I don't know if anyone's still reading this but here is chapter 26. Sorry for the wait.
The sound of her children's chatter sounded distant and far away to Marissa as she stood before Ryan Atwood's front door, her left hand poised to knock. She couldn't help but hesitate. Only a fortnight ago after all he had told her that they needed to spend some time apart and yet here she was. But, Marissa reminded herself for what felt like the billionth time that evening, she wasn't here to see Ryan. She had come for Taylor.
Straightening her jacket and brushing her hair out of her face, Marissa gritted her teeth and knocked twice.
"Hey." She greeted Taylor awkwardly as the heavy oak door swung open.
"Hey." Taylor gave her a half smile in return before turning to the kids who stood on either side of Marissa, each one grasping firmly to her hand.
"Hey guys." Taylor addressed them friendlily.
"Hi." They responded simultaneously, letting go of their mother and moving further into their father's apartment, kicking off their shoes as they went.
Marissa paused for a moment to watch them before scooping up the coats they had left on the floor and turning to Taylor.
"So listen I just wanted to thank you for doing this. I would usually just take them with me but they put up a huge fuss about coming and I figured I'd be faster if I did it alone anyway. I normally call Seth or Summer in this situation but they're both still at work and my nanny has gone to Canada to visit her parents for the holidays. There really was no one else I could call." Marissa explained as Nate and Lucy settled into the couch to watch television.
"It's not a problem." Taylor assured her. "As long as we don't have any incidents like last time."
"Oh we won't." Marissa promised, a mischievous glint in her eye as she pulled a small scrap of paper from her pocket.
"Hey Nate, Lucy, remember if I hear from Taylor that you were even the slightest bit naughty I'm calling Santa Claus and telling his not to bring you anything for Christmas this year." She called to the twins, waving the paper for them to see.
Lucy sighed, tearing her eyes from the screen to face her mother. "He's not even getting us what we really want anyway. He said so at Macys."
"Oh so you don't want any toys at all?" Marissa asked. "Maybe I should just call him up right now and tell him so."
Lucy glared at her mother. "How did you even get Santa's number anyway?" She muttered.
"Duh, I photographed him at the studio a few years back. We became very close."
Lucy frowned but said nothing, turning back to the TV.
"I don't think you'll have any problems." Marissa laughed, smiling at Taylor who grinned back.
"So I guess that's everything then?" She asked.
"Um actually, if you have a few minutes I was hoping we could talk before I go?" Marissa said, a more serious expression settling on her face.
Taylor gave her a funny look but nodded. "Yeah, sure." She agreed. "Let's go into the kitchen." She turned wordlessly and Marissa followed, seating herself at the small round table while Taylor busied herself making tea.
"So…" She began warily, setting a cup down in front of Marissa before sitting down opposite her. "What's this about?"
Marissa swallowed and met Taylor's eyes hesitantly.
"Um well, I guess I just want to apologize for the way I've treated you these past few months." Marissa confessed, awkwardly. "I never really gave you a chance and I'm sorry for that."
Taylor stared at her with a blank face but said nothing, which Marissa took as a sign that she could continue.
"I guess a part of me still saw you as the girl that basically got me kicked out of Harbour, forgetting that without you I never would have gotten back in. You've been a good friend to Summer." Marissa paused for a moment. "And you've been there for Ryan throughout this whole thing. I guess if they love you then you can't be that bad, right?" She laughed softly. The two of them sat there in silence for a moment before Marissa, desperate to avert her eyes from Taylor's hard stare, feigned checking her watch.
"Well I guess I should be off." She broke the uncomfortable silence. The women rose to their feet in unison although Taylor didn't respond.
"Once again, I'm sorry to spring this on you. This week has been just packed with appointments and I went to make dinner tonight and realised we are completely out of food. I have a few other errands to run as well but I'll be as quick as I can." Marissa promised, moving to the couch and kissing both Nate and Lucy on the tops of their heads. "Bye guys. Love you."
"Love you too Mommy." They answered together, hugging her goodbye.
