Janet, Steve and Kelly by Shari, Brandon and Dylan by DC, Carly And Lexi by Val, Val and Jen by Shae and Heather, Donna, David, and Brenda by Scott

Lexi

Lexi was working at her Melrose office. It was located in the back of the courtyard. She felt safe and satisfied now that John was in jail.

Just then Brenda walked in. "Hey there," she said and sat down in the chair in front of Lexi's desk. "I thought I'd drop by my rent."

Lexi smirked. "Two days late Bren!" she said. "It's okay," she said and took the check from her. She placed it in her file and closed it.

"So your back on your feet?", she asked with concern in her voice.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she said, "Where are you off to?"

Brenda smiled, "My first day of shooting for the show!!" she exclaimed and stood up. She checked her watch. "That reminds me, I'm late!"

"Well, good luck!"

"Thanks," she replied. She started to leave but then turned around and said, "Hey what are you doing tonight?"

"Nothing. . ." she went on looking through the pile on her desk.

"Maybe you would like to join me at the After Dark, ya know, two single ladies out on the prowl?" she asked half-jokingly.

Lexi laughed, "I'm afraid not. I'm not single anymore, Bren."

"Oh, well I'll see you there anyway?" she asked.

"Who's perfoming?" Lexi asked.

"Enrique Iglesias. It should be a good time."

Lexi smiled, "Okay you talked me into it. I'll see if Michael wants to come," she said giving Brenda the hint of who she was dating.

She smiled, "Okay, but I don't want to be a third wheel. . ." she insisted, and looked at her watch again. "See ya!"

Lexi laughed,"Bye."

Brenda

Brenda pulled into her studio parking space, fully energized and ready to work. The week in the Virgin Islands had been fun but now she was ready to get started on shooting Class of Beverly Hills.

As she got out of her car, she saw her fellow castmate, Traci Locke pulling into her space. She and Traci had really bonded in the Virgin Islands. Brenda walked over to say hi.

Traci grinned,her smile lighting up her cocoa brown face. "Hey. Ready to get started?"

Brenda nodded. "I'm really excited," she told Traci. And then, honesty kicked in. "And really terrified," she admitted.

Traci laughed, " Good. That means your ego isn't too out of control." Brenda laughed. " Seriously, though," Traci continued, " That's completely normal. This is my second series and I'm terrified too." Traci had played the middle daughter on The Love Family, a sitcom that had run two years. "I can imagine it must be even worse for a rookie like you."

"Shall we go be terrified together?" Brenda suggested lightly.

They both started walking to the Class of Beverly Hills set.

David

At the Bungalow

David woke up startled. What was he doing back in the bungalow?

"David ?" he heard Donna's voice mumble.

Suddenly, it all came back to him. He and Donna were back together, as they were meant to be. They had come home last night from their second try at a second honeymoon. And this time, not having a cast of thousands with them, it had worked beautifully.

"Hi." David smiled at Donna.

"Hi." Donna smiled back.

"So what do you want to do today?" David asked.

"Lie here with you," Donna told him. " But we really ought to get up. You have to get things in order at the After Dark and I should go relieve Gina at Now Wear This. The poor girl has had to look after the store all by herself with me gone and I'm sure she's climbing--"

Just then the phone rang. Donna picked it up.

"Hi, Gina," Donna said cheerfully.

That was David's cue to get up and get dressed. He knew the sisters were going to want to catch up in private.

Kelly

At Melrose Place

Kelly laid in bed while Brandon cooked her some breakfast. On Saturday's, she would usually make a nice, big breakfast for the both of them, but today she just wasn't up to it.

Brandon walked into the bedroom carrying a tray of food. On the tray were eggs, toast, a banana and juice.

Kelly smiled and sat up, "You really didn't have to do this, you know."

"I know," Brandon placed the tray on her lap,"but I wanted to. Go ahead, dig in."

Kelly took a bite of the buttered toast, ate about half of it, and placed it back down on the place. She picked up the fork and played around with the eggs a little.

"What's wrong?", Brandon asked, "I thought you loved scrambled eggs."

"I did. I do! Just, I don't know. I guess I'm full. And a little nauseous."

"Do you want me to get you some medicine or something?"

"No, it's okay. Thank you though," she smiled, "I think I'm going to go to the bathroom."

Donna

"So," Gina said to Donna, " How was the honeymoon?"

" Wonderful," Donna responded happily, "It was so romantic."

"I don't care about that. I wanna hear the dirt! I wanna hear about all the wild orgies you two had in your hotel room!"

"I'm sure I don't know what you mean." Donna said in an extremely dignified voice. " We behaved like a perfect lady and a perfect gentleman."

Gina made a rude noise.

Donna giggled, "I'll tell you everything when I come in."

"You better," Gina threatened, "I'll see you there around 11."

Donna was still smiling as she hung up the phone. She really missed Gina. Who would've thought that a couple of years ago?

Kelly

Kelly came out of the bathroom 10 minutes later. In the meanwhile, Brandon had gotten comfortable in the bed.

Brandon shut off the television, "Hey. What took you so long?" Brandon thought about what he just asked, "Uh, maybe I shouldn't have asked that. . ."

"I'm just really bloated. And I was on the scale. I gained 8 pounds in the last week. I don't know how."

"You look great to me."

Kelly smiled, "Thanks. I really needed to hear that," her smile soon faded, "Brandon, would you feel this for me?"

Brandon walked over to her. She opened her robe a drop so his hand could get in. She placed his hand over a part of her body in the abdominal area.

"Does this seem swollen to you? Maybe like a bump?"

"Sort of. . .does it hurt?"

Kelly nodded, "I have a little pain there." She closed her robe and led Brandon to the bed. He followed her lead and sat down next to her on the bed.

"I was thinking. . .maybe I'm pregnant." She waited for a reaction.

"I thought that was impossible since you had the. . .", he didn't want to say the word.

"Miscarriage?", she asked. Brandon nodded. "It's not impossible, just the odds are slim."

"Do you want me to call the doctor for you?", he offered.

"I'll do it."

He made another offer, "Can I go with you?"

"No. This is something I want to do alone."

