Thanks for all the wonderful reviews and I'm sorry it's taken me so long to update. RL just slammed me... I barely had two minutes to write. Thanks to Chazper who took the time to read and tinker and for great suggestions. All mistakes are still mine. I'm off on vacation on Friday. So I'm hoping I can write some more. The laptop is coming with me!

The O.C. and its characters don't belong to me... but Gigi does.

Damned if you do and damned if you don't, Ryan thought. If he followed Seth and they were caught, they'd be in for it. He was less intimidated by what Julie and Caleb would do than he was by the thought of how disappointed Sandy and Kirsten would be if they found out that he and Seth were still getting into trouble. How difficult was it to behave for a weekend? But what would he do if Seth went and left him behind. He'd have to find something to occupy himself and find a way to cover for Seth. No matter which way Ryan turned it over in his mind, he was screwed. At least if he went with Seth there was a chance of getting some action, which he had sorely missed since coming back to Newport in the fall.

"So, are you coming? Summer's going to be here soon."

"Summer's picking us up?"

"Well, we tried with Marissa's car and that didn't work. And we still don't have a mode of transportation." Seth rolled his eyes. "Ryan, why are you being such a wet rag?"

"The idiom is wet blanket."

"Whatever. You know what I mean." He peered into the mirror that hung over the mahogany dresser and fluffed his curls. "Lately, you're all about doing the right thing."

"Really? Because it seems like every time I turn around I'm getting grounded or yelled at." He flopped down on the bed he had claimed earlier, wrinkling the linen, and wondered if he'd be able to get some shut-eye under the same roof as Julie and Caleb.

"Come on, it's not that bad." Seth turned his back to the mirror and then snuck one more look before placing his full attention on Ryan. "It's okay to let loose every once in a while."

Ryan frowned. "I can't. I owe your parents too much."

Seth rolled his eyes and flopped down on the edge of the bed, sending the edges of the linen up in the air. "You owe them to be a kid. As teenagers it's our duty to sneak out and give the parents a run for their money."

"I'm on probation—" Ryan's voice trailed off. He didn't often mention his probation and it was almost over. But Sandy and Kirsten had reminded him how stupid he had been the night they had decided to sleep in the mall. At the time, it seemed like just a prank; a way to have fun and forget about Lindsay. He hadn't considered getting caught or the consequences. It just showed how mellow he had become in Newport. He had walked on eggshells his first year with the Cohens afraid that any misstep would land him in Juvie or taken from their home.

"Ryan, breaking curfew will not break your probation."

"I know," he said slowly, grasping the cotton sheets between his fingers. "It's just that…"

"You think you're disappointing them? I think they'd worry if you never did anything wrong."

Ryan cocked his head.

"Really, man. Okay, when you first came there were some…. issues. But since you came back from Chino this summer you've been like a monk."

"Tell me about it," Ryan muttered.

Seth smirked. "Aunt Lindsay never gave it up. Huh?"

Ryan grabbed a pillow from behind his head and flung it at Seth.

Seth caught it in his hands. "Don't mess with the hair, bro." He stood up and walked over to his suitcase, rummaging around for another shirt.

"Seth, I'm not going to go."

"Yes you are. It's me or pool with Grandpa and tea with Julie."

"Don't make this any harder than it already is."

"Live a little. Look, we're not doing anything tonight that can get you into legal trouble. I'm sorry about the mall. Okay? It was a dumb idea. I just don't think about your probation much. It seems like a million years ago."

"The mall wasn't your fault. I was into it." Ryan sighed. "It's just that… I don't like disappointing your parents. They've done so much for me."

"You've got to stop thinking of them as my parents. They think of you as a son; my brother. I think of you as a brother. Hell, you punch me like a brother." Seth rubbed his arm, remembering the blows Ryan had delivered earlier that evening. "I know that somewhere out there you have another set of parents, but Sandy and Kirsten Cohen are as much your parents as they were."

"More," Ryan mumbled.

"They don't expect you to be an angel. So when they asked you to live with us they said that you should stop fighting, but you got into lots of fights last year and nothing happened." Seth hadn't meant to remind Ryan of Oliver and Eddie but it couldn't be helped. "It's okay to break the rules once in a while."

Seth expected Ryan to agree with him or disagree with him. He hadn't expected Ryan to burst into gales of laughter. Ryan sat doubled over, holding his midsection as if he had a stitch in his side.

"Ryan, are you okay?" Seth put a hand on his brother's back. "You're scaring me."

Ryan sat up and wiped away the tears that had pooled in the corner of his eyes. "Seth, if you put half as much effort into studying as you did trying to convince me to come out with you tonight, you'd be a shoo in for valedictorian."

It was Seth's turn to slug Ryan. Only he came away shaking his fist, and stuffing it in his mouth to ease the pain. Ryan's arms were rock solid.

"You will do anything to get me to go with you."

Seth shook his head. "You were playing me?"

Ryan's laughter slowed. "Some."

"I meant it anyway, you know. They're more than just your guardians." Tired of the serious talk, Seth grabbed Ryan's sleeve. "Come on. You're coming with me."

"Okay. Okay."

Seth tiptoed down the stairs with Ryan at his heels. At the bottom of the staircase they could hear Julie and Caleb arguing softly from the other room. Seth turned and held his finger to his lips, indicating to Ryan that he should keep quiet. Ryan rolled his eyes. Seth thought he held the gold medal in stealth.

They reached the end of the hall and Seth peered out from behind the wall and looked both ways before proceeding forward and waving Ryan ahead. They walked in exaggerated silence, stopping every few minutes to check ahead of them and behind them to make sure they were in the clear.

Ten minutes later Ryan was crammed in the back seat of Summer's silver BMW convertible. He turned away while Seth and Summer made up for lost time.

