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

Group by Val

David

David woke up with a feeling of dread. Today was the day. The day that would determine the rest of his life. Today was the day that he would get the results of the paternity test that will tell him whether or not he was the father of Jen's baby.

You're not, he told himself, Don't worry. But it didn't work. Now that he took the test, the results were final. The results were the truth. He was terrified that he was the father.

Donna looked pale and nervous. He had to be strong for her. He opened his mouth to say something reassuring but nothing came out.

Silently, David got up and got dressed, all the while knowing that today his life might change forever.

Dylan

Dylan was sitting at his usual stool at the Peach Pit. He was waiting for Nat to give him his order so he could get the hell out of there. He was going through somefiles and paper work. All of which was badly arranged after he had shuffled through them.

Gina popped up behind him, “What ya reading?”

He glanced back at her with an irritated expression, “Nothing,” he replied. “Hey,Nat! Where’s my order?”

“Patience is a virtue,” he said as he passed. “Hiya, Gina. How ya doin sweety?”

“Good,”she replied and then back to Dylan she said, “Tough work being a TV producer.

”Without looking up at her; “What are you talking about?”

“I know your secret Mister “Eddie Wakis”. Do you plan on telling Brenda?” she asked. “I’m not threatening anything, but what do you think she’d say?”

“This has nothing to do you, Gina.”

"Did you not have a whole lot of faith in her acting ability, or did you just planon keeping me around long enough for your little executive producer gig ended up winning back your old flame?”

Theyhave a good thing going so he was giving her the benefit of a doubt. That washer first impression. She’s entitled to it. He’s not ready yet, but he’ll explain the truth to her. Maybe later tonight, but not now.

“A half turkey on wheat, with a side of pie for a Mr. McKay?” Nat looked around, as if he didn’t know who he was searching for. “Thanks Nat,” he grabbed his to go bag and turned to talk to Gina, “Listen, you don’t know whatyour talking about, but I can see that your upset right now.” He started toleave. “Later. If you’re up for hearing the true story come by tonight.” He walked out and Gina watched him leave. She was mad, but she was also willing to hear him out.

Brandon

Brandon and Kelly were rushing out the door. Each one had forgot something. Get to the car, remember that one of them left something behind, go get the item, and back to the car. This went on for about two or three trips a piece.

On Brandon’s last trip inside, the trip he was sure would be the last, the phone rang. It was David passing along some information about Valerie’s coming home party.

“Yeah,” Brandon started, “I know a little bit about it, David. We already told Noah that we were gonna be out of town.”

“What do you guys have goin’ on?” David asked.

“There’s a conference I’ve been invited to speak at in San Francisco. So we’re heading out for a bit. I just saw Val a couple of days ago. She won’t miss us.”

That was enough for David. “Okay. Listen, good luck on your talk.”

“Thanks, man. Give Val a hug for me, will you?”

David said that he would and they hung up the phone. Brandon locked up and went to the car. Kellyasked what took him so long. As they headed on their way to San Francisco, he went on to explain the call from David about Val’s party.

“I told him I’m speaking at a conference in San Francisco.”

“What?” Kelly was shocked and surprised.

“I told him that we’re going to San Francisco for a little while because I’m speaking at a conference,” he repeated.

“I’ve been telling people that we’re going for a romantic getaway.”

Brandon took a deep breath. “It’s not the end of the world,” he told her, “At least we’re going to the same town.”

“I know it’s not as bad as it sounds. I just don’t want this to be public yet. I want to wait until it’s over and I actually have something to tell people.”

With one hand on the wheel, he put the other around her shoulders, “Don’t worry, Kel. Whenever you decide the time is right. The news will be good news and everyone will understand why you thought it was best to wait until afterwards.”

“I hope so. I just feel like I’m shutting them out. Do you think they have a right to know?” she asked.

“Only you can decide that. We’re both keeping this secret, remember? If they put you through some guilt trip, I’m going to have to bear the same one. So for now let’s just try and stay positive and we’ll work out the little problems when they come around. Okay?”

“You're right,” she said, not necessarily agreeing, but not wanting to argue. “So what are we going to do to celebrate my recovery?”

Donna

Donna drove to Now Wear This, still silently brooding. She didn't know what would happen if David was the father of Jen's baby. It would change everything, she knew that, but she didn't know how it would. She was really worried.

Gina was waiting for her in front of the store.

As Donna unlocked the store, Gina told her awkwardly. "Look, you don't have to be here today if you don't want to. I can handle things by myself."

Donna smiled ruefully. "What am I going to do, sit home and worry? I need to work, otherwise I'll go crazy."

Gina nodded understandingly.

"Besides," Donna told her as they walked into the store, "I have to make sure everything's coordinated for Val's party. You know, call everybody and remind them." Donna sighed, " =Someone might as well get a nice surprise today."

Jen

When Jennifer woke up, the only thing she could think about were the paternity test results. She picked out a pair of black jeans and yellow sweater from her closet and headed to the bathroom to take a shower. Today was the first day of the rest of her life.

Lexi

Lexi and Megan were sitting at Megan's kitchen table drinking coffee.

"Okay, well since I'm finally able to go to court with you today, you may want to update me on what's going on."

Lexi nodded. Megan hadn't been able to come because Sarah had the flu and she was busy taking care of her. "Well, so far things aren't looking up. He had a criminal record sky high, but somehow no evidence is backing me."

Megan nodded in sympathy. "I'm sorry, honey."

Lexi went on. "Today, Matt, the guy that found me, is testifying. So is Michael." She checked her watch. "We better get going. I have to be there in an hour and a half and we still want to get breakfast, right?"

Megan nodded and picked her purse up off the table. "Let's go."

Janet

"Ssshhhh!" Steve whispered loudly as he ran into the living room, "Maddy's still sleeping!!"

Taylor lowered the blaring heavy metal music that was coming from the stereo.

"Sorry," he shrugged his shoulders. Once Steve turned around and left, Taylor raised the volume up a bit. He started bopping his head and singing along.

Janet abruptly stopped into the living room with the laundry basket in her hand. "Did he just curse?!?!" she asked, referring to the music.

"Um, yeah," Taylor said, "I think so."

"Who is that you're listening too?"

"Slipknot."

"Who??"

"Slipknot," he walked over and showed her the CD cover.

Steve peered over her shoulders to get a look at the cover, "You like these guys? With the masks and all?"

Taylor nodded.

"When did you get this?" Janet asked.

"Yesterday, when I went to 7250 with Noah. I finally got to use the gift certificate I got for Christmas."

"Ohhh," Janet said, turning around to go do the laundry. She didn't know he liked this kind of music. There were a lot of things she didn't know about him.

David

David drove to the center mechanically. It wasn't that he was even lost in thought. He just wasn't thinking at all. The radio was on but he had no idea what song was playing. He was completely on automatic pilot.He pulled into the center's parking lot. He parked the car, locked up and walked to the center front door. He saw Jen waiting there for him.

"Hi," he said awkwardly.

"Hi," Jen responded, just as awkwardly.

David fumbled for the right words. "Uhh, look. If I am the father, I just want you to know I'm going to take responsibility for the baby. I know we'll have a lot to work out but I'm not going to duck out on you."

Jen smiled gently. "I know." She took David by the arm. "C'mon, let's go see the doctor and get this over with."

They walked into the center.

Kelly

They had been driving along the wide open road for an hour now. Only 3 more to go.

Kelly's stomach growled. Boy, was she hungry. She thought about asking Brandon to stop at the next service station so they could get some food, but she quickly remembered that she wasn't allowed to eat because of the surgery.

But maybe she wasn't hungry. Maybe it was just nerves. She reached over and grabbed Brandon's hand. She squeezed it and he looked at her. Their eyes met and she smiled. She wasn't so nervous anymore.

Carly

Carly walked into CU University's class coordinator's office.

A woman at the counter looked up from her paperwork. "How may I help you?" she asked.

Carly smiled, shyly. "I have an appointment to get one of my classes changed."

The woman looked in her appointment book, which was laying open on the desk. "Carly Reynolds?"

Carly nodded. "Yes, that's me."

The woman pointed to a chair in the left corner. "Have a seat. Someone will be with you shortly."

Carly nodded her thanks and smiled. "Thank you, ma'am." Carly walked over to the seat and sat down. She was planning on getting out of Adam's class, once and for all. Boy, was he in for a shocker!

Jen

After arriving at the office, Jen and David walked up to the front desk, their arms still linked together.

"Hi, I'm Jennifer Manicni."