Brenda

Aaron Spelling was giving the cast of Class of Beverly Hills a pep talk before the first day's shooting began.

It's remarkable, Brenda thought. Aaron Spelling looked just like an ordinary little old man. But when he spoke, you could see the fire and the drive that made him the success he was, was still very much there. I hope I'm that alive when I'm his age, Brenda thought.

"Assuming that all goes well, you won't be seeing me very often," Spelling said, " Class of Beverly Hills is going to be your creation. My job is to keep the pinheads in Network Market Research from screwing you up. I'll get more involved if you have problems but hopefully, you won't.

"Another thing I want to mention," he continued, "is that we have a big cast on this show. Nobody is going to be here every day. And nobody on this show is more important than anybody else. Hopefully, nobody will have a problem with that."

Brenda didn't. She'd never been 'Ego Girl' as an actress and she certainly didn't need to be in every scene. Just having something to do was enough for her.

"To add to that, I should tell all of you that we're trying some new streamlined production techniques on this show. This will mean we can shoot scenes a lot quicker and you won't have to spend 13 hours a day here. You'll all get to have lives and get paid well and even more importantly, I'll save a fortune in overtime! "

Everybody laughed.

"Finally, I just want to say that Class of Beverly Hills is a very important project to me. I've been in this business a long time and I think it's time I did something for the young people out there. I want this show to touch them. I want it to help them deal with their problems. I want it to be the kind of show I'd be proud to have my daughter act on!"

Wow, Brenda thought to herself, I didn't even know he had a daughter. I wonder what she's like.

Lexi

At Melrose Place

Carly woke up on the couch and looked over at Zach. They fell asleep watching a movie together. It was great, just like old times. She smiled and yawned. She stood up and went to the stove. She put the kettle on and picked up the phone. She dialed the Peach Pit.

"Peach Pit," Willie answered.

"Hey Willie, it's Carly. Can you tell Nat I'll be there in an hour and a half?" she replied.

"Sure honey," he said. "Gotta go, coffee crowd." He hung up the phone.

Carly hung up. She quickly hopped in the shower and proceeded to get dressed. She had an 8 hour shift today, so she needed to get going.

Valerie

At a Rehab Center

Valerie was sitting on her window seat that was on the wall across from her bed. She heard a knock on her door. She turned her head and looked. It was one of the people that worked in the rehab, "It's time for group therapy," he polietly said.

"I don't feel up to it right now," She said, turning and facing the window.

"Valerie, this will go much easier if you work with the program."

Valerie ingnored the man.

"If that's the way you want it, fine. I will just have to tell your counselor then," he said, closing the door behind him.

Valerie thought to herslef for a mintue and laughed, "Wow, he is going to tell on me. Watch out. Whoa, I'm scared now."

She didn't understand what the hell she was doing in this place. She was a hundred percent sure that she could handle her problem on her own.

Carly

At the Peach Pit

Gina walked into the Peach Pit and saw Carly behind the counter. Gina took a seat in front of her. "Morning," she simply said. "Can I have a cup of coffee? With milk and sugar." She sighed. It was tiring working alone at Now Wear This, day after day.

"Sure," Carly said. She poured Gina a cup of coffee. She put in the sugar and a little bit of milk.

"Thanks," Gina said and took a sip of it.

There was a short silence before Carly said, "I'm starved. I think I may go on my break and see what Nat has back there that I can have." She walked toward the back but stopped at the door. She lifted her shirt a little and looked at her stomach. She didn't want to eat. . .but she was hungry. Just then, Nat came out of the back.

"Hey Carly, what do you want for breakfast ,sweetie pie?" he asked with the same warm smile he had towards the gang for years.

She smiled awkwardly. "I'll have some eggs, maybe some bacon, definitely sausage, and two pieces of toast." she answered. She decided she wanted to eat.

"Looks like you got a lot on your mind! Why don't you take what you want and go sit with Gina?"

"Thanks," she smiled. She went and selected a bunch of food and headed to a stool, a few away from Gina, to eat her breakfast. She didn't want to take a break with Gina. . .after everything she had done to ruin her fun at the bonfire.

"Wow, looks like your hungry," Gina replied looking at her plate of eggs, bacon, sausage, toast, and hash browns. A little too hungry, Gina thought.

Carly smirked. "Not that it's any of your business, but yeah I'm starved." She continued to eat and ignored Gina's comments.

Kelly

Kelly was lying on the couch, covered with a blanket. She had called her gynecologist but couldn't get an appointment until 3 in the afternoon. She decided to rest until it was time for her to leave.

"Okay, I'm gonna head out," Brandon walked into the living room, tying his tie.

"Okeydokey."

"Are you sure you don't want me to stay? I can go to the party late or not even go at all."

"Go, I'll be fine. You owe it to Janet and Steve."

Brandon stopped fidgeting with his tie, "Kel, don't you think I owe it to you to go with you?"

"Brandon, we already discussed this. I'm going by myself and that's it. I'll call you afterwards."

Brandon sighed. He wasn't going to win this one.

"Well", he walked into the bedroom, grabbed his sports coat, and returned to the living room, "call me if you need anything. I have my cell."

"Okay."

Brandon walked over and kissed her forehead, "I love you, Kel."

"I love you too."

Carly

Carly got up from the counter after she finished her food. "Excuse me," she said to Gina. She rushed into the bathroom. She didn't want to do this but she had to. She stuck her head in front of the toilet bowl and started to make herself throw up. She couldn't take it anymore. She hated her body and everything about her.

Lexi

Lexi was still at the office making sure everything was up-to-date. Just then, Michael walked in with a large brown paper bag in his hand.

He gave her a kiss on the cheek and set it down on her desk after clearing a small spot. "I brought you an egg sandwich on rye with ham and bacon."

"Mmm. Thanks," she said and peeked in the bag. "What's all the rest of this stuff?"

Michael pretended to reason. "Well I had to get you a club sandwich for lunch, and then a megaburger because I wasn't sure which one you were in the mood for. Then I bought you coffee and tea to go with your lunch, and well I have a plain fried egg sandwich in there for myself."

"Is that it?" she replied sarcastically. "Michael, what the hell are you doing?" she said randomly.

