This is my first fic for The O.C. and I'm going to be upfront and say that Ryan, Marissa and Luke interest me about as much as snails, so they'll only be supporting characters in this series. Let me know if you like it and if the depiction of the characters seems true enough. Thanks! This is very Seth/Summer.

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The front door to the Cohen home swung open as Ryan and Seth enter, following behind Sandy. All three of them look drained of their energy and spirit. They walk into the living room where Kirsten is perched on the armrest of the sofa looking wrecked with worry. She jumps up as soon as she sees them.

"Well?"

Before she has a chance to grill the boys Sandy jumps in.

"They're fine. Marissa is in the hospital, though. Jimmy's with her, so she's not alone. We dropped Summer off on our way here. They're fine, Kirsten."

She is far from settled, though. She looks at both of the boys intensely and they know they're in for it. But, surprisingly, she's speechless. She just looks overwhelmingly disappointed.

"If we try to get into this tonight it's just going to end badly, so I suggest we all get whatever sleep we can and discuss this fully in the morning." Sandy gently steps in to suggest. Kirsten nods. They head upstairs leaving the boys downstairs. Ryan is obviously heartbroken and Seth looks like he could just fall over any second.

"Listen, man, she'll be okay. We got to her in time."

"Yeah. This time."

Seth's half-hearted words of comfort have no effect. He pats his friend on the shoulder before heading upstairs on his own. Ryan just stands there for a moment, numb, before heading out to the pool house.

***

Seth opens the door to his room and shuts it behind himself without even looking around. He musters up what little energy he has to flip the lights on which reveals Summer, arms wrapped around her knees, sitting on the end of his bed. Suddenly his energy returns and he is stunned.

"Summer, what the hell?"

"Hi."

He can barely think straight, but he tries to sort out what's going on here.

"What are you doing here? How did you get in here?"

"After your Dad dropped me off I just went inside and no one was home. Looks like Dad took off for a while. There was a note. And I just can't get that image of Marissa lying there... out of my head. Every time I close my eyes it's all I see. In vivid detail. And with no one else there, it's all I can think about."

Seth tentatively takes a seat on the edge of his bed next to her, not knowing what to expect.

"Yeah. I mean, that's natural considering the circumstances."

"So I was wondering... don't take this the wrong way, Cohen - but, could I sleep here?"

Seth is a little surprised, but recovers quickly.

"Yeah, of course. But, um, isn't there somewhere else you'd rather stay? With a friend or something?"

She looks at him with a sad smile.

"You are my friend, Seth."

"Oh. Okay. Yeah."

He nods, trying to be casual, but fails miserably. Then he gets up and heads for the door.

"My parents have gone to bed, but they might not be asleep yet, so we'll have to be quiet. I'll go get some extra blankets and show you where the guest room is."

"Cohen."

He stops and turns around to face her.

"Yeah?"

She's evidently a little embarassed at having to explain herself.

"What I meant when I said sleeping here..."

"Oh. Oh, okay. Yeah."

He's thrown by all of this even more so. He tries to overcompensate for his awkwardness.

"Yeah, I mean, it doesn't matter. We shared the bed at the motel. We're two emotionally mature teenagers who can obviously handle the gravity of the situation in a responsible way."

He rambles off and then looks at her for a beat.

"You know what, Summer? I think I'll sleep on the floor. Just for, you know, courtesy's sake and all."

"Cohen, I'm not going to jump you in your sleep and you're sure as hell not going to jump me if you value your nuts." She gives him a look.

"And suddenly the awkwardness is gone."

He walks over to his chest of drawers and pulls out two t-shirts and two pairs of pyjama pants. He hands her one set.

"Here. Um, in case you didn't bring any."

"Yeah. Thanks. I didn't really plan ahead all of this."

"Sure. Well, the, uh, bathroom is the third door on the right. I'm going to go get changed and you can just change here or something. So, yeah."

Seth takes off, out of his room, leaving Summer behind.

***

In the bathroom, after the door shuts, Seth leans back against it, relieved.

"She is in your room. Changing. Right now." He absorbs the words to the fullest extent before shutting his eyes in frustration.

"And after the events of this evening, it doesn't even matter."

He shakes his head and moves to get changed.

***

In Seth's room Summer has already changed into his pyjamas. He hasn't returned so she gets up and begins to snoop around. She walks over to his bookshelf and picks up a random book. It is some Japanese comic book. She wrinkles up her nose and rolls her eyes before putting it back in it's place. Lying nearby, on the shelf, is one lone photo. It's of Seth and Anna at the Debutant's Ball. She has her arm in his and they're both smiling. Summer examines the picture and looks a little sad. She then puts it back down in it's place just as the door opens and Seth returns. He stops short at the sight of her in his clothes. They both head towards the bed.

"Um, okay, so how should we do this?"

"Cohen, it's sleeping. Not the most complicated exercise in a person's daily life. I'll take the right side and you take the left."

"Yeah, sure. Okay."

They both move forward and crawl under the covers. Instead of lying back to back as they did before, though, they both lie down on their backs, facing upwards. Seth is clearly awake and no longer tired, as is Summer, but they're both preoccupied.

