A/N Sorry for taking almost two weeks, but life got hectic for a little bit. To make it up to you, this chapter has everything – R/M alone time, R/M with Lizzie, some Lizzie/Jamie, and the teenage trio. It even briefly has the Cohens! Hope you enjoy, don't forget to review.

Also, go read my new one shot. It's called This Look in My Eyes. Don't forget to review that too! I'm going to try to work on more one shots so you guys get more R/M by themselves, but I need to know people are actually reading them.

Thanks guys! Enjoy!

Ryan and Marissa both lay in bed staring up at the ceiling in the dark at 4am. Today was the first day of school for Lizzie and Jamie, and the two were nervous to say the least. Both had tossed and turned all night thinking about how fast Lizzie was growing up and worrying about Jamie's first day of school amongst all the Newport kids. They even feared for Lizzie around these kids; thus far they had been able to weed out all the negative influences on Lizzie. Now, Newport could finally take over.

"Ry?" Marissa finally asked quietly.

"Yeah?"

"You awake?"

"Yeah." Marissa paused, and Ryan took the opportunity to ask, "What are you thinking about?"

Marissa turned onto her side so she was facing him. "Our baby girl is starting school today," she said, her voice just louder than a whisper.

Ryan turned so that he was facing her, his eyes straining through the dark to see her. He could just make out her face from the light of the clock and the moon streaming through the window. "I can't believe it."

"She's grown up so fast," Marissa murmured, pursing her lips in a frown.

Ryan reached out and brushed hair from her face. "I know," he said with a sad smile.

"Remember when we first brought her home?" Marissa asked, her face lighting up in a smile at the memory.

"Back when we lived in that crappy apartment and had her crib right next to our bed?" Ryan continued with a smile. "Yeah, I remember."

"We were exhausted," she said with a slight laugh.

Ryan smiled fondly. "And I looked like a cave man after a while."

Marissa laughed. "You really did."

"But we were happy," Ryan said, reaching out for Marissa's hand, playing with her fingers.

Marissa nodded, a smile on her face. "We still are."

Ryan reached out and kissed her softly, his lips barely touching hers. When he pulled back, he said, "Now we have Jamie, too."

"I really hope no one is a jerk," Marissa said with a sigh.

"You know someone will be," Ryan said sadly.

"I hope he reacts better than you did when you first dealt with that stuff," Marissa said after a moment's thought.

Ryan let out a small laugh at that. "Me too."

"You've come a long way, you know," Marissa said, scooting closer to him, fitting her body against his.

Ryan wrapped both arms around her, pressing a kiss to her temple. "I've had some help."

Marissa pressed a kiss to his neck, closing her eyes and relaxing for the first time in hours. "You always will."

Ryan smiled, holding her a little closer to him. "I know."

XXXXX

"Are you sure you've got everything?" Ryan asked for the millionth time.

Lizzie rolled her eyes. "Yes, daddy."

Marissa bit her lip. "Don't roll your eyes, Liz. You know daddy is just nervous."

"But I'm the one going to school!" Lizzie protested, taking a bite of her pancakes.

"I know, but daddy is just scared because he wants to protect you," Marissa explained gently.

"I'm five, daddy," Lizzie reminded her father through a mouthful of pancakes.

Ryan pulled his chair closer to Lizzie's, moving her chair so she was facing him directly. "You're getting too old for me. Can you go back to being two?" He offered her a smile. "We could forget all about school and I'll take you to the toy store and we can get whatever you want."

Lizzie stared at her father with unsympathetic eyes. "Daddy, I'm still gonna be five. You can't go back."

Ryan stuck out his bottom lip. "But…"

Lizzie shook her head, patting his knee. "Sorry, daddy. I gots to go to school."

Ryan glanced over at his wife with the same look. She laughed. "Don't give me that look. The five year old has spoken."

Ryan sighed dramatically. "Fine. But I don't like it one bit."

Lizzie finally gave in and leaned up to peck his cheek. "It's okay, daddy. I'll be here later when you get home from work and we can play One Direction!"

Ryan smiled. "Okay, you're on."

Jamie walked in then dressed in his dark jeans and a blue flannel shirt, his hair spiked in the front. "Is Ryan giving you a hard time about going to school again?" Jamie asked Lizzie, sliding into the spot next to her.

Lizzie nodded, giving Jamie a look. "All morning."

Jamie laughed, and Marissa put a plate of food in front of him. "Thank you – I could've grabbed it myself…"

Marissa shook her head. "It's your first day of school," she said with a smile. "Let me do this for you."

Jamie started eating, chowing down quickly. "Don't forget to breathe, Jamie," Ryan teased.

