{Love Song For No One}
{A Sequel To Merry Christmas!}
{Disclaimer} I own the OC and Seth Cohen. Oh, and I'm a pathological liar.
{A/N} review!
{Chapter 14: Just Hold Them}
Ryan winced at the guitar chords that raced through his ears the closer and closer he got to Seth and Summer's bedroom. He knocked on the door gently, trying to ignore a girly shriek that could only be coming from Anna. I mean, Seth could sound sort of girly, but Ryan didn't think he would be shrieking after all that had happened.
"Go away." An angry, but weak voice called from inside.
"Charlotte," He tried twisting the door knob, but to no avail, it was locked. "It's me."
He frowned at the silence that followed, except for that damn song, but smiled roughly as he heard the lock click. He tried the knob again, relieved as it twisted freely and walked inside, shutting the door besides him.
Charlotte had scrambled back into the bed, drowning herself in the fluffy comforter. She looked so small. Ryan sat down on the edge of the bed, lowering the volume on the stereo to a slight hum. Charlotte's body was so intertwined with the blankets; she looked like a string of rope all twisted up like a braid.
Ryan laid down beside her, placing one arm underneath his head to support it, since all the pillows were underneath her. He took his other arm and wrapped it around her, as best as he could. He pulled her close to him. She looked up at him, her ears were swollen and red, similar to Marissa's when she cried. But this girl, had Summer's eyes; her mother's eyes. Brown and bulging and full of despair. She curled up into a ball, leaning against Ryan's chest as she sobbed.
He had no idea what to say.
He wasn't a man of words; that was Seth's job. Whenever Marissa would cry, he would just hold her, like he was now with Charlotte, like he had done earlier with Charlotte. He guessed this was the best way to work with girls, just hold them and try to reassure them that whatever they were crying about would go away soon enough.
"Your dad," Ryan cleared his throat. He paused, not sure of what he was trying to do here, "He didn't...he wasn't..."
Charlotte looked up at him, hopeless. Her ears were dryer now, but he knew she was still emotional. He could feel her trembling against him.
"Charlotte," Ryan sighed, "Do you remember when you got chicken pox?"
Charlotte shook her head slowly, "Sort of."
"Well, wow." Ryan laughed. "It was horrible!"
Charlotte pushed a smile, urging him to continue.
"It was Chrismukkah Eve, and we were at Kirsten's house, back in California." Ryan smiled, remembering that night. "We were all about to eat dinner, when Summer noticed you had some sort of rash on your arms."
"Oh yeah!" Charlotte smiled deeply. "I was trying to hide them because I didn't want mommy to worry. She was pregnant with Dylan."
"That's right." Ryan chuckled. "Well, anyway...Seth freaked. He rambled on about how he had bad experiences with chicken pox and ran you to the hospital."
"He did?"
"They gave you a lot of antibiotics, you were so tired that night."
Charlotte nodded with awe.
"Anyway," Ryan's eyes flickered. "That night, I got kind of hungry and went to go pick at some of the leftovers. And I saw your dad, in the kitchen, wide awake. He was too stressed out to go to bed. He wanted to be awake in case you needed him."
"But it was just chicken pox." Charlotte laughed.
"But that's how much he loves you, Charlie." Ryan insisted. "He cares about you so much that he didn't even eat dinner that night."
"What?" Charlotte sat up immediately. "He didn't eat Chrismukkah dinner?"
Ryan laughed, knowing what a sacrifice that meant for Seth, and how odd it was for Charlotte to recognize it.
"Nope." Ryan went on. "Not even a bite."
"Wow." Charlotte muttered.
"You know that girl who talked to you, Anna?"
Charlotte nodded, her eyes watering again.
"Well, a long time ago, she was dating Seth. But he realized that he loved Summer, not her. And Anna never liked that. She's been trying to get Seth back ever since. Whatever she said to you, Charlie, it's just not true. Because your daddy loves you more then anything in the world. You're his first. You're his baby girl."
"I know he loves me." She said with a nod. "It's just... downstairs...I've never seen him like that."
"It's just because he was so angry that Anna had hurt you."
"I know." Charlotte nodded. "I know."
She hugged Ryan quickly and cleared her throat as she sat up.
"You know," Charlotte whispered. "Aunt Marissa loves you. A lot."
"I know." Ryan said.
"Do you love her?" Charlotte asked, watching him intently.
"A lot." Ryan nodded.
"Then why are you not married?" Charlotte laughed.
Ryan threw her an amused look; because he really didn't have an answer for that.
The door crashed open, a surprised Summer looking down at the two.
"Summer, what's wrong?" Ryan asked, jumping up. Did she catch Anna downstairs? He knew that was a bad idea.
"How long has this been going on?" She stuttered, she ran to Ryan, who simply wrapped his arms around her.
He looked down at Charlotte, who looked back at him worried eyes.
Charlotte unwrapped herself from the blankets and hugged Ryan's leg before leaving the room.
Marissa passed the child and walked towards Ryan, who was latched onto a sobbing Summer.
Summer fell to the bed, looking up at both of them with teary eyes.
