Janet, Steve and Kelly by Shari, Brandon and Dylan by DC, Carly and Lexi by Val, Valerie by Shae

Dylan

Dylan was fixing breakfast when he heard a knock at his door. "Come in!" he shouted.

Brenda walked into the house and saw that he was up, dressed, and cooking. She knew she must be in some kind of parallel universe. "Dylan McKay is up at 7am. And in the kitchen, no less."

He smiled and shrugged off the comment. "Make all the fun you want. It's your producer I'm meeting today."

"Well, then I guess I should be a little nicer, shouldn't I?"

"Yes, you should."

"Dylan!" a voice from the back of the house shouted. It was Gina. She walked to the kitchen where she thought Dylan was alone. "I can't find my shoe…" She saw Brenda, and didn't want to overreact. "Hi."

"In the living room," he replied while wondering why he suddenly felt the need to explain, when there really was no need.

Brenda didn't know how to feel. Heartbroken, or embarrassed. What if she had come a little sooner? Lord only knows what she would have come in on. "Hi, Gina."

This was awkward for Dylan. "Brenda just came by to…" he thought. He cocked his head a bit and asked: "Why are you here?"

"Breakfast," she said. "I was going to get you up and take you to breakfast."

"You can have mine." Gina walked through the kitchen fully dressed. "I really need to get to work." She grabbed her purse, gave Dylan a kiss and quickly walked out. "See you later, Brenda."

A bit curious Brenda asked, "What was that all about?"

Not too surprised. "Nothing." He placed a plate before her. "Hope you're hungry."

Valerie

For the past week, all Val did was stay in bed. She was going through something and she didn't know what was wrong. She really needed help. But of course she was going to be the last one to admit it.

Jen came over and was taking Val to court for the accident. They had gotten a letter in the mail earlier in the week, ordering them both to appear before the judge.

She walked into the house and called out "Valerie..." No one answered so she retreated into her bedroom "Hey Val, get up," She said shaking her roughly.

"Leave me alone..."

"No, we gotta go. We're due in court in a hour."

"I'm not going."

"The hell your aren't! If you don't go to court, you'll end up in jail."

Val sat up, "I dont care."

"You better. Come on, it will only be for a hour...2 at the most."

"Fine," Val said knowing this was one fight she was going to lose.

"Go into the bathroom and take a shower and wash your hair. Don't forget to brush your teeth", She said pushing Val into the bathroom, "I'll pick out an outfit for you."

Jen searched in Val's closet for an outfit. She pulled out a blue pin striped skirt set.

Twenty minutes later, Valerie came out of the bathroom and got dressed. As she zipped up the skirt she spoke, "Don't you think it's a little short for court?"

Val couldn't help but smle at the comment. "Oh yeah, you need some heels," Jen said tossing her a pair of black high heeled shoes.

"Alright. Let me do my makeup and hair. I'll be ready in 15 minutes."

"Okay, I'm going to get some bagels," Jen said, taking her keys out of her pocket.

Kelly

Kelly anxiously stood at the airport terminal for Gate 3A. Brandon's plane was due in any minute. It has been over a week since she had seen him and she couldn't wait any longer.

Before standing up to go look out the window, she smoothed a crease in her skirt and looked at her hair in a pocket mirror. She saw a plane pull onto the tarmac and excitement raged throughtout her body.

"Plane 732 from Hong Kong to Los Angeles has now landed. Passengers are in the process of getting off the plane," said a voice over a microphone-like intercom.

Kelly positioned herself right in front of the area in which the passengers would walk into the airport. Several people passed before Brandon appeared. He was dressed in a nice suit without the sports coat. He looked even cuter than Kelly had remembered for some reason.

He dropped his bags right as he approached Kelly and she wrapped his arms around him. Brandon leaned in and they shared the most passionate kiss.

When they broke apart, Kelly giggled and then said how much she missed him.

"So what do you want to do first?", Brandon asked her.

"Well, I know what I want to do," Kelly started seductively, "But we have to go home to do it", she finished with a sexy smirk appearing on her face.

Brandon got the hint and quickly picked up the bags and started to pull Kel's hand, "Let's get a move on then...wouldn't want to hit any traffic!!"

Kelly couldn't help but laugh and let herself be pulled away.

Dylan

Dylan and Brenda had finished breakfast and he was walking her to her car when he asked, "What time do you leave?"

She was thrown off a bit by the comment. She hadn't told him she was going anywhere. "How did you know I was leaving?"

Damn! He thought fast, "I'm pretty sure", think, think, think. Who would she tell? "I'm pretty sure Kelly mentioned something about it."

Oh," she responded, not really questioning it, "Well my plane leaves in two hours. I'm excited to meet my co-stars. Who woulda thought it took landing a role on a soap to get a pre-paid for trip to the Virgin Islands." She hugged him, "Thanks for breakfast. And I'll talk to you once I'm home."

"Have fun," he said. Dylan went back inside, closed the door, leaned against it and let out a sigh of not relief, but near escape from death.

Lexi

At Melrose Place

Lexi walked into her apartment at Melrose Place. She was followed by Michael and Megan. "So Lexi," Megan said and smiled. "How does it feel to be home?"

Lexi smiled, "Pretty good, actually. You wouldn't think it would after spending a week in a 5-star hotel."

"Listen, I'm going to get us some lunch and let you two catch up," Michael said, heading back towards the door.

"Thanks, see ya," Megan said rushing him out and then practically slamming the door in his face.

"Now catch me up!" Lexi demanded with a smirk, as she pulled Megan onto the couch.

Megan laughed. "I think you need to catch me up!"

Valerie

Val finished her makeup and was looking int he mirror, trying to do something with her hair. She reached into her top drawer to find a brush but instead she found a picture of her and Noah. She missed him A LOT. She realized that he didn't mean to hurt her but she just doesn't know how to get over it.

Valerie picked up the phone and dialed information for the number of a flower place. When she was finally connected to one she spoke, "Hi, I would like to have a dozen red roses delivered to the After Dark." She knew Noah would be there.

"Okay, would you like to enclose a note, or card?", the man asked.

"Umm, actually, yeah. I would like it to say:

To Noah,

I have been thinking over and over about what's been going on between you and I. I can't even begin to describe the way I feel for you. So much has been going on in my life and the only thing I know for sure is that I love you. I know we have tried and tried, but the timing was off. I think the timing is right now. I really would like to see what we could be. Find me, will ya?

Love Always and Forever,

Valerie"

"Is that all?", the man said rudely.

"Yes!" Val shot back right at him and then proceeded to give him the address of the club.

Carly

Carly was working at the Peach Pit when she saw Gina walk in. She looked as if she was in a good mood, for a change! "Good morning Gina," Carly said polietly. "Coffee?"

"Lots," Gina said and sat down.

"What's up?" Carly asked her pouring her coffee out of the kettle.

She sighed. "Not much. Taking an early lunch break. Just it's not your everyday your boyfriend dumps a television star to be with you."

Carly was shocked. "That's great for you Gina!" she exclaimed.

She smiled, "You could say so. Anyway, how are things with you?"

"I'm fine, Zach's fine. That's all that matters. I have to get back to work, the lunch crowd is coming in. We'll talk later?"

She nodded. "See ya."

