A/N I guess this is sort of a happy ending, lol, but I'm not too sure. Anyways, R/R.
A blonde haired, blue eyed man stood at the front of the church, a tear sliding down his face. His face was tear stained, and he was sniffling every few minutes. He looked down at the paper in his hand and said, "I had a whole thing written out,but I have a better idea." He crumpled up the paper and put it on the stand. "How do I describe my dad? The only way I can really do that is by describing his love for my mom." He smiled sadly and said, "I remember when I was little, I thought my parents were the best in the world. Our house was so filled with love, love for us, love for each other. I never thought that it was gross when he'd lean over and kiss my mom, or would smile at her lovingly. I thought it was the most natural thing in the world."
He sighed to himself and looked down at his shoes. They were the boots his father had given him a couple of months ago for his birthday. They were one of the most prized possessions he had. He swallowed hard and looked up at all the people in front of him, all of the crying people, all of the people here to honor his dad. He went on, "I remember one time my dad came into my room when I was thirteen. I had a crush on a girl, my first major crush on one. I was convinced that I was in love with the girl, but I remember people telling me that I would get over her. They would say it was just puppy love. I asked my dad if he thought it was puppy love, and he told me that he had a story for me. I'm going to share that story with you today." Everyone that came to school was in shock, but that was to be expected. One thirteen year old stood out to him though. She had the most beautiful dark blonde hair that he'd ever seen, and the most stunning smile. Her eyes were filled with so much fear, so much passion, that he felt connected to her in a way he couldn't understand. He'd seen pretty girls before, but he'd never seen one like this. He'd never for some reason seen her. She turned to look in his direction, and must have caught him staring because she offered him a small smile. He gave her his half smile back, and she came over to where he was. Nobody was giving out work right now, even though they should have. They were to busy watching the television, leaving the students to talk. Most of them couldn't even put a sentence together, so there was not a lot of noise. But despite everything going on, despite the tragedy happening, he wanted to know her, everything about her. "Hi." He said shyly. "Hi." She replied, sitting down next to him. She turned in the direction of the T.V. in the front of the classroom. "Can you believe what's happening?" She asked, her voice filled with emotion. "I don't get how these people could do this, do you?" She turned to him, looking for an answer. He shook his head and said, "No, I don't." She sighed and sat back in her chair. "You've never noticed me before, why today?" She asked with a small smile. He shrugged and said, "I guess today, everyone's looking for a friend."
It started on September 11, 2001. Everyone knows it as the day that the terrorists struck, everyone knows it as the worst day of their lives, the day that their great nation was struck and pushed down to their knees. He remembered it as the day that he first met her. The day that he first saw her beautiful blue eyes stare in his direction. It was the day that he fell in love with her, the day that his life would change.
"I knew right away that he was talking about my mom." He smiled sadly and said, "And he told me another story when I was fifteen. The girl I liked already had a boyfriend."
He looked to where she was standing a little too closely with Luke Ward…another guy that went to their school. She playfully pushed his chest, and gave him a flirty smile. He felt his blood boil, but then Luke walked away, and she spotted him. The smile on her face grew, and she quickly made her way to him. She grabbed his hand, and started leading him outside. "Where're we going?" He asked unsure.
"There's somewhere I wanted to show you." She said, smiling brightly at him. He couldn't help but smile back at her. "What about school?" He asked. She turned to him and stopped, "I guess they'll have to start without us." She giggled and started walking with him again. Soon, they reached a life guard station on the beach. She walked up the ramp, practically dragging him with her. "I found this the other day, and I just wanted to show you." She sat down, and patted the spot next to her. He sat down next to her, and she grabbed one of his hands and looked out at the ocean. She held it in her own, just like she always did. He felt the sparks make their way through his body, like they always did whenever they touched. And like always, he wondered if she felt the same way. "So you and Luke seemed friendly earlier." He said, trying not to sound upset. "Yeah, we're going out this Saturday." She said with a smile. She turned to him, and must have seen how he wasn't too happy with the idea. "Is that a problem?" She asked, her smile slowly disintegrating. "No, no problem." He said, putting on a fake smile. He looked at her and saw the look in her eyes, the, I know you're lying look. "I mean, why would there be a problem. We're friends right?" He asked. She nodded and smiled softly. She leaned her head against his shoulder and said, "Yeah, friends." He didn't know whether it was just his hopeful wishing, or if it was actually true, but he could've sworn he heard an ounce of disappointment in her voice.
