"Grandma, who are these people?" Ivy asked as she pulled on Kirsten's dress.
"This is my brother," Seth said pointing at Ryan.
"And your sister-in-law, nieces, and nephew." Ryan added.
"Right, wow!" said Summer staring at Marrissa. Sandy was just standing in the background processing the fact that his son he hadn't seen in 8 years was home, with a wife and three children!
"Kirsten, can I talk to you a minute?" Sandy asked.
"Sure Sandy," She said leaving the room. Sandy followed her into the next room.
"When did you contact Ryan and Marrissa?"
"Two days after graduation, they told me they wanted to leave. Marrissa was pregnant, and they didn't want to be those type of people, parents in their teens, At least not here. Not in Newport, so they told me they were going leave and that they would call when they got where they were going." She paused and looked at Sandy head in his hands on the couch. "Then a day after they left they contacted me and Jimmy from Chicago, saying that was where they wanted to start their family. Also saying that possibly when the kids were older they would come back here, but not until then."
"Why didn't you tell me?" asked Sandy distressed.
"They begged me not to, they told me they didn't want anymore connection then necessary with Newport. I told them you, Seth, and Summer were necessary connections but they wouldn't agree to anyone other than Jimmy and I knowing there whereabouts."
"Kirsten he's my son!"
"I know Sandy, would you have rather I told you and got them mad at me. Then no one would know how they were doing."
"Kirsten how would they have known, what you told me?"
"Sandy I couldn't have abandoned their trust like that! What Ryan thinks of me is important. I'm his foster mother he doesn't have to like me, but he trusts me. And by complying with this favor for him I know he does like me, he accepts me now as his real mother! That's important to me Sandy."
"And what I think of you isn't?" He replied storming out of the room.
"Sandy, don't go!" She cried out but it was too late he was already out the door! Kirsten collapsed on the couch crying into her hands.
"Kirsten, what's wrong?" Asked Marrissa as she walked into the den.
"What? Oh nothing," She said wiping away her tears.
"Kirsten nobody cries for nothing, especially you"
"Its just Sandy is mad at me for not telling him where you guys were,"
"Well Seth and Summer are pretty much giving me and Ryan the silent treatment,"
"They are? They shouldn't be doing that."
"And if they found out that you knew where we were this entire time they probably won't talk to you either, so let's leave the rest of this until after the party. Guests should be arriving soon anyway."
"Oh you're right. I'm just going to go freshen up, I'll be right back."
"I'm gonna go feed Ella and put her to bed in the spare room, okay Seth?" Asked Summer.
"Ya sure sweetie." He kissed her, "I'll stay here with Ivy,"
"No PDAs Seth!" Summer warned.
Summer went upstairs to feed Ella and think. She was happy that Ryan and Marrissa were okay and back, but she wanted to know if they were staying. She wasn't going to forge ties with them again if they were going to pick up and leave in a week or less. Marrissa looked great for someone who had had three children, but then again Marrissa always looked great.
Their little girls must be 7 or 8, but they couldn't be eight because then Marrissa would have been pregnant before they left! But that couldn't be right, Marrissa would have told her wouldn't she have? They must be seven! That was the only possible way, Marrissa would have told her if she was pregnant! And their adorable little boy! He must be one of the cutest toddlers she had ever seen. Wow she still couldn't believe that Ryan and Marrissa had twin girls and a boy, it was all so sudden for them to come back into their lives, Seth and Summer were settled down there was no more drama left in their lives. And boy if Ryan and Marrissa left again would there have ever been more drama? But if they stayed the same amount of drama would happen. Summer was seriously considering which load of drama she would rather deal with, most people would assume she'd want them to stay but Summer wasn't so sure. After all they had just picked up and left right.
And what if all this drama caused Seth to leave, I mean he had done it twice, once when Ryan left with Theresa and again when he left with Marrissa. Seth wouldn't leave now that he was married with children, would he? What about Kirsten, how long had she been in contact with Ryan and Marrissa and the kids? Had she been to visit them? She did have like two visits a year to Chicago for business and that had been for the past eight years! O my god! What if they were in Chicago the whole time? How could they go there and not tell me? Marrissa knew I had always wanted to go there! Summer stood and placed Ella in the spare bassinet they had at The Cohen Manor. She had to talk to Kirsten and find out if she had been keeping this secret for eight long years! And not just from her but from Seth and ! Summer hurriedly left the room to find Kirsten.
Summer was racing through the house looking for Kirsten when she ran right into Ryan, literally!
'Sorry Ryan!"
"Summer?" Ryan asked questioning her frazzled appearance.
'What?" She snapped.
"Are you okay?"
"Ya I'm just looking for Kirsten,"
"She's downstairs in the kitchen with her father and Julie."
"Oh god,"
'Ya it's pretty bad, there is lots of yelling going on,"
"I'll wait to talk to Kirsten,"
"Good idea, because I think Jimmy just arrived."
"Oh god, if they're not careful they'll wake Ella,"
"I'm sure that's the last concern in Caleb and Julie's mind,"
"Ya, well it's the first concern in mine, so they better shut up or I'll make them."
"Okay Summer, calm down"
Chino don't start with me,"
"Summer calm down,"
"CHINO!!!!"
"Ya?" he asked nonchalantly.
"Hasn't Seth ever warned you about my rage blackouts?"
"Ya,"
"Well I feel one coming,"
"That's great,"
"Ryan, why are you so rational right now?"