Lexi

Lexi sat down on her bed and breathed deeply. It felt so good to be home again, finally. She loved staying at the hotel with Michael, but it just wasn't home. She was barely there for five seconds and Megan was already being her normal, roomy self, nice and kind. Megan came out of the bathroom.

"Sorry about that," Megan said turning flush.

"No problem," Lexi said and switched off the televison, "So did you miss me?" she pondered.

Megan laughed. "How could I not!? You're my best friend!"

Lexi shrugged.

"So what should we do first?"

"What do you mean?" Lexi asked confusingly.

"Well, of course we need to go shopping. Duh! Where do ya wanna go first?"

Lexi laughed, "Now Wear This!" she exclaimed. "I need a new dress and a pair of shoes."

"Ok, but what about Michael?" Megan asked.

Lexi waved it off. "I'll leave a note."

She ran into the kitchen and grabbed a piece paper, quickly jotting something down.

Dear Michael,

I went shopping with Megan.

Love alwayz,

Lexi

Kelly

Kelly was putting her clothes back on as Brandon laid in the bed, the covers pulled up to just above his waist so that his bare chest was exposed.

Kelly looked over to him, "What are you thinking about?", she asked.

"Nothing really...", he replied, "I'm just glad to be home with you."

"I'm glad you're home too. I've missed you."

"I missed you more!", he said wiggling over to the other side of the bed.

"No, I missed you more!", she said cutely.

"Don't argue with me, Ms. Taylor. I missed you more, and that's final."

"Okay, fine, you win. You did miss me more!!", she laughed.

Brandon threw the pillow at her. She giggled and threw it back.

"Get dressed," she said, "We'll go grab some lunch."

"You got it."

Lexi

Lexi walked into Now Wear This with Megan right behind her. She saw Gina working at the counter. "Good afternoon," Gina said as politely as possible, seeing that it was her landlord and neighbor.

Hello," Megan said as Lexi nodded.

"Can I help you with something?," Gina asked.

"Yeah, I'm looking for my friend, Brenda Walsh."

Gina smiled sort of rudely and said, "She's on a vacation at the Virgin Islands for her new Aaron Spelling drama."

Lexi nodded. "She mentioned that. . .Okay, well I guess you can help me pick out a dress."

"What's the occassion?" Gina asked coming out from behind the counter.

"Nothing really. Just something casual," Megan answered. "And I need one, too."

Gina nodded. She looked through some racks and picked out a short black halter dress for Megan. "You," she said handing it to her. She looked in another rack and pulled out a long light blue dress with a curved neck. "And for you," she said handing it to Lexi.

Lexi held it up to her and smiled. "Nice. I'll go try it on."

Jen

Val was anxoiously waiting to see if Noah would stop by the beach apartment after receiving the flowers. The guy told her it would be delivered in just 10 minutes.

Jen walked out of the apartment and over to Val by the table on the deck, "So are you ready to get out of here?"

"No. Can't we just wait a few more minutes?"

"No, we have to pick up Michael and be in court in 20 mintues."

"I know. . . its just. . . nevermind. Lets go."

-In the Car-

"What's wrong with you?", Jen asked an extremely quiet Val.

"I don't know."

"Here take this. I'm sure it will help cheer you up," She handed Valerie a gram of cocaine.

"No, I don't want to do this anymore," She said, trying to resist the temptation.

"Come on, you know it will help make the pain go away, take the edge off," She convinced her.

"Alright, it can't kill me," she opened the little bottle.

Janet

At Casa Walsh

"Guess what, Maddy!", Janet said in a girly voice while dressing her growing daughter. Knowing that Maddy wouldn't really answer, Janet continued, "You're going to have a new brother or sister. Yes you are, yes you are!"

Maddy giggled at the way her mother was talking.

Maddy was going to have a new brother or sister. But not for a while. Not for a while would the person become her brother or sister. First, he would just be a very close, live-in family friend. And that would happen soon--very soon. That was because today, Steve and Janet were going to tell each other which child they preferred to adopt.

Over the last week they met many kids at the orphanage and agreed that they would each decide on one they each liked best. Then they would share their preference and choose the child they would take in. And then tomorrow they would share their decision with the foster agency.

Janet couldn't wait. She hoped that Steve couldn't either. She grabbed Maddy and dashed out of the room.

Lexi

Lexi and Megan walked into Lexi's apartment and saw Michael sitting on the couch watching a show with girls in bikinis. "Oh, uh, Hey Lexi," he said turning the t.v. off.

She smirked. "Nice one, where are you off to?", she asked, noticing he shined his shoes, and was wearing a suit.

He looked down. "Oh me?" Lexi nodded. "I'm going to Jen's court case. I thought I told you, I guess not."

Lexi rolled her eyes as Megan sat down on the couch next to Michael. "What'd she do this time?" Megan asked.

"Ohh, she and Val drove off a cliff, killing one of their friends," Michael said sarcastically.

Megan's eyes popped out of her head. "Oh my goodness! Are they okay? Is Jen ok? Val?"

Lexi smirked. "What is going on with her these days? I guess she finally lost her rope," she said without any ounce of care or concern in her voice.

Just then, the doorbell rang. Michael got up to answer it. It was Jen and Valerie. "You ready?", Jen asked.

"Speak of the devil," Lexi said.

Valerie looked her straight in the eyes, "Speak of the bitch."

"I'll take that as a compliment. I was once just like you Val, until only I found out getting drunk and killing people doesn't get you a guy!" Lexi said.

"Yeah, you would know, wouldn't you? The only thing low enough you could crawl to is Michael. No offense,"

"None taken," Michael said nonchalantly.

"Why, I oughta--," Lexi began to say before being cut off.

"That's enough!" Megan shouted, "The immaturity in this room is way too much. Somebody please leave!"

"We'll go" Michael said and gave Lexi a quick kiss on the cheek before following Jen and Valerie out the door.

Steve

Janet, with Maddy in her arms, ran down the stairs as fast as she could without tripping. Just as she got to the front door, it opened. Steve seemed to be just as excited as Janet.

"Did you decide?", Janet asked out of breath.

"Yep! Did you?", he asked, unable to wait any longer.

Janet smiled and nodded. Steve then pulled her into the living room and sat her down on the couch; Maddy on her lap.

"Okay, on three we'll share who we want to adopt.", Steve said.

Janet nodded again, a huge grin still across her face.

"1...2...3!!"

"Taylor!!!", they both shouted at the same time.

"Taylor?!?!?", Janet asked, wanting to make sure she heard right. Steve nodded with a smile stretching from ear to ear. They instantly embraced each other in a hug, Maddy caught inbetween them.

"I'm so happy!", Janet exclaimed.

"Me too! Tonight, we celebrate!"

"Its a date!"

Valerie

Valerie and Jen walked into the courtroom. Michael followed, a few steps behind.

"So do you think it's a good idea to go up there without a lawyer?", Michael asked.

"Yeah, I mean, nothing too big will happen. It wasn't like Val and I were the ones driving," Jen pointed out as she took a seat in the defense area near Valerie.

The bailiff walked in from a door near the witness stand, "Will you all stand for the honorable Judge McLoughlin", Once she walked in the bailiff instructed, "You may be seated."

Valerie leaned over towards Jen and whispered: "This better be quick, I have things to do."

"Couldn't agree more."

"Well, well, what do we have here", the judge stated with some attitude in her voice.

