Chapter 8- (September 2003) A Blessing, A Curse

"Bagel!" Marissa called as she pitched one of the wheat variety at Seth. She was in exceptionally high spirits today thanks to her secret relationship with Ryan.

Seth caught the flying bagel and started spreading cream cheese on it. "You seem happy." He studied his adopted sister carefully. She was happy, and had been so for nearly three weeks after the Luke incident at Summer's birthday party. All he could think of was Ryan. That had to be it.

Marissa nodded as she poured herself some milk. "Yeah..So.. Summer is coming over in an hour, we're going to go shop for a while and then meet you guys for lunch."

Seth took a glass from the cupboard and poured milk into it. "Ryan and I will be sailing. Can you believe the guy has never been on a boat?"

Marissa chuckled. "Not everyone is as lucky as you, Seth."

Seth gave her a mock-shocked look.

Yawning, Ryan entered the room from the patio doors. "Hey."

Seth and Marissa answered in unison. "Hey."

"So.. How'd you sleep?" Ryan asked Marissa as she handed him the milk.

"Good. You?" Marissa inquired back.

"Good." Ryan responded.

"Good." Seth stated, causing the other two to stare at him. "I just thought I'd answer in case one of you asked me."

"Ughh..Coop..we've been here doing nothing now for like a half hour." Summer whined as she laid on the bed, stomach to the mattress, and flipped through a magazine. The digital read out on the alarm clock said 10am. So early and already so bored.

Marissa looked up from her own magazine. "The mall won't open till later anyway,Sum."

"Still..can't we go somewhere? I mean..the boys are out doing god-knows-what and here we are just reading magazines.." Summer sighed.

"Alright." Marissa dropped her magazine on the floor, stood up, and snatched her purse from the dresser. "Well come on."

"So.. Sailing is like your hobby.." Ryan asked as he stared at the ocean from his seat on Seth's prized sailboat, the Summer Breeze.

"Since I was five." Seth responded. "and not being groomed to dominate and destroy in sports like say.. Luke, Don, or oh..any other of the master race."

Ryan looked at him. "Luke is a jock?"

"uh-huh." Seth nodded his head. "Like every sport in the school.."

"Great.." Ryan sighed and shook his head in defeat.

Having traded sea for land about twenty minutes ago, the boys entered The Crab Shack."Let's just get a table now.." Seth said as he and Ryan stood awkwardly at the front entrance to the restaurant. "The girls will be here shortly. I just spoke to Summer."

"Ok." Ryan responded and started walking toward an empty one.

"I haven't seen you this ecstatic about shopping since last Christmas." Summer observed as she packed their purchases into the backseat.

"I haven't been ecstatic in a long time, Sum." Marissa answered quietly. "Things just fell apart..and I'm only just starting to put them back together."

Summer nodded as she slid into the driver's seat and buckled her seatbelt. "Cause of Ryan."

"I can't believe you two are together.." Seth was saying for the fourth time in the last five minutes. "What happens when my parents find out? You guys are practically brother and sister."

Ryan gulped down air. "Yeah.. Just make this harder on me.."

"Just stating the possibility." Seth answered.

"Hey." Summer and Marissa said together as they took seats next to their prospective guy.

Seth smiled at Summer and kissed her nose. "Hey you."

Ryan considered doing the same to Marissa but knew better. No one could see the prospective siblings kissing in public. Not yet. "Marissa, wanna come with me to pick out a lobster?"

Marissa nodded. "Sure." As far as sneaking away went, they had perfected the quick meet-ups in random places for couple moments.

Seth watched them walk off and turned to Summer. "They are gonna get caught if they keep doing that.."

Summer laughed. "There's no one here." She'd spoke to soon. Luke was coming through the door with his jock buddies. Crap. She looked at Seth urgently. "What now?"

"They get caught.." Seth grimaced.

Ryan held Marissa firmly about the waist, pressing her back to the wood paneled wall next to the doors to the restrooms. "We should get back."

"In a minute.." Marissa responded, curling her fingers into his belt loops and kissing him.

