A/N Thanks for all the reviews, since I did come home hung over and broke they were especially meaningful! I can assure you my sister's 21 bday way celebrated in style. I can't believe it's only Tuesday, it is going to be a very long week. Thank god for FanFic and reviews!

Ryan laid on his bed reading a book. Lately he had been doing a lot of reading. Ever since he found out that the girl he like was actually his aunt. Now that Seth spent most of his time at the club with Alex they didn't have a whole lot of time to hangout. He had just begun a new chapter when his cell phone rang. He saw that it was Marissa calling and given the fact that it was almost midnight, he knew that something was probably wrong. Especially since he and Marissa really didn't talk anymore. Ryan didn't really talk to anyone much anymore, he just hung out in the pool house and studied.

"Hello," Ryan said sleepily after flipping open his phone. "Oh God Ryan, I'm so glad you answered "Marissa said breathlessly. "I'm with Summer and Zach just beat the shit out of her. She doesn't want to call the police or go to the hospital, so I am going to take her home, but I don't really know what to do." Marissa had Ryan's full attention now. "How badly is she hurt," Ryan asked, the concern evident in his voice. "I don't know, she doesn't think her nose is broken, but there is a lot of blood."

"Where is Zach and where are you guys?" Ryan asked as he frantically searched around his room for some clothes to wear. "I don't know where Zach is, he just left her at Memorial Park. We are on the way to her house, can you meet us there? Wait hold on," Marissa said to Ryan as Summer whispered something to her. "Ryan, she really doesn't want Seth or the Cohens to know about this." Ryan figured he could just sneak out of the house, but there was no way he could take a car.

"Marissa, come pick me up. I'll be in front of your old house. I don't want you guys going to Summer's house alone. Zach might be there." Ryan could hear Marissa sniffling on the phone so he knew she was crying. "Marissa everything will be ok," Ryan said softly "just come pick me up and we will figure everything out."

Ryan was surprised, but not shocked by the phone call. He had never really like Zach and he had seen Summer flinch once at the beginning of school when Zach reached out to take her arm. Ryan could spot abuse from a mile away and he kicked himself for not watching Summer and Zach more closely. He wondered if Zach would make another appearance tonight. He picked up his leather wristband and put it on. If he was going to kick some ass tonight he wanted his trusty cuff on his arm. Then he silently slipped out of the side door of the pool house, careful to stay out of sight of the main house.

"Why did you call Chino?" Summer asked when Marissa hung up the phone. "Because I don't really know what to do when my best friend gets beat up by her boyfriend." Marissa was having trouble keep herself together. The tears in her eyes made it hard for her to see the road. She cleared her throat and said, "Ryan knows how to deal with this stuff and if Zach comes back tonight he can take care of him."

"Do you think he will come back?" Summer asked fearfully. She hadn't though that far ahead yet. All the sudden the thought of Ryan was very comforting. "Does he know that your dad is out of town?" Summer nodded her head. "Well if he does show up we won't let him come near you." Marissa said as she slowed down to pull over in front of her old house.

Marissa pulled the car over next to the curb and got out to let Ryan in the back seat. "Hi" She said as she fumbled with the seat release. Her hands were trembling and she had trouble getting it to release. Ryan saw this and he reached down to pull the lever. He put his hand and her arm and said, "Why don't you let me drive." Marissa smiled gratefully as she climbed into the back seat. Ryan slid into the drivers seat and looked over at Summer who was still huddled in the passenger seat. Though it was dark and the dim overhead light didn't allow him to get a good look at Summer, he could see the blood that was caked on her face. "Hey" he said softly "How are you feeling?"

Summer took a deep breath and told Ryan that she felt like she had been run over by a truck. "Are you sure you don't want to go to the hospital?" Ryan asked. Summer nodded her head. Ryan swallowed and said "Alright, lets get you home and check you out, but you might have to see a doctor." They were all silent on the rest of the ride. Ryan had a million questions, but the first thing he wanted to do was make sure she wasn't hurt too badly.

When they pulled up at Summer's house it was dark and Ryan asked if her dad was out of town. "He is in Paris with the monster," Marissa filled him in. Ryan pulled the Mustang up as close to the front door as he could. He got out and walked around to open Summer's door. He could hear a sharp intake of breath as she stood up.

When they got inside Ryan could finally see Summer's injuries. As Ryan looked at Summer's face, bloody and swollen, he could feel his anger rising. Part of him hoped that Zach did make an appearance tonight so that he could do to Zach what Zach had done to Summer. Ryan caught himself before he got too carried away. The last thing Summer needed right now was to deal with more anger, no matter how justified.

