He looked out over the ocean, his heart beating with the waves crashing onto the beach. A cool breeze caressed his face like a tender lover. The sunset was a riotous pink over the water and seagulls flew out toward it. With his bare feet buried in warm sand, Dylan smiled. He looked over to his left and found Brandon watching him.

"It was hard for you, in the beginning." It wasn't a question.

Brandon nodded, thinking about how upset he'd been when he'd realized Brenda and Dylan were dating. "I was afraid you were going to hurt her," he told his friend honestly.

Dylan squinted, lowering his head. "And I did."

Brandon put his hand on Dylan's shoulder and smiled. He thought about the teenager Dylan had been; living alone, no rules, no real parents. Dylan had been the coolest guy at West Beverly High School…and the most lost. "From the moment I saw you smiling at her after you wheeled out from under Mondale, I've known that this day was going to happen," Brandon told him.

Dylan nodded, watching his friend. He thought about all of the things they'd been through; Brandon and Brenda had been the constants in his life since he'd met them. He smiled, thinking about their very first encounter. Though Brandon had never taken to surfing, he'd taken to Dylan. Even though Dylan had gone through both alcohol and drug addiction, hurt his sister, gotten in the way of Brandon's relationship with Kelly and almost shot him, Brandon had always been there for him. And now he was Dylan's best man. "You've stood by me through it all, Brandon. From the moment I met you, I knew you were going to be important to me." Dylan's eyes found Cindy, who was already tearing up. "You took a lost boy in, introduced him to your family," he looked back to Brandon, "and into your life. Anything good that's happened to me is because of that."

Brandon cleared his throat and nodded, pulling Dylan in for a hug. "I love you, man," he said.

Dylan nodded, hugging his brother. David walked to the end of the aisle and shot Dylan a questioning look. Dylan winked at him and David smiled, moving to the piano. He began the playing and Dylan and Brandon pulled apart, Brandon wiping his eyes and straightening his shoulders.

Kelly and Sammy were the first to walk out, holding hands. Sammy also held the rings, a job he was very proud to have. Dylan smiled at him and then looked at Kelly. In a beautiful blue dress, a green ribbon on her wrist, she was stunning. Color had returned to her cheeks and Kelly had remembered who she really was. Her smile was kind, no longer bitter. She had forgiven him, and Dylan knew it hadn't been easy. He had forgiven her as well, and felt as if a weight had lifted off of his shoulders. Much of their time together they'd been unhappy…but there had been good times as well. Dylan was able to remember the good times now and smile. He knew that Kelly felt the same.

When the couple reached Dylan, he leaned down and hugged Sammy. Sammy kissed him on the cheek, then moved to stand in front of Brandon, who put his hands on Sammy's shoulders. Sammy looked up at the man and smiled. Sammy was going to be fine, Dylan knew. He was well on his way to having three "dads."

Kelly looked into Dylan's eyes and smiled. Dylan smiled back, then hugged her. No matter what was in their past, friendship was in their future. Dylan was grateful for that. Kelly moved to stand beside Brandon, taking his hand as she got close to him. Dylan knew how they had struggled to find peace with each other and move on together, and he was happy they finally had. Looking at them, he was struck by the realization of how perfect they were for each other.

Val and Rick were walking slowly down the aisle, holding hands. Because Valerie was Brenda's maid of honor, her dress was a softer blue than Kelly's; the material stretched over her very pregnant belly. She, too, had a green ribbon around her wrist. Dylan smiled warmly at her, amazed that the brash, hot-headed woman he'd met so long ago had turned into such a happy, elegant woman. He and Val had both been so troubled when they'd met, fighting their demons as well as each other. He had needed someone to challenge him, and Valerie had done that and more; she'd become his champion.

Watching Rick, Dylan took note of how handsome the man remained. For a long time, Dylan had hated the idea of Rick. When he'd thought Rick had taken his place in London, Dylan had nightmares of the man living his life. Though they were wildly different, Dylan now considered Rick one of his best friends. Brenda said that Rick had a soothing presence on Valerie, and Dylan found the same to be true for him.

Dylan shook Rick's hand when they reached him, then pulled Valerie close for a hug. Kissing her forehead, he looked into her eyes. "We're the lucky ones," she whispered to him, smiling. Dylan nodded, close to tears. Their lives had been full of pain and fear. Such happiness finding them both truly was lucky. She moved to his right, standing in front of Rick.

David rose from his seat at the piano, letting another man take over. It had been important to him that Brenda and Dylan let him play in their wedding, even if only for a moment. Touched, Brenda had cried when David asked if he could.

David smiled as he met Donna, Ruby and Kassie at the beginning of the aisle. He took Donna's hand and they walked slowly behind the little girls, who were scattering rose petals as they wobbled along.