"Oh," She said, typing her name in her computer. "Is David Sliver, with you too?"

"Yes, he is," she responded.

"Alright; well you two come with me and we'll draw some blood." The two were led into the back.

Kelly

Kelly and Brandon walked up to the receptionist in the surgical waiting room.

"Um, hi," Kelly said, "I have a laparotomy scheduled for today."

"Your name?"

"Taylor. Kelly Taylor."

"You're twenty minutes late."

"I know, I'm sorry. It kinda takes a while when you're coming from LA."

"LA?? To San Francisco? For surgery??"

"Don't ask."

The receptionist put a hospital ID bracelet on Kelly's wrist. "It'll be a few minutes before one of the cubicles opens up. In there, you'll change into a gown, and we'll do some normal pre-surgical procedures and give you're first pre-anesthesia dosage."

Kelly nodded, "Okay. Thanks."

She and Brandon sat down on two empty chairs. Kelly looked around the room. All these people need surgery!?!, she thought. There were so many different types of people. Old people, young people. Caucasion people, Hispanic people. They all had one thing in common though: they were all sick. The thought sent chills up Kelly's spine. She took Brandon's hand and squeezed it. Again, he looked at her and their eyes met. What was it about his look that always made her feel better?

Lexi

Lexi, Megan, and Michael walked into the courtroom together.

"Good morning, Ms. Sterling," the Judge said.

"Good morning, Judge Mills," she said. She was wearing cheap pants and a tank top. It made her look like a victim, her attorney said. She took her seat next to her lawyer. She shot John a hideous look.

"Let's begin," Judge Mills said.

"I would like to call a witness to the stand," Lexi's attorney, Ms. Wagner said. "Matthew Morgan."

Matthew took his place at the stand.

The lawyer went to the stand and stood in front of him. "Matthew, can you please tell me what you were doing on the night of May 7th, 2001?"

Matthew didn't think at all, he right away knew the answer. "I was working at a deli, on 3rd street in Beverly Hills."

She nodded. "Can you please tell me when you found Ms. Sterling?"

"At a approximately 10. Maybe 10:30? I'm not positive, but I know it was in that hour."

"What was she doing?"

John's lawyer interrupted, shouting, "Objection your honor. Leading the witness!"

"Overuled," he simply said. "You may proceed, Ms. Wagner."

"Thank you, Judge. What was she doing?"

"Well, she was running away from Mr. Sails," he responded.

"Why was Ms. Sterling running from him?"

"He was trying to rape her. He beat her over the head. I saw it and ran after her."

Ms. Wagner nodded and smiled satisfied. "No further questions, your honor."

Jen

Jen and David had both done their blood work and all that was left were the results. David was pacing around the room and it was really starting to get on her nerves.

"Would you stop being so. . .so. . .annoying?"

David stopped pacing, "I can't! They told us twenty five minutes and its been over a half hour."

"David, will you be patient?"

"I'm sorry," he said sarcastically, "You try being patient when you are waiting for something that could change your life forever."

Jen looked down and mumbled to herself, "Been there, done that."

Finally one of the doctors in the group walked into the room.

"Jennifer Manicini, David Sliver, we have the test results."

Jen sighed loudy "Okay, we're ready. Tell us."

"David you are NOT the father," doctor said, "There is only a 1 in 10 million chance."

A smile of relief came over David's face. He looked over at Jen. She was almost in tears. She saw David looking at her and ran out of the room.

David called after her "JEN!! Jen wait."

Carly

Carly walked into the counselors office.

"Good morning, Ms. Reynolds," she said polietley.

"Good morning, Ms. Harris," she said.

"Please have a seat." She directed Carly to the chair in front of her desk. They both sat down. "So what class would you like to change?"

"My Basic Law class. I'd like to change teachers, if that is at all possible."

Ms. Harris nodded. "Okay," she said. "Hold on a minute, let me get the file out."

She went looking through a bin that said 'Appoinments' on it and took out a file. She put on a pair of glasses and read from it. "You have Proffessor Dain?"

She nodded. "Yes."

"Okay. We can switch you to Proffessor Elaine Witt's class. If you switch out Proffessor Dain's class, you'll have an incomplete, even though you're switching into the same class but with a different instructor. I suggest doing an internship. It would make up for the missing grade."

"Ok. . .?" Carly said, a bit confused.

"You can choose any lawyer you want, just have him call us. We'll need to know your selection in two weeks. Until then, you don't have to attend the Basic Law class," Ms. Harris explained.

Carly nodded and stood up. "Thank you soo much!" she exclaimed, pushing in her chair.

She smiled. "We'll see you soon."

David

David looked around the center's parking lot. No, Jen was gone, no doubt about it. Damn. He was relieved for himself but poor Jen was still stuck with a baby and no idea who the father was. He had wanted to tell her that he'd do everything he could to help her, even after they found out who the father was. But he couldn't tell her that if he couldn't find her.He debated calling Jen at home to see if she was all right. Then he shook his head. No, it looked like Jen really needed to be alone right now.

He headed for his car. Right now, the best thing he could do was go tell Donna the good news and be supportive to Val at her party. He got in his car and drove off.

Lexi

Jack Samson, John's lawyer, started questioning Matthew. "Matthew, was there any verbal indication from Ms. Sterling that she was running from Mr. Sails?"

Matthew stared at him like he was an idiot. "Yeah."

"What was it?"

"Hmm. . .lets see. Well she was screaming and yelling, 'Get me away from that man', 'help me!'"

"Mr. Morgan," Judge Mills said, "Please refrain from putting sarcasm in your responses. You may step down. Matthew did as he was told.

Lexi smiled. Things seemed to be going good for her today.

"I would like to call Michael Mancini to the stand," Mr. Samson said.

Michael got out of his seat. This was his big moment. This was the only chance he was going to have to protect the love of his life. Please don't screw up, Michael, he told himself.

Jen

Jen cried all the way home. Not only was she terribly embrassed for telling David he was the father when he wasn't but she hadn't a clue to who the baby's father really was. She was in such distress that when she came home, she went straight to bed. She cried for a while before falling asleep, with no intentions of getting up to go to Val's party.

Brenda

Brenda was exhausted. She'd just done a really draining scene for Class of Beverly Hills. Hayley had just finally admitted to herself that she was incredibly frustrated that she could never live up to her perfect sister no matter what she did. It had taken a lot out of her and she really just needed to collapse on a chair for a few minutes and catch her breath.Which was why it was so annoying to see Rex Beck, demon gossip columnist, waiting for her.

Brenda groaned. "Traci's off today, Beck. She's at home reading a good book. Why don't you go away and come back tomorrow? Or better yet, just go away."

Beck sniffed, "I'm not here to speak to that little tramp. I'm here to speak to you."

To her? "Well, I don't want to speak to you," Brenda told him, "So why don't you just go back to your office and find someone else's career to trash?"

Beck smiled. It was a shark's smile. "Funny you should say that. I found out some interesting information and I was just about to trash yours."

Brenda couldn't keep the shock off her face.

"I thought you might want to talk with me before I published my information. Would you like to talk to me?" Beck smirked.

Numbly, Brenda nodded.

Kelly

Kelly, in her medical gown, was transferred onto a stretcher that would take her to the operating room. A nurse wheeled her out of the surgical waiting room and into the hallway. Brandon walked along the stretcher. There was that look again. The look that told her everything would be okay, no matter what.

"Sir, you can't come in here," the male nurse said to Brandon when they reached the doors that led to the OR.

"Oh, right. Sorry," Brandon replied. He leaned on the stretcher to give Kelly a kiss. She was a little groggy from the medicine but kissed him back passionately.

"I love you," she managed to get out.

"I love you too. And I'll be right waiting for you when you get out."

The nurse pushed the stretcher through the double doors and into a room. A man walked over to the stretcher and helped the nurse move Kelly from the stretcher onto the surgical table.

"Kelly, I'm Doctor Friedman. I'm an anestesiologist. And that gentleman over there," the man pointed, "is Doctor Artz. He'll be the one operating on you today. Now lie back and relax." He brushed Kelly's hair out of her face and placed a gas mask over her mouth, "Just relax. Close your eyes and relax. . ."

Brenda

Brenda took Beck to a set she knew would be deserted this time of day.

"All right, Beck," she said to him. "What are you talking about? You don't have anything to trash my career. I've got nothing to hide."

Beck shook his head condescendingly. "Now, now. Everybody has something to hide. Particularly you with your police record."

"What police record?" Brenda asked. "I've never been arrested!" Then suddenly, it hit her. Yes, she had. "Oh,my god." she said slowly.

