Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters of The OC. They all belong to Josh Schwartz.

A/N: This story is AU and takes place early season one, a couple of weeks after "To Be Seventeen" ended. Also, I've written the character of Frank Atwood differently then how he was portrayed both physically and personality-wise on the show. In my story, Frank Atwood is not a nice person.

And please keep in mind, I tend to write Kirsten much more "maternally" with regards to Ryan, than how she was portrayed on the show. I always loved their chemistry and wished their relationship had been more fully developed.

Chapter Two

"Ryan? Could you answer the question, please?"

Ryan sits quietly as he stares down at his lap, his arms folded securely across his chest as he lets the silence linger in the air.

"Ryan?" After he still gets no response, Dr. Evans sighs and jots down some observations on his notepad. Guarded, distrustful... "Ryan, what's the first word that comes into your mind when you think of Mr. Cohen?"

Ryan looks around the meticulously-kept office with it's dark mahogany wood paneling and tan leather seating. "Protector," Ryan replies with a monotone voice as he gazes past the psychologist's head, perusing through the numerous titles located in the bookcase behind him.

"Okay, can you elaborate on that?"

Ryan looks at the psychologist, Dr. Gabriel Evans... a relatively handsome man in his early fifties with graying hair and warm, brown eyes slightly obscured by round, wire-rimmed glasses; his aging face gracefully creased with laugh lines framed with a perfectly-trimmed salt and pepper beard and mustache. Why do shrinks always seem to have beards, Ryan thinks to himself.

"You said 'protector'," Dr. Evans repeats as he tries to coax the boy into saying more.

"Sandy protects Kirsten and Seth... a man is supposed to protect his family," Ryan states emphatically.

"I agree... a man should protect his family," Dr. Evans iterates, thankful to be finally engaging in some dialogue with the reserved teenager. "But, sometimes that isn't always the case... is it."

Ryan immediately looks back down at his lap as he wonders what direction the doctor will be taking the conversation.

"Tell me about your father."

Oh, here we go, Ryan thinks to himself as he rolls his eyes. Now he thinks I have "daddy" issues... "There's nothing much to say," Ryan states, his voice devoid of emotion as he peers up at Dr. Evans. "My father's been in prison for nine years... I haven't seen or talked to him for almost ten and before you ask, no... I don't care if I ever see that asshole son-of-a-bitch again."

"Fair enough," Dr. Evans states, seeing the hour is almost up and feeling he's pushed the boy enough for one session. "We'll meet here again same time next Monday. When school starts, we'll move the appointment to later in the afternoon."

"Fine," Ryan utters beneath his breath as he stands up to leave, feeling he can't get out of the office fast enough.

"Ryan, one more thing," Dr. Evan says as he quickly walks over to his desk to grab a business card. "Take this... it has my office and cell numbers. You can call me anytime, day or night. If you feel you need to meet with me before our next scheduled appointment, let me know... I'll make the time."

"Okay, thanks," Ryan politely responds, accepting the business card and placing it in his jacket pocket as he opens the office door to leave.

Kirsten quickly stands up when she sees Ryan and Dr. Evans enter the waiting room.

"I'll be out in the car," Ryan says quietly with his head lowered and hands tucked firmly in his jacket pockets as he brushes past Kirsten to leave.

Kirsten watches as Ryan makes a beeline out of the waiting room and sighs. "It went that well, huh," she says to the doctor, not all that surprised by the boy's reluctance to embrace therapy.

"It'll take some time, but I've worked with kids like Ryan before," Dr. Evans assures. "He'll come around."

"Dr. Evans, my husband and I are looking into adopting Ryan," Kirsten says, hoping the psychologist won't object to dispensing some free advice. "But, we're not sure if we should tell him yet. It's going to take a few months or maybe even longer to get through the process and finalize all the paperwork..."

"I would hold off telling Ryan about the adoption, at least for a little while," Dr. Evans advises, hoping that his young patient will start opening up more in the next couple of sessions. "It's been a whirlwind couple of months for the boy. Today I tried to get him to talk about his parents. He refused to say anything regarding his mother and said very little about his father," Dr. Evans says, somewhat frustrated he couldn't get the boy to open up more. "This kid has major trust issues. You need to keep in mind that both of his parents have basically abandoned him. They've given you and your husband, two people they don't even know, legal guardianship of their son," Dr. Evans explains, nodding to his next patient as she steps into the waiting room. "Even though this is probably the best thing that could happen to the boy, if you look at it from Ryan's perspective, it has to hurt... deep down inside... to be rejected by the two people in his life who are supposed to care for him and give him unconditional love."

"You're right," Kirsten agrees solemnly as she realizes the emotional pain the boy must be experiencing. "I appreciate your candor... we'll hold off telling Ryan until you feel he's ready. We don't want to overwhelm him... we care deeply for Ryan and just want to do what's best for him."

As Kirsten makes her way to the parking lot, she notices Ryan sitting in the front seat of the Rover, his eyes closed and his head resting against the passenger side window.

"Ryan? Are you alright?" Kirsten asks with concern as she gets in behind the wheel and turns on the ignition.

