Sorry this has been so long coming; I really have no excuse.

This chapter takes place not long after chapter 7, where Kirsten offers Ryan an internship at The Newport Group. He has been working there for a couple of weeks. Caleb has been keeping his distance from Ryan.

This is something that I wish we could have seen in the show, and I have read similar things in other stories. I think if Caleb would have stayed on the show, we would have seen him soften towards Ryan and treat him better. We started to see a glimpse of maybe Caleb changing his opinion of Ryan in The Lonely Hearts Club (2x12), where Ryan challenges Caleb to a game of pool to spend the night with Lindsay. After winning, Ryan tells her to enjoy her time with Caleb. But, since we didn't get that, we get to write fanfiction instead.

Please let me know what you like or didn't like in this story, or what you would like to see in future chapters. I do have a small list of possibilities from previous reviews that I will try to get to.


Ryan was in Kirsten's office looking at the various projects The Newport Group had worked on over the years. She had some of the plans framed with their final products hung along one wall. He had always been fascinated by how these massive buildings could spring to life from simple drawings. Now that he was working here at the Newport Group with Kirsten, a little part of him was getting excited again with the possibility of pursuing it as a career. He'd given up that dream several years ago, but found it was being kindled once more. He turned his attention to a larger display case in the center of her office. It was a miniature model of one of the Newport Group's newest subdivisions. He was examining the intricacies of the tiny model homes when the moment he'd been dreading came rushing in.

"Kiki…!" Caleb called, storming into his daughter's office. He stopped short when he only saw Ryan in the office. The boy's stiffened posture and paled face didn't escape Caleb's notice.

Ryan responded almost immediately, "Kirsten's not here, obviously. She called me up a few minutes ago. I just got here. Don't worry, I haven't touched anything." He held his hands up, as if in surrender.

Caleb sighed softly at the hurt in the kid's voice. He leaned against the display and watched Ryan carefully for a few minutes. He knew he needed to talk to him about this internship; he just didn't know what to say.

Finally, Caleb started speaking, "I suppose I haven't kept it much of a secret how much I haven't wanted you around Newport, especially my family. I was livid that night Kirsten kicked me out after that dinner. Mostly because she just wouldn't listen to me. I knew you were bad news. And I knew Kirsten would have seen it, too, if she would have just listened to me." He saw how uncomfortable and nervous the boy was getting, but Caleb had to get through this.

"That was one of the reasons I suggested this internship and recommended you. So that I could keep an eye on you. I knew you would try something here eventually, and I could catch you red-handed. At that point, Kirsten couldn't deny it, and then you would be gone."

Ryan was nearly hyperventilating at this point and could swear he was getting a little light-headed. But, he wasn't going to give this man the satisfaction of seeing any weaknesses. He just wished that Kirsten would hurry up and get back from wherever she was.

Caleb continued, "Did you know that each department in which you have worked has sent a report to HR? And that this office has been copied on those reports, as well?"

Ryan could barely shake his head. Either Caleb noticed it, or Ryan figured he just didn't care, because Caleb continued speaking.

"In addition to a copy being sent to this office, I also have received copies of each of those reports."

Ryan couldn't respond now. He had pretty much lost all control of his body. He really wanted to sit down but couldn't get his feet to move towards the couch. He was just glad that the wall was behind him, so that he could lean against it for support.

Caleb moved around to one side of the display case and leaned against it with one arm. "And after reviewing those reports, do you know what I have discovered?"

Caleb only waited a couple of seconds, to which seemed like a couple of eternities to Ryan, before answering his own question. "I'll tell you what I've learned. I've learned… that I have severely misjudged you, Ryan!"

It was at this moment Kirsten chose to return. She was in a rather good mood. The meetings she had earlier with the contractors went really well, and ended sooner then expected, which was a rarity. She had nothing else on her schedule, so being mid-afternoon on a Friday, she called Ryan up to try and convince him to get a little head start on the weekend.

As she entered her office, she greeted her father with a smile. As soon as she saw Ryan, her smile was gone; her maternal instincts were on high alert. She was next to him in an instant. "Ryan, honey, are you ok?" She put a hand on his arm and could feel he was shaking. She could see his pale complexion now that she was closer, as well as the beads of sweat forming on his forehead.

She was even more concerned when he didn't respond; he simply stared into space. Her concern turned into anger towards her father. "Dad?! What did you do?!" she demanded.

She put her free arm around his shoulders and guided him to the couch. She called out to her secretary, "Margaret, can you get me a bottled water, please?"

