The Right Thing

Summary- What is the right thing?.

Disclaimer- I'm not feeling particulary witty today, so usual one applies.

A/N-This WAS supposed to be up a few days ago, but my hard drive was having problems, next day, modem wasn't working, and than that problem at and also, this chapter was kind of hard to write. But I hope you like it. Thanks for such awesome reviews, and sorry if the last chapter wasn't all that 'intense'. I'm ending this fic soon, in a few chapters probably, but I hope you like these last few chapters. Enjoy...

On with the story...

Dawn sighed again for the millionth time, and was oblivious to the glares Sandy was sending her. Kirsten sat in one of the chairs next to her husbsnd, legs crossed, and back straight up, trying to make herself look presentable, as though she already wasn't. Sandy was slouched over, legs also crossed, and sending glances at Dawn whenever she sighed. Dawn had her face cupped into her hands, elbows resting on her knees, looking like a bored little kid.

Ryan was leaned back into the couch; comfortably, and his head resting back on Marissa's arm which was around him. No one had said anything...and an akward silence filled the space around them.

Seth and Summer were sitting on the stairs, no one noticing them, but they heard the whole conversation before. Suprisingly, they were both being quiet and not making any remarks.

Ryan slowly lifted his head from Marissa's arm and everyone jolted their heads toward Ryan; waiting for his response, or at least for him to say something, but he didn't. He opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came out, so he just left it open.

Dawn was getting fed up. "Come on kid, you were never shy before, what happened to 'ya?"

Marissa gulped as she saw the hurt in Ryan's eyes as he quickly looked down.

Another look was thrown at Dawn, but this time by Kirsten. "Look, we have an empty room, you can stay in there, just for the night," Kirsten offered.

Dawn threw an almost disguisted look towards Kirsten's way, "No, thanks! I don't need your pity!" she retorted.

Kirsten breathed in a heavy sigh and gained composure as she quickly responded, "It wasn't a pity offer, it was..." she started but was interupted by Sandy.

Sandy got up and slapped his knee in the process as he did so, and put his hands on his hips. "It was an offer, an offer, okay?" he explained. Dawn got up as well, "I'm well aware it was an offer, but like I said before, we don't need your pity, we've been doing pretty well so far, right Ry?, Dawn looked to Ryan for support. He shamelessy nodded his head, which was still down. "See!" Dawn stated proudly.

"Now, I appreciate everything you've done for Ryan, but I really think we've got to be going," and with that she went over to Ryan and knelt down in front of him. "Are we going home?" she asked in a childlike voice. Ryan's head was still down, but he tilted his head up and looked his mother in the eye. He shrugged his shoulders slightly which Dawn noticed. She was about to explode with anger, but than thought it wouldn't be very motherly.

With another deep breath, she stood up, wobbling and moving uneasily from foot to foot. "Why not?" she asked, her voice trembling.

Ryan got up and the rest of them took this as their cue to get up as well. Dawn put a huge smile on her face, "You're coming home?" she asked.

"How do I know you won't do it again?" Ryan asked, ignoring her last question.

"I've changed, seriously Ry, I have, and I promise, no more, okay?"

"You said the exact same thing when Dad got locked up and we had to move from Fresno"

"But time changes things..." she started.

"I know!" Ryan snapped.

"You have to trust me okay kid, just trust me," she said softly as she lightly touched his cheek and wiped invsible tears.

"Promise?" he whispered.

Dawn closed her eyes and took a deep breath, but instead of saying yes, she cracked him a weak smile and nodded lightly. Ryan was hoping for her to comfirm it, but she didn't and he hoped what she did was good enough. "Okay," he said sadly. As soon as he said those words, he felt Marissa step back a little and completely loosen her grip on his hands and he felt a distance between them. He looked over to Sandy and Kirsten who had solemn looks on their faces but the put fake smiles on when they saw Ryan look over to them.

"Go get your stuff and thank the Cohens," Dawn told him. Ryan obediently nodded and went over to Sandy and Kirsten.

"Um...you guys, this week has been..." he trailed off, hoping they would understand that this had been one of the best weeks of his life.

"For us too," Kirsten caught on, as she gave him a warm smile. Ryan returned the smile and saw Sandy's arms open for him and hugged him tightly. "Thank you," he whispered. They patted each other's back and broke away. He looked at Kirsten, "Oh, Kirsten's not a hugger," Sandy explained with a smile.

Kirsten laughed, "I think just this once I can make an explanation", and opened her arms. Ryan smiled and hugged her as well, and told her thank you too. He turned his back to them and turned his attention to Marissa who looked like she was about to cry. "I'm gonna go get my stuff," he said, more to Marissa than anyone else.

Marissa saw that he was looking at her, and nodded sadly and walked over to him and took his hand and without words, led him to the pool house.

Once safely inside the pool house, Ryan gently pinned her to the wall closest to the door and planted a kiss on her lips. "I'm sorry," he quietly whispered as he broke the kiss and rested his forehead against hers.

