Happy Valentine's Day! Enjoy this chapter!

Taylor tossed and turned on the bed, wide awake. She was exhausted and the bed was quite comfortable considering that it was unfamiliar, but her mind was racing. She couldn't stop thinking about Ryan. His smile, the way he said her name, his hands gripping the steering wheel, his arms...

She didn't know what had possessed her to ask the questions she did. Had it not been for the flicker of arousal she saw in his eyes, she would assume he thought she was a total freak. Maybe he did anyway, but she'd been curious.

"We still have three more questions each," she'd stated happily, trying to think of what to ask him. "What's your ultimate fantasy?"

"Ultimate fantasy?" he'd asked, looking at her doubtfully.

"Oh come on, every guy has a fantasy. What's yours?"

"I don't know...I guess, the girls in those 80's rock music videos were pretty hot."

"So you like the permed and puffy hair and tight jeans?"

He laughed, but agreed. "Yeah I guess. Although since this is a fantasy, she wouldn't be wearing jeans."

Taylor smiled, pleased with the way Ryan seemed so at ease. She was going to make the most of this opportunity to learn what made Ryan Atwood tick.

"What do you want to do with your life?" Ryan asked. "I know you're really smart, but I don't think you ever mentioned what you want to do."

"When I go back to school, I'm planning on majoring in psychology. I want to be a counselor specializing in sex therapy."

Ryan's head snapped to look at her. "You want to be a sex therapist?"

"Yeah, human sexuality fascinates me." She grinned wickedly, "On that note, what's the kinkiest thing you've ever done?"

"What?"

"Come on, you can be my practice patient. So what is it?"

"Uh..." Ryan was beginning to have trouble concentrating on driving. "Kinkiest..."

"Yeah," she giggled at his obvious embarrassment. "You know, handcuffs, whips, threesomes..."

"Wow um..." He couldn't believe she was asking him this, or that he was about to actually give her an answer. "One time, it was my birthday and the girl I was with thought it would be fun to blindfold me."

"Uh huh..." Taylor nodded for him to continue.

She expected details? "Well, there was whip cream and ice involved, but that's all I'm saying."

"Okay, fine, be that way," she pretended to sulk.

"You, same question." He knew he shouldn't be letting himself get riled up while he was driving and Taylor wasn't even his girlfriend, but he couldn't help himself.

"You can't keep stealing my questions!" She grinned. She'd hoped he would ask her that one.

"You've got good ones! And I told you, so come on."

Taylor could think of several possible moments to share, but she tried to decide which one would stick with Ryan the most. "Well, I took pole dancing lessons awhile ago, so I tied up the guy up and gave him a show."

"You can take pole dancing lessons? I didn't know they existed, unless you're training to work at a strip club."

"Yeah, it's actually really good exercise. My mom thought it might help me loosen up."

"Your mom wanted you to do pole dancing?"

"Have you met my mother, Ryan? She's psycho."

"Well, it sounds like it did loosen you up."

"You know," Taylor began, "I may be neurotic, a people pleaser, and a little OCD, but when it comes to sex, I have no trouble going with the flow. Now, I've got one more question left." She was quiet for a moment, trying to figure out how to word it. "Tell me about this hero complex you seem to have."

Ryan took a deep breath. He'd been working on what Seth called his 'Savior Complex' since he'd left Jess behind to go to Sadie. He'd even talked to a counselor about it a few times and he was beginning to understand where it came from and why it wasn't always a good thing. "Growing up with my mom, I wound up taking care of her a lot of the time. I'd always try to help her, but it seemed like nothing I did was enough. I guess for awhile, I was trying make up for not being able to save my mom by trying to save the other women in my life."

"It's sweet that you want to help them, but you can't save them if they don't want to be saved."

"That's what I've finally realized."

"Alright Atwood, you've got one question left, so you better make it a good one."

Ryan was quiet for several moments before he said, "I can't think of anything." Taylor just waited while he thought. "What's your favorite fruit?"

