Fix You

Author's Note: I'm glad you're all enjoying the story. I know I promised you more updates quicker, given the recent breaking of my finger, I wasn't sure if I would be able to give you updates at all because my pinkie seems to get in the way of everything. Anyway, seems like I can still type with 8 fingers (two are taped together…my ring finger and pinkie so that the pinkie is protected.) Please keep up with the reviews, they help with inspiration knowing you guys enjoy this.

Chapter 7: Stuck

When the tears come streaming down your face
When you lose something you can't replace

For a week Seth and Marissa had avoided the outside world. In fact, they had mostly avoided each other as well except for their late night meeting in the bathroom right before they went to sleep. Things seemed to be spiraling out of their control, and they were beginning to fall back into the routines they'd had at seventeen.

Most mornings over the week, Marissa would sit in the living room with a nice tall glass of Newport ice tea listening to the messages they had been avoiding, dozens from Julie Cooper, a handful from Kirsten and Sandy, and another dozen from the trophy wives of Newport.

"Marissa, honey, it's mom. Call me when you get a chance sweetie. Summer and I are finalizing the plans for Caleb's memorial. I want to know what you think. Sweetie, did you see that horrible boy from Chino at the party? I can't believe Kirsten and Sandy bringing him back into town."

"'Rissa? It's Holly! Can you believe Ryan Atwood was at the party? God, it's like that first summer all over again. Did you talk to him? Apparently he left with Summer. Call me back!"

"Honey, it's me again. Sweetie, Caitlin says you haven't returned her call lately about Allie's birthday party. Call me! Love you!"

"Marissa? Seth? It's Sandy. You guys should call. Kirsten's been going crazy because Julie Cooper keeps calling here for Marissa. Marissa, your dad and Hailey are in town, you should give them a call. They want to take the kids out one day while they're here before Allie's party and the memorial."

Messages upon messages of which Marissa had no intention of responding to. The less contact she had with the world outside her home, the better. The easier it would be to sink back into denial and pretend. Pretend nothing was wrong. Pretend that she hadn't been sitting around in her pajamas and slippers with Share Bear and Newport ice tea since that disaster of a party the other night. She wanted to pretend that she hadn't spent the last week sleeplessly watching Seth sleep and trying to figure her life out.

Trying to mend her cracks on her own.

Everything was wrong and she didn't know how to fix it. She didn't know how to reach out to Seth through his loud music and ask him for help, to get her out her this drunken stupor.

Ask him not to be mad at her anymore.

Seth would never admit it, but he was angry with her. She knew it. It was just in the way he moved and looked at her, he was upset and disappointed. They had always said that they were in this thing together, the two of them. That no matter what was thrown at them, they could face it head on as long as they had each other.

She had let him down. She had turned to alcohol instead and let him down.

Her worse fear was that she might have lost him because of this.

When you feel so tired, but you can't sleep
Stuck in reverse

Seth felt as if everything was falling apart, unraveling at the seams and he was about to lose the person he saw as the most important thing in his entire life. Already he had lost one love in his love, and he didn't think he could stand losing another. Especially not since he was pretty much sure that Marissa Cooper was not just some girl he loved.

She was the love of his life.

Of course, he hadn't been doing very much to let her know he was there for him, that he wasn't going anywhere no matter how much she expected him to just up and leave. To try and get his old life back with the reappearance of Summer and Ryan in Newport. He didn't want his old life.

He wanted her.

Telling her that would be a good start, but Seth had spent more of his days either working, watching the kids or blasting music really loudly than trying to talk to Marissa. There was so many things he should talk to her about, but every time they crossed paths he could smell the alcohol wafting off her and his disappointment washed over him and he couldn't bring himself to tell her any of the things he wanted to.

"Daddy," Allie crawled into his lap, resting her small head on his shoulder, "Are you and mommy in a fight?"

Seth regarded his daughter carefully; she looked so much like her mother sometimes, "No."

"Well, you're not talking to her," Allie pointed out, "And mommy looks really sad."

"Sometimes, adults are sad and need to be alone," Seth tried to explain to his daughter, "Like me and your mom do now. Even the greatest superhero couples need breaks sometimes to be by themselves."

Allie gasped, " Even Superman and Lois Lane?"

"Even them," Seth said with a small nod and a tired sigh.

"But you guys are gonna be good for my birthday party, right?" Allie asked, "Because I'm going to be six, and everyone's gonna be here."

"Yeah, we'll be good for your party Allie Bean," Seth grinned at her, "Wouldn't miss your birthday bash for anything in the world. I heard you've got a pretty spectacular care bear cake too."

"Shh," Allie hushed him, "It's a big secret."

Seth winked conspiratorially at his daughter as she slid off of his lap; "I'm all stealth." Allie scrunched up her nose confused a second before scampering off to do something else. The doorbell rang in the distance, but Seth didn't move.

Allie's birthday party was Saturday, and that meant that his and Marissa's anniversary was merely a month and a half away. He knew he had to patch things up before, but suddenly their seventh anniversary seemed to hold even more meaning to him now.

They seemed to be falling back into a pattern that had been created when they were seventeen, and Seth needed to remind Marissa that theyweren't those same two seventeen year olds who ran away from all their troubles in Newport for a summer. That they weren't the same people who had loved Summer and Ryan all those years ago.

Even if they still felt some of that love.

He needed a big, romantic gesture to rival all other romantic gestures.

Hell, more than one would probably work just as well.

Suddenly, Seth knew that he had to get to work. He had a month and a half to get the big anniversary planned, his brilliance had just kicked in. Finally, the perfect anniversary plan had come to him. He was going to need help andlots of it if he was going to succeed.

And he was definitely going to succeed.

Standing up, he went into his office and closed the door, not even looking around at the Atomic County or other posters that were up on the room as he usually did. Instead, he sat down right away and grabbed his pencil and pad getting right down to work writing a list of things that he needed to do.

As he did though, the door creaked open and he heard the patter of little feet enter.

"Allison Bean Cohen, do you remember the rules of the office?" he said with his false fatherly tone on. In fact, he quite enjoyed his daughter's company when he worked, especially on things comic book related and even more so when it had to do with the Newport Group. She helped inspire him much like Marissa did. Much like Summer used to.

"You gave her the middle name Bean?" Seth froze at the voice, just like had had a few nights ago when he'd first heard it, "God Cohen, who do you think you are? Kurt Cobain?"

Looking up, Seth saw Ryan and Summer standing in the doorway with Allie right in front of him.

Suddenly, Seth felt things starting to fall apart again.