It had been so long ago that she had honestly forgotten. Donna had found a stray dog that she had named Rocky. Donna had loved Rocky very much. But Rocky was dying, a victim of laboratory testing on animals. When Rocky had died, Donna was broken-hearted. Seeing that had made something snap in Brenda. She'd joined a crazy militant group that'd stormed an animal testing lab like they were commandos or something. They'd gotten caught and Brenda had indeed been arrested.

"That was a long time ago, Beck." Brenda finally said. "I dumped those lunatics after I got arrested. I still fight for the causes I believe in but I do it in a lot saner way now."

Beck kept smirking. "New Spelling Star Former Animal Rights Terrorist! Great headline, don't you think?"

Brenda was starting to lose her temper. "I was never aterrorist! I tried to make a big mess in the lab but I never would've hurt anybody, no matter what!"

Beck shook a finger at her. "That's not what people will think once I get done with the story."

"So why haven't you written your story yet?" Brenda asked.

"Because I need your help." Beck frowned. "I can tell that Ms. Locke considers you a friend. She trusts you. You can get me all the information I need to make that bitch pay for ruining my punishment of Jenny Houston!"

"What did Jenny Houston do to deserve being punished,anyway?" Brenda asked, genuinely curious.

Beck was momentarily distracted. "She was late for an interview with me! WITH ME! Can you imagine such utter gall?"

"Maybe she had a good reason?" Brenda suggested.

"There can be no good reason for such disrespect!" Beck thundered. Then his mind returned to the present. He continued

"Ms. Locke helped Jenny Houston because they were friends." He pronounced 'friends with' a contempous sneer. "Therefore, I think it is only fitting that a friend should destroy Ms. Locke and prove to her that friendship is a lie that will always be trumped by self-interest."

"Except that I won't do it, Beck," Brenda told him. "You can do what you want to my career. I won't betray Traci."

Beck nodded. "I expected you to be noble at first. But I have a while until I join The California Review of Books. I can wait until I publish my story. And your nobility won't last forever. The more you contemplate what I can do to your career, the more you'll weaken. You'll crack and I'll get my story."

"What's to stop me from warning Traci not to tell me anything ?", Brenda asked. Of course, she already knew about Traci's substance-abusing past-- a story Beck would kill for. But the more information she got, the better her chance of figuring a way out of this.

Beck shrugged. "Let her know that because you're her friend, your career is doomed? It's not my preferred form of revenge but contemplating what that would do to her emotionally. . .that'll do."

Oh God. He was right. She couldn't even warn Traci that Beck was trying to get at her through Brenda, let alone brainstorm with her to figure out how to deal with Beck. Traci would be devastated if she thought she had put Brenda in danger.

"I'll be seeing you," Beck said cheerfully. And with that, the big man walked away.

Brenda waited until he was out of earshot and then said to the empty air, " Oh boy."

Carly

Carly opened the front door to her home. She sighed and put her purse and keys down on the counter. Zach came running out of his bedroom. "Hey mom; guess what?"

Carly laughed at his excitement. Just then, Leah entered the room. "What?" she asked.

"Its about my gift certificate for the arcade."

"Hey Leah," she said. Then she turned back to Zach. "What about it?"

"Well, since I don't have school and you don't have school, I figured we could go today and use it. Together," he said.

Leah laughed. "He's been waiting for you to get home. Your mother called."

Carly froze. She hadn't spoken to her mother and her step-father, Ray, for weeks! "Oh no. . ." she said.

"What's wrong?" Leah asked.

"Oh, it's nothing really. I just haven't seen her in a long time. I'm just surprised she finally decided to return my calls!" Carly said, a little aggrivated.

Leah nodded. She checked her watch. "Well I'd better get going. My mom wants me home for lunch."

"Bye, Leah!" Zach yelled.

"Bye Zach. Bye Carly."

"Bye Leah. I'll pay you on Saturday, okay?"

Leah nodded. "That's fine. Bye" She opened the door and left.

"So mom can we????" Zach asked.

Carly laughed. "Sure. You go get dressed and I'll call Grandma."

"Okay!" he said and rushed into his room.

She was excited to be spending the rest of the day with Zach. She was so wrapped up in Adam that she hadn't really spent some quality time with him. That all changed now.

Steve

Janet placed two bowls of salad in front of Steve and Taylor.

"Salad?", Taylor sighed.

Janet made a face, "Yes, salad. Something wrong?"

"No; nothing." Taylor took his fork and picked at the lettuce.

"That's the dryer," Janet said, referring to the buzzing noise, "I'll be back."

Taylor sat picking at the salad while Steve nearly finished his in 3 bites.

"Ooh, I meant to tell you," Steve said as a piece of carrot dropped out of his mouth, "You're starting school next week."

"I am??"

"Yep. You would have started sooner but for some reason, it took a while to process your forms."

"What school am I going to?"

"West Beverly High. That's where I went."

"Land of the rich and dumb. . .", Taylor mumbled.

"Excuse me?"

"Nothing."

Brandon

Brandon had been pacing around for what felt like hours. While in reality, it had hardly been one. He knew that everything was going to be okay, but his mind can’t help but drift. What can go wrong? What if something does go wrong? How will he tell everyone? Donna, Dylan, her family, their friends. Everyone was, for the most part, in the dark.

He started to flip through a magazine in the waiting area. He really didn’t care what he was reading . It was just something to take his mind off the thoughts he was having. Among the stack of magazines were the normal woman’s magazines.

A certain magazine caught his eye. It was obviously done by a local publisher. The title, San Francisco's Bride, was a dead giveaway. He, for reason he couldn’t explain, picked it up and started to thumb through it. As he did, he started to think about how exciting it was to plan a wedding and how he felt when he proposed to Kelly. Every time.

He was starting to get lost in thought. Not thoughts of past weddings, but of a new one. One that hadn’t happened yet. When he came out of his daze, he realized that in his daydream it was he and Kelly playing the parts of bride and groom. Right then and there, in that single moment, alone in the waiting area, he decided with perfect clarity and without a doubt. . .he was going to marry Kelly.

Strangely, knowing that made everything better. She hadn’t said yes, nor had he proposed, but the planning of a wedding that may or may not ever happen for the two of them gave him comfort.

He smiled and then it faded away with a dreadful thought. The proposal will be easy. He’s had practice. The hardpart would be picking his best man.

The question of a best man was soon forgotten when he quietly said to himself, “I’m gonna marry that girl.”

Valerie

Valerie was in her room, packing up her bags and getting ready to go. Today, she was getting out of rehab. She couldn't wait to get back into her daily routine and spend time with her friends, especially Noah. Even though she would rather die than admitting it, rehab helped her more than she thought it would.

When she finished packing, she headed over to her counselors office. When she walked in, Stephaine was on the phone so she held up her hand and signaled to Val that she would be a few seconds and to sit down.

When she got off the phone she spoke "So Val. I hear this is the big day."

"Yep. I'm breaking out of here."

"So how do you feel about that? Do you think you're ready?

"Are you kidding me? I thought I was ready to leave when i came here"

Steph laughed, "Thats true."

"Well, I do have my doubts, but I'm sure I will be fine. I definitely don't want to have to come back here."

"Good."

"I just wanted to say thanks and goodbye," Valerie went to hug her.

"You're welcome. If you need me, you know how to get in touch with me. Bye, Valerie."

"Bye, Stephanie."

Dylan

For some strange reason, a bored Dylan decided to clean out a closet in the back of the house. This was completely out of character for him, a person who dreaded cleaning and hardly ever did. But something possessed him. Something weird.

When he opened the closet door and spread the coats apart, he was a little suprised by what he found. His old surfboard and a cardboard box filled with various things. He wondered what they were doing there. Granted he had been back in Beverly Hills for a few years now, he hadn't been back living in this house until last year. Even when he moved back in, he never bothered to go through certain closets. He didn't expect to find anything. When he left Beverly Hills, he told Brandon to lock the place up. Whatever that meant. He thought that Brandon got rid of most of his stuff or at least put it in storage. Apparently he saved some stuff--stuff that he thought Dylan might find personal. Like a keepsake.

He took out the surfboard and admired it. He thought back to the "good 'ol days." The days he spent surfing, from dawn 'til dusk. The days when he didn't have a care in the world. Later on in his life, that seemed to become the problem.

