Certain lines belong to The Schwartz and Fox.

Thank you for all the wonderful replies.

This is rated R.

Seth was panicking. He might even be hyperventilating. The shallower his breath got the more he struggled with the door handle. Thinking about it, if he were hyperventilating, he could use it to his advantage. A trip to the hospital would relieve him from telling his parents about Ryan.

Not that it was a big deal. Because it wasn't. What was the worst they could do? Yell at him? Send him to his room? No, those weren't the things he was worried about. Telling him that Ryan had to go? That was what was making him insane. He'd promised Ryan. Made him feel like it was a done deal. That he would get to stay. That there wasn't even a possibility that they would make him leave. And now, Seth didn't have a clue if that was going to turn out to be the truth. And if it wasn't, he was just going to be one more person that lied to him. One more person that let Ryan down.

Seth could see his mother in the kitchen. He took a deep breath before he opened the door and walked into the house.

"Mom, I need to talk to you. Where's dad?" There. Just cut to the chase. No sense delaying things.

Kirsten turned, looked Seth up and down and cocked her head to the side. "No, 'hi mom, how was your trip?'"

Seth rolled his eyes. "Hi, mom, how was your trip?"

Kirsten smiled. "It was nice. Your father's always surprising me. When we got to the hotel, he-"

"Uh, please! Only child here. Just keep the rest to yourself. I don't need to know these things."

Kirsten laughed and shook her head. "Any calls?"

Seth leaned against the counter, avoiding eye contact. "Yeah, some. I left them on the machine. Listen, I really need to talk to you and dad."

Picking up the pile of unopened mail, she began to sort through it. "What about?" She didn't look up.

Seth shifted his weight, feeling the coolness of his swimming trunks against his bare legs. "Just...stuff."

"Seth!"

"What?"

"Go change; you're dripping water all over the floor. Did you get your suit out for tomorrow?"

Seth looked down at the water pooling under his feet. "Huh, no. What's tonight?"

"Seth, don't do this. I told you a million times."

Seth shook his head, totally confused. "Drawing a blank here."

Kirsten set down the mail and gave her full attention to Seth. "The party?"

"Still nothing."

"Your grandfather's birthday party."

Seth nodded. Something about cilantro and white lights sprung to mind. "Oh, right. With all the old people and the schmoozing and what not. I don't really have to go to that, do I?"

"Seth."

"What?"

Kirsten sighed, returning to the pile of unopened envelopes. "Go set out your suit. Oh, and you'd better try it on to make sure it still fits."

Seth took a few steps closer, all the while dripping water onto the kitchen floor. "But, mom, I have to talk to you!"

"Seth, come on. Don't start."

Aware that he was whining, Seth opted to pout instead of pulling his usual tantrum. Starting things off on the wrong foot was not going to help his case. Especially if he expected his mother to allow Ryan to stay.

"Fine, but I have to talk to you after. It's important."

"Sure, sweetie."

Seth cringed. Why did mothers always have to say things like that? He hoped she didn't do it in front of Ryan.

Treading up the stairs, Seth could hear his mother pick up the phone to make last minute arrangements for the party. 'No cilantro,' he heard her say. Seth shook his head. He loved his grandfather, he did, but he hated how crazy he always made his mother.

Kirsten had been on hold for twenty minutes. Normally this would be around the time she would hang up, but everything had to be perfect for the party. If one flower was wilted...if one light was out of place...if one sprig of cilantro touched a piece of food...her father would notice. She didn't know why she put up with him. She supposed it was because he was all she had left. Well, there was her sister. But she hadn't heard from Hailey in months. She was probably off exploring the world, being carefree. She loved and hated her for that. She understood her father in a way no one else did. Got to deal with mini-crisis after mini-crisis while Hailey sunbathed and sipped margaritas. Losing her mother had been hard on her, but her father had never really gotten over it. So she put up with the trophy girlfriends and the excessive demands because she didn't want to lose him too.

Sandy whizzed into the kitchen, his smile as bright and charming as ever."Honey, have you seen my beach towel? You know, the one with the surfboards on it. The waves are six feet!"

Kirsten rested the phone on her shoulder. "Did you check the pool house?"

"Good idea." Sandy smiled. It was the smile that had made her fall in love with him. Coming behind her, he wrapped his arms around her waist, took a nip at her neck. "I knew I married you for a reason."

Kirsten snorted. "Funny, I can't remember why I married you."

