Disclaimer- I guess I haven't mentioned it before, but I don't own Maddy either, but I do know one, and she's a real bitch, but I liked her name, but she shouldn't feel flattered because she just has a nice name, not a nice personality. Oh, yeah, and I don't own the OC either.
A/N- Thanks for all the reviews! They're so great and mean so much to me! Yes, what a nice twist I added, Ryan's obviously not going to react very well, but there's more...
On with the story...
Ryan blinked and replayed Theresa's words in his head over and over again. "What?" he asked.
Maddy came out of her room and screamed "What?!" as well. "Sweetie go back to your room, okay?" Theresa told her. "What's going on?" she asked helplessly and confused.
Ryan was confused as well, "Just do what Mommy told you okay?" he said dismissively. "Daddy," she protested weakly. "Go!" he demanded. She ran into her room and Ryan turned his attention back to Theresa.
"I know what I did was wrong, but you didn't have to say that!" he told her disgustingly.
"Ryan! I'm not! I swear!" she told him.
"I don't believe you!" he yelled, getting up and pacing the room. Theresa got up and put her hands on his shoulders, trying to calm him down, "Don't touch me!" he snapped. She pulled away instantly. "Why are you lying?" he asked in a mimicking tone.
She shook her head, "I'm not, and there's more."
Ryan seemed surprised, "More? What? You cheated on me all these years?" He looked at Theresa, who had her head planted to the ground. "Please tell me you're lying," he said sadly. She finally looked up and shook her head.
"So you give me that load of crap about being with Marissa, and I actually tell you, and NOW, now, you tell me!" his voice rising with each word and rubbing his eyes vigorously. "Who is he?" he asked.
"Ryan..."
"Tell me! Who is he?"
"It's not important."
"Than might as well tell me," he snapped.
"My masseuse."
Ryan snorted and continued pacing. "That Latino guy...um, ah, Juan?" he asked disbelievingly. Theresa nodded to confirm it. "Now I can accept the cheating thing," he said dully, "but...what do you mean? Maddy's not mine?"
Theresa started breaking down and collapsed on the couch; Ryan followed. "Theresa, please tell me what you're talking about," Ryan asked, on the verge of tears.
"The doctor, he did a test when Maddy was born, paternity test, and he wanted to do it again, to make sure...and...and," she sobbed, not getting the words out.
"And what!" he screamed.
"And I asked him not to, but just give me the results from the first test, and he said that the test showed it was 99 Eddie's, but just wanted to make sure again."
"But there's still hope," he said.
"One percent Ryan! One percent! And have you seen her? She looks nothing you!" Theresa yelled.
Ryan spaced out for a second; he had never really thought about that, he just always assumed she took after Theresa. He felt the tears pouring out of him, but held them in, forcefully. He wiped them continually until his eyes were red, and those gorgeous pools of blue had turned gray. "I can't believe you," he whispered hoarsely. "How could you do that?"
Theresa sniffed, "The day Maddy was born, I was in the bathroom, and..." she continued sniffing until she saw Ryan's 'shut up' look. "And I heard you and Kirsten talking, and she asked you...if Maddy was yours, would you marry me, and you said...you said...maybe, and than I knew that you would be the way to my perfect life, and the life I've always wanted, and could support me." Fire flamed in Ryan's eyes, "I want another test, I'm making another appointment," he told her as he walked over to the phone and started dialing and inhaling and exhaling deeply.
Maddy came out of her room, scared and confused and walked over to Theresa who was sniffling and wiping tears away. "Mommy? What's wrong?" she asked worriedly as her little fingers tangled in her mother's straight hair. "Nothing sweetie," she told her.
"It's settled," Ryan said coldly as he walked into the living room a few minutes later. "Tomorrow, 12:30," he informed. Theresa nodded as Madison watched them. "What did you mean I'm not Daddy's?" she asked looking in between them. Ryan's eyes darted into hers as he kneeled down and she walked over to him and Ryan hugged her. "You are mine," he said.
"Than why did Mommy say...?"
"Shh..." Ryan told her as he put her finger to her lips, "its okay, it's going to be okay," he convinced her. She nodded and hugged him again. Ryan looked into her eyes; eyes that he thought for the longest time belonged to him, deep brown chocolate eyes.
"Are you getting a d-ivorce?" she asked, looking in between them again.
Ryan spun her around slowly, to face him, and rubbed her arms up and down, "I love you, and your Mommy loves you, okay?" She nodded. "But we don't love each other, so we're only doing what's right, for you," he explained. She shook her head wildly, "No, I want...I want you to be together," she cried. "Maddy, look at me," Ryan ordered as she continued sniffling, "look at me." She finally looked up at him with teary eyes, "Please don't," she croaked.
He swallowed, and continued to rub her arms, trying to make her feel better. "We have to, I'm sorry."
"WHY!?" she screamed at the top of her lungs, breaking down and sobbing uncontrollably in Ryan's arms. He tried to sooth her with his voice, but it wasn't working. "I'm never going to see you," she told him.
"What? No of course not, you'll see me everyday, okay, everyday, whenever you want to in fact," he kept explaining. Snot running out of her nose, and rubbing her face with her hands, "I want you to live here, with me! And Mommy!" Maddy continued.
"I...I can't." She turned her head sideways, not facing either of them and stared at the wall. Ryan grabbed her hands and clasped them in his own and looked at her shirt, 'Princess' written across the top. "Hey," he said trying to make light of the situation, "Who's my little princess?"
