A/N: Well, I couldn't help myself - I spent much longer than I'd planned to working on this (long!) chapter, trying to update quickly for you guys! Here's chapter 9 - the beginning of the second part of the fan fic, matching up with the second part of Anna Karenina. I hope you guys like it, and please read and review!

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

Summer leaned back against the sand and tried to focus on her biology textbook. A year ago, she would have been immersed in a fashion magazine at the beach, but she was determined to keep her straight-A average intact. That's the best thing about this year, she thought bitterly, before she shook the thought out of her head and smiled up at Tom. He was sprawled out next to her in the circle of beach towels. Newport's young social stars, she realized.

Tom sat up as Beyonce's "Crazy in Love" boomed through the speakers of the radio situated in the middle of the circle. He rolled over onto her towel and put his arms around her.

"Got me looking so crazy in love." He hummed along with the radio softly while stroking her neck, and Summer looked down. Tom was a good guy. Was she crazy in love with him? No. But, she rationalized, he was the one who wanted her.

"I'm going to go get a drink, okay?" She stood up and brushed the sand off her legs, wrapping a pareo around her hips.

"We've got some stuff here, baby." Tom gestured to a cooler.

"I'm dying for some raspberry lemonade," she lied. Tom nodded and waved as he rolled onto his back, closing his eyes in the sun.

Summer made her way across the beach. The snack shack was farther away than she'd anticipated and she frowned as she walked unevenly on the sand. The days seemed longer than ever before.

The line at the snack shack was long - it just curled around the side of the building. Summer leaned against the warm wood walls, grateful for the shade. She closed her eyes, only to open them quickly when a hand closed around her wrist.

"What the-" Her angry outburst trailed off as she looked up at Seth Cohen's face.

"Seth." She mentally kicked herself for softening her voice. "Cohen." Good, she'd managed a harder pronunciation. "What do you think you're doing?"

He didn't say anything - a rare occurrence in the world of Seth. He tugged her wrist again and she stepped towards him, following him as he slid open a door to a small room attached to the snack shack.

A small, round window lit the tiny room, which was filled with supplies for the concession stand. A cracked mirror propped against a tower of boxes reflected the sunshine and sent rainbows dancing across the walls.

Summer was acutely conscious of Seth's fingers on her wrist and she shivered, pulling her arm away to rub her shoulder. She bit down on her lower lip and looked up at him, trying to focus.

"What do you think you're doing? Are you following me now?" She was trying to be angry. "Damnit, Seth, you can't keep doing this to me."

"What am I doing?" Seth's voice was desperate. "Summer, I don't know what I'm doing. All I know is that I can't stop thinking about you. Yes, I know, I made a huge mistake. I should have picked you - I was just scared, and I know that you're scared too."

Summer was fidgeting with the side tie of her pareo, trying not to look at him. She took a deep breath and spoke with measured words.

"Why are you doing this?" She could feel herself on the verge of tears. No, no, no. "Why can't you just let it be?"

"Because." Seth stepped towards her, and she knew she should open the door, leave, run back to Tom, but she couldn't. She was frozen in place by the warm sun streaming through the window, by the rainbows moving across Seth's white shirt, by the beautiful stillness in the air, by the heady anticipation of it all.

"Because?" Summer whispered the question and it hung above them like the North Star - if they could answer it, maybe they could both find the way home. She felt his eyes traveling over the contours of her face, and she looked up at him. His brown eyes were tender and his lashes brushed the edge of his eyelids. His lips were curled in a nervous smile.

"Because." And the word was no longer a question; it was the start of a million answers that they spoke to each other silently. Because you're the only one who makes me feel this way. Because I dream about you every night. Because when I see you smile, my whole day is better. Because when I think about the future, you're always there. Because our few moments together have meant more to me than a thousand accolades ever could. Because I love you now, because I always have, because I always will.

He ran his fingers across her cheeks and one tear sprung free from her eyes, trailing down her skin. He caught it with the tips of his fingers and cupped her face in his hands, leaning forward.

Summer was trying to muster the momentum to leave when his lips brushed against hers and her eyes instinctively closed. She shivered again and he wrapped his arms around her. She pressed against him, feeling the heat of their bodies meshing together, warming her.

And they were kissing.

She reached out, her fingers skimming the sensitive skin on the back of his neck and weaving through his dark hair. His mouth curved against hers and she felt the kiss deepen.

She wasn't thinking.

She was just Summer. He was just Seth.