Jamie swallowed his food and gave a sheepish smile. "Sorry. I'm starving."

At that moment, Ryan's phone started ringing from the counter. Standing, he walked over to check it and saw it was a FaceTime call. "Lizzie, Papa is calling," he said, answering the call. "Hey Sandy."

"Is she all ready?" Sandy asked, his face way too close to the screen.

"Yes, but back up a little," Ryan said with a small laugh as he walked back to the table. "I'm seeing way more of your face than I ever wanted to."

Kirsten's voice came on as she said, "Yeah, Sandy. Look, that's what you look like in that picture there. Try not to scare the girl before she goes to school."

"Handing the phone over now," Ryan called out, handing Lizzie the phone.

"Hi grandma and Papa!" Lizzie exclaimed, waving excitedly at her grandparents.

"Hi Lizzie Izzie Wizzie Bizzie Dizzy!" Sandy exclaimed. "Are you all ready for school?"

"Yes, but daddy keeps trying to make me two again," Lizzie said, giving her dad a look over the phone.

"I think he might be onto something," Sandy said. "Ryan, if you figure out how to reverse time, give me the secret!"

Lizzie shook her head. "No, Papa."

"Aw, but why not?"

At that moment, Marissa's phone started ringing. She flipped it over on the table and said, "Oh, Lizzie, Uncle Seth is calling." She answered, "Hi, Seth."

"And Summer!" Summer said with a wave.

Seth pushed Summer away. "Go away, she obviously wants to talk to her uncle more."

Summer swatted Seth. "Cohen!"

"I like Auntie Summer too!" Lizzie protested from her seat.

"Fine, but please, let me see my niece on her big day," Seth said, and Marissa rolled her eyes.

"Here you go, Liz," she said, handing her phone over to Lizzie now.

"Papa, say hi to Uncle Sef and Auntie Summer," Lizzie said, making the phones face each other.

"Hey Seth!"

"Dad, always nice to see you."

"Summer, is that a new haircut?" Kirsten asked.

Summer perked. "Yes! I didn't even know you were there Kirsten, I only saw Sandy."

"Your face is pretty big Papa," Lizzie admitted, turning the phones back to her.

"Lizzie, you're supposed to be on my side!" Sandy protested.

Everyone rolled their eyes and laughed, but then they heard another phone ringing. All eyes in the room turned to Jamie, whose eyes had widened. "Who's calling you?" Ryan asked.

Jamie shrugged, pulling his phone from his jeans. "Um… Julie?"

"Oh my god, give me the phone," Marissa said with a roll of her eyes. Answering, she said, "Mom, when I deny your call on my phone, that does not mean you facetime Jamie."

"But I want to see my granddaughter!" Julie protested.

"Hi grandma Juju!" Lizzie called out.

"Yes, Julie, welcome to the party," Ryan said, moving so that he was in the view of the screen.

"Ryan, you're looking tired," Julie said with a frown. "Do you not sleep?"

Ryan rolled his eyes and gave Marissa a look, but she only smirked. "I was up a lot last night thinking about Jamie and Lizzie starting school."

"School's no big deal!" Julie said with a wave of her hand. "What could possibly happen?"

Marissa gave her mom a look. "Mom, do you not remember my high school career? And all that happened in that time?"

Julie pondered that, her eyes slowly widening. "Hide them both, they're never leaving the house."

Ryan grinned. "Thank you!"

Lizzie shook her head. "Still going to school, daddy."

Ryan frowned. "Darn."

Marissa turned the phone so that her mom could see Lizzie. "Lizzie, you better be a good girl. I expect you to have lots of friends and be super popular. What are you wearing, let me see." Lizzie stood so that Julie could see her outfit. "Ooh, cute, I approve."

"Thanks!" Lizzie said with a huge grin.

"Mom, please go easy on Lizzie. She's five," Marissa warned her mother.

"Oh, please, I was the same with you," Julie said with a roll of her eyes.

Marissa gave Ryan a look and mouthed, "Exactly," making him and Jamie laugh.

Ryan glanced at the time and said, "Okay, everyone, it's about time we start heading out."

Everyone on the phones protested. Lizzie shrugged. "I gots to go to school!"

After they all said goodbye, the four climbed into the car together along with Josh. "I'm so excited for school!" Josh exclaimed when they started driving.

Lizzie and Jamie both looked at Josh with questioning looks. "Why?" Jamie asked.

"Cause this is gonna be our year, Jamie, I just feel it," Josh said, wrapping an arm around Jamie and ruffling his hair.

"Dude, I just did my hair," Jamie said, trying to fix his bangs.