The bailiff spoke of the current case to be tried, "These two women," he pointed to Jen and Valerie, signaling them to rise, "were involved in a car accident where the driver drove them off a cliff."

"Like she didn't already know that," Jen rudely whispered. Michael nudged her from behind.

Judge McLoughlin looked at the girls, "Well I don't think any jail time will be necessary considering you weren't the ones that were driving." She looked down at some papers, "Valerie. . ."

"Yeah?", She looked up.

"I think you should go to rehab for a month. Actually, let me rephrase that, you're going to rehab for a month."

"What?", Valerie yelled with anger raging within her, "Are you kidding me??"

"No, I'm not kidding, and another outburst like that and I will hold you in contempt!"

"Whatever," she mumbled, "how an the hell can you send me to rehab, on what grounds?", she asked, although not really lowering her voice.

"Well your friends thought you should go", the judge stated.

"Friends? What Friends?"

"Some of them called in , after hearing of your arrangement."

Valerie was beyond ticked and she raised her voice again, "Oh, and you take their advice? What the hell kind of judge are you? Aren't you supposed to make the rulings?"

"EXCUSE ME! One more outburst you will be held in contempt, I will not tell you again!"

Val snarled, "I'm outta here!" she shouted, and charged out of the courtroom.

Brandon

On the way home from a nice, long lunch, Brandon and Kelly took a route that let them pass right by Kyle McBride's office. "You know," he said, and then quickly pointed, "Turn here, Kel."

"Where are we going?" Kelly asked.

"The last few times I called Kyle's office, the operator told me the number wasn't in use anymore," he explained. "Just thought I'd drive by and see if anyone was there. It'll only take a quick second."

"Maybe he doesn't want the book deal anymore. He could be avoiding you," she said.

"Me?" he joked. "But who could resist my value for persistence?"

They drove by the building, pulled into the parking lot and stopped. "Looks like no one's home," Kelly noted.

"No kidding," Brandon answered with surprise. Across the front of the building was torn down police tape and posted in the walkway was a 'For Sale' sign.

"Are you sure this is the building?"

"I'm more than sure," he said. "Let's get going, there's a call I want to make. I really don't think Kyle would go to all this trouble to avoid me or a book deal."

"It's probably nothing," Kelly told him.

"Probably, but I'll feel better knowing he lost my number rather than finding out he's in jail, or worse."

Valerie

Val was outside of the court room, pissed as could be. She kept pacing around the area, trying to accept the fact that the judge ordered her to go to rehab. She suddenly felt someone touch her shoulder. She turned around and smiled instantly when she saw that it was Noah.

"Hi".

"Hi".

"What are you doing out here? Did I miss it?", Noah asked inquisitively.

"You did what??"

"The judge is going to make me go to rehab for a month."

"What?"

"I don't know. Maybe it will help," Valerie said, avoiding eye contact.

"Don't worry about it. I'm sure everything will work out. Lets go back in."

"No, wait...", she pulled his arm to stop him, "Did you get my flowers?"

"Yes, I did," He replied with that sexy smile of his.

"And. . ."

"And what?" He said, playing with her head.

"What do you think?"

"I think," He smiled, "that I agree with you and I want to take you somewhere tonight."

"Where?"

"It's a surprise. But first you have to go back in there. We'll do it together."

"Okay," she said grabbing his hand and walking into the courtroom.

Jen

When the judge saw Valerie walk back in, all the anger instantly came back to her. She decided to move onto Jen's punishment.

"Jennifer Mancini, I am ordering you to 40 hours of community service."

"40 hours?", she said in disbelief.

"Yes, are you going against my ruling?", Judge McLoughlin took off her glasses.

"No, but don't you think it's kind of much considering I wasn't the one driving?"

"No, I don't", she said sarcastically, "End of discussion. This court is adjourned", she smacked the stand with her gavel and gathered her papers.

Jen turned towards Val,"Do you believe that? Forty hours of communitry service."

"Well at least you don't have to go to rehab."

"Yeah, that's true. I'm out of here though, call me later."

"Okay, bye."

"Bye Val, Noah."

Lexi

"Jane, I'm fine!" Lexi insisted. She was sitting on her couch on the phone with Jane. She was paranoid about everything Lexi did!

"Did you go out today?" Jane asked worried.

"I went shopping with Megan. I got a new dress!"

"Oooh," Jane said, "Color?"

"Light blue."

"V-neck?"

"Turtle," Lexi said. Jane nodded on the other end of the line.

"Cute. Look honey, I'm going to let you go. If you need me, call!"

"Okay, bye."

Lexi clicked the phone off and breathed a sigh of relief. She was scared stiff being alone, but Megan would be right back.

Janet

At Casa Walsh

Janet dialed Carly's number. It rang and rang before someone picked up.

"Hello?", said a child-like voice.

"Zach, it's Janet. Is your mother there?"

"Yeah...hold on....MOM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!", Zach screamed right into the ear piece.

Janet held the phone away from her ear. Could he scream any louder?!?!, she wondered.

Carly picked up the phone, "I got it!", she yelled back and in a much quieter tone, "Hey Janet. Whats up?"

"Steve and I are going out tonight to celebrate."

"Celebrate what?", Carly asked quizzically.

"We decided which child we are going to take in."

"Ooooh! Are you gonna share?"

"Nope."

"Awww...no fair!", Carly said like a little child who wanted to know the newest secret.

"Sorry, but we want it to be a suprise. We're going to tell everyone all at once. But the reason I'm calling is this: Leah's sitting for us tonight and I figured, maybe you and Adam wanted to go out too, so you could just drop Zach off here. Leah could watch them both."

"That sounds great. Thanks for offering. I'm going to call Adam right now."

"Okay, see ya later."

"Bye."

Jen

Jenn was driving Michael home from the courthouse. They were having a random conversation, when, all of a sudden, Jen stopped talking mid-sentence.

"Jen?!", Michael asked, "Jen?", he called again when she didn't respond.

"What" she said as she got herself back together?

"Are you okay?", he asked

"Do you want me to check you out?" He reached over and felt her forehead.

"Michael, leave me alone and let me drive."

"Sorry, it's the doctor in me."

"Whatever."

Dylan

Dylan was on a break from one of his many meetings of the day. His cell phone rang and he heard Gina's perky, "Hi," coming from the other end.

"How are you?" he asked.

"The store is empty so I figured I'd call you and see how you're holding up."

"I've been in meeting after meeting. It's almost like having a real job. I'll need a long break after tomorrow"

"Well," Gina thought. "Let's get everyone together for a bonfire tomorrow tonight at the beakh. Everyone could use a break. Val for sure. Brandon should be back and there's news buzzing about some good news for Steve and Janet."

"It must be about the adoption," he said for no reason. And then getting back to the subject, "Yeah," he decided. "A bonfire sounds good."

"Great. I'll get the girls and you get the guys."

"I say I need a break and I get conned into more work," he joked in the subtle way that he does. "Brutal."

"You know you love it. Now get back to work. Kiss!" she hung up the phone.

Dylan put his cell away and with a confused tone he repeated to himself, "Kiss?"

Brandon

"Okay. Thank you." Brandon hung up the phone and turned to Kelly.

"Anything?" she asked.

"My guy at the police station said he'll look into it, but didn't know anything off hand," Brandon replied. "I might head by his place tomorrow. He also mentioned something about knowing some people here at Melrose. If I get desperate I might talk to them. Maybe they have some idea as to what happened."

