Third Time Around
The Aftermath
By Somebody's Angel
"So, you and Seth seem happy."
"Yeah. Yeah, y'know, I really want things to be different this time. For better or worse, I really feel connected to him."
-Marissa & Summer, 'The Mallpisode'
"Y'know I really thought things were going to be different this time. But you haven't changed at all…it shouldn't be this hard."
-Summer, 'The Showdown'
They said third time's the charm. Summer didn't know who 'they' were, but they were right.
Third time around, Summer and Seth's relationship was finally going perfectly. To the outside observer they still fought like cats and dogs only to make up minutes later, but outsiders didn't know that Seth and Summer enjoyed the bickering, and that it was never about anything important. Summer couldn't remember the last time they had actually fought – it seemed their time apart had allowed they to grow up enough that they talked through their issues rather than arguing about them.
They talked a lot more this time around. Taking a leaf out of Ryan & Marissa's book, they no longer took every opportunity to re-consummate the relationship, instead using the time to get to know one another better. It wasn't a conscious decision, they just didn't go as far as often. The waiting only increased the pleasure when they couldn't stand the frustration anymore, and the increased intimacy made their love that much stronger.
Seth was slowly teaching Summer how to talk about her feelings. The biggest breakthrough was made the morning after prom when she reciprocated Seth's declaration of love. They didn't end every conversation with the words, but they were spoken frequently enough for both to believe that the phrase rang true.
Summer snuggled closer to Seth, glad of the warmth of the blanket draped over them both – it was cold on the beach late at night, despite it being August. He responded by worming an arm around her waist, pulling her hip gently so that she leaned into him. Laying her head on his shoulder, Summer gazed across the flickering firelight at the pair who shared this summer night with her and Seth.
Ryan was being macho and pretending he wasn't cold, allowing Marissa to have a blanket all to herself Despite his proclamation, he pulled Marissa close and subtly moved closer to the fire as Seth's watch beeped eleven pm.
Summer couldn't help but admire her friends. Ryan's brother had attempted to rape Marissa, leading to Marissa shooting Trey, and now both of them were being investigated for attempted murder, yet their relationship had never been stronger. With all that they had been through in the past two years, the pair deserved to have some time to just be a couple, but – according to Seth – the universe had other plans for them, and their connection grew stronger with each test.
Ryan was whispering something in Marissa's ear, and she was smiling. Summer looked away from the intimate moment, staring out across the ocean for a moment before turning her eyes upon her boyfriend. His face was gorgeous in the low light, and she lifted her head from his shoulder to see him better. He felt the lack of pressure and looked down at her, the hazel of his irises glinting tawny in the light from the fire.
She wondered if they would ever be like Ryan and Marissa, then quickly dismissed the idea, shaking her head to get rid of the disturbing images. Seth smirked at her, amused at her actions. She grinned back at him, and leaned up to kiss him softly before smacking him on the shoulder for laughing at her, even if he hadn't done it out loud. They would never be Ryan and Marissa and for that, she was thankful. As much as Summer loved her best friends, she didn't want to have their kind of relationship – aside from all the obstacles placed in their way, Ryan and Marissa were also sickening when they were happy – attached at the hip, constantly all over one another, finishing one another's sentences. Seth and Summer's relationship was different – the only obstacles they faced were ones they themselves created, they maintained their independence despite being a couple, and they didn't do extended public displays of affection – yet the connection between them was similar to that shared by their best friends. And while they could complete one another's sentences, the key difference was that they didn't – Summer out of respect for Seth and Seth because Summer would kill him if he interrupted her. Instead they supported one another and their friends through the various problems they had faced over the summer.
Summer had been invaluable as Seth came to terms with his mother's alcohol problem – having been through it with both her mother and stepmother, Summer was an endless source of information and comfort for Seth, whether it be helping him understand why he shouldn't hate his mother or merely being a shoulder to cry on. An alcoholic mother was one of the few things she had in common with Ryan, and the unconditional love for a parent was something she never thought she would have to explain to Seth – had hoped he would never have to experience the feelings of helplessness and abandonment that came with a parent's trip to rehab.
But it happened, and she had helped him through it.
Seth had comforted Summer as her friendship with Marissa grew thorny. After the shock of that night had worn off, Marissa had blamed Summer for starting the chain that led to the shooting, and Summer, shocked into speechlessness, had fled from Marissa's room and straight into Seth's arms. He had stroked her hair while she cried into his shirt, whispering words of love and support into her hair as she sobbed and hiccuped and cursed her now ex-best friend. Despite his friendship with Ryan having lasted a good ten years less than Summer's with Marissa, Seth had some damn good advice on the importance of friends and how to mend the relationship. Marissa and Summer hadn't spoken for almost a week, until Ryan and Seth somehow got them to realise that it was neither girl's fault and that their friendship was way too important to throw away because of a single incident. The two stood by like proud fathers as their girls made up, and all four had been almost inseparable ever since.
