A/N: Let me check...nope i still don't own anything from the OC, much as i'd like to but oh, well! It all belongs to Fox, Josh Schwartz and all the other wonderful people who have given us The OC! Thank You!! Please review. Suggestions are welcome. There is a follow up chapter but suggestions for further chapters after that are extremley welcome!! Thanks.

I'm Back.

Sandy was driving toward Chino thinking about Ryan. He had driven this road a lot in the past two months and he had become used to the drive and the scenery. He thought back to when Ryan had still been at home, before Theresa had turned up, pregnant. He remembered what it had been like having his two sons at home. He sighed as he thought about how hard it had been when Ryan left. Seth had left too, making things harder on him and Kirstin but he had come back a week later. He too missed Ryan; he had lost his brother. Sandy knew that Ryan had been in his family less than a year but in that time he had become like a son to Sandy and Kirstin and a brother to Seth. Sandy had gotten used to seeing him in the poolhouse, or finding him playing video games with Seth. He had gotten used to setting four places for dinner. That habit had caused Kirstin a lot of tears since Ryan left. Sandy's heart sank further as he thought of Ryan and how he was gone, but he would find him.

It had been two months since Ryan had last spoken to the Cohen's. They had called him everyday for the first month and he had called them. He missed everyone but he felt he had to be in Chino with Theresa, to do the right thing by her. The last time they had spoken Ryan had been rushing out the door for a doctor's appointment with Theresa. He hung up with the promise to call them when he got back. He never called back. They waited a few days thinking he was just busy but when he didn't call after four days they called Theresa's house, where he had been staying. He was gone. They found out that Theresa had lost the baby. They had always assumed that if the baby wasn't his he would come home but he didn't. They started to worry and Sandy went down to Chino looking for Ryan, thinking he just took off after hearing about the baby, shocked, and he would come home if Sandy found him. Sandy hadn't found him. He had searched nearly every day and there was still no sign of Ryan. He got up every morning repeating to himself, "Today, today I'll find him." It hadn't come true, until today.

Sandy drove around the all too familiar streets of Chino. He had covered the entire town several times in the past few weeks. He pulled the car into a car park and turned it off. He sat in silence for a few minutes while he racked his brains rying to think of where Ryan might be.

"He might not even be in Chino anymore," he thought to himself. "I've looked everywhere, I don't know where else he could be." He pulled open his briefcase to get his phone to call Kirstin and Seth when a crumpled piece of paper fell out of one of the pockets. He looked into the pocket of his briefcase and after seeing it was empty he reached down to the floor to pick up the piece of paper that had fallen out. It was a note from a private investigator from the time Sandy had hired him to find Dawn. He was about to crumple the paper when he stopped. He realised he hadn't checked Ryan's old house.

"Why didn't I go there?" he thought to himself. It was an obvious place to look but Sandy had driven past it many times without even giving it a second thought. He drove through the streets and pulled up outside the worn house. It was stuck between two well-cared for, clean houses so it looked even shabbier. Sandy sat in the car for a moment before getting out. He stared up at the house and just as he started to walk toward the door he heard a loud, angry voice from behind him saying, "What the hell are you doing here?"

He turned around to find Theresa coming toward him, an angry look on her face.

"Ryan..." Sandy said weakly, gesturing toward the house.

"I think you've done enough to Ryan!" said Theresa, glancing toward the house.

"Well, at least I know he's here," thought Sandy. Then he realised what Theresa had said. "What did we do to Ryan?" he asked, confused.

"All those things you guys said about him, I thought you actually cared about him!"

"What?.....WE DO!!" shouted Sandy.

"It didn't sound that way," said Theresa.

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"I thought you really cared about Ryan, but now I know he was just a project to you."

"Ryan was never just a project to me. He was – is – my son." Said Sandy, quietly, a sob catching in his throat.

"Sure," said Theresa, "Whatever you say!" obviously not believing him.

"Theresa, who said that?" She gestured toward the house, "Dawn. She said you guys rang and told him never to come back." A look of realisation came over Theresa's face, quickly replaced with a look of rage, "Dawn," she snarled.

Just then the front door of Ryan's house opened and a man appeared, obviously drunk and dragging Ryan by the scruff of the neck.

"Get out!!!" shouted the man.

"Yeah!" chimed a second voice, this time a woman's. "Go see if the snobs want to finish their project!" she laughed. She was obviously drunk but Ryan was still affected by her words.

"They aren't snobs," said Ryan quietly.

"Don't talk back to your mother!" shouted the man, before punching Ryan and throwing him down the steps. The woman looked down at Ryan, "I told you what Sandy said on the phone. They never wanted you in the first place."

Ryan looked as if he was about to cry but the look soon disappeared. He had learnt long ago never to show weakness. It hadn't been being thrown out that had caused him to nearly cry but what his 'mother' had said about the Cohens. He slowly got up and started to walk away until he felt a hand on his shoulder.

Sandy had been watching the exchange with shock. He couldn't believe that this is where Ryan had been living. He was a kid, he didn't deserve this. He also couldn't believe what Dawn was saying about him. He would never have said that, Ryan knew that. Sandy suddenly realised that Ryan was walking away. He snapped out of his shock about what he had just witnessed and ran after Ryan. He grabbed him by the shoulder.

Ryan immediately swung round, jumping back as he did so. He brought his fist up slightly in front of him. Sandy wasn't surprised at this reaction after what he had just seen. When Ryan saw who it was he froze. Sandy looked at the person in front of him. He had changed. Before he knew what he was doing Sandy had grabbed Ryan and pulled him into a hug. Ryan was still frozen but when Sandy pulled him into a hug he relaxed. Sandy was surprised when Ryan hugged him back.

"I'm sorry," said Ryan, barely audible, but Sandy heard it. He was confused.

"For what?"

"For leaving. For not calling."

"It's okay," he paused, "Ryan, you know what you're mom said isn't true, don't you?" Ryan was silent.

"Ryan?" Ryan looked up.

"I know."

"Come on son, how about we go home?

--To be continued --

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A/N: Please leave a review, they are much appreciated. Thanks for reading and flames are welcome!