Chapter 3. Realizations

Two hours had passed by since the girls had left leaving Seth and Ryan to 'baby-sit'. Seth and Ryan attempted to try and get Ava to stop crying. This included Seth reluctantly letting Ava play with Captain Oats to which she just threw him on the floor while having a temper tantrum, letting her have cookies and milk, but both the cookies and the milk ended up everywhere but her mouth and trying to teach her how to play 'Grand Theft Auto' on the Play Station, and Seth thought she was actually quite good considering she had no idea how to use the control.

Both guys were standing in the kitchen. Ryan stood near the table and Seth stood near the fridge and Ava sat on the floor sobbing in the middle of them both.

"Someone pick her up", Seth said.

"I'm not picking her up", Ryan replied over the sobs.

"Come on man, your arms are bigger than mine", Seth responded causing Ryan to furrow his eyebrows. "What if mine snap or break off, how am I supposed to live without them?!'' Seth said

"Seth it's a baby", Ryan replied.

"With a dirty diaper", Seth continued "Come on you're and expert and carrying damsels in distresses, you can do this",

"Seth-"

The phone rang and Seth practically jumped over to it checking the caller ID.

"It's my dad", Seth said looking at Ryan who now looked defeated because he had no choice. Ryan hesitated then finally picked Ava up and headed for the pool house.

"You owe me", Ryan said opening the door as Ava sobbed in his ear.

"Saved by the phone", Seth said to himself. Once Ryan was gone and Ava couldn't be heard anymore Seth answered.

"Dad", Seth said

"Oh hey Seth, what's going on?"

"Nothing Dad how…..how about you?" he tried to play it cool, but he knew himself he wasn't very good at it.

"Just enjoying the delights of Paris", Sandy said

"Oh, ok you mean like French Prostitutes", Seth said.

"Very funny". Sandy replied chuckling. "How's everything back home?"

Seth stood still.

Seth entered the pool house five minutes later. Ryan was sitting on the bed with Ava on the floor playing with the Play Station control.

"So……did you tell him?" Ryan asked as Seth walked in with a guilty look.

"Unfortunately no, Ryan he seemed too happy", Seth said dully.

"So what are we gonna do?" Ryan asked looking at Ava.

"I dunno", Seth answered "I really don't wanna stay here with her", Seth looked at Ava "she's like a car alarm, the smallest vibration sets her off",

"So where are we gonna go?" Ryan asked skeptically

"I can only think of one place", Seth said grinning as he stood in front of Ryan.

Ryan raised his eyebrows knowing where Seth wanted to go.

"We need a plan", Ryan replied.


They arrived at the Roberts mansion half an hour later. Ryan rang the doorbell nervously as Seth managed to hold Ava who was trying to get down. Both guys waited nervously, both wanting Marissa to be the on the other side. However a petite, dark haired, brown eyed girl became visible on the other side of the glass.

Summer knew it was them and she half expected them to come, but she liked to pretend she didn't.

"What", Summer said opening the door and faking her disbelief.

"Hi Summer", Seth said apprehensively seeing her face. "We Ahh-",

"In the neighborhood", Ryan began

"Yeah in the neighborhood", Seth said his voice somewhat high pitched. "So we thought that we'd stop by", Ava who'd been trying to break free of Seth held her arms to Summer.

Summer glared at him while taking Ava "You can't do it can you?" Summer asked already knowing the answer as she held the content child.

"Hmm do what?" Seth asked playing dumb. He figured two could play at her game.

"God come on Cohen, the only reason you're here is because you can't baby sit!"

There was a long pause, to which Seth finally responded with.

"K fine it's true, we suck", Seth replied "happy"

"No", Summer replied, she hoisted Ava in her arms and felt her diaper beneath her skirt was full. "Have you changed her at all?" Summer asked looking at Seth.

Seth turned to Ryan "Dude why didn't you change her?" he tried to make it look like it was Ryan's job.

"Why me?" Ryan snapped.