"What?" he asked. He looked down and noticed a spot on the desk had coffee on it. "Oh," he replied and wiped it up with a napkin.

He sighed. "I guess I'm still a little afraid still...he tried to get you not once....not twice...three damn times!"

"Well now he's in jail, and probably for good when I get him in court," she shot back. He nodded agreeing with her. "Now get me my damn egg sandwich, pull up a chair and we can enjoy breakfast!" Michael laughed and did all of thee above.

Carly

At the Peach Pit

Carly walked out of the bathroom five minutes or so later. She started to get back to work, not feeling great, but thinking she was. Gina glanced at her.

"Where were you?"

"In the bathroom, as if its any of your business," she shot back. She grabbed a menu and brought it to table one. She smiled. "Here you go, can I take your order?"

A woman with red hair said, "One megaburger please."

She nodded. "Coming right up!" She walked over to the back to place the order.

"I know what's going on," Gina shouted. "I know the symptoms. You can't hide it." She grabbed her purse and walked out. Carly was about say something but stopped herself.

David

At the Beat on the Street

Brandon was already hard at work when David arrived at The Beat on the Street. "Hey Brandon, what's up?" David asked.

"Young Silver has returned from the second honeymoon," Brandon happily spun around in his chair," So, how'd it go, man?"

"Terrific," David smiled, "Things are better between us than ever. Anything happen here while I was gone?" " Well," Brandon began,"Val finally checked into rehab, thank God. . ."

" W...Wait a minute!," David interrupted, "Val's in rehab? What happened?"

Brandon looked surprised, " You don't know?"

"I know Val's been acting a little weird lately but. . ."

Brandon filled David in on Val's breakdown, Ginger's death and Val's being sent to rehab.

David sat down, stunned. "My God. I knew Val had been acting a little out of control lately but I didn't know it had gotten that bad. I thought I saw something on the news about a car accident but, god, I was so involved with me and Donna, I didn't even think twice about it."

David felt like the biggest jerk alive. Val might not be his lover anymore but she was still his friend. Val had needed him and he had failed her because he was too wrapped up in himself. That ended now!

"Where is she and when can she have visitors?" David asked.

Brandon smiled, "I'll give you the information but there's something else you have to do this afternoon."

Valerie

Since Valerie didn't attend the group meeting, her counselor decided to come down and meet with her in her room. She knocked lightly on the door to Val's room.

"Come in," the voice behind the door said, "Hi" Val shyly said when she saw who walked in.

"So, Valerie, why weren't you at group therapy today?"

"Listen, Stephanie, I don't think I'm cut out for this. I mean, I don't feel comfortable talking about my problems to a group of people," she explained.

"Would you feel more comfortable talking to me and me alone?" Stephanie asked her.

"I guess."

"Good," she said and crossed her legs, pulling out a pad from her pocketbook, "Lets begin."

"So what am I supposed to say?" Val asked.

"Whatever you want to say. Maybe you should begin with why you started doing drugs in the first place."

"Well, why does anyone start? That's a pretty broad question, don't you think?"

"Well, in your case, what was your reason."

Val looked down, deciding whether or not she should tell this lady everything and then she remembered what Noah had told her, "The more receptive you are to this, the faster it will be over," Val said to herself, standing up and walking over to the bed, "Well my boyfriend and I had broken up."

"Why?"

"Well, I had just suffered a miscarriage and words were said that neither of us could take back. To make a long story short, he moved on to another person."

"How did you feel about this?"

"I couldn't handle it. I needed him more than I realized. So I started hanging out with different people and they got me into it."

"Do you regret your decision on who you hung out with?"

"Well, I made one great friend out of it," Valerie said, referring to Jen.

"Do you think she brings out the side of you that makes you want to do drugs?"

"I don't know. Sometimes. But she's there for me. And I think that is most important," she smiled.

"I agree. Well, Valerie I have to go to another meeting. But it was good talking to you and I think you should really consider group therapy. If you're not up to it we can arrange to do one-on-one."

"Aright, thanks," Val said before Stephanie walked out.

Donna

Donna and Gina were busy going over the records for Gina's week in charge of Now Wear This.

"Gina, I have to say, you did a terrific job," Donna told her sister.

"I did?" Gina, just for a second, looked surprised. Then her usual personality reasserted itself, " I mean,of course I did," she smiled, "You know, it wasn't that long ago that I thought the only thing I could handle was skating. But I'm really good at this stuff."

"You are," Donna agreed, "I always knew you had it in you somewhere."

Gina actually blushed. Then,quickly, she said, " Don't think you're going to weasel out of your promise to me by complimenting me. I want the full honeymoon story. Now!"

Donna laughed," Okay," she said and began to tell Gina everything.

Brenda

"It will never work. Can't you see that?" the man said to Brenda.

"I don't care what my father thinks about you, Landon." Brenda responded. "He's wrong. I know the two of us are from different worlds but I know we love each other and that's all that matters."

"And cut!" the director yelled. "Great work, you two," he told the two actors.

Brenda shook herself out of Hayley--her character--and looked at Brian Cole, the actor who played Landon, her romantic interest.

"That really did click." Brian told her.

It ought to have. If there was one thing Brenda knew about, it was fathers who disapproved of boyfriends.

"Thanks," Brenda said.

"I think we're going to work great together," Brian commented as he went off to prepare for his next scene.

Brian looked an awful lot like Dylan. And he really was a nice guy.

Traci walked up to Brenda.

"You know, Brian's a really great guy," Brenda remarked to Traci.

"He is," Traci agreed.

"So how come I'm not dating him?" Brenda asked.

"Probably because he's gay," Traci responded.

Brenda sighed," Yeah."

Lexi

Lexi was going at her egg sandwich like an animal. Michael was too. Finally, she finished her sandwich. "Michael, do you think you want to go to the After Dark tonight?"

"Sure!"

"Brenda asked me to go so I told her we would. I knew you'd say yes," she kissed him on the cheek.

He smiled, "Of course. . .so is David the DJ or is there also a musical guest tonight?", he asked and took another bite of his sandwich.

"Actually Enrique Iglesias will be performing."

"Thats sounds good," he checked his watch, "Listen I have to get to the hospital for my shift."

