A/N: Can't take credit for the title of this chapter…Based on "The Secret's In The Telling" by Dashboard Confessional

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A month later, Marissa was standing in the pool house, cooking dinner and waiting for Ryan to come home. She smiled at how wonderful everything looked, but then remembered her relationship with her parents. Her dad came over often and took Marissa grocery shopping whenever she and Ryan needed something, but she hadn't spoken to her mom since that night. It was a mutual decision, but Marissa found herself wishing that she sometimes had a mother to talk to. However, Kirsten was generally there for that, and when Marissa had needed to leave the house earlier that day for something she couldn't tell Ryan about, Kirsten had gone with her. Sandy had become agreeable with his "neighbors" as well, and even cooked them dinner once a week.

It was about 7 o'clock when Ryan walked in from his job at the Crab Shack to greet Marissa with a smile and a kiss. He walked over and put his arms around her as she stirred the pot.

"Macaroni and cheese, my favorite meal."

"You say that every night."

"Every time you cook, the dinner replaces the one from the night before."

"Well then, I should probably call the pizza guy and tell him that he should step up his pizzas or we aren't going to buy them anymore. They used to be my husband's favorite meal, now they've been reduced to number 2."

Ryan laughed and threw his apron on the chair next to the bed. He looked outside and noticed that there were two white candles lit on the table next to the pool.

"Looks like Sandy and Kirsten are having a romantic dinner tonight."

Marissa nodded absentmindedly and continued cooking. When she was finished she made a bowl for each of them and started walking out the door.

"Where are you going?"

Marissa gave Ryan a sneaky smile and didn't say a word as she continued walking outside. She set the bowls on the table and pulled out a chair for Ryan.

"The romantic dinner is for us."

He smiled and sat down. Marissa moved over to her chair and just watched as Ryan began to eat. He stopped and looked up at her, grabbing his napkin to wipe his face.

"Why aren't you eating? Is something wrong?"

"No, I just have a couple things to tell you before I can eat. My stomach is jittery enough as it is."

"All right, well, spill."

"Um…Sandy got a call today from the police station. Rick…um…he hung himself in his cell last night. They had been pressuring him to confess or say something to contradict my story, but he'd never talk to them. I guess he just got sick of living his life the way he did."

Ryan didn't know what to say. He was relieved that Marissa would definitely be free now, but a man had killed himself. He shouldn't be happy over something like that. He spoke.

"Well, maybe he's in a better place now."

"Uh-huh…"

Marissa was avoiding Ryan's gaze. He had been thinking that he shouldn't have been feeling relief, but she almost seemed glad. Had she not wanted him to contradict her? Would Rick have been saying something that was…true?

"You said you had two things to tell me."

Marissa instantly perked up and raised her head to look at Ryan again. She smiled brightly and he was wondering why she was so happy. This seemed like it was one of the happiest moments of her life, but why?

"Ryan, I found something out today. Something wonderful."

"What is it?"

"We're going to have a baby."

The words took a few minutes to sink in, but when they did, Ryan jumped out of his chair and hugged the love of his life. He had married her and now they were going to have a child? This was the most amazing feeling he had ever experienced. He kneeled down and looked up at Marissa's shining face.

"How long have you known?"

"Just found out today, but I've been pregnant for about a month. Isn't that exciting?"

There were no words to describe how Ryan was feeling. He just continued to take in Marissa's beauty as they sat next to the pool, unaware that they were being watched by Sandy and Kirsten.

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"They're too young."

Sandy shook his head and walked away from the window. He had always been a fan of Ryan and Marissa's romance, ever since he saw how much she had changed his life and made him into a better person. But they had taken things too far. Both of them were only 18 and they were about to start a family. It was too much for even them to withstand.

"Sandy, how can you judge them so quickly? Maybe they will make it."

"Maybe they will, Kirsten, but that's not the point. The point is, they are missing out on being wild and free and spontaneous. Now that she's pregnant, do you ever think they're going to move out of here? Do you ever think either of them is going to college?"

"Who knows what they'll do? We have to support them. They are our kids and if this is what they want, it's what we want too, right?"

Kirsten hugged her husband and looked into his eyes. He had grown to agreeing with her, but he didn't like this situation with Ryan and Marissa. He didn't like it at all.

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A week later, Marissa and Ryan were standing outside the Roberts' house with a box of mashed potatoes. They had been invited to dinner after Marissa had called her mom and said that the two of them had a big announcement to make. The doorbell rang and Summer came to the door and hugged her best friend.

"Oh, Coop, I am so glad to see you! How's it going, Chino?"

"Pretty good. How about…"

"That's fantastic. Why don't you go hang out with Seth and Mr. Cooper in the living room? They're playing some video games about ninjas or pirates or something. I don't really know, boys will be boys. I'll take the potatoes."

Summer seemed extremely excited, considering that she was one of the many who didn't exactly support Ryan and Marissa's quickie Vegas wedding. Ryan leaned down as he took off Marissa's coat and whispered in her ear.

"You didn't tell her, did you?"

Marissa shook her head and walked into the kitchen. Ryan walked into the living room and played video games for a few minutes before the food was ready. Once all of them were in the dining room, they sat down, Summer, Ryan and Marissa on the one side, Seth, Jimmy and Julie on the other. They ate their meals silently but quickly. Suddenly, Marissa was very nervous. She didn't want to tell any of these people about the baby. All they would do is fake happiness or yell at her and Ryan for being so irresponsible. She began to speak.

"Dinner was excellent, but Ryan and I have to be leaving. Sandy said he might have a job lined up for Ryan and we told him that we'd be home right after dinner."

But Summer wasn't falling for that. She knew that her best friend had something important to say and she wasn't going to let her leave until she said it.

"Wait, Coop, didn't you say you had an announcement?"

Marissa sat down and took a long, slow drink of her water. Everyone was staring at her, including Ryan. He was wondering why she wanted to run away from the table. Marissa was scared. She was finally ready to admit that, maybe, everyone was right. Maybe she was too young for this.

"I'm sorry. I can't do this. I have to go."

She got up and started to run toward the exit. Ryan grabbed her arm as she was getting up and stood next to her. He looked at her with a gaze that said Everything will be all right, but she knew it wasn't going to be.

"Marissa and I are going to have a baby."

The whole table gasped. The room was silent for a few moments, but then, Jimmy Cooper stood up, beaming and walked across the room to hug his baby girl. He hugged his son-in-law as well. Pretty soon, Summer and Seth got up to do the same thing. Marissa breathed a sigh of relief and continued to smile and talk with her friends and her father. After a few minutes, Julie stood up and walked over to her daughter. All the talking stopped as Julie whispered the word Marissa had been longing to hear for so long.

"Congratulations."

Her mother grinned and hugged her daughter, her eyes brimming with tears of joy. She walked over to Ryan and spoke.

"Here's to a fresh start for you and me."

She hugged Ryan and, although he was surprised and taken aback, he hugged her too. She was right. This was a new beginning for the Cooper and Atwood families.