[Author's Note: This fic takes place between seasons 3 and 4 during the summer after the characters graduate high school, which is passed over in the canon (season 3 ends with graduation & season 4 starts with the last few days of summer). In this version, Kelly and Dylan didn't go to Europe because Kelly wanted to stay home and spend time with her baby sister before leaving for college. Brenda is preparing to go back to Minnesota for college, which is a source of her restlessness and desire to do something exciting. Andrea is eliminated entirely from the story because there were too many storylines to include and also, she's my least favorite character. None of the events in this story actually happened in the canon, and the ending is intentionally ambiguous to allow the reader to determine if they think Brenda chooses to still go to college in Minnesota or not.]

"Ugh, why is Beverly Hills so dull in the summer?" Brenda Walsh groans, flopping down in a

vinyl booth at the Peach Pit beside her friend Donna Martin.

"Why don't we go shopping?" Donna asks, lifting up her head from where it was resting on her boyfriend David Silver's shoulder.

"I've already looked in all the stores and there's nothing left that I want. Besides, I can't spend all of my money if I want to save up for acting classes," Brenda sighs.

"Bren, you should come hangout at the beach club," Brenda's twin brother Brandon mumbles through a mouthful of a Mega Burger, his trademark Peach Pit meal.

"Yeah, there's a volleyball tournament tomorrow. I'll pick you as my partner if you're lucky," Steve Sanders says with a devilish grin. Before Brenda can respond, Kelly Taylor flounces into the Peach Pit trailed by her boyfriend Dylan McKay.

"You guys, put me out of my misery, puh-lease!" Kelly says with an exasperated sigh as she plops down at the end of the table next to Steve. "Dylan refuses to do anything all summer except sit around and read. We should've gone to Europe like we planned."

"Gimme a break, Kel. When else am I going to have this much time to read? Besides, you were the one who wanted to stay home this summer to spend time with Erin before college," Dylan drawls, sliding Donna's coffee cup across the table and taking a sip.

"Dude, you'll have plenty of time to read in college. These are our last few weeks of freedom before school takes over our lives in September," Steve says.

"If only we had something exciting to do before college starts," Brenda grumbles.

"Our little post-graduation prank with the Hollywood sign was clearly our last moment of glory," David says, rolling his eyes.

"Hey gang! Anyone want a slice of pie?" Nat Bussichio, the owner of the Peach Pit, appears at the table, wiping his hands on a rag and then slinging it over his shoulder. They all shake their heads with a chorus of "thank you"s, and Nat adds, "Why the long faces?"

"We're bored," says Steve.

"Well if you're really bored you can come help me clear out some of this junk I found in the storeroom," Nat says with a laugh. Brandon, ever gracious as well as Nat's right-hand man when he's not working at the beach club, gets up from the table and follows Nat behind the counter into the kitchen.

"You know what, maybe I will have some of that pie after all. I need something to cheer me up," Brenda says. She gets up from the table and heads to the front of the restaurant. Not seeing Nat, she slips around the counter to serve herself and nearly trips over Brandon who is crouched down on the floor.

"Whoa there, Bren," he says. Brenda kneels down beside him and peers into the battered cardboard box Brandon has just opened.

"What is all of this stuff?" she asks.

"Not sure. Nat found it at the back of a shelf in the storeroom. Says it must've been there for years." Brandon begins wiping off a dusty plate with a dish rag.

"You know, Brandon," Brenda starts, turning the conversation back to herself. "I really hate having all this free time to sit around and worry if I'm making the right decision by going back to Minnesota for college." As she talks, she pulls an antique teapot with an intricate handle out of the box and inspects it.

"Well, Bren, you made your decision. Now I guess you have to live with it," Brandon says, not looking up from the plate in his hands. Brenda sighs. She knows that Brandon thinks she is making a mistake by not going to California University with him and the rest of their friends. She also knows that he doesn't want to admit that it pains him to think about being away from her for the first time in their entire lives. She feels the same way.