"Okay. Pick me up at 7."

He kissed her. She kissed him back and they shared a long, passionate kiss. She finally pulled away.

"Okay then, I'll go now," he said awkwardly, dumbfounded from the kiss. He started to walk and turned around, "Bye." He waved and all of a sudden, walked into a wall.

Lexi laughed, "Bye Michael."

Janet

At Casa Walsh

Janet was making the bed in what was going to be Taylor's room. The room had just been painted a deep blue the day before, so all the furniture still had a plastic wrap over it. She made a smile of satisfaction when she finished making the bed, complete with a new comforter.

She wanted to decorate the room. Make it special; make it his. She wanted him to feel at home, and this was going to be his home. She decided to call the orphanage to find out his interests. Janet left the room to go find the phone.

Steve

At Casa Walsh

"Whatcha doing?", Steve asked Janet, walking into the living room.

"Shhh, I can't hear," Janet said. She was on the phone with April from the orphanage, "Okay, thanks! Bye," Janet clicked the phone off.

"Who was that?"

"April. I called to find out Taylor's interests so we can decorate his room with posters and stuff."

"Good idea. So what is he interested in?"

"I don't know yet," she said, "She's faxing me over a list."

"Great."

Jen

At Whilshire Memorial

Jennifer walked into Wilshire Memorial. She was wearing baggy jeans and white tee-shirt. She knocked on the door to Michael's office and walked in.

"Hey Jen, looking very fashionable" Michael said, teasing her.

"Leave me alone. I've been puking all morning," she unhappily told him.

"Still?" He asked

"Yeah."

"Well, it can't be food poisioning. That effects of that would have stopped days ago," he told her.

"Well, then what is it? I hate feeling this way."

"Let me have a look at you," he told her, standing up from the chair behind his desk, "Lay back on this table" he pointed to the examining table.

"All right," she said, walking over and laying down.

He began to examine her and felt something strange. Almost like a kick or some sort of pressure inside her stomach. He made a confused face.

"What?" She asked nervously.

"I don't know. I want to give you an ultrasound just to make sure. Let me go get some jell," he said, walking towards the door.

"Wait. . . Aren't ultrasounds for pregnant people?" She asked, but Michael just continued to walk out of the room and down the hall.

When he returned, he placed the jell on her stomach and moved the ball over it. He was suprised but what he found.

"Jen, we need to talk," He handed her a few paper towels to wipe her stomach.

"What?"

"You're pregnant," he bluntly said.

Jen didn't believe him and laughed. She jokingly punched him, "Your such a jerk sometimes. Now what's really wrong?"

"I'm serious ,Jen" He said in a brotherly tone.

Jen just looked at him flabbergasted.

Lexi

Lexi and Megan were at Megan's apartment with Sarah. "Well, I think it came out great!" Megan said. Lexi came over to see how the new wallpaper looked. Megan and Sarah were doing it as a project together for quality time.

Lexi laughed a little bit. "Ÿeah it looks good. You did a good job Sarah!" she said and bent down next to her.

"Thanks, Lexi. Next weekend, we're going to paint my room PINK!" she smiled. Sarah was getting cuter and cuter. She was only 8 years old.

"Ryan hates the idea," Megan said.

Lexi snarled, "Give him some time. He'll get used to it."

The living room was painted taupe and a white leather couch was put there, instead of their velour brown one.

"I better go," Lexi said. "Bye Sarah."

"Bye Lex!"

Lexi turned around about to say something, but didn't.

"Uncle Kyle told me to call you that. He says it pisses you off!" she said giggling hysterically.

Megan shook her head, silently laughing. "See ya Lexi."

"Bye."

Janet

"That must be the fax machine," Steve said, referring to the noise in the kitchen. Steve shut off the televison and followed Janet into the kitchen.

"Yep, here it comes," Janet pointed to the newly-installed fax machine that sat on a table next to the computer.

Steve removed the paper from the machine, "This isn't from the foster agency. It's from the office."

Janet looked puzzled, "The office?"

Steve read what was on the paper, "'We know it's your day off, but we had a great idea for a series of articles and we need you to come in right away, otherwise it won't fly.' It's signed 'Brandon & David'".

Janet pouted, "But it's our day off. A rare day off."

"I know. I'm sure it won't take long. C'mon, lets go. . ."

Jen

Jen looked at Michael, "Are you serious?"

"Yes. Do I look like I'm joking?" He sternly said.

"Oh, man Mike. What am I going to do?" She hopped off the examining table.

"I don't know Jen. This is one you're going to have to figure out on your own."

Jen gave him a pleading look.

"Give me the name of your GYN. I will call her and ask if she can squeeze you in right quick," he said, handing her a pad and a pen.

"Thanks Michael. I don't know what I would do without you."

Kelly

"So, what seems to be the problem today?", asked Kelly's gynecologist.

"Let's see. . .I'm naseous, bloated, I've gained a lot of weight lately. . .well a lot for me anyway," she said, "and I have this pain in my abdominal area."

"Why don't you lie down and I'll see what's going on," she suggested.

Kelly laid down on the examining table.

"Does this hurt?", the doctor asked, pressing on her stomach. Kelly nodded. "How has your appetite been?"

"I've been finding that I get really full right away, even after eating a little bit."

"And this weight gain is unexplained?"

"Yes," Kelly said.

"When was your last menstural period?"

"Last week."

"Doctor, do you think I'm pregnent?", Kelly asked.

"It's a possibility. Before I give you a pregnency test, though, I want to give you a pelvic exam. Can you please change into this gown?"

"Sure."

Donna

Donna had just finished telling Gina everything about the second honeymoon trip.

"That sounds so cool," Gina said, "And so romantic," She sighed, "I'd love to do something like that with Dylan someday."

"I'm sure you will," Donna told her gently, "Dylan doesn't like people to know, he likes to pretend he's Mr. Cool Loner Guy, but he's the biggest romantic in the world."

Gina smiled, "Yeah," she agreed. Then she went back to the subject of Donna's life. " So what are you two up to tonight?"

"Nothing," Donna shrugged her shoulders.