He put the board aside and took out the box. He sat on the floor and started to go through it. Everything he found in that box made him smile. No wonder Brandon saved these things for him. Inside the box he founds some things of his past-- like Byron: The Collected Works, the book he wrote about his father and Kelly back in 1993, and his 30 Days Sobriety pin from AA. Lastly, he found a picture of Brenda and him. It must have been taken back when they were going out.

God, Dylan thought, If Gina tells her. . . He liked Gina. A lot. Maybe he even loved her. A lot. But did he love Brenda more?

Carly

Carly and Zach walked into the arcade.

"Are you ready?" she asked.

He nodded. "Yeah, I'll go get a drink and you can get the coins," he said having it all planned out.

Carly laughed. "Okay." She went over to the counter and exchanged the gift certificate for a bunch of arcade coins.

Zach walked over to her with two lemonades . "Here you go."

Carly smiled. "Thank you."

She and Zach were going to have a lot of fun. It was great that they were both off from school. It was nice to spend some quality time with him again. Just then, her cell phone rang.

"Answer it," Zach said.

"Hold on a minute!" she laughed. She grabbed her phone. "Hello?"

"Hey Carly, it's Donna!" her cheerful voice came through the phone.

Carly smiled. "Oh hey, Donna. What's up?"

"Well, David wanted me to call everyone remind them of the surprise party for Val. Ya know, to welcome her home?"

Carly gasped. "Oh my god, I totally forgot she was coming home today."

Donna laughed. "Yeah, well, anyway it's at the After Dark tonight at 7:30. Jewel is playing."

"I can probably get a babysitter for Zach."

"Great! I hope to see you there."

"Bye." Carly hung up the phone and turned back to Zach, "Ready to go game crazy?"

"Ready!!"

Brandon

Brandon had dozed off for a little bit He awoke to see the doctor heading towards him. Brandon glanced at his watch, trying not to give the impression that they were taking too long. It felt like the whole day had passed but instead he's been waiting, nervously, for over three hours. That couldn't be good.

“What kind of news is it?” he asked before the doctor could start.

The doctor told Brandon the surgery took so long because they discovered the tumors to be cancerous.

“What exactly does that mean?” Brandon asked with concern. “What can be done to get rid of the cancer?”

The doctor took a minute to collect his thoughts. Brandon could tell that he was searching for the right thing tosay. “Brandon,” he started. “Kelly has what’s called Type Two Ovarian Cancer.”

“What has to happen?” he asked.

“Well, we were able to take out part of the tumors. We had to remove certain organs belonging to her reproduction system.”

Brandon asked, “What about having children?”

“Without these organs, it's impossible.” He saw the look of sadness on Brandon’s face. “I’m sorry to have to tell you this.”

“How is she?” he interrupted. “Is she going to be okay?”

“I’m expecting a full recovery,” he replied.

“When can I see her?” Brandon quickly asked.

“Currently, she's in the ICU. I’ll have a nurse retrieve you when she’s rested.”

“Thank you.”

The doctor walked away and left Brandon alone once more. It was a small exchange for her life. The chances of her having children, ever, were slim due to the miscarriage a few years back. He only hoped that they let him tell her. The news would be taken a little better if given to her by him rather than a stranger.

Janet

Janet walked into Seven-Eleven with Taylor following behind her.

"Let's make this quick," she told him.

Taylor nodded and headed over to the magazines. As he picked up the latest issue of Sports Illustrated, someone bumped into him. He turned around.

"Oh, hey Rich," Taylor said when he realized who had hit him.

"Taylor, man. Haven't seen you around," replied the dyed hair and earring in nostril decorated kid.

"I know. I've been. . .locked up." He looked towards Janet.

"Hopefully with some girls!" joked Rich.

"I'm staring school next week."

"Oh yeah? West Bev?"

Taylor nodded, "Yep."

Janet walked over to the two boys, "Ready to go?"

"Yeah," Taylor said.

"See ya around," Rich said before walking off with a smirk.

Brenda

Brenda had just finished shooting for the day when one of the stagehands came up to her with a phone.

"Phone call for you." he said, handing her the phone.

"Thanks, Ralph." She took the phone. "Hello." Brenda said into the reciever.

"Hey, Bren." It was Traci. " How's life in the working class?"

Brenda chuckled. "Laugh it up while you can, lady. I've seen this week's script. They're putting you through the wringer!"

Traci laughed. "Good. I had a great day off and I'm ready to act my little heart out! Before I do that," she continued more seriously, "I did want to check something with you. Tonight's the night Jewel is playing at the After Dark, right?"

"Right. It's also the night of my friend Valerie's out-of-rehab party."

"I'm looking forward to meeting her," Traci said thoughtfully. "From what you've told me about her, it sounds like we have a lot in common."

"Don't be offended if she doesn't want to talk about rehab much," Brenda warned her. "Val's not someone who lets her guard down easily."

"I understand," Traci said. " I'll offer an ear if she ever wants to talk about it but I won't expect anything."

"That's probably best," Brenda agreed. Then she said in a much lighter tone, "So tell me about this great day off."

"I don't know which was more fun," Traci began. "The book I read from cover to cover or the time I actually spent swimming in the pool. . . "

As Traci continued to talk, Brenda frowned to herself. I won't let him hurt you, Traci, she thought. Somehow, I am going to deal with this lunatic and make sure he doesn't hurt either of us. I just wish I knew how.

Brandon

He had been waiting to see Kelly for a little while now. “They said ten minutes,” he mumbled to himself as he looked at his watch seeing that thirty minutes had now passed. He decided to take matters into his own hands. He went to the nurses' station and found out her room number. He saw her doctor in the hall but bypassed him and headed straight for her room/

When he got there, she was asleep. He sat beside her and waited for her to open her eyes. When she did she smiled. He smiled back. She was still a little doped up from the medication they gave her so her words were short. Within a few minutes, she fell right back asleep.

Donna

All too soon, it was time to lock up Now Wear This for the day.

"Still nothing," Gina sighed, staring at the phone.

"He may not know yet," Donna reminded Gina. "Even if he does know, we agreed that he's going to meet me at Val's party and let me know then."

"I know, I know." Gina raised her arms dismissively. "But I wanna know now! How can you stand it?" she asked Donna while she paced around the store. " I'm going crazy waiting and he's not even my husband!"

Donna looked thoughtful. "I guess I've just reached the point where I know there's nothing I can do about it. Whatever's going to happen is going to happen. I'm praying that David isn't the father but if he is, I'm going to have to deal with it."

Gina looked at her, impressed. "I want to be you when I grow up," she said seriously.

Touched, Donna hugged her sister. When they seperated, Donna told Gina, "We'd really better get going now. We have to get ready for Val's party."

Gina nodded. "Yeah. I've gotta admit, I really missed her. We don't always get along but, deep down inside, she's okay."

"Yeah, she is," Donna agreed. "It's going to be good to have her back."

They locked up the store and headed for their respective homes.

Valerie

Valerie was pulling her hair up when Noah knocked on her door.

"Hey there," he said with a smile.

"Hi," she said, finishing putting her hair in a ponytail.

"You ready to get out of here?"

"Do you even need to ask that?"

He laughed. "Wait a minute," he said looking down at all her bags. "How are you leaving with more bags then you came with?"

"Well, the only thing there was on TV was the Home Shopping channel and I guess I kind of went overboard."

"Thats how you maxed out your creidt card?"

"Yup."

"Well it's okay. Just give all of it away and say it's a late christmas gift."

"Are you kidding me? I'm not giving away those things" Val said as if he had totally lost his mind.

"Val, what are you going to do with a three blend blender, an orange squeezer?" He said, going through the bags and laughing.

"Make all the fun you want, but don't ask me for any of my orange strawberry juice." She picked up one of the bags and walked out.

He laughed and picked up the rest of the bags and struggled out of the room.

Dylan

Dylan and Gina were getting out of the car when Dylan grabbed two big bags of assorted candy from the back seat.

“What are those for?” Gina asked.

“It’s an inside thing,” he told her.

“Like a joke?” she pushed.

He didn’t give, “Yeah, like a joke.” He ended the conversation with that and walked inside.

Carly

Carly walked into the After Dark for Val's party. Everyone was already there except for Noah, and of course Val. She walked a few steps towards Gina.

"Hey..." she said.

"Hey," Gina said and hugged her. "What's up?"

"Nothing," Carly quietly answered.

"What's wrong?"

She thought for a second. "It's nothing," she replied.

"Come on, let it out."

Carly sighed. "Okay. . .Well for starters, I'm having a great time with Zach, just me and him, ya know? But something's missing, it's like he's growing up too fast." She paused. "Why am I bothering you with this? It's stupid. . .and you probably have no idea about it," she said in the nicest way possible.