Luke ignored the usual sports and girls talk that was going around the table. His attention was focused the previous night's events. And that guy. Who was he anyway? No one he'd ever seen around school.

"Look who it is..hey Luke, man." One of his friend's shook his shoulder. "Marissa.."

That got his attention and Luke watched as Marissa and the guy walked over to and sat down at a table with Summer and Cohen. They didn't seem very couple-y to him. No touching. No random kisses.

"You don't think Luke would tell, do you?" Summer asked Seth as they sat on the floor of the Cohen's den, hours after the nearly disastrous lunch, playing a video game.

"Yeah. He would." Ryan answered from his position on the couch, his arm around Marissa's shoulders.

Marissa looked at him quizzically. "What makes you say that?"

Ryan was quiet a minute, shared a look with Seth and then responded. "Because he's angry, jealous, and still thinks you're his."

Summer snuggled up to Seth. "He's right, Coop."

Just then, the door opened and Ryan and Marissa shot away from each other like lightning as Kirsten appeared. "Hey kids, Sandy and I are home. We were thinking about an early dinner. Summer, will you be staying?"

Summer looked up to Kirsten. "If that's ok, smiled warmly. "Certainly Summer." She exited for the kitchen.

Summer turned her head and looked at the other couple sitting on the couch. "You almost got caught.."

Marissa nodded as she laid back down. "I know,Sum."

Ryan shared a look with Seth hoping his meaning was obvious. When he watched Seth leave, he knew he'd gotten the point across. "Right back." He rose from the couch and left the room, eventually standing with Seth by the pool's edge. "That was too close."

Seth nodded. "You need to tell them before they find out on their own."

Ryan nodded. "I know."

"Are you sure about this, Sandy?" Kirsten inquired once he finished talking. "We've only known the boy a little over a month."

Sandy nodded. "He's 16. He has no one. His only home is that dreary orphanage, and up until now his only friend was a fifty something. Now he's got us, Seth, and even Marissa it seems has accepted him."

"I've noticed a lot of improvement in Marissa. She's eating again and actually smiling." Kirsten stated as she mulled over her husband's request. "I think she's finally adjusting to life without her parents."

Sandy took her in his arms, holding her close. "I know you really miss Jimmy, Honey. But you've honored the friendship you guys had in life with taking responsibility for his daughter after his death. Any kid would be blessed to have you as their mom. Won't you give Ryan that gift?"

Kirsten smiled, his words hitting her in the heart, and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Ok."

"Great. But let's only tell Seth and Marissa for now. I'd like to surprise Ryan." Sandy was about to say more, but his wife's kiss stopped him.

Pulling back, she grinned. "We'll tell them in the morning." And then she was unbuttoning his shirt.

The Next Morning-

"You want to adopt Ryan…" Seth recited his father's news in shock and joy. He cast a sidelong look at Marissa as she stood by the wall absolutely silent. Her mind was probably spinning right now.

Sandy nodded. "You guys are getting close right?"

Thinking of Marissa as he answered, Seth smiled. "You have no idea how close."

Marissa shot him a guarded talk-again-and-I'll-kill-you look.

Kirsten watched the exchange between her son and Marissa curiously, then turned to address her. "What about you, honey?"

"It's not really my choice. I'm not a real part of the family." Marissa shrugged.

Kirsten and Sandy stared at her a second and then stepped closer. "Marissa, we can't ever replace your parents and we don't want to. And you might not have the Cohen last name, but you are a part of this family. You always have been." From there, Sandy continued with his own speech. "We Cohen's consider our friends just as much a part of the family as blood relatives. You're a Cooper by birth, but you're a Cohen by right of acceptance. We accept you, please accept us."

Truly moved, tears began to fall from her eyes as Marissa responded. "ok..you guys..ok.."

Kirsten hugged her and smiled. "Not a word to Ryan."

"Yeah." Marissa and Seth agreed in unison as the adults walked out of the room.

"What now…" Seth asked.

"I have no idea.." Marissa answered. "But this blessing to your family is more like a curse in my opinion."

Seth laughed. "That's just because you're dating your brother."

"Shut up." She tossed a pillow at his head.