"He told me that he and my mom were just friends at the time. He said that even though he loved her, he knew it wasn't the time to act on it. That would come later on, when they decided where to go to college. You see, my mom had the choice of going with Luke to Brown, or my dad to Berkeley. He said it was one of the hardest things he ever did, to just watch her try to make the decision, and not be able to tell her to come with him. In the end, she made the decision on her own"
She walked along the pier with him, and she was close enough to him that he could feel their hands brush against each other every few seconds. She wasn't holding his hand anymore, not in public anyways. Luke told her that he was her boyfriend, and that she could only hold hands with him. He personally didn't like that rule, but whenever it was just them, she'd hold his hand and lean her head on his shoulder like she always used to. He turned and looked at her.
She had stopped to look out at the ocean. She wasn't smiling like she usually was, and it hurt him to see her go through this. "I still don't know where to go." She said softly. She turned to him and said, "Do you know where I should go?" He wanted to shake her and tell her to go to school with him. He couldn't though, he needed to know how she felt about him without his influencing her. "I don't know.you know you need to choose this on your own." She sighed and said, "But they're both great schools. I've known about one longer, and it's like I can't leave it. But here comes the new school, and I can't not to go that one either." He smiled to himself, knowing that she wasn't talking about the schools anymore. "I just don't know what to do." She said, tears coming into her eyes. "Don't cry."He said softly. "Come here." He said, holding out his arms for her to give him a hug. She gladly accepted and buried her head in his chest. He ran his hand up and down her back soothingly, trying to comfort her. "Whatever you choose, I'll be there for you. you know there is a such thing as email and the cell phone. He said, trying to make her feel better. It was true too, whatever she decided, he'd be there for her until the very end. "Thank you." She said softly, her face still buried in his chest. The words came out as a mumble almost, but he could still hear her. She pulled apart and wiped the tears from her face. "I don't know what I'd do without you." She said with a small smile. He gave her a small smile back and said, "I don't know what I'd do without you either." Later that day, he was in the pool house. He'd tried watching TV, but it really wasn't doing it for him. It was just some reruns of the Valley, a show he just couldn't get into. He wasn't really the soap opera type. So now he was just sitting here, staring up at the ceiling. He heard someone knocking and he said, "Come in." She came in then, and she was crying. He quickly got up and walked over to her, taking her into his arms. She buried her head in his chest and started crying even harder. He couldn't help but feel that his chances of her coming with him were slim to none. "What's wrong?" He asked, leading her to the bed. "It's Luke.he broke up with me." She said sniffling. "What, why?" He asked confusedly. Why would Luke do that? Unless... "I told him the college I chose, and he said I was stupid and in love with some other guy. That's kind of weird huh?" She asked looking at him. "Well what college did you choose?" "Berkeley." She said with a small smile. He felt his face break into a huge grin and he hugged her tightly. "I hear it's a really good school. And it's close to my family too." She said, not stating anything about him. "Yeah, I hear it is. That's why I'm going there." He said. He knew that she wasn't ready to admit her feelings to him. or maybe she wanted him to make the first jump. Either way, she was coming with him to college'and right now that was good enough.
"When I was about sixteen, I asked my dad why it took him so long to tell my mom his feelings for her. He looked at me that day with a huge smile and said, 'your mom was worth waiting for.' Then he sat me down and told me how they had come to be together."
They'd been in college for about a semester and a half already. They were out at a party together, as friends of course, and were having a great time. She dragged him out to the dance floor, saying that she wanted to dance. He protested at first, but she wouldn't take no for an answer, and put his hands on her waist. They danced for a while, grinding against each other, when some guy came up behind them and tapped Marissa's shoulder.
