A/N: Lets try to get 200 reviews guys!! so anyway.. I had some major writers block, but after rewatching the chrismukkah episode and all the snow I've got around me.. im in the north, I had some inspiration. sooo I hope you like this chapter, I took some of your reviews into consideration. for instance, someone said marissa was over reacting.. so you'll see how I dealt with marissa. stay tuned for some more cute seth/summerness ( because that's my fav part too ) before julie's evil plot ruins it. Keep reviewing! and for all you M/R's, I wrote the cutest Marissa and Ryan scene. Even if you don't like them.. you would enjoy it. Oh and this chapter is wayyy mushy. Enjoy!

Chapter 16: Some Things Never Change

Maybe she had been a little too quick to run out of the pool house. She had been a little too drama queenesque for her own liking, and after a few hours of cooling down in her room, she realized how drunk Kirsten seemed. It's funny how you don't notice details like that when they are right in front of you, but later on, when you can't turn back time. Of course, recognizing other people's drunkenness shouldn't be too tough for Marissa, of all people. She had been drunk so many times, but she had cut down once she started dating Ryan. She really didn't need alcohol when she had him.
Ryan. Marissa groaned, pulling her bed sheets around her for warmth from the bad thoughts in her head. She should go to him. Let him explain. Talk to him. He wanted honesty? Well, here's his chance, Marissa thought as she climbed out of her bed, slipping flats onto her dainty feet and charging down the stairs of her house.

**********

"Ryan, I am so sorry." Kirsten mumbled, but then quickly realized she was talking to herself. She had the headache the size of Texas, which was common for her post-wasted moments. How could she let herself get so drunk when she was holding valuable secrets and had a child in the house? What example was she setting for Charlotte?
Kirsten let out a exasperated sigh and climbed out of bed, in search of some more Tylenol and coffee. Anything to kick out the jumble of unpleasant thoughts in her head.
"How's it going?" Sandy asked Kirsten as she walked into the kitchen, dragging her guilty feet.
Kirsten looked up at him, giving him the look of 'back off or I'll bite' that Sandy had grown to admire from her.
He chuckled gently, passing her the coffeepot that he had just brewed up and she gladly poured herself a cup.
"I really need to stop drinking so much." Kirsten said, more to herself then Sandy.
"You think?" Sandy muttered, gathering up some work papers and kissing her forehead as he made his way back to his office.
Kirsten groaned as she took another sip of the steaming hot coffee, which felt like ice to her numb lips.
"Oh," Ryan's voice echoed through her brain and she quickly jolted up at the sight of him.
He really didn't feel like talking to Kirsten right now, even though, from the permanent grimace on her face and her shaky cup of coffee, he knew she was done being drunk for the moment.
He had just come by to the kitchen to drown his sorrow in some cereal, something he picked up from Seth, but suddenly he wasn't craving cereal anymore.
"We need to talk." Kirsten said, rubbing the sprinting pains in her temple.
"We do." Ryan said softly, but turned around quickly to walk back out the way he had come, "But not now."
Kirsten sighed, swallowing back some more coffee. What else could she do but wait for him. When he was ready, he would talk. And there was a hell of a lot to talk about.

************

"Sweetie, where are you off to?" Julie chirped, striding over to the front door, which Marissa's body was about to slide through. Why was her mother always there? She was like a bad fungus you just can't get rid of. Not that Marissa knows what having a fungus is like. She shook her head in disgust at her thoughts and stared blankly at her stalking mother.
"Nowhere." Marissa smiled, earnestly, praying Julie would just let her go.
"Nowhere? You must be going somewhere."
"Um," Marissa could say she was going to Ryan's, like she was, but something inside told her that wasn't going to get her out of the house. She could say Summer's, but Julie also had a problem with that too. "The beach."
"It's practically nine o'clock. It's no time for a swim, Marissa." Julie took stance, not letting her gaze into Marissa disappear.
"I wasn't going to swim. I just want to take a walk. I haven't been to Newport Beach in the longest time," Marissa frowned at this interrogation and opened the door wider. "Goodbye mother." She rolled her eyes before Julie could say another word and left her there, determined to apologize to Ryan for being such a bitch. She was obviously PMSing or something. Or maybe spending so much time around Julie had rubbed off on her. Whatever it was, she wished it would go away.

