Summary: It's nearly Christmas, and Katie decided that she'll be spending this year's holiday with her twin, Marissa, who's currently studying at UC Berkeley. O.C. O&A X-Over AU Fic. J/K M/A.

Background Info: Katie and Marissa are currently 20, their past is similar to my other cross-over fan fic, 'Lost and Found' (ie. Birth parents, birthplace, tattoos).

Differences are:

Parents did not get a divorce, they died together in a car accident (choose a state in USA)

Katie and Marissa were adopted from an orphanage by their respective families at a much later age (more like their legal guardians, similar to Ryan and the Cohens) – which means the two kept in contact with each other.

The twins have yet to meet their counterparts (Jessie/Alex)

Disclaimer: The usual stuff… None of the characters belong to me, only the storyline.

A/N: Sorry for disappearing for a week, though I'm on holidays… I've been a little distracted with reading as many Fuffy (Buffy/Faith) fics I could fit in. (So many to read!)

Well this story's obviously another one of my crazy AU's, which have little to do with the actual shows. By the way, I know I should really finish off some other fic before starting on yet another one. However, I caved into my temptations, again. Sorry.

Another note is, this will 99 chance be my last update until late Jan or early Feb, as I will be overseas before then. So hope you guys:

reply lots

have a great Christmas and New Years!

Finally, like this little something…

Part 1: Not What it Seems…

Christmas was within a week, her finals were over, and now Katie was busy running around her house trying to pack her essentials for her two week stay in San Francisco with her beloved sister/twin. Whilst doing so, she was also listening to the complaints coming from her flatmate who was lying on the couch, swinging her legs that lay over the armrest.

"Katie… Do you have to leave me here all alone on Christmas and New Years?" the girl whined at her friend and flatmate; she was being abandoned on 'the' holiday of the year.

"I highly doubt you'll be alone even if I'm not staying here with you…" she replied with a smirk.

"… True… but you know I won't have as much fun with out you."

"Well of course, guess I'll be bringing the fun to my sister this year."

"You know how mean it is to leave your single friend on these two occasions?" she continued to swing her legs.

"For one, it's your fault for being single because 'you don't do relationships'. Two, you leave me hanging all the time when you pick up some one at the club… or worse, off the street." Then as if a light bulb went off in her, she stuck her head over the couch to look her friend in the eye, "you know… you can always come with me to San Francisco."

"Hell yeah! Good idea!" she sat right up on the couch, nearly missing the dirty blonde/brunette by a millisecond. "Does your sis mind?"

"Why would she, it's not like you're living with her." Katie laughed as she ran back into her room.

"Hey, where am I supposed to lived then?"

"No offence, but you've got like the bank as parents… I'm sure they won't mind you going out to hire a hotel room for a week or two."

"Bright… I'll go book my tickets… what's your flight?"

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"Are you ever gonna come visit?" Marissa asked excitedly, slightly drunk on the couch watching TV.

"Are drunk already?"

"Me? Drunk? Not a chance…"

"Sure you're not drunk… and I'm not your twin."

The flatmate walked into the apartment, a stack of books in her arm, she shook her head at this girl's drunkenness at… she turned her head towards the hanging clock… at 9 pm. Walking into her room, she closed her door quietly and minding her own business, probably thinking Marissa was on the phone with another one of her conquests.

"Did your flatmate just get home?"

"Who? The girl who's got a light pole stuck up her ass?"

"Jeez, you don't sound like the nicest person when you're drunk sis… I dunno, I might have to reconsider coming to stay with you for two weeks."

She broke out in squeal, "Oh my god, so you are coming! When?"

The flatmate walked out again to grab some food, she hadn't eaten all day. Just as she had walked out she heard the dirty blonde squeal, and it nearly made her jump.

"Whoa, take care of my ear drums! I'm coming in two days, and I've got a friend tagging along."

"In two days and coming with a friend?" She questioned excitedly.

"Yes… By the way, however much you don't get along with her, but on part of my courtesy and please tell your flatmate that I'm staying with you guys."

"Must I?"

"Yes."

"Fine…" Marissa sat up a little and called out towards the kitchen, "hey, I'm gonna have company staying with me for two weeks in 2 days time."

