From The Third Season Finale On...

Marissa climbed onto the plane with one last glance back at Ryan and regretted her decision to defer a year at Berkley. He stood rather awkwardly, she thought and smiled. He smiled back, she turned away to hide her tears and walked to her seat.

Ryan was someone she could always turn to. He was home, safety and comfort, a quality every other boyfriend had lacked. He would always be there, waiting for her.

Why did she have to do this? Was she really not ready for college? She wrapped Ryan's coat around her, which she had forgotten to return and snuggled into it, ready for the fifteen-hour flight. It smelled like him; a mixture of soap and something she couldn't put her finger on. She breathed him in deeply, wishing he were next to her instead of the middle-aged man who was currently cracking open an issue of Batman. She was reminded strongly of Seth and her eyes filled with tears again. It's only for a year, she told herself for the tenth time and swallowed as the plane started to move.

Despite Ryan, Summer and Seth, Marissa was excited about Greece, and more importantly seeing her dad again. He had told her he was doing well, he was happy. She wondered if there was a woman in her dad's life again, and she thought of her mother at home with Neil, Kaitlin and Summer. Would she have gone if her mother had been living back in her trailer with only Gus to keep her company… She grinned at the thought and drifted off to dream, reliving her last night in Newport.

Ryan turned away from the window after the dark sky had swallowed up the plane. Tonight had been wonderful, he thought, bittersweet. This was classic Marissa, he thought-as soon as we get back together, something tears us apart. But it wasn't over, it never was with Marissa, Ryan had a feeling they would somehow end up back together.

Ryan's emotions compromised him, he had wanted this ever since last summer, but Marissa was leaving for a year, where did that leave him? He could still taste her lips on his, he wondered if she looked at this night as sealing what they had or as starting something new. It was definitely starting something new, he thought and allowed himself a grin at the night's event as he headed home.

"Hey man, where've you been?" Seth asked next to Sandy as Ryan walked into the kitchen.

"Umm, long story," he said lamely, his neck burned.

"Well, we've got time, right Dad," he asked, swinging his arm over his father and shooting Ryan a malicious grin.

"Plenty," Sandy didn't look to happy.

"Traffic," Ryan mumbled and Seth snorted,

"dude, it's Wednesday night."

Ryan gave him a look, "Right, pool house, night dad." Sandy just shook his head, to tired to argue.

"Man what happened? Give me the dirty deats," Seth lowered himself into his favorite chair.

"Okay, so…deats?"

"Details, my friend,"

"Right, well, Marissa was driving, and I realized she wasn't headed toward the airport, she was driving to the beach, so I asked her what's going on and she wouldn't tell me, but she seemed pretty nervous. Anyway, she pulled up right where, we first, you know, when you and Summer made that thing for us?"

"Say no more, my friend, carry on…"

"and then, we…you know." Ryan mumbled, scratching the back of his neck.

"Wow…What do you thinks' gonna happen?"

"She's going to Greece," Ryan said briskly, trying not to reveal too much emotion, "and I'm going to Berkley," he sighed. Suddenly he just wanted to be alone.

"Well, 'night," he said suddenly, pushing Seth towards the door.

"Wait, Ryan," Ryan closed the door in his face, his last words muffled "we need to talk about this,"

"Tomorrow," he yelled through the door and rolled his eyes at Seth's need to talk about anything.

The flight attendant woke her up. "Maim, we're five minutes to landing," Marissa nodded and smiled. She had slept fifteen hours? She supposed Ryan had worn her out and grinned. Being with Ryan was different than being with Volchok, maybe because she really loved Ryan. He made her feel safe and protected; he respected her. When she was with Volchok, she just felt like…a body.

She wanted to go to the bathroom, but they were already closed. Oh well, her dad wouldn't care what her hair looked like, one of the reasons she loved him. And then it hit her: Greece! She had never been overseas, she hoped most people spoke english. She hadn't even thought about that…she would be fine with her dad.