"Bye Taylor." Marissa gave her one last smile as she picked up her bag and headed for the door.
"Bye." Taylor echoed quietly, closing the door behind Marissa.
On the other side of the door Marissa breathed a sigh of relief. It had not been easy to call a truce with Taylor however she knew that if she ever wanted her kids to spend time with both of their parents together again, she was going to have to prove to Ryan that she and Taylor could make it work. They could learn to accept one another and maybe even one day they could learn to be friends. It would not be easy but she was willing to try. Besides, Marissa had meant what she said in there about Taylor being a good friend to Summer. She knew her best friend didn't warm up to just anybody so for her to be so close to Taylor had to mean something. Deep down Marissa was grateful that Taylor had been there to pick up the pieces when she had left Newport so many years ago. From the sounds of it she had been a huge support to everyone and Marissa was thankful for that. Still, Summer was her best friend, not Taylors. Marissa raised her arm to hail a taxi and slipped inside the bright yellow cab. "Where to?" The driver asked, eyeing her in the rear-view mirror. Marissa opened her mouth, about to direct him to the nearest Price Chopper, then paused. They desperately needed groceries and were completely out of toilet paper and yet she had a sudden urge to go see her best friend. "Miss?" The driver prompted in annoyance. "Sorry." Marissa answered and, making up her mind, recited Seth and Summer's address to the impatient cab driver. It was quarter past six and with any luck she would arrive just as they did.
Taylor stood stationary for a moment, eyes fixed on the closed wooden door, mind still revelling over what Marissa had said. She was sorry? She wanted to be friends? Taylor wasn't sure if she should believe the other woman or be suspicious. Marissa had seemed genuine enough but how could she be sure? True to his word, Ryan had been spending a lot more time with her lately and they'd been talking a lot more but how long would it last? Taylor was trying as hard as she could to trust her boyfriend but a part of her still felt like he was hiding something. Still, Marissa had appeared to be sincere and the twins had definitely been a lot warmer toward her lately so maybe Marissa really did want to start over. Taylor glanced over at Nate and Lucy who were giggling profusely at the television and smiled slightly. It had been five minutes and nobody was crying or bleeding and the house was still intact. Taking that as a sign that Marissa had meant what she said Taylor turned on her heel and started toward the kitchen. Dinner was the real test. If Nate and Lucy sat through the whole meal without complaining or flinging food then she'd know for sure that something had changed.
"Wow, that was fast!" Summer's muffled voice echoed into the hall where Marissa stood waiting. "Just a sec." There was the sound of a scraping lock and the jiggling of a door knob before the door swung open to reveal the petite brunette. A look of surprise washed over Summer's face which she immediately rearranged into a smile at the sight of her friend.
"Oh, hey Coop." Summer gave her a quick hug before pulling her inside. "I thought you were the delivery guy, Cohen and I ordered Thai for dinner."
"Got it." Marissa smiled, unbuttoning her coat and slipping off her boots. "Sorry to just drop in like this…"
"Oh please." Summer interrupted, scoffing. "You know you're always welcome here! Speaking of which, why are you here?"
Marissa opened her mouth to explain but was interrupted once more.
"Summer?" Seth's loud voice rang out through the apartment. "Is that the delivery guy? Thank god, I'm starved!"
"Well actually…" Summer began but broke off as Seth stepped into the room, the wide grin fading from his face.
"Oh." He said, eying Marissa. "It's you. Do you deliver Thai now or are you just here to get a guy's hopes up and then crush them?"
"Neither." Marissa responded, fighting back a laugh. "Just came by for a little visit. It's good to see you too Seth."
"Hmph." Seth stared at her, eyes narrowed. "Don't mess with a man when he's hungry."
"Sorry." Marissa apologized, giggling.
Seth nodded in approval and was opening his mouth to speak when he stopped, eyes darting around the room as though searching for something.
"Hey, where are the littl'uns tonight?" He asked with widened eyes as though it had just occurred to him that Nate and Lucy were not there. "Don't tell me you forgot them!"