"Wanna come to the After Dark with me?" Gina smiled mischievously. "Enrique Iglesias is singing there tonight."

Donna's eyes widened, "Enrique. . . You know, maybe I should go with you. Just to keep you out of trouble, of course."

"Of course." Gina said very seriously. Both sisters laughed.

Dylan

Dylan was in the cab, heading tothe airport. He was on his way to Hawaii to see his mother, Iris. This was the first time he actually wanted to share his life with her. There’s nothing really going on in Beverly Hills that couldn’t wait.

He continued thinking to himself. Maybe after a few days he’ll evaluate the situation and maybe invite Gina to hop on a plane and meet him there. After all, she’s one of the many things that he plans on telling Iris about. Maybe she won’t be able to get off work. They are a little short handed now. . . “Who knows,” he said to himself.

“What’s that sir?” the driver asked.

“Nothing,” Dylan replied.

They continued to the airport and onto Dylan’s first actual vacation in a long time.

Valerie

Valerie stepped up to the nurse's window. She stood there for several minutes being ignored by the nurse on duty. She sighed loudly and shifted her weight from one foot to the other. The nurse still didn't look up. Finally, Valerie had had enough.

use me. I hate to bother your work but I need something here."

The nurse looked up but didn't say a word. She had seen the likes of Valerie before.

"I need to make a phone call," Val told her.

"Not allowed," the nurse told her and returned to her charting.

Val stared at her. "I don't think you heard me."

"No personal contact for one week. The rules are in the handbook you signed upon admission, Miss Malone."

Valerie shook her head. She didn't want to cry in front of this woman but she had to talk to Noah. "I understand the rules. But this one is stupid. I am not asking you to go buy me a beer or anything," Val said with a laugh.

The nurse didn't crack a smile.

"If you had a loved one in here, wouldn't you want to hear from them?" Val asked, trying another approach.

The lady looked up. "All right, you get five minutes. No more. And just so you'll leave me alone so I can get my work done."

Valerie's face lit up with a smile. "Thank you so much!"

"Five minutes, Miss Malone."

Jen

After the gynecologist confirmed the pregnency for the 3rd time and told her how far along she was, Jen headed back home. She had so much to think about.

As she walked into her apartment, she dropped her keys at the ktichen table and sat down. She needed to decide what she was going to do. She didn't want to call Val and burden her with her problems considering what she was going through right now. She decided she would tell her at another time, when the timing was better.

She took out a pen and paper and made a list with everyone she slept with in the last 3 months. When she was done, it all made sense.

"Oh my god. I know who the father is. It's David," Jen stood up and went into her bedroom. She laid down on her bed, "This isn't good Jen," she told herself, rubbing her stomach.

Valerie

Valerie took her stack of quarters and headed for the payphone. Miracle that the phone was actually not in use. Seemed like someone was always on the phone crying about this or that.

She put her money in and dialed Noah's number. Please be home, please be home, she thought to herself as she listened to the phone ring. On the fifth ring, Noah answered.

"Hello?"

"It's me," Val said simply.

"Val. How are you?" Noah asked, his voice filled with concern.

Val choked back a tear, "I'm fine. Better now that I can talk to you."

"I miss you. I am so proud of you though," Noah told her.

Val could only nod. "I can't wait to get out of here."

Noah understood, "Val, I've been there. I know its hard but you are the strongest person I know. Do the work and then come home to me."

Val smiled, her heart filling. "I will Noah. I will do it for you."

"No Val, do it for you."

Val nodded, finally getting it. "Yes, I will do it for me."

Kelly

Kelly's gynecologist finished conducting the pelvic exam. She wasn't sure what Kelly's symptoms meant. There were a million things that her symptoms represented.

"Okay, you can sit up now. I'd like to give you a pregnany test, like I mentioned earlier. I'll go get the test," she said, leaving the room.

Within a few moments, the doctor returned, "It seems we ran out," she said embarrassed, "Instead, I'll do an ultra sound."

Just then, a nurse wheeled in the ultra sound equipment.

"Thanks," the doctor said, "Lie back, Kelly."

The doctor started the test, moving the control around her stomach, seeing if she could find a heartbeat. Then she would know Kelly was pregnant. But the doctor didn't find a heartbeat. Instead, she found something else. . .

"Um, Kelly, why don't you sit up a second?", the doctor suggested, after wiping the gel off her stomach.

That's all she was doing, lying down and sitting back up again. She wanted some answers as to what was wrong with her.

She followed the instruction with concern washing over her, "Is everything okay?"

"Yes. Well, no. Kelly, you're not pregnant."

"That's a relief, I guess."

The doctor let out a little laugh, "Kelly, you have a cyst on your ovary."

Kelly gulped for air, she suddenly felt like she couldn't breath, "A cyst??" she asked, wanting to make sure she heard correctly.

"Yes, two actually. One on each ovary."

"Oh my god. . ."

"Kelly, this is not as bad as it seems."

"How can you say that?!?!", Kelly asked, shocked at her making light of this.

"Well, for starters, it may not even be cancerous. And if it is, 90% of people survive."

"And I'm sure there are bad figures that go along with that."

"Yes, there are. Only 24% of people are diagnosed before the tumor growth has spead. But we're getting ahead of ourselves here. Let's take this one day at a time."

Kelly nodded. She had so many thoughts running through her mind. What if she had cancer? What if it spread? What if she died?

The doctor took out a pad and a pen from her pocket and jotted something down, "Here's the name of an excellent gynecologic oncologist," she handed Kelly the paper, "An OB-GYN, as it is often referred to, is the same as a gynecologist but they specialize in cancer in the reproductive system."

Kelly looked down at the paper, "What if she's not on my insurance?"

"Then I'll give you the name of the second best OB-GYN," she stated, as if all of this was so simple and not a big deal, "Give them a call and make an appointment. And, Kelly, do it sooner, rather than later," she added, showing for the first time that this was pretty serious.

Kelly's hand was shaking as she held the paper in her hand, "Okay, I will."

The doctor smiled, "I'll leave you to get dressed now."

David

David was just about finished setting the food table for the party when the phone rang.

He picked it up, "Hello."

"David," he heard, "It's Jen." Jen sounded more nervous than he had ever heard her.