He stopped for a minute and realized he hadn't really been caught up on anything. "How are you holding up?" he asked. "Anything more from Lemme?"

"No," she quickly answered. Even if there was any new developments, she wouldn't tell him right away. She hated to worry him. "I haven't heard much from Val either. No one has really," she added. "Maybe you should try and talk to her. You two are close. She probably needs you now."

"You know, I think I just might do that," he said. "Anything else I might want to know?" he again asked.

Kelly thought about the question. "No," she said unsurely. "Nothing I can… Oh!", she popped up. "Steve and Janet are in the process of choosing their child. I think they're on the same page as far as their decisions go. I'm so excited. Imagine how they must feel."

"Hard to believe that after the interview we gave anyone's going to give them a kid," he joked. "I'm happy for them. Guess I have some rounds to make."

"Why not just take care of that at the office?"

"Kill two birds with one stone. See Steve and Silver."

"David and Donna went on another honeymoon since their last one didn't go too well."

"I bet Brenda's happy to hear it."

"And she's in the Virgin Islands. On a 'Get to know your castmates' vacation."

"Oh, anything else I need to know, Kel?"

"Nothing I can think of," she innocently replied.

He's heard that one before. In the last five minutes, as a matter of fact. "Dylan?"

"Dylan is Dylan."

"Fair. Carly?"

"Same."

"Anything from Clare?"

"Nope."

"I can tell I'm going to have to learn things as I go," he joked. "Be sure and tell me if I missed anything else, will ya?"

Jen

After Jen dropped off Michael, she went back to her own apartment. She put her keys on the counter and opened the fridge. She was pretty hungry. All she had all day were the bagels she had bought before going to the courthouse. She saw some salad and decided to eat it. She was just about to take a bite when all of sudden she felt the urge to retch and rushed off to the bathroom.

Valerie

Noah pulled into the parking lot of Valiere's beach apartment. He walked her to her door, like a perfect gentleman.

"Thanks for walking me to my door," Val said, feeling like she was back in Junior High.

"It's no problem. Just be on time, when I pick you up tonight."

Val made a face, "Noah, remember, this is me. You except meto be on time?"

"Try, will you?"

"I'll try," she said, smiling. She gave him a quick kiss and went inside.

Lexi

Lexi and Michael were laying on the bed, taking an early evening nap. Just then, John peered in through the window. Lexi felt something and jumped up. She saw Michael was still sleeping and figured it was nothing. She closed her eyes again.

John slowly crept into her room; he wanted to finish her off. In his mind, the bitch deserved to die. Lexi reopened her eyes to see John hoovering over her. Her thoughts were racing. There was only one thing she could do. She screamed and jumped onto Michael.

"Geez, what's wrong?" he asked sleeply. He turned over and saw John. He jumped out of bed and punched him numerous times, as he was trying to run.

"Michael, he's gonna get me," Lexi screamed. John got up from the floor as Michael turned to Lexi. He kicked Michael in the back causing him to fall.

Lexi was horrified. She grabbed the candlestick on her night table and smashed him over the head with it. "Take that ,you bastard!" She leaned over and reached for the phone and dialed 911. "Yeah, I need the police. We found my rapist, and he knocked my boyfriend unconcious. 4616 Melrose Place, apartment 4." She hung up the phone after they told her they'd be here any minute.

She ran to Michael. He was out cold. She panicked. "Michael, Michael!" she screamed. "Wake up!" She shook him. Nothing. my god,she thought. The thoughts racing through her head were too strong. "I love you," she whispered. "I know I'm cold and repulsive and bitchy, but I love you." She lay on his chest crying, as the police broke down her front door.

Steve

"Steve can you get that?", Janet yelled after hearing the doorbell ring.

"Sure, why not? I've only been sitting here and doing nothing for the last 20 minutes," he mumbled under his breath while heading towards the door. Steve was always ready at least 15 minutes before Janet. Women take forever,he thought,and I used to think Kelly took long!

He opened the door to see Carly's smiling face, "You look nice!", he commented.

She walked inside the house, "Thanks...haven't heard that in a while."

Steve was puzzled by the comment but let it go, "Where's Zach?"

"Here I am!" Zach appeared in the doorway with a pocket Gameboy in his hand.

"Hey there, kiddo. Why don't you go keep Maddy company in the living room?"

Zach followed Steve's suggestion and ran into the living, "Maddy!!! Here I come!!!"

"Is Adam meeting you here?", Steve asked, closing the door.

"Yeah...he should of been here 10 minutes ago. Here, I thought I was going to be late!", They both laughed, "Ooh, wait, I think I heard a car."

Steve opened the door, and sure enough, Adam's car was pulling into the driveway.

"Well, I'm off to The Moonlight Cafe!" she said, "Bye Zach. I'll see you later. Leah should be here shortly," she guessed and looked at Steve to see if she was right.

Steve nodded, "Have a good night."

Valerie

It was about six-thirty and Valerie was almost ready for her date with Noah. She had just gotten out of the shower. She wanted to try to be ready on time. Noah meant a lot to her and she didn't want to do anything that would botch things up. She hoped the suprise wouldn't be too fancy. She really wasn't in the mood to wear a fancy dress so she pulled out a jean skirt to wear with a white shirt and a jean jacket.She put on some flip flop sneakers with her heels out. It was a quater to and all she had left to do was her hair and makeup. She ran a brush through her brownish hair a few times and clawed it all to the back, leaving two bangs hanging down the side of her face. Just as she finished her makeup, Noah rang the doorbell.

When she answered the door, she happily said "I"M ACTUALLY ON TIME," she laughed.

"Wow. I'm impressed," he smiled as he walked in.

"We're not going anywhere fancy. are we? I really didn't want to get dressed up."

"Actually, you're dressed fine. I was sure you were going to overdress, I was going to call you."

"So why didn't you?"

"Well I was busy with your surprise."

"What is it? Please tell me!"

"You'll find out soon enough."

"Lets go, then."

Carly

Adam opened the resturant doors for Carly and led her in. There it was, her dark brown hair again. They went over to the counter at The Armani Cafe and got a table. "It's a shame The Moonlight Cafe lost our reservations!" Carly exclaimed and sat down in the seat across from Adam in the tiny booth.

"Yeah I was looking foward to that." Just then, a waitress with shoulder-length blonde hair walked by. "You see her," Adam pointed.

"Yeah..." Carly said with a strange look on her face.

"Maybe you should get your haircut and colored like her," Adam said. Carly gave him the dirtiest look she ever gave anyone and he started up again. "I'm not saying you have to, its just a suggestion," he simply said.

Carly was really angry! He made it sound so easy.; like she wanted platinum blonde hair. She was happy with her long, dark hair. She sighed, and tried to move past it.

Valerie

Noah pulled up in the parking lot of a deserted field.

Val couldn't imagine why they were there, "So what is this?", she asked as they both got out of the car.

"Come on," he took her hand walked down a little hill.

"It's a carnival," Val laughed.

"Yep, and it's open for just us."

"Really?"

"Well, just me, you and the guy who is operating everything."

"I can't believe you did this. No one has ever taken me to a carnival before."

"Well I'm glad i'm your first."

Val started to laugh at the way that sounded.

"What's so funny?"