Josh ignored his friend. "We have the whole year in front of us, and we are going to do with it what we want. We'll be the cool kids of the school, you just watch."

"Don't say cool kids, Josh," Lizzie piped up from next to him. "It makes you not cool."

"How do I be cool, then?" Josh asked Lizzie, giving her the utmost attention.

"By not talking," Lizzie said with a smirk.

"Huh, Lizzie, you've gotten a lot more sassy this month," Josh said, rubbing his face thoughtfully. "I wonder why…."

"Something tells me it has a lot to do with you and Jenny," Jamie said, rolling his eyes.

Josh shot Jamie a glare. "Hey, Lizzie could learn a lot from us, thank you very much."

"Josh, if you make my daughter start sounding like you, I'm going to personally chase you out of my house," Ryan said.

Josh laughed a little, not believing him. "Oh, Mr. A, you're…" When he caught Ryan's eyes in the rearview mirror, he stopped, swallowing hard. "Yes, sir."

Ryan glanced in Marissa's direction, a smirk on his face. She shook her head but smiled. Soon, they reached Lizzie's elementary school. "We're here, Liz," Ryan said as he parked the car.

Lizzie glanced over at Jamie. "Jamie?"

Jamie gave Lizzie his full attention. "Yeah, Liz?"

"Is kinder scary?"

Jamie smiled. "Not at all." He put his fist out for a fist bump, something that Josh had them both doing now. "You're gonna do great, okay?"

"Okay." She leaned up and kissed his cheek. "Keep Josh safe."

Jamie smiled. "I will."

Ryan and Marissa both took a hand and walked with Lizzie into the building. They had already met her teacher and seen her classroom the week before, so they knew where to walk her. "Mommy?" Lizzie asked as they walked.

"Yes, babe?"

"Do you think I'll make friends?"

Ryan and Marissa both stopped, sharing a look with each other. Together they crouched so that they could better look at Lizzie. "I think you're going to make a ton of friends," Ryan said softly, tucking some of Lizzie's blonde hair behind her ear.

Marissa nodded, briefly cupping Lizzie's cheek. "Daddy's right. You're going to make so many friends that daddy is going to be jealous."

Ryan nodded. "It's true."

Lizzie smiled, immediately perking. "Let's go!" They reached her classroom, and Lizzie immediately pulled away from her parents. "Okay, bye!"

"What, no hug?" Ryan asked, frowning at the way Lizzie could so easily run off without him.

Lizzie came back and gave each of her parents a brief half hug. "Okay, you can leave now!"

Ryan's frown deepened. "But…"

Lizzie found her desk and sat down, immediately greeting the girl to her left. Marissa waved bye, reaching for Ryan's hand. "Come on, let's go."

Ryan opened his mouth in protest. "But, she.."

"She's perfectly fine," Marissa said softly, offering him a knowing smile.

"But what if she forgot her lunch?" Ryan asked as Marissa pulled him away from the classroom.

"I made sure it was in her backpack."

"Or misses me too much?"

"She seemed perfectly fine."

Ryan continued his protests until they reached the car. As they climbed in, Jamie asked, "How'd it go? Did she get clingy?"

Marissa shook her head. "No, but Ryan did."

Josh burst out laughing. "Aw, Mr. A, did Lizzie replace you so easily?"

Ryan stared at Josh silently through the rearview mirror again, making Josh immediately shut his mouth and gulp. After silencing Josh, he turned to Marissa as they drove to Harbor. "And I was not clingy. I was simply a worried parent."

Marissa glanced over her shoulder, mouthing, "Right," to Jamie. Jamie smiled and listened to Ryan make excuses and Marissa try to comfort him.

When they arrived at Harbor, however, Marissa was the one emotional. "Call me if you need anything, okay? I don't care what it is."

Jamie nodded, feeling embarrassed and shy by her attention. "I will."

"Did you bring all your books?" She asked.

Jamie nodded. "Yep, double checked and everything."

"And you have your schedule?"

Jamie nodded again. "Yes."

"And your money for lunch?"

Jamie nodded, and Ryan smirked at Marissa. "Who's clingy now?"

Marissa glared at him, and he ignored her and pecked her lips. "Leave the kid alone. He has Josh to help him, too."

Josh piped in. "Yes. And we both have Jenny, who is really the smart one of the group."

Jamie shot Josh a look. "Hey!"

Josh shrugged, grinning. "It's true, dude. Just accept it now."

Jamie turned back to Marissa, offering her a small smile. "I'll let you know if I need anything. Promise."

Marissa smiled back, reaching out and patting his knee. "Okay. Have a good day, you two."