"Okay… As long as they sleep in your room…." Katie heard the faint voice of a girl reply.

"Wait… it's only me, my friend's staying at a hotel."

Sighing Marissa called out again, "Oh wait, its one friend, not two…"

"Alright…" she heard the girl reply again.

"There, told her."

"Good, anyways see you in two."

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"So, what's your sister like?"

Katie looked up with a frown at her friend, "Um… in case you haven't noticed from the pictures in my room, she looks identical to me."

"Duh! That aside, I mean not how she looks physically, other stuff."

"Well… how should I put it," she tapped at her chin, "she's the definition of Newport socialite; rich family, beautiful, popular, head of anything social and fun, parties hard behind parents back… and… has a wardrobe the size of a bedroom." Then she paused for another second, "though she has gone through more than the average number of rough patches…"

"I see… She do chicks?"

Katie shook her head lightly and chuckled, "How'd I know you'd ask that particular question."

"Just keeping options open…"

"Well, she has told me that she doesn't rule out the possibility of 'dating' a girl. But she hasn't tried it yet." She emphasized the word 'dating'.

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Two days later…

"Anyways, come meet me at this address," she handed over another scrap piece of paper with Marissa's address on it, "after you finish doing whatever."

"Alright, see yah!" she waved.

"Bye." They got into their respective cabs. "Hi, could you please take me to this place…" she handed the address to the cab driver.

"Sure."

In about half an hour, the cab pulled out just outside a pretty nice looking apartment complex. 'Definitely not shabby…' Katie got out the car thanking the man as he returned the piece of paper to her.

Getting out her phone she called her sister, "Hey Riss, I'm just outside the building…"

"Right, I'm coming down…"

Within minutes, her sister came bounding out of the building and leaping into her for a sisterly hug. "Missed yah!"

"Missed yah too…" as they pulled apart Marissa looked at her luggage and gave Katie a quizzical. "What? Do I have something on my face?!"

"No… I'm just surprised at how little you brought." The two started their way into the building.

"Oh… Well not everyone's like you; I don't think packing my closet was necessary for a two week trip." She smirked, she knew Marissa, the last time they went anywhere, the younger twin managed to pack three times as much as her. But that wasn't nearly as bad as her sister's best friend, Summer, who ended up packing enough for the three of them… if only they were the same size.

"A girl's got to always prepare for the worst." Marissa shrugged as they got into the elevator.

"I have… I've got you. If all goes wrong, I can always borrow your clothes." Katie elbowed her sister a little.

"Yes… good point there." She eyed her sister from top to toe, "but then again, we don't really have the same style."

"Style no. Size yes. That means that I can always make something of your large wardrobe to suit my style. No fretting."

The elevator arrived and the two walked out, lead by Marissa, towards the door on the right. She opened the door with her key, "welcome… And do take your shoes off. Uptight flatmate doesn't wanna get the carpet dirty." She pointed out to the shoe rack just off the side of the entrance.

"Cozy." Katie walked in and dropped her bag on the floor before taking a nice big look around the place. The entrance lead right into the big open area, a little way to the left of the entrance was a rectangular dinner table pushed right up against the wall, and the kitchen adjacent the door. Turning her head towards the right was a hallway with 4 doors. "I see the flatmate's not home?"

"Nope, busy studying again." Marissa began to lead her sister around, she opened the first door, "toilet." She shut the door again, "I don't believe that girl. I mean finals are over!" she paused to point at another door, "study." She continued to walk again, "but she's still off studying when everyone's out relaxing," she paused at another door, "her room," and then pointed to the very end door, "my room."

Katie opened the last door, and looked at her sister's rather spaced room with her queen sized bed in the middle. Adjacent the door on the right was obviously the sliding door to the closet. She dropped her bag on the floor and walked out and plopped onto one of the couches to join her sister who was watching telly.

"Oh, my friend's coming soon, just had to check in first."

"Cool. When she gets here we can go out for some 'linner'," she said casually.

The older twin shot her sister questioning look, "linner?"