"Do you want to dance with me?" He asked her, flashing her a charming smile. "I'll make it worth your while." She looked at him uncomfortably and said,"I already have someone." He shook his head and pointed at him, "You don't have anyone sweetheart, that's just your goody-goody friend." "Excuse me?" She asked angrily. "I said I don't want to dance with you. He is not just my goody-goody friend; I'm in love with him, now if you don't mind..." She must have not realized what she'd said until after she said it, because now she put her hand over her mouth and ran away. He looked at this other guy and glared, then followed her. He found her in the car, crying in the passenger seat. He quickly opened went to open her door, but saw that she had it locked. She had the keys as well, so there was no way for him to unlock it. He banged on the window, but she didn't even look up. "Marissa!" He yelled at her, "Did you mean what you said in there?" He impatiently waited for her answer, for any sign of anything. She nodded slowly, and looked up at him. "Yes." She said quietly, to where he could barely hear her through the car, "I meant it." "Open the door." He ordered. She seemed frightened by his intentions, but still opened the door. She got out, and as soon as she did, he leaned in and kissed her. Everything about the kiss was great, and he savored her taste, her touch. He pushed her against the car, and deepened the kiss, urging his tongue into her mouth. She pulled back slightly, and looked into his eyes. "I love you too." He whispered, leaning his forehead against hers. "I always have." "Why didn't you tell me?" She asked softly, moving her hands and wrapping her arms around his neck. "The same reason you didn't tell me." He said with a slight smile. "I was scared. Besides.. He kissed her gently once more and said, "You're worth the wait."
The man stopped talking for a few minutes, and just looked out at the crowd. "Many of you knew my mom and dad, many of you were their friends. I bet most of you didn't know though that my mom was afraid to marry my dad, and had refused his proposal two times before she finally said yes." He looked over at their shocked faces and chuckled slightly, "But my dad wouldn't take no for an answer."
They walked along the beach, hand in hand. He looked out at the water, and then looked at her. She was easily the most beautiful woman in the world to him, and he loved her with all his heart. He just couldn't understand why she wouldn't say yes to his proposal, why she didn't want to marry him. He'd asked her twice already, and both times she'd taken his face into her hands, and kissed him. He was convinced that she'd say yes both times, but then she'd pull away and with a smile, bluntly said, 'No.' When he asked her about it, she always said that there was a feeling you should have when someone proposes to you, and she just hadn't had that feeling yet. So they had just played it off like nothing had happened, like she hadn't just said no to the most important thing to them.
He wanted her to say yes so badly, but also didn't want to scare her away by asking too much. He felt himself sigh out loud, and she turned to him, her eyes sparkling from the sun. "What's wrong?" She asked stopping and putting her arms around his neck. He shook his head and mumbled, "Nothing." "Don't lie to me Ryan, I know when there's something wrong." She said with aggravation evident in her voice. "I know you." He looked deep into her eyes and said, "It's just this whole proposal thing." He said with a sigh, looking away. "This again?" "'Yeah." He said softly. In that moment, as he looked at her, he knew he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her...whether they were married or not. "Look, I know that you're free and independent...and maybe you don't want to get married. Or maybe there's something that I'm not doing right..either way, I want to be with you. I want to be with you until the day either of us dies, and if you don't want to get married...if you don't want to commit like that, then that's fine. I'll do whatever you want. Just being with you is enough." He watched the emotions play out on her face, and waited for her to say something. After a while, she smiled widely at him, and leaned in to kiss him tenderly. When she pulled back a while later, she was breathless from the kiss. "I think I just had the feeling." "What feeling?" He asked, unsure of what she was saying. Then it clicked in his mind, "Are you ready to get married? Is that the feeling you're talking about?" She nodded and then said, "There's one thing you have to do though." "And what is that?" You have to propose." She said, trying to stifle a giggle. He rolled his eyes, but couldn't keep the grin off his face. He got down on one knee, and reached for the ring in his pocket. It was a simple diamond, nothing too elegant, but nothing too cheap either. "Marissa Cooper, I'm head over heels in love with you…and I have been so since I was thirteen. I have done this before, and hopefully this is the last time but...Will you marry me?" She let him put the ring on her finger, and said, "Yes!" He stood up and leaned in to kiss her passionately. When he pulled back, he asked, "Now was that so hard?" She giggled, and he felt like he was the happiest man in the world. He was going to marry Marissa Cooper!
"My parents' wedding was said to be unforgettable. I wouldn't know, I wasn't there." The crowd before him started laughing quietly, and he smiled himself. He continued, "I hear my mom even got my dad to dance again. When my mom found out a year after they were married that she was pregnant, she was scared of what my dad would think. They had never really talked about having kids before, even though she'd really wanted some."