"It's the eyebrows. You couldn't resist them. It's a sign of power, you know," he said, wiggling them to emphasize his point.

"Well," she said, turning in his arms, "then you must be the most powerful man in the world."

"Tell your father that one." Sandy leaned down and dropped a kiss on her nose. She arched up and captured his lips. Reluctantly, they parted. "You know, the surfing's not really that great. I mean, there are a few clouds in the sky. It might rain. I could just stay here and we could-"

"I can't. I have to finalize everything for tomorrow." Just remembering the phone, she untangled it from between them and put the receiver to her ear. Still nothing but background music.

"How many birthday's does your father have a year? Wasn't that thing last week for his birthday?"

"That was an office party."

"Yeah, but isn't this the fifth time we're celebrating? How old is he again? Eighty?"

Kirsten sighed. "Sandy."

"I'm going," he said, holding his hands in front of himself in a gesture that reminded her of Seth.

Kirsten watched him walk out the door, lost in the moment. She was startled by Seth's voice. "Where's dad going?"

"The pool house," she said, turning. "Apparently the surf is good. Did you try on the suit?"

"The pool house?! He can't go in there."

Before she had a chance to question him, Seth zipped past her and headed to the pool house. Watching curiously, her attention wavered as someone came back on the telephone line.

"Hi, yes. This is Kirsten Cohen calling to finalize plans for tomorrow..."

Ryan was positive he was going back to Chino. He started to pack his bag without even changing out of the swimming trunks Seth had leant him. He didn't have much to pack. Just some clothes and basic necessities.

It was actually not too bad living here. Just hanging out with Seth and not worrying if someone was going to break in, if Theresa was okay, if he had enough money to eat.... Theresa. Ryan got a pang in his stomach. He wondered how she was. It had only been a few days, but he knew she was better off than she'd been in a long time. With no time to dwell, Ryan inspected the pool house for things he might have left.

Walking out of the bathroom, he was surprised to find a man in the middle of the room. This was obviously Seth's dad. It wasn't how he'd pictured him. He wasn't nearly as tight-wound and business-like as he'd imagined. When Seth said he was a lawyer, Ryan had pictured some overweight, balding man. Someone who could have been one of his clients. Instead, he was in fairly good shape, with a full head of dark hair.

Ryan stared, sizing him up. He swore he saw pity in the other man's eyes.

"Who are you?"

Ryan straightened. "Whoever you want me to be." The reply was automatic. It was typically how he would have greeted someone that had combed the streets looking for him.

The embarrassment didn't come right away. It wasn't until Seth's father struggled for words that Ryan felt his cheeks get hot and his muscles tense.

"Uh..."

Seth stumbled through the door, winded. "I see you've met Ryan."

Ryan was surprised that he felt relieved by Seth's presence. Tearing his eyes from Ryan, Seth's dad looked at him. They seemed to be communicating silently. "Seth, a word, please."

"Yeah, dad, sure."

"Outside." His face was stern. Never a good sign in Ryan's experience.

"Yeah, cool. We'll be right back," Seth said, giving Ryan the thumbs up. Ryan watched Seth follow his father into the backyard. They stood facing each other. Ryan couldn't move. He was rooted in place.

Seth looked back at the pool house, saw Ryan watching and turned back to his father. He tried to smile, act casual. His knees were shaking. Fainting was not an option. Seth grabbed the back of a lounge chair and crossed his foot over the other one. "So, what's up?"

"Who's that?" Sandy said, jerking his head toward the pool house.

"That?" Seth looked back at the pool house. Ryan hadn't moved. He had a feeling his legs were just as weak. "Oh, that's Ryan."

Sandy crossed his arms over his chest. "Ryan, who?"

Seth stalled. "Uh,...you know-"

Not waiting for a proper answer, Seth was granted a reprieve. "What happened to him?"

This time Seth kept his eyes on his father. He didn't want to look at Ryan again and remember everything about the hospital and all that came after. "Some guy beat him up?"

"Is that a question or the truth?"

Seth sighed. "Dad, it's complicated."

"Does he go to your school?"

"Technically, he doesn't go to school."

Sandy's eyes narrowed, focussing on Seth. "What do you mean?"

Seth chose his words carefully. "I mean, he doesn't go to school. He's been having a hard time at home and I said he could stay here for a while."

"Why didn't you tell us he was here?"

"You just got home, like, ten minutes ago." Sandy wasn't taking that as an answer. Seth swallowed and looked at the ground. "I don't know."

"Where are his parents?"