He could take Ryan being angry with him but not Summer. Summer was still glaring at him quite annoyed and Seth decided to just offer his proposition before things got worse. "Look, lets just go out", Seth suggested "the four of us", Seth paused looking at Ava "five of us",

"Yeah so we didn't look like we totally dumped her here", Ryan said.

Summer looked at both of them and then at Ava, and there was something in the little girls face that made her give in.

"Coop!" she called from the doorway.

The five of them headed out to the beach which was the place to be. There were quite a few people out and just relaxing around on the long beach. Ryan, Seth, Marissa, Summer and Ava found a stretch of beach that wasn't so crowded. Seth and Ryan were both situated in the water throwing the football back and forth. Both boys wore shorts and t-shirts; Ryan in white and Seth in red. Summer and Marissa were walking in the very shallow end of the water with Ava in the middle of them holding onto each of their hands. Marissa wore a black bikini and small denim shorts, while her hair blew freely in the wind. Summer was in a black and white poke a dot bikini and the same denim shorts Marissa had, her hair was down also but the front was pushed back with a black head band. Ava wore the same small pink top but no skirt, she had just her diaper on, with her fine blonde hair in little pigtails. As Seth threw the ball to Ryan, Summer jumped in and caught it. Seth and Ryan charged at her and Summer ran with the ball in the water.

With their feet pounding in the water Seth and Ryan eventually caught up with her and pushed her into the deep end of the water. She felt hands going for the football as the water drenched her hair and skin.

She emerged from the water, minutes later soaking from head to toe as she caught up with Marissa and Ava. Ryan and Seth who were now happy they had their football back returned to their game.

"I feel like a balboa bar", Summer said to Marissa who stood waiting for her. "We're gonna get a balboa bar", Summer said to Seth "Watch her",

Summer thought the least they could do was watch Ava for ten minutes or so while they went to get food.

"Awesome have fun", Seth replied as the girls left Ava right next to Seth.

Ava stood there quietly on Seth's right side, but Seth was too busy playing foot ball with Ryan to notice that she was there. Ryan was busy chasing and catching the ball. Both engrossed in their game, they didn't even notice Ava wasn't there.

Ryan threw the ball to Seth but it went too far for Seth to catch it. "What was that dude! Even I can do better than that!" Seth called.

"Show me what you got!" Ryan called. Seth was now determined to hit Ryan in the face with the ball. It wasn't until Seth had thrown the ball far enough for Ryan to run after it, that he realized while he waited that he was supposed to be watching Ava. He looked around but the small blonde child was nowhere in sight.

"Oh man", Seth said now starting to get apprehensive, as Ryan finally returned with the ball. Seth stared at Ryan who immediately caught on to the problem.

"Where'd she go?" Ryan asked looking around.

"I dunno, she was just here", Seth told beginning to panic as he looked at the stretch of beach. "Summer's gonna kill me",

Just as he said this he caught sight of a tall blonde and a tiny brunette walking back to them.

"I'll check the water", Ryan said before turning into the water and disappearing beneath the deep ocean waves. Seth was beginning to panic as the two girls drew near.

"I can't believe their out of Balboa bars", Summer said walking back empty handed. Marissa nodded before looking up and seeing someone's body moving in the water forcefully.

"Is that Ryan?" she said looking out to sea. Summer looked and saw Seth's outline running along the stretch of beach and Ryan's outline in the water.

"Ava", Summer realized. Both girls rushed over to Seth, their feet pounding on the un -even sand.

"Where is she!?!" Marissa asked beginning to panic as they finally met up with Seth.

"I dunno", Seth replied helplessly, he was also beyond panic stage since he had no idea how long she had been gone for.

"We leave her alone with you for five minutes and you lost her!!" Summer yelled "Cohen!" Summer bellowed hitting his arm.

"She could be anywhere", Marissa said turning to Summer worried.

"I'll go this way", Summer said pointing to the west of the beach "You go that way", she pointed to the east.

Marissa nodded and both girls ran in opposite directions, but not before Summer gave Seth an angry glare.

Ryan searched underwater and on the surface of the water, struggling to breathe as he kicked and the water crashed into his face, but there was no sign of her. Seth came up behind him.

