Disclaimers and stuff in Part 1
A/N: Thanks to everyone who has reviewed this story! You guys make my day. I know a lot of you want to know what happened to Seth... send me reviews and let me know what you think happened and maybe I'll tell you what really happened...
Chapter 4:
Ryan immediately headed for the main house, still carrying his shoes.
Kirsten and Sandy sat at the kitchen table which was covered in piles of paper and food prepared by well-wishers.
"Ryan, you're home! I was worried sweetie," Kirsten got up and hugged him.
"I'm sorry. I told you guys Anna and I were going sailing," Ryan reminded them.
"I know. I just thought you would be home earlier," Kirsten returned to her seat at the table. Ryan sat across from her next to Sandy.
"Sorry. I didn't mean to worry you," Ryan apologized.
"Not a problem," Sandy glanced up from the documents he was reading.
"So, you guys want to talk?" Ryan asked abruptly.
"You want to talk?" Sandy stared at him before signing a document.
"I just thought you guys might want to, but if you're busy..."
"Actually Ryan," Sandy handed Kirsten the document, "sign this please, we are pretty busy."
"Yes, you'd be stunned how much paperwork there is to fill out when your son dies," Kirsten grumbled bitterly.
"Um, okay," Ryan pushed away from the table. "I guess I'll go."
"Okay sweetie. Goodnight," Kirsten dismissed him. "Sandy? What exactly am I signing?"
"Um, something about re-absorbing the assets of deceased," Sandy muttered.
"The deceased?" Kirsten said angrily. "Seth isn't the deceased, he isn't lost, or gone, or late, or absent or missing. He's *dead.* Your son is dead!"
Ryan quickly left the kitchen.
He flopped down on his bed in the pool house and sighed deeply. He missed Seth. He really, really missed Seth. It was hard to remember sometimes that he was dead and not just spending more time than usual at Summer's.
Ryan closed his eyes as the memories of Seth overpowered him, those uncomfortable first days in Newport, the two of them hanging out on the pier, sailing, the stupid dances, at school, playing video games, borrowing comic books, Seth randomly barging into the pool house. God he was going to miss that kid.
The memories drifted into dreams.
"DON'T PATRONIZE ME SANDY!" It was 1 o'clock in the morning and Ryan could hear Kirsten's angry yelling in the pool house. He couldn't hear what Sandy replied, but apparently Kirsten didn't like the answer.
"THAT'S BULLSHIT! IT'S YOUR FAULT HE DIED! YOU KILLED SETH!" Kirsten screamed in agony.
"THERE WAS NOTHING ANYONE COULD DO KIRSTEN! SETH'S DYING WAS AN ACCIDENT!" Sandy responded furiously.
"ARE YOU SURE?!" Kirsten's angry voice echoed through the pool house. Ryan pulled his covers up to his chin like a scared little kid.
'If Seth were here, he'd know what to do,' Ryan couldn't help thinking. 'Anna's the next best thing to Seth' he decided. 'I'll call her.'
At 1:17 am Anna's telephone rang, waking her from dreamless sleep.
"What's wrong?" She asked automatically. Late night calls were rarely good news, especially recently.
"Anna, it's me. Ryan," He whispered into the phone.
"Ryan? What's going on?" Anna sat up in bed.
"Kirsten and Sandy are fighting. I miss Seth," Ryan said shakily.
"Yeah?" Anna encouraged, switching on her bedside light.
"I just keep thinking about him. He'd know what to do. He always knew what to do," Ryan broke down.
"It seems that way some time," Anna agreed gently. Ryan just sobbed in response. "It's okay Ryan, it's okay."
Anna listened to Ryan cry. Eventually the tears began to subside.
"Feeling better?" Ryan sniffled.
"I hadn't cried for Seth yet," Ryan told her.
"Oh," Anna said inadequately.
"Thank you. I was suffocating in grief and now I feel like I can breathe," Ryan explained.
"I'm glad. Have Kirsten and Sandy stopped fighting?" Anna asked.
"For now," Ryan stated.
"For now? How did your talk with the Cohen's go?" Anna wondered.
"They were too busy," Ryan told her, "Apparently there's a lot of paperwork to fill out after your kid dies."
"Kirsten and Sandy blew you off to do paperwork?" Anna was incredulous.
"They were perfectly nice about it," Ryan defended them, "and then they started fighting and I left."
"Wow, Mr. and Mrs. Cohen fighting, I can't even picture it," Anna murmured.
"Yeah. The last couple of days are starting to take their toll around here," Ryan realized. Anna yawned.
"Oops! Sorry," she apologized.
"No, it's okay. It's late. Jesus Anna it's 2:07 am. I'm sorry!" Ryan was contrite.
"It's fine, really. I'm glad you called me," Anna assured him.
"I'm glad too. Goodnight Anna," Ryan said goodbye to Anna.
"'Night Ryan," Anna waited until she heard the dial tone before she hung up. She turned off the light and cuddled under the covers.