"I don't know. Let's go on a ride!"

"Which one?"

"The ferris wheel, of course," she said grabbing his hand.

Steve

Being that they didn't have a reservation, Janet and Steve ended up waiting an hour at The Armani Cafe. The place was packed. The valet line itself was 15 minutes long. But finally, Steve and Janet's table was ready.

As the hostess guided them through the crowded resturant, they coincidentally passed Carly and Adam who were on their way out.

"Hey Carly!", Janet said suprisingly.

Carly looked up, her eyes widened, "Oh, hey!"

Steve looked confused, "I thought you guys were eating at The Moonlight Cafe."

Adam rudely interrupted Carly as she was about to respond, "They...", cleared his throat, "They lost our reservation."

Steve nodded, not knowing what to say since Adam was being so unfriendly...as usual.

The hostess ended their little talk, "Right this way," she pointed to the table.

"I guess we'll see you later!", Janet said with a smile before following the hostess again.

Steve put out his hand for Adam to shake it but he just looked away, pretending as if he didn't see it. Steve shrugged it off and followed Janet.

Carly gave Adam a look.

"What?!?!", he said, wanting to know why she was looking at him like that, "I can't help it if I don't like your friends", he stated matter-of-factly.

Carly gave him another look of disgust. What was wrong with Steve and Janet?

As they headed towards the door, a skinny, tall woman cut Adam off.

He turned to Carly and said, "See, now why can't you look like that?"

Carly was insulted beyond belief. She pushed passed him and headed to the car.

Janet

After the waiter had taken their orders, Steve brought up a new converation.

"So that was a weird encounter with Carly and Adam, don't you think?", Steve asked.

""Adam is weird, Steve", Janet said point-blank. Steve laughed in agreement, "Hopefully Carly realizes it too before she goes and falls in love..."

Steve changed the subject yet again, "I was thinking...when Taylor moves in, we should throw a party, introduce him as the new member of the family. Whattya say?"

"That's sounds nice. Yeah, let's do that."

Valerie

A few hours had passed and Valerie and Noah had been on all the rides and played most of the games.

"So are you having fun?", Noah asked.

Val took her hair down, "Tons," she smiled "I never realized a date to the carnival could be so much," she put her hair back up in a high, clawed ponytail.

He smiled back at her, "So are you hungry?"

"Umm. . .a little."

"Okay, how about some cotton candy?"

"Alrighty".

He went over to the stand and picked out a blue bag of cotton candy on a stick, knowing it was Val's favorite color. He gave it to her and she eagerly ate it. Noah laughed at her how she devoured it so fast. "A little hungry, are we?"

"Shut up. I haven't eaten all day."

"I'm just teasing you. Wait you have some on your lip."

Val licked her lips,"Is it gone?"

"No, let me help," he offered. He leaned in and kissed her. She dropped the stick to the cotton candy and put her arms around him, letting herself forget everything as she and Noah shared the most passionate kiss.

Dylan

Dylan and Gina were at the food store, doing some nighttime shopping. Dylan was pushing the cart while Gina led him along, tossing in items for the bonfire tomorrow.

“Marshmallows!”she blurted out.

“What?” he said in a tone tha tmight suggest he’s either bored or irritated. With Dylan McKay, one could never be too sure.

She stopped and looked around for a sign to direct them to the correct aisle. “You can’t have a successful bonfire without marshmallows.”

“Or graham crackers and chocolate bars,” he said, trying to tease her.

She took him seriously, "S-Mores! Great idea!”

Carly

Carly walked into Casa Walsh and saw Steve, Janet and Zach in the living room watching a video. "Hey guys," Carly said cheerfully.

Steve checked his watch. "Wow, you were late! Adam must have had a nice evening planned..." he went on. It was only 10 o'clock but that was late for her.

Carly lied and nodded. "Yeah it was great!"

Janet could see through her teeth. "Uh huh, Zach, honey why don't you finish watching the last couple of minutes of the movie."

Zach nodded. Carly walked into the kitchen with Janet. "Tea?" she asked already putting the water on.

"Yes, a lot!"

"So, how was your date? Honestly," Janet prodded.

Carly took a few seconds to gather her thoughts. "Well it was a very great dinner..."

"And Adam?"

"Well he was good too. We had a great time. What about you and Steve?"

"Great! I had a delicious Russian salad! I recommend it, I know how you love Russian dressing."

Carly laughed. "Thanks, Adam and I both got steak sandwhiches, like he usually gets. I really like him!" Carly said. She did but sometimes the comments he made really hurt her....

"That's great!" Janet lied. She didn't want Carly getting hurt, and Adam was bad news. They continued their chat for a little while longer before Carly and Zach headed home.

Kelly

Kelly was turning down the bed as Brandon brushed his teeth. It was late and both of them were tired.

Kelly got under the covers and Brandon came and joined her a few minutes later.

He was about to shut off the light when Kel stopped him, "No wait," she said softly.

Brandon turned and looked at her.

"Brandon, listen, I know I haven't been too open with you about the Lemme thing but I am telling you everything." Brandon nodded, knowing she wanted to get it all out at once, "I stayed at Brenda's while you were gone and Lemme didn't try and contact me again. The DA, on the other hand, I spoke to numerous times. Just I still don't know whether I am going to testify."

Brandon leaned closer to her, "You know Kel, I'm going to support you no matter what you decide."

Kelly smiled, "Thanks. I really needed to hear that." Brandon started to get out of bed, "Where are you going?", she asked.

"If you must know, to the bathroom. I'll be back in a jiffy," he said with a smirk.

He returned to see Kelly lying on his side of the bed.

"Now what do you think you're doing?", he asked her.

"Getting comfy...", she replied with a smirk.

"Oh, no you don't!" He crawled in right on top of her, tickling her until she moved.

Carly

Carly ran to Zach's room and banged on his door. "Zach, get up," she yelled. It was ten after eight and he had to be at school by eight-thirty.

Zach came out of his room dressed in baggy blue jeans with a white t-shirt that said 'Jnco', "I'm coming, I'm coming."

Carly examined him. "Well, don't we look great?!" Carly sarcastically said. She made a confused face, "How did you get dressed so quick?"

"I slept in my clothes so I didn't have to get dressed this morning. It's my new strategy," he simply replied.

She nodded a little. "Well I want you to wear the new pants and shirt I bought you later tonight. We're going to Dylan and Gina's beach party."

He nodded. "Aight. Who else will be there?"

"Aight?" Carly asked in disbelief. She shrugged it off, it was probably just a phase. "Well I think Gina gave me the okay to bring Adam and Laney, so you'll have her to play with. . ."

Zach rolled his eyes. He really couldn't stand Adam and his perfect little Laney. "Great," he mumbled.

Carly shot him a quick glare and continued on with who would be there, "Let's see Kelly, Brandon, Steve, Janet, Maddy, and you're going to have to keep an eye on her!" Carly said. Zach nodded; he loved Maddy so it wasn't a problem. "And maybe Noah and Val."

"Cool. I'm looking foward to seeing Dylan and Gina; haven't seen them in a few days," he replied, sounding as smart as ever. "Look mom, I was talking to Steve about it last night and he really thinks I should go for it."

Carly gave him a confused look. What more could he be 'going' for?

"I want a Playstation," he simply said.