She guided him over to the couch while trying to soothe him with a soft voice, "It's ok, honey. I'm here. Let's get you over to the couch and sit down. We're going to get you some water in just a moment." As soon as they were seated on the couch, Margaret came in with the water. Kirsten took the water and opened it. Handing it to Ryan, she instructed him, "Only sips for now."

She could tell that he was starting to shut down; that familiar blankness in his eyes broke her heart, again. She wasn't that surprised then that he was so docile, allowing her to take over. Part of him wasn't there anymore.

The more she saw, the more anger started to surface at its cause. She turned her attention towards her father, seeing red. "Dad?! What did you say my son?!"

Caleb only saw Kirsten this furious a few times. Mostly they were times associated with someone hurting her family. If he had any doubts before about his decision, they were just taken care of. He wanted to smile but knew that it would not be the best thing to do at the moment; he actually found himself in a small bit of fear of his daughter.

Caleb sighed, "I was telling him that I suggested this internship so that I could keep an extra set of eyes on him."

Kirsten leaned forward and ran a hand over her face. "Oh, God!" she muttered softly. After a moment, she returned her glare to her father again, "I swear, Dad, I will resign…"

But Caleb didn't let her finish. He raised her hands to ward her off, "Now, Kirsten, please let me continue." He almost called her KiKi, but also thought that wouldn't go over very well.

Kirsten was surprised to see more then a little bit of honesty in her father's face. She glanced at the child next to her and was a little pleased that her presence seemed to have had a calming effect on him. He wasn't shaking anymore, and his color was returning very slowly, but his gaze was very much out of focus. She took hold of Ryan's hand and nodding to her father to continue.

Caleb started again slowly, "I had just finished saying, when you happened to walk in, that I have severely misjudged Ryan."

Kirsten wasn't sure if she heard her father correctly. She blinked at him a couple of times, trying to process what she just heard. "I'm sorry. What did you say?"

Caleb sat down on the couch opposite Kirsten and Ryan and leaned forward. "Look, obviously I'm not the best at this type of thing." He tried to make eye contact with the teen but found that Ryan wasn't focusing on him or anything. So, instead he turned to Kirsten before continuing, "but I've had some pretty loud wake up calls recently. One of them has been the reports I've been blind-copied on from the various departments in which Ryan has worked that have come to this office. Those reports have reflected an honest, hardworking young man."

Kirsten was speechless. As she was listening to her father, her anger was soon replaced by confusion. Her father never apologized; he always rationalized his rude and arrogant behavior.

Since his daughter didn't reply, he took that as permission to continue. "I see now that I was wrong." He tried to get Ryan's attention, "The young man that was described in those reports, Ryan, I would like to get to know you better. I realize that I was rude and denigrating to you without cause. And I haven't been much easier with Seth. I would like to change that, for both my grandsons!"

Despite her lingering confusion, she was thrilled at the apparent change in her father. She had been hoping that something like this would happen, although she never thought that she would ever see it. But, regardless of her happiness over her father's revelation, she had to worry about her son.

She looked at the teen sitting next to her, still holding onto her hand. Kirsten could tell that he had heard what Caleb had said, and was processing it. She has happy that he hadn't withdrawn completely. He still had his head down, and was avoiding any eye contact. But, she took it as a very small victory, that his eyes were now darting around the room, in avoidance of hers, instead of being locked on nothingness.

Kirsten knew enough about Ryan to know that she needed to ease up on the tension in the room. Glancing back at her father, she knew he was expecting some response from the teen. She cleared her throat, more to get Caleb's attention. "Dad, I think that's really great to hear. And I think I can tell you mean it. But, it's been kind of a long week, and Ryan and I were thinking about getting a head start on the weekend."

She was exaggerating a little bit, it had been a pretty light week, but she also knew she needed to get Ryan out of there. She only hoped that her father would catch on, and not push things too far.

He seemed to get the point, as he stood, and said, "Yes, well, I know I threw a lot at both of you and you need some time and space. But, Ryan, I am serious. I know you need your space, and so I'm willing to take things slow, at your pace. One last thing, before I leave," indicating Kirsten, he continued, "please talk things over with your parents, work out a game plan that you are comfortable with, and let me know."

He nodded towards Kirsten, and then turned to leave. When he was almost at the door, he snapped his fingers as he remembered why he came to his daughter's office to begin with. He turned around and pointed to the folders that he left on the display cabinet. He looked at Kirsten, and with a softer voice, said, "I wanted to talk with you about these particular contractors. Take a look at them over the weekend, see if you think we should open up negotiations with them, and we can talk further on Monday."