Brenda grabs an extra rag from the counter and absentmindedly starts rubbing the teapot. "I just hate waiting to see what will happen and know if everything will work out. I wish I could skip ahead and see what the future looks like."

Suddenly, Brenda becomes overwhelmed with dizziness. She squeezes her eyes shut until the feeling passes. When she opens them again, she looks up and meets Brandon's eyes, a confused expression on his face.

"What just happened?" he asks. Brenda shakes her head, confused and disoriented. She then notices that she can hear someone singing, loudly and off-key. She stands up from behind the counter and gasps.

"Brandon!" she half whispers, half shrieks, and her brother stands up beside her, placing his hand on the counter for balance.

"What the…" he trails off, his eyes bugging as he looks around what just moments ago was the Peach Pit.

Rather than the black and white checkerboard floor, red vinyl booths, and salmon and olive color scheme that they were used to, the quaint, homey diner has transformed into a sleek, upscale bar of some sort. Upon further investigation, the twins notice that a small stage with a microphone and screen is set up along the wall where Nat's jukebox used to stand. This is where the loud, off-key singing is coming from. The counter they are standing behind has morphed into a full bar stocked with alcohol. The place appears to be filled with customers ranging in age from mid-twenties to late forties; some seated at tables or the bar and others milling about in the empty space in front of the stage, which presumably doubles as a dance floor. The sound of feedback screeches through the room as someone taps on the microphone.

"Hello everyone! Welcome to the Peach Pit Karaoke Bar!" a familiar blonde woman says into the microphone as the crowd cheers. "I thought I'd get tonight started with a little song of my own. This one's for you, Davey." She points to a man standing beside the stage who raises his beer to her with a smile.

"Does that woman look like -" Brandon starts.

"Donna!" Brenda gasps, her hand flying to her mouth as the woman onstage begins to sing a song that neither of them recognizes. "Brandon, what is going on?"

Brandon turns to the nearest customer seated at the bar and says, "Hey, man. Just curious, what's the date today?" The man gives Brandon a confused look.

"It's July 29th." There's a pause.

"And the year?" Brandon asks.

"2020," says the man, looking even more confused and slightly weirded out. "You okay, dude?"

Without responding, Brandon whirls back around to face Brenda, whose face has gone white. "We've traveled twenty-seven years into the future," he says.

"How is that even possible?" asks Brenda, her voice shaking.

"What's the last thing you remember from before?" Brandon asks.

"I was talking about Minnesota and college… and we were cleaning those old dishes," Brenda recalls.

"You made a wish!" Brandon exclaims suddenly. "While you were rubbing that old teapot."

"Do you seriously think that has something to do with us suddenly being here?" Brenda asks, sounding dubious.

"I don't know, but at this point it seems like anything is possible." Brandon says, slumping down on a barstool.

"Can I get either of you something to drink?" the bartender asks, appearing in front of them. When his eyes land on Brandon's face he does a double take. After a moment of staring he says, "Sorry. You look so, well, familiar. This is going to sound so strange, but you look just like I did when I was about your age."

Brandon and Brenda both take a closer look at the man, who appears to be in his forties. He's handsome with light brown hair, green eyes, and what was clearly once a chiseled jawline.

"Brandon! It's you!" Brenda whisper-hisses into her brother's ear. "We can't let him know who we are. Who knows what could happen?"

"S-so weird, man," Brandon says, stuttering slightly. Then, thinking quickly he adds, "My name is Jason. I'm a student at California University, and this is my sister Jenny." Brenda shoots him a quick glance and then smiles at Future Brandon.

"Brandon Walsh," the man says. "I'm the owner of the Peach Pit. Or, excuse me, the Peach Pit Karaoke Bar." He rolls his eyes.

"So, I hear this place used to be a diner. That true?" Brandon asks carefully.

"Yeah, back in the day," Future Brandon says, looking wistful. "I used to work here in high school. I inherited the place from the old owner, Nat, when he died back in 2010." Brenda and Brandon try to conceal their shock. Nat dead? It seemed impossible. He had been so lively what seemed like just moments ago, joking with them and offering up pie. "It was my co-owner's idea to revamp the place and turn it into a karaoke bar," Future Brandon continues. "That's her." He points across the room to Donna, who has just finished her song and is taking a dramatic bow.

