Back to the Old Me

Chapter 8

AN: I own nothing as usual!

R&R, and that following is based on my own ideas for next season, not spoilers. I live as spoiler free as possible until November 4th.

The song is "Home" by Switchfoot

I LOVE everyone who reviewed

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It's a long way from Miami to LA

It's a longer way from yesterday to where I am today

It's a long way from my thoughts to what I'll say

It's a long, long way from paradise to where I am today

There are some moments that pass in the blink of an eye. And if you even attempted to remember them, you mind would only recall the blur of action and vague details of motion. These are the moments people wish to remember, things they wish they could preserve in their mind for all eternity. Like the snapshots framed on the mantle, easy to retrieve and revisit that time of joy without hesitation.

Other moments drag on for aeons, impressing their own breed of fear, discontent, horror, malice, hatred, or rage upon us with an unforgiving harshness that is unrelenting. These are the moments that haunt us in sleep, in solitude, and grip us with fear and sadness to feel as if we have never felt before in our lives.

Thus is the moment that gripped onto Summer relentlessly that early October morning, the morning she had to tell the boy she had lost and now regained that his mother and grandfather had been arrested. That they might go to jail, that their money might be gone. And it scared her.

I did not scare her to think that Seth wouldn't have money, that didn't matter to the new Summer. What mattered was that Seth might lose his mother, and if Seth lost his mother, he would lose his father, and that meant that Summer would lose Seth, again.

"Sum?"

After a pause, Summer's reverie was broken by the concerned, and not fully inebriated voice of Marissa Cooper.

"I'm still here, Coop."

"Sandy went down to the station to try and bail them out. I told him I'd get a hold of Seth; his cell is off and he's not at home. Is he with you, Sum?"

After a full minute of silence on the line Marissa called Summer again, "Summer?"

Looking away from Seth as he ate his cereal like a three year old, with milk dribbling down his chin and eyes fully focused on the fun maze on the back of the box, Summer found her voice and answered, "yeah he's here."

"Okay, umm...Sandy said to meet here, his house, in like an hour. I guess we'll figure everything else out then."

Answered only by the click of the phone, Marissa had no choice but to hang up.

Summer looked at Seth, could she be the one to tell him? Break his heart like he had hers?

All that's in my head

Is in your hands

The old Summer would have done it in a heartbeat. The old Summer would have walked over to him and told him he would never see his mother again.

But not this Summer.

Walking over to the counter, Summer began replacing the old filter and grounds in the coffee maker and started the machine. Unfortunately for her, as she swung herself up to sit on the counter, Seth noticed that her hands were shaking and that she couldn't look him in the eyes.

"Summer? What's going on?" He asked as he rose from the stool, and walked to stand between her legs that were swinging from side to side as she perched on the counter top.

"Nothing, Cohen" she replied as she looked at her hands

Knowing that she was lying, Seth moved in closer to her and nudged her chin up so that she was looking in his eyes, and placing his hands on her hips, he asked her again, "Summer?"

Guilt. Summer felt guilty. She couldn't lie to him. Or could she? Would he still love her if she lied to him to spare him pain? Looking into his concerned brown eyes, Summer saw his trust and knew that if she didn't tell him soon, she would lose his trust and that was the last thing she ever wanted to do.

Realizing that she couldn't put off telling him any longer, Summer gathered her courage and looked into his eyes. She saw love there, no doubt. But, she worried that maybe after she told him the news, that his love for her would run out that he would see everything that is wrong with her and leave her alone.

"Seth, ummm . . . this is hard to say," she paused to breathe, and looked at Seth once more.

It's a long way from the moon up to the sun

It's a longer road ahead of me, the road that I've begun

Stop to think of all the time I've lost

Start to think of all the bridges that I've burned that must be crossed

What she saw amazed her, she could literally feel his love for her pouring from his gaze; she could feel the trust, and admiration he felt for her just from the light pressure he applied on her side, and the gentleness of his touch as he stroked from her forehead to the ends of her raven colored hair. And she knew that no matter what happened outside of their relationship, what they felt for each other would always be there. And breathing in one more time, she told him what Marissa had called to tell him.

"Coop called. And umm...yourmomandCaleb,Imeanyourgrandpa,werearrested." She blurted, hoping that the faster she said it, the less painful and shocking it would be for Seth to hear.

Silence, painful slow silence, followed her admission and it was then that the world stopped for Seth Cohen.

Over, over, over

take me over

He experienced his agonizing moment, where mere seconds stretched on like lifetimes before his eyes. Where every torturous moment he had every known seemed insignificant compared to this moment.

"What?!?!" Seth finally managed to whisper

As his hands started to grip her a little tighter, Summer realized that he had heard her, that he knew what she said, and Cohen wasn't ready to accept it just yet.

I've been poison

I've been rain

I've been fooled again

I've seen ashes

Shine like chrome

Someday I'll see home

home, home

"She said that your dad wants everyone to meet at your house in an hour," and after reaching for his face, "God, Cohen, I'm sorry."

Pulling him into her arms, Summer grasps Seth tightly in her arms, hoping that by holding him, she can absorb some of the pain that she fears consumes him.

Running her fingers through his hair, and placing soft kisses on his forehead, she hears him respond to her, "thank you"

"Oh, Cohen, you don't have to...lets go change, and then we can leave" She says as she moves down from the cool marble counter top to stand next to Seth. Rubbing small circles on his back as they leave the kitchen until he reaches for her hand.

Hands and arms intertwined, the duo moved from the kitchen. Both, with heads bend forward and silent. Summer, aware of Seth's sadness, says nothing until he bends down to kiss her.

Softly his lips meet hers in a kiss of gratitude for her compassion, and as their foreheads meet, they feel connected in a way they never have before.

Her thumb presses over his brow line and her hand moves to cup his cheek. Searching her eyes, he saw her. The real her, and knew that he's found her; his Summer. And that everything will be alright.

I can see the stars from way down here

But I can't fall asleep behind the wheel

It's a long way from the shadows in my cave

Up to your reality to watch the sunlight taking

over, over, taking over

take me over

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Yay! Another chapter done! Please review!!!