In honor of Ben being back on TV tonight (He looks so cute in that uniform. It almost makes up for ER ending.) here is chapter two of Dark Decisions. Thanks to everyone who replied to Chapter 1

"You're in AP classes?"

"You're surprised?"

"Just glad you finally accepted how smart you are."

"Gimme that," Ryan snatched his schedule back from Taylor as she smiled at him.

Taylor shook her head as she got comfortable on the couch she and Ryan were sitting on in the lounge, "Meanwhile, where are Seth and Summer already?"

"Seth said something about coffee."

"They probably stopped to make out."

"They probably started fighting."

"Same difference."

Taylor smiled and leaned her head on his shoulder, "I never thought I'd be here again."

"Have I said how happy I am that you are?"

"Several times and most of them were last night," she smiled up at him impishly.

He blushed. "This is a different kind of happy."

She trailed her fingers over the back of his hand, "I'm happy, too."

"See, told you they weren't making out." Seth said.

"Says you. I see sparkage from eyes and lingering fingers."

"Hey you two," Taylor smiled. "Summer, where'd you go this morning? I made breakfast and ended up giving most of it to Merlin."

"Must've overslept or something. Almost didn't make it in today."

"Oh?" Ryan smirked at his brother. "Hey, isn't that the same shirt you had on yesterday?"

"No, not at all," Seth said sitting down.

"And Kirsten worries about us," Taylor remarked to Ryan. "I think she should worry about you two. At least I went home at the end of the night."

"Despite several attempts to get you to stay," Ryan smiled.

"I guess you'll just have to be extra convincing."

"I'll try my best."

"Do you two mind," Summer asked. "I realize you have time to make up for but being extra gross and mushy isn't going to do a whole lot for any of us."

"For me, it does."

"Ew."

"I'll second that, Summer-my-love."

Taylor sighed and looked at Ryan, "You. Me. After school. Pool house. Locked door."

"Done."

"Good," Taylor smiled and put her head back on Ryan's shoulder and took his hand in hers. She briefly looked up and over Summer's shoulder to see a guy with light brown hair and a girl with red hair looking at them before her gaze dropped to where Ryan was playing with the ring she wore on her thumb.

"We could skip." His breath tickled her ear and she shivered.

"No."

"Are you sure?"

"Dude, could you seduce her some other time? Like, when I'm miles away?"

"You're never miles away."

"My point."

Taylor smiled and looked at Ryan, "Let me paint you a picture: We skip. We have a really good time. Sandy and/or Kirsten come home early. Yelling. Grounding. Making nice with your hand."

"Only if Seth rats us out."

"Hmmm? Sorry, the blood pooling in my ears is keeping me from hearing you."

"I wonder if Kirsten and Sandy know where you didn't sleep last night," Taylor rose an eyebrow.

"Taylor, when did you want to go dog shopping," Summer asked quickly.

"You really want a dog?"

"Yeah. We could go to the shelter and pick a stray out."

"How about tomorrow? Sandy's taking the boys shopping."

Ryan and Seth groaned in unison.

"Do I want to know," Summer asked.

"The Nana's birthday gift," Taylor smiled.

"That's not the suck part. Buying for the Nana is a good thing. We love the Nana."

"She's cool."

"So what's the......"

"Shopping with Sandy."

"How bad could it be?"

"I realize I'm insulting my gender but Sandy is such a girl when it comes to his mother," Taylor said shaking her head. "He literally frets. It's horrible."

"He doesn't want to get her something cheap because he loves her and he can't get something expensive because he thinks she'll freak."

"And he has to pick it out himself."

"With our help, unfortunately."

"Then they bring the gift home and Sandy sends it and spends the next forty-eight hours worrying about it until his mother calls and thanks him for being so thoughtful."

"That's so you, Cohen."

"I don't do that."

"Liar," Taylor coughed making Ryan smile and Seth frown darkly at her.

"How do we always end up having the "pick on Seth" conversation?"