Gina got a little aggrivated but hid it well. "No, you're wrong. If there is anything about children I know, it's about kids growing up too fast. You need to give them love, so they can grow up to be great people. Even though they might be getting older and more mature, they still need love. They may not admit it , but they do," Gina said strongly. She touched Carly's shoulder.

Wow, Carly thought. She was right. "Thank you for that, Gina. You're right, I'm sorry."

Gina smirked. "Aren't I always?"

Carly thought about that. Even though it was meant to be a joke, it was true. Gina really helped her through her problems, and she was right through it all.

Steve

Steve and Janet walked towards the bar in the After Dark. Their friends were gathered all around, waiting for the guest of honor to show up.

"Guys, Noah and Val should have just left the center," Steve told everyone, "They should be here in a few minutes."

"She must be so happy to finally be able to come home," Donna said.

Janet sighed, "Lets just hope she stays clean this time."

"I've got a feeling she will. . ." David said

Valerie

Noah and Valerie were in his Jeep driving back to town. Val was trying to find something good on the radio when she noticed he took a left on Sunset Boulevard.

"Hey where are we going?" she asked him.

"I have to make a quick stop at the After Dark."

"Aw, Noah. Can't we just go home? I'm starving. I was thinking we could order some takeout. You know a little orange chicken, some lo mein?"

"Sounds like a plan. Just let me go and check on something and then we'll leave," he said pulling into the parking lot of the After Dark.

"Alright." They got out of the car and walked over to the door. "Wow; it all looks the same."

"Well, you weren't gone for that long" he said taking her hand and leading her through the door and into the main part of the club. As he hit the lights, the gang jumped out and yelled 'Surprise'. There was a banner above the stage that said that said 'WELCOME HOME VALERIE'. She smiled. She really did have a good set of friends.

Dylan

A few minutes after she arrived, Dylan gave Val a hug. She kissed him on the cheek.

“We brought you gifts,” he said as he gave her the two bags of candy.

Pointing out the obvious, Gina stated, “Candy. We brought candy.” Again,Gina piped up with, “I still don’t know why we brought candy.”

When she went to ask Val, she had disappeared. It was killing her. Why candy? What meaning could it possibly have?

Lexi

Lexi and Michael walked in to her apartment. They just got home the courthouse. The jury had taken so long in making a decision.

"Yes!" Michael screamed excitedly.

"He's finally in jail. . ." Lexi said with a smile. "Let's celebrate."

"What did you have in mind?" Michael asked.

"Hmmmm. . .I don't know," Lexi smiled seductively. She led him over to the couch.

They kissed and started to make love.

Donna

Donna went up to Val and asked, "How're you doing?"

"Great," Val said, smiling. "Like I've got my feet on the ground for the first time in a long time." Then Val frowned. "But I should be asking you how you're doing. David told me about the whole thing with Jen. Any word on the test results yet?"

Donna shook her head sideways. "He's coming here straight from the with the results."

"Look, I don't know if this helps but there is no woman that David loves more than he loves you." Val chuckled, "It used to drive me crazy when we were dating. He always treated me like a princess but I always knew that I was number 2 after you. Nobody knows better than I do that you two were meant to be together."

Donna smiled but it was a very worried smile. "I really hope you're right."

Brenda

After seeing Donna walk away, Brenda went up to Val and asked her "There's something I really have to tell you. Can we just talk in private for a moment?"

Val nodded and the two walked up to Noah's office.

Brenda took a deep breath and told Val, "I just want to say that I owe you a massive apology."

"For what?" Val asked.

Brenda fidgeted a little. "Because I really haven't been as good a friend to you as I should have been. When I came back from England, I was trying really hard to revive my friendships with Kelly and Donna. I forgot that there was someone in Beverly Hills who had been my friend long before Kelly and Donna were."

"That was a long time ago," Val pointed out sympathetically. "We were little kids then."

"But you and Brandon are still tight," Brenda pointed out. "You've been through a lot together. The only thing you and I have been through together is fighting over Noah." Val smiled wryly. "That's going to change. I'm going to try to be the friend you deserve to have. I don't know if we can be as close as we were when we were kids but I'd really like it if we were."

"So would I," Val admitted.

Brenda smiled. "Welcome home, Val." The two old friends embraced each other.

Donna

Donna noticed David walking into the After Dark. Suddenly, she couldn't talk.

As David walked up to her, she noticed out of the corner of her eye everybody slowly gathering around her. But she really didn't care. There was only one thing she cared about.

David stopped walking when he reached her. And smiled. "I'm not the father," he said.

Donna leapt in the air with her fist raised. "YES!" she yelled. "THANK YOU, GOD !"

Donna high-fived everybody and gave David a hug so strong that she nearly knocked him over.

Then a thought struck her and she calmed down. "Oh my God, poor Jen. She's all alone. David, did you tell her that we'll help her any way we can?"

David frowned. "I tried but she raced out of the center like a bat out of hell. I really think she needs some alone time before I try calling her."

Donna sighed. "I feel so bad for her."

Gina put her hand on Donna's shoulder. "You'll help her. That's who you are. But there's nothing you can do for her tonight. So go dance with your husband. You've earned it."

David smiled. "She's got a point, Donna." David bowed in an extremely courtly manner. " May I have this dance, madam?"

Donna giggled and walked with David to the dance floor.

Brenda

Everybody was still looking at David and Donna heading for the dance floor when a thought struck Traci. She had been introduced to Val earlier and she turned to face Val now.

"Valerie. . ." she began.

"Val." Val interrupted cheerfully.

Traci smiled. "Val. I just wanted you to know that I've been through rehab, too. If you need any help or anything, just let me know."

"That's really nice of you," Val said politely. "But I really doubt I'll need any help. Thanks anyway."

"No problem." Traci responded casually.

They continued to talk for a little while. Good, Brenda thought. They're getting along. When Val took an instant dislike to somebody, it took a really long time to talk her out of it. Just ask Kelly.

Finally, it was time for Jewel to begin playing. Everybody had to head to their seats.

"I like her," Traci said to Brenda as they sat down. "She's obviously been through a lot but she's also obviously a real survivor. You've got great taste in friends."

Brenda laughed. "Gee, that's a modest statement."

Traci grinned. "Isn't it?"

Valerie

The party was in full swing and after Jewel came on stage, Valerie went over to see David.

"Hey there," she said, approaching him from behind.

"There you are. I meant to come talk to you."

"Don't worry about it. I heard the news. I'm happy for you, sad for Jen, but happy for you."

"You're telling me. I feel so bad, even though I'm so glad I'm not the father. At least I would have been there for her and know who knows if the real father will be."

"I know what you mean. Don't worry; I'll take her out to breakfast tommorow and make sure she's okay."

"Thanks Val. Now go talk to Noah and enjoy your party."

She smiled and did as she was told.

Donna

Jewel had taken a break and Donna and David were talking.

"So how are you feeling?" David asked Donna.

"Like a boulder has been lifted off my stomach," Donna told him. "Everything is great, Jewel is terrific and I'm with my sexy husband. David smiled. "I just wish Kelly and Brandon were here," Donna mused.

"I'm sure they're having a great time wherever they are right now," David assured her. "Besides, think of all the fun you'll have telling them the good news when they get back."

Donna smiled as she thought about telling them

Brandon

Brandon had spent almost the entire night next to Kelly's bed, watching her sleep. The nurse told him she probably wouldn't fully awake until morning and then talked him into going home. She took her break and offered to buy him a free cup of coffee from the lounge. They ended up talking for the better part of her half hour break.

When he arrived at his hotel room, he meant to call David and check in with him, but fell asleep as soon as she sat down on the bed.

Dylan

After the party, Dylan and Gina were sitting on the steps to his hour. He explained him being a producer in Brenda's show; he kind of felt he owed it to her. He had set up the interview. He also had nothing to do with her getting the part. It was totally up to her and her talent.

“Why the candy?” she asked him.

“Will you just drop it?” he said. “Ask Val.”

Gina jumped back to the first topic. “What if she didn’t get the part?” she asked. “Would you have pulled out of the project?”

He carefully thought about the answer. “I’d wait and see how the pilot went. If I saw profit, yes. I have every intention of pulling out after the first season.”

“Why?”

“Lots of reasons. There’s the possibility of her finding out. There’s always you.”

“Me?”

“Don’t need you jumping to any crazy conclusions about Brenda and me.” He was quiet for a second. “Afterall, you are my back-up. . .”