"I love you." Seth's murmured voice in her ear broke Summer out of her thoughts.
She blinked and looked into his eyes, seeing the depth of his feelings for her. She only hoped that her own eyes reflected the feelings that she knew she felt, and thus felt compelled to ensure he knew, "I love you too."
His eyes lit up the same way they always did when she uttered those words in his direction, and she felt a pang of sadness that it had taken her this long to realise how awesome Seth Cohen really was. And then when she finally had realised, he stuffed everything up by leaving, and she spent the majority of the next year denying how she really felt. His broad grin and the touch of his lips to her forehead helped stifle the depressing thoughts, and she pressed a lingering kiss to his cheek.
Just as she was lifting her lips from his skin he turned his head to face her, and their lips were suddenly millimetres apart. Sliding her eyes to the side, Summer saw that Marissa & Ryan were no longer sitting where they hade previously been, and Seth's hot breath on her ear distracted her from his words – presumably telling her where they had gone. She turned back to him and captured his lips with hers in a fierce kiss that embodied all the emotions she was feeling at that moment – at least she hoped it did. It scared her sometimes – actually most of the time – the intensity of what she felt for Seth. She thought about a time before she had admitted how much she loved him, and remembered the valuable role his mother had played in getting her to finally admit her feelings.
…FLASHBACK…
"He really loves you, Summer." Kirsten said, passing Summer her coffee. The teenager had come to the house searching for Marissa, and instead found a willing ear in Seth's mother. Despite the female Cohen's own personal problems she had always made time to talk to Summer whenever the younger girl needed her, and now, despite feeling her body craving the alcohol she had been placating herself with since Carter left, she put the though out of her mind and concentrated on the girl whom she thought of as her daughter, even if the piece of paper that made it official didn't yet exist.
"I know." Summer sighed, unable to fathom how she had poured her heart out to the mother of the root of all her problems, and further unwilling to believe that she actually wanted to talk about it with someone other than Marissa. "But why is loving him so hard?" It was the first time she had admitted that she loved him out loud – she hadn't even said the words to Marissa – and it wasn't as hard as she thought it would be. "He keeps doing…things that upset me, and even though I know he doesn't mean them, it still hurts, y'know?"
Kirsten nodded understandingly, "But he really didn't mean it. The girl…you of all people would know how inexperienced he is in dealing with women and, according to Ryan, the girl fed him some sob story about not being able to pay her college tuition if he didn't partner her in the competition-not that I'm siding with Seth!" she was quick to add, seeing the disbelief on Summer's face, "Apparently he did try and get out of it but she guilted him into following through – he lost a bet, you see. And you should have seen him when he came home – he spent the entire Sunday night agonising over how he should tell you, and he was so cut up over it…I was so proud of him for not even attempting to hide it – he really is growing up." Summer nodded sadly, and Kirsten realised that sympathising with Seth wasn't helping Summer.
"Is it always this hard?" Summer's voice was small but determined – who better to ask about long time loves than the one couple in Newport who hadn't allowed anything to break them apart?
"Love is hard. You have to work to make it last. And you know why else? If it's hard, then it's real. I don't think that what you and Seth have is just a teen romance – it's real, adult love. The kind of love that survives the bad times and it greater than anything you can imagine during the good times. It's not all sex and laughs-" Summer flushed and averted her eyes at the mention of sex coming from Seth's mother, and Kirsten smiled comfortingly, "-yes I do know that you two are…sexually active, and while I don't exactly approve, that's not the point here. The point is that real, lasting love isn't all fun and games…and I think you're figuring that out." Her fingers were warm and soft on Summer's chin as she tilted the girl's face towards her.
Summer looked into Kirsten's eyes, which showed more compassion and love than she had ever seen in her own mother's eyes. She smiled shyly and nodded, "I think you're right. I've never felt this way – I can't imagine feeling this way about anyone else. It's like…he understands me better than anyone. He can read my moods, make me laugh, and he always knows when I need to be held, even when I don't say anything." Somehow it was a lot easier to talk about her feelings when she wasn't talking to someone her own age.
Kirsten bobbed her head in agreement, "When Seth looks at you, it's like nobody else is on the face of the planet but the two of you." She smiled sadly. "It's hard to think of my little boy all grown up, but when I see the two of you together, it's not hard to see you married with kids-in about five or ten years, mind you." She hastily added, seeing the distressed look on Summer's face. "I see a lot of Sandy and myself in you and Seth. Granted, we weren't high school sweethearts like you two, but the bantering, the fighting, the connection between you, the way you're both so independent…and of course, your complete control over him." The two women shared a secret smile.