He walked into the house they shared to see her crying on their bed. He quickly put his stuff down and walked over to her and took her in his arms. "What's wrong?" He cooed to her, rocking her back and forth in his arms.
"I'm pregnant." She whispered. "You're pregnant?" He asked, bewildered. "But we're always careful..." She sobbed into his chest and said, "I'm so sorry, I'm really sorry..." He felt a smile slowly form on his face though. "So there's a little baby growing inside of you? A little baby, that you and me made." She nodded slowly, and he went on. "So there's a little person inside of you, why would I be mad? Why should you be sorry?" She shrugged and he kissed her softly, feeling her tears against his own face. "This is amazing...I feel, I can't describe it.." She smiled and said, "Really? You're not mad?" "Of course not...this is a blessing." He said happily. He felt his hand go to her stomach, and felt the smile grow even wider on his face. "We're going to have a baby..."
"She was pregnant with me of course. I was always told that I was a cute baby...luckily I took after my mom." Everyone laughed and he said, "But of course...my dad's not half bad either. My mom and dad told me once what it was like for them right after I was born...how they felt. They said it was the most amazing feeling in the world to see the child that you had created for the first time...to hold it."
He watched in amazement as Marissa breast fed their baby. Dylan was their son's name. Marissa had liked that name a lot, so they'd decided to use it. Dylan was the most amazing thing he'd ever laid eyes on...besides Marissa. When she was done, she closed her hospital gown and saw him staring at the two of them. She smiled sleepily and asked, "Do you want to hold him?"
"I can't...I...I'm not sure..." He stuttered out. "Of course you can...you're his daddy remember?" She waited for the words to sink in and then said, "Come on..." She patted the spot on the bed next to her. "This isn't a good idea." He said, getting on the bed next to her. She placed his son in his arms, and he knew from that moment on that he'd never let anything happen to his baby boy. "He's so small." He observed, looking at his tiny nose and little bitty hands. "He's the most beautiful baby I've ever seen." "I know." She said, slowly drifting off to sleep. He turned to her and saw that she was just about to fall asleep. "I love you." "I love you too." She said, finally falling asleep. He stared down at his son, and smiled. He leaned in and kissed his forehead, and watched him sleep. He felt his heart swell with love for this baby boy in his arms, his baby boy.
"My brothers and sisters were born after that...there's four of us in all. When I grew up, I knew that my parents loved each other so much, that nothing could ever get in their way. That was...until my mom died in a car crash a couple of months ago. My dad seemed to lose his smile when she died...and it wasn't a surprise when I found him in his room, dead. He told me that he was going to take a nap, and he woke up in heaven with my mom." He says. "The doctor doesn't know what his causes of death were...but everyone that knew my dad knows. My dad lost the will to live when my mom died. That's why I told you their love story today...to tell you a little about my dad, and why he died. I'm not saying that it won't be hard without him, but we'll move on eventually."
He sighed and looked down at his shoes again. "The burial is tomorrow, I'm hoping to see all of you there. My dad's getting buried right beside my mom, the way he would've wanted it." He walked away from the podium, and slowly walked back to his seat. He looked up at the front, and saw his dad's picture over the casket. A sign next to it said, 'Ryan Atwood, 1988-2039.'
He would always miss his dad and his mom, but he'd always remember when they were together and they were happy.
"Stop!" She shouted, giggling and running around.
"Nope, nope, come here!" He said, chasing after her. Their kids watched their playfulness and rolled their eyes. He finally caught her, and she started laughing uncontrollably. "Ryan, stop...you're going to get me all dirty." She said, referring to the cake batter he had all over his hands. "Well then, I can clean you up." He said, giving her a mischievous smile. The desire in his eyes was evident to everyone. "Ryan...the kids." She whispered. "They don't know what we mean." He said, leaning in to kiss her softly. All the kids turned and looked the other direction. He pulled back and looked at his kids and smiled widely. "I'm sorry kids, but I can't resist your mom." All the kids tried playing it off that they were disgusted, but they secretly loved the way their parents were happy. They'd always love that their parents loved each other so much, even if they were a little to young to understand a lot about love. As long as their parents were happy, so were they.
"Eew, gross..." The baby of the family, Dustin said.