It was night when she got off the plane. She found her luggage easily, but had some trouble carrying it through the airport, and there he was.

He rushed forward to help her with her bags and hug her, long and hard. "I missed you kiddo," she smiled at her nickname her dad reserved for her only.

"I missed you too, dad," she grinned up at him.

"How was your flight?" he asked

"okay, how was your year?" she asked

"Fantastic," he said, and she remembered how much her dad used to say that word, she missed it. "Dad," she asked,

"hmm?"

"Have you ever realized how many times you say fantastic?" she giggled. He wrapped his free arm around her and they walked to his car.

Once on the water, Marissa spent an hour or two examining the yacht, she wished her friends or even her mother could see her now. It was amazing. "Do you think you'll manage?" asked her dad. "It's fantastic," she exclaimed, making them both grin. After finding her room, which was adequate, though not as nice as the rest of the boat, she checked her messages from her new phone. One from Summer, one from her mom, and one from Ryan. Ryan's was last, she would have to sit through the first two:

"Hey, Coop, just wanted to let you know that you forgot your good eyeliner and won't be getting it back. Miss you already!"

"Marissa, it's mom, I just wanted to make sure your okay, call me when you get this. We miss you. Oh, Kaitlin wants to say hi, Kaitlin, Kaitlin, come back, it's your sister," there was a pause "hi" Kaitlin said flatly, "We love you, call, tell your father I said hi, send pictures. Okay," her mother toke a breath, "bye." Marissa rolled her eyes at this, but made a mental note to call her mother later.

"Hey, um, just making sure you got in alright. So…" there was a pause. "call me," She could hear the smile in his voice, Ryan was not good with words. It was nice having someone care about you like that and he wanted her to call him.

She had worried if he took last night the wrong way, it wasn't just that she wanted the sex or that she was saying goodbye, she wanted Ryan. And now he wanted her, despite the thousands of miles that stood between them. A sudden rush of longing permeated through her, she wanted to be home, with him. She would call him later, she decided and listened to his message again.

TWO MONTHS LATER

Marissa woke up feeling nauseous and rushed toward the bathroom, she wondered if she had eaten something bad, but she knew, in the back of her mind what was going on. It had not been the first time this had happened, nor the only symptom…

She had gained at least ten pounds, she had been moody, she had cravings and she was starting to realized that her vomiting wasn't seasickness, but morning sickness…

The realization of what this meant hit her hard. She didn't want to tell anybody if it meant Ryan finding out, she could probably call Summer, but would Summer tell Seth? No, Summer was her best friend, she had to tell her. And how long could she really keep this a secret, was it even safe for her to be on a boat? How long could she wait until she couldn't get on a plane anymore?

And then there was the Ryan factor. Things had just started to work out for Ryan and he was headed to Berkley to start his life. She knew he wasn't ready to be a dad as much as she wasn't ready to be a mom. At the same time, how would he feel if she kept this from him? She couldn't, she had to go home.

She decided to come clean sooner rather than later, and set off to find her dad.

"Dad?"

"Hey kiddo, what's up?"

This had been harder than she expected. She took a deep breath and smiled,

"Well, you know how sometimes, in the heat of the moment, things can get out of hand?"

"Yeah," said her dad, who wasn't smiling anymore.

"Ummm, well, dad," she met her father's eye, "I'm pregnant," she said it fast, like a breath she'd been waiting to release.

Her father looked at her in disbelief, "Marissa, I-, you-, are you sure?"

Marissa nodded, looking away. Their was a painful silence.

"When…who…"

"It was Ryan," she blushed.

"I can't believe this…how could you have been so irresponsible?" he ran his hands through his hair, "you're not ready for this, does Ryan know, what about your mother?"

"No, I've only told you, please don't tell her yet, I want to tell her in person."

Her father offered her a hug, "I can't believe this…"

"Neither can I," said Marissa, wiping her tears. He gave her a smile; "Well, I can get you off this boat in a week. And kiddo?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you."