"Cohen?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you think Marissa was trying to kill herself?"

It's a loaded question and Seth really thinks over his answer, choosing the right words.

"I don't know, but I don't think so. I just get the feeling she was really unhappy and was trying to just make that feeling go away. I mean, in the last twenty-four hours alone she's been to hell and back."

Summer does take some comfort in his words.

"Summer?"

"Yeah?"

"How did you get in here?"

She smiles for the first time that night.

"I could see the geek posters on your walls in the reflection from the moonlight. So I crawled in your window."

"Crafty. The girl's got skills."

They both smile a little at that. A surprisingly comfortable silence settles over them. Slowly they both begin yawning and their eyes become droopy. They both settle into a comfortable sleep side-by-side.

***

The sunglight from the window outside streams in on the two figures asleep in bed. Seth is passed out cold, but Summer is furrowing her brow. She is still asleep but something is bothering her. She tosses and turns a little, but her movements grow each time. She begins making noises and Seth starts waking up. He looks up grogily and sees her shifting about. Then suddenly -

"Coop, no!"

Seth lunges over and clamps his hand over her mouth, but it's too late. Her eyes fly open and for a moment she is disoriented by her unfamiliar surroundings. Then it all comes back to her as Seth uses his other hand to make a "keep quiet" motion. He moves his hand and she nods and he listens closely for any movement or noise from the hall. After a moment he hears nothing and relaxes.

"Thank God."

The a loud knock at the door. The two sleeping companions jump out of their skin. Seth bolts out of bed and Summer sits up looking panicked.

"Uh, yeah?"

"Seth? It's time to talk. Your mother and Ryan are downstairs waiting."

"Oh yeah! Sure thing, Dad."

"Can I come in?"

"NO! I'm, uh, naked!"

Summer looks at him incredulously and whispers harshly.

"Don't say that!"

"Why not?! If it'll keep him from coming in here I'll tell him I'm giving birth to a goat!"

"But if he comes in here anyhow and sees me then he'll assume we've been having sex."

Seth ponders this for a second.

"Well, if I have to go down, I may as well go down with glory."

She whacks him on the arm and he makes a noise.

"Seth?"

Sandy is still standing right outside his door. The teenagers panick.

"Uh, yeah, Dad?"

"What's going on in there?"

"Nothing. Nothing's going on. Why would something be going on?"

Suddenly the noise of the door handle can be heard turning. Seth panics and pushes Summer off the side of his bed. She falls gently on the floor but gives him a death stare. He makes a desperate motion for her to crawl under the bed and she gives him one last glare before complying. Sandy enters the room looking suspicious.

"You said you were naked."

"I was."

"Then why are you wearing your pyjamas?"

"Well, see, that's interesting because... in my hormonal teenage years I've now decided... I prefer sleeping in the nude."

Seth flinches at his own lame excuse but Sandy misses it because he's too busy looking disturbed. Summer, hidden under Seth's bed, rolls her eyes.

"I know I've said before that we should talk more about the things going on in your life, Seth. And I'm... glad you feel you can talk openly to me. But, it's really alright if you don't tell me absolutely everything."

Seth nods quickly.

"Sure thing, Dad. I'll keep that in mind."

"Okay, then. Brush your teeth and meet us downstairs pronto."

Sandy walks out and shuts the door behind himself. Seth, who has been tense and rigid up to this point, lets his body relax and lets out a sigh of relief. Summer climbs out from under the bed.

"'You pushed me!"

"It had to be done. And you're not hurt."

"It's the principal of it, Cohen. Do you lie to your parents, like, ever?"

Seth moves to his chest of drawers and begins riffling through it for clothes.

"Hey, I panicked. And I thought it would be better than you popping out from under the bed and saying 'Goodmorning, Mr. Cohen. I just spent the night in your son's bed because I find him oh-so irresistible and I'm so intensely in love with him that I had to steal his clothes too.'"

He pulls off his t-shirt. She just stares at him, trying to feign disinterest.

"Turn around, Summer. I have to get changed."

"It's not like I've never seen a naked guy before."

"Thanks for sharing. Turn around."

"If you want your privacy so badly then go to the bathroom."

"Of course, why didn't I think of that? Cause that wouldn't be suspicious, like, at all!"

She rolls her eyes but turns around. He begins taking off his pyjamas and pulling on the fresh clothes.

"I assume you'll leave the way you came?"

"That's the plan."

"Okay, just be sure to avoid being in sight of the living room."

He finishes and rushes past her to throw his stuff in the laundry hamper.

"So I gotta run or my Dad's going to be beating a path back up here and one heart attack a day is enough for me."

She nods.

"Thanks, Seth. And you're not going to tell anyone, are you?"

She looks a little worried by it. He gives her a reassuring smile.

"Don't worry about it."

Then he stuns both of them by kissing her on the cheek before leaping over the bed and out the door, shutting it firmly behind him. Summer, left behind, raises her hand to her cheek looking pleasantly surprised.