A Slice

"You know Seth, even after knowing you for years, I don't think that I really know you, yah know," Marissa stated thoughtfully as she ate her curly fries. The two of them were lying on the floor of the boat they had rented, side by side. Ryan and Summer were on the side of the boat catching fish, per Seth's orders (begging).

"Yah, I guess so. I think it's...yeah, I get it," Seth answered, the usual dash of irony absent.

"I'm sorry we weren't friends when we were younger," Marissa murmured as she tugged on her long hair.

"I could've tried too. A part of me thought I was above it," Seth admitted.

"HA! I knew it," Marissa cried. She grew pensive again. "But...I was mean. I did secretly wonder, though. You were so...mysterious," Marissa grinned, half joking, half serious. She sat up, and so did Seth.

"Correction. I still am, apparently. Otherwise, you wouldn't be asking me to explain," Seth smirked.

"I get it. Sorta. But how do you do that," Marissa inquired.

"Do what?" Seth raised an eyebrow, in a way that made Marissa laugh when she saw it.

"Know what people are thinking, before they tell you."

"Well you're damn obvious Marissa."

"Hey! Yeah, I guess I am. But you are too, in the exact same way. At least at first glance. Yah know. I'm the emotional chick with all the baggage, and you're the comic book geek introvert. But there's more to you. And there's more to me," Marissa replied.

"Everyone keeps saying we're so alike."

"Yeah, and?"

"I might, just maybe, be starting to believe them. A little."

"Yup. We could totally be brother and sister," Marissa laughed.

"We're an incestuous bunch, aren't we? Cuz you were like...my Aunt...and then Ryan's my brother, and Summer's your sister, and Princess Sparkles is Summer's horse and Captain Oats...yeah," Seth rambled on.

"See, I keep telling Ryan that, but he just gives me this weird look," Marissa smiled.

"He does the same thing to me!" Marissa exclaimed.

"I thought he only did that look for me," Seth said in a hurt voice.

"Nope."

"I am...deeply offended," Seth remarked. "But sometimes, it's good to know you're not alone," he continued, "Especially when you're as weird as you..and I."

"Hey! You're basically insulting us both," Marissa reminded him.

"Hmm...I guess you're right. I saved Summer some trouble," Seth grinned stupidly.

"Summer strikes you dumb," Marissa observed.

"This is true."

"You're not who I imagined when I thought of who Summer would fall in love with," Marissa commented.

"No way," Seth said sardonically. "I can only imagine the sleep-overs. 'Ehmagawd, Coop, I totally wanna marry some blonde guy who shaves his chest. He'll grow up to be an investment banker and I'll throw parties at my McMansion.'"

"No, no. We weren't like that," Marissa protested. Seth gave her a significant glance. Marissa shrugged her shoulders uncomfortably and wrapped her arms around her legs. "Ok, so maybe we were, for a while. But there was a time, actually...like a day, where she didn't describe that as her perfect man. Before we all started hanging out. Now she describes you, like all the time as 'the perfect man.'" Seth's face screamed amusement, and disbelief.

"And when was that?"

"It was in June, the night Sum's mom left. I broke into her house through her window. Her dad was off looking for her mom, and Summer wouldn't answer the door. She knew she didn't want her parent's life. It's hard to explain," Marissa offered. Seth nodded slowly. "Well, for the record...well, no. I can't imagine you with anyone besides Ryan. Brooding bad boy who's really not that bad and the princess in the tower who's really not a princess? Perfect match," said Seth.

"I'm...yeah, I guess you're right. But c'mon, you and Sum are the quintessential Beauty and the Geek. That's...a-dor-a-ble!" Marissa squealed.

"Ok...now...you're ruining it. That's too corny," Seth whined. "Plus...those guys on that show are so...nerdy and sarcastic. Bleh."

"Atwood! I found the bait!" Summer called.

"Excellent."

"How do we get ourselves into these messes," Summer asked.

"I dunno. I guess...we're sorta...it's what we do?" Ryan said uncertainly.

"Mmm...yeah, I would say so," Summer smiled as she hooked her bait to the fishing line expertly and tossed it over the side of the boat. Her feet hung in the cool water because the boat was really a catamaran, like Seth's.