"Donna? How'd she end up owning the Peach Pit?" Brenda asks before she can catch herself.

Future Brandon doesn't seem to be confused by Brenda's obvious familiarity with Donna. "Well, I'm sure you know her husband, David Silver, the one-shot popstar," Future Brandon says, and it's unclear if his sarcasm is bitter or playful. "They made so much money off of his record deal after college that they didn't know what to do with it. I needed some extra cash to get this place back up and running after Nat passed, and I had to give Donna some creative authority if she was going to own half of the business."

He seems to think for a moment and then says, "Actually, Donna's daughter goes to California University, too. Maybe you know her? Donna!" Future Brandon waves Donna over. "These kids go to CU," he says as Donna walks up to the bar.

"No kidding! My daughter, Rebecca Silver, is a sophomore," Donna says enthusiastically and, looking at Brenda, adds with a laugh, "She dresses just like you!"

Brenda looks down at her oversized ripped jeans, black off-the-shoulder top tucked in with a belt, and chunky black matte Doc Marten boots.

"It's so funny," Donna continues. "That's exactly how we used to dress in high school in the nineties. I guess fashion always comes back around eventually!" She laughs and floats back over to David.

"Did you know Donna and David before?" Brenda asks Future Brandon, knowing full well the answer.

"We all went to high school together," Future Brandon says. "Plus Sanders over there." He motions across the room to a group that the twins had yet to notice. Seated at a round table is a good-looking man with dark blonde hair, stubble around his chin, and a very familiar goofy grin on his face. He is surrounded by several women, all blonde and beautiful, who seem to be hanging on to his every word as he talks, waving his drink around for emphasis.

"It's so nice that you all still live in Beverly Hills together," Brenda says, giggling at the sight of Steve. Once a ladies man, always a ladies man, she thinks.

"Yeah, well, we're not as close as we used to be," Future Brandon admits. "Oh, man. Here comes trouble." He looks past the twins as he says this, and Brenda and Brandon follow his gaze to the door. Kelly Taylor, twenty-seven years older but beautiful as ever, walks into the bar with a gaggle of women, talking and laughing loudly. Brenda watches as Steve's eyes follow Kelly across the bar, a longing look passing briefly over his otherwise cheerful expression.

"Whenever Kelly comes in here, Dylan McKay is never far behind," says Future Brandon.

Brenda's heart skips a beat at the mention of Dylan's name. "Are they married?"

"Divorced," Future Brandon responds. "They've got two kids, though, which means they're forced to interact with each other. It's usually not very pretty."

Sure enough, a moment later the door opens again and Dylan McKay swaggers in. Brenda's heart beats faster in her chest. He looks exactly the same as his teenage self with his wise eyes, scruffy hair, and permanent scowl that always has just a hint of a smile at the corners. Dylan sits down at the opposite end of the bar from where the twins and Future Brandon are gathered. He gives Future Brandon a nod and Future Brandon responds with a raised hand. The interaction is friendly but does not reflect the brotherly relationship that Dylan and Brandon have in the world that the twins have somehow abandoned.

Kelly notices Dylan from across the room. She storms over to the bar and begins to shout at Dylan: "You're supposed to be watching the kids!"

"Calm down, Kelly. They're with my mom. They're fine," Dylan responds in an exasperated tone, as if this was not the first conversation they had had of this kind.

"How many times do I have to tell you that I don't like when Iris babysits? She's not exactly the most responsible adult, is she?" Kelly and Dylan go off in a whirlwind of bickering, and Brenda looks back to Future Brandon.

"What happened between you guys? You all used to be so close." Her brother shoots her a warning look, letting her know she is getting dangerously close to giving them up.

"I mean - at least that's what it seems like," Brenda adds hastily.