"Ok" Ryan said while thinking, "Summer where is your first aid stuff?" Summer pointed down a hallway and said, "I think most of it is in that bathroom." Ryan nodded, "Marissa, we will start down here. Could you go get something for Summer to change into?" Marissa nodded and headed upstairs. Ryan helped Summer down the hall toward the bathroom.

"So you've had to deal with this stuff a lot huh" Summer asked as she sat down on a bench in the bathroom. "Yea" Ryan replied not offering any further explanations. Ryan couldn't believe he was here, about to clean up the effects of violence once again. Back in Chino, Ryan had naively believed that if you were rich and beautiful life was somehow easier. Now that he had witnessed life from the rich side, he realized that life in Newport was still life. The rich just wore Chanel instead of Walmart when they got beat up, or arrested, or drunk.

Ryan dug through the cupboards and assembled the various first aid supplies he would use. While he was doing this he asked Summer to tell him what had happened. She told him what had happened in the car and at the park. "I don't remember much of what happened at the park, it all happened so fast." Summer admitted. "Did you blackout?" Ryan asked. Summer admitted that she had, but only for a few seconds.

"We will have to watch you tonight to make sure you don't have a concussion. Which means you won't be able to take anything for the pain tonight." Ryan said as he bent over Summer with a washcloth to wash the blood off of her face. Both Summer and Ryan suddenly realized how close they were. They had known each other for over a year and they had probably never been this close.

Ryan held Summer's jaw softly in his left hand while he wiped her face with the other hand. He saw her wince as he gently washed her nose, but she didn't say anything. "Sorry," Ryan said, "I'm trying to be gentle." Summer nodded with fresh tears in her eyes. She knew that Ryan wouldn't try to hurt her. He had a comforting presence and he was good at what he was doing. Summer tried not to think about why Ryan was such an able nurse.

"I just want to check you nose to see if it is broken" Ryan said when he had finished with the washcloth. He agreed with Summer that it didn't seem like it was broken. As soon as he had finished, Marissa appeared behind him with some clothes for Summer. "I'll wait out here" Ryan said as he stepped out of the bathroom shutting the door behind him.

As Ryan waited he wandered the empty hallway of the large house. He hated seeing Summer like this, with her usually beautiful and happy face now sad and bruised. Ryan didn't understand how Zach could want to hurt her. As far as Ryan was concerned, any guy would be lucky to have Summer as his girlfriend. It's strange, but Ryan had never really thought of Summer as her own person before. He had never really had the chance to, Summer had been off limits since he moved to Newport. He knew her first as Marissa's best friend and second as Seth's girlfriend. Seth. Ryan groaned as he thought about Seth. Even though Seth was with Alex now, he still had feelings for Summer. Keeping this from Seth would be hard, but telling him what had happened would be even harder.

Ryan heard the bathroom door open behind him. "Are you done in here?" Marissa asked. "Yea, but I should check her ribs" Ryan replied as he walked into the bathroom. He turned to face Summer who was standing before him. "I .. um .. need to check your ribs, so do you want to … uh lift your shirt up" Ryan stammered uncomfortably, his face reddening. Summer responded by pulling her shirt up to just below her breasts revealing an ugly looking bruise on her right side.

Ryan felt his anger return as he saw the bruise. "So he kicked you pretty hard." Summer nodded her head. Ryan knelt down until his face was level with her stomach. He cautiously felt the bruised area and he felt reassured when he could find no obvious breaks. Summer's skin felt hot to the touch, but Ryan wasn't sure if that was due to the heat in her skin or his. "Well," Ryan said as he stepped away "I don't think there are any major breaks, but you can never tell without an x-ray. All they will do any ribs are broken or cracked is tell you to keep them wrapped."

Ryan stopped speaking and looked Summer straight in the eyes. "If you are in a lot of pain tomorrow, you are going to the doctor. There are ways to go to the doctor without getting the police involved." Summer was touched by Ryan concern. Usually, Summer liked to take care of herself. She prided herself on the fact that she didn't really need anyone in her life. Right now though, Summer was glad that she had Ryan and Marissa to help her. Suddenly Summer felt exhausted, the events of the night had been traumatic, to say the least, and all Summer wanted to do was crawl into bed. She knew that Ryan and Marissa probably wanted to talk about Zach, but Summer was too tired right now. They would have to wait.

As Summer stepped out of the bathroom and headed down the hallway, her legs felt weak. Summer began to sink backward toward the floor, but she was caught by a pair of strong arms before she hit the ground. Ryan picked Summer up, careful not the jostle her sore ribs, carried her upstairs, and laid her on her bed. Fresh tears started to roll out of Summer's eyes.

