Disclaimer: I don't own anything regarding "The O.C." nor am I affiliated with any of the cast and characters used in the story. Anyone or anything that you don't recognize is mine, and anyone and anything else that you do recognize is not mine.

Against All Odds
Chapter 9 – Alpha Male

The Metropolitan Tower. Never in a million years did she think that she would ever venture in this place as her eyes rolled upwards to take in the soaring height of the monolith. The glass façade had always fascinated her every time she saw it, as well as how the building penetrates the sky. It was a definitive blockbuster: aggressive, dominant, proud, and extremely competitive. If she had stayed in Newport and lived off of her father's money, then she may have been able to afford such luxuries. It was a life that although she had no regret letting go, sometimes she couldn't help but miss.

Seth didn't really clarify if the place was rented or bought. Either way, she figured that it still cost a whole deal of money. Seth had been to her apartment once, but since then, they have unconsciously, in her opinion, picked neutral places to meet. She remembered Seth calling two nights before to join him for dinner. She initially suggested a restaurant until Seth mentioned that he was cooking. While the thought of him cooking made her hesitant, she was far more interested and intrigued that she decided to take him up on his offer.

When she finally arrived at his door, she couldn't help but become nervous. After a minute or two, she finally had the courage to knock.

"Hey!" Seth greeted her with a hug. "For a minute there, I was afraid that you weren't going to show up."

"Well, it's a big place," Summer said, giving Seth her coat. "The concierge helped me out a lot though. It was funny, actually, because he became pretty nice once he knew my name."

"Well, he's usually nice, but I told him that I was expecting a very important guest."

"That explains everything," Summer said. "I thought that he just thought that I was pretty."

"He probably did," Seth smiled at her. "Dinner is almost ready. Why don't you make yourself comfortable and feel free to look around?"

"By the way, Cohen, nice apron you got there. It's a libel, but kind of nice."

"Alpha Male," Seth read out loud. "Sounds true to me."

"Maybe I should get you one that says 'Egomaniac'?"

"Be nice to the chef," Seth laughed. "I cook your food."

"No kidding!" Summer smiled at him.

Summer ventured into the living room area, admiring everything as she went around. She particularly liked the modern abstract art and the fancy furniture, although she could make a pretty accurate judgment call that Seth had no say in the decoration. As she continued to look around, she saw a picture of Sandy and Kirsten, and one of the Cohen family with Seth as a little boy. Seeing him with his curly her at probably the tender age of five or six made her smile. The next set of pictures that she saw was of Seth with Ryan and Marissa. The three of them looked like they were having fun, making her wonder what they were doing in the images. Finally, she reached one picture that was not only out of place but was also weird.

"Cohen!"

"What's up?" he called from the kitchen.

"What's this picture of you with Zach and Lindsay?"

"Am I looking like a penguin?"

"Totally," she smiled.

"I think that was one of the charity events in Newport that Lindsay had organized. She's into those things now with her being a Nichol and everything. She's great at it actually."

"What about Zach?"

"Well, as you probably know, Zach took over his father's position as congressman about three years ago. He came to the event to support it and support Lindsay."

"Zach and Lindsay?" she asked, not expecting the news.

"I was as shocked as you are, but I guess going to the same school helped them form that bond or whatever."

"They did both go to Harvard, but still… Wow… I guess she got along with her family a lot better than I did."

"You're not jealous, are you?"

"Of course not," Summer said. "It's just that they both look so… so sickeningly perfect."

"Indeed they are, but instead of the whole white picket fence and 2.5 kids, they have a big mansion with a white gate and two picture perfect children."

"Sounds about right."

"Well, dinner's ready so just come over to my little dining room so we can eat."

Summer went over to the dining room and just stood in awe at the food on the table.

"You made all of this?"

"What do you think I've been doing in the kitchen all this time?"

"They just look so good and everything. Where did you…?"

"Obviously not my mother," Seth joked. "Actually, my roommate in college taught me a lot, as well as the girls here and there."

"How did you manage that?"