"Peaches," she replied smiling.

"Really? Mine too."

Taylor glanced out the window and saw Ryan's shadow as he moved around the room and then turned off the lights. She sighed, wanting to go down there and just...be with him. Hang out, make out (okay, that may be a bit too much wishful thinking), just anything. As sleep finally began to overtake her, she imagined what it would be like to lay in his arms, to kiss him, to fell his heartbeat. She'd accepted that she was falling and there was nothing she could do to stop it. She was finding that she really didn't want to.

The next morning, Seth met Summer at the diner for breakfast. "So, guess who Ryan brought home this weekend."

Summer looked up at him doubtfully. "Atwood brought someone home? I thought he and Marissa were...you know. I guess Marissa and I haven't talked in awhile. So who is this girl?"

"Taylor Townsend."

Summer nearly spit out the orange juice she'd been drinking. "Ryan and Taylor?"

Seth smirked. "Oh, it's totally platonic. She left her French husband and back to California. She needed a place to stay and Ryan loves to help out the ladies in trouble. So they just slept in the same room for several nights, and he brought her home with him, but there's nothing more to it."

"Wait, does Ryan seem annoyed with her? Because you know, Taylor has boundary issues, so maybe he's just being nice." Summer was trying to make sense of this situation.

"I really don't think that's it. He seems like he may be a little bit...smitten. Or at least picturing her naked."

"Cohen!" she scolded, smacking his arm.

"What? It's not like I am! I haven't been able to stop thinking about you in that silky purple thing last night. And out of it."

"Really?" He nodded enthusiastically. "Well then maybe you'll see it again someday."

"Soon?"

"You are insatiable, Cohen!"

"The Cohen men are very sexual beings, Summer," he said, leaning in to kiss her.

"Ew!"

Taylor walked into the kitchen and found Kirsten preparing the turkey. "Hey Kiki! Can I help?" she offered.

"Sure you could start peeling the potatoes." Kirsten got out the potatoes and the peeler. When had she started calling her Kiki?

"I really appreciate you letting me spend Thanksgiving here," she said in high, rushed voice. "You're probably wondering why I'm here and not with my mom." She anxiously peeled the potatoes.

"We're happy to have you, but yes, I am wondering that."

"When I was in France..." Taylor took a deep breath, trying to compose herself. "Right before college started..." She was unable to find the words to tell Kirsten, so she had no idea how she was going to tell her own mother.

Kirsten pulled the potato and peeler out of her hand. She put a reassuring arm around her and led her out of the kitchen. "Maybe we should sit down." Taylor smiled gratefully and let Kirsten lead her to a couch in the living room. "Now what's going on? Are you alright?"

"Oh I'm fine. Mostly. When I was in France, I met this guy, Henri-Michel. He was really great, said he loved me..." she explained, nearly getting caught up in the memories. "He asked me to marry him. And I did."

"You got married?" Kirsten questioned.

"I know it was stupid, but I was scared and confused, so I married him and then I left him."

"Taylor, you're usually so responsible," Kirsten stated firmly, but not harshly. "Do you love him?"

"No. I wish I did. I tried to. I thought I could make myself, but when I realized I couldn't, I left."

"If you didn't love him then why did you marry him?"

She shrugged. Why had it been so much easier to tell Ryan? "He said he loved me, and that he wanted to take care of me." When Kirsten only watched Taylor silently, she added, "No one's ever said that to me before."

"Sweetie," Kirsten started, hugging the young girl. "You're still young. You've got plenty of time to find a guy that loves you who you can love in return."

"No, I don't mean no guy has ever said that to me. I mean no one has ever said that to me. Or even vaguely implied it with their actions."

That realization of what Taylor was saying made Kirsten feel sick. "I'm sorry. But I'm sure she does, even if she doesn't always show it very well. Go talk to her. Tell her about it."