The realization of what was happening pushed down on Summer, forcing her to ground herself back in reality. Tom. Oh, god. A guilty grimace allowed her to pull away from Seth as she stepped back and sat down on one of the cardboard boxes.

"Summer." Seth kneeled in front of her. He reached out for her hands and she let him take them. She looked up at him.

Her face was etched with emotion - longing, fear, guilt, sadness. Love? Seth wondered as he gently traced her palms with his fingertips.

"I'm with Tom." She spit out the words and Seth felt her bricking up the space between them as Summer began to construct her wall again.

She drew her hands back and folded them into her body. "I can't do this to him." She said the words to herself, but Seth heard them all the same.

"Tom?" Seth heard the tremor in his voice and tried to lighten his words. "Summer." She looked up at him, her eyes wide. "Does he make you laugh?"

She shook her head and a dart of hope shot through him. "No." She looked over to the broken mirror, and then back to Seth's encouraged face. Her voice wavered as she spoke. "But he doesn't make me cry."

His body crumpled and his head nodded slowly.

"Oh." He stood up. "Okay."

He opened the door and slipped out of the shed as Summer raised her hands to her mouth to trace her lips. But by the time she opened the door, he was already gone.

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

Mercifully, the next few weeks passed quickly. Summer received permission from her biology instructor to work on an independent project during class time. Mr. Clauson had been thrilled with Summer's new interest in the ecological impact of the new housing development on the Larson Pond. She felt a little guilty about exaggerating her passion for biology, but she knew herself, and if she had to see Seth every day for an hour her defenses would crack quickly.

Thankfully, the project was fascinating. She was surprised by how much she liked gathering water and soil samples. Who would have thought it, she'd contemplated many times, that I'd be happy in old jeans and a mud-streaked t-shirt, kneeling among plants to measure the growth of foliage?

The extra work has paid off in unexpected ways. Between her biology project and her hospital volunteer work, Summer had little time to spend with Tom. She liked him, she did, but she felt guilty whenever she was with him - not just about the kisses she'd shared with Seth, but because she knew that she would never love him.

Her pal at the hospital, Mr. Feinberg, was always excited to see her, and she found that he was one person she really looked forward to visiting. They were still reading Anna Karenina, and mercifully, the book had turned away from Kitty and Levin's story. Summer was able to read the words with an unguarded emotion, finally free from the resonating landmines that had exploded when the text had focused on the failed romance.

Mr. Feinberg loved to hear about her project, and Summer often discussed him with it at length. She was pleasantly surprised to hear that botany had been one of his hobbies as a young man.

"Botany?" She smiled. "Wow, you must have really drive the ladies crazy with your bad self."

"Well, maybe not." Mr. Feinberg winked at her. "But never underestimate the impact of flowers on a lady."

"Really?" Summer leaned forward. "That sounds like a story!"

"Darling, when you're as old as I am, everything has a story."

He began to speak.

"When I was 18, I fell in love with the most beautiful girl in the world. She was lovely - long red hair, green eyes, fair skin with freckles - beautiful. Of course, all the boys in town were after her. But I'd heard through local gossip that she was crazy about tulips, just loved them."

"Those are my favorites, too." Summer said.

"Right!" Mr. Feinberg chuckled. "So, most of the other boys in town thought that tulips were wimp flowers. The boys who took her out always went for the big, showy bouquets of roses. Well, I decided to be different. I read everything I could about tulips and started growing them in family's yard. I cared for them like my children, watering them, measuring the sun levels, checking the soils, everything. And one day they were all in bloom."

"So what did you do?" Summer asked eagerly.

"I cut the stems and laid them out in the back of my trusty old pickup truck and I drive over to her house. She had one of those big, beautiful porches, and I'd seen her reading out there. So I covered the porch in tulips. I had a pretty big collection of glass bottles from my part-time job at the soda plant, so I used them as green glass vases and lines the edge of the porch. Then I hung bouquets of the little guys from the ceiling before lining tulips all around the porch railing. I tell you, young lady, it was a sight to be seen."

"So what happened? Who was the girl?"

"I can answered with one sentence. That girl became Delia Feinberg, and we were married in a garden of tulips eight months later. I spent fifty-two years with my beautiful bride before she passed on, and I can still tell you the way she looked when she found me after she found me."

"You didn't stay to see her reaction?"

"Nope." Mr. Feinberg shook his head slowly. "That would have been selfish. I just wanted to make her happy. Lucky for me, her being happy including being with me."

Summer smiled. "That's a really great story."

Mr. Feinberg raised his eyebrows. "Just proves you have to take chances for love."