"I don't know," Seth said. "It's not like I begged them to help me. I just used the kitchen, made a fool of myself, and some girl always comes over, acts all smart about it, and actually teaches me the right way to do things. You know how women love making men look stupid."

"That is one of our most cherished privilege in life," Summer smiled at him. "So what are these anyway?"

"Well, this one over here is just your typical Caesar salad. Here you have some Chicken à l'Ail. It's good. You can ask Marissa. I also have some Lasagna Primavera in case you turn all vegetarian on me. I don't know, but you women are weird like that. It's still pretty good though. I also have dessert, but that comes in later."

"I'm really impressed, Cohen."

"Well, I'm confident in my skills, but why don't you eat up and give me your full evaluation then."

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

"I have to say that this was by far the best free meal that I've had in forever."

"Thank you," Seth stood up and bowed.

"The chicken was excellent, I must say."

"Of course it was! It's a family secret."

"Really? Was it from the Nana?"

"Um, no."

"Your dad made it?"

"No."

"Your mom?"

"Hell no!"

"Then whose family secret is it?"

"I don't know," Seth said. "I didn't say it was my family."

"Cute."

"Did you like the dessert?"

"The tiramisu was good."

"Well, that one I didn't make," Seth admitted. "Jessica actually made them for me."

"After all that stuff you did to her, she's making you desserts now."

"Actually, I apologized for that, and we're actually friends now, sort of."

"Look at you being all Cohen and everything. It definitely suits you better than being a jerk all the time."

"No one does 'Cohen' better than me."

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

After cleaning up the table and doing the dishes, Seth and Summer retreated to the living room to watch whatever was on the TV and chat about their week. Since it was the Sunday before Thanksgiving, their conversation ultimately lead to how they were going to celebrate the occasion.

"Thanksgiving is this Thursday," said Seth.

"I'm fully aware of that fact."

"You coming with me to Newport to celebrate with everyone?"

"Why?" she asked. "Are you going?"

"Well, yes, of course. That's where my family is. I mean, that's the point of Thanksgiving, right?"

"Isn't the Nana here?"

"She's flying to Newport in a couple of days."

"Really?"

"It's going to be this big celebration with everyone. Why don't you come?"

"Actually, I already have plans."

"You do?"

"The people at work are celebrating it together. If worse comes to worse…"

"Don't tell me you're celebrating it alone?"

"It's really no big deal," Summer told him. "It's just Thanksgiving. It's just turkey and mashed potatoes and gravy and pumpkin pie and all of that stuff."

"But Summer…"

"Cohen, you can't force me to go with you against my will, okay?"

"I'm not going to force you, but if you want, I can stay and we can…"

"You don't have to include me in everything that you're doing," she told him firmly. "You already have your tickets. Don't change your plans on my account."

"Summer, this is crazy."

"It's my life, Seth. I'll do whatever I want. If I'm saying that I'm not going, then that's final."

"But it's Thanksgiving," he tried to argue some more, although the mere fact that she called him Seth should have been enough to make him stop arguing.

"You know what? It's getting pretty late. I should go home."

"Summer…"

"I have a lot of things to do tomorrow, so I need all the sleep I can get," Summer tried to justify herself.

"Well, can I at least drive you home?"

"Fine. I'll wait outside."

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

The drive to Summer's apartment was pretty much the most awkward situation that they had been in since they started hanging out. No one had said anything, although Seth had attempted more than once but just didn't have the courage actually say something.

"Your place was really nice," Summer said, voicing out the only words that popped into her head.

"Thanks. It was all Caleb's money though."

"How much did it cost him?"

"Millions probably," Seth scoffed a little. "It's really embarrassing having all that stuff. I certainly don't need them. It makes me feel really uncomfortable."

"Like this car?"

"Yes, like this car, but at least this makes me look a little cool."

"Look, Cohen, I really appreciate your offer, but I'll be fine," Summer finally said when they reached her building.

"Before you go, I have something for you," he said, taking out a wrapped box from the back of his seat. "It's really nothing special or anything. I just thought that you could use it."