"Life happened," Future Brandon responds with a shrug. "Once college started, we drifted apart. It didn't help that my sister went to school back in Minnesota. I think we all took that as a cue to move on from high school. After graduation we went our own separate ways. Everyone is busy, you know? Time passes and people change."

"Where's your sister now?" Brenda asks with a pit in her stomach.

"She came back to California after college, but she lives in Hollywood now," Future Brandon says. "She's an actress."

"Really?" Brenda asks excitedly. "Do you think she'll be here tonight?" She is desperate to see her future self in all of her glamorous Hollywood glory.

"Nah, she rarely comes to the Pit," Future Brandon says. "In fact, I don't think she's been here since high school."

Brenda pulls Brandon close to her as Future Brandon moves away to pour someone a drink. "Brandon, we have to do something! Look around - all of our friends are here but they're not together. It's just not right."

Just then, Steve ambles onstage with his female companions and they launch into a cringeworthy rendition of yet another song the twins do not recognize.

"Look, Bren," Brandon starts. "Maybe we should get out of here and go somewhere quieter where we can think." Brenda nods and the twins head outside to the parking lot. Unsurprisingly, Brandon's beloved car is nowhere to be found, so they start the long walk home.

Brandon and Brenda let themselves into their house, grateful that there is still a spare key hidden under the doormat. The interior of the Walsh home looks exactly the same - albeit a bit dustier and worn - as the one they had woken up in what seemed like, or was, that very morning. They head upstairs to their bedrooms, which also look fairly similar but with the added air of having been left untouched and unlived in for nearly thirty years.

Brenda flops down on her bed, lying on her back and staring at the ceiling. "What are we going to do, Brandon? What if we're trapped here forever? What will happen to us?" Brandon lies down on the bed beside Brenda.

"We're going to figure something out. There must be a reason this happened to us."

"We need to look for clues," Brenda says suddenly, sitting upright on the edge of the bed.

"Clues?" Brandon asks quizzically, propping himself up on his elbows. "What kind of clues?"

"I don't know. Anything that will give us an idea about why we're here and how we can get back home." Brenda starts rushing around her room, frantically pulling open drawers and digging through her belongings.

"Bren, I don't understand what you're looking for," Brandon says, but Brenda doesn't answer. She's staring at a dusty old shoebox she has just pulled out from underneath her bed that she doesn't recognize.

"Look at this," she says, moving to sit on the bed with the box in her lap. Written on the lid in Brenda's curly handwriting are the words "The Gang '89 - '93." She pulls the lid off the box and begins to rifle through what looks like dozens of photographs. "Look!" She holds up a picture of the twins that was taken on their first day of school at West Beverly shortly after they had moved from Minnesota.

Brandon digs through the box and pulls out two more photos. The first shows their whole group of friends on their high school graduation day, donning caps and gowns, with their arms wrapped around one another. The second photo shows them several months later standing under a sign that reads "California University," but this time Brenda is not pictured. Brandon flips the photo over and reads the note on the back: "Brenda, we miss you. Love, B + the gang."

Brenda takes the second photo out of his hand and looks at it, tears welling up in her eyes. "I just don't understand what happened to all of us. Don't our future selves remember all the good times we had?" she asks, gesturing to the box of photos. Suddenly, her eyes light up. "I have the perfect idea!"

The next night, Brandon and Brenda hurry into the Peach Pit. Brandon pulls a thumb drive out of his pocket and sticks it into the computer that's hooked up to the screen behind the stage, which normally displays the karaoke lyrics. He still cannot get over how much technology has advanced in the past twenty-seven years. After a quick trip to the photo store, the twins got Brenda's entire box of photos scanned and downloaded onto a thumb drive. As Brandon sets up the screen, Brenda steps onstage and grabs the microphone. She looks around the Peach Pit, ensuring that the adult versions of all of her friends are there. As they had been the previous night, they are all present but seated separately throughout the bar except for Donna and David, who are cozied up at a corner table. Future Brenda, as expected, is not there. Even though Brenda expected this, she can't help feeling slightly disappointed.