"Thanks." Summer hugged her. "That means a lot, coming from you. You and Mr Co-Sandy are probably the best example of true love I could hope to find in real life. Whenever I see the way he looks at you, the way he always knows the minute you enter the room, even if he's not facing your way; when I see you hold a whole conversation without saying a word to each other, I know that's what I want. It's like, I don't know…it's like you share the same soul or something, like you make up two parts of a whole person." Kirsten opened her mouth to say something – probably along the lines of her having the same thing with Seth – but Summer put up her hand. "I know Cohen and I have something like that, but what I'm scared of is losing it. I couldn't handle it when he finally figures out that the Summer he's been in love with for years isn't the same Summer I am now. I just know he won't feel the same way about me, and-"
"Summer." Kirsten placed a gentle palm over the younger girl's flailing hands. Summer looked down at her lap and her stilled hands, then back up at Kirsten, tears glistening in her chocolate eyes. "Oh sweetie…" She opened her arms and Summer fell into them, sobbing all the tears she had refused to let fall until now. "I'm sure Seth will always love you, no matter how much you change." Kirsten rubbed Summer's back as she spoke in soothing tones, "And the kind of love you two have doesn't just disappear over time – sure it'll change and grow and it may even fade if you two break up for a long period of time, but you'll never lose it completely."
Summer hiccupped one last time and raised her head from the older woman's shoulder. She dragged the back of her hand across her face, attempting to rid her skin of all evidence of tears. "Sorry. I can't believe I just broke down like that. I-"
"It's OK, Summer. Everyone needs a good cry now and then, and it's always much more comforting to cry on someone's shoulder than into a pillow." The brunette smiled shyly and looked at her hands, twisting her fingers together nervously. "Seth's changed too, you know." At Kirsten's words, Summer looked up, confusion replacing the embarrassment previously on her face. "You said you were afraid Seth wouldn't feel the same way about you now that you've changed from the Summer he fell in love with all those years ago. But he's changed too, especially over the previous year. Have your feelings changed about him?"
The question was simple enough, but Summer had to think about the way she wanted to answer it – she was speaking to the mother of the boy, after all. "Well…yeah my feelings have changed, but in a good way." Kirsten smiled in understanding. "I still love him, but it's a different kind of love – it's changed into something deeper, more intense…" She trailed off as she realized what Kirsten had been trying to explain to her.
…END FLASHBACK…
So caught up in memories was Summer that she only realised Seth had taken the affection further than a simple kiss when she felt her bikini top give way, courtesy of his roaming hands. He was now kissing a trail along her jaw as he slipped both hands under her pink hoodie and moved to cup her breasts. The cold night air had made Seth's hands icy despite the fire, and she jumped when his fingers touched her sensitive skin.
Pulling his lips back to hers to stifle her moan, Summer traced a line along the waistband of his board shorts, feeling him respond all the more eagerly. It had been a while – almost two weeks, what with Trey still unconscious and the depositions and getting ready for school – and both were feeling the drought.
In spite of the desire Seth was arousing within her, Summer wrenched her lips from his and looked around – there was no-one on the beach as far as she could see, "Coop and-"
"-Ryan have gone to the lifeguard tower thingy." Seth finished, resuming his trail of kisses down her jaw and moving to her chest when he ran out of jaw. Her zipper slowly made its way down, Seth's lips following his hands as more of her skin was exposed.
He pulled the top open when the zipper was completely undone, and the cold caused a shiver to run through Summer's body. Seeing her tremble, Seth removed his lips from her skin and pulled both halves of the pink fabric together.
"It's cold." She said simply, and they looked at one another, frustration evident on both their faces. Summer looked over the sea, where Mr Cooper's boat rocked on the gentle swell, but she knew there was no way either of them would last long enough to get all the way back out to it.
She felt a tugging at her shoulders and turned back to Seth. He was attempting to extricate himself from the blanket they had been sharing, but it seemed as if he was losing the battle. Grinning at him whilst attempting to stifle her giggles, she reached in between them and tugged one end of the patterned fabric out from under his shoe. He immediately fell backwards as the pressure he had been fighting against slackened.
The sight of Seth sprawled on the sand broke Summer's resolve and she burst out laughing. He scowled at her, which only made her laugh that much harder.
She was so hysterical that she didn't notice that he had gotten up until he was launching himself at her, pinning her under him and removing all traces of mirth from her lips with a fiery kiss.