"Lunch slash dinner… I mean there's 'brunch', why can't there be 'linner'?" she finished rhetorically.

"…Okay…" Yes, her sister was definitely from another world. "Anyways, I'm gonna doze, wake me when my friend gets here." She got up off the couch and was about to make her way into the room, but then stopped in her tracks, realizing that the other girl would probably call her instead, she repeated herself, "never mind, I'll wake when she gets here."

"Whatever."

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"Riss, wake up." Katie shook her sleeping sister, "god you sleep like the dead!"

"Hmmm?"

"Get your ass up, my friend's waiting downstairs."

"Alright, just gimme a sec." She got up to stretch a little before making her way to the bathroom to freshen up a little.

Due to Katie's insistent pushing, they were out of the place within five minutes. Walking out of the complex, they saw a blonde standing with her back towards them. Almost as if sensing that they were coming, she turned her head to look at the twins walking down the stairs. Other than the fact that she could recognize Katie by the clothes she was wearing, there was just something different about the two.

"Hey!" Katie greeted. "Marissa, this is Alex, my friend and flatmate. Alex, meet my sister, Marissa."

"Hey…" The two said simultaneously.

"Anyways… enough with the greetings. Riss, lead the way… I'm starved!"

"Yeah sure… What do you guys want to eat?"

"Anything's fine with me." Alex shrugged.

"I'm not gonna even bother to ask you…" Marissa grinned at her sister before she headed off with the two girls following behind.

On their walk to a nearby diner, the three engaged in some small talk of nonsense, nothing in particular. Soon after receiving their ordered food, Katie dug in, whereas Marissa just lightly picked at her food.

"Not hungry?" Alex's voice brought the younger twin out of her daze.

"Huh…" She looked up at the blue inquiring eyes, "Oh no, not really."

"She's never hungry… but you can't blame her, typical Newport princess."

"Hmm?" The blonde looked lost.

"One of the difference between us," Katie pointed at herself and Marissa, "is that my hobby is to eat, sleep, watch movies, and actually do a little jogging or swimming everyday." Alex nodded at this, agreeing that it was pretty true, "Riss's hobby, on the other hand is to lounge around and sun bathe, when she has free time she likes to get a manicure or pedicure with a friend, shop till they drop… oh and party and get drunk every other night… Thus the reason she doesn't need food, she wouldn't be able to burn off the fat otherwise."

Alex laughed at the new found information, Marissa blushed slightly swatting her sister's arm, "I don't do that…" Katie gave her a knowing look as she took a bite of her food, "Just coz I eat less than you doesn't mean I don't burn…"

"Sure…" Katie dragged out, "and I just happen to burn three times as much and still keep the same size as you."

Another half an hour passed, after some not so subtle staring, Alex and Marissa got a little more acquainted. Not to mention everyone by now, even Katie was finally utterly full.

"So now what?" Katie looked at the other two, Alex just shrugged.

"We can always go to a nearby club!" Marissa perked up just at the idea.

Katie turned her head at her sister then back at Alex who sat across the booth. "Uh oh…" she said jokingly.

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"I'm so fucking hot!" Marissa called into their small little huddle as she danced up against Alex and Katie.

The blonde couldn't help but know how the other girl felt. After they had downed a few shots to get a start off, the three of them had been dancing with… more like against each other for nearly half an hour now; especially with Marissa. That girl just seemed to get closer and closer, practically rubbing herself against her, it was literally driving her nuts; but she loved it all the same.

They had all gone off to get drinks for a second time before coming back onto the dance floor. But nothing seemed to have change, in fact, Marissa's dancing got even more intimate it seems after drink some more. Alex didn't think the alcohol was doing her situation any good, she not only doesn't feel the stuff sinking, it seems that's not the case for Marissa. Well it's either that, or maybe because Marissa did seem to have drank twice if not three times as much.

"I'm gonna go get a drink." Marissa called pointing towards the bar as she did so. The other two nodded and she walked off.

"Are you sure your sister has never dated another girl?" Alex asked her friend.

"Sure."

"She sure doesn't seem shy when she dances 'against' me. She's driving me crazy!"

Katie laughed and grinned wickedly, "no one ever said she was shy dancing with girls. I just said she never dated one."

