This isn't so much a new defense story as it is a follow up idea on the first chapter. This little idea just came to me and thought that I would try to capture it.

For a refresher on that chapter: It took place during The Second Chance (02x11); Kirsten, Ryan, Lyndsay, and Caleb were having dinner; when Caleb started going off on Ryan, Kirsten stepped in and kicked Caleb out until he was able to apologize and be civil with Ryan.

This chapter takes place a couple of months later, after Lyndsay had left, but before Trey showed up. There is no Rebecca or Carter; in case I haven't mentioned it, I hated that sorry excuse for a story line.

One more thing… Please forgive me, but for simplicity I will be referring to the FOUR Cohens. I know technically Ryan is an Atwood, but in my mind he is more of a Cohen.


All four of the Cohens were sitting around the dinner table eating their carry-out Mexican. It was Ryan's night to choose, and even though he would have declined the opportunity to choose, Sandy knew that Mexican was Ryan's favorite. When the boy wasn't forthcoming on his choice, Sandy made the decision for him. As the whole family was chatting away, Sandy saw that he had made the right decision; Ryan was definitely enjoying the food.

Suddenly, Kirsten snapped her fingers in recollection. "Oh, Ryan, I almost forgot. My father said something today you might find interesting."

Seth cut Kirsten off by nearly choking on his burrito. After several moments of coughing and sips of water to clear his throat, Seth couldn't help but chuckle. "I'm sorry, Mom. Did you say that Grandpa said something to interest Ryan?"

She nodded in confusion, "Yes. Why is that so funny?"

Seth gaped at her, almost dumbfounded. "You mean, your father? My grandfather? The same man that has pretty much been trying to find a reason to get Ryan out of here since he met him? You mean, that guy?!"

Somewhere during Seth's tirade, Ryan put his fork down and started to shake his head. He turned slightly to Seth, on his left, and quietly said, "Yeah, thanks buddy for bringing all that up again!"

But Seth turned to Ryan in all seriousness, "No, bro! I didn't mean it like that! I just mean, we have to stick together." Pointing his finger between the two of them, "Brothers watch out for each other. Even if Mom and Dad can't keep Grandpa from kicking you out, I'm coming with you. We'll start our pancake tour of America!"

Now it was Ryan's turn to chuckle, but he sensed the true substance behind what he was saying. He smiled in gratitude, "Thanks, man!"

Sandy had to smile at the bond between his two sons. He was glad they had each other, even though Seth's imagination sometimes got the better of them both. "Well, that's not going to happen! Caleb isn't kicking anyone out of anywhere!" He glanced at Kirsten hoping that he was telling the truth.

Rolling her eyes at how far her family could stray sometimes, she said, with a little exasperation, "No, of course not. I think he's still trying to get back on my good side. But he did come up with a pretty good idea. He came to me with a plan to start an internship program that could target high school students and college students in the area. It would help them get a little bit of experience in the business world, and specifically with real estate development and architectural design. He wanted to start a pilot first, to see if there would be any merit to it. And he thought you would be a good candidate for the pilot program."

Ryan sat there for a few minutes, dumbfounded. Could Caleb Nichol really be trying to do something nice for him? He almost asked Seth to pinch him to make sure he was awake. When Ryan glanced at his brother, his jaw also had dropped and was resting comfortably on the table.

Finally, Seth recovered enough to ask, with furrowed brows, "Ok… What's the catch?"

Ryan was so glad sometimes that Seth was his brother, so he could ask questions like that.

Kirsten shook her head slightly, "I don't think there are any. The internship program would be run out of my office. So, honey, you would be working with me."

Ryan got a little excited at that prospect. He was always interested in the projects she would bring home from the office, but he wished he could see more. Now, he might get the opportunity to do that.

Kirsten saw the excitement in his face, and that made her more excited. And happy, that one of her sons was interested in what she did for a living. "Well, actually, you won't always be working with me. Besides, who would want to spend 10-15 hours a week with their mother and then come home and spend the rest of their time with them at home?!" Kirsten threw her napkin at Seth when he made a face like he was holding back a scathing remark, eliciting laughter from the rest of her family. "No, but seriously, honey, you would work in just about every department: Development, IT, with the architects, Purchasing and Acquisitions. We could probably go on some field trips and get out into the field, go see some projects. You might also get to sit in on some meetings with current and potential clients."

Ryan was really getting excited about the prospect. But there was one little thing niggling at him, but he was afraid to bring it up.

Kirsten seemed to read his mind. "And the best part: My father has already promised to stay as far away from this internship as possible." It was Kirsten's turn to chuckle when Ryan seemed to release the breath he was holding in a sigh of relief. "Now, your father and I will go over the paper work tonight, just to make sure there isn't anything I missed. If everything checks out, you can probably start sometime next week. Oh, and we might be able to pay you something, too."

Ryan couldn't help but feel uncomfortable whenever money came into the conversation. His allowance really made him uncomfortable, but Sandy and Kirsten told him that was non-negotiable. What Seth got, Ryan got; no matter how much he fought it. "That's ok, Kirsten. I don't care about the money. It seems like a great opportunity. I hope it does work out."

Kirsten was thrilled that Ryan was excited and happy about working with her. She was really surprised that it was her father that came up with the idea, and Ryan, to boot. She would just have to make sure her father lived up to his end of the bargain and stayed the hell away from her son!