"What do you mean?"
"You and Marrissa left completely ditching everyone here in Newport, you come back and people are fighting over it and you're not even worried over the fact the Seth isn't talking to you?"
"Of course I'm worried about it but if I don't act normal my kids will get unhappy, and I don't want that,"
"Speaking of kids, where are Seth and Ivy?"
"With Marrissa, Madison, Elizabeth, and Scott in the living room"
'Thank you" she said storming off, "Oh and just so you know I'm no longer talking to you either," she called over her shoulder.
"Great," Ryan mumbled. He was tired of everyone yelling at him for leaving, or not talking to him at all in Seth's case. And supposedly Summer's but she couldn't resist talking to anyone for very long so he didn't think that would last long. She knew she would be chatting up Marrissa and him in no time or would she? They had left Newport, and they hadn't contacted them at all. So maybe Ryan was under-estimating Summer's will-power, she had managed to stay mad at Seth for a whole month, after he left to Tahiti, during the Theresa fiasco. And she had stayed mad at him 2 months after he left when Marrissa and I left for Chicago. He knew he shouldn't be wasting so much time up here, he should just go to the bathroom and get the hell back downstairs. But he was afraid he knew Julie and Caleb were going to pin Marrissa's leaving on him, and it hadn't even been his idea to leave. Marrissa had known she didn't want to be a pregnant teen in Newport, so she came to Ryan saying she was pregnant and wanted to leave, so then the two of them approached Kirsten...
"MARRISSA COOPER GET IN HERE NOW!" Julie Nichol screamed. Ryan took off for the stairs to defend his wife faster then he had in a long time. He hadn't wanted to do this with a room full of Kirsten's guests in one room and his children in the other but they couldn't help it.
Marrissa walked into the kitchen and went to stand beside her dad and Haley.
"Marrissa your father can't protect you now,"
"I don't need protection,"
"I'm sure you don't you ungrateful little b. You can't just come back here begging for money and pity"
"I didn't come back for you pity or your money,"
"And sweetie you should go on a diet you have gained some weight since the last time I saw you." Julie said pretending to be nice when she remembered the guests in the next room
"I've married and had three children since the last time you saw me. And I was to skinny before I had an eating disorder you'd know that if you ever paid attention to me!"
"Married?"
"Yes happily to Ryan,"
"You married that piece of trailer trash?" Marrissa didn't even respond she just ran to her mother and slapped her, just as she was about to go for a second hit, someone in the doorway spoke.
"Marrissa," It was Ryan.
"Did you hear what she said about you," Marissa said calming down in his presence.
"Yes I heard but I'm used to it and it's not like her opinion matters," he said calmly.
"It does to matter I'm her mother and you are an ass." Julie yelled impatiently!
"He's not the ass, you're the ass." Seth screamed walking into the room and temporarily forgetting the anger he felt towards his brother.
Ryan gave him one of his classic looks.
"AND no it doesn't mean I forgive you" He answered Ryan's unasked question before storming out.
"Seth, wait," Said Ryan following him into the poolhouse.
"Ryan leave me alone!" Seth snapped angrily.
"Seth will you listen to me?"
"Why so you can become my friend again?"
"No Seth, so I can become your brother again."
Seth got up and walked to the door, "Your children are really great I wish you told me about them 8 years ago, then maybe I could have been their uncle." He walked through the door.
"Seth!" Ryan called following him, Ryan walked into the kitchen just as Julie was begging to see his and Marrissa's children,
"Marrissa can I see my grandchildren now?"
"Stay away from my children," Ryan said threateningly.
"But they're my grandchildren," She feebly protested.
"They are not, they're Kirsten's grandchildren, Haley's grandchildren but not yours," Marrissa said angrily.
"Don't you take that tone with me young lady,"
"I'm not a young lady, I'm 26 and happily married with 3 children!"
"Just because you're 26 doesn't mean you can talk to me that way,"
"I can talk to you however I want, I'm not a child and if I was I definitely wouldn't chose to be yours! I'd choose Haley over you any day of the week!"
"Do not speak to your mother like that, you are an ungrateful child and you know that. You lived with us we fed you!" Caleb argued.
"I didn't have much of a choice in that did I Caleb?"
"What do you mean by that?" asked Julie.
"Caleb blackmailed me into living with you. He said if I didn't he wouldn't pay dad for the Lighthouse!"
"He did what?" Jimmy asked jumping into the conversation.
"He blackmailed me!"
Jimmy lunged at Caleb punching him in the face; Ryan ran forward and stopped Jimmy from hitting him again.
"Don't Jimmy he's not worth it."
"He blackmailed my daughter!"
"And my wife!"
Jimmy stopped struggling and walked out of the house to the back yard, Haley trailing after.
"I'm going to go tell the guests to leave, I'll be right back." Kirsten promised. She hurriedly left the tense scene in the kitchen only to come upon Seth, Summer and the kids leaving quietly through the front door.
"Seth?" Kirsten questioned.
"What mom?"
"Why are you leaving?"
"We figured it out mom,"
"Figured what out?"
"Your trips to Chicago,"
"Oh,"
"We put two and two together. I can't believe you let us worry this entire time when you knew exactly where they were!"
"Seth they begged me not to tell you, Ryan's my son, and Marrissa's my daughter-in-law!"
'And what exactly are we?" Seth asked picking up Ivy and grabbing Summer's hand that wasn't holding on to Ella's carrier.