Summer gave him half a smile. "You're right."

She returned to her reading, his words echoing under her skin.

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

Summer headed up the steps to school, trying to pull her hair into a ponytail as Tom bounded out to greet her.

"Hey baby! I've got great news!"

"Oh, cool." Summer pushed a strand of hair behind her ear. "What's up with you?"

"Nothing! It's you!"

Summer's brows furrowed. "What?"

"C'mon!" He grabbed her hand and lead her into the school. There, posted on the "Outstanding Student" board was a Summer's yearbook poster, and an announcement that she was the state finalist for the National Science Achievement Award.

Summer looked at the type, stunned. Her biology teacher sidled up to her.

"I hope you don't mind," he said. "I had to pick a project as Harbor's entry, and you were far and away the best. The state board just decided yesterday that you were the clear winner - I left a message on your home phone number, but no one answered."

"Oh." Summer spoke with understanding. She almost never answered her home phone, not wanting to get roped into a conversation with one of her stepmother's crazy friends who didn't understand the words 'she's not here.'

"Of course, I'll expect to see you at the awards banquet tomorrow evening," Mr. Clauson intoned.

"Sure." Summer managed, still a bit stunned as her teacher walked away. She looked back at her photograph on the board and felt a proud smile spread across her face.

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

Summer tapped her foot nervously against the floor. She was seated at a table with Tom and his family at the awards banquet. Her own father was still abroad, but had once again tried to buy her forgiveness - this time with a necklace. It was pretty; she had to admit - a single diamond floating on a delicate platinum chain. She smoothed the skirt on her ivory Prada dress, adjusting the pleated shoulder straps on the simple design.

Summer watched as Mr. Clauson stepped up to the microphone on stage. Oh, god. This was her award. She swallowed.

"For her excellent work investigating the effects of the development boom on the Larson-" Summer didn't hear the rest of what he was saying. Breathe, she told herself. You just have to walk up the stairs, shake his hand, and go backstage. That's it.

"- a rare intuitive student, Ms. Summer Roberts."

Summer smiled and stood up, weaving her way around the tables to the front of the hall. She climbed the stairs with ease. Good, no stumbles, a little voice inside complimented. She met Mr. Clauson as he handed her a small crystal statuette with her name and the title of the award engraved at the base. She managed a polite "thank you" and stepped backstage.

Whew. She breathed in. She was supposed to return to her seat immediately afterward, slipping in through a concealed side entrance to the hall, but she needed a moment. She felt dizzy, so she settled down on a prop bench backstage, focusing on breathing as she closed her eyes.

She didn't know how long she'd been backstage when she felt a gentle touch on her shoulder. Her eyes flickered open, and Seth's face spun above her. The look of concern on his face scared her.

"Seth," she managed. "I feel-" Summer drew in a deep intake of breath and tried to stand up. She felt her legs buzzing as they slipped out from underneath her as the world went black.

"Summer?" Seth spoke frantically to the girl that lay cradled in his arms. "Summer, c'mon, please." He looked around the backstage area and spotted a vaguely familiar Harbor teacher. "Hey. Hey! I need help!" The woman hurried over.

"What happened?"

"She just fainted, I don't know, we need a doctor. Call an ambulance." Seth spoke frantically and the woman pulled out her cell phone to call 9-1- 1.

Summer moaned softly and Seth bit down on his lip as his eyes crinkled in relief. "Oh, thank you," he said quietly.

Her eyes flickered and she looked up at him. "What happened?" Her words were slightly slurred as her head rolled back. The overhead light hit her neck and Seth noticed that her skin was an unnatural pink.

"They're coming." The woman returned to Seth's side and looked over at Summer. "The school has a great 9-1-1 response rate - don't worry, they'll be here soon. I'm Ms. Keyes, by the way."

"Seth Cohen." His eyes never left Summer's face.

"Who is she?"

"Summer. Um, Summer Roberts."

"Is she your girlfriend?"

Seth paused and looked at Summer's pale face. He felt lost.

"She's the girl I love."

He heard the sirens getting louder, and watched as the paramedics burst through the side door.

"Can I ride with her?" Seth asked after quickly explaining what had happened.

"I'm sorry, son." The medic hesitated. "We'll be taking her to county. You can meet us there."

Seth nodded and ran back into the auditorium to let his parents and Ryan know where he was headed. After he spoke with them, he took his father's keys and headed to the parking lot. Near the door, he noticed at empty seat at the Seekin's table, and a familiar beaded bag near Tom's seat. He swallowed.

"Tom."