"Don't be," she told him as she brought a finger to his lips and played with the bottom one.

"I am..." he started again.

"You have a lot of things to work out with your Mom, and I can't be selfish and keep you here," she cut him off.

"I know but..."

"Ryan? It's okay, this is the right thing, maybe when everything is worked out, maybe you can come back," she told him with a weak smile.

"I will," he assured her.

"I'll be waiting," Marissa said as she closed her eyes to blink back the tears. Ryan went in for another kiss and Marissa accepted and pushed their lips even closer together. Once the kiss was broken, they rested their heads together again and Ryan spoke first. "Hey," he said softly.

"Mmm," Marissa answered, eyes still closed.

"I love you."

She opened her eyes and smiled at him, "I love you too." Before she got all weepy again, Marissa pushed him off of her, and looked at him, and noticed his choker, and than realized something. "Come with me," she told him.

Ryan looked surprised, "Come where?" he asked.

"Just come with me, to my house, I have to give you something."

"No, no, it's okay," Ryan protested.

"Please?" Marissa pleaded. Ryan nodded and Marissa took his arm and dragged her to the trellis outside of her window. Ryan looked confused. "Just wait one sec," Marissa ordered him and Ryan nodded again. She quickly climbed up the trellis.

She had gone up and down that trellis this past week more than she had ever in her life.

Once inside, she searched through a few small jewelery boxes she had and finally found what she was looking for. She climbed down quickly and spotted Ryan against the the wall of the house, staring off into the distance. "Hey," she interupted him out of his thoughts. Ryan looked at Marissa and offered her a smile, "Hey," he repeated.

He walked over to her as she smiled at him. "Okay," she started out, "I'm gonna put this on you, now don't laugh," she warned him. "I won't," he assured her with a smile. Marissa held out her wrist and took of one of the three bracelets she was wearing and put it on Ryan's wrist. He examined the round blue beads carefully and the tiny red heart bead in the middle of all the rest of the blue beads. "It's those bracelets we found that day," he remembered. Marissa nodded her head proudly, "I still had them, and I wanted you to have one," she explained as she felt the tears escaping her, but continued anyways, "I want you to have one so you don't forget about me..."

"I never will," Ryan interupted.

"I just wanted you to remember me when you look at the bracelet," she explained as she collapsed into Ryan's arms and she started crying. "Shh," Ryan whispered into her hair as he stroked it, "It's gonna be okay, I promise," he finally finished. Marissa wiped the tears from her eyes and looked at him. "You promise?" she asked, putting a hand on either side of his face and resting their foreheads against each other. "I promise," he reassured her.

"I love you so much," she told him bringing him into a kiss as a few tears escaped her while they continued to kiss. Ryan put his arms around her waist, holding her up. As the kiss ended; because they were running out of breath, Ryan wanted to cry out as well, but he just couldn't, he didn't feel the tears coming to him, and he knew why, what he was doing was not the right thing. He lifted his head and planted a kiss on Marissa's forehead. "I love you too." She pulled him into a tight hug, and she knew she had to let go as much as she didn't want to.

"I better go get my stuff," he said sadly, his head pointing towards the pool house. Marissa took his hand and they went to the pool house.

&&&&

Dawn was waiting impatiently for Ryan on the steps of the froyer, tapping her foot on the steps, and watched Sandy roll his eyes towards her direction a few times, when Ryan finally came in. "Finally!" she exclaimed, throwing her hands in the air.

Than right there, Kirsten knew this was a bad idea, and it wasn't the right thing to do.

She walked over to Ryan and grabbed his shoulders, "Be careful!" she told him. Ryan nodded his head and looked towards the door, where Dawn was standing in the doorway, looking almost hurt by Kirsten's comment. "I will," he told her softly. She nodded and and took her hands off his shoulders and walked back to Sandy, almost teary eyed.

Ryan stood there akwardly, and Marissa went up to him and hugged him tightly once again. "I'm gonna miss you so much", he whispered in her hair. "Me too," she whispered back silently. Dawn rudely cleared her throat, "Come on," she said more softer.

Marissa finally pulled back and Ryan turned his attention to his guardians, "Um...tell Seth bye, and thanks, for everything," he told them. Sandy nodded his head, "We will." Ryan nodded back before closing his eyes and letting go of Marissa's hand. "Bye," he whispered.

The cab outside honked it's horn, signaling to hurry up. The noise startled everyone and Dawn got more frustrated, "Hurry up!" she almost shouted.

"Calm down," Kirsten warned.

Dawn glared at her before speaking up, "Don't tell me how to raise my kid."

Kirsten moved up a little, "I'm not! I'm telling you to calm down before you scare him off."

Dawn scoffed, "Scare who off?"

"Ryan!"

"Look, thanks for all your parenting tips, but now is not the time! The cab has been waiting for our asses for 10 minutes, now hurry up!" Dawn ordered, and took Ryan by hand, grabbing his bracelet as well. Ryan winced from the little pain when she pinched his skin, and abruptly pulled his hand backed. Dawn was furious now. "Come on!" she demanded.

