Disclaimer: Don't own anything.

Note: There is some fluff in this chapter, and they'll be more coming soon. I won't be able to update as quickly because school is starting again, but I'll do my best. Thank you so much for the reviews, and a special thanks to Ally. You guys rock. :-)

Later that morning, the planning of the New Year's Eve party was in full swing. Kirsten and Hailey had gone shopping for something to wear, Sandy was tying up loose ends with Caleb's case, Seth was at the bait shop inviting Alex to the party and Luke went home to spend time with his mom and brothers.

Ryan stood in the shower, lost in thought as the hot water poured down his body. Lindsay. Lindsay, Lindsay, Lindsay, Lindsay, Lindsay. He couldn't get his mind off her and it was driving him crazy. He decided he had to see her. He quickly put on pants and was putting a shirt on, but then he changed his mind again. Throwing the shirt back on the floor, he fell onto his bed in frustration, hands covering his face.

Lindsay stood outside the pool house, debating about whether or not she should go in. When she saw him lying on the bed in only jeans and a wifebeater, his chest and stomach muscles moving up and down as he breathed in and out deeply, she decided that sometimes, God does give with both hands. In Ryan's case, God had given very generously with both hands.

She walked into the room as quietly as she could. The stereo was playing, so she managed to get over to him before he heard her. She reached down to lift his hands off his face, and when he looked at her, he looked confused for a second.

"Lindsay," he said dreamily. He mentally kicked himself. He'd never acted shy or goofy around a girl before, why was he starting to now?

He stood up, placing a gentle hand on her cheek, brushing her hair back from her face. The look in his eyes chased all coherent thoughts from her mind, but she managed to recite what she'd rehearsed in her mind all day. "I just wanted to say thanks."

His gaze remained steady but he dropped his hand and took a step back to sit down on the bed, gesturing for her to sit beside him. "For what?"

She sat down, tucking one leg underneath her. "Chrismukkah. For inviting me, for the helping with the Cohens, for being such a good friend, everything."

He smiled, but couldn't help but dwell on her saying he was a good friend. "I had some help. You've got a family that really cares about you."

"Yeah. I guess I do," she stated, as she studied him, trying to get a clue as to what he was thinking. "This is so weird. A month ago you were just my lab partner."

Ryan's questioning eyes hesitantly met hers. "What am I now?"

Her hands were shaking and her voice equally displayed her nervousness. "I don't know," she replied.

His heart fell a little bit, but he reached out and placed a hand on hers, trying to calm her down. "I know you've got a lot on your mind right now. How about we just give it some time?"

She nodded, tears filling her eyes.

He placed his arm around her shoulders and leaned towards her, and pushing her chin up so her eyes met his."And in the meantime, I'm here -as a friend- if you ever want to talk or anything." He'd said friend, but his arm felt more tingly than friendly to her.

"Thanks Ryan." He gave her a half smile, and pulled her towards him, wrapping his arms around her in a firm hug. She rested her head on his chest and listened to the pounding of his heart. The sound lulled her into a relaxed state that she had desperately needed for the past week. She closed her eyes, relaxing against him as he gently traced circles on her back. He kissed the top of her head so lightly that she wasn't sure if she'd imagined it or not. Neither of them wanted the moment to end.

After Kirsten and Hailey had selected their outfits for New Years Eve, they sat in the Cohens' kitchen making a guest list.

"Do we have to invite Julie Cooper?" Hailey whined, despite the fact that she already knew the answer.

"If you want Dad there, we do." To Kirsten, the idea of not having to see Caleb was actually pretty good, but she wasn't going to say anything to Hailey about what he'd done. He was going to have to tell Hailey himself and deal with whatever reaction she gave him.

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but I've really missed Dad."

Kirsten was surprised by the sincere tone in her sister's voice. "When do you think you'll be able to move back?"

"I really have no idea. It'll probably be at least five years before the company has the money."

"How much do you need?"

"Kirsten, I have to do this on my own. I can't be taking money from you, or Dad, or Jimmy."

"Please just think about it, Hailey. I've really missed having my sister here. I know you want to do things on your own, and I'm so proud of you, but promise me you'll at least consider letting us loan you the money so you can come home."

Hailey sighed, knowing she wasn't going to win this. "Okay, I'll think about it."

"Thanks. Does Jimmy know you're here yet?"

"No. I haven't talked to him since I left. Is he...um...seeing anyone?" She tried to sound casual, but Kirsten knew better.

"I don't think so. You should go talk to him."

"Maybe. I was thinking about surprising him, but it'd probably be a good idea for us to talk."

"Why don't you go invite him and I'll make the rest of the phone calls."

When Marissa got home, she found a note from her mother saying she was at the gym and then going out with her friends for the evening. Caleb was gone, but that was standard. She wandered into the kitchen and made herself a sandwich. After eating half of it, she felt full. She took two more bites, before putting her plate in the sink.

She checked her phone and saw that DJ had tried to call her the night before, eleven times. She was a little bit freaked out by his behavior. He'd always been a little possessive and she liked that someone cared enough to pay attention, but this was getting weird.