"Umm," Carly didn't know how to break it to him, "Zach, these things cost money and with me going to school, I just can't! We'll see at Christmas time but. . ." she trailed off.

Zach nodded and checked his watch. "I get it. Lets go; I'm going to be late."

Jen

When Jen woke up, she felt terrible. All she did last night was puke her guts up. She assumed it was food posining. She decided to call Michael again. The phone rang twice before someone picked up.

"Hello?"

"Mike, can bagels give you food poisoning?", she asked.

"Did you have cream cheese?"

"No."

"Then I doubt it. You still feel sick?"

"Yeah. . .really sick."

"Well you probably have the flu. Rest for a little longer than drop by my place and I'll give you a prescription."

"Thanks, bro."

"Bye, sis."

Kelly

Kelly awoke to a familiar smell in the apartment. She got out of bed and put on her new robe from Victoria's Secret before going into the kitchen.

"MmMmMmmmm", she smiled, "You made coffee."

"As usual," Brandon said, getting up from the kitchen table to give her a kiss, "I'll pour you a cup."

"Thanks," she sat down at the table.

"Take a look at the main section of the LA Times...page 4."

She fished through the pile of papers before coming across the main section. She turned to page 4 and was dumbfounded.

BH PR Girl Uncovers Drug Scandal

There was a full page article on her, by some guy whom she never even heard of before. She started reading the article, blocking everything else out of her mind. Brandon placed down the cup of coffee; Kelly barely noticed.

"Kel, you okay?", Brandon asked.

She didn't look up, "Sshhhh..."

Brandon took the hint and decided to go take a shower.

Lexi

At Whilshire Memorial

Lexi had taken Michael to Whilshire Memorial. He had refused to go to the hospital yesterday when the ambulance came. She nagged him all night until he agreed to go this morning.

"I'm telling you, I'm fine Doctor Bell!" Michael exclaimed.

"We may want to give you some medication for that, Dr. Mancini, to be sure."

"What's wrong with him that needs to be medicated?", Lexi asked.

"Nothing big, but he does have a gigantic bump on that head from being punched!" Dr. Bell joked.

Michael fakely chuckled. "It's nothing. I'll be fine. But I do need to go to my office and write a prescription for my sister."

Dr. Bell nodded. "I'll stay here and have a chat with Lexi." Michael nodded, took one last glance at Lexi, and left. "So Lexi, how have you been feeling?"

Lexi began to gather her thoughts. "Three words, like a bitch. But hey it suits me just fine!" she joked, not wanting to go into it.

Dr. Bell looked down and scratched his head. "Look, Lexi, I've been thinking about it and I think you should maybe get some therapy to help deal with everything that has happened to you ." Lexi's mouth dropped. "It's just a suggestion."

"Look Dr. Bell, not all of us need counseling. Just those of us who aren't cut out for the world. I'm not one of those people. You on the other hand, might be." She grabbed her coat and smiled. "Well, I'll be seeing you!"

Valerie

Valerie woke up in Noah arms. It was the best feeling she felt in such a long time. She was deterimed to make sure the reltionship lasted this time.

"I'm cold. I was just shutting the window."

"Come here," He reached his arms out to her.

She walked over to him and got back into bed. He pulled the comforter up over them and held her in his arms, "Is that better?"

"Much," she said, pushing her hair behind her ears.

"So today is the big day," he said, refering to her going to rehab.

"I don't want to go. I don't want to leave you," she sincerely said.

"Valerie. . ."

"No, Noah. We shared something great last night. It was perfect. I don't want to waste a moment. We already have lost so much time."

"Valerie, it's only a month. It will go by so fast."

"You don't know that. You're not the one going to rehab by yourself."

He felt for Valerie; he really did. But he knew that she needed to go and work out some things before they could ever really experince a realtionship together. "Listen, we have the whole day to spend together and then I will drive you there tonight."

"Thanks," she said and kissed him.

"You pack and I will go get us some breakfast," He said, getting up out of bed.

Brandon

Brandon finished showering and trimming his goatee. He came out to find Kelly still reading the article. Without skipping a beat of his entering the kitchen, she said, “I’m going to testify.”

He stopped and looked. “Come again?”

“I’ve decided to testify against Lemme.”

“Is that what you want?” he assured.

“I’ve been reading this article over and over, trying to come up with an excuse not to, but every thing seems so selfish.”

He sat down at the table, “You know that no one will be mad at you if you’re selfish about this. You know that.”

She kissed him of the cheek. “I know, but testifying is the right thing to do.” She got up from the table. “Finish getting ready. I want to get down to the DA’s office before I chicken out.”

Lexi

Michael and Lexi walked into his apartment and saw Jennifer there.

"Hey Jen," Lexi said.

"Hey Lex," Jen simply replied, as Lexi shot her a look.

"What's wrong with you these days?" Lexi asked, sitting at the table and taking off her heels.

"Food poisoning," she replied as she continued to watch television and eat chocolate ice cream.

"Here's some medicine; it should help," Michael said and handed her a bottle of pills. "Welse did you eat besides bagels?"

Lexi laughed, "Food posioning from a bagel?"

Jen glared at her, "It's not funny! And I only had bagels. . .plus, Val ate them too. "

"It might be something else then. I suggest you go to the doctor and get checked out," Michael replied.

"Whatever Michael," she said.

Steve

"Hello?", Steve answered the ringing phone.

"Steve, It's Gina," replied the usually scheming girl, "Janet home?"

"Yeah, but she's in the middle of blow drying her hair. Should I tell her you called?"

"No, actually you'll do just fine. Dylan didn't call you yet, did he?"

"Nope. Why?"

"Well, Dylan and I were hoping that everyone would meet us at the beach tonight."

"Tonight? Gina, you do realize that it's dark at night."

"Yes, Steve", she said sarcastically, "We'll have a bonfire, talk, catch up."

"Catch up?", he asked.

"Yes, catch up. Are you coming or not?", she impatiently said.

"Yeah, we'll be there.

"Okay, see ya at 8."

"Bye."

Valerie

Valerie was alone in the house, trying to pack. She didnt know what to bring. What type of clothes do you bring to rehab? Jeans? Sweats? The hell with it she thought and packed a little of everything. This was definitely something she was dreading. . .

Janet

At Casa Walsh

Janet was just about finished drying her hair. She and Steve had to be at W & W Foster Services in less than a half hour. Luckily, it was only 10 minutes away.

Just as she was shutting of the hair dryer, Steve opened the door a drop and poked his head in.

"You almost ready?"

"Almost. . ."

"Well good, because we have to be at W & W in a--"

"Half hour. I know, Steve. I'll be ready."

"Gina called before."

"Oh yeah? What did she want?"

"She and Dylan are having a little get-together on the beach tonight. 'To catch up', she said. I figured it would be a good time to tell everyone who we're taking in."

"Okay, sounds good. Now let me finish getting ready!"

Kelly

Brandon and Kelly were in the car, driving to Mr. Klein's office. She was going to tell him her decision. Brandon was just going for moral support.

They were just about there when Brandon's cell phone rang.

"Can you get that, Kel?", Brandon said from the driver's seat.

Kelly reached into his pocket, tickling him while grabbing the phone.

"Hey, now! I'm driving a car!"

Kelly giggled and answered the phone, "Hello?"

"Kelly?", asked a familiar voice.

"Hey Dylan, whats up?"