"Any luck?" he half yelled with all the water splashing on his face and in his mouth.

"Not here", Ryan replied squinting "Let's check deeper!"

"Ava!" Summer yelled as she ran through people who were either sitting on the sand or swimming in the water. "Hey, have you seen a blonde baby girl around here?" she asked hastily to random strangers, to which all the responses were the shaking of heads.

Marissa decided to look near the rows of bush that sat near the rocks. No one ever went in the bushes because of the cliff they came off of, it made it impossible for people to get to the beach unless they took the long path of stairs that started from the top of the road. The rocks and bush sat underneath them on a small platform. The bushes were thick and it was possible that Ava could've been stuck in them, as Marissa searched pushing through, she thought to herself that she may have been wasting her time looking there because the bushes were so faraway from the water, and the chance of her walking that far was quite unlikely. Marissa looked up above her at the parked cars and noticed a car she had seen many times before and a man she had hoped to not see again smoking while he leaned against his car. He couldn't see her and she wanted it to stay that way. Marissa shook off her thoughts and went back to looking.

"Ava!!" Marissa hollered. There was no response. She realized she was wasting her time and she went to turn away and go look elsewhere but she heard a faint wail and the sound of movement near the rocks and bushes. Marissa followed the growing volume of the cries until she saw a spot of blonde hair covered by bush. Marissa mouth dropped because she thought Ava's foot or arm was trapped under the rocks. She dropped to her knees to get a closer look. Ava looked up at her with tears running from her eyes and her checks were covered in sand but she wasn't trapped under anything. Marissa let out a huge sigh of relief.

"Hey", Marissa said relieved. "There you are", Ava called for her in a series of babbles and reached for her. "Sshhh", Marissa said gently putting her hands on either side of the child. "Come on", she said softly picking her up. Once Ava knew she wasn't in the sand anymore she began to settle with Marissa, resting her head on Marissa's shoulder. Marissa looked up and saw him again, but luckily the platform he was on was way too high for him to see her. Marissa walked away with Ava who began to play with the tips of Marissa's hair.

Seth was struggling to keep the water from knocking into his face as he tried to see if Summer or Marissa had returned. Ryan swam forcefully beneath the water, but saw nothing except deep blue blankets of sea.

Just over head Seth heard someone call out their names. He managed to rise up from the water to get his head up to the surface. He caught a glimpse of Marissa with the not so missing Ava.

Back up on the shore, Marissa saw Summer running up to them. "Coop!" she called rushing over. "Thank god", she said catching her breath as she finally came to a stop. "Is she ok?" Summer asked surveying the child closely.

"She'll be ok", Marissa replied as Summer took hold of Ava.

"Hi", Summer said gently to Ava "would it kill you to let us know when you run off",

"Where was she?" Ryan asked as he and Seth emerged from the water, soaked.

"Over there", Marissa pointed to the huge platform of bushes and rock. "By those bushes",

"What?!" Summer questioned seeing how distant they were. "Over there?"

Marissa nodded as Summer turned to a soaked Seth. "Wow, Cohen", Summer began "She must really hate you",

"Yeah well", started Seth ringing out his wet t-shirt "The feeling's mutual", he stated.

Summer started at him.

"Hey umm, can we get outta here?" Marissa said quickly.

"No arguments here", Seth replied.

All four of them walked silently on the beach back to Summer's car, realizing that it hadn't even been a whole day with the toddler and she had already gone missing. It dawned on Summer that they were now responsible for the blonde beauty in her arms because her own mother and father were not responsible enough. Marissa realized that they were going to have to be very cautious because if an incident like that ever happened again then it would be their fault if something happened to the child. The question was, how long would they survive with Ava and how long would Ava survive with them.

For all those of you who have read this chapter before last time I posted it, you would know that I have changed many aspects of it. The reason being is that I think I have improved as a writer than when I actually started writing and that's why I have decided to write some of these chapters again.

Thanks for all your reviews!

And thanks to Ansy Pansy for helping me with the doc label business, very much appreciated.