"Thanks Dad, for being so understanding,"

"Wait till you tell your mother," he smiled at his predicted reaction.

Ryan hadn't talked to Marissa in over a week, it was late July. They had drifted a little, as most long distance couples do, but still talked once or twice during the week with in between emails. Ryan liked emails, he felt he could get his thoughts down much better in writing than through a phone line, because as Seth said, Ryan could convey a lot with a look and Marissa couldn't see him through the phone.

He missed her every day, and not just Marissa, any girlfriend or companion would be nice. He was lonely. Seth, who had taken to spending every waking moment with Summer, was making the most of his time with her before she left for Brown. This meant they spent most of their time making out, which was becoming increasingly painful for Ryan, who hadn't kissed anyone for months. This along with the prospect of leaving his family and Newport for Berkley was extremely depressing. Maybe he should defer a year…No he couldn't, there was nothing to be afraid of and he was excited about college.

….

"Hey, Coop," came Summer's voice, she sounded distracted. She giggled and then there was rustling.

"Hey, Sum, want me to call you back?"

"No, I'm here, so is Cohen."

"Hi, Marissa,"

"Hey Seth…Sum?"

"Back, what's up?"

"Umm, it's sort of serious, so I'm gonna call you back because I don't want Seth knowing…right now." Her voice started to crack.

"Coop, is everything okay?" Summer sounded generally concerned now.

"No, yeah, everything's fine," she started to break down, but pulled herself together, "so, ummm, call me back later. Love you,"

"Wait a second, Coop!" Summer was in full on best friend mode now, Marissa pictured her shooing Seth out of her room and, sure enough, she heard a door slam.

"He's gone, what's the deal?"

"Sum…Sum, I'm pregnant." She burst into tears, "It was Ryan, right before I left for Greece, and I can't tell him Sum, I just can't…"

"Oh, sweetie, it's okay, everything's okay, don't worry, we're going to figure this out! I wish I could hug you right now."

"Well you will be able to soon, I'm coming home," Marissa sniffled. She was so glad Summer had chosen to comfort her instead of bombard her with questions.

"I wanted to tell you before, but I had to be sure,"

"I understand, Coop, this might not be as bad as you think, when are you coming home?" Yeah, and how could this not be as bad as she thought?

"Tuesday night at five"

"Perfect, my dad and your mom are in Italy for another three weeks, I'll pick you up at six?"

"Yeah, thanks Sum,"

"No problem and Coop, we'll get through this."

She prayed Summer wouldn't tell Seth, because telling Seth was like telling Ryan directly and Ryan needed to hear the news from her…

At the Airport…

"Coop, over here," Summer practically screamed, causing several heads to turn.

Marissa rushed forward as fast as she could with the bags she was carrying.

The girls threw themselves together, and Marissa's eyes welled up unexpectedly.

"I missed you so much, Sum,"

"Coop, you have got to stop crying," Marissa smiled through her tears.

"It's hormones, plus the added stress of seeing Ryan…"

"Don't worry, Coop, Ryan loves you, he's been miserable all summer,"

Instead of making Marissa feel better, it made her feel guilty.

"What will he say…when I just…show up?"

"He'll be thrilled, trust me, Ryan has been bored and lonely, aching for you, all summer…"

"Sum, it won't exactly be romantic when I tell him why I'm here…"

"Just postpone it for a day, you both deserve it…it is Ryan's, isn't it?"

"Yes," said Marissa indignantly, " and I can't, I've kept this from him for too long already and I'm already starting to show…"

"Wear something lose and tell him later, trust me,"

Marissa smiled at her friend's simple solution and decided it might not be such a bad idea, the bump wasn't even noticeable and she had missed Ryan…

"I got you something," Summer pulled a baby magazine out of her bag and handed it to Marissa, "I thought we could pick out stuff for Baby Coop later."

Marissa hugged her friend again and they headed towards the car.