***************

"Now what?" Summer asked as they hopped back into the Rover.
"It's kind of late." Seth yawned, stretching his arms up and glancing at his wristwatch.
"Please, Cohen." Summer laughed. "It's barely nine." She placed her hand on his knee as he started the car, and he glared back down at it, happily.
"What do you want to do?" He asked nervously, surprised at how tense his leg was at her touch. As if Summer hasn't touched that area before.
She lifted her hand slowly, placing it in her own lap as she maneuvered the seat belt around her.
"I was thinking we could just hang out. Talk."
"Talk. Sure. I can talk." He laughed. "In fact, I'm known to talk a lot."
"Tell me about it." Summer grinned and they went on their way back to her apartment.
"You love my rambling." Seth said playfully and was pleased to see her grin sustain.
"It's something we have in common." Summer smiled. "There should really be a Ramblers Anonymous. Like Alcoholics Anonymous."
"We would be the two most obvious choices for president of that association."
"I think you would take the cake on that position." Summer laughed, taking a look back at all the bags in the back of the car. "Thanks again, Seth."
"Consider it a really big and early Chrismukkah present." He smiled, paying attention the road even though he just wanted to stare at her and only her.
"Oh my god!" Summer exclaimed, clapping her hands, "I totally forgot about Chrismukkah."
"Ugh!" Seth faked a look of disgust and discontent. "How could you forget about Chrisumukkah? That's like." Seth looked at her quickly, "It's so bad that I don't know what it's like."
"Is it like forgetting to get your nails done when the paint has started to chip?" Summer said, focusing on her own nails.
Seth laughed vigorously. "What?"
Summer blushed. "Nothing."
"You're so weird." Seth laughed, shaking his head.
"I'm the weird one?" Summer raised a skeptic eye at him, forgetting about her chipped nails.
"I guess that's just something else we have in common."
"No, that's something I just picked up from being around you all the time."
"That would be true, except for the fact that I haven't seen you in years." Seth frowned a little, because although he hadn't seen her in forever, this whole night had felt so familiar, so comfortable. He could tell by her expression she was thinking the same thing.
"Some things never change, Cohen." Summer smiled, resting her head on the seat of the Rover as Seth found a parking spot outside of Summer's place.

**************

"Hey." Ryan said surprisingly, startled to see Marissa waiting outside of the pool house. "It's open."
"I know." Marissa said. "But it's so nice outside." She said, her eyes gleaming down at the pool, which reflected off the aesthetic sight of her.
Ryan sat down next to her on the cobble ground, resting his head on the back of the pool house entrance. He placed his hand close to Marissa's, closing his eyes. If only every moment of life could be this perfect.
"I'm sorry." Marissa said quickly. "For overreacting."
"It's ok." Ryan said, keeping his eyes closed.
"No," She forced Ryan to pop his eyes open and stare at her. "It's not."
"Marissa. . ." He really didn't want to do this right now. He was so fed up with the all the drama that goes on around him. And everything has been fine between him and Marissa. She stopped binge drinking, he stopped punching people, things were good. But of course, Summer had to ruin that. Ok, he couldn't really blame Summer for what she did. But it was easier to blame his problems on someone else.
"Just hear me out, ok?" She squeezed his hand, pleadingly, and he nodded. "Kirsten was drunk. I should have realized that, but today was so . . . confusing. I haven't seen Summer in forever, and Ryan, you saw how she is. It really bothered me that my best friend has become so mature, for all the wrong reasons." She had begun to cry. Letting things out was always hard for her, but her shrink had told her it was better for her to let them out then keep them in. She hadn't seen her shrink in forever. Once she graduated and her parent's divorce settled, it didn't seem necessary. Of course, she couldn't predict the hurricane that was Summer's pregnancy.
Ryan didn't say or do anything, except put his arm around her sympathetically, urging for Marissa to continue.
"I don't know what to say to her. I want to help her, but I can't."
"Marissa, you need to understand that Summer is doing just fine considering everything's that happened. She's doing more then fine, she's amazing."
"I know." Marissa sniffled, burrowing herself in Ryan's arms.
"You can't always help people, sometimes, they have to help themselves."
"I know."
"And," Ryan started, but Marissa brought her fingertips to his lips and shut him up.
"Ryan, I know." She kissed him lightly. "It just, sucks, you know?"
"Yeah, well, some things never change." He said profoundly, not even understanding his words, just thinking it was the right thing to say.
She kissed him again and looked back at the pool's calm water, shining under the moonlight.
"It's pretty late." Marissa eyed him flirtatiously.
"Yeah." Ryan said, even though he knew it was pretty early for their standards.
"Kirsten and Sandy will probably be hitting the sheets soon."
"What are you suggesting?" Ryan laughed as Marissa stood up, peeling off her sweater.
Marissa looked back at the calm pool, taking off her shoes.
"Are you serious?" Ryan laughed again.
"Come on, Ryan. For old time's sake." She smiled at him, shedding more clothing as he kicked his shoes off.
"We haven't done this since high school." Ryan laughed nervously, looking up in the direction of the main house, where most of the lights were dimmed. What the hell, he thought, as he took off his jeans.
He heard a tiny splash and looked to see Marissa in the pool, her skin shining brightly under the moon, the small ripples crawling out from underneath her splash and making the motionless pool alive with movement. He jumped it too, laughing as she put her arms around him.
"It's tradition." Marissa smiled, engorging him in a passionate kiss. "And like you said, some things," She rolled her eyes mockingly. "Never change."
"Amen to that." Ryan whispered in her ear, kissing her back.