"My mom isn't like you. She's not the caring, nurturing type."

"But she's still your mom, and she'll still love you."

Taylor thought for a long moment. "Will you come with me?"

"Come with you?"

"To tell my mom. You're right, I need to do it, I just...need some support."

Kirsten smiled warmly. "Sure. I'll go get the boys to take over the turkey while we're gone."

"Thanks."

Summer wandered over to Marissa's room, hoping she would be awake. "Coop?" she asked softly, knocking.

"Sum! Come on in!" The two girls met in a tight hug, quickly realizing how much they'd missed each other. "So how are you?"

"I'm good. Really good. How are you?"

"Good. So you and Seth are still..."

"Yeah, I miss him like crazy, but only one more month, and then we'll be going back to Rhode Island together. What about you? Last time we talked, it sounded like you and Ryan might be..."

"Oh, no," Marissa replied, shaking her head. "I mean, we almost did, but we decided to just be friends."

Summer could hear Marissa's voice catch a little as she said this. "Are you okay with that?"

Marissa sighed. "Yeah...I mean, it's Ryan...but, it's okay. And I'm kind of seeing someone else."

Summer sat down on the bed next to Marissa excitedly. "Spill it, girl."

"His name is Chase. We're in english class together. Um, he's majoring in secondary education..."

"Is he hot?"

Marissa giggled and walked over to her computer. "I'll show you pictures." She logged onto facebook and clicked the link to pictures of Chase.

Summer admired the boy's shaggy brown hair, blue-green eyes, dimpled smile, and muscular build. "Damn girl, he's really hot. I'd be saying, 'Ryan who?' No offence to Atwood."

"Chase is great, but it's still new. We're still getting to know each other."

"So you haven't had sex?"

Marissa smiled mischievously. "Well..."

"You have! How was it?"

"Definitely better than Luke, but to be fair, the first time always sucks. Probably better than Kevin and DJ because I wasn't just using the sex to numb the fact that I was spiraling downward."

"Not better than Ryan though?"

She hesitated, unsure of how to answer. "It was different with Ryan." Marissa looked away, sadly.

"Because you loved him?" Summer prompted gently.

Tears pooled in Marissa's eyes, and she looked up at Summer. "Yeah."

"Oh, sweetie," Summer said, pulling Marissa into a hug. "You know what? Someday you're going to meet someone who you'll love even more than Ryan. And you're going to marry him, have lots of babies, and live happily ever after."

Marissa laughed, hugging her back warmly. "I know. Ryan was high school. And it was great, but...I'm ready to move on."

Ryan was in the kitchen slicing vegetables when Kirsten and Taylor came in. "I told her," Taylor said to him, her eyes brimmed with tears.

Ryan put down the knife and cucumber. "What'd she say?" He felt an overwhelming urge to hug her and hold her tightly, but he held back.

"She said that I'm stupid and irresponsible, that I have no future, and that I need to get all my stuff out of her house by tomorrow." Kirsten was standing in the doorway, watching her with sad eyes. "Oh, and she said I'm looking like I've put on some weight." Her voice broke towards the end and a couple of the tears spilled down her cheeks.

Ryan quickly crossed the room to her and took her in his arms. He rubbed her back soothingly, whispering reassuringly in her ear. Kirsten watched the two curiously and smiled, in spite of the situation.

"Taylor?"

She composed herself and turned to face Kirsten. "Yeah?"

"How about you stay here for awhile."

"Really?" Taylor asked, disbelievingly.

"On two conditions," Kirsten clarified. When Taylor nodded eagerly, she continued. "You need to apply to colleges for next fall, and look for a job to keep you busy in the meantime."

Taylor smiled brightly. "I've already applied to colleges for next year. I'll start looking for a job tomorrow!"

Kirsten smiled, glad to be able to help the girl. She stole a glance at Ryan and found him looking at Taylor with a lot of affection, and maybe even something more, in his eyes.

TBC. Review please!