Disclaimer: I don't own the OC, Josh Schwartz and Fox do.
Author's Note: This chapter starts 3 days after Ryan comes home from the hospital.
Chapter Four
There's No Place Like Home
Summer Roberts glanced down the list of her unopened e-mails. Five reviews for her fan-fic "Down In the Valley", and a bunch of junk mail. Delete, Delete, Delete. Summer got offline and picked up her letter from Seth. She read it probably every ten minutes; sometimes she woke up in the middle of the night just to read the letter again. Princess Sparkle and Captain Oats were getting along famously, Summer and Seth knew they would. She needed to get out and do something. She needed to go shopping, because it's sooo therapeutic. But she needed a companion. She knew just the person, Marissa.
Ring... Ring
Ugh! Coop, pick up!
"Hello?" Marissa asked, though she knew who was calling.
"Coop we need to go shopping."
"OK, Summer, just tell me when and where."
"Now, come pick me up."
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Seth was still sailing. He'd only, really, drifted in the water. Drifting for the past five days. He coasted, to bathe and shave. He doubted he did a good job, but hey, he was out at sea. He was just glad he had brought enough sustenance. Cliff bars, mmm, good. He decided he'd return tomorrow. He knew he'd originally said within a month, but shortly at sea, that month turned into a week, less than a week.
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Summer bought way too many clothes. She'd wear them of course, but she felt like she needed a better tan for them. After all, it was summer, she lived in California and, well, she wanted to look damn good for Seth, whenever he got home. Her tan decision came over her in the car with Marissa.
"Coop, tomorrow, we're going to spend the day on the beach."
"Sum, you know I'd love to, more than anything in the world, but Ryan and I are going to... um ... go see a movie tomorrow."
"Coop!" Summer glared at Marissa.
"OK, we'll tan tomorrow. I'll tell Ryan later." Lordy, Seth get your butt home soon. Marissa mentally commanded.
The next day...
Summer was glad she was going to spend the day on the beach; maybe tanning could get her mind off of Seth. She threw on a string bikini, denim shorts, and a thin button-up shirt. She put a bottle of water, her cell phone, tanning lotion, and a towel in her bag, and walked down to the shore. Marissa was already waiting for her.
"Bring the tanning lotion?" Marissa asked. She'd already stripped down to one of her many bathing suits.
"Of, course. How could I not, Coop?"
"That, I don't know." Marissa replied to Summer's rhetorical question.
The best friends slathered themselves and lay down for a peaceful day of tanning.
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Seth was so glad he brought his cell phone to sea with him. He turned it on for the first time in almost a week. He filed down the 'phone book' for Marissa. He couldn't call Summer, he wanted to surprise her. He pressed call and waited for it to ring.
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Marissa picked up her ringing phone and looked at the caller ID. Oh my god, it was Seth. She answered immediately.
"Hello?" Marissa asked, trying to keep Seth incognito, though she didn't know why.
"Hey, Marissa. It's Seth, don't tell Summer it's me."
"Oh, hey Ryan."
Summer had no idea that Marissa wasn't talking to Ryan.
"Good job, Maris! Is she with you?"
"Of course, Ry."
"So where are you, I want to surprise her."
"Aww, that's so sweet. But you know I'm spending the day with Summer at the beach."
"Alright, I'll be there in 10 minutes, tops. Thanks, Marissa."
"Maybe later, bye sweetie!"
"Marissa, what's up?" Summer asked.
"Oh, nothing, with his concussion, Ryan forgot you and I were spending the day together. I only told him yesterday."
"Oh, alright. That kinda sucks."
"Doesn't it?"
Marissa stalled for about eight minutes. When she saw Seth about sixty feet away.
"Hey, Sum, I have to go pee."
"Ai'it Coop. Go ahead. I'll be right here when you're done."
"I'll be right back."
Marissa ran down the beach to the closest bathroom and was lucky. She could still see Summer.