Maddy turned around and faced him, looking straight into his eyes, "Not me," she said coldly, snatching her hands from his and running into her room, still crying. Ryan put his hands on his knees and got up, "I'll just get a few things today, I found a place, moving in tomorrow," he explained to Theresa as he walked into a few rooms and stuffing small things into boxes and placing them into his car. After about half an hour; he walked up to Theresa, who was still knocking on Maddy's room. "Maddy!" Ryan yelled, knocking on the door.
"It's no use," Theresa told him.
"C'mon, open the door," they continued yelling. She still didn't. Finally, Ryan jiggled the doorknob until it just opened and they walked in.She was curled up in a little ball in her bed, her deep breaths heard in the room. Ryan walked over to her bed, and kneeled down. She turned around dramatically and continued crying. Finally, he picked her up and held her in his arms, her still fidgeting and screaming, until finally she just gave up and still sobbed, hugging him tightly. "I don't want you to leave," she whispered.
"I know, but it's only right, for all of us, we're still a family," he tried to explain.
"No! A family is a 'pposed to be Mommy, Daddy, and me."
Ryan smiled at her intelligence, but than realized that it most likely wasn't his genes. He started to get emotional, and finally just sat her down on her bed and kissed her forehead. "I'll see you tomorrow," he told them both and added to Maddy, "I love you," and than left. Maddy continued to cry freely, not looking at Theresa, but at a picture next to her bedside table with her and Ryan.
--
"What are you doing?" Maddy asked.
"It's okay," the doctor assured the little girl as he swabbed the inside of her mouth.
"Why...why did this never happen at other...other doshtor's?" she asked in between swabs.
"Because your special," the doctor said as he poked her nose. She giggled but than looked at her parents and tensed up once again. "I'll be back," he told the three patients in the room. Ryan and Theresa nodded and watched the doctor walk away.
"Um...I still have to go to Atlanta," Theresa said slowly, "my Mom's down there, and..."
"Its fine," Ryan interrupted, "we're going to the wedding anyways. You're staying with me okay Maddy?" he looked at the little girl.
"At our house?" she asked hopefully.
"No, Daddy has...I have another place, you'll like it, and you can bring all your toys, okay?"
She made a 'humph' and crossed her arms and looked at the wall.
--
The doctor came back in, interrupting...nothing but an awkward silence between the three of them. He looked hopeful at first, but after looking at his clipboard, he shook his head. Ryan's heart broke into a million pieces and felt the tears come out once again. "Shirley will assist you with anything you need," the doctor told them, pointing to a small, short woman with blonde streaks. They nodded 'thanks' and Ryan tried to keep from breaking down. He loved this little girl more than life itself, just to find out she wasn't his. He needed someone, he needed Marissa. The 3 of them went out to the parking out, Ryan still trying hard not to cryand wiping his eyes with his jacket sleeve. "I'm sorry," Theresa told him.
Ryan turned around, waiting for himself to snap at any second, but he didn't, and instead he just picked up Maddy up and twirled her, hugging her. He pulled her back and examined her. "You're mine, I took care of you, you're mine," he told her while hugging her. She wiped the tears off his face sloppily and he finally set her down. "I'll call you." He opened the door to his car and took off.
--
Sitting in his new apartment or 'bachelor pad' as Marisa called it, Ryan continued to put things up tiredly. Speaking of Marissa, he was starting to get worried about her; she hadn't called once since she left. He already tried her cell phone, but she didn't pick up.
He went over to a box and started sifting through it, only to come across another picture of him and Maddy. Setting it back down in its box, he put his arms around his legs and knees and rested his face on his arm, soaking it with his tears.
After a few moments, the doorbell started ringing off the hook. Aw, who is that? Hope it's not neighbors, not in the mood, he thought. The doorbell continued ringing. Ryan wiped his eyes on his shirt and opened the door, shocked at the sight.
"Marissa?"
It sure was Marissa, still in the same clothes, more tired looking, but still her. "Ryan...I told myself that I wouldn't do this, fall in love all over again, but I can't help it, because I just look at you, and I can't help it, and I know you have a daughter, but..." Her nervous fidgeting was cut off by Ryan's lips.
"Mmm," she said as he pulled away, "and when you kiss me, I still can't help it."
Ryan smiled and took her in, closing the door and hugging her tightly. "I'm so glad you're here."
"Me too..." Marissa set down her luggage and looked at Ryan, who looked sad. "Me coming here was supposed to make you happy, not sad..." she joked. He obviously wasn't in the mood for jokes. "Hey, what's wrong?" she asked seriously.
"She's not mine, Maddy's not mine," he choked out.
"What? But that's impossible, you did a paternity test," Marissa said shocked.
Ryan shook his head violently, "I...we did another one, and she's not mine, she's not mine Marissa!" he cried. He sat on the couch. Marissa followed, wrapping her arms around him and letting his words run freely on her shoulder. He said some things Marissa couldn't understand, but she nodded anyways, trying to comfort him the best way she could.
Continuously, she stroked his hair and kissed his head, until finally, he just fell asleep in her arms, and she fell asleep as well, both leaning against each other on the couch.
A/N- Well, there I go again, I thought I was going to end later, but once again, thought this would be a good place to end. So that means the wedding is in the next chapter, as well as Marissa meeting Maddy. OOO! Oh, yeah, I thought I should have some type of sympathy towards Theresa, but I don't. And the way I think, a writer (Josh, you great genius you!) loves all his characters the same, but since I am not Josh, nor do I look like him, I think I do a pretty good job with my characters, even though they only are RM mostly. Hee. But than I read those weird-ish stories, which I'm totally anti against (because well, if you know me, huge RM fan) I get no sympathy and write like there's no tomorrow, and obsessively. Sorry, rambling, so hope you liked it, and please remember to comment.