Disclaimer: Once again, I sadly own nothing.
Summary: Seth and Summer both have second thoughts on their wedding day. SS Three-parter.
Author's Note: Wow. I'm actually not doing a one-shot. This story is a three-parter, with the first part Seth and Ryan, the second Marissa and Summer, and lastly, the wedding. Enjoy.
"A warning sign
It came back to haunt me, and I realized
That you were an island and I passed you by
And you were an island to discover"
It wasn't that he was scared. No, no. That wasn't the reason at all. If anything, Seth Cohen felt as if he could stare down Fear right in the face. He didn't feel fear. Not at all.
What he did feel was uncertainty. Was this the best thing to do? Was he making a good choice? He was twenty-three years old. With the hit of Atomic County just in his junior year of high school, he successfully managed the comic book in his latter years, striving off of its success and earning a good living for himself. If anything were to fail, Seth made it sufficient to hold several back-up plans; many more comic book pitches, various plans to maintain his wealth status.
'At least I know we'll be financially secured,' he thought shamelessly. Picking up his leather-crafted dress shoes, Seth sighed as he sat upon his hotel bed. His thoughts, all jumbled into one ball, raged in his head, bouncing themselves off the corners of his brain, enticing thoughts of "what ifs" and "what nows".
Ryan came bouncing into the hotel room, a grin plastered on his face, his attire crisp and clean and perfect for the upcoming event. He hardly noticed his brother's distraught aura.
"Hey, man. You ready yet? The wedding's gonna take place in, like, thirty minutes." Seth stared up at him from his place on the bed, his eyes shot with confusion and a feeling of dread.
Okay, so maybe he was feeling fear. Just a little bit.
Ryan noticed the uncertainty radiating from Seth's face and his bright smile slowly dissolved into one of puzzlement. He sat down next to Seth, who brought back his attention to the shoelaces he was previously tying.
"Are you okay?" Ryan asked. He placed a comforting hand on Seth's shoulder and was only met with an answer of silence.
'This is so unlike Seth. I thought he would be bouncing around this place like Goofy on crack. Not like this…
The silence was shattered, however, when Seth shakily spoke, "Am I making the right decision, Ryan?"
Ryan looked at his brother, eyebrows knitted. "What makes you think you are?" Seth shook his head, a quiet sigh escaping his lips. He looked back at Ryan.
"I don't know; it's just…This is my future, you know? Right now, I'm giving up my whole life to share with another person. And, I don't know, what if things go wrong later on? What'll happen then? I mean, I don't expect you to know all the answers, but will you help me out, buddy? I just wanna know if I'm making the right choice."
Ryan bit back a smile. Seth was feeling the worse case of cold feet, something so natural for grooms-to-be.
"And what are you smiling about, Mr. Atwood?"
Ryan smiled. "Okay, Seth. Do you even hear yourself? You sound like every other groom-to-be on his wedding day. You know," his voice went into a fervent squeak as he tried to imitate other men, "'I'm so scared, blah blah blah, what if my life goes wrong, blah blah'"
Seth wrinkled his nose in obvious disgust. "Okay, imitation is definitely not your forte." Ryan's reassurance made his lips quirk in a small smile.
Ryan's bright smile slowly died and he placed his hand on Seth's back once again. "Look, Seth. I've known you for so many years, and I know you. You always have this way of making a choice, and although you may think it had sucked, it always resurfaces to be the best thing for you. You made outrageous choices, like leaving on your boat because I had left. And, let's be honest, you were in a total state of crap when you returned. For one, you had no Summer, who had a new boyfriend. And two, your parents totally kicked your ass when you came home."
Seth smiled in remembrance. "Yeah, I know. After all the hugging and 'Welcome back, son!', they totally banned me for the PS2 for, like, a month. It was the hardest month. Ever."
Ryan laughed, a big laugh echoing from his belly. "I know! I had the best time shoving my PS2 privileges in your face. I have to say, that was the best month of my life." Seth snorted in laughter and hit his brother on the shoulder.
His brother continued, "And look where you are now. You totally grew up for that experience. In all seriousness, like I said, I've known you for years. And I know how you are. I mean, you've been so obsessed with this girl, since you were ten. And I knew you loved her the second I saw your eyes light up at that fashion show. Obsessed or not obsessed, you were head over heels."
Seth's eyes glistened in memory. "She looked so beautiful that night, even if then she was major uber-bitch to me. But damn, I thought that was so hot."
Ryan smirked. "And when you guys finally did go out, you bickered. You bantered. You guys gave Marissa and me the biggest headaches, like ever. And you guys were so on-and-off, that we never knew if particular moments were the official The Off or not. But behind all those petty fights, you guys made it."
Seth nodded, his fingers playing at the laces on his shoes. He looked at Ryan, the confusion in his eyes slowly drifting away.
"And I never saw you so happy when you were with her. She made the best out of you. Before she came along, I mean, I was your only friend. And then you had her. And I never saw you glow so much. Even when you were complaining to me about 'Oh, she said this' and 'She said that', your eyes just sparkled. Because you loved her so much."
In reassurance, Ryan gave a curt nod to Seth and began to stand up. "You may have your fears right now, but it's natural. You're never gonna get another girl like that. Seth, she's your other half. You two may give me huge headaches sometime, but I know she makes you happy. And that's what makes me take it all in stride. You'll do fine."
Seth nodded as Ryan began to exit through the door. He really did love her, with all his heart. He remembered all the times his pulse raced when she entered a room, every time he laughed when she attempted to mock him. He remembered when she wiped his tears in movies, and the way she kissed him.
He remembered the way she loved him, and smiled when he remembered that she still loved him. "I'll never stop," she declared.
With a smile, he stood up and walked out of the door, ready to face his future.
