A/N – I don't like the ending at all. Something in it is just off. It's too short, too. I believe I wrote this during the summer but just forgot it. I know there's not much readers left anymore, but if you read this then maybe you could comment. Just a suggestion. I can't really blame you either. It's been months since I've read any O.C. stories.

Summary - "I mean, it's nice to have you here tonight. After all we've been through, you are here. It's really something." Thanksgiving 2021. AU.

Disclaimer – I don't own anything.

Strong Enough

Ryan and his wife, Emma, were very proud to host their very first Thanksgiving party at their house.

Everybody were excited about the upcoming celebration and had talked about it for weeks already.

Emma had been running around the house for hours now, putting everything in order and making dinner at the same time. She let Ryan make the salad, that's how much he was allowed to do.

There was going to be their whole family. Emma had invited her parents and her sister with her husband and their two children. Sandy and Kirsten were coming as well as Julie and Caleb, who to everyones surprise had celebrated their 10th Anniversary. Summer and Seth were coming with their two children and Marissa was coming with her husband and their little daughter. Ryan had invited his mother, too.

The doorbell had started to ring around six. During the next hours or so Ryan kept running to the front door and welcoming people in.

Now the whole bunch of twenty people were sitting around the dinner table. They were updating news from their lives, now that they were all together.

Ryan and Emma had started dating in college, just like Kirsten and Sandy. Emma's beautiful, brown-haired woman, who everyone admires. She is a quieter version of Summer, just Ryan's type. They got married at the age of 24, and now two years later are expecting a child.

Emma's parents, Hannah and Mike Steel, have been married for almost thirty years. They have two daughters, Emma and Lily, and they are very close with them both. They love their grandchildren and they are on a mission to spoil them to death.

Emma's sister, Lily, and her husband, Michael, have been married for eight years. They have lived in New York as do her parents, but they come to Newport very often. They have two children, Emily, 6, and Sarah, 2.

Sandy and Kirsten live in the same house as they did ten years ago. They have been married for almost thirty years as well. They are still very close with their two sons, Seth and Ryan. Sandy had retired during the past year and he just spends time with their grandchildren. Kirsten is still working in the Newport Group, but she does most of her work from home.

Julie and Caleb are still killing everyone by their union. They are rich as hell and everyone are jealous to them. Except their own family, who know better.

Summer and Seth have never gotten married, but they have been together since senior year. They got twins a year after college.

Marissa and her husband from Australia had been traveling around the world for couple of years. They are settling down now that they have a child. The wedding has also been planned.

Dawn Atwood is now 44 years old. Ryan had gotten in touch with her after college and they are now closer than ever. Kirsten had gotten her a job from the Newport Group and she had made a new start in Newport. Her old fears still lived with her, specially when it came to boyfriends. That's why she is better by herself.

And Ryan and Emma had gotten them all together.

The room went silent as Caleb stood up for his speech.

"So it's Thanksgiving and an another year has passed. Around this table are the people that we love the most. There's old people like me, there's people on their thirties, there's grandchildren and babies that haven't even born yet. The whole circle of life. I am thankful for all the things that I've been blessed with."

Caleb sat down while everyone cheered at him.

Everybody liked the food and Seth started talking about how they should have dinner at the Atwood's more often.

Somehow Emma didn't like the idea that much.

After dinner some of them stayed talking around the dinner table, while some went to the living room or outside.

Emma was walking past the back door when she noticed two figures in the dark. She smiled to herself and walked past the door.

Ryan and Dawn were sitting by the pool, their feet in the water. They were looking at the dark ocean in silence.

"I'm proud of you," Ryan said, suddenly.

"Why?" Dawn asked, enjoying the moment with her son.

"That you got out of there. That you were strong enough to admit, that it wasn't good for you."

Dawn wondered where that came from.

"I mean, it's nice to have you here tonight. After all we've been through, you are here. It's really something."

Dawn could here the emotion in the boy's voice. She remembered the latest times he almost cried in front of her. She was throwing him out of the house and he was asking her advice. But mom, where should I go? Too bad she didn´t have one. The latest was the one at the Cohens. She agreed on trying, but apparently she didn´t have the strenght back then.

"I'm very proud that you aren't like your brother or your dad. You haven't abandoned anyone or been thrown in jail. You have the capability to love someone so sincerely, that it almost scares me. I'm sure your child is going to have the best dad possible. You wouldn't be like that without the Cohens. I'm always gonna be grateful to them."

Dawn put her arms around him. Her own emotion were tested, when he immediately relaxed against her.

She stroked his hair and he started to cry softly.

Ryan had improved a lot from the days in Chino. He never smiled in there, at least not in front of her. He always kept his emotions in check, but now the tears came down naturally. Somehow Dawn was pleased.

This was the first time they had been comfortable with each other in a long time.

"Would you believe I'm gonna be granma soon?"

Ryan laughed trough his tears and he looked at his mother, smiling.

"Thanks, mom. For not ruining it all. For being strong enough."

They stayed like that for a long time. Laughing and crying with each other.