She shot him a dirty look and he glanced over at her with a smile. “Back-up?” she repeated. She jumped on him and tackled him to the grass where they wrestled until there was no energy left. So they just laid there watching the sky.

Steve

"I just didn't like the way he looked. That's all I'm saying," Janet said to Steve as she got into bed.

"You of all people are hung up on looks? That's not like you. After everything we went through with your parents. . ."

"Steve, you had to see this kid. His hair was dyed different colors and all spiked up, like a mohawk. And his nose was pierced!!"

Steve joined her in bed, "So? That's what kids are wearing these days. It's a phase. . .they'll grow out of it."

"Just like Maddy grew out of her licking phase?!? I saw her licking her wall this morning."

"That's different. She's a baby."

"She's two."

"Hence the term baby. Listen, I don't want to argue, Janet. I hate it when we fight."

"I know. I'm sorry. It's just. . .I don't even know now. I just don't want to see Taylor fall in with the wrong crowd."

"And if he does, he'll learn. We can't guide him through life with everything. He's gonna slip; he's gonna make mistakes. He'll learn."

"I guess you're right. . ."

"Yes, I am. Now give me a kiss and shut the light."

Janet leaned over and kissed her husband and then shut the light, "Goodnight," she sighed as she turned over to fall asleep.

Valerie

After the party, Noah and Valerie went back to the beach apartment. It was her first night back home. She headed straight for her bedroom and sat on the bed.

"Boy, I missed this place and my bed," she said, lying down on it.

Noah laughed at her. "Come here," she said to him. He laid down on the bed beside her. Valerie begin to unbutton his shirt.

"You know, I coudn't decide what I missed the most. At first I thought it was your shoulders, so strong and and smooth. But then I said, no, its his chest. So well defined," she said tracing a heart on it. "And I kept thinking about how comfortable I was lying agianst it. Next I thought, no it's hands and his fingers." She kissed his fingers. "But then I thought and this was no contest," she smiled, "It's his face and his lips. And your kisses," She said, kissing him seductively, "And your eyes and how it feels just to get lost in them."

"You're absolutely amazing, Valerie," he said to her as she kissed him sime more. "You know you're driving me crazy"

"How ironic. I feel sane for the first time in weeks," she smirked.

Noah turned her over and got on top of her. "Now it's my turn to show you how much I love you and how much I missed you." He kissed her and with that, they made love.

Dylan

Dylan woke up and tried to move his arm. He couldn't. Gina was laying on it. Great, he thought, Now how do I get up? He looked at the clock and sighed. It was only 8:30. He was suprised he woke up this early. For once, he decided to not go back to sleep. Instead, he woke Gina up and told her to throw on some clothes. Preferably work-out clothes.

Lexi

The next morning Lexi woke up. She quickly got dressed and went over to Megan's to watch Sarah.

"Hey Sarah."

"Hi Lexi," Sarah said when she opened the door.

Megan stepped out of her room. "Hey Lexi; you're late."

"Hmmm. . .well it doesn't look like you're even ready. You're going to go out in that?" she asked, making fun of her.

Megan smirked. "Very funny. I'll be back around 3; is that ok?"

"It's fine."

In the next few minutes, Sarah and Lexi began playing Monopoly while Megan look for her keys so she could leave.

Dylan

"Dylan. . .", Gina whined as she followed her boyfriend out of the house, "Where are we going? It's not even 9 o'clock yet."

He ignored her and kept walking until he was in the middle of the road. She followed him onto the street. "We're going right here," he said. "Or at least for right now."

"What are you talking about?"

"Remember when we first started dating the first time around, you made me go running with you? Back when you were in that whole fitness trainer business thing." She nodded. "Well, I decided we should start running again. Starting today."

She smiled. But the smile disappeared when she started wondering why all of a sudden he decided this. "What's gotten in to you?"

"Well," he thought for a second. "It's a new year. And yesterday, while you were at work, I cleaned out the house. And I figured it was time to clean up my bad habits, like not staying in shape."

"What? You cleaned out the house? What did you find?"

"Just some stuff. Stuff that wouldn't be of any interest to you."

"Dylan!" she said, insulted by his comment. She talked softer, "Anything of yours is of interest to me."

Dylan thought about what she said. Anything of yours is of interest to me. He leaned and kissed her.

"What was that for?"

"Enough questions already. I'll race ya down the block." And with that, he took of like a bat of hell.

Kelly

Kelly slowly turned over and opened her eyes. She had tubes going through her nose and an IV in her right arm.

"Where. . .where am I?" she asked. She realized she was talking to no one and decided to press the nurse's button. Within two minutes, in walked a cheerful nurse.

"Well, goodmorning, young lady," the nurse smiled. The light shined off her dark skin.

"How long have I been sleeping?"

"Oh, since about. . .yesterday."

"Where's. . .where's. . ." Kelly was so tired she had trouble getting the words out.

"Brandon?" Kelly nodded. "He was with you for hours yesterday. Didn't leave your side. I sent him home at about 12am. He should be here soon. He called. Would you sit up, please? I need to check your vitals."

Kelly sat up in the bed and had her temperature taken by the nurse. When the nurse took the thermometer out, Kelly asked, "When do I get to speak to the doctor?"

"He should be making his rounds in about a hour. Keep still, girl, and let me know if this gets too tight," the nurse said as she began to take Kelly's blood pressure, "He's very goodlooking."

"Who? The doctor?"

"No! Brandon, that boyfriend of yours." Kelly laughed. "Got to know him very well last night. He's a keeper you know,"

Kelly smiled. She was right. He was a keeper.

David

ed to Jen's phone ring. Then he heard her answering machine. Damn, he thought. Then it occurred to him that maybe it was just as well. The answering machine couldn't hang up on him.

"Hi, Jen. It's me, David. Look, what I was trying to tell you when you ran away yesterday was that, even though I'm not the baby's father, I am still your friend. I care about you and I want you to know that you don't have to go through this alone. I've spoken with Donna about this and we both agree, if you need us, we are there for you. Both of us."

David hung up the phone. Now if only Jen would really listen to him and understand what he was trying to say. . .

Donna

David walked back into the bedroom.

"What did she say?" Donna asked him.

David shrugged. "I got her machine. I left a message. There's nothing more we can do unless she asks us."

Donna reluctantly agreed. "Yeah," she conceded.

David sat down on the bed where Donna was still lying. " So, now that we've spent all last night celebrating, what do you want to do now?"

Donna grinned wickedly. "Celebrate some more." She grabbed hold of David and pulled him under the covers with her.

Jen

After waking up, Jen went into the kitchen to get herself some coffee. She took two pieces of bread out of the bag and put them in the toaster. She looked down and saw her reflection. Boy, did she look bad. Her eyes were puffy and swollen from all the crying she did last night. She hit the play button to hear her messages. There was one from David, which she skipped over. Then there was one from Val saying she wanted to go out to breakfast. And then another one from her saying she wanted her to come over her apartment instead of going out. Jen felt she owed it to her to stop by since she didn't go to the party so she grabbed her toast and went into the bathroom to get dressed.

Janet

Janet had gone out with Taylor to buy school supplies. In the mail, they had received a list from the school naming every supply he would need. There were at least 20 items on the list.

"I can't believe Staples had nothing!" Janet exclaimed as she drove along a street in LA.

"Well," Taylor began, "most stores wouldn't carry school supplies in January. Most people have them by now."

"School supplies are items that stores should carry year-round," she said matter-of-factly. Janet pulled into the parking lot of an Office Max. "Hopefully, we'll find some stuff here," she said as she got out of the car.

After an hour, they had been up and down every aisle in the store. They found just about every item on the list.

"Sorry, m'am," said an employee as he walked over to her, "We don't have any binders in that size."

"Oh, okay," Janet replied, "I guess we'll have to go someplace else. Thanks for your help."

"Someplace else?!? This is the second store we've been to already," Taylor complained.

"Yes, but there's still stuff on the list that we didn't get."

Taylor took the list and looked to see what items were crossed off and what weren't. "So we didn't get a compass. Big deal. And 3-ring folder. Who needs that?"

"Taylor, all these items are listed for a reason. If you didn't need them, they wouldn't be listed. Now let's pay for these things and go to another store."

Valerie

Valerie heard the doorbell ring and yelled, "Come in."

Jen walked in and took a seat at the kitchen counter. "Hey."

"Hi," Val said. She was dressed in an oversized man's dress shirt,with her hair thrown up in a messy bun.