Laughing, David looked up at Dylan. The two locked eyes for a moment, acknowledging their history. While they had not always gotten along, David was an important part of Dylan's life. When David had become part of the gang, Dylan had found him overly enthusiastic and at times annoying. It hadn't been long until life had caused David to lose his smile and grow up too fast. Dylan knew that the smile would have never come back had it not been for Donna.

Dylan looked at Donna and found her laughing quietly at the girls. She looked beautiful in her blue dress and green ribbon and Dylan smiled when he thought about some of Donna's less fortunate clothing choices; luckily, she'd finally discovered clothes that allowed her to move, dance, and even sit. Donna's smile was a constant that Dylan was happy to have around. He knew that she'd been through as much as the rest of the gang, but her smile never slipped. Dylan was glad she and David were still together and happy; Donna Martin had known what she was doing when she rebelled and began a relationship with David Silver.

He had asked her once how she'd found the strength to do what she felt like she had to. "The heart wants what the heart wants," she'd quoted with a shrug. Dylan knew that today he was finally getting what his heart wanted.

When she reached the end of the aisle, Kassie ran to Brandon, giggling. "Dylan," David said, hugging his friend as he reached him. Pulling back, David looked into Dylan's eyes and nodded. Dylan, smiling, nodded back. David picked Ruby up and went to stand by Kelly and Brandon.

"Oh, Dylan," Donna said, hugging him. "Brenda and I have been planning this day for years," she whispered, choking up.

"I have too," he said in her ear, hugging her back.

"At least in your plans we can all be barefoot!" she laughed softly, moving to stand with David and Ruby. Dylan watched her wipe an errant tear from her cheek. David kissed her forehead and whispered something, causing her to laugh again.

Dylan turned to see Maddie walking up the aisle with her parents. She looked lovely. Dylan smiled at his Goddaughter, proud to be a part of her life. Steve was smiling the same smile he'd had for as long as Dylan had known him and Dylan shook his head, laughing. Some things never change. Steve Sanders was an annoying, know-it-all, loose cannon. Dylan still couldn't believe he'd grown to love the crazy bastard. All of their lives they'd butted heads, arguing over the most trivial matters possible. Dylan realized now that most of the contention had been his fault. Steve was a genuine person and loved the Walsh's as much as he did. Well…almost as much.

The second pregnant woman in the wedding party, Janet radiated peace. Her dress and Val's were the same all but for the color, and she too wore a green ribbon on her wrist. Dylan and Janet were much closer now than they had ever been. They'd been destroyed when the truth about Sammy had come out, but now both were stronger for it. She hugged him when she reached him, winking at him as she pulled back. He smiled at her.

Steve grabbed Dylan in a bear hug. "It's about time," he said, smiling. "I've been waiting for this for a long time, McKay."

Laughing, Dylan pulled away. "Me too, Steve. Me too."

The Sanders joined Valerie and Rick, Steve pressing a quick kiss to Valerie's forehead. Dylan felt a surge of love for his friends, warming him. He looked into the audience and found Iris and Erica crying. Behind them sat Jack, who smiled at Dylan. Dylan had never felt so content.

Andrea and Jesse were making their way toward him, Andrea's eyes sparkling with happiness. Though Dylan had disliked Jesse in the beginning, he'd come to respect the other man. After seeing how happy Jesse made Andrea, Dylan's respect grew into an actual friendship. Andrea and Brenda had become very close again, spending a lot of time together.

Dylan found and smiled at Hannah, who sat in the audience. Brenda had understood that Hannah hadn't wanted to be a part of the wedding party; the girl's cancer had come back and she'd undergone more chemo and radiation treatments, losing her hair. Though she wore a beautiful wig, she was still self conscious about her appearance. Brenda had Donna make the girl a blue dress like the rest of the wedding party, and the green ribbons all of the women wore on their wrists stood for leukemia awareness. Andrea had cried when Brenda had told her about it, hugging the bride to be.

With the support of the gang, Andrea and Jesse had remained strong while their daughter fought the cancer. They'd received the news yesterday that it was again in remission. Though there was always the chance of it coming back, Hannah's doctor had told Andrea that he felt like it would not. Dylan had almost fallen down, so strong was the relief he'd felt when he heard the news. He couldn't imagine how Andrea and Jesse felt.

Dylan shook Jesse's hand when the couple reached him, then turned toward Andrea. "Everything's going to be okay," Andrea told him confidently, and Dylan believed her.

Hugging her, Dylan said, "Have you always been this smart?"

Andrea chuckled lowly. "Of course I have," she said with a wink, then joined Jesse beside David and Donna. Jesse put his arm around her, smiling at his daughter.

