This chapter was hastily finished for storymom and overnighter who are both bored at work today. Enjoy.

I don't own the O.C or any of its characters.


Seth's head felt like there was a drum major in his head the next morning. He had finally dozed off when the sun had started to come up and a quick glance at the clock told him it was barely eight in the morning. Groggily, he sat up and appraised the heap of clothes, CDs, art supplies and other things piled in middle of the room. Suddenly, it all came flooding back to him. Captain Oats was gone.

He stumbled out of bed and into the bathroom. He was standing in front of the toilet, hands at his side; when he finally cracked an eye open. A sheet of computer paper hung over the toilet. He opened both eyes, squinting at the bright lights. In the center was a picture of Captain Oats, there was no mistaking his horse, his rear end hanging by a noose.

"Next time it's the neck," the note ominously read in a large black letters.

Seth groaned. Last night, he had tossed and turned, wondering who had taken his horse. Ryan had crossed his mind, but how would Ryan know that he had spilled his secret to a comatose Trey? So he had considered all the other possibilities and had come up blank. Now he was certain it was Ryan. Who else, aside from Sandy, had access to his room in middle of the night and he was certain that the note had not been there the night before.

He guessed it could be his father. But why would Sandy take his horse? He had been the perfect, considerate teenager since his mother had left to rehab. He helped around the house. He told his father where he was going and when he was expected back. He told him who he was going to be with and checked in if he was running late or had been out most of the day. He always had his cell phone on and never ignored one of Sandy's calls. No, it wasn't his father. It was certainly Ryan.

Now all Seth had to figure out was how to get the horse back.

He threw on a tee shirt and jeans over a clean pair of underwear and was about to head downstairs when there was a knock on the door.

"Seth. Are you up?" Sandy opened the door a crack and stuck his head inside.

"Yeah Dad. Come on in."

"What the hell happened here?" Sandy ambled in, kicking aside a rolled up map of the Pacific Ocean. "I didn't hear about any tornadoes or hurricanes on this coast."

"I was looking for something." He wedged his feet into a pair of moccasins.

"Did you find it?"

Seth shook his head. "What's up?" He asked to change the subject. "What brings you up into my inner sanctum, the Holy of Holies?"

"I was wondering what you had planned for today. I'm going out to visit Mom."

"Oh. Should I come?"

Sandy shook his head. "No." He ran his fingers along the edge of Seth's dresser. "I'm going to prepare her for the fact that Ryan might not come this week for our family therapy session. I discussed it with her therapist and we shouldn't just spring it on her."

"Should I talk to Ryan, see if he'll change his mind?" Seth didn't think that Ryan would be to open to listening to him at this point. But if his dad wanted, he'd give it a try.

"No. No. I'll take care of it. It's something I should do. I'll give it one more try, but only after I talk with your mom." Sandy brushed his hand along Seth's neck. "It didn't work, by the way. Changing the subject, that is," Sandy clarified. "I still want to know what you're looking for. Are you missing your drug stash, because I flushed it down the toilet yesterday?"

"Only one?" Seth shot back.

"Are you going to tell me what's missing?"

"Something near and dear."

"Okay. Okay." Sandy held up his hands in surrender. "Don't tell me. But clean this up before you go. I don't want Rosa to think she has to clean up after you. Not like this."

"Yes sir." Seth bit down the resentment of having his father tell him to clean up his room, as he mocked saluted Sandy. Not that he minded or he wouldn't do it. Rosa had enough to do without Kirsten overseeing the house. He guessed it was just instinct to begrudge being told what to do, though it bothered him a little that his dad was treating him like a child when he had been putting such a huge effort to prove that he wasn't.

"So what are you doing today?" Sandy asked again.

Seth shrugged. "Looking for my near and dear object?"

"Well, call me on my cell if you need me. See you later?"

Sandy waved and left Seth alone in his room.

Seth peeked out of the room to make sure his dad was gone. This was between him and Ryan. He'd get to the bottom of it without Sandy's interference. As much as Seth loved and appreciated his dad, he wanted to resolve this on his own.

The coast was clear and Seth slunk out of his room and bounded down the steps and into the kitchen. Ryan was sitting at the counter, his head bent down over the arts & leisure section of the newspaper, surely reading a book review on Harry Potter and shoveling a heaping spoonful of cereal and milk into his mouth.

"Good Morning, Ryan." Seth pasted a sickeningly sweet smile on his face. "How are you this morning?"

"Fine," Ryan mumbled through a mouthful of food.

"Glad to hear that. Now will you return my horse?"

Ryan shook his head. "No."

"Why not?" Seth whined.

"Because you told Trey about… what you weren't supposed to tell anyone."

"Come on, Ryan. The guy's in a coma. Even if he can hear me, he won't remember anything when he comes out." If he comes out, Seth thought. "Wait. How do you know that I told Trey?"

"I heard you. I was outside of Trey's cubicle and heard every word you said."

Seth stopped his pacing. "You went to see Trey?" He slipped into a stool beside Ryan. "How was that?" He grabbed the cereal box next to Ryan, peered inside, trying to act nonchalant, and plucked a few Captain Crunch from the box.

Ryan shrugged his shoulders.

"This is not the time for the famous Ryan Atwood silence. Come on, man. You were dead set against seeing him. But you went."

"I needed to settle things." Ryan looked down at the paper and flipped the page. "It's over." He looked up at Seth with icy hard blue eyes. "I'm done with Trey. He nearly raped my girlfriend and then he tried to kill me. He wanted to kill me. I know I started. I know I went after him. But there's a difference between an ass kicking between brothers and what Trey was trying to do. We're done. I don't want to see him again. He's dead to me."