Tom turned to him, startled.

"Summer fainted backstage. The paramedics just took her to County - I think something might really be wrong."

Tom's parents were already rising from the table. "We'll drive you, Tom." His father moved towards the door. "Young man, do you need a ride?"

It took Seth a moment to realize that Mr. Seekin was talking to him. "No, I'm fine, I have a car."

Tom rushed out the door with his parents as Seth stood silently for a moment beside the table. He picked up Summer's bag and sprinted to the parking lot, praying that he wouldn't be too late.

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

Seth hunched over in a plastic chair outside room #441 - Summer's room. The doctors were still hovered over her, and he was waiting with the Seekin's for the diagnosis. His own father sat next to him.

Sandy rubbed his son's back as the doctors came out into the hall. The small crowd gathered around to hear the news.

"First off, let me tell you that Summer will be fine." Seth let out an audible breath and leaned against Sandy.

"What happened?" Sandy asked.

"It appeared that Summer has a slight case of scarlet fever. Now, we usually only see this in children, but it's possible that she picked it up somewhere. Seth, you mentioned a pinkness in her skin near her neck?"

Seth blushed pink himself and looked at the floor. "Yeah."

"That's the reason we were able to make the diagnosis so quickly. She fainted from becoming over-heated, but she should be just fine. She's not contagious, so you'll be able to visit soon. We've given her something to make her sleep, and we'll keep her here for a few days for observation - it's standard with all adult scarlet fever cases."

"So, she'll be asleep all night?" Tom asked.

"Yes, that's right."

"Oh. Okay. Well, I guess I'll come see her in the morning." Tom's mother and father began walking towards the exit.

Seth looked at their backs in disbelief as they pushed through the exits. He turned to his father. "Dad, I'm-"

"Going to stay with her?" Sandy smiled as Seth nodded. "I figured. You want me to stay with you?"

"No, that's okay."

Sandy gave Seth a quick hug. "I'm proud of you, son. You're a good friend to her."

After Sandy left, Seth located the doctor. "Listen, she's all alone, her dad is out of the country - do you think I could sit with her?"

The doctor considered his proposal. "I have to draw some blood, but yes, after I'm done taking the sample, you can stay with her. We'll be ready in about 30 minutes."

Seth nodded and checked his watch anxiously. The doctor observed him. "Why don't you take a walk? I'm shouldn't tell you this, but the vending machine on the fifth floor is doling out free soda. Go get yourself one."

Seth smiled. "Thanks." He watched the doctor push open the door to Summer's room as he headed towards the stairs.

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

Seth absently punched in the Mountain Dew bottle on the vending machine. Normally, nothing would excited him more than a free soda, but these weren't normal circumstances. He glanced at his watch. He still had 25 minutes to kill, so he ambled down the hallway, pausing as he noticed the hospital book cart outside room #541. He peered inside and was embarrassed to meet the gaze of an old man.

"Take a picture, it'll last longer!" The older man laughed at his own joke.

Seth spoke quickly. "Oh, I'm sorry." He began to back away from the door.

"No, come in, young man, come on in." The man motioned toward him and hesitantly, Seth walked towards him.

"Martin Feinberg." He held out his hand and Seth shook in gingerly.

"Seth Cohen."

"So, Seth Cohen, what are you doing at the hospital?"

"It's my - um, well - her name's Summer."

Mr. Feinberg's eyes widened. "Summer Roberts?"

"Yes!" Seth leaned forward. "How do you know Summer?"

"She's my reader." Mr. Feinberg gestured towards his bedside table, where a copy of Anna Karenina was opened facedown. "Wonderful young lady."

Seth gave him a small smile. "I know."

Mr. Feinberg studied Seth carefully before speaking. "You love her."

Seth's head shot up and he looked the man in the face. "How did you know-"

Mr. Feinberg continued. "She loves you."

Seth blinked as goosebumps flowed through him. "Wait - she, she told you that? What did she say?"

"She didn't have to say it. She told me when she was reading to me. I could read it in her face, the same way I can read it in your face."

Seth nodded slowly. He felt flooded with hope.

Mr. Feinberg smiled and sat up. "Let me tell you a story about tulips."

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

Seth slipped back into Summer's room with a renewed sense of hope. He'd just made a slew of call on the pay phone, and he hoped that the next day he could make a new start with Summer. That feeling of her limp in his arms still haunted him - he couldn't stand the thought of losing her.