"What are you doing?" Jen asked Val who was cutting up strawberries, bananas, and rasberries.

"Well, I bought this blender and I'm making a smoothie. You want some?" she asked.

"No, I really can't stay."

"Oh come on, Jen. I haven't talked to you since Christmas; you didn't come to my party last night. I think I deserve some quality Jen time." She pressed the 'blend' button on the blender.

"Well, I'm sorry, Val. But if you can't help me with the dilemma I'm sorting through right now, then I have to go home and figure out what the hell I'm going to do."

"Well, now that you mention it, I have a way to help you figure this thing out." She handed Jen a tall glass filled with a smoothie.

Jen took it and drank some, "And what would that be?"

"Well, okay. Did the doctor tell you the day the baby was conceived?"

"Of course."

"Then you have no problem."

Jen was lost. "Val, what are you talking about?"

"Wait a second!" Val ran towards the bedrooms. When she came back, she handed Jen a date book.

"You remember when you said you were going to see how many guys you could go through in a month? You wrote down each guy and the date in this planner. Well, just go back to the date the baby was conceived and you'll find out who the father is." Val smiled at her intelligence.

Jen was shocked. "Oh my god! Why didn't I think of that?"

"Oh, I don't know. So are you going to keep me in suspense or what?? Look, already, will ya?" she said excitedly.

Jen flipped through the date book. She looked down and her face turned red.

"Jen, what's wrong? Who is it?"

"I-I-I gotta go. Thanks for all the help Val. I love you," she kissed her on the cheek and ran out of the apartment.

"Fine. Leave. More smoothie for me." Val smiled to herself as she took a sip.

Carly

Carly entered The Armani Cafe. She had made plans to meet Nat for a more 'formal' lunch. She saw him sitting at a corner table and went over to him.

"Nat, than's for coming!!" she said excitedly as she sat down.

"Hey Carly. What's up?" he asked, looking at a menu.

Carly felt awkward. She didn't really know how to ask the question she had. "Nat, I was wondering something. . ."

"Go ahead sweetheart. You can tell me anything," Nat said warmly.

"Nat, I wanted to buy half of the Peach Pit. You know, so I'm always a part of it. I know you own half and Dylan owns half, but I want to buy Dylan out."

Nat was a little shocked. There was a pause and then he smiled. "Sure, that's fine with me. You've always been part of The Peach Pit family, and if this way you'll felt part of it forever, that's more than fine with me. You'll just have to talk to Dylan, of course."

Carly nodded and smiled. "Thanks, Nat. Now that we got that outta the way, let's eat!"

Janet

"Do we have to go to this Office Max?" Taylor asked nervously.

Janet had just pulled up to a different Office Max, right in the heart of Beverly Hills. Taylor was afraid he'd run into one of his friends. Who wants to be seen shopping at Office Max with their "mom"??

"Yes, we do," Janet replied simply, "The next one is twenty minutes away."

"So?"

"So, I have to get home and make dinner."

"So, we'll bring in dinner."

"We can't. Rush and Steve's brothers are coming over for dinner."

"Oh, I finally get to meet them?"

"Assuming they show, yes, you do. We don't have a lot of time. C'mon."

Kelly

"Brandon!" Kelly smiled as she saw him walk into her room.

"Hey beautiful," he said.

Kelly's nurse walked around from the other side of the curtain and place a blanket by Kelly's face, "I hope you're talking to that girlfriend of yours. You know, the one in the bed."

"Very funny," Brandon said. He kissed Kelly's forehead. "How are you feeling?"

"A little sore, a little pain. But the medicine is taking care of that. I'd be better if I knew how the surgery went and if I had cancer. When is the doctor coming to tell me?"

"He's not, Kel." Kelly looked puzzled so Brandon went on to explain. "I thought it would be best if you heard the results from me. Besides, he has the day off today." The nurse left the room, figuring the two would want to be alone right now.

"Oh," Kelly said, with a little sadness lingering in her throat. "Okay, so tell me. I can handle it."

Brandon took a deep breath. "There's no easy way to put this, but. . ."

"But. . .?"

"You have cancer. When they opened you up, they found the cysts to be cancerous. They diagnosed you with Stage 2 Ovarian Cancer."

"Stage 2? What's that?"

"It means that the cancer," Brandon sighed. He knew the news would devestate her. He took another deep breath. "It means that the cancer has begun to spread. It spead on to some of your other reproduction organs and they had to be removed, so they removed them." Brandon saw the look of devestation appear on her face. He sat down on the bed next to her, "It's gonna be okay, Kel. You know that right?"

Kelly didn't answer yes or no. "So where do we go from here? What do we do?"

"Well, for starters we go home. And then we make an appointment with Doctor Safa and see how we go about treating the cancer."

"Fine, so lets get out of her."

"W-whoa. Not so fast, tiger. You need to rest up for a few more hours before we can leave."

Kelly sighed and looked towards the window. She couldn't believe she had cancer. She couldn't believe that all this was happening to her. Brandon took her hand. Kelly looked at him and their eyes met. It was just then that Kelly realized that it wasn't his look that made her feel better, or even his touch. It was simply, him. He made her feel better. And she knew he would for the rest of her life.

Janet

Taylor and Janet were able to get the remaining supplies on the list in 15 minutes flat. They headed over to the cash registers to find long lines for every register.

Janet whined, "I have to get home!"

"Then we shouldn't have come here," Taylor responded somewhat sarcastically.

Janet ignored the comment and tried to be as patient as possible while they waited on line. As they got closer and closer to the front of the line, Taylor could see the cashier.

Oh no, he thought to himself, It's A.J. He was kind of suprised to see A.J. working here. He never thought he would work in a place like this.

Finally, they reached the front of the line. Janet unloaded the items onto the conveyor belt.

"They let YOU work here?" Taylor said sarcastically to A.J.

A.J. looked up, "Very funny. What are you doin' here?"

"I should ask you the same thing."

"I work here. Saving up for a new skateboard. You?"

"Shopping."

"Yeah, I kind of figured that one out on my own, lame brain." Janet looked up but didn't say anything. She waited for A.J. to finish ringing up the items.

"Just getting some school supplies."

"Oh that's right. . .you're gonna join the rest of us and start going to school. West Bev?"

"Yep."

"Niiiice. That'll be $37.47," he told Janet.

Janet handed him a fifty dollar bill. A.J. held it up to the light. "It's real!" Janet said, insulted that he thought it may be counterfeit.

"Hey, don't get offended," A.J. said snippily, "Just checkin'."

Janet grabbed her changed and stuffed it into her wallet. "Let's go, Taylor."

A.J. smirked, "Check ya later. . ."

Jen

Jennifer went home with a million thoughts running through her head. She kept thinking that this couldn't be but who else could it be? She had only slept with one person that night. She didn't want to be embrassed by saying it was his when it wasn't, but facts are facts and she knew it had to be him. She picked up the phone and left a message on his answer machine. "Hi, it's Jen. Well, I have to talk to you. Call me back immediately." She hung up the phone, anxious and nervous about his reaction.

Brenda

Brenda was sitting on a chair at the Class of Beverly Hills set, memorizing her lines. She had just finished and put her script down when Traci walked by.

"Hey", Traci said. "Did you know we now have a vulture for our mascot?"

"What?" Brenda asked. She got up and turned around. There, in the distance, was Beck. He was looming over everybody bustling around him. He wasn't doing anything. He was just watching.

"I guess he's trying to psyche me out, letting me know he's watching," Traci said dismissively. "What a creep."

You're not the only one he's trying to psyche out, Brenda thought to herself.

Brenda went on talking to Traci but all she could think about was Beck. Watching. And waiting.

Carly

After her lunch with Nat and running some errands, Carly returned home. She placed her keys down on the kitchen table and went to check her messages. She had one from Janet, talking about some parenting class. Another from Zach's friends' mother, saying he left a gameboy game at Zach's. A third one from Gina, asking if she wanted to get a bite to eat tomorrow night. The last one was from a Kevin Klein. Who was Kevin Klein? She played the message again.

Hello, Ms. Reynolds. This is Mr. Kevin Klein, attorney and proctor for California University. I was informed that you will be interning with me as a part of your law class. I am the lawyer who you will have to work with. Please call me, 555-9097. Thank you.

She deleted the messages and went to get her phone.

Jen

Jen was anxiously waiting by the telephone for him to call her back. The phone rang and she jumped up to answer it.

"Hello??"

"Hey."

"Valerie. . ." Jen sighed dissappointedly.

"Well, that's a great greeting."

"I'm sorry. Just I'm waiting for a call."