She rolled down her window to let the cool ocean air blow in her face. She had missed Newport, it would always be home to her. They pulled up to their house to meet Kaitlin with Luke's brothers…

"Marissa-"

"Kaitlin, I missed you so much,"

"What the hell are you doing back?"

"Umm, let's talk about it in the morning, I'm really tired…"

"Does mom know, does anyone?"

"No, look Kaitlin, it's complicated, I'll explain it all tomorrow, I promise, can you just…not tell anyone yet?"

"Yeah…I missed you too," she drew her sister in for a hug. "See ya,"

"Come on, Coop,"

"Okay, let me just grab my bag,"

Just then Summer's phone rang…

"Hey, Seth. No, not tonight…I'm really tired… I'll call you later…love you…bye"

Marissa was suddenly jealous of her friend's relationship, it was so… easy, she thought. When had it ever been easy for her, or for Ryan, she prayed he would still go to Berkley.

She couldn't wait to see him again, those piercing blue eyes…

"So Coop, what's the game plan?"

"Hmm?"

"Coop, snap out of it, what are you going to do tomorrow?"

"I figured I'd go see Ryan and tell him what's going on?" What else was there to do? Summer's phone buzzed, she flipped it open and closed it.

"Do you want me to tell Cohen?"

"Tomorrow, you can keep him away from me and Ryan,"

"Done,"

"Coop?"

"Yeah?"

"How're you feeling?"

Marissa thought for a second, "at first I felt terrible, now I've accepted it. I just feel guilty, with Ryan finally going to Berkley…"

"Coop, he'll still go, maybe he'll defer a year for his kid, that's understandable,"

Marissa hadn't thought about this option, which soothed her. "I'm actually kinda excited when I'm not guilty. I mean, even if it isn't the right time, it could still be…fun."

"That's the spirit, Baby coop is one lucky girl."

"How do you know it's a girl?"

"I don't, but we're gonna buy girl baby clothes anyways because their adorable!"

Marissa smiled at this and eased herself onto Summer's bed, holding her growing stomach protectively, though the bump was nearly non-existant.

"Have you thought of names?"

"No, actually I haven't," Marissa was genuinely surprised the thought hadn't come to mind, just recently had she actually begun to consider it an actual life instead of a health issue.

"Well, I have, I was thinking, like Gabby…"

"That's okay, what about Beth?

"Ew, Coop, Beth sounds so…constipated, ewmygod, what about Ellie?"

It just sounded right when Marissa heard it, she wondered what Ryan would think…Ryan as a dad, it just made her smile from the inside out.

"Write that one down, Sum," Summer was sitting at her desk, flipping through Us weekly. "Sum, I'm kinda tired, do you mind if…?"

"No, god, go ahead, growing a baby has got to be tiring,"

"Yeah, well, that or jet lag, night,"

"Night, Coop," Summer gave her a reassuring smile, as if to say, you'll get through this. She smiled back and crossed the bathroom to her room.

She sunk into her sheets, god it was good to be home. But despite this one comfort, sleep did not come. She was suddenly dreading tomorrow, she wished she could just get back on a plane and disappear forever…

But she couldn't, she had a responsibility as Ryan's girlfriend and as a mother to do this, no matter how hard it might be. She wondered what the Cohen's would think of her, they'd understand. Maybe she was imagining it, but she always felt a little resentment when dealing with Sandy and Kirsten, always dragging Ryan into her messed up life. But in the past couple years, she had a lot to overcome and the Cohen's understood that, they were good people, her mother, however, she was not so sure of.

In three weeks here bump would be noticeable, she knew that, so there was no hiding this from her mother. She would probably do something ridiculous, order Ryan to marry her or otherwise tell her to get an abortion…God, she couldn't deal with her mother, she was an emotional wreck. There was no point in worrying about it now she thought.

The sound of Ryan's phone woke him, he sat up just in time to answer it.

"Hello?"

"Hey, it's me, did I wake you?" It was so good to hear her voice.