"What happened?" Ryan asked Marissa, who shook her head with sadness.
"Get out." Marissa said quickly. "I'll take care of her."
Ryan didn't argue, just watched Marissa sit down next to Summer and hug her tightly.
He closed the door behind him softly, watching Charlotte disappear into her bedroom.
He charged down the stairs, looking for Seth.
***************
Kirsten, holding onto a very sleepy Dylan, walked inside quietly.
The house looked dark and Kirsten had a feeling that something was just not right.
"Kirsten," Ryan said as he came down the stairs, "Can you um, take the kids somewhere?"
"Sure." Kirsten said immediately with concern.
Ryan continued, "Seth and Summer..."
Kirsten nodded, although she had no idea what was going on.
"Charlotte's upstairs." Ryan added. Kirsten nodded, leaving Dylan to nap on the couch as she went to go gather some of their stuff and Charlotte to take to Jimmy's.
"Seth!" Ryan's voice boomed through the kitchen, as he landed on his friend's mopey eyes. "What the hell happened?"
"Is Charlie ok?" Seth asked timidly.
"She's fine." Ryan said softly, taking a seat. "But Summer is a wreck."
"She saw her." Seth muttered. "She saw her hugging me."
Ryan let his head fall in his hands, shaking it gently.
"How do we screw things up so badly?" Ryan asked Seth, who did the same motion with his head.
"I think it's just in our nature." Seth muttered.
A loud clang came from upstairs, followed by a screeching cry from Marissa.
The two boys jumped up, but Ryan held Seth back.
"You're probably safer here." Ryan said in a hush, as he headed out.
Seth blinked in disbelief as Marissa screamed again.
Kirsten popped in, looking furious.
"What did you do?" She asked quickly as Charlotte tugged on her arm. "I'm taking the kids to Jimmy's. You better..." Kirsten placed her hand on Charlotte's head to steady her. "Take care of this."
Kirsten huffed out and Seth smacked his head down on the kitchen counter, filled with self – pity.
"Daddy," Charlotte's voice said timidly.
Seth blinked his eyes open, watching his daughter lean against the fridge. She ran up to him, hugging his side with all her might. She let go and whispered, "I love you", before Kirsten called for her.
He heard the front door slam and more screaming, now from Ryan, upstairs.
He looked up, propping his head on his arms. The kitchen was cold and dark and Seth was suddenly really tired and anxious. He tried to ignore that huge pit in his stomach and geared his gaze upwards as Marissa screamed again.
What the hell was going on?
Next chapter: What happened upstairs after Ryan left the room? What's with the screaming and the loud bangs? How will Seth fix this?
{A Sequel To Merry Christmas!}
{Disclaimer} I own the OC and Seth Cohen. Oh, and I'm a pathological liar.
{A/N} review!
{Chapter 14: Just Hold Them}
Ryan winced at the guitar chords that raced through his ears the closer and closer he got to Seth and Summer's bedroom. He knocked on the door gently, trying to ignore a girly shriek that could only be coming from Anna. I mean, Seth could sound sort of girly, but Ryan didn't think he would be shrieking after all that had happened.
"Go away." An angry, but weak voice called from inside.
"Charlotte," He tried twisting the door knob, but to no avail, it was locked. "It's me."
He frowned at the silence that followed, except for that damn song, but smiled roughly as he heard the lock click. He tried the knob again, relieved as it twisted freely and walked inside, shutting the door besides him.
Charlotte had scrambled back into the bed, drowning herself in the fluffy comforter. She looked so small. Ryan sat down on the edge of the bed, lowering the volume on the stereo to a slight hum. Charlotte's body was so intertwined with the blankets; she looked like a string of rope all twisted up like a braid.
Ryan laid down beside her, placing one arm underneath his head to support it, since all the pillows were underneath her. He took his other arm and wrapped it around her, as best as he could. He pulled her close to him. She looked up at him, her ears were swollen and red, similar to Marissa's when she cried. But this girl, had Summer's eyes; her mother's eyes. Brown and bulging and full of despair. She curled up into a ball, leaning against Ryan's chest as she sobbed.
He had no idea what to say.
He wasn't a man of words; that was Seth's job. Whenever Marissa would cry, he would just hold her, like he was now with Charlotte, like he had done earlier with Charlotte. He guessed this was the best way to work with girls, just hold them and try to reassure them that whatever they were crying about would go away soon enough.
"Your dad," Ryan cleared his throat. He paused, not sure of what he was trying to do here, "He didn't...he wasn't..."
Charlotte looked up at him, hopeless. Her ears were dryer now, but he knew she was still emotional. He could feel her trembling against him.
"Charlotte," Ryan sighed, "Do you remember when you got chicken pox?"
Charlotte shook her head slowly, "Sort of."
"Well, wow." Ryan laughed. "It was horrible!"
Charlotte pushed a smile, urging him to continue.
"It was Chrismukkah Eve, and we were at Kirsten's house, back in California." Ryan smiled, remembering that night. "We were all about to eat dinner, when Summer noticed you had some sort of rash on your arms."
"Oh yeah!" Charlotte smiled deeply. "I was trying to hide them because I didn't want mommy to worry. She was pregnant with Dylan."