Seth walked up to Summer. Because he created a shadow, Summer rolled over to see his feet. She slowly looked up his body, until she stopped, stunned, at his face. He let her have the first words.
"They're askin' where ya been. Like I know. Where ya been ..."
Seth cut her off, and smiled, "Hey Summer, how ya been?"
"What? Those aren't the words!"
"Yes, you would know, Summer. And when did you start listening to Ben Folds Five?"
"Since you left. I raided your CD collection. I mean, most of the music you listen to is called 'emo' for a reason. Most of it is sad and depressing. Kind of how I felt after you left."
"Wow, Summer, very unexpected. Did you like any of it?"
"No, most of it was way too sad and depressing. I don't think I would've ever listened to it if you hadn't left. But that Ben Folds guy was Ok." She stood up.
"I'm glad that my leaving for less than a week made more of an impact than if I'd stayed."
At that comment, Summer playfully hit him on the arm.
"Ouch, Sum."
"Come on Cohen! You're such a wuss!"
Summer threw her arms around him, and kissed his scratchy stubble, not wanting to ever let go.
"Hey, Summy, I'm glad you didn't have a rage blackout."
"Cohen, I came very close, and I definitely will if you leave again. Oh, and if you ever call me 'Summy' again."
"Alright, it's a deal."
When Marissa saw Summer and Seth hugging, she knew it was her cue to return to the scene.
"Marissa! Look, Seth's back!"
"Yeah, I know."
"Wait, you knew and didn't tell me?"
"Yeah, he told me not to. I was talking to him on the phone, not Ryan."
"It was really weird having Marissa call me 'Ry' and 'sweetie."
"Well, soorrry. You did tell me to not say your name. It's good to see you home."
"Speaking of which, can we go to my house? My mom will get kinda mad that I came here first."
"Yeah, sure, I drove." Marissa replied to her step-nephew, who was also her boyfriend's brother, and her best friends boyfriend. (Lol! The b/f of the bf!)
Marissa drove the trio to the Cohens' house. It was almost five in the evening, so Kirsten, Sandy, and Ryan were trying to figure out what to order for dinner when Seth, Summer, and Marissa came through the front door.
"What the hell?" Sandy asked at the sound of the door.
Seth dropped his bag at the entrance and walked down the hallway with Marissa and Summer in tow. The three walked into the kitchen to see the other three, Kirsten, Ryan, and Sandy.
"Seth!" Kirsten cried and ran over to hug her son.
"Hey mom."
"Son, don't do that again." Sandy commanded. Sandy too went over to hug Seth. After Kirsten and Sandy released Seth from their hold, Seth greeted his brother, Ryan. They slapped hands and hugged.
"Good to see you, Seth."
"You too, RA"
"It's so good to have both of my boys home again." Kristen said very tearfully. "We need to go out to dinner, as a family, oh Summer, Marissa, you have to come too."
"Thanks, Mrs. Cohen. Marissa and I have to go change though."
"Go ahead, girls. It'll be nice to have a bit of time with my boys and my husband."
"Alright, Kirsten, Summer and I will be back soon." The girls left for Marissa's house to change. The Cohens were all together, for the first time in almost a week.
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Author's Note: I hope that chapter was all right, even if it did end semi-abruptly. I'm glad I could finally update! I tried to write as much as possible but I had family from across the country here, and I've been rather in love with my instant messenger! Tell me what you think should happen next....
Countdown to the OC: Season 1 DVD in 69 days. (OCtober 26th) Wow, time flies, even though, you can now order it on Amazon...
Countdown to the OC: Season 2 Premiere in 78 days. (November 4th) Now, somehow, that doesn't sound much better!
Oh, BTW, don't get mad at me, if you thought I was dissing emo with that comment from Summer. I love emo, so I definitely wasn't dissing emo; it's just what I think Summer thinks of emo. LOL!
And all the thanks in the world to TwoPence for letting me use a bit of one of her fanfic's titles, 'Down In the Valley'.
