Disclaimer: If you recognize it, I don't own it.

Summary: Ryan decides he needs to really earn his sister's forgiveness, Hailey's back, Taylor's overprotective of Rhiannon, and Sam & Rhiannon spend the night together. Enjoy!

Chapter 7

It had only been a week since the last day of Christmukkah, and Ryan was sure he was in hell. Hailey Nichol, Kirsten's younger sister, had arrived home from wherever she had been, and Ryan had found himself sleeping on the surprisingly uncomfortable couch for an unreasonably miserable night, until Kirsten had set her sister straight, her home to rights and reestablished Ryan in the pool house. Of course, Crazy Hailey was not the only irritation Ryan was dealing with these days.

The most persistent irritant was in the form of the girl Harbor High called "Terrible Taylor."

The loyal auburn-haired girl had taken up an almost permanent residence at Rhiannon's side, chasing off both Cohen boys continually, armed with little more than an impressive right hook and strong-willed determination. When the two girls were home, they were locked away in Rhiannon's room. And when they weren't home, both girls could be found in the company of either one or the other of the two Winchester sons.

It was the morning of New Year's Eve and Ryan was lying on his bed, staring at the ceiling of the pool house, trying to come up with a plan that would separate his sister from her erstwhile protectors, even if it was only for a second or twenty. Seth knocked on the door, before entering the room. "Hey man. Still trying to come up with a way to get Rhiannon alone?"

"And failing miserably. The only plan I can seem to come up with that has any merit at all is locking Taylor in a closet. But that still leaves her bodyguards, the Winchester brothers."

"Well, you'll have one less Winchester to worry about. I just overheard a conversation between Dean and Taylor. His father's going away on a job, and he's taking Dean with him. They'll be gone for a week, maybe more."

"So that leaves Sam, her fiercely over-protective, Scottish terrier of a boyfriend. Oh sure. That'll be a piece of cake!" Ryan snapped, slamming his head back hard against the headboard. Seeing that Ryan had obviously miscalculated the force of his movement, even Seth winced at the loud crack that came as a result.

Reaching up, Ryan rubbed distractedly at the back of his head. "This is ridiculous! She's my sister! My twin! Surely I should have some brotherly rights!"

"Have you ever considered just asking Rhiannon if you can talk to her?" Seth asked, his tone and posture suggesting how well he thought that idea was likely to work.

Ryan whipped his head around to stare at his best friend, and narrowed his eyes at him. "Seth . . . you're brilliant!"

Shoving himself to his feet, Ryan dashed toward the pool house door and ran at full speed toward the house. Rhiannon and Taylor were in the kitchen, laughing and chatting as they fixed what looked like a three course meal for two. Taylor went silent and cold, her pretty eyes fierce as she glared at him. "What do you want, Atwood?" she asked, her tone unfailingly polite.

Ryan cringed but kept his eyes locked on his sister's. "Stardust . . . please?"

Rhiannon nibbled on her lower lip, her Prussian blue eyes meeting those of her brother's. Whatever she saw in his face made one corner of her mouth quirk upwards. Turning to her best friend, she clasped Taylor's hand gently. "Can you leave us alone for just a second, Tay?"

"Star . . . " Taylor began, the protest broken off by Rhiannon's tiny smile.

"Please, Tay? Regardless of anything, my brother should have the opportunity to plead his case and apologize for his transgressions. Even Dad's clients are given that privilege. Should I then refuse to allow my own brother, my twin whom I love, the same?"

Taylor nodded curtly, getting up in Ryan's face and shaking one slender, well manicured finger under his nose. "You hurt her, Ryan Atwood, and you will answer first to me and then to Sam. Understood?"

"Yes ma'am," Ryan answered solemnly, knowing that she wasn't just throwing out a random threat. No, Taylor meant every word. And an evening in the ER after a fight with Sam Winchester was really not how he wanted to spend the holiday.

Taylor hugged her best friend lightly, murmuring quietly, "I'll go keep an eye out for Sam. He should be here to pick you up in a couple minutes."

"Thanks Tay."

Both Atwood Twins waited until the kitchen was empty but for them, before Ryan took a deep breath. "You and Sam have a date tonight?"

"Mom and Dad gave me permission to spend the night at Sam's house. It's just going to be us, but Mom says she trusts us."

"Sam's a good guy. He genuinely adores you. I'm glad you found someone like him."

"Thank you, Ryan. That means a lot, especially coming from you," Rhiannon confessed, a wide smile on her lips.

There was a long awkward pause, as Ryan struggled to find the words he wanted to say. "Stardust, I . . . "

Seeing his discomfort, Rhiannon gave her brother a tiny smile, the understanding smile she always used when either Trey or Ryan had done something they were trying to apologize for. "I forgive you, Ryan."

Ryan shook his head, frowning angrily. "You shouldn't have had to, baby sister. You are my twin sister. We have shared everything since we were babies. You have forgiven me for every little infraction I have perpetrated against you always and I have taken care of you as best I could for as long as I can remember. I should have been there. I should have told Marissa to call someone else to solve her problems and been there, but I didn't and I wasn't and I'm sorry. Thank you for your forgiveness, but this time, Sis, I need to earn it first, for my own sake."

