DISCLAIMER: I do not own the character of the Cohen Family, Cooper Family, Atwood Family or the Townsend Family. There will be characters in the future that will be mine, but not at this time.
Chapter 1: Her Grave
His eyes wander over the cold solemn marble. Her name etched neatly in the center of it.
MARISSA COOPER
MAY 18, 2006
Beloved Daughter and Friend to all
It was easier now, coming to visit her. He never had anything to say, he just sat in the quietness and thought. He never thought about what it
would have been like if she were still alive. Because he knew it would be the same, they wouldn't be together; but not having her in his life at all,
was hard to grasp, until now. He stared at her grave and two simple, yet profound words were all he uttered. "Thank you." These words were all
he needed to say to her, it summed up their entire life together. He walked the few steps back to his car and never looked back, and never to
return.
Summer and Seth were leaving for their honeymoon in a few hours and he still needed to change out of his tuxedo. He also needed to talk to
Taylor. The drive back to Berkeley was fairly short and uneventful, except for the smile forming on Ryan's face. He couldn't for the life of him, ever
remember being genuinely happy. Guess it all started when Sandy Cohen took a chance on a troubled kid. And, although Ryan may never have
actually called Sandy and Kirsten, mom and dad, that's exactly what they were to him. Today he finally realized that he may have the Atwood
name, but he is, in heart, a true Cohen and today he watched his brother get married and watched as Taylor became a permanent fixture in his
life. She was his soul mate a yin to his yang. She rambled and he listened. She knew how he felt and what he was thinking and that made it
easier for him to express his own emotions, knowing that she knew just by looking at him. He was grateful for the fact that she came into his life,
and now it was his job to make sure she never left.
He found Taylor in the Cohen's backyard, the dress was gone and her hair was down around her shoulders, just the way he liked it. Of course,
he couldn't help but notice how amazing, and relaxed she seemed in her faded jeans and tank top. He had no objection when Taylor was
dressed to the nines, but something about her look now, just oozed comfort and serenity.
He came up behind her to wrap his arms around her waist, she let go of the piece of hair she was twirling to place her hands over his. His lips
were inches from her ear and his words were warm against her skin, "Thank you for waiting for me."
"Well, I wasn't about to let Ryan Atwood slip through my fingers. Now, we have our entire lives to spend with each other."
"I love you and sometimes those words don't seem like they are enough."
"They are, at least for me."
Author's Note: This chapter is fairly short. I wanted to get a reaction from the readers to see if I should continue or not.