I'm impressed with myself. This is a pretty speedy update... it's not going to continue for a while. There are very busy days ahead. sigh because I really miss sitting around and writing all day. Enjoy. And usual disclaimers apply.

Kyle was in his usual chatty mode. After three days, Ryan had become accustomed to his supervisor's work habits. Kyle's constant chatter could fool a person, but they really did work a lot, in what Ryan had now dubbed the dungeon. They were in the throes of cataloging and computerizing the entire Newport Group Archive, but all the work was done with the incessant gabbing of Kyle. Ryan just listened, and commented every so often to remain polite. But as much was he was adapting to Kyle's constant chatter, Kyle was getting used to Ryan's quiet ways. And he had been especially quiet since dinner with Theresa and Eva and Seth had returned from his date with Summer.

Seth had found Ryan sitting in the family room, remote in hand, flipping through the channels.

"So did the parental units already turn in?" He flopped down next to Ryan, clutching the ticket in his hand.

Ryan shook his head. "They went to rent a movie."

"So, how'd it go?"

"We're taking a paternity test as soon as your mom can set up the appointment." He ran his tongue over his teeth.

"I thought that was dangerous."

"Apparently, Sandy did some research, and there's a non-invasive test you can take."

"So, that's good. You'll find out if it's yours."

"Yeah. It is." He didn't sound very convincing. "How'd it go with Summer?"

Seth sighed. "Okay. She said she loved me."

"That's great, man."

Seth exhaled deeply.

"I don't get it. You should be happy?"

He held up the yellow summons. "We got cited for trespassing. We have to go to court in September."

"What?"

Seth filled Ryan in on everything that happened. Ryan sniggered and he could tell Seth wanted to slap him. So Ryan patted him on the back. "Good going, man. You're going to get your parents off my back. Thanks for the reprieve."

Before Seth could answer with a smart comeback Sandy entered the room. "What reprieve?"

Ryan blushed.

Seth shot daggers at him.

"Hey, Seth you're home." Kirsten walked in behind Sandy. "Good. You can watch the movie with us. How was your date with Summer?"

"It was pretty good. We went to the docks to look at the Summer Breeze."

It was the wrong thing to say. Immediately the look on Sandy and Kirsten's face hardened. Ryan didn't think Seth would be able to mention his boat ever again without reminding them of his attempt at running away.

"So why is Ryan getting a reprieve?"

"Oh. Um." Seth scratched his head with one hand and stretched out his other hand. The one that held the summons. "Because of this."

Sandy smoothed out the crinkled paper and looked briefly at Seth before looking back at the yellow ticket. Kirsten peered over her husband's shoulder.

"Criminal court! Seth, what on earth were you thinking?"

Sandy put a calming hand on the small of his wife's back.

"Start from the beginning."

For the second time that night, Seth repeated the story. But unlike Ryan, his parents did not find it amusing. Kirsten's forehead creased with lines. Sandy's eyes narrowed. And Seth just sank further and further into the couch, looking like he wanted to disappear. Ryan was right, they'd forget about Chino, Theresa and the baby for a while.

"The gate was locked?"

"Yes, Mom, it was locked."

"So you decided that the most logical thing would be to climb over the fence."

"Well, when you say it like that—"

"What are we going to do with you?"

Seth looked down at the carpet, trying to keep a contrite expression on his face. Ryan was trying to figure out if he should just try and stay invisible or if he should leave the room. Sandy hadn't asked him to leave. Neither had Kirsten. It looked like Seth's verbal flogging was going to be for everyone to hear.

"The cop said it's not a big deal."

"Maybe not to him, but it is to us."

"I don't mean to minimize it, Dad. But the officer said they'll just charge a fine. It won't stay on my record. I'll pay for it. You wanted me to get a job anyway. So my paycheck will go to the fine."

"It's not the money, Seth. It's the total lack of responsibility."

"At least I'm not getting girls pregnant," he mumbled.

It was as if the earth had stopped spinning on its axis for just a minute. No one moved until Ryan decided this was his exit line. He stood up and suddenly everyone was talking at once.

"Seth!" That was Sandy.

"How could you?" Kirsten.

"Ryan, buddy, I'm sorry." Seth.

But Ryan didn't stay to hear any of it. He went up to his room and sank into his bed, closing his eyes until the next thing he knew Kirsten was waking him up to go to work. She tried to discuss it on the drive to the Newport Group, but Ryan had insisted he really didn't want to talk about it. He and Seth hadn't talked since.

So Ryan was surprised when Kyle cleared his throat and said, "Hey, Ryan, snap to it. Someone's here to see you."

Ryan looked up from the computer he was working on. It was Seth.

"I'm working Seth."

"Don't you get a break?"

"I already took one."

"It's okay," Kyle interjected. "You can take another one. I won't tell."

Ryan sighed. He didn't want to talk to Seth. Not here. There was no place private to talk and that meant everything they said would be fodder for the office grapevine. He could just picture Kyle talking over his mug of coffee to anyone who would listen. Anyone would be everyone. It seemed like the Newport Group staff thrived on gossip. The latest talk was about Caleb's impending legal troubles.

He led Seth to a corner. "I thought you were grounded. Won't your mom be pissed that you came down here?"