"Nothing really. Where's Brandon?"

"Right here. Do you wanna speak to him?"

"Umnmmm," he thought fo a sec while looking for his keys, "I'm on my way out but I just wanted to invite you two to come to a gathering tonight."

"A gathering?"

"Yeah, just the gang, at the beach, by a fire."

"Ooooh," she smiled, "With marshmallows?"

Dylan laughed, "If you want. So I'll see you at 8?"

"You got it."

Valerie

Noah walked into the beach apartment. He saw Val's bags all lined up by the door.

"You're taking all that?", he asked Valerie as she placed one more bag next to the others.

"Well, yea. What? You think it's too much?"

"Um, well, yeah. I mean, it's not a vacation."

"I know. It's just that I didn't know what to pack," she innocently said.

"Lets not fight."

"Okay. So, what did you get for breakfast?"

"Bagels, muffins, chocolate chip pancakes, waffles, hash browns. . ."

"Well now I know something we have in common. We both go overboard on stuff. Me with the clothes, you with the food."

Noah chuckled, "I guess."

Steve

Steve rushed into W & W Child Services. Janet was lagging behind him, trying her best to keep up.

"I knew we would be late! I knew it!", he exclaimed.

"Well how did I know that we would hit every red light?!?", Janet angrily pointed out.

Steve, turned around, ready to rebut but forgot what he was going to say, "Whatever, we're here now. That's all that matters."

Just as they reached the front desk, they saw Mrs. Moore come down the hall.

"Steve, Janet, I've been waiting for you," she said, approaching them rapidly.

Steve glared at Janet, "Yeah, sorry we're late."

"Why don't we move into my office?", she suggested, extending her arm to lead the way.

Kelly

Kelly and Brandon were patiently sitting and waiting in Mr. Klein's private office. After a few minutes, a door that led to his conference room opened up and he walked into the office.

"Ms. Taylor, nice to see you again!", he said with a big smile, extending his hand.

Kelly stood up and shook his hand, "Mr. Klein, this is my boyfriend, Brandon Walsh."

Brandon also stood up, "Nice to meet you."

"Likewise," replied the district attorney, "What can I do for you today?"

Brandon and Kelly sat back down in the chairs facing his desk. "Well," Kelly looked at Brandon, "I wanted to tell you that I've come to a decision."

Mr. Klein, stared at her with an expression that encouraged her to go on.

"I'm going to testify against Mr. Lemme," she got out in one breath. Mr Klein was about to say something, but she held up her hand, signnaling that she wasn't finished, "If. . .", she looked at Brandon again, "If, you get me a restraining order against him. He has already threatened me and I have no doubt in my mind that he'll do it again and even harm me."

"Done!", Mr. Klein said, point-blank.

"And one for my assistant, Megan. No telling what this man will do."

"If that's what you want, you got it."

Kelly let out a sigh of relief, "Now that was easier than I thought."

Steve

"It's nice that you have chosen Taylor," Mrs. Moore began, "but are you really sure you can handle him?"

"Excuse me?", Janet asked. She didn't know what Mrs. Moore meant by the comment but she certainly felt insulted.

"Well, I don't mean to insult your parenting capabilities but Taylor is a tough cookie, if you know what I mean."

Steve sat up in his chair, "Mrs. Moore, this is what Janet and I want. We know we can do this. We don't care how much of a 'tough cookie' he is. We can handle it. He's been in and out of homes. He'll be in ours but he definitely won't be coming out."

Janet looked at her husband, a smile a satisfaction spread across her face. She didn't know what to add to that, if there even was anything to add. She waited for a response from Mrs. Moore.

Mrs. Moore cleared her throat, "If that's what you want," she smiled, "that's what you'll get. Let me go get the papers you need to fill out."

Dylan

Dylan and Gina were unloading the truck they had rented for the wood and the shopping they had done the night before.

“Don’t forget the marshmallows!”she called.

“Don’t worry!” he replied, and then to himself. “I have your marshmallows. And the ones you can’t eat.” He knew she’d probably eat them all. Since other people might want some, like Kelly, in particular, he hid an extra bag in another box.

He passed her as she was coming up for her second load, and him on his way down to the beach with his first. “Grab the lighter fluid, please,” she said as she put it into one of his boxes he was carrying.

“Stay up here and we’ll get the cooler when I come back up.”

Gina watched him take a step down the hill and went tumbling. She raced to the edge and saw him dusting himself off. Once she saw that he was okay, she started to laugh. He just ignored it and waved.

Carly

Carly walked into the classroom a little bit late for class. She had gotten held up at The Peach Pit.

"Ms. Reynolds, any particular reason why your late?" Adam asked her.

She was tired of his constantly singaling her out. She flashed him a dirty look.

"Ms. Reynolds?" he repeated with an aggrivated tone of voice.

"No, there is no reason," Carly replied and took her seat next to Lisa.

"Hey," Lisa said, "He's been like this all day." Carly nodded. She knew what Lisa meant all too well.

Valerie

Valerie and Noah were taking a walk along the ocean water.

"You know you're going to miss the party at the beach tonight,", he told her.

She looked down at the sand,"I don't care."

"Are you angry at them?"

"I know I pushed everyone away and all but they still could have been there for me or tried, like you and Kelly. But they don't even care."

"Valerie, you pushed them all away. Now they just want you to work things out on your own, like you had asked," he said trying to defend them.

"Whatever, I just feel. . .I don't even know what I feel anymore," she tried to explain, "Things are so much different than they use to be. It's more complicated. I guess that's why I loved partying so much. It made me forget my problems. It made life simple again. When I used to get intp trouble, someone was always there to bail me out. This time, I have to face the consequences on my own. I guess I'm just trying to get used to it."

Noah completely understood what Valerie was saying. He was actually suprised. This definitely wasn't the Valerie he knew years ago. She really grew up. "Val, I'm really proud of you," He said and kissed her.

Carly

Carly, Adam, Laney, and Zach walked onto the spot at the beach were the gang was. "Hey guys," Dylan said as he and Gina came over to them. Steve, Janet and Maddy were over by the fire.

"Hey Dylan!!!" Zach said eager to get away from Adam.

"Hey man, why don't you go see Maddy. Steve and Janet were asking for ya!" Zach nodded and ran over.

"Hi there! Nice to meet you!" Gina said enthusiastically.

"Likewise," Adam said admiring her looks. Gina noticed him checking her out.

"Well Dylan and I, we have to. . .uhh get the marshmellows ready," she said as she started to pull him along.

Carly noticed Adam's interest in Gina and glared at him as they walked on.

Kelly

Kelly and Brandon walked along the soft sand, heading to where their friends were sitting around a fire.

"Hello, hello, hello!!", smiled a perky Kelly when she and Brandon reached them.

"Nice of you two to show up!", Steve said.

Carly stood up to give Kelly a hug, "You guys were supposed to be here an hour ago."

"We know," Brandon said, sitting down next to Steve, "but we had a long day and got held up."

"It's okay. You're forgiven," Janet said.

"Oh, I kinda...um...ate them all," Gina said, fidgeting with the empty plastic bag.

Dylan laughed, "Don't worry Kel. I bought a bag just for you," he tossed them her way.

"Yummy, thanks," she smiled.

"No problem." Out of the corner of his eye, Dylan could see Gina's mad glare. He turned to her, "What?!?!?"