"He doesn't have any," Seth mumbled.

"Seth."

"They abandoned him, okay?" Seth's voice was too loud, it echoed in his head. Letting go of the chair, he uncrossed his legs and paced. "Or they're dead. Something like that. I don't know."

They were both silent. Seth could feel his father's eyes boring into his back. He couldn't turn around; couldn't look him in the eye. If he did, he just might confess everything.

Sandy sighed, clapping Seth on the shoulder. "If it were up to me-" Sandy stopped. Seth could guess the rest. "You know your mother's not going to like this."

Turning, Seth looked his father in the eye, knowing his weakness for kids in trouble. If he could get his dad on his side... "Look, we can't just throw him out; he has nowhere else to go."

"What's going on?" Great. Things had been going so well. He was thisclose to getting his own way. And now his mother was going to ruin everything.

"Who's that?" Kirsten pointed to the pool house. Actually pointed. Seth was ready to die. "Seth, what did you do?"

Kirsten had been watching her son and husband from the kitchen window while she attempted to get off the phone. Something was up. She didn't have time to wait another twenty minutes before finding out. She knew how strained her husband and son's relationship had become. She knew Sandy would do anything to get Seth to look at him like he used to when he was a little boy. There had been a time when all Sandy had to do was put Seth on his shoulders and spin him around to be considered his hero. Nowadays, getting them in the same room was tricky and Seth was too big to be picked up, but Sandy still wanted to be his hero.

Hanging up, she marched out of the kitchen.

A hush fell over the backyard as Kirsten got her first good look at the source of their disruption. A teenage boy. A bruised and scarred teenaged boy. Even through the thick glass doors his blue eyes were unmistakable and the sadness they contained radiated like nuclear fission.

Kirsten's breath caught in her throat. He was looking right at her. It was as if he could see inside her. Feeling her cheeks burn, she kept her eyes level with his, refusing to look away.

Sandy settled his hand on Kirsten's wrist, patted it gently. "I've got it under control, honey."

"Someone better fill me in." Reluctantly, she tore her eyes away from Ryan and looked at Sandy.

"Seth brought home a friend and has been keeping him in the pool house."

"Seth!"

"Can we keep him, Mom?"

Looking at her son, Kirsten almost didn't recognize him. His eyes were alight with hope. It had been so long since she saw any sort of life springing from him. She felt relief and paralysing confusion. "Keep him? This is not a stray puppy, Seth!"

"I know, but he has nowhere to go! Dad?"

"Kirsten?" There it was in Sandy's eyes as well. Hope. Hope of reconnecting with his own son; hope for the potential good they could do; hope to regain something even she couldn't begin to understand. She'd been selfish. And Blind. She'd been soaking up Seth while Sandy barely got a crumb, allowing Seth to pull away from his own father while she reaped the benefits.

"This is your doing, you know," she accused Sandy.

"My doing?"

"You're the one that taught him compassion."

"Like that's a bad thing?" Seth said.

If she allowed this, everything would change. They were already ganging up on her. "We don't even know this kid."

"He won't be any trouble. I swear!"

"Honey, we can't just throw him out onto the streets."

The minute of silence that passed was weighted. Kirsten let her eyes fall on the pool house one more time. She saw the boy watching them. Watching her. Looking at Sandy, she saw his answer in his eyes. He wanted to help. Sandy always wanted to help. It was one of the things she loved most about him. Then, there was Seth. Seth with his big eyes full of pleas she couldn't deny.

"Fine. But he stays in the pool house."

Seth pumped his fist in the air and grabbed her around the shoulders. "Thanks, mom! You won't regret it," he said and hugged her before escaping her grasp and going inside the pool house.

Sandy had a goofy grin on his face.

"What?"

His smile got bigger. "Nothing."

Kirsten felt herself blush. Straightening out her clothes, she turned to go.

"Where're you going?"

Stopping, she looked back at Sandy. "He's going to need fresh towels and sheets and a toothbrush," she said, letting her eyes once again rest on the pool house. Catching Ryan's eye, she turned away, embarrassed. There was something about him that made her uneasy.

Turning to go, she felt the pressure of Sandy's hand on her forearm. "Hey." He pulled her close and wrapped his arms around her. She always felt so safe when he touched her. It felt like nothing could ever harm them. "You're doing a good thing here."

She knew that was the truth, but she couldn't help feeling like she'd just lost something. Something she hadn't realized she'd even had. "He looks like he's been in a fight. How do we know he's not dangerous?"