Josh and Jamie both climbed out of the car, waving bye to the two adults. Once it was just the two of them, Josh said, "You have a pretty great family, you know."

Jamie smiled, nodding. "Yeah, I know."

XXXXX

Josh, Jenny, and Jamie all had lunch together, so they chose one of the tables outside with a view. While eating his chips, Jamie said, "I wonder if Ryan and Marissa ever sat here with Seth and Summer."

Josh and Jenny both looked at him thoughtfully. "Probably at some point," Jenny offered.

"It's just weird, walking down the same halls as them, having the same teachers," Jamie said with a shrug, thinking of how much history was in these walls. He wished he knew the extent of it. There was still so much Ryan and Marissa hadn't told them about their years in high school, so much he wanted to know.

Jenny nodded. "I think it's pretty cool though. Kind of like carrying on a legacy."

"Marissa was telling me that even her dad came here with Kirsten," Jamie said, unscrewing the top of his water. "Crazy."

"What's really crazy is our kids will probably still go to this godforsaken school," Josh commented after swallowing his sandwich. "And then another generation of Newport's finest will roll in and it's a never ending cycle."

Jenny shot Josh a look. "I don't know about that."

Josh glanced over at Jamie, trying to hide his smirk. "I don't know. I think you should talk to Rick about that."

Jenny narrowed her eyes. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Josh shrugged, sipping his water to hide his grin. When he placed the water down again, he said, "I don't know. Rick just seems very Newport. He likes tradition."

Jenny sighed, staring at her food. "Well, you're definitely right about that."

Jamie observed Jenny, curious about her views. "And you don't like tradition?"

She shrugged, picking at her salad. "Not really. It just seems like a farce. It's a bunch of stuck up boring people deciding what everyone else should do. Why should I do what my parents did if I don't like half of it? Go to the same parties? Live the same long monotonous life? If I ever have kids, I want to do it my way."

Jamie agreed with her, but he asked, "So you don't know if you want kids?"

Jenny met his gaze. "I'm fourteen. I am a kid."

Jamie smiled, and she returned it. "Where is Rich anyway?" He asked calmly. He didn't exactly miss the guy, but he figured he should be nice.

"He has a different lunch," Jenny said with a shrug.

Josh took another bite of his sandwich, sarcastically saying, "Oh darn, that's too bad."

Jenny glared at Josh, picking up a crouton and throwing it at him. "Shut up, and finish chewing before talking!"

Josh merely grinned, taking another bite of his sandwich. While chewing, he glanced over at Jamie and winked. Jamie shook his head but smiled back. He'd probably never say it out loud, but he really loved his friends.

XXXXX

Josh had class on the other side of school after lunch, so he left Jamie and Jenny a few minutes early. While at his locker, Jamie grabbed his books for his next class. Surprising him, Jenny came up to him and said, "Jamie, I need you to come with me right now."

Jamie shut his locker, quirking an eyebrow. "Okay. Why?"

Jenny reached for his hand, surprising him even more. "Just follow me."

Jenny dragged him down a few hallways, confusing him. "You're not going to drag me down to a secret basement and murder me are you?"

Jenny laughed and shook her head. "I promise not to murder you."

"Then where are we going?" Jamie asked once again, slightly laughing.

She came to an abrupt stop, pointing to the wall in front of her. "Right here."

Jamie observed the wall, and saw it was filled with large pictures of lots of people. "Okay, where exactly is here?"

"I was walking to my locker and saw this," Jenny said, gesturing at the wall. "It's the senior pictures from all the graduating classes." She pointed to one picture in particular. "And guess who I found?"

Jamie furrowed his eyebrows, observing the picture. Suddenly, he saw it. "Is that...?"

"Class of '06, the year Ryan and Marissa graduated," Jenny said with a proud grin that she'd found it. "Look, there they are right there."

Jamie followed her finger and saw the four of them – Ryan, Marissa, Seth, and Summer – and smiled. "They look so young," he said softly. They were by no means old now, but they still looked like adults. Here, they looked only a few years older than him.

"I know." Jenny reached out and squeezed Jamie's shoulder, surprising him for the third time. His whole body went warm under her touch, and the spot where her hand rested positively hummed. "I just figured…now you know while you're here, they're always with you."

Jamie glanced over at her and saw she was watching him. He met her gaze, and they stared at each other for a brief moment, lost in each other's eyes. "Thank you," he murmured, just loud enough for her to hear.

She smiled, her eyes brightening. "Come on, walk me to class."

"Yes ma'am," he said, and she looped her arm through his, dragging him down the hallway.

XXXXX

Next chapter… Some family time, and Lizzie gets in trouble at school :)