"Jen. What's up?" David asked neutrally.

"David, I. . .I'm pregnant. And I you're the father." David went blank for a minute. "David, are you still there?" Jen asked.

David snapped out of it, " What kind of sick joke is this?"

"Joke?" Jen sounded shocked.

" Look, Jen, we are over! You ended it yourself! I'm sorry if you regret it now, but coming up with some ridiculous story about you being pregnant is not going to make me leave Donna."

"No, David, I swear I'm not joking!"

" Yeah, right." David snorted in disbelief.

"David, what can I do to prove to you I'm not joking?"

"I want to see the pregnancy tests results. And I want to take a paternity test that proves that I'm the father," David said coldly.

"Okay." Jen said weakly and hung up.

For a minute, David wondered if he'd been too hard on her. Then he realized he was being ridiculous. You couldn't encourage people to do this kind of thing. Otherwise, Jen would just get worse and wind up in rehab with Val.

Brandon

Brandon waiting for Steve and Janet at the main entrance to the building. They looked a little irritated because they had to come in on they're most deserved day off, but he knew they really didn't mind.

"So tell us something about this fantastic issue you guys thought up," Janet said.

"Yeah, Brandon," Steve added, "Why so 'hush hush'?", they walked into the building and took an elevator up to the fifth floor.

"Well, we figured it could be a double issue. With some kind of a theme."

"What kind of theme?" Steve courisouly asked.

"Well," Brandon opened the door to the office and there were the others, joind by food and decorations. "We were thinking something along the lines of: The Beat on the Street's 1st Anniversary Issue."

They were shocked. With all that had been going on lately, neither one really put much thought into the time of year it was. So after all the hand shakes and congratulations, they relaxed a bit and enjoyed the party.

Jen

Jen paced around her tiny apartment in anger. The nerve of David to even suggest that she wasn't being honest with him. She had always been honest with him! Okay, so she wasn't Miss GoodyTwo Shoes like his wife, Donn,a but they had had something real, or so she had thought.

Jen grabbed the phone to call him again and tell him how she felt. She dialed the number and waited for it to ring. As soon as it began to ring, Jen hung up the phone. No. . .better to wait and give him time to digest the news. It had to have been shocking to him. It wasn't like this was planned or anything. This was the last thing Jen needed at this point in time. But now they had to figure out just how to deal with it.

IT. . .Jen was having a hard time acknowledging that "it" was a baby. A baby! Her and David's baby. NO, she hadn't planned this but she wasn't entirely unhappy about it either. David would come around. One way or another, he was going to have to accept the fact that he was going to be a daddy.

David

Everybody seems to be having a wonderful time, David thought. He stood quietly by himself in a corner, thinking.

What if Jen was telling the truth? What would this do to his life? God, he and Donna had just gotten back together and now this. This would kill Donna. He loved Donna so much. Why was he always the one who hurt her the most?

He snapped out of it. What was he thinking? This was Jen Mancini, a woman who made Val at her worst look like Donna. She'd obviously changed her mind about breaking up with him and had come up with some insane plan to get him back. He just had to be patient and Jen would admit that she was making the whole thing up. Maybe then he could talk Jen into getting some counseling like Val was getting. In somewhat of a better mood, he rejoined the party.

Steve

Steve smiled to himself, thinking back on the past year. Starting a paper was a risky adventure. He was constantly doubting himself, but he put up a good front for Janet. That's who this was all for. He loved her and wanted nothing more than for her to be happy.

He thought back to when he first showed Janet their soon-to-be office. And to when they had the clean-up party with all their friends. There were a lot of memories in that office, just from working on the paper. There would be many more, too.

Steve stopped the reminiscing when he heard everyone chanting, "Speech! Speech! Speech!". He looked up and realized they were all looking at him. He laughed a bit and thought about what to say.

"Gosh," he started out, "If only there were words to express what I'm feeling. On second thought, maybe there are. Joy. Love. Success. Happiness. And I would have none of those if it weren't for all of you," he scanned the room as he continued his speech, looking at all the smiling faces that belonged to The Beat on the Street employees, "There's been good times and bad. There have been great issues and well, not-so-great issues. But we've all stuck through it. We've all done our part and we've never given up. Now that's something to celebrate."

Everyone clapped for a few minutes and then stopped when Janet started to speak, "Now it's my turn! Let's see. . .where do I begin? Like Steve said there's been good times and bad times. Like when Susan had her baby," she smiled at the advice columnist, "or when Charlie lost his father," she looked over at the paper's photographer, "We've shared many precious times and coming here no longer feels like work. Yeah, we're writing articles and putting together a paper, but we have fun while we're doing it. That's because we all get along, we all like each other. And because we're a family. I feel like I'm the mother and you all are my children. Wait. . .that would make me really old. Forget that," she laughed along with everyone.

Steve decided to pick up when the laughter stopped, "Janet and I are just really thankful. And we know we're going to have another year with The Beat on the Street that is just as good as this one, if not, better!"

Kelly

Kelly drove around Beverly Hills and the surrounding areas. She ended up at Paradise Cove. She had no idea why she went there, of all places. She put the car in the park and moved her seat back so she could lay down.

She was trying to calm herself; assuring herself that, like the doctor said, she may not even have cancer. The tumors may turn out to be benign. She didn't even want to think about what happened if the tumor was malignant. Chemotherapy, death. Although she wouldn't admit, way back in her mind, she was thinking about how her life would change if it was malignant. She was so young; she had her whole life ahead of her.

Kelly fished through her bag for her cell phone. When she found it, she took out the piece of paper that the doctor had given her. She turned the phone on and dialed the number as she said it out loud. 555-4342. It rang several times before someone picked up.

"Yeah, hi," Kelly said, shyly, "I'm a new patient...I was referred by my gynecologist. I need an apointment." She wasn't very specific, she didn't feel the need to be. She needed an appointment, that was all.

"Okay, please hold," replied the receptionist. She came back on the line a few moments later, "How about next Thursday, 11am?"

"I have to wait that long?", Kelly asked. 5 days was way too long to wait, especially for this. She would go crazy wondering if she had cancer or not. Anyone would.