Without thinking, Ryan bent down and wiped the tears away with his hand. "Summer, I know everything is all fucked up right now, but it will be ok" Ryan whispered. "I just don't think I can deal with this" Summer whispered back. Ryan smoothed back the hair on her forehead. "Right now the only thing you have to deal with is getting some sleep. I'll wake you up in a couple of hours just to make sure you don't have a concussion and I'll be downstairs if you need anything." Ryan stood up to leave the room. Summer grabbed his hand to stop him and said, "Thanks Ryan, for everything."

Ryan went back down stairs to where Marissa was sitting. "She'll be asleep soon," Ryan reported. "So how are you holding up?" Marissa didn't answer right away, she got up and crossed the room to the bar on the other side. "It's been a rough night" she replied pulling a bottle of Vodka out from under the bar. Marissa saw Ryan's look of consternation as he saw the bottle. "Don't worry, I'm not going to get drunk. I just need a drink or two after everything that has happened."

Ryan considered this and walked toward her saying "Yea, actually a drink might be nice." He looked behind the bar and was surprised at the number of different bottles of alcohol. "Dr. Roberts likes his alcohol," Marissa noted dryly as she sat down on the couch, holding her glass of vodka. "Summer and I have been stealing his alcohol since like 7th grade." Ryan walked over to the couch to join her. "So her dad is gone a lot huh?" Marissa took a big drink and said "Yea, I've never heard of a plastic surgeon who has to travel so much for business."

"What about her mom?" Ryan asked quietly. He didn't think he had ever heard anyone mention Summer's mom before. "Her parents got a divorce when Summer was like 3 or 4 years old. Her mom met some Swiss guy and went to live with him in Europe. I guess she just really didn't want kids." By now Ryan had finished his drink. He really wanted another, but he knew he shouldn't since he would have to be awake and alert tonight.

"Does she ever talk to her mom?" Ryan asked. "I don't think so, not for a long time anyway," Marissa answered trying to remember their last conversation about Summer's mom. "That must have been really hard for her, growing up without her mom and with her dad always gone." It was a family dynamic Ryan could relate to, he had just never imagined that Summer's life had been anything but perfect. "Yea, she used to spend a lot of time at my house. But Summer's tough, you know, so …" Marissa's voice faltered. "I … I, think that's what makes all this even harder. Despite her family Summer has always been the strong one, the one who takes charge of everything. I am usually the messed up one. I guess I am not very good at taking care of her."

Ryan and Marissa talked for a while longer turning the conversation towards happier topics. By the time it was time for someone to go wake up Summer and check on her, Marissa had consumed several more drinks and was curled up on the loveseat snoring. Ryan headed upstairs lightly knocked on Summer's door. He didn't hear and sounds coming from inside so he opened the door and snuck in.

Summer was asleep, huddled against the wall clutching a pillow between her arms. She seemed to be sleeping deeply and Ryan wanted to just let her sleep. He knew better, however, and tried to wake her up by saying her name. Summer stirred in her sleep, but she didn't respond. Ryan crossed the room and got closer to her bed and said her name again, but she still didn't wake up. He then leaned over and gently shook her shoulder. Summer awoke with a start, sitting straight up in bed, causing her to gasp in pain from her sore ribs.

She looked around the room, confused for a moment as to why someone was in her room waking her up and why she was afraid. Then it all came back to her. "Summer, it's ok, it's me Ryan" he said sensing her confusion. "Ryan, that's right," she said breathing heavily. "Just lay back down, I just wanted to make sure you were ok. I know you must hurt pretty bad, but do you have any sharp pains or is your head any worse?" Ryan rearranged the blankets as Summer moved back into the center of her bed. "No, I don't think so" she answered sleepily. "Good, I'll let you get back to sleep." Ryan got up and turned to leave the room. "Ryan," Summer called timidly. He turned and looked at her. "Could you stay with me, just until I fall asleep?"

"Sure," Ryan replied as he settled into her chair. "Thanks," Summer said and several minutes later he could hear steady breathing indicating that she was asleep. While he was waiting for her to fall asleep he made a decision. Tomorrow he would pay a visit to Zach. He didn't want to just sit back and wait until Zach made his move. Someone needed to make it clear to Zach that he was never going to hurt Summer again and Ryan wanted to be the one to do it.

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I know, I know still no Seth and the Cohen's. I promise they will be in the story, but it's not their story. More angst and ass kicking to come.