"Thanks," she managed to say as she timidly accepted his gift.

"I know you're going to hate me, but are you sure you don't want me to stay?"

"Cohen, come on, what reason could you possibly have to stay?"

She blurted the words out before she had a chance to think about the question. The point of it all was for him to say nothing, and yet for some reason, a small part of her wanted him to give her an answer that did not consist of anything related to nothing.

"I'll see you after the weekend, Summer," Seth said, letting the question slide. "Good night."

"Good night," she said softly after stepping out of the vehicle.

Without looking back, she entered the building and went straight to her apartment. Once she got in, she couldn't make herself do anything more except fall to the floor while leaning of the door and sob. Gingerly, she opened the present that he gave her. She gasped when she saw a frame with a picture of the old 'gang': Seth, Summer, Marissa, and Ryan. It was taken right after their graduation ceremony. Now that she thought about it, she didn't even have any pictures of any of them. Aside from Seth, all of them seemed like strangers all of a sudden. She continued to cry as she ran her hand across the frame. She wasn't exactly sure what she was crying about. There could be many reasons. It could be that she was lonely or that she missed her friends. On the other hand, it could also be that secretly, she was hoping that he would stay.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

"Are you sure about this?"

"I'm positive," replied Marissa. "They won't even see it coming."

Ryan and Marissa had been together for eight years and engaged for five. It was only a matter of time before they got married. The only question was when it would happen. Over the years, Julie has warmed up to Ryan and has been really excited about the wedding. On the other hand, while Marissa appreciates her enthusiasm, she did not want, under any circumstances, for the event to be her mother's little pet project. The situation seemed unavoidable until Marissa came up with a brilliant idea.

"But how would everyone know about the wedding?" Ryan asked, scratching his head.

"They wouldn't," Marissa tried to explain as she settled herself on the couch. "That's the whole point of a surprise wedding. Besides, this is the only way that my mother would be uninvolved."

"And how are we supposed to pull this off?" asked Ryan. "I mean, the New Year is right around the corner."

"Don't worry, Ry," she smiled at him. "The whole thing will go without a hitch."

"Can I help with anything?"

"You really want to help?"

"Of course," Ryan said. "I am a part of it all, and I don't want you to do everything."

"Well, only if you promise not to tell anyone."

"I promise I won't tell."

"Because we know that you're not good at secrets."

"There is a difference between being a bad at lying and keeping secrets."

"Whatever makes you feel better, honey," she laughed as the phone started ringing.

"I'll get it," Ryan told her. "You just go finish this thing you have set up here."

Ryan left Marissa in the living room and went down to the kitchen area of answer the phone.

"Atwood-Cooper residence. This is Ryan speaking."

"Would you knock it off with the hyphenated name already? It's almost as bad as the Cooper-Nichol union. Promise me that when you two get married, you'll stick with one name."

"We're not getting married," Ryan said quickly. "Wh… Wh… Why would you say that?"

"I was just saying that since you two have been engaged for years now and will be married someday."

"Right. And by someday, you mean like not in the near future, as in, say a month or so."

"Are you okay, bro?"

"I'm cool. I'm not getting married yet."

"You are really acting weird."

"Why did you call?"

"I just wanted to call you two, that's all. I miss you and Marissa."

"Seth, it's way past midnight in New York," Ryan said. "You want something."

"Why would you say that?"

"Because normal people are already asleep by this time."

"Are you saying that I'm not normal?"

"Well, you're not, but mostly I'm saying that you sound desperate," Ryan said. "What do you want?"

"What do I want? See, Ryan, that is a good question, and since you asked, there is something that I would like to talk to you about. Actually, if Marissa is around, I'd like to talk to her as well."

"You see, you never ask for Marissa," Ryan pointed out. "This must be some huge favor."

"Could you just get Marissa?"

As Seth waited for Ryan to get back on the line, he thought about what Summer asked him. He knew that she could really use a friend right now. Wasn't that a good enough reason to stay? He had by now convinced himself that it was a good reason, but then again, maybe it wasn't the only reason.