A/N: Thanks to everyone who has reviewed this story! You guys make my day. I know a lot of you want to know what happened to Seth... send me reviews and let me know what you think happened and maybe I'll tell you what really happened...
Chapter 4:
Ryan immediately headed for the main house, still carrying his shoes.
Kirsten and Sandy sat at the kitchen table which was covered in piles of paper and food prepared by well-wishers.
"Ryan, you're home! I was worried sweetie," Kirsten got up and hugged him.
"I'm sorry. I told you guys Anna and I were going sailing," Ryan reminded them.
"I know. I just thought you would be home earlier," Kirsten returned to her seat at the table. Ryan sat across from her next to Sandy.
"Sorry. I didn't mean to worry you," Ryan apologized.
"Not a problem," Sandy glanced up from the documents he was reading.
"So, you guys want to talk?" Ryan asked abruptly.
"You want to talk?" Sandy stared at him before signing a document.
"I just thought you guys might want to, but if you're busy..."
"Actually Ryan," Sandy handed Kirsten the document, "sign this please, we are pretty busy."
"Yes, you'd be stunned how much paperwork there is to fill out when your son dies," Kirsten grumbled bitterly.
"Um, okay," Ryan pushed away from the table. "I guess I'll go."
"Okay sweetie. Goodnight," Kirsten dismissed him. "Sandy? What exactly am I signing?"
"Um, something about re-absorbing the assets of deceased," Sandy muttered.
"The deceased?" Kirsten said angrily. "Seth isn't the deceased, he isn't lost, or gone, or late, or absent or missing. He's *dead.* Your son is dead!"
Ryan quickly left the kitchen.
He flopped down on his bed in the pool house and sighed deeply. He missed Seth. He really, really missed Seth. It was hard to remember sometimes that he was dead and not just spending more time than usual at Summer's.
Ryan closed his eyes as the memories of Seth overpowered him, those uncomfortable first days in Newport, the two of them hanging out on the pier, sailing, the stupid dances, at school, playing video games, borrowing comic books, Seth randomly barging into the pool house. God he was going to miss that kid.
The memories drifted into dreams.
"DON'T PATRONIZE ME SANDY!" It was 1 o'clock in the morning and Ryan could hear Kirsten's angry yelling in the pool house. He couldn't hear what Sandy replied, but apparently Kirsten didn't like the answer.
"THAT'S BULLSHIT! IT'S YOUR FAULT HE DIED! YOU KILLED SETH!" Kirsten screamed in agony.
"THERE WAS NOTHING ANYONE COULD DO KIRSTEN! SETH'S DYING WAS AN ACCIDENT!" Sandy responded furiously.
"ARE YOU SURE?!" Kirsten's angry voice echoed through the pool house. Ryan pulled his covers up to his chin like a scared little kid.
'If Seth were here, he'd know what to do,' Ryan couldn't help thinking. 'Anna's the next best thing to Seth' he decided. 'I'll call her.'
At 1:17 am Anna's telephone rang, waking her from dreamless sleep.
"What's wrong?" She asked automatically. Late night calls were rarely good news, especially recently.
"Anna, it's me. Ryan," He whispered into the phone.
"Ryan? What's going on?" Anna sat up in bed.
"Kirsten and Sandy are fighting. I miss Seth," Ryan said shakily.
"Yeah?" Anna encouraged, switching on her bedside light.
"I just keep thinking about him. He'd know what to do. He always knew what to do," Ryan broke down.
"It seems that way some time," Anna agreed gently. Ryan just sobbed in response. "It's okay Ryan, it's okay."
Anna listened to Ryan cry. Eventually the tears began to subside.
"Feeling better?" Ryan sniffled.
"I hadn't cried for Seth yet," Ryan told her.
"Oh," Anna said inadequately.
"Thank you. I was suffocating in grief and now I feel like I can breathe," Ryan explained.
"I'm glad. Have Kirsten and Sandy stopped fighting?" Anna asked.
"For now," Ryan stated.
"For now? How did your talk with the Cohen's go?" Anna wondered.
"They were too busy," Ryan told her, "Apparently there's a lot of paperwork to fill out after your kid dies."
"Kirsten and Sandy blew you off to do paperwork?" Anna was incredulous.
"They were perfectly nice about it," Ryan defended them, "and then they started fighting and I left."
"Wow, Mr. and Mrs. Cohen fighting, I can't even picture it," Anna murmured.
"Yeah. The last couple of days are starting to take their toll around here," Ryan realized. Anna yawned.
"Oops! Sorry," she apologized.
"No, it's okay. It's late. Jesus Anna it's 2:07 am. I'm sorry!" Ryan was contrite.
"It's fine, really. I'm glad you called me," Anna assured him.
"I'm glad too. Goodnight Anna," Ryan said goodbye to Anna.
"'Night Ryan," Anna waited until she heard the dial tone before she hung up. She turned off the light and cuddled under the covers.