"Very funny." Marissa glared at him. "Like I would ever forget my own children! No actually, the 'littl'uns', as you put it, are with Taylor."
"Oh." Seth answered, plopping into an arm chair and propping his feet up on the coffee table. "Okay…. Wait, Taylor Townsend?" He sat up suddenly. "As in Ryan's girlfriend Taylor Townsend?"
"Uh yeah." Marissa nodded, giving him a funny look. "Do we know any other Taylors?"
"We thought she left!" Summer explained quickly, exchanging a glance with Seth.
"Left?" Marissa frowned. "You mean left the city? No she's definitely still here. Why would you think she left?"
"Oh, no reason." Summer said hurriedly. "Just something she said. We must've misunderstood."
"Well what did she say?" Marissa pressed on, not about to let it go that quickly. "Have you two been hanging out again?"
Summer sighed, shooting another look at Seth who simply shrugged. "We did hang out, yes." She began after a moment. "Last weekend…."
"Nate?" Taylor called from the kitchen. "Lucy? Is spaghetti okay for dinner?"
Getting no response she peered her head into the living room. The twins had abandoned icarly on the television and were now crouched around the Christmas tree that the four of them had picked out and decorated the week before. The children handled the parcels covering the base of the tree curiously, shaking and rattling them every so often.
"Hey!" Taylor cried out, entering the room completely, brandishing a wooden spoon in one hand. "You guys know the rules! No peeking!"
"We just wanted to feel them." Nate insisted, looking up at her with innocent blue eyes. "Yes!" Lucy nodded vigorously in agreement. "We won't peek, we promise."
"Alright." Taylor frowned. "But don't shake them too hard, you don't want to break them. And dinner will be ready in about twenty minutes, okay?"
The twins nodded absentmindedly, already re-immersed in the presents, 90% of which were addressed to them. Taylor smiled knowingly, heading back into the kitchen. She herself had been a snooper as a child and had opened and rewrapped nearly all of her gifts before Christmas. Even now she rarely got a present that she wasn't expecting. The engagement ring hidden in the closet was the perfect example of that. Taylor had a talent of sorts for knowing everything- even when she wasn't supposed to. Humming quietly to the Christmas music playing on the radio as she chopped the onions, Taylor smiled.
Today was going a lot better than the last time she has babysat the twins and she was glad. Nate and Lucy were cute when they weren't terrorizing her, Taylor decided, listening to their chatter wafting in from the next room.
"Look at this one Lucy!" Nate's excited voice rang out. "Uh oh I don't think you should do that!" His tone changed to worry, causing Taylor to look up from her chopping.
"Nate?" She called, turning down the music. "Lucy? What are you two.."
She gasped as a loud crash suddenly echoed through the apartment, interrupting her mid-sentence.
"Guys?" Taylor exclaimed worriedly, dropping the knife and rushing into the living room. "Lucy!" She cried, finding a distraught Lucy lying next to a fallen tree with a guilty-looking Nate watching worriedly from behind.
"Ow." The little girl whispered with tears in her eyes and Taylor's heart instantly fell. "What happened?" She asked in a panic, hurrying forward to gather Lucy into her arms. "She tried to climb the tree." Nate explained solemnly.
"I just wanted to touch the star." Lucy said quietly, wiping her cheeks and looking up at Taylor with concern. "Am I in trouble?"
For a fraction of a second Taylor considered it, staring at the child's sad, fearful face. Then she shook her head. "Never mind. It was an accident and the ornaments were cheap anyway."
She smiled at Lucy encouragingly and then, with no warning at all, burst into a fit of giggles. "You would try to climb the tree!" She laughed, dusting the little girl off and setting her on her feet. "Crazy girl! Are you okay?" She tried to quiet her laughter.
Lucy wordlessly pointed to her right elbow which oozed blood. "Right." Taylor said, looking at the cut. "Nate can you please go get your sister a Band-Aid while I clean this up?"