She finally broke the kiss and, in between gasps for air, she looked up at him and wondered how she could have ever thought that this wasn't right. There was no better place for her to be than on her back under him – except maybe when it was him under her. His body covering hers, shielding her from most of the chilly ocean breeze which made her cold even as his lips against her skin were causing her to shiver for a whole other reason. His thigh pressed between hers, and his hands roamed her abdomen, and she was quite content to just lay there and let him do whatever he wanted to her. But then another gust of air ruffled through his hair and onto her face, and she was reminded why they had stopped before.
Pushing him off her she sat up and looked across the dwindling fire – sure enough, Ryan and Marissa had been in so much of a hurry to be alone that they had left their blanket lying on the sand. Summer pointed at it, and Seth looked at her perplexedly. "Get the blanket." She commanded, and stopped his protests before they had even left his mouth with a smouldering look, indicating exactly what he would receive as a reward for doing what she requested.
He moved to retrieve the covering, leaving Summer to arrange their blanket on the floor for them to lie on. She removed her sarong and lay down on the blanket in just hoodie and bikini bottoms, leaving no doubt as to her intentions. Seth turned around and took a sharp intake of breath when he saw his girlfriend. She smiled when she heard the gasp, and beckoned for him to join her. Carefully arranging the second blanket to cover them against both the cold and any potential onlookers, Seth looked into her eyes, now almost black with lust, and lowered himself into her waiting arms.
Summer immediately attacked his lips, her hands pulling at the hem of his red t-shirt. He lifted himself off her a little in order to rid himself of the shirt, before her small hands on his shoulders pulled his now bare chest against her own. He began whispering endearments and expressions of love in her ear as soon as she released his lips in favour of pressing kisses along his shoulders. She couldn't possibly put her feelings into words the way he could, let alone have the courage to actually speak the words out loud, so instead she showed him how much she loved him by her actions.
Later, their naked bodies curled around one another under the blanket, Seth's head heavy on her shoulder, Summer gazed up at the stars in the clear night sky. Though not bothered by actual constellations, she had always loved merely staring at the tiny spots of light, loved the way they made her feel so small and so big at the same time.
A movement at her side cause her to turn her gaze from the heavens to her angel. He really did look like a cherub when sleeping – dark chestnut curls tumbling gently into his face, long lashes gently brushing against golden cheeks barely shadowed by new growth. He was her saviour in many ways – her liberator from the otherwise inevitable descent into the next generation of Newpsies; her lifeline when she awoke herself with a screaming nightmare about her mother's departure; her tutor in education, allowing her to escape the dreaded nickname of 'Crunchie' – blonde on the inside, brunette on the outside – and, most important of all, her escape from the world she was growing to despise more and more – a world where aesthetics meant everything and substance nothing.
She traced a hand along his abdomen, feeling the puckered scar that marred the smooth flesh. It was testament to their new and improved relationship that she knew the scar was from his hernia operation, knew the origin of every unnatural mark on his body. The slow examination of one another's bodies had been an exercise in self-control, but it had also been powerful foreplay; tracing the contours of silky skin without the intention to arouse caused more desire than any frantic groping. The time they had spent together in various forms of undress had caused a profound appreciation of the beauty of the human form, and being naked together no longer meant sex was on the cards. Seth had been the first male to see Summer's post-pubescent body naked, and now she loved nothing more than to spend the night naked in his arms, for no other reason than to hold each other like that. And although being teenagers had previously limited these opportunities somewhat, the chaos of the past months had allowed them to spend more nights together than alone.
"No, honey…daddy…popsicles…Summer…" Seth mumbled random words into her ear, and she deciphered them to realise that he was most probably dreaming about the future – about being a father to their children. The idea of children with Seth scared her, but not as much as the realisation that it also excited her – she had had similar dreams herself and, while she had adamantly declared at 15 that she was not the mothering type, now she found herself awed by the concept of creating another human being.
Summer pushed Seth's head off her shoulder and rearranged their bodies so it was she using him as a pillow. His arm automatically wrapped around her waist, and he tilted his head towards hers. His soft exhalations tousled her hair and his fingers lightly played along the bare skin of her hip. Snuggling further into his warm skin, Summer allowed her eyes to drift closed and sleep to overtake her, wondering how anything could ever be better than this.
Third time really was lucky.
THE END
So what did you think? Complete and utter fluff, I know. This began as a Summer/Kirsten bonding session, then morphed into a monster when I saw the season premiere and decided to turn my lil 1000 word ficlet into a flashback. Speaking of the flashback, it occurred sometime during The O.Sea, before prom. I know Kirsten wasn't very "momesque" (to quote Seth) at that time, but it didn't really fit anywhere else so…
As for my other fics, fourth chap of Seceding Link is under construction, but proceeding rather slowly, so it may be a while before it's finished. And I think I gave people the wrong idea with the second part of Beautiful Disaster – it's not becoming a full-on chaptered fic, it's staying as a two-shot. Anywayz, read and review – it makes me write faster!