*********************

"Thanks." Seth grinned back at Summer as she brought him a cup of hot chocolate. The sweetness of it passed through his throat as he took a sip and he placed it down next to him. Summer sat down next to him on the huge crate that had been on the roof her building since she first discovered the roof. She used to come up here all the time. Before Charlotte was born. The view was amazing. You could see all of Newport, including the bright buildings and the beach. From up here, it all looked so friendly and inviting, but Summer knew better then to be fooled by it's bird's eye view appearance. She shook a little as the wind picked up and Seth wrapped his arm around her for warmth.
"This view is amazing." Seth said, as if he were reading her mind, which didn't surprise Summer since it always felt like Seth was reading her mind. It was something that used to creep her out, but now she loves the aches it spreads throughout her body.
"I know." It was the perfect place for her to talk to Seth. She wanted to tell him everything. She finally felt like she could. She was ready to talk and she was hoping that he was ready to listen.
She cleared her throat, and Seth watched her in anticipation of what's to come. "Seth, for as long as you've known me,"
"Forever?" Seth squeezed her tighter which only made it easier for her to roll her eyes at him.
"No interruptions." She muttered, "I have something to say."
"Sorry, princess." He laughed.
"Don't call me that." She glared at him. She cleared her throat once again, "Anyway. For as long as you've known me, which may seem like forever," She amended. "I've never been one to share my feelings."
"You mean, Summer Roberts has feelings?" He grabbed his chest as if this was a shocking thing to admit and she glared down at him again, pushing his arm off her and standing up, infuriated. "Sorry, no interruptions." He shut his mouth quickly.
"I don't like sharing how I feel. So, bare with me, because this may be a moment straight out of Dawson's creek."
"Summer, do you think I would RECOGNIZE a Dawson's creek moment?" Seth laughed and she stomped her foot.
"SETH!" She laughed at her anger and he shut up again. "ANYWAY." She placed her hands on her hips, but shook her head and dropped them. She was taking down her shield; she just had to let it go without resistance. Her face softened and Seth knew she was serious so he reminded himself to shut it, as hard as this was for him.
"Go ahead. I'm all ears." Seth said, moving a wisp of hair out of her face.
She smiled, wrapping herself in her arms for warmth from the slight California wind.
"I'm a wreck, Cohen." She wiped her eyes gently, trying to keep her focus on Seth, although it was so hard for her to face him. "I cry every night. I can't sleep. And when I do sleep, I have this weird nightmares." She looked up at him. "You're in them."
He nodded, urging her to continue.
"Everything's black, and you appear. And I reach out for you, but you're so far away. And then I realize that there's a wall between us. And I know that this wall is the wall that I've built. All my pain, all your pain, it's all my fault."
"Summer, that's not true." He started, but shut himself up as she looked at him, soft tears forming in the creases of her eyes.
"Seth, are you telling me that you weren't hurt when I left?"
"Of course I was hurt. And then I was angry. But it's ok, because you're here now. And that's all that matters to me, Summer. That's all that ever mattered." He wrapped his arms around her.
"You forgive me for leaving?"
"I forgave you a long time ago, Summer." He kissed the corner of her mouth gently, but she pushed him back.
"Are you sure? Because," She stopped, smiling. "You know what? Nevermind." She laughed and kissed him back, hard.
"I just want to know one thing," He said as their lips separated.
"Anything." She nodded.
"Why did you leave?" He frowned. "I mean, you know I would have been there for you. You know I would have taken care of you and of Charlotte."
"That's exactly why I couldn't tell you." She laughed at his confused expression. "I didn't want you to give up everything for me and then regret it for the rest of your life." She gulped back more tears. "I could never forgive myself if I hurt you. But I hurt you either way."
"It's all in the past." He picked up his hot chocolate and she picked up hers. "A toast," He proposed, and they clinked their mugs together. "To our future."
"May it not suck." Summer nodded, taking a sip.
"Well, it could include some sucking . . ." Seth laughed as he dodged Summer's flailing arm, ready to smack him.
"Ewwwww!" She screamed, stopping herself, and then rolling over with laughter.
"Some things never change, right?" Seth asked, remembering her words before.
"Right." She smiled, kissing his lips once more, tasting the cocoa in his breath.