He stood next to her bed, perching on the edge of the hospital mattress as he examined her face. Her cheeks had a rosy brightness to them, but the rest of her face was pale. She looked fragile, and he felt a familiar fear rise up inside of him. She shifted slightly and her mouth opened.

"Seth?" The word hung in the air.

"Hey sweetie, I'm here." At the sound of his voice she turned her head towards him, and her eyes flickered.

"Hi." She breathed out and he smiled as she grabbed the back of his neck before bring his hand down to support his weight on the edge of the mattress. "Seth?" Her fingers managed to grab the fabric on his shirt sleeve, and she tugged at it. He moved a little closer to her.

"Do you need something? Are you thirsty?"

Summer shook her head slightly. "No." She pulled her body to one side of the bed, and looked up at him with wide eyes. "I'm scared."

"I know, I was scared for you too, but you're going to be just fine." He figured that he should wait to explain what had happened until she was actually capable of understanding.

"Seth?" Her voice was pleading. "Will you hold me?"

He hesitated. She would hate him once the medication wore off, but he couldn't say no. Well, that wasn't true. He could say no - he just didn't want to.

He shifted his weight onto the bed and leaned back against the wall as Summer curled against him. He stroked her hair as her breathing slowed to an even pace. The silky dark strands slipped through his fingers as he held Summer in the dimly-lit hospital room, wondering how he could go on without her.

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

When Seth's eyes opened the next morning, he was acutely aware of Summer at his side. Her warm breath on his neck startled him into reality. She would be awake soon. He eased out of the bed and quietly opened the door, walking down to the nurse station. The nurse on duty assured him that everything had arrived and Seth smiled. Finally, something was going right.

He set up Summer's room, being sure not to disturb her. Before he left, he pulled out the copy of Anna Karenina and set it by her bedside table. He hesitated, unsure if he should leave the last item. He picked up his suit jacket from the chair beside her bed. He tucked the program from the awards banquet back into the pocket and removed a slightly tattered piece of paper. He tucked in into an envelope with a letter he'd written the night before.

He made his way to the door, hoping Summer would be happy when she woke. More than anything, he just wanted to make her happy.

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

Summer pushed her head down into her pillow and breathed in with her eyes still closed. It smells good in here, she thought. Wait. Confused, she struggled to sit up and open her eyes.

Oh, god.

Her hospital room was covered in tulips of every color. Bouquets of flowers were placed at different heights, propped up by books. Smaller cases almost covered the stands, and everywhere she looked there were blossoms. Reds, yellows, pinks, white - the sight was gorgeous. She looked over to her nightstand, which held an impressively large bouquet of the stems. She noticed a book perched on the edge of the stand and pulled it onto the bed with her. Anna Karenina. Of course.

Summer smiled excited as she pulled an envelope out from inside the book. An old, soft piece of paper came out first. A drawing of a mermaid looked back at her, and she recognized the perception of herself. She read the caption at the bottom of the page:

"To Summer - I really like you. I hope that since you're a mermaid in this picture, you won't have to turn into one in real life, because I don't want you to swim away. - Seth"

She gently touched the glitter affixed to the mermaid's tail and felt a thrill run through her. She opened the envelope and pulled out the other piece of paper - a letter.

"Summer - In some ways the drawing says it all, only over the years my feelings have only gotten stronger. Last night, when you fainted, I thought I might lose you forever. I know that we have a complicated past, but I also know that we have a future together. Summer, I'm in love with you, and if that scares you, well, too bad. I'm scared, too. But I'm much more scared of living without you. If you feel the same way, please, come see me. I'm not going to push you anymore - it's in your hands now. Just know that I'll try so hard, Summer, if you let me, I'll love you so much. I already do. - Seth"

Summer breathed deeply. The letter had exhausted her. Seth. She looked around her room, at the tulips. She was terrified at the crossroads - she loved Seth, she felt it, but he had already broken her heart once when he'd chosen Anna.

She flipped open the book. It opened easily to a chapter near Part 2, and Summer slowly read the words aloud to herself.

"Wasted and flushed, with a peculiar glitter in her eyes, left there by the agony of shame she had been put through, Kitty stood in the middle of the room. When the doctor came in she flushed crimson, and her eyes filled with tears. All her illness and treatment struck her as a thing so stupid, ludicrous even! Doctoring her seemed to her as absurd as putting together the pieces of a broken vase. Her heart was broken. Why would they try to cure her with pills and powders?"

Summer looked up again at the flowers. Her jaw set resolutely. Maybe, she thought, I can cure myself. She smiled as she inhaled the sweet fragrance of the tulips as though breathing in a new sense of courage.