"Kay." He agreed, running off toward the bathroom in search of a bandage. Taylor retrieved a plastic garbage bag from the kitchen and then proceeded to fill in with the shards of shattered ornament that littered the floor. She righted the tree with great difficulty and then mopped up the spilled water. Just as she finished Nate returned from the bathroom, a box of Band-Aids in hand.
"Here Taylor." He handed them to her proudly. "I couldn't find them at first but I got them."
"Thank you Nathaniel." Taylor smiled him, taking a bandage and ripping off the packaging. "Where'd you get your name anyway?" She questioned the little boy suddenly, positioning a Band-Aid on his sister's elbow. "Was your mom like, going through a Gossip Girl phase or something? Cause that's the only place I've ever heard it."
Nate just shrugged but Lucy looked up from her elbow interestedly. "What's Gossip Girl?" She asked, intrigued.
"Don't tell me that you've never heard of Gossip Girl!" Taylor exclaimed, genuinely baffled. The twins shook their heads in unison.
"Well then it's your lucky day." Taylor smiled at them. "I happed to have the whole first season on DVD!"
"I can't believe you spied on us!" Marissa cried, shaking her head at Summer in disbelief.
"I've told you everything that's happened with Ryan and me! You know there's nothing going on between us!"
"Well I think nothing is a bit of a stretch but I know, I'm sorry, it was wrong!" Summer tried to defend herself. "Taylor was just so excited and I felt guilty for not staying in touch after high school and I didn't think we'd see anything!"
"You didn't see anything!" Marissa insisted angrily, Summer shooting her a disapproving look. "Oh come on Sum, it was just a hug! I hugged you when I came in and Seth didn't freak out and threaten to go back to California!"
"Well now that you mention it.." Seth spoke up, clearly amused. "I'm not sure I'm comfortable with you hugging my girlfriend Marissa. It seemed a bit too friendly if you ask me."
Both Summer and Marissa glared at him fiercely before turning back to each other. "Look, I'm not taking sides." Summer explained, earning herself a scowl from Marissa. "All I'm saying is that it looked bad to Taylor who was already insecure about your relationship."
"So she just decides to up and leave?" Marissa demanded. "There must have been another reason! One hug cannot cause that much damage!"
Summer shrugged. "I guess seeing that hug brought every other suspicion she's had about you and Ryan since coming here to the surface and she decided it was just too much. She said they hadn't had any real conversations in weeks and that he never seemed to want to spend any time with her. And she was convinced he was going to leave her for you eventually."
Marissa sighed, sinking back into the couch. "When did my life get so complicated and messy?" She asked aloud. "No, don't answer that, I know exactly when."
"When you got pregnant at eighteen and didn't tell the father." Seth informed her, mouth full of the pad thai that had been delivered during Summer's story, long forgotten by the girls.
Marissa frowned but said nothing.
"I'm just wondering what happened to make Taylor change her mind about leaving." Summer voiced. "She seemed pretty set on it when she left."
Marissa rubbed her eyes tiredly. "I think I know."
Seth and Summer both looked at her expectantly.
"You said this was last weekend right? The day we took our family pictures? Well that night, after the kids were in bed, Ryan told me that we needed to spend some time apart so he could focus on his relationship with Taylor. He said that what we were doing wasn't fair to Taylor and that from now on we can only see each other when we're dropping off or picking up Nate and Lucy. I'll bet you anything that he went home and said all this to Taylor and she decided to give him another chance. That's why she stayed."
"Oh Coop." Summer exclaimed in shock. "I can't believe he said that! God, why is that boy so stubborn? Why can't he stop denying his feeling?"
"Maybe because he doesn't have any." Marissa said, dejected. "He told me weeks ago that he chose Taylor and I'm finally starting to understand what that means. He doesn't want to be with me. I think maybe us spending time apart is for the best. I need to get over him. This whole triangle is way too stressful and I need to focus on the kids." She sighed. "I just worry that Ryan and I not interacting will have a negative effect on them. It's important that we show them we're still a family and how can we do that if we're barely speaking? I mean Ryan's done everything with us since the moment he found out. If that stops Nate and Lucy are going to get confused and upset."
