubble, Mr. and Mrs. Sanders, you will, indeed, take in a child. Afterall, that's what we're paying you for."

"Janet and I aren't in it for the money," Steve said.

"We're really not," Janet added, "You see, I can't have anymore children, Ms. Taint. Being able to take in one and possibly later adopting is a dream come true for us."

"I understand as that is the case with most foster parents. Which is why, at times, being a foster parent can get a little emotional. But we're always here to talk. Always."

Janet was upset but understood what Ms. Taint meant, "Well, thank you. We may just take you up on that."

David

At the Bungalow

David tossed the remote down on the coffee table and turned to face Donna who was laying at the other end of the couch. They had laid like that for the better part of the afternoon watching movies and snacking on whatever they could find in the kitchen.

He pulled himself up into a sitting position. "We really should do something..." he started to say.

Donna just shook her head. "No. This is perfect. I just want to be here with you."

David laughed and leaned over to give her a kiss. "We can't stay in forever."

Donna pouted, "At least for today we can pretend that the rest of the world doesn't exist. That it is just you and I, together."

David had to agree, "Yea, this is pretty great. I do have somewhere I have to go though." He stood up and walked into the kitchen, looking for his keys. Donna jumped up and followed him into the room.

"If you give me a minute I can go with you," she suggested hopefully.

"This is something I need to do alone. I won't be gone long, though." David grabbed his keys and headed out the front door. He stopped, "Why don't you try to find something to make us for dinner?" Donna just stared back at him. "Never mind...I'll pick something up."

Kelly

At Melrose Place

"Kelly, come on in," Carly, said opening the door wider. Kelly walked into the apartment.

Erin got up from the couch and said, "I'm all ready...let's get out of here!"

"Erin, wait, don't you even want to say goodbye to Zach?" Erin was practically pulling Kelly out the door, "I guess not..alright, alright. I'm coming."

Kelly mouthed "I'll call you" to Carly and was out the door, wondering why Erin wanted to leave so badly.

Jake

At Melrose Place

Jake sat back on a lounge chair at Melrose staring out at the pool. He just couldn't face going back to his empty hotel room. He had spent so many nights out here, just thinking and drinking beer. All of his friends were gone. What was he thinking when he came back to L.A.? Now even Clare was gone. He never could make anything work.

Jake thought about what the lawyer had asked him, whether he was ready to consider seeking custody of his son. Jake remembered when he had found out that he had a son. Colleen had come to town to ask him to sign over his parental rights. And the bad part was that Jake had done it. Just like his old man had done. He had had the chance to make up for all that on Ojai, to be a real dad to David.

Just because he didn't want to be with Colleen didn't mean that he couldn't still be David's dad. Maybe he should seek custody, or at least joint custody.

Jake took a swig of his beer and reached over and picked up a photograph that was sitting next to him. It was a picture of him and David, the first time they had met. Jake smiled to think of his then-girlfriend Jo following him and capturing that moment. It had gotten him through a lot of hard times.

His cell phone rang, "Hello?" Jake said into it.

"Jake, it's me Clare," she said tentatively.

"Right," Jake replied.

"I just wanted to tell you that I had to leave town."

"Well, I pretty much figured that one out but thanks for letting me know," Jake replied angerly.

"Jake, wait! I just need some time to think things through. I wanted to give you some space. I still love you," Clare told him.

"Clare, where are you?" Jake demanded. He would go to her tonight, make her understand.

Clare knew this and that is why she refused to tell him where she was. "I'll be back soon Jake. I promise."

"I can't promise you that I'll be here," Jake told her firmly.

"Goodnight Jake," Clare said. Jake could hear the tears in her voice. They both hung up the phone at the same time.

Brandon

At Melrose Place

Brandon was cooking dinner. Kelly had wanted to help but he had sent her to the living room with a glass of wine. He could hear her and Erin talking in the next room. Something about Zach, poor kid. Maybe he would take him out for breakfast again. He could drown his sorrows in one of Nat's special blueberry waffles. Who better to sympathize then someone else in love with a Taylor woman? Brandon chuckled to himself as he finished carrying the bowls to the table.

