Seeing subtle changes in everyone

A/N: Okay so everything in the O.C. has happened except for the Death of Caleb because he's still around and Julie's still married to him. And the accident never happened instead Marissa went to live with Jimmy in Hawaii. It is now five years after they had graduated from High school and they haven't seen Marissa since she left but with the upcoming wedding she will return. So read on you guys!

Surprises all around

Ryan had just stepped out of the taxi that had taken him from the airport. He was handling a deal with some people interested in doing business with the New Port Group.

Kirsten had offered him a position there after he had graduated from Berkeley with a degree in architecture. Plus interning there and being apart of the family put him one step ahead of everyone else. He smiled thinking about just how the past nine years had changed for him for the most part for the better.

Ryan continued up the walk. True to Seth Cohen's fashion he was left a message on his voice mail telling Ryan he had to come over to his and Summer's house because apparently Seth had a crisis to deal with it.

Or at least that's what Ryan got out of the muffled message. He didn't really know because he stopped listening after he went on and on how vital it was that Ryan came over right away. So instead of heading home to his pool house, yes that's right he still lived with the Cohen's.

In pure Ryan fashion he went to see what his neurotic friend got himself into now. It probably had something to do with the wedding.

Summer would definitely kill Seth if he screwed it up especially it being just days away from her becoming Mrs. Seth Cohen. Images of Seth being choked by Summer floated through his mind and he chuckled at the thought.

He held a grasp on his carry on and didn't bother knocking. He opened the front door and set his bag down. "Okay Seth I'm here what's the big emergency?" Ryan said not getting a response but hearing noise from the kitchen.

"Seth" Ryan yelled still standing there not getting a response. Ryan was fed up here he was coming over just as Seth had asked and he was now playing games. Ryan walked back towards the kitchen.

"Seth sometimes you really make a guy want to kick your neurotic" He said stopping pushing the door opened and looked up and finished "ass" He said. She smiled and laughed at what he had been saying. "Well it's nice to know you've missed me" She said sarcastically.

He broke into a smile. "Marissa" He said obviously surprised. "Hey Ryan" She said going over to him and enveloping him in a hug. "What are you doing here?" He said shocked grasping his arms around her.

"Well I thought I'd come a little earlier help Sum with some of the Wedding preparations plus I wanted to spend some more time with you guys. It feels like it's been forever" She said smiling brushing her hair behind her ear. "Surprised?" Marissa said.

"Yeah definitely surprised" He said with a smile. She laughed. "By the way where are the almost newly weds?" Ryan said. "Well Seth went for take out and Sum is she didn't finish. "Atwood you're here already" Summer said making her presence known coming in the kitchen and going over to kiss Ryan on the cheek.

"Yeah I just got here after decoding one of Seth's famous rambling messages" Ryan said. "You thought he made a disaster of the wedding didn't you?" Summer said. "Well Seth seems to fall into trouble so yeah" Ryan said with a laugh.

Summer smiled. "So you just got back from New York? How'd it go? The airport must have been crazy today" Summer said. Marissa watched as they interacted. They seemed so far away from the two people who barely said two words to each other.

It seemed that in Marissa's absence they had managed to find a steady friendship. "It went okay. Kirsten's just happy it's all over with actually and the airport wasn't that bad" Ryan said.

"Right there's nothing like having a nervous Cohen to deal with" She said having experienced it first hand. He laughed and turned to look at Marissa. She smiled back at him. "Summer did Ryan get here yet?" They heard a very loud Seth coming in. "He probably wants to kick my ass after the message I left him" Seth said walking further in.

Meanwhile in the kitchen the girls laughed and Ryan decided to step out to see Seth. "Well it was my first thought but after I showed I thought why not give him a break .I mean after all you are getting married in a few days" Ryan said. Seth smiled.

"Good to have you back buddy" Seth said. "Seth I was gone for four days" Ryan said. "It felt like seven" He said. Ryan laughed. "You guys will never change" Summer said with Coop following behind her. Seth put the bags down. "Manual labor is so hard" Seth said sarcastically.

"Really try building a house and then come talk to me" Ryan said sarcastically. "Hey my job is very strenuous" Seth said. "Yeah Cohen picking up a pencil to paper is very hard work. You poor thing you should sit down" Summer said.

"Come on Marissa back me up here" Seth said. "No, you know I'm sure creating sketches for comics is very stressful. You should definitely take a vacation you probably need it after all your hard work" She said. "And Strenuous labor" Summer and Ryan finished with a laugh.

"That's great Cooper's back and it's back to mocking Seth. I forgot why did I call you again? He said to Ryan. "Because you missed not being able to drive me crazy" Ryan said taking a guess. "Ryan's sense of humor's back yep you guys everything is just as it was before minus the water polo players" Seth said referring to high school.