Kirsten had seen just about enough. "No!" she announced, "You're not going anywhere!" Ryan turned around and faced her, eyebrows raised.

"What did you say?" an angry Dawn aked.

Kirsten took in another breath, "I can't let you do this, to his life! He's only a kid!"

Dawn started to walk towards Kirsten, expecting her to move back, but Kirsten stood there, hands corssed and a stern look on her face. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means..." she trailed off, looking for the right words. "It means I don't want to live you," Ryan cut in.

Marissa looked at Ryan through her teary eyes, surprised. "So what are you gonna do? Live with these people?" Dawn asked, and evil smirk on her face.

Ryan decided it was stupid what he said, and a part of him regreted it.

The other part?

The other part wished he was anywhere else but here, he wished he was back a week ago, at that cheap hotel with Marissa in his arms. "Yes," Sandy cut in.

Kirsten looked back, surprised. Sandy looked back at her, and walked up to Ryan. "We haven't discussed it, but..." he looked at Kirsten, who showed no sign of regret of his words, "If you would like to stay here."

"Like a vacation?" Ryan asked.

Kirsten chuckled and went up to both of them, "No, like living here", she confirmed with a smile. Ryan looked shocked and surprised. "Seth!", Sandy ordered, "Come out out here". Seth quickly got up from the stairs and joined his parents, trying to keep a smile in. Summer followed behind and stood next to the also very surprised Marissa.

Dawn moved in a little and waved the cabbie off. "You want him?" she asked. Ryan felt like a piece of meat being sold a soup kitchen.

"We want him...part of our family," Kirsten added.

Dawn shook her head. "I'm not gonna protest," she said, surrendering her hands. "I'm not, I know I can't win, and I know he deserves the best, and I can't give him that," she announced. "All I want to know is...is this what you want?" she asked, running a hand through Ryan's sandy colored hair. Ryan looked around the room; locking eyes with Marissa briefly, than turned to his Mother. He shrugged, "Yeah," he nodded. You could see the hurt in Dawn's face, as much as she tried not to let it show.

"We'd be glad to have you," Sandy added.

"Yeah man!" Seth spoke. Ryan rubbed the back of his head, much as he did when he was always nervous or in an akward position; as Marissa had noticed from past experience.

"You be good to him," she told them, which scared them a bit, since it sounded like a threat. "He deserves it," she added, and scruffed up his hair a bit, which made him squint his face.

Marissa silently laughed at his facial expression and uncrossed her arms,wiping away the old tears from her sticky face.

Sandy and Kirsten nodded their heads, and they saw that they yellow cab was back outside. Dawn looked outside as well, and turned back to them. "I'm gonna go, before he takes off again," she explained, slinging her black purse over her shoulder.

She couldn't take it anymore, being in that house, feeling all that happiness, and knowing her own flesh and blood wasn't happy with her, but someone else, she knew she had failed; she knew she had failed a long time ago, and now she knew that at least he was happy. "Bye," she whispered, and with one last wave she closed the front door and got in the cab.

"Um...thanks," Ryan told them with a sweet smile.

"It was no problem," Kirsten said, and pulled him in for another hug. Ryan locked eyes with Marissa and she smiled at him and he smiled back. Ryan and Seth did the brotherly, one arm man hug thing. "Welcome to the family bro." Seth told him with a smile. "Thanks."

All of a sudden, Seth got very surprised. "Hey Summer! You wanna meet my brother, here he is," he announced quite dramatically. Summer playfully rolled her eyes at him, "Hey Ryan," she said with a smile and a small wave. Ryan returned the gesture, and looked at Marissa, almost shyly.

"Kirsten, why don't we go call for dinner?" Sandy asked, getting the verbal hint from both Ryan and Marissa.

"Yeah, you know what, me and Summer will help you," Seth caught on as well and grabbed Summer's arm and led her into the kitchen. Sandy patted Ryan's back and also led Kirsten to the kitchen.

"So looks like I'm staying." Ryan stated with a grin, once they were out of the room.

"Yeah, looks like you are," Marissa said, walking over to him and hugging him again. "I'm glad."

"Me too," and brought his face to meet hers, as their lips connected. He felt the bracelet move up, and how the string was rubbing against his arm hair. "Do you...want your brace...bracelet back?" he asked in between kisses.

"No, keep it, so you'll think of me," she told him.

"I always think of you," he said sweetly.

Marissa grinned before playfully adding, "Then you know what? I think I would like it back." Ryan took of the blue beaded bracelet and put it on her wrist with the other two bracelets. "I'm so happy you're staying," she stated, feeling tears of joy coming on.

"Me too," he replied and leaned in for another kiss. They continued to kiss and held each other tightly. For once, what had been the right thing, had been what Ryan wanted to do.

A/N-Ryan's staying! Yay! Dawn's not a heartless beast! Yay! So...next chapter should be out sooner. Thanks for reading, and hoped you enjoyed it. Oh, and Alex, did you see that, I added the bracelets in there. lol.