Note: Okay, I do NOT own The O.C. or anything blah blah blah The O.C. It's not mine. It's just not damnit.

Summary: Seth comes back to reality and Ryan learns about his own will. This chapter is much happier than the previous two. Please review, thanks!!!

Seth was finally picking himself up off the ground of the beach, his clothes and hair covered in sand, his eyes red from crying and drinking. He looked like a mess. But she still recognized him.

"COHEN!" he heard the penetrating scream from the pier. "COHEN!" It almost hurt his ears from that far away, and everyone on the beach was staring at her.

He looked up and tried to make out the figure in the distance. But he didn't need to. There was only one person who called him by his last name, and there she was, screaming it at the top of her lungs.

"Summer!" he yelled back, but his voice was weak and distorted. "Summer, is that you?"

"Cohen," she screamed running toward him now.

"Oh my God! Summer," he yelled back as he started running to her. He fell down two times on the way, but they finally met on the sand and threw their arms around each other. He pushed away so he could look at her face and make sure it was really her. It was, she was there and she was alive. Her clothes were dirty, her shirt was even ripped a little at the shoulder, and her hair was knotted up in a messy bun. She had very little makeup on, and what she was wearing looked days old. She looked like crap, but she was there.

"Your dad – your dad said," he stopped to take a few deep breaths, "he said you were dead." Seth started crying again, this time out of relief and the memory of the fear he felt a short time ago.

"Oh my God I have to call him," Summer said. "I've been on a bus for like, three days, it was disgusting. I had no way to call him, or you, or anyone." Summer stopped talking and looked down.

"What? What's wrong?" Seth asked, panic in his voice. Nothing could go wrong now, please, he begged the higher powers.

"Anna," was all Summer could say.

Seth shook his head. "No, no Anna. No anybody but you Summer."

She smelled his breath, and made a sour face. "Are you drunk, Cohen?"

He laughed. "Well, let's just say I need a nap as much as you need a shower."

"Uh!" she hit him with her bag, then put her arms around his waist. "Take me to your house."

"Yes, ma'am," he said, and they walked off together, right after they held each other in a tight hug, just to make sure it was real.

Ryan was laying on his bed reading. Marissa was angry with him, Theresa was maybe seeing someone, Seth hadn't been around much, and to top it all off, the book he was reading was boring. He had just sighed and set it down next to him when he heard a faint knock at the door. He hesitated for a moment before getting up to answer it.

"Hi," Marissa said quietly as he opened the door.

"Hey," he said, stepping out of the way so she could come in. "How are you?" He was always concerned about her. That was one of the things that frustrated him about their relationship – he felt like he was always worrying.

"I'm okay," she said pulling a tuft of hair behind her ear while she looked at the floor. "I guess I wanted to apologize," she said, finally looking up at him.

"You don't have to-" he started to say, but she cut him off. And he was glad she interrupted, because honestly, he did want an apology. He deserved one.

"Yes I do. I know I've been making you miserable lately with all the trouble I've been having with – well, everything……" She tried to find the right words. "Look, I don't know how else to say this, so I'm sorry. I'm sorry for putting my problems first, I'm sorry for being so narrow-minded lately, I'm sorry for, you know, all of it. I know you've been trying to help and I'm sorry for yelling at you, but I just really wish you hadn't told my mom about...Caleb and..."

Ryan realized the apology he was receiving was not completely sincere. Marissa just wanted to get past this fight, but didn't necessarily think she owed an apology. After all, it was her mother, and her business, that Ryan blabbed about. But Ryan felt differently. Marissa was miserable, and therefore making him miserable, because she was stuck in a position she didn't want to be in. Ryan tried to help her out of it, and Marissa didn't understand why.

"I had to. You're always sad, or angry. I didn't want to see you like that anymore." Ryan realized they would either have to agree to disagree, or keep fighting. He wasn't sure he was ready to give up his virtue on this one though.

Kirsten stood over the kitchen sink, horrified. The broken liquor bottle stared up at her, taunting her, telling her that one of the boys in her home had been drinking and throwing things in rage. Her first thought was that it was Ryan, but she had just seen him. He was a little down, but not angry or intoxicated. Then she became sick with worry. That only left Seth, and she hadn't seen him all day.

"Hey, you," Sandy said walking into the room where his wife stood shaking.

When she didn't answer, he looked up from the mail he was reading. "What is it – What's wrong?" He came up beside her and looked at the broken glass in the sink. "Who did that? Kirsten, what's going on?"

"I think it was Seth," she said, barely above a whisper.

"Oh, no," he started to disagree, but then stopped. "Really?" Sandy was surprised. "Where is he?" When Kirsten just shrugged, Sandy picked the phone up off of the counter and started to dial Seth's number.

They heard the ring of his cell phone coming closer and closer until it was right behind them in the kitchen.

They turned around and Sandy slowly set the phone down in front of him. Kirsten let out a small gasp and held her hand over her mouth.

In front of them stood their son, dirty and red-eyed, looking as though he had been trampled by a herd of elephants. Next to him stood his girlfriend, who had moved to Baltimore just months ago. She too, looked to be falling apart, with filthy, torn clothes and chaotic hair, half pulled back and half falling down.

"Oh my God," Kirsten and Sandy said at the same time.