Rhiannon's smile widened as she came around the edge of the island and wrapped her arms around her brother, hugging him fiercely. "You just did. But if you think you need to do more, I'll let you. I love you, Ry; you are my twin brother and I love you. When you're okay with yourself again and you're ready to accept my forgiveness, it'll be here waiting for you. Okay?"

He nodded, his arms tight around her waist as he buried his face into her shoulder and held her as close to him as he could manage. "I love you, Rhiannon, and I will make this up to you, I promise."

"I know, and I believe you," she replied, her fingers soft and familiar in his hair as she combed them through his hair.

Taylor knocked on the paneling into the kitchen at that moment. "Hey, Star, I hate to interrupt, but Sam's in the foyer."

Rhiannon nodded, as the twins disengaged themselves from each other. Turning to her best friend, Rhiannon spoke. "Could you show him where I stashed my bag and let him know I'll be right there, Tay?"

"Sure," Taylor agreed, before disappearing once again.

Moving quickly, Rhiannon began to pack up the food into a picnic basket at her feet. Ryan jumped up onto the counter out of the way and inquired, "What's all that about?"

"Sam's taking me to see the fireworks tonight and we're going to have a picnic under the stars," she explained, tucking away the last bits before latching the ends securely. Turning to her brother, she reached up a tiny hand to cup his cheek. "Womb to tomb, big brother."

Ryan's much larger hand covered hers and trapped it to his cheek, "Birth to earth, baby sister."

Sam appeared into the doorway then, a small, rueful smile on his face as he watched his girlfriend forgive her brother. "Sadira? You ready to go?"

"Yep. If you could just grab the picnic basket for me, Sam, we'll be all set."

Sam nodded, coming into the room and swinging the basket up off the floor. Rhiannon hugged her brother tightly one more time, before she took her boyfriend's hand and let him lead her from the room. Pausing at the doorway, Rhiannon reminded her brother, "Marissa's new friend Oliver is holding that party tonight. You should go and have some fun."

Ryan nodded with a careless shrug, though he didn't say anything. Rhiannon tried again, "Marissa might be there."

That earned a reply. "She will. She told me she was going."

She smiled lightly, "All right then; take Seth and go have some fun. Mom and Dad are some party that Aunt Hailey told them about tonight, and I don't want you to spend the holiday alone."

"I'll think about it," he promised, his heels bumping lightly against the cupboards under him.

Rhiannon nodded, blowing him one last kiss. "Love you big brother. Happy New Year's."

"Happy New Year's, Stardust," Ryan replied, before Sam tugged lightly on Rhiannon's hand and the two were gone.

Several hours later, Ryan was still in the house, reading the book his sister had given him for Christmukkah about ancient Roman architecture, when there was a knock at the front door. Frowning at the interruption, Ryan glanced at his watch to check the time. It was around 8:30 in the evening and he groaned. Believing it to be Marissa – who had been calling every ten minutes for the last three hours and who he had been stubbornly ignoring since everything had gone down with his sister's play – he dragged his feet to the front door. "Go away, Rissa!" he snapped, pulling the door open.

His jaw dropped at the sight of the people standing on his foster parents' porch. "You're not Marissa," he remarked stupidly, staring at the crowd assembled outside the door.

"No shit, dude," came one voice, before the young guy at the front shushed the voice impatiently. Turning back to Ryan, he inquired, "Is this where the house party's at?"

"Uh . . . no," came Ryan's answer, though a perky voice behind him piped up to override his denial. "Absolutely! Come on in, everybody!"

Ryan rounded on Hailey, his eyes going wide. "Hailey! What the hell are you doing?"

"What does it look like I'm doing? I'm throwing a party!"

"Kirsten and Sandy are going to freak out! You can't throw a party here without their permission!"

Hailey rolled her eyes and waved her friends into the house, completely ignoring her older sister's ward. As Ryan watched the people swarm into the house, his only thought was, "Thank God that Stardust isn't here. All of these people would freak her out."

At the park, Sam and Rhiannon were walking together to try and find a good viewing spot for the fireworks. Sam was carrying the picnic basket and Rhiannon hugged the blanket to her chest, their joined hands swinging lightly between them. "Are you happy, Sadira?"

Rhiannon giggled, looking up at her boyfriend with wide blue eyes. "I could not be happier, Sam. Taylor and I are best friends, and I adore Dean completely. And best of all, I have you, the sweetest, gentlest, most charmingly awesome guy a girl could ever hope for."

"Yeah?" Sam inquired, swinging her around to pull her into his arms. "Charmingly awesome, huh?"

Rhiannon giggled, nodding as she looked up the nearly 12 twelve inch difference between their faces. "Uh-huh."