Brandon

Kelly started going at the bag of marshmallows with an almost animalistic tendency. Brandon just watched. It was somehow cute to him.

He thought about everything that made them what they had become. Dylan, her shooting, his time away from Beverly Hills. He thought about the time she showed up in his hotel room in Washington. He couldn’t see them breaking up again.

He was standing next to Steve, by the cooler, when he suddenly said, “I’m going to marry her. . .”

“Excuse me?” Steve said.

“You think I'm making a mistake?”

“Dylan!” Steve shouted as if Brandon was acting like an insane nutcase. “Our boy’s in trouble!”

Dylan

Steve and Dylan dragged Brandon away from the group.

“Okay, Sanders,” Dylan started. “Why did I leave the company of a warm woman to seclude Brandon from the group?”

“You tell him,” Steve said to Brandon.

Brandon made a face, “You got me. I’m just a victim in all of this, D.”

“He’s thinking of proposing to Kelly. . .again!” Steve recapped.

“If that’s what the boy wants,” Dylan said.

“I’m happy for him and all, but there’s things to consider. There’s living conditions, best man issues. If this thing happens this time, you’re IT, McKay. The last single man alive.”

“I haven’t decided on anything yet,Steve,” Brandon told him. “So just keep this under you hat.” Branon walked away and back to Kelly.

“Think it’ll happen?” Steve asked Dylan.

“No way to tell. . .,” he said, "no way to tell."

Valerie

Val was packing last minute things while Noah was loading the car.

"Ready to go?", he asked her, walking into the her bedroom.

"Okay. Here. I'll meet you at the car in a sec," she said, handing him her last bag.

"Okay," he grabbed the bag and left the room.

Valerie looked around her room and thought about all the things she had done these past few months. The good, the bad, the parties, the crying. There were a lot of memories in this room. She picked up her keys and purse from her nightstand and closed the door behind her.

Janet

Janet stood up, pulling Steve with her, "We have an announcement to make," she looked towards Steve, "Go ahead."

"Well, you all know that Janet and I have been trying to take in an orphan for the last few months," Steve began, " and it's been tough. The interviews, the selection, all of it."

"But," Janet took over for him, "We got through it. The interviews, the selection. And we have selected this 15 year old boy name Taylor. We filled out all the paperwork and he should be coming to live with us in less than a month."

"That's great!", Carly said and turned towards Adam, "Isn't that great??".

"Oh, yeah, wonderful", he fakely said.

"Congratulations," Brandon said.

Gina smiled, "You guys really deserve it."

Kelly stood up, "Well as long as we're making announcements, I might as well make one too."

Steve and Janet sat back down, waiting to hear what Kelly had to say.

"I've decided to testify against Lemme," she said in a kind of shy tone.

"Are you sure about this?", Carly asked.

Kelly nodded, "Yeah, I am. I can't let him go unpunished. Not when I've come this far."

"I'm proud of you Kel," Dylan said, "This takes guts."

"And I'll be here to help you get through it," Brandon said when she sat back down next to him.

Janet smiled, "We all will."

Valerie

Once they arrived at the Rehab Center at Cedars Hospital, Noah checked Valerie into her room.

"I don't want to be here. What am I going to do all day, everday?" Val told him.

"Well this isn't supposed to be fun. You're here to get better."

"I am better. If I wanted to quit, I could. I don't need to be in a place like this to do it. Don't make me stay!", she pleaded with him.

"Valerie, just try it out. If you really can't handle it, then you'll come home. Just try it out."

"Okay," She said with her head down.

"I have to go," he told her.

"Alright."

"Come here," he said. They embraced in a hug, "It won't be so bad."

"You're not going to be the one here all by yourself."

"If you need me call me. I'll be by tomorrow to check on you." He kissed her forehead, "Goodnight" he said as he left the room.

Carly

Carly decided to initiate a conversation among the group. No one was talking much. "So Kel, have you found a lawyer yet?"

Kelly nodded. "Yeah, his name is Mr. Klein. He's cute," she noted.

"Oh really?" Brandon asked, tickling her.

Kelly giggled and nodded. "Not as cute as you," she replied.

"Good answer", Brandon said and kissed her.

Carly wanted that. . .she wanted love. She liked Adam but he didn't think she was good enough.

Adam was keeping her eye on Gina the whole night. "I'm going to get a drink. Anyone want anything?" Gina asked standing up, brushing the sand off herself.

"I'll take a Coke," Carly said.

Gina nodded and started to walk when Adam said, "I'll join you. I want a drink also," he said and smirked as he started to walk beside Gina.

"Okay," Gina said sarcastically. Dylan started to look over, not liking what he saw. "Look," Gina said and faced Adam. "I know you've been checking me out all night, and I don't appreciate it," Gina replied.

"What are you talking about?" Adam asked appalled. "I love Carly, I just wish she would lose a couple of pounds! Maybe be as skinny as you. Is that a crime?", he 'innocently' questioned.

Gina looked at him. She was astonished. She walked hastily over to the area where the gang was. Dylan looked at her and got up. "Whats wrong?"

"Not much...I just think this jerk needs to leave!" Gina said crossing her arms across her chest.

"Gina, do not even start you crap," Carly said, getting mad. "We are here for an evening of fun."

Steve got up and put his hand on Carly's shoulder. "Calm down. Maybe he should just go," Steve said. Carly looked into the eyes of the man she once loved, but even he couldn't convince her that Adam was a jerk. She pulled back and went to the area where Zach, Laney, and Maddy were playing.

"Lets go," she said to them, "We're leaving." Adam, along with Laney and Zach, followed her as the rest of the gang stood and watched in silence.

Valerie

Noah arrived at the bonfire at about 11 o'clock. He had come straight from Cedars.

"Hey guys. What did I miss?" He asked, sitting down in the sand.

"Kelly and Gina ate all the marshmallows," Brandon said.

"Well, they're my fave," Kelly said, cuddling next to Brandon, "Did you take Val to rehab?", she asked.

"Yeah."

"Good. I want her to get the help she needs," she said and smiled.

"We all do," Brandon agreed.

Dylan

Dylan sat alone watching Gina interact with everyone at the bonfire. He thought about Kelly and Brandon.

For a long time he thought Brenda would be the girl he’d spend the rest of his life with. Not anymore. They make better best friends. And of course, there was Kel. But now she was probably going to marry his best friend. Then came Toni. He didn't even want to think about her. It would only bring him down. Lastly, Gina. He wasn't too sure how he felt about Gina as a life-long partner, let alone a girlfriend.

Interrupting his reminiscing, Gina came up, acting innocent and sweet. “Take a walk with me?” she asked. “Maybe hide behind a rock?” she teased.

“A rock?” he repeated. He raided his eyebrow at the thought and then gave her a look that said: What the hell? There was never a bad time to have sex.

Carly

On the way to Carly's apartment, Adam repeatedly made comments about her weight to her. It started to make her extremely self-conscious. By the time she and Zach got home, they were both wiped. Zach went right to bed and Carly decided to take a soothing bath.

She got out of the bathtub and wrapped a towel around her. It didn't feel good to be fighting with her friends. Although they only wanted what was best for her, she really liked Adam, despite his negative opinions of her looks.

She got changed into her robe. Before getting into bed, she stopped and looked in her full length mirror. She opened her robe and started to examine herself.