I like this chapter! It makes me happy. If you ever see Ella spelled as "Elle," it is not a mistake. READ, REVIEW, AND REQUEST!

XOXO Jules

Chapter 19:"And the people we've become"

1 WEEK LATER

"This is the last box." Ryan said sitting a final box in the living room.

Summer had very few possessions. Jimmy Cooper had given her his old furniture that he had before marrying Hailey, so the apartment was not completely empty.

Ryan refused to let Marissa carry any of the boxes. Instead she stood with Ella ordering the boys around and telling them what would look best where. Unusually Summer pulled her weight lugging huge boxes up and down the stairs of the apartment. Seth noticed a large dark scar in her middle back… fresher and larger than all of the other random small ones that now appeared over her body. What had happened to her?

"Thanks guys." Summer said wiping the sweat off of her face with the back of her hand.

Seth and Ryan exchanged glances. Ella ran out to get a box that she left in the hall. It was of stuff of her own that she would use to decorate the new apartment. Pictures for the refrigerator and so on.

"MOM!" Ella called from the hallway.

Summer ran out to Ella. She was shocked, it was the first time that Ella had addressed her as anything. Summer was not expecting Mom though.

"Look." Ella said when she was joined in the hall by Summer and her father.

"Craig." Summer said a small smile playing on her lips.

"Hey Summer." He said hugging her.

Summer smiled and became flushed.

"What are you doing here?" He asked smiling.

"Um, moving in actually." Summer said wiping a strand of hair from in front of her face.

"What a pleasant surprise." He said smiling again, hands on his hips.

Seth cleared his throat in hopes of being noticed.

"Oh, um sorry. Craig this is Seth, Ellas father. Seth, Craig."

"Hey man." Craig said giving Seth a manly handshake "I think that we know each other."

Seth raised his eyebrow.

"I am a waiter at the lighthouse." Craig said.

"Oh yeah, the new guy!" Seth said pointing at him.

"Actually… I have been working there for like a year now." Craig said.

"Oh." Seth said letting out a nervous chuckle.

"Well we're running late. Landon has a basket ball game. I'll see you around?" Craig asked Summer

"Yeah." Summer said smiling as she watched Landon and Craig retreat down the hallway.

Seth rolled his eyes as Summer followed him back into the apartment.

"Some things never change." Seth mumbled

"Excuse me?" Summer said putting Ella down who was on her hip.

"I said that SOME THINGS NEVER CHANGE!"

"What is that supposed to mean?" Summer said with her hands on her hips.

"It means you'd rather worry about your love life then your family." Seth said looking her in the eye

"Excuse you but NEVER have I put a guy in font of my daughter!" Summer yelled

Ryan picked up a wide-eyed Ella.

"Sum. We're going to head out now. Bam can stay at our place for the night."

"Alright thanks." Summer and Seth said at the same time, they stopped at the realization and then glared at one another.

Ryan, Ella, and Marissa left.

"I just don't know what you want from me Cohen!"

"I want you to be a mother to our daughter!" Seth yelled

"I am back! I spend time with Ella! I help take care of her now!"

"Well she doesn't need to see you acting like a slut around some guy!" Seth said, his hands on his head.

"I was NOT acting like a slut! I was talking to a guy! She has met him before Seth! Is it about Craig? Me being with someone else because NEWSFLASH Cohen, YOU HAVE SOMEONE TOO!"

"This is not about Craig!" Seth said

"Well then do you want to let me know what it's about because this all came from nowhere." Summer said lowering her voice.

Seth put his hands in the air.

"It doesn't matter, I- I've just got to go." Seth said hurrying out.

Seth hopped into his car barely realizing that it was raining. He switched on the radio. Wild World by Cat Stevens was on. Seth bobbed his head to the music.

Now that i've lost everything to you

You say you wanna start something new

And it's breakin' my heart you're leavin'

Baby, i'm grievin'

Seth remembered the days when he and Summer fought… He thought that that was bad… Nothing could have prepared him for what he was going through now. He always thought that his life would be better with her in it… but now that she was back it was all so confusing…

But if you wanna leave, take good care

Hope you have a lot of nice things to wear

But then a lot of nice things turn bad out there

When Summer left, before Seth knew that he had Ella, he was confused. Why would she leave him… but he accepted it. Maybe there was something that she was looking for that Newport wasn't giving her. Only hoped at the time that it had nothing to do with him… He wanted to believe that Summer had run to something better… and yet now six years later he had no idea where it was she went, what she did… who she was with.

Oh, baby, baby, it's a wild world

It's hard to get by just upon a smile

Oh, baby, baby, it's a wild world

I'll always remember you like a child, girl

He had to wonder what she had endured while she was gone. Sure, Summer had been exposed to more than it seemed, but nobody knew everything… When she came back there was the scar… the scar on her back… it only left Seth to wonder even further what had happened… it only caused him to worry more.

You know i've seen a lot of what the world can do

And it's breakin' my heart in two

Because i never wanna see you a sad, girl

Don't be a bad girl

Seth used to rock Ella to sleep at night, staring out of the window. What did she have to do to get by? Where was Summer sleeping. Had she eaten? Did she have food? Was she alone? Was she sad, happy, mad? Would she ever come back for their daughter? Did she still love him? After awhile though if she loved him didn't seem to matter. He just wanted to know that she was safe.

But if you wanna leave, take good care

Hope you make a lot of nice friends out there

But just remember there's a lot of bad and beware

He could remember the days that on a warm Summer night he and Ella would lay on the beach talking about life, even though Ella was too young to remember. He told her things about Summer, whole heartedly hoping that they were true.

"Your mommy misses you a lot…" He would begin. "She loves you. How could she not? Your daddy's special girl. You mommy had the most amazing eyes. You can look into them and see the world. Every feeling, emotion… Just like yours Elle. You will meet her one day… One day." He would finish.

Seth said the same thing over and over again every night to Ella, right after she had fallen asleep…

Suddenly Seth saw headlights coming towards him and slammed on the brakes. The next thing he remembered was the sound of tearing metal, and shattering glass… and then everything went black.

TO BE CONTINUED…

Cliff hanger!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

XOXO Jules