"Yeah except now there evil water polo players and they only exist in Atomic County" Summer said referring to Seth's comic book. Ryan and Marissa laughed. "Who's hungry?" Seth said and with that they all had dinner and caught up for awhile.

Ryan had been there for awhile. He walked out back to find Marissa. "Hey" He said. "Hey so is Seth done rambling?" She said. "No he's just to infatuated with the video game to notice no one's listening to him" Ryan said. Marissa laughed.

"Where's Summer?" He said. "Her dad called she's in the kitchen talking" She said. "Good old Dr. Roberts" He said. "He still not to keen on the idea of Seth marrying Sum?" She said. "I guess he's working around that. I think he knows there's nothing he can do from stopping it" Ryan said. "Better to just go with it" She said with a laugh. "Exactly" He said looking at her.

"What?" She said. He laughed nervously. "No it's just you look different" He said. "Different huh? She said teasing. "Yeah" He said. "Ryan It's only been five years how could I possibly look different?" She said.

"Well I guess different isn't really quite the word. I don't know you just seem happy" He said looking at her. She smiled at him. "Well for once I actually am. I guess living in Hawaii has done that too me" She said. He smiled and checked his watch.

"Alright well I should probably head out back to the office tomorrow" Ryan said standing. "You came in a cab?" She said standing with him. "Yeah but you know I'll get Seth to she cut him off "Don't bother come on I have a rental. I can take you" She said. "Okay" He said following her inside. He said good bye to Summer and Seth and they where on the road.

Ryan was admiring her sports car. Marissa kept her eyes on the road. "So How are things in Hawaii? He said curious. She immediately smiled. "There great. I spend a lot of my time with my dad, and I made a few friends even" She said.

He nodded happy that she was happy. "Of course it's nice to be home" She said pulling in front of the Cohen's drive. She shut off the ignition. "Still working for your dad's chartering company?" Ryan said. She looked at him and got out of the car.

He followed quickly after walking up to her. "As of last Friday no I don't work for him any more" She said smiling. Ryan was a little confused at why she was so happy that she didn't have a job. "What happened?" Ryan said suddenly wanting to know everything.

"I guess graduation did" She said with a smile. He waited for her to go on. She laughed. "Ryan you are looking at a college graduate" She said. He smiled. "What?" He said. "Yeah I thought about missing out on Berkeley and after I took the year off I figured the only way to make my life better was to go back to school. So as of Friday afternoon I've been a college graduate with a degree in Fashion and Design" She said.

He could hardly contain his happiness. "Marissa that's great. I'm so happy for you" He said hugging her. "Thanks. It means a lot" She whispered into his shoulder. "So that explains why you're so happy" He said. "Yep that's also why I was able to get out here so early. I figured the more time the better especially since when I go back I have to start looking for a job and who knows when I'll be out here again" She said.

"Right" He said. "Why hello Marissa" Sandy said coming down the drive to throw away garbage. "Mr. Cohen" She said. It felt like déjà vu all over again after all it was how she first met Ryan. "How's Hawaii?" He said. "Great" She said. "Marissa was just telling me she graduated from the University of Hawaii last Friday" Ryan said.

"Well good for you. What'd you major in?" He said. "Fashion but more design really" She said. "I should have guessed. Well I'm off to bed you too. Marissa stop by again Kirsten would love to see you" Sandy said. "I will thanks Sandy" She said. "Good night guys" He said. "Night" They said. They both laughed nervously.

"Yeah so you should probably go its late and you do have work" She said reminding him. "Unfortunately but it's actually not that bad" He said. "Well I'd love to hear about it another time. Maybe we could hang out again?" She said. "Yeah definitely I know where you are" He said. "And I know where you live" She said teasing him.

He laughed. "Right how could you forget when you used to live right next door" he said. She smiled remembering. "Yeah that feels like a million years ago" She said. "And yet at times it feels like just yesterday" He said. She smiled.

"So I'm gonna go but I'll call you tomorrow" She said. "Yeah" He said. "Night Ryan" She said walking towards the car. "Marissa" He said. She turned to look at him. "It's nice having you back" He said. She smiled. "It's nice being back" She said looking at him. He smiled. "Night" He said walking up the drive.

Maybe Ryan was right maybe she had changed after all it did seem in her absence that Ryan had changed himself.

Maybe things would be better between them after all she had just left after graduation and they were left in a weird place.

Maybe with her being back things could go back to being normal.

And this time when she left they wouldn't lose contact as they had before.

She got in her car and smiled driving away.