Summer looked at her sympathetically, taking all the new information in. "Well first of all.." She began. "Seth and I don't believe for a minute that Ryan doesn't have any feelings for you. He's just really hard-headed and feels guilty about Taylor."
Seth nodded in agreement. "He'll come to his senses soon, you'll see."
"Yeah Coop, you can't give up." Summer put in.
Marissa shook her head. "Ryan knows how I feel and he knows how Taylor feels so the rest is up to him. And I'm not going to sit around waiting for him to make up his mind, it's not fair to any of us."
Summer nodded in understanding. "So what are you going to do?"
"Well tonight when I dropped the kids off I called a truce with Taylor." Marissa confessed.
"You what!" Seth and Summer exclaimed simultaneously.
"Yeah." Marissa confirmed. "I figured that being friends with Taylor is a small price to pay for Nate and Lucy to spend time with both their parents, even if she'll be tagging along everywhere we go. Ryan's made it clear that he's chosen her so she'll probably be in my life for a while. We might as well be friends."
"That's very big of you Marissa!" Summer smiled at her friends. "Yeah." Seth agreed. "At the very least it'll make Christmas dinners a whole lot less awkward."
Marissa laughed quietly, partly at Seth and partly at the situation that was her life. "I guess I should get going." She announced, standing up. "It's getting late and you know what happened last time I left the twins alone with Taylor."
"Mmhm." They both agreed in silent understanding. "Hang in there Coop." Summer hugged her. "It'll all be okay."
"Thanks." Marissa whispered, squeezing her friend tightly. "Good night Seth."
"Night." He waved her out the door. "Say hi to the kiddies for us."
"I will." She promised. "Bye!"
Ryan soundlessly hung his coat on the hook beside the door moving further into the dark apartment. Turning the corner into the living room his eyes were drawn to the couch where Taylor slept, her head lolling to one side, a twin asleep against each shoulder while the credits of Gossip Girl played in the background. Ryan frowned. He knew the sight of his kids and girlfriend asleep together should make him happy, relieved that they had finally warmed up to each other, but instead he just felt sick. Here it was, the perfect little family he had always imagined, right in front of him and he couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't right. Brows furrowed in discontent Ryan moved forward and gently shook Taylor awake, being careful not to disturb Nate and Lucy.
"Ryan." She mumbled sleepily, sitting up slowly and rubbing her bleary eyes. "When did you get home?"
"Just now." He answered. "What are Nate and Lucy doing here? Was it my night to watch them? Did I forget?"
"No, no." Taylor assured him. "Marissa just had some errands to run and she asked me to watch them."
"She asked you?" Ryan's mouth gaped in surprise. "After what happened last time?" "She said she felt bad about the way she'd been treating me and hoped that one day we could become friends." Taylor grinned at him.
Ryan frowned. Something about the whole situation seemed suspicious but he pushed the thought to the back of his mind and smiled at Taylor. He'd been begging Marissa to give Taylor a chance for months, after all, so he couldn't really complain. "That's great! You two have finally called a truce."
"Yeah," Taylor agreed. "I guess we have." The two adults sat in silence for a moment. "You know, I never really wanted kids growing up." Taylor confessed, pulling a blanket over Nate's sleeping frame. "And when I met these two I knew for sure I didn't!" She laughed softly. "But they're not so bad." She said turning to face Ryan. "At least not when they're sleeping. Maybe someday we'll have kids of our own." Ryan froze, a cold chill shooting through his body. "Yeah." He managed to stutter, rearranging his horrified features into happy ones. "Maybe we will."
A knock on the door saved him from further comment and Ryan leapt up to answer it, mind still reeling.
"Marissa." He said in greeting, stepping aside to let her in. "Hey." She said uncomfortably, moving past him. "Hey Taylor, how were they?"
"Great!" Taylor smiled at her. "Although there was a little incident with Lucy and the Christmas tree."
Marissa looked at her questioningly but Taylor just held up her hand. "All you need to know is that she's fine. There's a tiny scrape on her elbow but that's it, I promise."