"I'm afraid so. We're swamped."

Kelly frowned. There was nothing she could do about it though, "Okay."

"Your name?"

"Kelly Taylor."

"Alright, Ms. Taylor, we'll see you then."

"Bye. . .", Kelly sighed and hung up the phone.

Janet

As the afternoon turned into the evening, everyone at the party started to say their goodbyes and head home. Only Janet, Steve, David and Brandon were left at the office. They were cleaning up the mess from the party while discussing various things.

Steve stopped sweeping for a minute when he realized how awfully quiet David had been all throughout the party. "Hey Dave, you okay?" Steve asked.

"Yeah I'm fine. . .," he said, not being the least bit honest, "Actually, I'm not fine. Would you mind if I just went home?"

"You wanna talk about it?", Janet asked, also noticing how strange David was acting.

"No, not yet anyway," he walked over to Janet and gave her a quick hug and a peck on the cheek, "Congratulations." He then went over and shook Steve's hand. "Bye," he walked out.

"What was that about?" Steve asked Brandon who was fixing up a pile of papers.

He shook his head, "I don't know, but something's up."

Brenda

Shooting was over for the day and Brenda and Traci were getting ready to go home.

"So how'd you like your first day of TV stardom?" Traci asked Brenda.

Brenda thought for a minute, " Well, this is definitely one of the toughest, most demanding jobs I've ever had."

"So you're loving it then?" Traci concluded.

Brenda grinned, "Yeah. Still, I've got to admit, I'm really looking forward to some down time tonight. I'm going to meet some of my friends at this club we hang out at ,the After Dark, and enjoy tonight's act. You want to come? I can introduce you to everybody."

"Sure. Thanks." Traci said agreeably, "Who's playing tonight?"

"Enrique Iglesias."

Traci suddenly got very excited, "I adore Enrique Iglesias!" She grew thoughtful, "I hope your friends won't mind if I don't shake hands with them. But I'm going to be holding on to Enrique's legs all night!"

Brenda laughed, "So will my friend Donna, I'm sure. The poor guy won't be able to move."

Traci laughed as Brenda began to give her directions to the After Dark.

Lexi

Lexi was getting dressed to go to the After Dark. Michael would be there any minute. She had her hair straightened and it rested neatly on her shoulders. She was wearing a short black dress with two slits going up the sides.

Just as she put on her heels, someone knocked on the door. She went to answer it and saw Michael, as she expected.

"Hey beautiful," he said, leaning in to kiss her.

"Hey. Do you like the dress?"

Michael was in awe of her looks, "Yeah it's very. . .very. . .sexy."

Lexi laughed and grabbed her coat. She took his hand and led him out the door, "I know it is." They got into the car and drove to the After Dark.

Kelly

At the After Dark

Kelly sat alone at a table at the After Dark, sipping a glass of water. She really wanted to see Enrigue Iglesias preform, but she just wasn't up to it. She had a splitting headache and wasn't enjoying the evening at all. She got up from the table and headed for the exit.

Carly stopped Kelly as she passed by her table, "Hey. . .where are you going?"

"Home," Kelly replied.

"Are you okay? It's only 8 o'clock."

"Yeah, I'll be fine," she gave a little smile, "Goodnight."

She continued walking towards the door, making her way through the already-crowded club. Just as she reached the door, Brandon walked in.

"Hey babe, sorry I couldn't get here sooner," he kissed her cheek gently. Kelly didn't say anything. "How'd it go at the doctor?"

Kelly avoided the question, "Why don't we go outside?" Brandon nodded and followed her out.

They walked through the parking lot, neither one saying a word.

Kelly shivered, "It's pretty cold tonight."

"Here," Brandon took off his sports coat and put it around her.

She smiled, and remembered just why she had fell in love with him. "Thanks."

They continued walking until Brandon asked, "So are you going to tell me what happened?" Kelly looked away. Brandon took her hand and held it. He moved her face so it was facing him again, "Kel, whatever it is, you can tell me."

"Brandon, I'm not pregnant."

He didn't know whether to be happy or sad. All his brain functioned to say was, "Okayyy. . ."

"But the doctor found something," she said.

"Found something? What do you mean 'found something'?"

"Brandon," she paused, "Brandon, the doctor found two turmors on my ovaries."

Now he really didn't know what to say. "Kel. . .", he began, trying to think of something to say.

Kelly sighed, saddness filling her eyes, "Can you just take me home?"

Brandon nodded, and walked with her, hand in hand to the car.

Brenda

Brenda met Traci outside the After Dark.

"Hi," Brenda greeted her, "Did you have any trouble getting here?"

Traci shook her head, "You give good directions."

Brenda smiled. " C'mon. Let's give you your first look at the After Dark."

Brenda and Traci walked in. Traci took a good look around and drank it all in for a minute.

"Wow," she commented, "I love it!"

"Really?" Brenda asked happily, " I know it's not one of those trendy Hollywood night clubs. . ."

Traci snorted, "That's why I love it. I hate those places. Everybody just stands around, trying to get noticed or they run to the bathroom to snort their brains out. People really seem to be here just to have a good time. You can actually hear yourself think! Those trendy places all play the music so loud you can't hear yourself talk, let alone anybody else! This really looks like a great place. Thanks for inviting me."

"You're welcome," Brenda said cheerfully, "But it gets better. Wait 'till you meet my friends."

Lexi

Lexi arrived at the After Dark, arm and arm with Michael. They walked in and saw Brenda sitting at a table with a woman they didn't know. Lexi dragged Michael to her table.

"Hey," Lexi said.

"Hi Lexi. Hi Michael. Nice to see you again."

Michael nodded, "You too."

"I'm Traci," she jumped in, extending her hand to them.

"Hi, I'm Lexi and this is my boyfriend, Michael."

"Nice to meet you," Michael said.

"Likewise," Traci smiled.

"So how do you and Brenda know each other?" Lexi questioned. She started to pull up two chairs for Michael and her.

"I star on 'Class of Beverly Hills' with her," she replied, taking a sip of her drink.

"Interesting. . .," Michael said. "I think I see Chad from work. I'm going to say a little hello to him. Excuse me. . ."