"You have some skill with a fishing line. That I did not know," Ryan smirked.

"Yeah well...don't judge a book by its cover," Summer commented. Ryan chortled. "I'm sorry if that sounded lame, but Cohen is my boyfriend. His retarded-ness is bound to rub off," Summer shrugged.

"I know what you mean. But that's actually not what I was laughing about," Ryan said.

"Musta been something funny, cuz not much makes you crack a smile, let alone laugh," said Summer as she looked up at the night sky.

"I was laughing about how weird it is being here with you," Ryan stated.

"Weird like, awkward weird, or weird like..." Summer trailed off.

"The last one, I think," Ryan said.

"Well I guess...I mean...who I was and who you were, that was weird. But I hope this isn't Atwood."

"See, there it is. You're not who the girl from that party. Or you are. But now you don't call me 'Chino' as much,"

"Is that it? Feeling a bit nostalgic, Chino," Summer laughed.

"I think I like 'Atwood' better, to be honest," Ryan said.

"Me too," Summer grinned.

"It's so weird. There are only to Summers' I've ever known. Scary Summer, who left around the same time Seth's Summer came along," said Ryan. Summer turned around and looked a bit confused.

"Did I really change that much?" Summer wondered.

"Yeah. Seth always knew you'd come around. I think that's what makes him a good friend. Person. He waits," Ryan said, thinking of his and Seth's path to becoming brothers.

"Cohen is good to us all. He is surprisingly patient about some things. I love him, and I did for a long time before I ever told him. I feel bad about it sometimes," Summer said. Ryan nodded knowingly.

"I get it."

"You never know when they're gonna just up and leave."

"I know. They usually do. But now...I think we can trust 'em. Marissa and Seth, I mean."

"Mmhmm. I'm surprised with myself. I'm still mad at my mom, but I'm not mad at Cohen," said Summer.

"If you don't mind me asking...what happened with your mom," Ryan asked.

"Seth never told you?" Ryan nodded no. "Huh, I guess Cohen is a better secret keeper than I thought." Summer shrugged. "They fought, they screamed, they threw wine bottles, I got knocked around a bit, but she promised she would never leave. And then one day she did. I haven't seen her since," Summer explained in a soft voice.

"I get it. I haven't seen my mom since...well, since she left Newport 2 1/2 years ago, haven't seen my dad in since I was 9...and Trey..." Ryan shifted uncomfortably.

"It's ok. No one blames you," Summer said, obviously referring to the part about Trey.

"Sometimes, I think you guys should," Ryan replied.

"More like...we should be thanking you. If you hadn't come around, who knows how long it would've been before I met Cohen, Marissa would've like married Luke...And who knows? I might never have had the motivation to go to college," Summer rambled.

"I never would've gone if I hadn't come here," said Ryan.

"And look at you now. Accepted to Berkeley, your dream school," Summer smiled.

"I just wanna be with Marissa, so if that's what she decides..." Ryan trailed off.

"I can't imagine Coop at a public school," Summer thought aloud, bemused. (Berkeley is a public University).

"Where do you wanna go Roberts?"

"Well...I was thinking Berkeley, or Brown. I want to go into the sciences," Summer explained.

"You are really good at Chemistry."

"Weird, huh? I did so bad in that class during the first half of Sophomore year," Summer grinned.

"Weren't Seth and Anna in that class," Ryan smirked.

"That may have had something to do with it," Summer said sheepishly, remembering the events of that year.

"You do know where Marissa wants to go, don't you," Ryan said, pressing on.

"Uh...yeah, kinda, but I'm a vault. You won't get it out of me," Summer asserted.

"Even if I was gonna throw you over board?"

"Hmm...no, I would just get back on the boat and kick your ass."

"Fine then," Ryan pouted. Summer didn't even know Ryan could pout.

"Atwood, I think you already know ok," Summer hinted.

"Eh, she'll tell me eventually," Ryan shrugged.

"That she will. On another note, don't you think--" Summer was interrupted by Seth and Marissa calling her name. "C'mon Atwood," she said.

The four of them ended up sleeping on a beach somewhere near Santa Barbara.

"Morning Riss," Ryan said.