"That's intense."

"The Atwoods are an intense family." Ryan looked away from Seth and concentrated on his newspaper and cereal. "It doesn't matter. I still have you."

Seth's lips curled into a smile. Ryan was trying to act all suave and natural, but he heard the heartfelt goodness in Ryan's voice. It was finally one hundred percent official – now that Ryan had said it – he and Ryan were brothers. A brother would give Captain Oats back and wouldn't keep it away, causing him unnecessary pain and suffering.

"And I'm not giving you back your horse. He'll be safe for now. But you opened your mouth once and I don't trust you. Consider Captain Oats collateral."

"You know, this is war."

"May the best man win." Ryan smirked.

Seth slammed his palm on the counter and winced. "Ouch. That smarts."

Ryan buried his head, hiding the pleasure on his face. But his shoulders shook and a snort escaped and finally, he let it all out.

"Hhhmmph. Brothers, huh? A brother like you is much like having a water polo player peeing in your shoes. I miss the days when you had my back."

Seth stalked out of the kitchen, not really angry, but determined to find his horse. He went out the front door and quietly slunk around the house to the backyard. He peered inside the kitchen and saw Ryan was sipping a fresh cup of coffee and reading. Hopefully, it would keep him busy for a while.

He should have dressed in black. Black was stealth. But there had been no time. Seth, tiptoed into the pool house and stood inside the entranceway, hands on his hips, debating where to start. He went to the kitchen and opened up all the cabinets, surprised that they were fairly empty. He pulled everything out and set it on the counter, tapping the cabinets for any secrete compartments but found nothing.

Next, Seth went for the wicker cabinets where Ryan stored his clothes. He knew Ryan prided himself on being neat and clean, but Seth didn't care. He pulled out the myriad of cotton shirts, and ribbed wifebeaters, shaking them out before tossing them to the floor. He turned over Ryan's mattress, pulling up the bedding, leaving a heap on the floor and found a stash of Playboy magazines. Seth paused to leaf through them, before continuing his search. Apparently, Ryan kept his naked women next to Harry Potter, because there had been a clunk when he threw the bedding on the floor and he had glimpsed a hint of green. Poor innocent Harry was forever compromised. Seth pulled up the cushions from the various chairs and couches in the pool house. No Captain Oats. Where had Ryan put his horse?

Ryan stood outside the pool house and watched Seth take apart his room. He bit his lip, hoping not to laugh out loud. He wouldn't want to disturb Seth's great search. He dug into his pocket and pulled out Captain Oats. "I'll keep you close with me today," he whispered. He went back into the kitchen, scrawled a not to Seth and Sandy telling them that he was off to visit Marissa, and left Seth to turn his room upside down.

Fifteen minutes later, most of Ryan's worldly possessions were in middle of the pool house and still he hadn't turned up Captain Oats. Scratching his head, Seth wondered where he should try next. He'd even checked inside of the toilet. Could Ryan have taken the horse with him? Nah. Seth shook his head. Ryan wouldn't be caught walking around with a plastic horse. It just wasn't in his room. Seth left the pool house, noticed the kitchen was empty. Ryan would probably punch him when he saw the room, but he wasn't going to clean it up.

Ooh, Seth thought. He had promised his dad he wouldn't leave his room a mess for Rosa. He'd better go and clean it up while planning his next step.

Later that afternoon, Ryan sat in middle of his bed, cutting out letters from a magazine. He hadn't picked up Seth's mess yet. He was debating if he should drag Seth back into the pool house and make him clean up or if he would do it himself. In the meanwhile, he wanted to prepare Seth's next love letter. He was busy thumbing through the pages, hoping to find the next word or letter, and didn't hear Sandy come in.

"What happened in here? Someone ransack your room?"

Startled, Ryan looked up, trying to shove the paper and scissors out of sight. "Seth was looking for something."

"His near and dear object?"

"Yeah."

"Do you happen to have his near and dear object?"

"I plead the fifth."

Sandy pursed his lips. "As long as it stays fun, I'll stay out of it."

"No worries."

Sandy put the cushion back in place and bent down to pick up some of Ryan clothes. He sat down and folded the shirts.

"What's up?" Ryan asked, suddenly worried that he had done something else wrong. Maybe he shouldn't have visited Marissa, but he hadn't seen her since the shooting and wanted to make sure she was all right. Jimmy hadn't seemed upset that he had showed up. But maybe he had called Sandy.

"I went to see Kirsten this morning."

"How is she?"

"She's getting stronger. She's determined to get better for her boys."

Ryan focused on the cut out letters in front of him. He rearranged them, forming nonsense words.

"Ryan, the doctor thinks it's important that we all attend the family therapy session. You are part of our family."

"She didn't think to seem so."

"I know Kirsten hurt you at the intervention. I wish I could take it away. But this is something you and Kirsten need to work out yourselves."

"She doesn't want me here. She never wanted me here."

"How can you say that? Kirsten opened her heart to you. Do you know how devastated she was when you left last summer? I know things have been rough this year. But that's why it's so important for us to do this therapy."

Sandy could see the muscles in Ryan's neck expand and contract, but his young ward said nothing.

"Kirsten will understand if you don't come. I told her this morning you wouldn't be coming. I hope you'll reconsider. She'd really like you to. She's doing this for you as much as Seth. Probably more. She said it wasn't fair that you had another family torn apart by alcohol."

"I'll think about it," Ryan finally said.

"That's all I ask for now, kid. Thanks." Sandy stood to leave. He looked around again and sighed. "I'll get Seth to help you clean this mess."