He entered the living room, "Madams, I hate to interrupt but dinner is being served in the dining room," Brandon said formally.

Erin giggled as she got up and went to the table. She was excited to see a wine glass at her spot as well. Kelly rasied an eyebrow at Brandon who whispered, "Club Soda!"

The three sat down and Brandon served the pasta and sauce.

"This looks really good Brandon," Erin told him.

"Thanks Erin, I slaved over it all day," he replied with a grin, "So I was thinking we go bowling after dinner, whattya say?"

Erin smiled, "Bowling? I love bowling!" Brandon laughed at her enthusiasm.

Kelly smiled at the interaction between the two. It felt good to relax. She was trying to forget about what the Professor had told them. She didn't know what to do with the information but knew she had to do something.

Brandon noticed that Kelly was deep in thought and reached over and touched her hand. That simple gesture brought her back from wherever she was. She looked up and smiled at Brandon. "Thanks for your help today," she told him quietly.

"Anytime, Miss Taylor, anytime."

Janet

At Casa Walsh

Janet and Steve had just pulled in their driveway. After their meeting with Ms. Taint, they decided to go for dinner and a movie. It was dark by the time they got home. They got out of the car and proceeded up the walkway until Steve stopped abruptly.

"Steve! I almost went right into you," Janet said after she and Maddy almost walked into her husband. Steve moved aside and Janet saw why he stopped. Mr. and Mrs. Sosna were on their front stoop.

"Mom? Dad? Won't you come in?" Janet said assuming they wanted to talk.

"After you," Steve said to them after he opened the front door.

They all walked into the house and Janet led them into the living room.

"Janet," her mother began, "we just wanted to apologize for our behavior the other night. We are truly sorry. We really overreacted and we're lucky to have a daughter, a son-in-law, and soon, two grandchildren like you."

Janet had tears in her eyes, "Oh, mom." She said giving her mom a tight hug.

"Janet, we love you and we don't want to lose you," her mother said.

Janet, still hugging her mom, said "I'm not going anywhere." They topped hugging each other and Janet looked at her father who just stood up from the couch.

They stared at each other for a few seconds until Mr. Sosna grabbed her and pulled her into a hug. Janet smiled and embraced him. She felt all warm inside. Her father never was the affectionate type.

"Whattya say we have that dessert we never got to have the other night?" Mrs. Sosna said with a smile.

Janet smiled back, "Okay, I'll go get it."

David

At Melrose Place

David called ahead to the Peach Pit to order a take-out dinner and ran a few other errands before heading over to Melrose.

David let himself into Brandon's apartment to grab some clean clothes. No one was home. He had a few minutes to kill so he sat down in the living room. He looked around the room and noticed for the first time that Kelly had certainly added her feminine touches to Brandon's decorating scheme. He laughed at that and had to admit that the Bungalow had definitely been a bachelor pad before Donna moved in. Now, it just felt like home.

What was he doing? Did he really want to come back here to stay when his wife wanted him with her? David went back into his room and started packing his things...all of his things.

Brenda

At Melrose Place

Brenda couldn't concentrate on studying the script any longer. She had been at it all day and knew it word for word. Her mind drifted to other things...like the way her heart had skipped when Dylan and her were practicing the lines and he had mentioned kissing her. Or when she had been so worried about him during the Kanis deal. She still didn't understand her dream and it made her nervous. All of the looks and glances that they had shared since she had returned to Beverly Hills played through her mind.

"OH MY GOD, Brenda Walsh, you still love him!!!" she screamed aloud, the realization hitting her like a ton of bricks. If someone would have asked her that question even ten minutes before she would have denied it fully. But now...she knew she did, that she always had and maybe she always would.

But what was she going to do about it? She was with Noah and he was with Gina. They were both happy in these relationships, weren't they? Brenda thought about Noah. Her feelings confused her. He was such a good person and she cared about him deeply. But did she love him with all of her heart? Probably not, she admitted to herself.