"Agh...Ryan...I'm blind..." Marissa cried, flailing her arms wildly.

"No, no you're not," Ryan murmured as he pushed Marissa's long hair out of her eyes.

"I can see again! Ryan Atwood, you are a miracle worker," Marissa declared.

"Mmm yeah," Ryan mumbled against her neck.

"Ryan Atwood, you are conceited," Marissa smirked as she pushed him off her. He glared. "Ow..." she muttered.

"What is it?" Ryan asked concernedly.

"I think I need...like an Aspirin, headache," Marissa mumbled.

"Seth and I'll go to the drug store," Ryan said quickly as he pulled Seth to his feet.

"Wha--" Seth began to complain.

"Marissa, headache, drug store," Ryan summarized.

"Right, got it. Summer, we'll be right back," Seth said as he began walking. Ryan started to run.

"Do you think we're making the right choice here, being with the boys, this long...college?" Marissa asked Summer, trying to keep her mind off the pain.

"No...I mean, not the logical choice. But it just feels right," Summer smiled.

"Yeah. I can't imagine it differently," Marissa said.

"Where do you want to go to college?"

"Uh...Stanford, you know that," Marissa said. "Why?"

"And Cohen..." Summer trailed off.

"He does too," Marissa blurted out.

"He didn't exactly tell me. He kinda telepathed it. But it's not that big of a deal. Even if I went to Berkeley, they're what...only 10 miles apart," Summer said as she took Marissa's head into her lap and massaged her temples.

"Yup."

"Hey...look..." Seth whispered to his brother.

"What?" Ryan asked distractedly. Seth pointed at an aisle.

"Right, pregnancy tests, but where is the Aspirin," Ryan muttered. Seth prodded him again, with a shocked look plastered on his face. "Seth stop tryna be funny," Ryan said irritably.

"I am funny. But look...it's Julie," Seth muttered. Ryan saw her and his eyes widened in stupefied shock similar to his brother's. Indeed, Julie Cooper Nichol Roberts was in a dingy drug store in Santa Barbara buying a pregnancy test. She ducked out of the shop quickly without making a sound after her purchase.

Seth and Ryan left the store with their Aspirin, still dazed.

"Why here?" Ryan wondered aloud.

"Well, she obviously didn't want anyone in Newport to know," Seth asserted. Ryan nodded his head. "The question is, 'why.'"

"Didn't want Dr. Roberts to know..." Ryan trailed off.

"Why?"

"Because...because..." Ryan muttered, deep in concentration.

"Because hypothetical Baby Roberts might not be a Baby Roberts at all?" Seth offered.

"Damn...you're right," Ryan groaned.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––Summer and Marissa had drifted off by the time Seth and Ryan made it back. They felt horrible about doing so, but Seth and Ryan knew they had to wake the girls up, and tell them about who and what they had discovered.

"Hey," Seth said to Summer softly. She smiled when she woke up.

"Morning," said she.

"You look lovely today," he said as he brushed a light kiss on her warm cheek.

"I feel better now Ryan, but thanks so much for getting this for me," Marissa smiled appreciatively as Ryan sat down beside her. The four of them stared out at the beautiful, sparkling ocean in a silence that normally would've been comfortable. But today, it was marred by the secret known by Seth and Ryan.

"When we were at the drug store, we saw someone. We saw...we saw your mom," Ryan said. Summer and Marissa wore matching confused expressions. "She was buying a pregnancy test," Summer let out a gasp and Marissa muttered something inaudible under her breath.

"We were wondering why..." Seth trailed off. But Marissa and Summer had clearly filled in the blanks.

"I wonder who she's having the affair with," Marissa said. Summer just looked heart broken.

"Another ruined marriage for my dad," Summer whispered.

"We don't really know yet," Seth said.

"Yeah, yeah we do," Marissa mumbled.

"Well...they spend almost every moment of every day together, and when Julie isn't with my dad, she's with your mom," Summer muttered.

"Wait! There was one time...before their wedding...when...oh my god," Marissa gasped. She had figured it out.

Look at that cliff hanger!! And guess what guys, this has been building for a long time, believe it or not. If you go back in previous chapters, you may be able to figure it out. The first person to unravel the mystery gets a chocolate scone!