"'Cause you're the most fun to pick on," Taylor smiled sweetly. "Besides, you do the goofiest things."

"Says the woman with the cookie-stealing mutt."

"Merlin wouldn't eat cookies. He's a dog."

"Tell that to my empty plate of chocolate-chip with dog slobber on it."

"You let him eat chocolate," Taylor looked dismayed. "He'll get sick."

"Let him is a bit of an overstatement. More like, turned my back and all the cookies were gone."

"He'll still get sick. Why didn't you say anything?"

"I did. You said I was mooching for more cookies."

"I should go and check on him. I don't want him to get sick all by himself," Taylor sat up and grabbed her bag.

"Taylor, calm down. I'll call the house and ask Ling to check on him," Summer said fishing her cell phone from her bag.

"And if you want, after school we can take him to the vet," Ryan said.

"I'm sure he's fine. He wouldn't be stupid enough to eat something that would make him sick."

"He's a dog, Seth. He eats anything that holds still long enough."

"Including my Dad's very expensive, we'll-never-hear-the-end-of-it loafers."

"That reminds me, did you get his shoe size, Summer? I want to replace those when I get my first trust fund check."

"We'll hit the stores this weekend."

"And if it'll make you feel better, we'll put that suit on Seth and you can kick him in his puffy groin," Ryan said pulling his girlfriend up after him as the four of them headed for class.

"Hey!"

"I object, too. I have uses for that area."

"Okay, you know how you don't want to hear about me and Ryan? I so don't want to hear about you and Seth twice as much."

"That goes double for me," Ryan said putting an arm around Taylor as they walked down the hall.

Summer and Seth followed and the foursome passed by the same redhead that had been looking at them when Taylor had glanced up. No one noticed her watching them all the way down the hall.

-x-x-x-x-x-

Taylor collapsed onto Ryan's bed after school, her book bag on a chair and her boyfriend following her through the door.

"I think we lost them," he said shutting the door behind him.

"Summer said something about shoes," Taylor mumbled.

"Tired?"

"Yes."

"How tired?" His voice was suggestive.

She smiled.

"Very."

"And if I were to take over all the work?"

"I'd still fall asleep on you," Taylor smiled. "Sorry."

"So - we catch a nap, go on patrol, then end up back here for some alone time?"

Taylor propped herself up on her elbows to look at Ryan, "You don't have to take a nap. Go do something fun. You don't have to sleep just 'cause I am."

"If I want to keep up with you, on patrol and after; I do so need a nap."

Taylor smiled at him and then changed her position so that she was lying on the right side of the bed, kicking off her shoes and taking off the sweater she wore, leaving her in a tank and her jeans, as she did. Ryan joined her after taking off his own shoes and over shirt, leaving him in his jeans and wife beater as he rested on top of the covers next to his girlfriend. He lay down on his side and tugged her closer, smiling into her neck when her hand covered his.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"I want him."

"Who?"

"Him." Lindsay stared across the school grounds at the blonde boy sitting on a bench with a taller, dark-haired boy.

"I think you might have an obstacle or two in your way," Zach said.

"What do you mean?"

"Her," Zach stared at the auburn haired girl who had walked up behind the blonde boy and slid her arms around his neck in a loose hold.

"She's nothing."

"He's hers."

"Not for long."

"I don't know about that," Zach said watching his classmates. The boy had managed to pull the girl into his lap and was kissing her as his dark-haired companion made faces.

"Don't you have faith in my abilities?"

"Sure."

"Well, then you should know that I can lure that boy away and I don't have to rely on just my natural charms."

"You mean a love spell?"

"I mean the mother of all love spells."

"What do you need me to get?"

"Not this time."

"No?"

"I have a class with him, I can get it myself."

"I meant otherwise."

"I'll give you a list."

Zach nodded as he and Lindsay walked away from the quad.

-x-x-x-x-

Taylor stretched out on her bed in her new room in Summer's house. Merlin jumped up on the bed and rested his head on her shin.