Right now, she was tired of worrying about it. She decided to go see her dad, and just pretend she'd never seen him with her mom that morning. She'd confront him about it later, but for now, she just wanted to hear him call her Kiddo, and to feel the security of his arms wrapped around her.

Jimmy lied down on his bed reading Dr. Phil's Life Strategies. He'd read so many self-help books that they were starting to all sound the same. They made sense, but that didn't mean he would follow the advice they provided. It seemed useless to try, but he reminded himself of his daughters. If he was a wreck how could he be a good father to them?

Prior to his affair with Julie, he'd missed Hailey to the point where it was almost physically painful. He blamed his loneliness and lack of direction for his life for his affair with Julie. Now that it was over, he found that he missed Hailey more than ever. When he heard her voice, calling his name, he thought he was imagining it until she made her way to the bedroom and smiled at him.

"Hailey. You're here. That's fantastic!"

"Yeah, I just came back to visit." She told him about Japan, and how she was hoping to move home.

Jimmy thought carefully. He didn't want to scare her off, but he couldn't stand the idea of losing her. "I know that the last time we talked, I was a little rash, but the offer's still on the table."

Hailey considered this, and after looking into his eager eyes, she knew it was the right thing to do. "Yes."

"Yes?"

She smiled widely and nodded. "Yes."

Fantastic.

Marissa was listening from the pier, and she recognized Hailey's voice but couldn't tell what she was saying. Was she visiting, or was she back for good? If she was staying, Marissa would be glad that her dad was getting back together with her, but if she was just going back to Japan, he'd be heartbroken all over again. Maybe. Just that morning, he'd been with her mom, so maybe he was still heartbroken about that. Maybe he didn't care about any of it. It was all so much. Caitlin was still off at boarding school and lately, Caleb seemed to be spinning out of control, and she realized there wasn't a single stable thing in her life.

Ryan sat in the Cohen's living room, intently watching the newest episode of The Valley. Seth laughed softly to himself. The brooding bad boy is watching a cheesy soap opera. "Hey man, could we, uh, talk? I need your help."

Ryan reluctantly switched off the TV and turned to face Seth. "Alex or Summer?"

"Summer," Seth replied, briefly pondering how many talks they'd begun like this.

"What, do you like her again?" Seth only stared and Ryan got the message loud and clear. "Okay, nothing new there. What's going on?"

"Zach said he thinks she's still in love with me."

Ryan nodded, showing no signs of surprise at Seth's revelation. Seth sat impatiently, waiting for Ryan to say something, but he didn't know what to say. "Yeah…"

"So she's still in love with me Ryan! But she's with Zach, and I can't break the man code, plus I'm with Alex. What do I do?"

"Okay Seth, first of all, slow down. You don't know for a fact that she's still in love with you. That's just what Zach suspects." Zach and everyone else in the world.

"Right, but what if she is?"

"I don't know. You tell me." Seth pouted and shrugged. "Do you still love her?"

His face turned serious, and he lowered his voice. "She was my first…my first everything. Of course I do."

"Okay, but do you love her in the same way that you used to, or is it more of a 'I'll always treasure what we had,' kind of thing?"

Seth thought for several moments before answering. "Neither. It's more like 'I've loved you my whole life and I can't believe I did something so stupid to lose you, but if there was any humanly possible way for me to make it up to you I would. Since I can't, I'll settle for the next best thing.'"

"The next best thing being Alex?"

"Or Summer's friendship. Both, I guess."

"Oh buddy, you're in deep."

"Come on, pick up the phone," DJ mumbled as he listened to the dull rings.

Marissa felt her phone buzzing in her purse once again, and this time, she answered it. Her dad had just had affair with her mom. Her step-father wasn't going to jail, but he was fighting with her mother all the time. Her dad's girlfriend was back and that would surely cause tension between her parents. Her sister was still off at boarding school and on top of it all, her body was giving her a harsh reminder of the means by which she had been trying find a sense of control in her life for the past few weeks. She needed some kind of comfort and right now, and just like last summer, he was there. "Hello?"

"Marissa! Where have you been? I've been trying to call you-"

"I know, sorry about that. I was at Summer's and I didn't have my phone with me." When he remained silent she decided a little fib wouldn't hurt. "I was just about to call you back. What's up?"

"I was just seeing if you wanted to do something tonight."

"What did you have in mind?" she asked, her voice holding a knowing tone.

"If you want, we could go out to dinner and a movie or something, or-"

She smiled into the phone. "Stay in. My house at 8?"

"What about your mom?"

"She's out for the night."

DJ smiled into the phone. "See you then."

Marissa drove back to her house, thankful that DJ would be there soon so it wouldn't be so quiet. She felt numb and she needed something, anything, to distract her. She put on the lingerie set that he'd given her for Christmas, along with an outfit that she knew he loved.

The doorbell rang and with one last look in the mirror, she headed downstairs to greet him. Hopefully Caleb won't be back anytime soon.