"We'll have to trust Seth's judgement."

"But-"

"Let me worry about it. He's probably just having trouble at home. You know what kids are like at this age. He'll probably only be here for a few days... a week at the most. In the meantime, I'll talk to Sam down at Child Services, see what I can find out about the kid and his situation. Maybe I can go to his house, smooth things over."

Kirsten sighed. "I haven't seen Seth this worked up about anything since the first time you took him to ComicCon. I'd almost forgotten what his smile looked like."

Kirsten walked straight into the house without a look back. Her heart felt heavy and she blamed her watery eyes on the pollen in the air. Because it would be stupid to cry.

Seth was a barely containable burst of energy. Everything had worked out. Ryan was staying. A giant weight had been lifted off his chest.

He barely stepped into the pool house before he started speaking. "Good news, dude, everything's cool. You can stay here." Seth's smile faltered. "One thing, though: what's your last name? You know, in case they ask. It would probably look really weird if they asked and I didn't know. "

"Atwood." Ryan's voice was distant. He still hadn't moved.

"Atwood," Seth repeated, feeling it out. "Mine's Cohen. Just, you know, in case."

Ryan nodded.

"Are you going to unpack?"

Ryan looked down at the bag by his feet. Seth watched him.

"Later," he finally said and moved it to the side with his foot.

Taking a seat in one of the wicker chairs, Seth struggled to contain his excitement. Ryan, however, was as cool and calm as always. He scrounged up a shirt from his bag and pulled it over his head.

Five full minutes of silence were interrupted by the sound of the door opening. Seth watched as his mother came into the pool house, trailed by Rosa with fresh sheets.

His mother looked around, and if Seth wasn't mistaken, she seemed nervous. Rosa began to change the sheets. Ryan backed up so that he was almost against the wall. There was nothing calm or cool to his actions.

Instead of allowing the small space to explode from all the tension, Seth took the lead, beginning the introductions.

"Ryan, this is my mom. Mom, this is Ryan."

Clearing her throat, Kirsten stepped forward. "Welcome, Ryan. Welcome to our home. If you need anything...Rosa can help you." Rosa looked up and smiled. Ryan barely glanced her way.

Seth cringed, even he could decipher the false cheeriness in his mother's voice. It wasn't that she didn't mean those things. She did. She just didn't know how to say them and sound sincere, so she reacted with her saccharine-sweet stranger voice...otherwise known as Newpsie-speak.

Rosa, finished with remaking the bed, picked up the dirty sheets and carried them out of the pool house. Everyone watched her go, like she had been the beacon keeping them from becoming lost.

Kirsten folded her arms around her body. "Seth, can I talk to you?"

"Yeah, sure."

Seth followed his mother out of the pool house. It was odd that his parents kept pulling him to the side to talk to them. What was it about the pool house that made it so damning to talk there?

"Did you try on the suit?"

"Yeah, it was tight and the sleeves are too short."

Kirsten nodded slowly. "Okay. Tomorrow morning we'll have to go get you a new one. It's just as well. Ryan's going to need a suit, too."

"What?"

"What, did you think you were getting out of it?"

Seth could just imagine Ryan's reaction. "No, but... Mom, he's not going to want to go. Why can't we just hang out in the pool house while all the old people get drunk?"

Kirsten sighed. "This is important to your grandfather."

Seth knew that was code for 'this is important to me.' "Ryan doesn't even know grandpa."

"Seth."

"Fine." It was the least he could do after what his parents had just agreed to. That didn't make breaking the news to Ryan any easier.

Seth came back into the pool house. Ryan was sitting on the bed. He'd changed his trunks and was wearing his ripped jeans again.

Seth felt like he needed to apologize for his mother's behaviour. "She's normally not like that."

"Like what?"

Seth rolled his eyes. "All, you know, formal."

Ryan shrugged.

Tentative in his actions, Seth lowered himself onto the bed, sitting next to Ryan. "So, this is cool, right?"

"I guess."

"You don't mind wearing a suit, do you?"

Ryan quirked an eyebrow -the one with the deep scar. "A suit?"

"Yeah, my grandfather's birthday party is tomorrow. It's going to be boring. Typical Newport scene. People dress up all fancy, drink themselves silly and throw up in the flower beds. It's good fertiliser. But hey, I'm sure we can disappear once my mom gets a few glasses of wine into her."

Ryan didn't respond. Seth got the feeling he'd said the wrong thing again.