"I'm fine... just tired," Ryan replies as he slowly opens his eyes and gazes over at Kirsten. "I seem to get tired so easily."

Kirsten smiles warmly as she takes Ryan's hand and squeezes it gently. "Well, it was just a couple of weeks ago you were in the hospital with pneumonia. Dr. Morrison said that even after you've recovered, it may take weeks... even months, to get back feeling like your normal self." Kirsten keeps her eyes on Ryan as she watches him yawn and lean his head back against the headrest. "And I think I'll tell Seth not to wake you up so early in the morning," she says patting the top of his hand before putting the car in reverse. "School's starting soon... you need to get as much rest as you can."

School's starting soon, Kirsten repeats to herself as she pulls out of the parking lot, recalling when she took both boys to the mall just the other day to shop for school clothes. The saleslady had commented on what a good-looking son she had, pointing directly to Ryan. "You two look so much alike... same blond hair and blue eyes," she had told Kirsten as they both watched the boy slowly turn pale when he read the pricetags on the t-shirts. Kirsten remembers she was going to correct the saleslady and tell her she wasn't Ryan's biological mother, but then quickly stopped herself. I'll be his mother soon, Kirsten reminds herself, knowing she needs to remain patient during the adoption process. Kirsten finds herself laughing softly as she remembers watching Ryan finally make his way over to the fifty-percent-off sales rack, his face still an expression of pain and discomfort as he cringed at the cost of the clothing.

"What's so funny?" Ryan asks, curious why Kirsten is suddenly smiling.

"Huh? Oh, it's nothing sweetheart," Kirsten replies as she's abruptly brought out of her reverie. "I'm just relieved that you're well again and you're safe... I'm so happy that we're all back together again.

Ryan smiles as he's again touched by the fact this family even wants him around. Maybe the Atwood luck has finally changed, he thinks to himself.

Kirsten pulls up in front of the house to drop Ryan off before heading to the office. "I can pick up dinner on my way home from work," she says as Ryan makes his way out of the Rover. "What are you in the mood for, pizza or Thai?"

"Why don't you choose," Ryan replies graciously, not feeling comfortable deciding what the family should eat for dinner. "Either is fine with me."

"All right then... Thai it is!" Kirsten declares with a smile as she drives away to the office, praying her father won't be too upset that she's running so late.


Caleb Nichol sits staunchly at his desk, drumming his fingers over the proposal plans as he waits impatiently for his daughter to show up to work. What in the world could she be doing with that low-life street punk, he thinks to himself, wondering what is keeping her so long.

Kirsten hurriedly walks into Caleb's office, frustrated with not being able to spend more time with Ryan after his first therapy session.

"So nice of you to show up for work today," Caleb states, his voice laced with sarcasm as he glances over at the clock.

"I'm sorry I'm late, Dad," Kirsten apologizes with sincerity. "The traffic was horrible!"

"Humph," Caleb utters with slight contempt, not appreciating being kept waiting. "So tell me, how long has the boy been seeing a therapist?"

"How did you know Ryan's seeing a therapist?" Kirsten asks, surprised by her father's intimate knowledge of their family's personal issues.

"Sanford told me," Caleb lies, hoping her daughter will be forthcoming. "So tell me, why is the boy in therapy?"

"That is none of your business..."

"It is too my business!" Caleb shouts, slamming his fist down on his desk in frustration. "That boy is dangerous! He's a no-good juvenile delinquent who stole a car and then burned down my model home! Having him around not only puts you in danger but puts my grandson in danger as well!"

"We are not in danger, Dad," Kirsten explains, frustrated with her father's contemptuousness. "And you know the fire was an accident. Ryan could have died in that fire!"

Caleb scoffs as he quickly brushes off his daughter's defensive words. "Is there anything else I should know about the boy?" Caleb asks, fishing for more information. "Anything that might be going on that you would care to tell me about?" Caleb stares intently at Kirsten as he waits for his daughter to tell him about her and Sandy's plan to adopt Ryan.

"Ryan is a good kid, Dad," Kirsten states firmly, tired of her father's distrust and disparaging remarks. "You just met him... give him a chance. You'll see he's a good kid."

That is never going to happen, Caleb thinks to himself as he hears his cell phone ring and notices it's his lawyer calling. "I need to take this call. I'll meet you in conference room two." Caleb watches as his daughter leaves the office, then picks up his phone to answer.

"Karl, what do you have for me?" Caleb says, getting straight to the point. "Has Vinnie located Frank Atwood?"

"He's staying at the Motel 6 in Corona, room number twelve," Karl replies, happy to relay the information to his most prominent and influential client.

"Good work, Karl," Caleb states, happy with the prompt results his money affords him. "I assume you're handling the other matter as we speak?"

"Passports... driver's licenses... all being taken care of, Cal."

"Excellent... You'll find a substantial bonus in your account," Caleb says as he makes his way towards the conference room. "I'm sure it will meet with your approval."

"I'm sure it will, Cal... and as always, it's been a pleasure doing business with you."