Dylan took a deep breath. It was time. He closed his eyes and felt the warmth of the sun on his face. He again listened to the waves and tried to calm the frantic beating of his heart. He suddenly felt like he couldn't breathe.

He opened his eyes as everyone stood. Jim Walsh stood at the end of the aisle between Addy and the most beautiful sight Dylan had ever seen. His breath left him in a sigh and, looking into her eyes, Dylan was calm. She smiled at him, her heart in her eyes, and Dylan found himself smiling back.

As they walked closer, Dylan couldn't take his eyes off of her. Brenda had her dark hair swept up, long tendrils curled around her face. Her skin glowed with a light tan, a testament to their time in Baja. In contrast, her white satin dress fell off of her shoulders, the sleeves wisps of soft fabric that flowed to her wrists. The empire waist wedding gown hugged her breasts, and a green sash was tied immediately below them. From the sash down, the gown flowed over her pregnant belly to the sand. Her small bouquet of lilies was wrapped in a matching green ribbon.

Dylan's heart began a slow, rhythmic thud and his hands longed to reach out and touch her. He found himself thinking that she couldn't possibly be real; she was much too perfect.

They reached the end of the aisle and Dylan looked at Jim. Jim stepped forward, holding Brenda's hand. "Cindy and I are giving you our daughter, Dylan," the man said, placing Brenda's hand in Dylan's. "We have watched you grow into a strong, loving man." Jim looked back at Cindy, who nodded through her tears. "A man that is worthy of our daughter's love." Jim leaned close to Dylan, hugging him. "You always were."

Dylan's throat closed with emotion, a tear escaping from the corner of his eye. Jim Walsh was one of the greatest men Dylan had ever known. He had dreamed of the day Jim would look at him like a son.

"Me!" Addy said from below the men. Dylan laughed a little and picked her up, kissing her on the check.

"What do you say, Addy?" he asked the little girl, watching Brenda. "Is it time for me to marry your mama?"

"Yes," Addy said happily.

"Yes," Brenda agreed, smiling at him. Jim joined Cindy in the audience and Rick stepped forward to take Addy. Holding each others hands, Dylan and Brenda turned toward the preacher.

When it came time for the vows the preacher looked at them. "I understand that you've written your own vows?"

"We have," they said together, looking at each other.

Dylan turned towards Brenda, his eyes looking into hers. He held both of her hands. "I met you when I was only 15 years old. I was young and wild and had never cared about anything in my life. When you walked up to my locker, I felt like I'd been hit with something. I couldn't take my eyes off of you, and when I walked away, I was smiling. I was really smiling, Bren, something I hadn't done since I was a little kid." He looked down, then squeezed her hands and looked back up at her. "I had never known love," he said softly, looking into her eyes. "Not real love. But I knew, even then, that was what we had." He shook his head. "I've ran from it. I've tried to deny it. I've prayed for it to go away because it scared me." He looked into her eyes, praying that she saw the truth in his. "You are my love, my life, and my world. You are the warmth that keeps the cold at bay. Your love shines through the darkness and sees the real me. I will never run again. I will never deny it again. I will spend the rest of my life loving you and making you happy, Brenda." He leaned down and got her ring from Sammy. He held up her hand and slid the ring onto her finger. "With this ring, I make that promise." He leaned over and kissed her on the forehead.

Brenda stared into his eyes for a moment. "I remember that day too." She looked down and blushed. "That night, when I was praying, I said a special little prayer that you would be mine." She looked up at him, embarrassed. "It seems so silly now, doesn't it?" she asked him. He shook his head and brought his hand to her face, caressing her cheek with his thumb. "I knew that I loved you, even then. And it scared me too, Dylan. I doubted it, I ran from it, I prayed that it would go away. But it wouldn't. Your arms are the only place I've ever felt safe. The only place I've ever lost myself is in your eyes. Your heart is the only one that my heart has ever recognized." She raised her hand to touch his face. "You are my dream. You have been since I was that silly 15 year old girl." She reached down and got his ring from Sammy, sliding it on his finger. "With this ring, I promise that I will love you with all of my heart for the rest of my life. And when this life is over, and all is said and done, eternity will find us together, still."

The preacher said, "I now pronounce you man and wife; you may kiss the bride," but the couple didn't hear him. Looking into each others eyes, Dylan and Brenda McKay slowly smiled. They had finally gotten what they wanted on a sandy beach in Baja, with the waves lapping against the beach and the sun casting a warm glow. What they had started when they were fifteen, standing at Dylan's locker in the hallway, was finally happening. "I love you Bren," Dylan whispered.

"I love you, Dylan," she whispered back. He slowly leaned closer, never taking his eyes off of hers, until their lips touched. The crowd behind them jumped up and began cheering and they both smiled, lips still touching. Pulling away to look into her eyes, Dylan leaned his forehead on hers and they both laughed.