Kirsten stood and walked over to her father, and spontaneously hugged him. She whispered in his ear, "Thank you, Dad. You have no idea how much this means to me. And Ryan. He may not show it now, but I know he does."

As she released him, he told her, "I know. I'm just sorry it took this long for me to see what you were trying to tell me." He squeezed her arm, "I'll see you on Monday." A little louder to include Ryan, he said, "Have a good weekend, you two." Then he was gone and left Kirsten and Ryan alone.

A part of her was still wondering what had happened to her father, and who it was she just hugged. Her attention was brought back to the present when Ryan stood up from his place on the couch. She took the files her father had indicated and threw them in her briefcase and closed it. She then approached Ryan and gingerly put her arm around his shoulders, and guided him towards the door. "What do you say we blow this popsicle stand?"

He nodded dumbly, as he allowed her to direct him out of her office, towards the elevator. He was still processing everything Caleb had said. It all kind of made sense, in a twisted kind of way. He understood protecting people you cared about; which is what Caleb said he was doing. But he also said that he was wrong, and wanted to change. Who was he to stop someone from changing? He was pretty much the poster child for wanting to change, for wanting to be better than he was. If Sandy and Kirsten didn't give him the chance, where would he be right now?

Ryan was silent from Kirsten's office until halfway down the elevator, when something struck him. "What did Caleb mean when he said to talk with my parents?" He asked it so quietly, that it took her a moment to figure what he said.

She knew she had to proceed carefully. She thought about it for a moment, and then slowly, with a smile, said, "Well, I imagine he is referring to what a lot of other people have noticed. In fact, the last couple of weeks, quite a few people have come up to tell me what a proud mother I should be because of you." She smiled at the slight redness of his ears. "See, honey, when people don't know the backstory, they have no other reason to think that you wouldn't be Sandy and my son. And that's what we want to be… your parents."

They had managed to make it to the parking garage without taking on any other passengers. She gave him a few minutes to think about what she said as they made their way to the Rover. When she started the car, she felt she needed to finish this before they got home.

As they pulled out of the garage and started for home, she continued, "We know we haven't always been your family, and we would never want to replace the Atwood's, but we are so happy that you are here with us. You have made this family so much better." She chuckled, "I mean, look at what just happened! I would never have thought I would have seen my father apologize for anything!" She was thrilled when she glanced over to see him chuckle slightly himself.

She took a deep breath, and took the final plunge, "We know we haven't always been your parents, but truth is, we are now. And everyone else sees it, too."

Ryan was quiet for a few minutes, and Kirsten seemed to recognize that he needed time and she let him think. As they pulled off the freeway towards their subdivision, Ryan actually spoke sooner than Kirsten expected. "You know, I think I've recognized that, too, on some level. Maybe not consciously all the time, but I've found I'm relying more on you guys then even Dawn and Frank. Even if it is just to bounce ideas off of."

Kirsten was so happy that Ryan was opening up to her, and even acknowledging the possibility that he might someday view them as his parents. She joked with him, "Well, we appreciate that you come to us, even if you don't listen to us! But, then that's when we get to go all parental and ground you!" She laughed when Ryan laughed, too.

His face turned serious again, and Kirsten could tell he was thinking again, so she let him. Finally, he asked quietly, "So, how does this work? Do I call you guys Mom and Dad? What about Dawn and Frank?"

Kirsten was startled at first. It took her a moment to catch on to what exactly Ryan was referring. She recovered quickly, though. "Well, as far as our current situation, nothing really has to change. This will always be your home. Calling us Mom and Dad would be completely up to you. I must say, that Sandy and I would love it, but there's absolutely no pressure." She took another moment to think about the last part. "As far as Dawn and Frank go, nothing necessarily needs to be addressed right now. We can discuss it with your father, first. If it's something you're interested in, we can get more details about adoption."

As they pulled into the driveway, her head was spinning from their conversation. Things were moving awfully fast. She knew she needed to speak with Sandy! Before turning off the car, she turned to face Ryan, "Look. A lot has happened today. Why don't you take the next couple of days and think about everything. Spend it with Seth, and Sunday night, you, your brother, your father, and I will sit down at dinner and talk more, OK?"

He was relieved with Kirsten's suggestion of taking a couple of days. The subject of Sandy and Kirsten wanting to be his parents, and adoption, and everything else went a lot easier and smoother than he ever thought possible. It was as though a weight had been lifted from his shoulders that he didn't even know he was carrying.

"OK," he nodded. As he opened the door, he turned back to Kirsten with one final question, "But do I have to call Caleb Grandpa?" he deadpanned.

They both walked into the house laughing and enjoying the mother-son time bonding. Things definitely seemed like they were looking up!