"No, I'm up, this time difference thing is not working for us,"

"Right…Ryan, I have to tell you something, but don't freak out okay?"

She sounded nervous, something was wrong.

"Okay, what's going on?"

"Ryan, I'm here," Ryan didn't know what she meant by this and wasn't allowing himself to think what he thought it meant.

"You mean you're in Newport, now?"

"Yeah, I got in last night and I wanted to see you, but I was really tired, it was late," Joy and excitement exploded in Ryan, "That's great," was all he could say.

"Really?" Marissa asked, relief in her voice.

"Yeah, so do you want me to come over?" He was nervous to see her again.

"No, actually I'm standing in front of your house,"

"Don't ring the doorbell, come around?"

"Okay," she said, giggling.

She took a deep breath before opening the pool house door. And there he was, exactly as she'd left him. He started to stand up, "No, don't get up," she stared into his sleepy blue eyes and fell into his arms, where she belonged. "I missed you," she whispered. Suddenly, everything was forgotten, it was just her and Ryan. Their lips met with the pent up longing of two months, she was lost in his smell, his taste. He broke away, "is this real?" Marissa responded with another kiss and ran her fingers through his ruffled hair. It was as if no time had passed at all. She shook off her shoes and crawled under the covers. His body covered hers and she ran her cold fingers up his wife beater. She could definitely tell him later…

Just then, there was a knock at the door. "Ryan, man, get up. Today's a good day, I can feel it. I brought coffee," Marissa pulled herself away and ran to Ryan's bathroom. She heard the door open. We should take the boat out, take some quality seth ryan time…"

"Nah, not today, man, I've got some…"

"Stuff?" seth suggested helpfully.

"Yeah…"

"Alright, Summer wanted to talk to me about something anyway, she's been acting a little weird. I think she's hiding something…"

"I wouldn't worry about it," Ryan said quickly.

"Okay…well, I'm gonna go get some breakfast-who's shoes are those?" Shit, she'd forgotten. Lying was not Ryan's strong suit.

"They're Marissa's, I found them under my bed," She was surprised how easily he said this, and a wave of relief rushed over her. She didn't want anyone else to know yet, not until Ryan knew the truth…

"He's gone," Ryan got out of bed to stretch. He couldn't help noticing Marissa's eyes wander over him, he smiled and caught her eye. She reddened but he didn't look away. He walked across the pool house, never breaking his gaze. He kissed her hard and pushed her body against the bathroom wall. Adrenaline rushed through him and he was sure Marissa could feel his heart beating, but that wasn't the only thing Marissa could feel... Ryan had forgotten her smell, her taste, the feel of her skin on his. He pulled her toward the bed, never breaking contact. He lowered her softly and climbed ontop of her, lowering his weight onto her gently, stopping to pull of his wife beater. He started to kiss her neck and then farther down, unbuttoning her polo as he went, he wondered if she'd make him stop. Judging by the moan that just escaped her, she wasn't. She pulled away, for a second, Ryan thought his luck had run out, but he realized she was pulling her shirt off. He had never seen Marissa topless. He'd felt her, but it had always been dark and he never had time to actually look at her, take in her beauty...She looked curvier and she was tan from Greece. She appeared to glow, maybe because of the heat of the moment, but something was different...

"Ryan, I'm up here," Marissa whispered and giggled. She pulled him close and started to nibble his neck and ears. He took her hips and pulled her towards him, his hands finding their way under her skirt. He ran his hand up and down her inner thigh and he felt her shiver. He looked into her eyes, asking her permission. She nodded feverently and he slipped her skirt off her slender hips. She was breathing hard now, he pushed himself up onto his elbows. Suprising him, her hands found his boxers and she started to pull them down. There was only one small peice of fabric between them now. Ryan traced his fingers up and down and pulled playfully at the cotton, knowing what it was doing to her. She arched her hips up and he pulled, it was gone. He lowered himself back onto her and she wrapped her legs around him. At that moment, Ryan realized Marissa was the only girl he would ever love...