Disclaimer: I don't own The OC or the song Ocean Avenue by Yellowcard from the album Ocean Avenue.
A/N-I realized today I hadn't updated anything in a couple of weeks, mainly because I've been working on another challenge fic but since this is written I decided to post it, once again because it seems like there are barely any SS fics lately. So yea. The ending is kind of awkward because I originally had an unhappy ending but then decided it was much better with a happy ending. So if it's a little awkward that's why. Thanks for the reviews for the previous oneshot. Please review!!
Ocean Avenue by Yellowcard
Seth stared out into the ocean waves. He was mesmerized by the way they carried things into the ocean.
He had been doing this every night for the past two years. Every night for the past 730 days, he would to the same spot and watch the waves come to shore and go back again.
It was their spot. That's why he would always go to the same spot. It was theirs.
He sat down on the sand, tracing circles with his bare feet. He continued to watch the waves, thinking about the first time they had come to this particular spot together.
"Cohen, I want to go to the beach," Summer declared.
Seth turned his attention away from the movie for a minute. "Sum, it's like, two in the morning."
She shrugged. "I know, but this movie is really boring me and I want to look at the stars form the beach."
She was giving him the look, the one that she knew he couldn't resist.
"Fine. But when we come back, we're going to finish this movie."
She nodded. "We can stay up all night and sleep all day."
"Together?" Seth grinned. "Because that sounds like a plan."
"Oh, shut up, Cohen."
He grabbed her hand, walking to the car hand in hand. He drove them to the beach, just like Summer wanted him to.
At sixteen, he was already completely whipped. Not that he minded at all. He held onto her hand the whole car ride, never wanting to let go.
She pulled him along the water, watching the waves wash over their bare feet. He laughed along with her as she screamed from the sudden feeling of water over her feet and being covered in sand.
Finally, they stopped their walk along the water and headed onto the sand. Seth fell down onto the sand, pulling her right along with him.
"Cohen, I'm going to get sand in my hair now," she whined, though she didn't care.
"Oh, well, that's so unfortunate," he rolled his eyes.
She shrugged her shoulders and turned her attention to the stars in the sky. Seth put his hand up, pointing out some random names of stars to her.
She was listening to everything that he had to say, for once honestly interested in what he had to say.
"We should go home," Seth said quietly, once he had pointed out all the stars that he knew the names of.
"Do we have to?" she questioned, giving him the same look from earlier that night.
This time, Seth was able to resist. "If my parents wake up and find out that I'm not there, they'll kill us both. We'll come back here though." He stood up, grabbing her hand and bringing her up to his level. "This can be our spot."
She grinned at him, grabbing his hand. "I like it. Our spot. Right in front of the sign that says "Please pick up your dog's crap"."
Seth shrugged. "We are a rather unconventional couple. Our spot should be in front of a sign that talks about dog's and their bodily functions. It suits us."
Summer rolled her eyes, but she was still smiling. "Then it's settled. This is our spot."
Seth got from the spot. He wanted to stay, but knew he had to go. He had some place he had to get to.
He got in his car, but didn't start driving. There was something that was nagging at him, and he knew exactly what it was. It was her. Her presence was there but she wasn't. She hadn't been there since they were eighteen years old.
She hadn't been there since the night he broke up with her. They had been young then, young and stupid. At least he had been young and stupid.
If he could, he would go back and change it. If he hadn't made that one little mistake, everything would have been all right.
He screwed up everyone's lives and he hated himself for it everyday.
He woke up in a cold, empty bed the following morning. His dog, Heath, had obviously gotten off the bed sometime during the night. He sighed, going to find the dog for their morning walk.
Once he got back from the walk, Heath went right back to where he usually was--sprawled across Seth's bed--while Seth got ready.
Today was a good day. He got to go see her.
He stopped to get flowers beforehand, a bouquet of pink roses. He thought that she would have liked them.
He arrived at his destination soon enough, walking into the building. He went straight the elevator and to the floor he went to everyday.
"Hello, Seth."
He looked to see Linda smiling at him. He greeted her with a nod of his head, continuing on.
He was at her room. He took a deep breath and entered inside.
There she was, lying on the bed. He tried to disregard the beeping of the machines surrounding her, but that was next to impossible.
The first thing that he did was go over to the vase, dumping the flowers that he had brought the previous week. Every week, he brought her a fresh bouquet of pink roses.
Not that she had ever seen them though. She had been in a coma since a month before her eighteenth birthday. Exactly two years and one day now.
She had gotten in a car accident, much like her best friend had a month and a half before. The only difference was that she was living--though not by much.
For the first year, Seth had visited her every single day. After a year, he decided that he was going to stay around Newport, go to college nearby, so he could be there if she woke up.
When. When she woke up.
He sat down in the chair next to her bed, grabbing her hand. He smiled sadly as he looked at her, just lying there.
"Hey Summer. I've missed you. I'm still sorry that I can't come every day anymore. This is one of my only days off a week, so it's the only time I can come.
"I realized last night that I was up to my least favorite story about us. But, it's tradition to talk to you about our relationship." Every time he went to see her, he would tell her a story of some sort. Originally, it had just been random stories that he made up or about how everyone was doing. Then, he started recounting their relationship, hoping somehow it would make her wake up.
It was wishful thinking but he wasn't going to give up hope.
"So, it was the day I broke up with you. I thought it would be better, considering we were all leaving for college and we were graduating. I remember the look in yours eyes when I told you that this was goodbye. And then you were begging me, not tonight, not here, not now. I still did it. But I gave us one more night together. We laid in our spot and watched the stars, pretending the sun was never going to rise. We were together for one more night.
"Honestly, I didn't know that would be our last night together. I thought the breakup would only last until I ended up in Providence to start school. Or at least that's what I intended. I didn't mean for this to happen."
He watched her for a minute, wishing she would respond. He just wanted to hear her voice again.
7 years later…
He got to hear her voice again.
Everyday he got to hear it again.
He smiled as he watched Summer sitting on the back porch watching their two children run--or in Mia's, their two year old daughter, case, toddle--around the yard.
"Dad come play!" his four year old son, Jason, yelled to him.
"I'll be right there," Seth called back.
He turned to look at Summer. "You'll be okay Sum?"
She rolled her eyes at him, resting her hands on her large stomach. "Yes, Seth, I'm fine. You're going to be right there. I'm not going to pop."
He eyed her warily. "Really, because it looks like Aaden is ready to pop right out of you."
"I'm fine. Go play with your son."
"If you need anything call me. I'll come right away."
"Just go."
He walked out to the yard, grabbing the ball from Jason. They started throwing it back and forth, Mia trying to catch it a few times.
Every few minutes, Seth would look at Summer. She would roll her eyes at him, waiting for him to turn his attention back to his kids.
He knew it was a little extreme, being so cautious about Summer. He knew that it drove her nuts. He had been like that since she had woke up a little over seven years ago.
He had never thought that was going to happen. It had been one of the happiest moments to know that he was going to maybe get a second chance with her. He still couldn't believe it.
And even though it had taken a while for them to get back to the way things once had been, all of the pieces fell together. They became the Seth and Summer they had once been, but even better.
And now, here they were. They had two amazing kids, and their third son, Aaden, was due at any moment.
His life had taken a turn in the right direction. Even though he had made a huge mistake, a mistake that affected everyone's lives, it worked out.
Looking at Summer once again, he knew that he wouldn't change anything.