Sam bent his head and kissed her, the picnic basket dropping to the ground with a soft thud as his hand came up to cup her cheek in his palm. "I am not the real catch, Rhiannon. You might be surprised by this, but you are the real prize here."

A blush swept like wildfire over her cheeks and she shook her head. "No I'm not."

"Yes you are. You are sweet and honest and beautiful and forgiving and loyal and smart. You are everything I want, Rhiannon, everything I ever needed." Overhead, the fireworks began and Sam watched the colors shine briefly over her upturned face and flash brightly in her eyes. "I love you."

Rhiannon's eyes went even wider and she moved to speak. Sam lifted a hand, pressing his fingers to her lips, shaking his head. "No, I don't want to hear it right now. Tell me another time. I just wanted you to know that I love you and that I would do anything to make you happy."

She smiled up at him, her lips trembling in response to the swell of her heart in her chest. Going up on tiptoes, she caught his lips with hers, trying to tell him everything he wouldn't let her say out loud. Resting her forehead against his chin, she allowed him to hold her close, her words floating softly through the air. "Sam . . . I am happy."

Sam smiled brightly, pressing a sweet kiss to her forehead. "Then my work here is done. Come on, help me spread out the blanket. We're gonna miss the whole show," he teased, releasing her and helping her spread out the quilt that Kirsten had lent them.

Settling onto the blanket, Rhiannon burrowed back into her boyfriend happily as he leaned back on one hand, the fingers of his free hand playing idly over her hair. The two watched the fireworks in silence, with Rhiannon exclaiming every once in awhile over a particularly beautiful display. It was a perfect night, and neither of them had any desire to spoil it.

Meanwhile, Ryan was furious. Hailey had tricked him and had locked him into his own room, so that she wouldn't have to listen to his speeches about Kirsten and Sandy's disappointment. He would willingly admit that he'd engaged in a lot of stunts when he was younger, but he'd never needed to know how to pick a lock. Pouting on his bed, he resolved to ask Sam to teach him. Grunting miserably as another gorgeous – if completely wasted – girl pressed against the window, teasing him with his inability to get close to her. Rolling his eyes, he got up and started to close all the blinds. If he had to be stuck in his room, the least he could do would be to get some sleep.

Rhiannon and Sam came back to the Cohen house early the next morning. Rhiannon's eyes flashed wide as she opened the door to the sight of an utterly trashed living room. Whistling under his breath, Sam muttered under his breath, "Wow . . . what happened here?"

Kirsten's voice was dry and acerbic as she replied, "Hailey happened. How was the evening, you two? Did you have fun?"

"The fireworks were amazing. And dinner was to die for. All in all, it was an absolutely magical evening," Rhiannon gushed, clapping her hands happily and twirling on her toes, making the circle skirt she was wearing spin out around her.

Both Sam and Kirsten smiled at her, delighted to see her so happy. "That's good. I'm glad you two had fun," Kirsten sighed, obviously relieved as she hugged first Rhiannon and then Sam. "Your brother, on the other hand, did not. Hailey locked him in the pool house, and in the midst of the debauchery last night, the key got lost. Sam, would you mind?"

Sam smiled and shook his head. "Nah. Do you have a couple paper-clips?"

"In Sandy's office," Kirsten said, with a sigh. "Thank you, Sam."

Sam gave her his shy, half-smile and jogged toward Sandy's office in search of a couple paper-clips. Rhiannon wrapped her arm around her mother's waist as the two strode easily through the house, her head resting contently against her mom's shoulder. "You know, Mom, it surprises me how calm you are about the fact that Sam knows how to pick the locks on the pool house doors."

"Having met John Winchester, I find it hard to believe that either of his sons have had anything less than thorough training in the less than legal arts. However, both boys have good hearts. I don't worry that either of them will use that knowledge against me or this family," Kirsten explained, kissing her daughter's forehead. "And you? Does it worry you the things that Sam can do?"

Rhiannon giggled lightly, "Lockpicking requires a gentle touch. And that's all I'm going to say about that."

Kirsten smiled at the double entendre in her words, hugging her tightly. "Just promise me that when you and Sam do finally take that step, you'll be careful."

Both women's eyes were very blue as they locked. The younger smiled up at the elder and nodded, "I promise, Mom."

"That's all I ask. Go on. Taylor's in the den, and is no doubt dying to know how last night went."

Rhiannon grinned and giggled, before scampering toward the den. "Tay! You'll never believe what happened last night!" she called, her voice rebounding happily off the rafters.

Kirsten moved to the kitchen, watching through the patio doors as Sam picked the lock, steadfastly ignoring Seth's constant chatter. Ryan stood on the other side of the doors, arms folded and eyes serious as he watched Sam work his magic. All of a sudden, there was a flash of a grin and the door popped open. Ryan returned the smile, clasping the taller boy on the shoulder, before the two walked with Seth back toward the house. Taking a deep breath, Kirsten mused on life and all of its curiosities, before pouring herself a cup of coffee and settling back on the couch in the living room with her husband to contemplate the mess and simply enjoy the day.