Seth shrugged. "I wanted to give the comic store manager one more go. If he doesn't hire me by tomorrow Dad's going to make me work in his firm. The parents are not very happy with me these days."

Ryan shrugged. He wasn't that happy with Seth these days either.

"Look, Ryan, you're totally avoiding me at home and I don't blame you. But please, give me a chance to apologize."

"Okay." Ryan crossed his arms across his chest and leaned against the wall; one leg was bent at the knee, his foot rested flat on the wall. He tried to look nonchalant. But he didn't know what Seth could say to make him less pissed.

"It was a shitty thing to say. And I thought Mom and Dad were totally overreacting. And so I just said the first thing that popped into my mind. It's not how I really feel."

"Sure it's how you feel. Otherwise it wouldn't have popped out."

"Okay. Maybe."

"Did you ever ask me if I used protection? If I asked Theresa if she was on the pill?"

Seth's face turned a deep shade of red.

"I used protection. I thought Theresa was on the pill besides. Do you use a condom every time you sleep with Summer?"

Seth's eyes darted quickly to Kyle. He could tell that Ryan's supervisor could hear every word they were saying. He let out a deep breath and said, "Summer and I never slept with anyone else and she's on the pill, so no I don't always use a condom. I know it's stupid. And frankly, before I left, Summer refused to sleep with me because Theresa was pregnant."

"So you're not exactly Mr. Responsible."

"I never said I was."

"But you have no problem pointing fingers."

"I said it was a shitty thing to say. I admit it. I don't know what to do? I can't take it back. That's what sucks about talking. Once it's out of your mouth you can't change it."

"Yeah. I know."

"You never said anything you regretted?"

"All the time. I usually go my ass kicked for it too."

"Are you trying to say you want to punch me?" Seth opened his hands wide open. "If it'll make you feel better hit me. Just not in the face. I bleed easy."

Ryan looked Seth up and down as if assessing where the best place to strike. He stuck out his tongue, his thoughts deep in concentration, noticing that Seth was starting to look very uneasy. He could see beads of sweat running down his forehead, even though the air conditioning was going full force.

"I mean it." Seth's voice was shaky. "Hit me. I won't tell Mom or Dad. So they can't get pissed at you."

And Ryan burst out laughing. "It's okay Seth. I don't need to hit you."

"So you'll talk to me again?"

"Yes."

"Play video games with me?"

"You're grounded. You can't play videogames."

"Whatever." He waved his hand. "Borrow my comics again? I know you're dying to read the new Legion."

"Yes! Seth! We're okay. Now I've got to get back to work. Okay?"

"Yeah. Fine." He turned as if about to leave. "But hey listen, this morning I saw Rosa come out of your room after cleaning up. She had half a carton of cigarettes in her hand and she went straight for the phone."

Ryan rolled his eyes, but silently he thought, "Shit." And then he wondered why Rosa was going through his stuff. He knew he had left the carton in his duffel bag. He tried to think. Where had he left it?

"See you at home."

"Yeah, see you at home, Seth."

He knew Kirsten would say something to him about it. Or Sandy. Not that he had smoked anything since Sandy had taken his pack away. But he didn't know if Kirsten and Sandy would believe him. And Kirsten was driving him to the lab for the paternity test after work. That meant she had him as a captive audience for at least twenty minutes. He knew she would never agree to let him go to the lab alone.

To his surprise Kirsten didn't mention the smokes on the ride over. She asked him about Seth's visit, one of the security guards had mentioned that he had seen Seth enter the building. He tried to downplay it, not wanting him to get into any more trouble. As it was, Sandy and Kirsten were on Seth's case since his minor brush with the law. But she didn't seem to mind that Seth had come to work things out. She seemed happy that they weren't fighting anymore.

"To this day, I hate it when Hailey and I fight."

"It's no fun," he agreed.

"But the closer you are, the more likely it is that you're going to clash. But I'm glad that you aren't holding a grudge."

He shrugged. "It's Seth. It's hard to hold a grudge."

She smiled. Ryan liked it when Kirsten smiled it was as if her face lit up with a ray of sunshine.

"Are you nervous?" she asked.

He shrugged. "About the needle or the results?"

"You don't like needles?"

"Not much."

"But you didn't even flinch last year when you had to get a tetanus shot."

"I hide it well."

"So you're not nervous about what the results are going to be?"

"It's out of my control," he said softly. The truth was he tried not to think about what would happen once the test results came in.

Theresa was waiting for them just outside of the lab. "Hi." She looked down and clutched her purse tightly to her belly.

"Hey."

Kirsten smiled wide. "Hi Theresa. You're ready?"

Theresa nodded.

"Good. I'll go tell someone you're here."

She left them alone. Ryan just stood there, not knowing what to say.

"Thanks for doing this, Ryan."

"You don't have to do this. I don't care if it's not my baby."

"Can we sit?" They walked over to a row of comfortable looking chairs. "The more I think about it, the more I want to give this baby up for adoption."

"You already told me this," he said impatiently.

"No, Ryan. I mean, even if the baby is yours."

Ryan's eyes smoldered. His nostrils flared. He clenched his jaw, he clenched his fists. "The hell you're giving away my kid."