"Dylan McKay," she said aloud. She had always loved his name. Her heart was pounding. She knew that she hadn't came back for him, knew that he had been with Kelly. After isolating herself for so long after Matthew's death, she had just wanted to be back with friends and people that loved her. It had been a good move and Brenda was happy but was there something more waiting out there for her?

Steve

At Casa Walsh

"Goodnight," Janet said to her parents as they walked out of Casa Walsh.

"Thanks for stopping by," Steve said before shutting the front door.

"Well, Mr. Sanders," Janet began, putting her arms around him, "Did you know I'm the happiest daughter, wife, and mother on earth?"

"No...why don't you show me?" Steve gave her a passionate kiss.

"Alright then...". Janet said taking Steve by the hand and leading him up the stairs...

Lexi

At Whilshire Memorial

Michael opened Lexi's door and peeked in. He had been happy since the moment she told him she was pressing charges. Lexi was sleeping. He smiled and flicked the light switch off. "Goodnight baby...I love you Lexi."

He walked out of the room taking one last glance at her making sure she hadn't heard. Her eyes were shut. He walked out.

Lexi opened her eyes...she had heard him.

Kelly

At Melrose Place

Kelly smiled and put down her book as Brandon climbed into bed next to her. Kel leaned over and kissed him.

"What was that for?" Brandon asked suprised, yet pleased with the kiss.

Kelly shrugged, "Lotsa reasons...for helping me today..." She gave him another kiss, "for being so nice to Erin..." and she kissed him again, "And most importantly, for loving me."

They stared intently into each other's eyes.

"Anytime, Miss Taylor, anytime."

Donna

At the Bungalow

Donna decided to take a hot bath after David had left. She turned the hot water on and let the bathtub fill, adding some raspberry bubble bath to the water. She lit some candles in the bathroom and then pulled her hair up to keep it from getting wet. She opened a bottle of wine and poured herself a glass. All set. She was about to step into the tub when she realized that she had forgotten the music.

She walked into the bedroom and turned the radio on. She adjusted the volume so she could listen to it while soaking in the tub.

Donna emerged herself in the bubbles and took a sip of her wine. She closed her eyes and relaxed, letting the stress of the past few months wash away. David was back in her life, if not exactly home, but that would come in time. And Donna could wait.

Some words of the song playing caught Donna's attention and she sat up to hear it better. The words to the song touched her heart as they described what her and David were going through.

"I think I've already lost you
I think you're already gone.
I think I'm finally scared now
You think I'm weak - But I think you're wrong
I think you're already leaving
Feels like your hand is on the door
I thought this place was an empire
But now I'm relaxed - I can't be sure

I think you're so mean - I think we should try
I think I could need - this in my life
I think I'm just scared - I think too much
I know this is wrong it's a problem I'm dealing

Donna listened closely to the words, tears coming to her eyes. Midway through the song, she heard David walk into the bungalow.

"David! Come here, I want you to hear this song." David walked into the bathroom, listening. He sat down on the floor next to the tub and held Donna's hand.

I bet you're hard to get over
I bet the room just won't shine
I bet my hands I can stay here
I bet you need - more than you mind

If you're gone - maybe it's time to go home
There's an awful lot of breathing room
But I can hardly move
If you're gone - baby you need to come home
cuz there's a little bit of something me
In everything in you

I think you're so mean - I think we should try
I think I could need - this in my life
I think I'm just scared - do I talk too much
I know it's wrong it's a problem I'm dealing

If you're gone - maybe it's time to go home
There's an awful lot of breathing room
But I can hardly move
If you're gone - baby you need to come home
Cuz there's a little bit of something me
In everything in you

David was quiet as they listened to the rest of the song together.

Donna looked at him when the music stopped, "Everything that song just said is how I feel. I'm not very good at expressing that, but that's how I feel. I think it we're going to make this work, you need to come home."

David smiled as she talked, "Well, thats funny because while I was gone, I did some thinking and I think you're right. I went ahead and grabbed all my stuff while I was over at Brandon's. Baby, I'm home."

Donna reached up and grabbed him around the neck and pulled him fully dressed into the tub with her. Neither of them cared. Donna kiseed him long and hard, letting him know just how happy she was to have him home.