"Hi, everyone. My name is Br - Jenny," Brenda says into the microphone. "This song is dedicated to my very best friends who I hope will continue to be my best friends for the next twenty-seven years and beyond." She smiles and nods to Brandon who presses a few buttons, and then she begins to sing "I Will Always Love You" by Whitney Houston. As Brenda sings, a slideshow of images plays on the screen behind her, showing snapshots of some of the gang's most momentous occasions from high school: their infamous camping trip, volleyball games at the beach club, the senior prom, and of course a plethora of shots of them lounging around the Peach Pit.

Brenda and Brandon watch as their friends' faces change from shock to confusion to sadness and finally, to happiness. They look around the room, exchanging shy smiles with one another as image after image of their teenage years flash across the screen. As Brenda's song and the slideshow come to an end, Kelly, Donna, David, Steve, Dylan, and Future Brandon all stand up with a wild round of applause. They rush towards the stage, hugging and clapping each other on the back with a chorus of "I'm sorry!"s and "No, I'm sorry!"s. Brenda can't help feeling a flutter of hope as she notices that Steve and Kelly seem to be acting particularly friendly towards one another. Eventually, Dylan turns to Brenda and Brandon with a baffled look on his face.

"Who are you two? And where did you get all of these photos?" he asks.

"Wait a minute. You both look exactly like -" Kelly starts, but Brenda cuts her off.

"We're just two Beverly Hills teenagers who have a group of friends just like you guys that we would never want to grow apart from," Brenda says with a smile.

"Hey, if you guys happen to have another friend who's not here right now, you should maybe give her a call," Brandon says, smiling at his sister.

"Brenda!" Donna squeals, pulling her cell phone out of her pocket and dialing frantically. "We need to tell her to get over here right now!"

Brenda smiles ear to ear as Brandon wraps his arm around her shoulder and pulls her close. "We did good, sis," he whispers into her ear.

"We did, didn't we," she responds, her heart full at the sight of her best friends, twenty-seven years in the future, giggling and shouting over each other just like teenagers.

Brandon gets a funny look on his face as he notices something on a shelf behind the bar. "Hey, Brandon, what's that?" he asks, pointing.

"That teapot?" Future Brandon momentarily turns away from his friends. "I found it in a box of old stuff after Nat died. I can't quite explain it, but it feels important to me. Like I knew it in a past life or something." He shakes his head and smiles sheepishly. "I know it sounds crazy."

"Can I see it?" Brandon asks. Future Brandon gets the teapot down from the shelf and hands it over to Brandon who then hands it to Brenda.

"Do your thing," Brandon says, motioning to the teapot with a smile.

Brenda glances back over towards her forty-five-year-old friends and brother, who now seem to have a confused Future Brenda on FaceTime and are shouting at her to come to the Peach Pit. She looks around once more at the bizarre Peach Pit turned karaoke bar and wonders if she will ever see it again, or if the future will end up being different from this version. She grabs a napkin off the bar and begins to rub the teapot.

"I wish we could go back to 1993 exactly how it was before," she says, squeezing her eyes shut and clicking the heels of her Doc Martens together.

The door jingles as Brenda walks into the Peach Pit, a bag slung over her shoulder.

"Hey, Brenda," Nat calls from behind the counter.

"Hi, Nat!" Brenda says, giving him a wide smile as she heads over to the table where she has spotted her friends. She circles the group, dropping a kiss on each of her friends' heads before settling into a chair.

"Jeez, Bren. What was that for?" Dylan asks with mock irritation, his arm slung around Kelly's shoulder.

"Just happy to see you guys," Brenda says with a twinkling smile, catching Brandon's eye across the table.

"Aw, that's so sweet. We're happy to see you too," Donna giggles.

"Anyway, look what I made." Brenda pulls a shoebox out of her bag and sets it on the table. "It's a memory box full of photos of all of us. I'm going to take it to college with me and we can keep adding to it."

"That's such a good idea!" Kelly gushes. "That way you won't forget about us all the way in Minnesota."

"Not so fast," Brenda says with a grin. "You haven't heard the best part yet."

The End.