"God, you made her sound all innocent what with all the 'Newport Princess' crap!"

"Sorry for the wrong impression."

Just as they finished, something over at the bar caught their attention.

"Stop it. Get your dirty hands off me." Marissa tried to wiggle her way out of the guys grasp.

The two made their way over to the struggling girl, both standing protectively in front of her, effectively pushing the guy back a little.

Katie looked at her sister concerned, "what's wrong?"

"This guy won't stop running his hand down my backside." She leaned into her sister for a little support.

"Will you look at that, three hot girlies!" The guy cheered.

Alex glared at him trying to keep her cool, but that was lost when he ran his hands near her face. She slapped it away, "don't you dare touch me or my friends."

"Oh, I see you're trying to be tough on me little girlie." He tormented.

She grabbed at the collar of his shirt pulling him close to her face and eyeing him, "I warn you once… And only once, if you dare lay your hands on any of us, I can't guarantee your little brother down there would survive the night." She pushed him back smiling, confident that she had just freaked his little ass off because he had muttered a 'fine' before sauntering off.

"Well, now that that's covered," Alex turned to the twins, "maybe we should get her home…" She pointed at slightly intoxicated twin.

"Yeah, I think so too," Katie sighed.

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The sounds of giggling coming into the apartment didn't even move the girl who sat eating her late night dinner whilst watching TV. She couldn't be bothered as such to give the two a glance because she was so used to it now. She sits eating dinner, her flatmate comes home drunk, either alone, or being held by someone, or both a tad drunk. However what happened seemed to surprise the girl a little… okay, a lot. The said girl actually wasn't the drunken one this time, because she actually came out to sit on the adjacent couch.

"Hey."

Raising an eyebrow at how weird it was that her flatmate was talking to her, she shrugged it off before replying, "Hi… Guess your sister's drunk."

"Oh yeah… no surprise," She smiled at the blonde, which caused the girl to shoot another confused look at her, but she ignored it. "So… why are you eating dinner this late?"

'Okay… I always eat dinner this late…' she thought in her mind, "Um… I kinda eat dinner this late every night."

'Right… this feels rather awkward.' The brunette looked around the place, "right. So what do you study?"

"Psychology… I thought I've already told you."

Katie frowned, then she realized what was happening, she smirked a little. "My sister didn't tell you did she?"

'Am I forgetting something???' The poor girl frowned in confusion, not understanding anything at the moment, "Tell me what?"

"We're identical twins… I'm Katie."

Her mouth formed into a nice round 'oh' shape, she sat back against the couch allowing the information sink in. "So you're the sister, and Marissa's in there drunk?" The other girl just nodded, her own lips formed into another 'oh'. "Well, I'm Jessie."

"Hey Jessie…" she smiled her killer smile, which caused Jessie to flush just the lightest shade. "Well let's make this official and proper again." She turned more fully to face the other girl, reaching a hand out, "Hi, nice to meet you, my name is Kathryn Singer, but you can call me Katie."

Jessie smiled back timidly as she took the extended hand in her own, "Hi Katie, my names Jessica Sammler, but you can call me Jessie." Then she finally noticed something, "Sorry, but did you just say your last name was Singer?"

Katie nodded and knew exactly what the question was, "long story… Don't wanna bore you with it."

"Oh… I don't mind, I have nothing more to do anyway." She shrugged but then paused, "… well, that's unless you don't feel like telling me. It's okay really."

"No, no… It's okay. Well where should I start?" Katie scratched her head, before she delved into the long history of her and Marissa's past.

After a nice long hour of explanations and detailed questioning Jessie finally leaned back into the couch. "Wow…"

"Yeah."

"You guys have an interesting past…" she smiled, "so… you guys have matching tattoos?"

"Well, yeah. Wanna see?"

"Okay…"

Katie turned around and lifted her blouse up slightly revealing not only her perfect skin but also the said tattoo on her lower back.

"Wow…" Not sure whether she was wowing to the tattoo or the fact that the other girl's back look thoroughly touchable. She however was sure of one thing – she definitely liked this twin way more than the one she lived with.