"Hey," Ryan's voice came from the doorway. "You disappeared fast after school. Everything okay?"

"Yeah."

"No," he shook his head as he came further into the room. He gave Merlin a scratch and sat beside her. "You tossed and turned like a banshee last night. What's up?"

"Weird dream."

"What about?"

"Nothing."

"Taylor......."

"Not all my dreams are mystically important."

"Look at me." She looked him in the eye and he quickly put his arms around her. "It's okay." He didn't know what he was reassuring her about, but she relaxed a little, so he kept holding her. "What is it?"

"We were at school and you just dissolved right in front of me."

"Like acid or more like a ghost thing?"

"How can you joke about this?" She pushed away from him.

"I'm not joking." He crossed his arms over his chest. "If we can figure this out, it'll help."

"You sound like Seth when he's going on about a Slayer's precognitive dreams." Ryan looked down, biting his lip. "What?"

He looked back at her, "Do you think this was one of those?"

"I don't know. I don't want it to be but if it is, that means I lose you and I hate the idea of that."

"You're not gonna lose me."

Taylor reached out and fingered the cross that Ryan wore around his neck, "So many other girls."

"None that make me feel the way you do."

"Oh, I trust you. It's everyone else I don't trust."

"I feel the same way."

"Ryan, be serious. I turned off just about every guy in school after I broke Luke's arm and the ones that weren't turned off by that got turned off by my 'dating' Seth."

"How stupid are the guys in that school that they couldn't see past the front you and Seth put up?"

"You fell for it."

"Temporary insanity."

"Oh, really?"

"Yeah." He smirked at her. "I was insanely jealous."

"Yeah, you kind of made me jealous too. Not with Summer though."

"Who with?"

"Gabby. Seth and I were in his room looking through some books the afternoon she had you in the hot tub."

"You were jealous of a succubus?"

"I didn't know she was a succubus then. I thought she was just some trick Caleb was screwing around with."

"I'm just glad I snapped out of it before ...."

"Me, too."

"You saved my life," Ryan said.

"Yeah, well, Seth was fond of you."

"And you?"

"I thought you were cute and didn't think you needed to be a notch on Gabby's belt."

"Considering what she was, wouldn't that be another meal?"

"You probably would've been that too, but there's no way she wouldn't have slept with you first."

"Yuck."

"I don't know." She teased. "You seemed pretty into it when we broke in."

"Like I said, temporary insanity."

"You were really that jealous?"

"I couldn't stand the idea of Seth touching you in any way, shape or form. I wanted to sleep in between you two down in TJ."

Taylor smiled and gave Ryan a kiss.

"What was that for?"

"I have to have a reason?"

"I do."

"You're a boy. If I didn't make you think up reasons, we wouldn't do anything but make out."

"What's wrong with that?"

"Remember last time?"

"Oh, right. That was bad."

"Very bad."

"Extremely bad." He pulled her closer, leering. "Wanna be bad?"

"Actually I do. But first you wanna see what I taught Merlin?"

Ryan raised an eyebrow, "You taught Merlin a trick?"

"Sort of," Taylor smiled and looked at the dog. "Merlin, bath time."

The dog jumped off the bed and went into the bathroom before he jumped into the tub.

"Alone at last," Taylor smiled.

"Nice trick."

"Problem is, he can tell the difference between when I actually mean bath time and when I just want him to hide in the tub."

"So bathe him out back with the hose, because I don't want him unlearning this trick."

"Oh? Why not?"

"Because if he were watching, I couldn't do this...." He began trailing kisses down her neck "....or this......" he ran his hands over her back, caressing.

Taylor giggled at the slightly ticklish feeling he was causing as she slid underneath him.

-x-x-x-x-

"Hey," Seth said coming into the pool house late one night. "You just get back?"

Ryan just shrugged. The less ammo he gave his brother to tease him with, the better.

"Long patrol tonight?"

"Boring patrol. Things have been quiet lately."

