Raindrops

Quicksilvre

Summer's middle name is from "Flying Home," by make it stop jamie. I've seen other middle names used, but this one is my favorite. Also, age is my estimate based on how old Summer the character is–I was shocked to find Rachel Bilson was 23. Shocked!

-)-)-)-)

Usually it took a while for a stone to be put in place, months even. But, Mr. Roberts was nothing if not noted in the community. A few strings pulled in the right places meant the Summer got her hunk of marble in just a few short weeks.

The unveiling was a small ceremony–just a few family and friends. Some had flowers. Not a lot to do, though–look at the stone, ooh and aah at its beauty, pay a few final respects, and leave.

Within a half-hour, Ryan Atwood found himself the last one there. Well, him and the Cohens, who had driven him there. Kirsten had said her goodbyes and was already waiting in her car. Sandy was nearby, trying to find someone else's stone.

It was just Ryan and Summer.

Summer Marina Roberts

04/09/1987 - 03/02/2005

"Between us, eternity is a second,

light-years are mere inches,

and infinity is right at our side."

Ryan sighed. "Well." He looked at the detail of the stone–it really was well done. On either side of the inscription were beautifully carved doves and laurel branches.

"I'm...sorry Seth isn't here. Uh, he is doing a lot better. He's back in school, you know, he's gotten over the worst of it. It's just that...he really got overwhelmed when we were getting ready to go, and...he decided to stay behind. Maybe he'll come tomorrow.

"So...uh...nice tombstone." Ryan sighed. "Okay, not the most intelligent thing to say. I know. It's...hard to say some things, you know."

Ryan struggled to find the right thing to say, wishing Lindsay was with him–she probably had a quote hidden away that would just be perfect. She was good at that sort of thing. He knew that Summer wasn't going anywhere, but...the first time came only once, and it was important thing for him to do more than just stare. "Remember how we met, at that party after the fashion show?" He chuckled. "Man. You changed after that. Once you got all with Seth, there was no going back."

He shifted a bit, uneasily. "Sorry I don't have any flowers. Uh, of course, that doesn't really matter that much now...uh, sorry."

The words were failing. To be sure, there was only so much to say about the two of them in life. Summer was a lot closer to Marissa and Seth than she was to him.

But, Summer had become so, so much more to Ryan after she died. When she died, he got to be the role of nurturer. For both Seth and Marissa.

It was something he had never been asked to do before.

For Seth, he was successful. For Marissa...it was still up in the air. Still, the girls' home would do good for her. Everyone had agreed that some time out of Orange County would be the best thing. She probably needed it for a long time–they shouldn't have stopped Julie from sending her away after the Tijuana incident, no matter her motivations.

"Heh. Remember that? You and Marissa got into those candy-striper uniforms. Good stuff."

He fell silent again. Whether they had done the right thing or not then, it was getting done now. Summer's death forced Marissa to admit that there were problems too complicated for the group. Now she was getting help. All would be well, eventually.

He had helped them–it was no longer just them helping him. They had taken him in, listened to him, gotten him out on his feet. Now, he could help them.

He was finally a full member of the family.

"Uh, listen. Thank you...for helping me...help...them." The words came out confused, one by one. However, as soon as he shut up, Ryan liked how they sounded.

"Yeah. Thanks."

-)-)-)-)

"Do don't think that Seth is being set back by all of this, do you?" Kirsten sat at the counter and looked anxiously at Sandy, across the kitchen. Sunset radiated long lines from the blinds across the room and the two of them.

"Uh...maybe a little." Sandy poured himself a cup of coffee. It tasted terrible, being a half-day old, but gave him the jolt he needed. "The kid will be fine. It's two steps forward and a step back." He sat across from her. "Another day off from school, some talk...just to stabilize him enough."

"Caring."

"I just think it has to run its course. Ryan's taken the front seat with the manly comfort."

"Manly comfort." Kirsten smirked at his choice of words. "I found his dumpling in the trash. When we got back."

"Hmm? Oh. That one."

"Yeah." She looked back at the trash can. "Think it's a good sign?"

"I dunno."

"I wonder if we ought to get a grief counselor for Seth." Kirsten looked back to Sandy. "And don't say...."

"Don't say what? Sounds fine to me."

"It's important."

"It might be pretty helpful."

"It will be very helpful."

Sandy shrugged. "Seth'll listen to Ryan the most, you know. No matter who we bring in, you know how it is. A hundred bucks an hour ain't nothing compared to how they are with each other."

"Yeah." Kirsten gave a weak smile. "That manly comfort of his."

"Exactly. Old-school comfort."

"Old-school?" Kirsten gave a tiny chuckle, before becoming more serious again. "We have to talk to both of them, you know."

"Yeah. After dinner." Sandy started for the phone. "My turn to order?"

"I think so."

"Too early for Chinese again?"

Kirsten nodded. "Let the boy heal first."

"Italian it is."

-)-)-)-)

Marissa rocked herself back and forth on her bed–the bed that she was assigned. Crammed into one corner of her room at the facility, it had one flat, stained pillow and linens so stiff that they chafed her cheeks.

Not that she had done much sleeping the last ten days, since she had arrived. Whenever she tried to close her eyes, the noise of the world became too much. It was the images, mostly–the crash scene, the funeral, the van that drove her south.

That one hurt most of all. Everyone in Newport abandoned her, even Ryan. Didn't they see her go to therapy the last time? Not that she was magically cured or anything; still, they owed it to her. She deserved to stay in Orange County, didn't she?

Of course. It made perfect sense to her. If Summer wouldn't have done it, they shouldn't have, either.

Marissa was sure that somewhere, Julie was laughing and Summer was crying.

The rocked herself slowly on the bed. Soon, she decided. She was brought out a few times a day, to eat mostly, and to get some sunlight. The cafeterias were on the first floor, and her room on the third.

None of the stairwells had any nets to stop anyone who jumped.

Soon.