"Alright." Marissa accepted it. "Well thanks again for everything." She moved over to the couch and carefully lifted Lucy into her arms.
"Here, let me help you." Ryan rushed forward but Marissa stopped him.
"I'm fine Ryan." She insisted, shifting Lucy to her left hip and then struggling to pick up Nate as well.
"Marissa." Ryan said firmly. "I'll help you."
Marissa frowned at Ryan but allowed him to take Nate from her arms. "A taxi's waiting downstairs." She informed him.
"Alright." Ryan answered. "I'll be back in a minute Taylor."
"Kay." She crossed her arms across her chest, watching them go, a slight pang in her heart as she was once again reminded that Ryan had children with Marissa, not her.
"So." Ryan said, desperate to break the uncomfortable silence as he and Marissa entered the elevator. "I heard you and Taylor had a talk."
"Mmhm." Marissa agreed, but said nothing further.
"So." Ryan tried again. "What errands did you have to do?"
"Groceries."
Ryan sighed. "Look Marissa, I know I said we should spend some time apart but that doesn't mean we have to stop talking. I don't want things to be awkward between us."
"They're not awkward." Marissa lied. "Everything's fine."
"Oh really." Ryan asked as they stepped into the street. "So where'd you really go tonight then? And don't say shopping because you have no bags."
Marissa frowned. "They're in the trunk."
"Really." Ryan questioned again and Marissa sighed. "I went to see Seth and Summer alright? Happy?"
"No I'm not." Ryan said loudly. "Why would you lie about something like that? Why would you leave our children with Taylor, who they hate, instead of bringing them with you? And why in hell why you tell her you want to be friends? What's happened in the last few days to make you change your mind about everything?"
Marissa's eyes flashed angrily. "You obviously haven't noticed but Nate and Lucy don't hate Taylor anymore! And she doesn't hate them either! Shouldn't you be happy? Isn't this what you've been wanting for months now? For them to get along?" She laughed bitterly. "Now you can have that perfect little family you've always wanted!"
Ryan frowned, unsure of how to respond. Marissa was right of course. Now that Nate and Lucy got along with Taylor there was nothing to stop him from settling down with her. He had no more excuses to keep putting things off, no more reasons not to be with her.
"You know." Marissa glowered. "For someone who was so keen to talk a few minutes ago, you're sure not saying much." She sighed. "Look, I didn't come here to fight with you so I think I'll just be going now."
"Don't run away!" Ryan finally found his voice. "We need to sort things out!"
"Yeah well if you don't mind I'd rather sort things out when my kids were out of earshot not when they're sleeping in my arms!"
Ryan sighed. "Fine." He said. "You're right, they shouldn't be here for this. We need to talk eventually though, I don't want to fight with you."
Marissa yawned, shifting Lucy in her arms. "It's fine Ryan. We're fine, I promise." He looked unconvinced but said nothing. 'I'll bring them by tomorrow around nine okay? You can keep them overnight and then I'll bring them back to see you on Friday before we leave."
"Okay." He agreed and although there was so much more he still wanted to say he opened the cab door for her and helped her inside.
"See you tomorrow." She said as he shut the door.
"See you." He replied, but they were already gone
Ryan frowned, turning slowly and looking up at the towering apartment building that was his home. His eyes sought the forth floor window where Taylor would be preparing for bed and for a moment he watched the dark shadow that moved within the warmly lit room. Taylor Townsend. His girlfriend. His future fiancé. His future wife. The mother of his future children. "Taylor Atwood." He tried it out loud, frowning at the sound. It wasn't right. And if he was being truthful he didn't think it would ever be right; not while Nate and Lucy were around anyway. No while Marissa was around either. Ryan was the type of guy that wanted one family. One normal, stable, happy family. And where did Taylor fit into that? He didn't know.
Once again, nothing has really happened in this story but the next chapter will be them getting ready to leave for Newport so the plot may start to advance just a little bit. Please review! It makes me update faster!