"That's right." Ryan chuckled. "Well, anyway...Seth freaked. He rambled on about how he had bad experiences with chicken pox and ran you to the hospital."
"He did?"
"They gave you a lot of antibiotics, you were so tired that night."
Charlotte nodded with awe.
"Anyway," Ryan's eyes flickered. "That night, I got kind of hungry and went to go pick at some of the leftovers. And I saw your dad, in the kitchen, wide awake. He was too stressed out to go to bed. He wanted to be awake in case you needed him."
"But it was just chicken pox." Charlotte laughed.
"But that's how much he loves you, Charlie." Ryan insisted. "He cares about you so much that he didn't even eat dinner that night."
"What?" Charlotte sat up immediately. "He didn't eat Chrismukkah dinner?"
Ryan laughed, knowing what a sacrifice that meant for Seth, and how odd it was for Charlotte to recognize it.
"Nope." Ryan went on. "Not even a bite."
"Wow." Charlotte muttered.
"You know that girl who talked to you, Anna?"
Charlotte nodded, her eyes watering again.
"Well, a long time ago, she was dating Seth. But he realized that he loved Summer, not her. And Anna never liked that. She's been trying to get Seth back ever since. Whatever she said to you, Charlie, it's just not true. Because your daddy loves you more then anything in the world. You're his first. You're his baby girl."
"I know he loves me." She said with a nod. "It's just... downstairs...I've never seen him like that."
"It's just because he was so angry that Anna had hurt you."
"I know." Charlotte nodded. "I know."
She hugged Ryan quickly and cleared her throat as she sat up.
"You know," Charlotte whispered. "Aunt Marissa loves you. A lot."
"I know." Ryan said.
"Do you love her?" Charlotte asked, watching him intently.
"A lot." Ryan nodded.
"Then why are you not married?" Charlotte laughed.
Ryan threw her an amused look; because he really didn't have an answer for that.
The door crashed open, a surprised Summer looking down at the two.
"Summer, what's wrong?" Ryan asked, jumping up. Did she catch Anna downstairs? He knew that was a bad idea.
"How long has this been going on?" She stuttered, she ran to Ryan, who simply wrapped his arms around her.
He looked down at Charlotte, who looked back at him worried eyes.
Charlotte unwrapped herself from the blankets and hugged Ryan's leg before leaving the room.
Marissa passed the child and walked towards Ryan, who was latched onto a sobbing Summer.
Summer fell to the bed, looking up at both of them with teary eyes.
"What happened?" Ryan asked Marissa, who shook her head with sadness.
"Get out." Marissa said quickly. "I'll take care of her."
Ryan didn't argue, just watched Marissa sit down next to Summer and hug her tightly.
He closed the door behind him softly, watching Charlotte disappear into her bedroom.
He charged down the stairs, looking for Seth.
***************
Kirsten, holding onto a very sleepy Dylan, walked inside quietly.
The house looked dark and Kirsten had a feeling that something was just not right.
"Kirsten," Ryan said as he came down the stairs, "Can you um, take the kids somewhere?"
"Sure." Kirsten said immediately with concern.
Ryan continued, "Seth and Summer..."
Kirsten nodded, although she had no idea what was going on.
"Charlotte's upstairs." Ryan added. Kirsten nodded, leaving Dylan to nap on the couch as she went to go gather some of their stuff and Charlotte to take to Jimmy's.
"Seth!" Ryan's voice boomed through the kitchen, as he landed on his friend's mopey eyes. "What the hell happened?"
"Is Charlie ok?" Seth asked timidly.
"She's fine." Ryan said softly, taking a seat. "But Summer is a wreck."
"She saw her." Seth muttered. "She saw her hugging me."
Ryan let his head fall in his hands, shaking it gently.
"How do we screw things up so badly?" Ryan asked Seth, who did the same motion with his head.
"I think it's just in our nature." Seth muttered.
A loud clang came from upstairs, followed by a screeching cry from Marissa.
The two boys jumped up, but Ryan held Seth back.
"You're probably safer here." Ryan said in a hush, as he headed out.
Seth blinked in disbelief as Marissa screamed again.
Kirsten popped in, looking furious.
"What did you do?" She asked quickly as Charlotte tugged on her arm. "I'm taking the kids to Jimmy's. You better..." Kirsten placed her hand on Charlotte's head to steady her. "Take care of this."
Kirsten huffed out and Seth smacked his head down on the kitchen counter, filled with self – pity.
"Daddy," Charlotte's voice said timidly.
Seth blinked his eyes open, watching his daughter lean against the fridge. She ran up to him, hugging his side with all her might. She let go and whispered, "I love you", before Kirsten called for her.
He heard the front door slam and more screaming, now from Ryan, upstairs.
He looked up, propping his head on his arms. The kitchen was cold and dark and Seth was suddenly really tired and anxious. He tried to ignore that huge pit in his stomach and geared his gaze upwards as Marissa screamed again.
What the hell was going on?
Next chapter: What happened upstairs after Ryan left the room? What's with the screaming and the loud bangs? How will Seth fix this?