"Oh, from the baby's father? Are you going to tell me who it is or what?"

"No. Not until I talk to him first. I gotta keep the line free," Jen told her and then hung up.

Val was confused. Why would she need to keep the line free when she had call waiting? Hormones, she thought and hung up the phone.

Dylan

"Whew!" Dylan said, collapsing on his couch. Gina collapsed down next to him. "What a workout!?!"

The two had spent all day excercising. Running, jogging, stretching. You name it, they did it.

"Feel good?" Gina asked.

"Very."

"Wanna do it again tomorrow?"

"Not a chance."

Carly

Carly entered The Armani Cafe. She had made plans to meet Nat for a more 'formal' lunch. She saw him sitting at a corner table and went over to him.

"Nat, than's for coming!!" she said excitedly as she sat down.

"Hey Carly. What's up?" he asked, looking at a menu.

Carly felt awkward. She didn't really know how to ask the question she had. "Nat, I was wondering something. . ."

"Go ahead sweetheart. You can tell me anything," Nat said warmly.

"Nat, I wanted to buy half of the Peach Pit. You know, so I'm always a part of it. I know you own half and Dylan owns half, but I want to buy Dylan out."

Nat was a little shocked. There was a pause and then he smiled. "Sure, that's fine with me. You've always been part of The Peach Pit family, and if this way you'll felt part of it forever, that's

Carly

After her lunch with Nat and running some errands, Carly returned home. She placed her keys down on the kitchen table and went to check her messages. She had one from Janet, talking about some parenting class. Another from Zach's friends' mother, saying he left a gameboy game at Zach's. A third one from Gina, asking if she wanted to get a bite to eat tomorrow night. The last one was from a Kevin Klein. Who was Kevin Klein? She played the message again.

Hello, Ms. Reynolds. This is Mr. Kevin Klein, attorney and proctor for California University. I was informed that you will be interning with me as a part of your law class. I am the lawyer who you will have to work with. Please call me, 555-9097. Thank you.

She deleted the messages and went to get her phone.

Jen

Jen was anxiously waiting by the telephone for him to call her back. The phone rang and she jumped up to answer it.

"Hello??"

"Hey."

"Valerie. . ." Jen sighed dissappointedly.

"Well, that's a great greeting."

"I'm sorry. Just I'm waiting for a call."

"Oh, from the baby's father? Are you going to tell me who it is or what?"

"No. Not until I talk to him first. I gotta keep the line free," Jen told her and then hung up.

Val was confused. Why would she need to keep the line free when she had call waiting? Hormones, she thought and hung up the phone.

Carly

"Kevin Klein, how may I help you?" answer the young-sounding lawyer.

"Hi, this is Carly Reynolds. You left a message on my answering machine earlier."

He nodded. "Ahh, yes. How are you?"

"I'm fine, thank you. And yourself?" she asked.

"Great. Let's get straight to the point.. Now I wanted to set up a meeting for next Wednesday."

She nodded and smiled. "Great, where?"

"How about the Millenium Diner? I like to do business out of the clutter of my office," he explained.

"Teriffic. I'll see you then."

She hung up the phone. She was really looking foward to her internship.

Steve

Janet opened the door after hearing it ring. "Rush, hi!"

"Janet, you look beautiful."

Janet blushed, "Why, thank you. Austin, Ryan, how are you?" she asked as the two young adults walked in.

Steve walked in carrying Maddy, "You're just in time. Dinner's ready."

"We have an introduction to do first, though," Janet reminded them. Janet led them into the living room where Taylor was waiting

Lexi

Lexi walked into The Moonlight Cafe to meet Michael. She asked the hostess where he was seated and then went over to his table.

"Hey," she greeted him as she sat down.

Michael put down the menus, "How was babysitting?"

"Great. Sarah wasn't too bad, luckily."

"I have something for you," he said. He pulled an enevelope out of his coat pocket.

"For me?"

"Here." He handed her the envelope.

She opened it excitedly and found two tickets. Two tickets to. . .New York. "Oh my god. . .Are you serious?"

"The plane leaves in three days. . .I figured we could use a vacation. So are we going to the big apple?" he asked.

"Of course!" she screamed. She leaned over the table and kissed him.

Valerie

Valerie and Noah decided to go out for dinner. Noah headed hom to change his clothes and Valerie picked up the phone and called Eclipse to make a reservation.

"Hello?" The matri'd said.

"Hi. I would like to make reseverations for 2."

"What time and name?"

"7:30. Malone."

"Okay. See you then."

Val hung up the phone and went in the shower.

Steve

"Mmmm. This steak is delicious!" Rush exclaimed inbetween bites.

Ryan agreed, "It really is good, Janet."

Janet smiled, "Thanks. How's school going?"

"It's going," he said, "Slowly, I might add."

Steve laughed, "Spring break will be here soon enough."

"I wish," Austin said, not believing Steve.

"So," Rush began before he took a bite of mashed potatoes, "How's your mother, Steve?"

"She's fine. She's in Europe, once again. Paris to be exact," replied Steve.

"Her favorite place. And how's Karen?"

"Who's Karen?," Taylor asked, finally involving himself in the conversation.

"Her lover," Austin said before he made a kissy face.

"Her lover?? You mean she's a lesbian?!?"

"Yes. . .she is," Steve said.

"Oh."

"What?"

"Nothing. I just didn't know. That's all."

Carly

Carly tucked Zach into bed a little earlier than usual. He was exhausted from playing with his friends all day.

"Goodnight, Mom." Zach smiled. The smile made him look like a little baby again.

She smiled at the thought. "Goodnight sweetie." She kissed him on the cheek and pulled up his covers. She walked over to the door and closed it halfway. She picked up the cordless phone and went into her room. She dialed Dylan's number.

"Hello?" Gina answered.

"Hey, it's me."

"Hi," Gina said. "So do you want to go out tomorrow night?"

"I don't know. . .I don't want to leave Zach again tomorrow night."

"Oh come on," Gina pleaded.

"I'll call you tomorrow morning, okay? I'll let you know then."

"Fine, fine. Goodnight."

Steve

The extended family of seven sat in the dining room, finishing off the dessert.

"I just love crumb cake," Austin said with bits falling out of his mouth. Maddy laughed at her silly uncle.

"So do I," Rush agreed, "Would you mind sharing the recipe?"

"Oh, there's no recipe," Janet said, "Just go to the food store and buy Enteman's Crumb Cake." Everyone laughed. They all had thought Janet made it, while all along, she had simply bought it.

"So, Taylor," Ryan said, "What do you like to do?"

"Skateboard, listen to music."

"Oh yeah? What do you listen to?"

"Metal. Heavy metal. Do you?"

"Umm, no. I'm more R & B."

"Oh."

Austin took a sip of his drink, "You know Taylor, we may be your uncles but we're not that much older than you."

"Yeah," Ryan said, "If you need anything, advice or whatever just come to us."

Austin leaned back in his chair, "I can tell you how to bug Steve, get girls. . ."

"I think Austin means how to not get girls," Ryan said. Everyone laughed.

"Haha. Nice joke."

"Who's jokin'?" Everyone laughed again.

"Could you maybe help me with my homework sometime?" Taylor asked.

"Uh, you may want to go to Ryan for help with that," Steve responded, "He's the brains of the family."

"Austin's not smart?"

"To say the least. . ."

"What is this? Pick On The Dumb Guy Day? Did someone forget to tell me again?" Austin asked, leaning foward onto the table, and in turn, knocking over his drink.

Taylor made a face, "I think I see what you mean, Steve. . ."

Jen

Noah was about to leave his house when he noticed he had 10 messages on his answering machine. He wasn't really in the mood to hear them, so he pressed play and skipped over most of them. He stopped when he heard Jen's voice.

"What does she want?" he said outloud.

He decided to run down to her aparment and see her. When he got to her apartment, he knocked on the door.

Jen answered it. "Hi," she said nervously when she saw who it was.

"I got your message. What's so important?"

"Wow; I didn't think you would come over here. It would be so much easier to do this over the phone."

Noah sighed, "Jen, I'm kind of in a hurry. I told Val I would meet her for dinner."

"Okay, sorry. So i'll just spit it out. You're the father of my baby."

Dylan

Dylan woke up in the middle of the night. Again, he couldn't move his arm because Gina was sleeping on it and he really had to pee! But he didn't even try to move her or wake her up. Instead he turned and put his other arm around her, holding her close. Something told him to hold onto this moment, to hold onto her. For all he knew, this might be the last time.