AUTHOR: Dancing Pixie

RATING: T

SUMMARY: The Cohens hit the road for a family vacation. The 20 hours car trip opens them up to some great family communication andsing a longs until Ryan's past demons resurface. Please Read and Review.

A/N: This started as a just a drabble as a way for telling the same story written in "The Nightmare" but it quickly took on a life of it own. My family is big on family trips to obscure monuments; those trips always made us closer and gave us a chance to really communicate. I thought it would be appropriate for the Cohens. Most of the things that Sandy insists the family does are in fact taken from my own personal family tradition (photos of sleeping children and in car sing-a-longs included).

The Best Family Vacation Ever

"Luggage?"

"Check."

"Map?"

"Check."

"One beautiful wife as the attractive co-driver?"

"Check," answered Kristen buckling herself into the passenger seat.

"Two teen-age boys ready for adventure?"

"Check," replied both Seth and Ryan from the back seats where they were squeezed in the back of the jeep between the suitcases.

"One family ready for the best vacation Mount Rushmore has ever seen?" Sandy asked as he began pulling out of the drive way.

"Check," chorused Seth, Ryan and Kristen, semi-enthusiastically.

"Great! Let the record show that the Cohen family are locked, loaded and are ready to travel!" Sandy's snapped down the sun visor and pulled out of the gated community.

"I know that this is this family trip is important to you dad, but it really necessary for us to drive all of the way to Rushmore?" Seth asked, "I think I just lost feeling in my left leg, these seats where not built for distance traveling."

"How else are we supposed to see the country if we don't drive?" Sand answered, making eye contact with his son through the rear – view mirror.

"But doing a round trip in four days, Sandy?" Kristen replied, "That might be pushing it a bit, we are barely going to have enough time to stop and see Rushmore."

"Family time is not spent, it's invested. We are making up for all of the time we missed out on this summer." Sandy paused as he pulled on the freeway, "Plus this is Ryan's first family trip, we have to make it count."

"But do we want to set the bar quite so high?" Seth responded.

"How far away is Mount Rushmore, anyways?" asked Ryan as he tried to adjust his seat.

"According to Mapquest it is 20 hour and 45 minutes or roughly 1311.63 miles," answered Kristen holding a print-out of the directions.

"Yeah, buckle in dude we are going to be here for a while." Seth grabbed a bag beside him, "Luckily I prepared a Seth Cohen Starter-Pack: Family Vacation Edition."

"If only all families could be so lucky," Kristen answered as she looked her shoulder to grin at the boys.

"Honey, where did we put the greatest hits tape? And don't tell me that we left it at home, because I made sure that we packed it this year."

Ryan looked up from the window, "Greatest hits tape?"

"You'll catch on Ryan. Okay I get to be the lead, honey you take up the female vocals. Seth, Ryan you are the back up voices. And I wanna hear everyone singing this time."

"No…this isn't what I think it is." Ryan stammered, " 'Cause I really don't sing."

"This is a family trip Ryan, you leave your dignity behind." Seth joked, "Wait it's starting, get ready…Go grease lighting, burning up the quarter mile…"