"Is it terrible at your grandpa's?" Summer pulled away from Seth's embrace and tugged down her shirt which was riding up.

"Julie made us study all afternoon."

"Cohen, you studied?"

"No. But I watched Ryan study all afternoon."

Summer glanced over her shoulder. "Chino, Julie Cooper told you what to do and you listened."

Ryan sank into the seat. "Don't rub it in." He drummed his fingers on the door handle. "So who's this girl you're setting me up with?" His stomach muscles clenched. He wondered if it was a bad idea. He didn't have much experience with blind dates. In the past there had never been a need, but from all his TV viewing and reading he knew that they were generally a bad idea.

In truth, Ryan was mostly interested in kissing and groping and something more. He wasn't sure if Summer was aware of his priorities and she probably didn't much hang out that sort of girl anymore, even though when he had first met her, Ryan was certain Summer was the type of girl to jump into bed with random guys.

"Gigi is great," Summer gushed from the driver's seat. "You'll really like her. She's gorgeous and nice."

Gorgeous and nice did not sound promising. Gigi, the name at least, did. The name itself sounded sexy.

From his dark corner in the front, Seth groaned. "Sorry, Ryan. I didn't realize."

Ryan smirked. Damned if you did and damned if you don't.

Ryan decided next time he would put more faith in Summer. No, Gigi didn't look like a girl who would go to bed with him on the first date. He wasn't even sure if he would get much action on the first date, but she was gorgeous. She was sitting alone in a booth at the back of the diner. Her head was bent over a menu and her black corn silk hair fell over her light chocolate brown face. The top of her head was done up in tiny braids, but the rest fell loose to her shoulders.

"Not bad, Ryan." Seth elbowed his brother lightly in the stomach. "Summer sure does have good taste."

"Keep your tongue in your mouth, Seth. You're girl is five feet from you. This one's mine."

"Go ahead." Seth bowed slightly and held out his hand, indicating for Ryan to move forward.

They reached the table and Summer slid into the booth, across from Gigi. "This is Seth, my guy, and this is his brother Ryan."

"Hey." Ryan smiled shyly and slid in next to her, making sure to give Gigi her space.

"Hey," she smiled back.

"So, you go to Harbor?"

Gigi shook her head. "No. Pacific."

Ryan looked from Gigi to Summer. "So how do you two know each other?"

"My dad shares a practice with Dr. Roberts. Summer and I have known each other since we were little kids."

He nodded dumbly. Ryan's eyes slid helplessly to Seth. He wasn't sure what to say next. Conversation wasn't his strong suit. He grabbed a menu from the middle of the table and scanned the selection, even though he pretty much knew it by heart.

Caleb knocked lightly on the door to the guestroom and waited for an answer. When none came after a silent count to thirty he knocked again. Still no answer. He tried the doorknob and opened the door. The room was empty.

He frowned. The house was big and Seth and Ryan were free to roam the place, but he suspected that Seth had taken matters into his own hands and left despite Caleb's warning. He ambled towards his bedroom to find his wife.

"Julie, have you seen the boys?"

She was sitting at her vanity table, combing her hair. "No. They're not in their room?"

"No." Caleb dug into his pocket. "I'm not going to search this monstrosity to find out where they are. I'm just going to try Seth on his phone."

"Seth, is that your phone?" Summer whined as the theme from the X-Men movie played. "It's always going off when we're out!"

"What can I say? My public demands me." He looked at the top of the phone and immediately sent it to voicemail. It was his grandfather.

"Who was it?" Ryan asked.

Seth shrugged. "No one important. So Gigi, what sort of music do you like?"

Gigi smiled brightly and started to list her favorite bands and songs.

"Dammit," grumbled Caleb. "It's on voicemail."

"Try Ryan's phone," Julie suggested.

"The boy has one?"

Julie rolled his eyes. "Kirsten and Sandy give him everything that Seth has. They want to keep tabs on him too."

Caleb shrugged. "Do you know the number?"

"I have it somewhere."

Julie went to find her purse and rummaged around until she found a tiny piece of scrap paper. She held it up triumphantly. "Here it is." She read the number off to Caleb and he dialed.

"Sorry," Ryan mumbled, embarrassed as his phone went off. He wondered who it was. He dug into his pocket and pulled out the metallic phone and fumbled with it as it nearly fell out of his hand. His face turned a deep shade of red, but it paled immediately when he saw Caleb's number. "Seth, it's your Grandpa."

"Don't answer it."

"I have to."

"No. You don't. And how did Grandpa get your number anyway?"

"I don't know. But I'm answering. What if your parents are looking for us?"

Gigi's eyes bounced back and forth from Seth to Ryan unable to disguise her confusion. Summer leaned over and whispered an explanation. Gigi's lips turned up into an amused smile. She turned her body towards Ryan and waited to see what he would do.

Ryan flipped the phone open just as Seth jumped across the table, trying to get it of his hands.

"Hello."

"Ryan." Caleb's voice was crisp and sharp. "Where are you and my grandson?"

"Um. Well." Ryan's eyes looked beseechingly at Seth, who just leaned back against the seat, his arms crossed and an accusing look on his face.

"Come on, spit it out boy. Are you even in the house?"

"Well, you see..."

"You left the house? After I very clearly said that you were to stay?" Caleb barked.

"Um…"

"If you and Seth are not back here in twenty minutes I will call Kirsten. Do I make myself clear?"

"Crystal," Ryan spat out the first coherent word in his conversation with Caleb. He shut the phone and started to repeat what Caleb said, but Seth held up his hand.

"It's a cell and Grandpa was yelling. I heard everything." He sighed. "Summer, will you please take us back?" he asked in a defeated voice.