"Quiet enough that you brought up my suggestion?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Just drop it, okay?"

"You're the one who came to me, asked me if it were possible that past lives could influence present decisions; and now you're saying 'drop it'?"

"I don't want to know anymore."

Seth studied Ryan for a moment before he spoke, "You're afraid she'll break up with you if you push it."

"Seth, I mean it. Drop it."

"This isn't good for you."

"Seth, damn it."

"You can't go on thinking she's just with you because of past life stuff; you've gotta know. Isn't that what you told me? That you had to know for sure?"

"Changed my mind."

"Because you're afraid she'll get pissed at you for doubting your relationship."

"No. Because I don't want her to leave again."

"Ryan, be serious. She's not going anywhere."

"She doesn't have to leave town to leave."

"Dude, I'm telling you; she's not gonna dump you."

"You'd be more convincing if you could look me in the eye when you say that."

"Well, this past life stuff is really throwing me. I emailed that Giles guy .....hey!" He held up his hands at the glare he got. "Just for info, okay? He's sticking to the deal. Anyway, he said that with past lives, there is a strong possibility to re-create former relationships."

"But it's only a possibility."

"Ryan, listen to me. Taylor is crazy about you. She was crazy about you even before she knew it."

"And I don't want to find out that isn't real."

"Doesn't it feel real?"

"So real," Ryan said quietly.

"Then why did you ask me about it? Why introduce any doubt into this?"

"She was gone."

"Yeah, but she's back now, and........oh."

"'Bout time you got it."

"You thought she wasn't coming back, so you wanted the past life thing to be true so...what? It wouldn't hurt as much?"

"Something like that."

"Well, remembering how miserable and borderline suicidal you were, I can see that really worked for you." He normally didn't use this much sarcasm with his brother, but the guy had it coming for the degree of brainless he was showing.

"I don't want her to be gone again."

"It's not gonna happen."

"He's right," Taylor said as she stepped into the doorway. "And whether or not you and I are some kind of pre-ordained destiny means nothing to me. I'm here, with you, because the person I am now, in this century, wants to be."

"I told you not to tell her."

"He didn't. Oliver did."

"What?"

Taylor came further into the room, "When Oliver and Marissa had me tied up so they could drain me, they told me that we were merely the latest in a long line of couples who have failed to carry out the mission they're supposed to. Marissa took special pleasure in telling me that a few times you've killed me."

"No! She had to be lying about that part."

"Actually, bro, I found out that......" Seth stopped at the look on his best friends' faces ".....yeah, ginormous lie there. Think I'll go call Summer or something now. Bye!"

Taylor shut the door behind their friend and locked it. She closed the shades before turning on the lamp on Ryan's bedside table and then she turned off the overhead. She took off her shoes and jeans before she put on a pair of Ryan's shorts from his dresser drawer. Then she tied her hair back and turned to face him.

"Marissa and Oliver are dead. We're alive. Whether or not we'll meet them again is up to a higher power. In this life, we're done with them but not with each other."

"The thought that I might've......."

"It wasn't you."

"Wasn't it?"

"We aren't who we were in a past life, Ryan. We're different people each and every time."

"I don't like the thought of having hurt you."

"You didn't hurt me. You have never hurt me. Whoever we've been isn't important. It's who we are now that matters and the person you are now, has never raised a hand to me in anger or in order to cause me harm."

"Taylor-"

"We're going to go to sleep. I'm going to listen to your heart beat as I fall asleep and know that it's only ever belonged to you."

"You are so stubborn."

"Which I'm thinking is a good thing, because you've got to be the most hard-headed boy I've ever met."

"I'm not gonna win this one, am I?"

"Do you win any of them?"

"I think I'll get ready for bed."

"Good plan," Taylor said as she got into bed herself. Ryan followed her a few moments later and true to her word; Taylor laid her head on Ryan's chest, right over his heart. She smiled as she listened to the thump-thump of it.

Ryan curled an arm around her and his other at his side as he closed his eyes.