Lexi smirked. "Go and don't come back!" she joked, making them laugh.

Jen

Jen stepped out of the shower and grabbed a towel from the nearby shelf. She started to dry herself off. As she wiped the water from her flat belly, she stopped and stared down. She stepped over in front of the mirror and took a long look at herself. She rubbed her hand over her stomach and started to laugh. Was she crazy for having this baby? Probably so. But she wanted it more than she cared to admit, even to herself. She wanted someone of her own to love. Someone that would never leave her.

Lexi

Lexi, Brenda, Traci, and Michael were still sitting at the same table at the After Dark a while later. Just then, Enrigue Iglesias was introduce and he started to sing 'Hero'.

"Come on, lets dance," Lexi said to Michael.

Michael smiled, "Sure," he took her hand and they went onto the dance floor.

"This feels right," Michael said as they danced.

"What?"

"This feels right," he said again, "Like this is the way things are supposed to be."

"Maybe, maybe not." She thought about what she said. Maybe it was and maybe it wasn't the right thing to say? She loved him and that was all the mattered right now.

Brenda

Brenda and Traci were left sitting at the table alone. Brenda felt restless.

"C'mon," she said to Traci, "I'll see if I can introduce you to somebody else."

"Shouldn't we wait for your friends to get back?" Traci asked.

Brenda chuckled," Lexi is dancing with Michael. She has undoubtedly forgotten our names by now and is trying to make Michael do the same."

Suddenly, she saw Donna enter. Terrific! Oh, and she was with Gina. Terrific. Groan.

Brenda mentally kicked herself. It wasn't Gina's fault that Dylan would rather be with her, she thought, so stop treating her like she's some kind of monster.

She signalled Donna and she and Traci went over to her.

"Donna, Gina, I'd like you to meet my friend Traci Locke. She plays my best friend on 'Class of Beverly Hills'."

Donna looked thoughtfully at Traci while she was shaking her hand. Then it dawned on her, "Didn't you used to be on 'The Love Family'?" she asked.

Traci was genuinely shocked, "My God, I've never met anybody who actually watched 'The Love Family'!"

"I only caught a couple of episodes," Donna said guiltly.

"Don't worry about it," Traci said cheerfully, "I'm under no illusions about 'The Love Family'. Our writers had every 'Cosby' show on videotape and used to spend hours watching them, looking for something they could steal. Somehow, they never managed to steal the funny parts."

Everybody laughed. They talked for a little while and then it became obvious that Enrique Iglesias was getting ready to sing another set.

"We better get back to our seats," Brenda said.

"Yeah," Traci agreed, "I've got to sit where Enrique can see me if he's going to run off with me."

"You've got competition," Gina said mischievously, "Donna is planning on picking Enrique up and. . ."

"Gina!" Donna cried and play-punched Gina in the arm.

It was good to hear Donna having fun again. How bad could Gina be if she was this good for Donna?

Donna

"Isn't Brenda's friend nice?" Donna asked Gina as they sat down at their table.

"Yeah, she is." Gina admitted, "I guess Brenda's got good taste in friends."

"Someday, you and Brenda are going to be friends," Donna predicted.

Gina smiled ruefully, "Maybe. If I can keep my stupid mouth shut. The way I acted at the beach, when you and David renewed your vows, I'm surprised she didn't kill me."

"You don't seem to be mad at her any more," Donna observed.

Gina shook her head, " Nah. Dylan calmed me down and explained to me that he and Brenda are over. I'm the woman in Dylan's life and I shouldn't be a paranoid lunatic," Gina looked sad for a moment, "I wish. . .I wish that I didn't always act like such a bitch when things don't work out for me. I try not to. I really do. But I always end up back in bitch mode."

Donna leaned over and put her hand on Gina's, "There is so much more to you than 'the bitch'. I've seen it and Dylan's seen it. Keep fighting it. Someday, you'll win. I believe that with all my heart and soul."

Gina smiled, " I really do love you, you know."

It was the first time that Gina had ever said it to her. Donna was very happy, "I love you, too," she said to Gina.

Gina pulled herself together, "We're getting way too sappy. We are here to see Enrique, dammit! You think he'll be wearing tight pants tonight?"

"Gina!"

David

David was sitting, brooding about Jen when Donna came in. Donna looked like she had had a wonderful night.

"How was the concert?" David asked.

"It was so great," Donna said happily, "Enrique was incredible and I had a real sister-bonding evening with Gina and we met a new friend of Brenda's and she was so nice. . ." Donna went on and on about her evening for a while. David knew now that he had made the right choice in delaying telling her about Jen. Donna deserved to rant about the good time that she had tonight. There was no reason for his stupidity to deprive her of it.

He wished that he didn't have to tell her about this ridiculous nonsense at all. This was some insane Jen thing that would cause everybody nothing but pain. But, if there was one thing that their marriage didn't need, it was any more secrets.

Finally, Donna wound down. "And how was your evening?" she asked.

David sighed. Here we go. " Donna, there's something I have to tell you. Sit down."

Donna sat down, looking very worried.

Donna

Donna felt like someone had pulled the floor out from under her.

"Tell me that again," she said to David.

David said very gently, "Jen is claiming that she's pregnant and I'm the father. I don't believe it for a minute. I mean this is Jen we're talking about. She's hardly above coming up with some crazy fantasy to hold on to me. I've told her I want documentation and I can't believe that she can come up with anything."

"What if she can?" Donna asked fearfully.

David shook his head, "I'll take a paternity test. But it's not going to come to that. I know it won't. Jen will collapse. You'll see."

Donna wished she could believe him. But something told her that this wasn't one of Jen's fantasies.

"Are you okay?" David asked her.

She looked at David. She had forgiven him for Jen. They weren't together then. After all, she had been the one who had cheated. And certainly, she had dated Michael while she and David were seperated so she couldn't judge him for dating Jen.

But why hadn't he been more careful? He was always so careful when he had sex with her. He wouldn't dream of doing anything without protection. Why hadn't he been as careful with Jen?

"I don't know." Donna finally said, "If it's alright with you, I think I just want to go to sleep now."

David nodded. He understood.

Donna walked to the bathroom to get ready to go to bed.