"Exaltation On A Cool, Kitchen Floor"

Disclaimer: I still don't own The O.C. , jinkies.

2: 24 am and I still hadn't been able to get any rest. I wasn't sure if it as because I couldn't get the days events out of my head, or because Ryan was sleeping on the air mattress on the floor, snoring like an ox. Probably a little bit of both, but either way, I could tell that sleep wasn't going to come to me anytime soon. Pushing off the Egyptian cotton sheets, I tiptoed across the pool house and opened the door while making as little noise as possible. There were probably rules about me walking around at night, knowing Ryan and all, so waking him was not an option. As soon as I stepped out the door, a warm breeze met my skin, running across my face and through my long blonde hair. The salty ocean smell was light and tranquil, the type of air that gave you that lull and feeling of false happiness. But any happiness was good enough for me at that point. An itch grew in my throat, and I decided to venture into the house, in pursuit of a glass of water, or maybe some Kool-Aide. Something told me though that people out here didn't drink Kool-Aide, it was probably frowned upon and considered trashy. That's what these people were like.

Pushing open the door, I was slightly surprised that an alarm didn't go off or that it was even unlocked in the first place. They probably kept in unlocked for Ryan, which also didn't sound quite right in my head. For one reason or another, I wouldn't expect them to trust him so much, but then again, they had no reason not to. Stepping inside, I closed the door behind me before taking a moment to readjust the pajamas I was wearing- a navy blue pair of shorts that were just a bit too short for my liking, but alas were the only summery bottoms I owned, and a white camisole with a small engine oil stain on the lower left corner, due to a car repair incident. So it wasn't exactly Newport Couture, but hey, I wasn't planning on anyone seeing me at 2:30 in the morning anyways. Guess we should all expect the unexpected.

"Excuse me?" A voice called from behind me, as someone stepped into sight after closing the fridge door. Oh shit, this couldn't be good. I whirled around, my eyes meeting those of a brunette boy in a Bright Eyes concert tee. He was honestly bewildered by my presence, maybe even a little freaked out, which amused me since who could be scared of a scrawny blonde girl anyhow? "Who are you and what are you doing in my kitchen?"

"Robbing you of all your canned goods and silverware," I replied, a serious look on my face as I crossed the dining room and stopped in front of the counter. "We can do this the easy way or the well…not so easy way. But I'm not leaving until I get my loot." Arm outstretched, I left my hand open, motioning for him to get me the things.

"Haha, very funny," He rolled his eyes, but still looked at me quizzically. "If you're going to rob us, at least take something good. The keys to the Range Rover are over there, on the table." He pointed across the room, to the dining room table, where sure enough, there was a set of shiny metallic keys.

"You're strange," I said, my eyes returning to him, as I took a spot on one of the stools next to the counter. I didn't really hear anything about Ryan's new family, just that some rich couple had taken him in, that's about all he had really told me. And as far as anyone else went, I was clueless. "So, you're too young to be Sandy, and you don't really look like a Kirsten…so I'm out of names."

"Seth," He stated, offering his free hand, since the other one was occupied by a bottle of Fiji. "And do you have a name? Or is it going against the cat burglar code to tell me?" With a shrug, I accepted his hand before tilting my head slightly to the side.

"It is, but if you promise not to tell the union, I think it'd be okay," I laughed, tucking her hair behind her ear, "Molly Atwood." Almost as soon as my name left my lips, his eyes widened as if having some sort of epiphany. Resting my chin in my hand, I cocked an eyebrow. "I know what you're thinking, and no, I'm not in any way, shape, or form related to Ryan."

"Seriously? That's weird…" Seth trailed off, giving me a confused look, along with a shrug. After a moment, he began shaking his head, catching on to my mind tricks. "You're good, but not good enough. But hey, Ryan has a sister, that's…surprising."

"Never heard of me?" I asked, a bit shocked. Then again, why would Ryan have mentioned me? I guess there wasn't really a reason. "Oh well, I guess you wouldn't have." Even though it shouldn't have, it kind of hurt, knowing that I was something he left completely in the past. Maybe I should have already figured that out.

"No, no, he talks about you all the time," Seth replied, stating it as if it was a fact. Waving me off, he took a long drink of his water. I could tell he was lying for my benefit, to make me feel better. It was a nice gesture, but I wasn't stupid. I knew the truth, and on some level, I didn't blame Ryan for leaving his past behind him. "So are you going to be staying here long?"

"Oh, I don't…I'm not sure," I shrugged, biting my lip. It hadn't really occurred to me that I was even welcome there, much less that there was a chance that I would stay. For the most part, I'd intended on crashing for the night, just because Ry insisted, and that by the morning I'd be on my way. My destination was a bit fuzzy, but Newport had to have some type of cheap motel. "I mean…I didn't exactly plan this trip."

"So you have to be getting home?" Seth asked, raising an eyebrow as he capped his water. At least it was a question I had a definite answer to, that was for sure.

"Nope, considering I don't actually have one," I explained evenly, since it wasn't a new development.

"Oh, I'm sorry," He apologized, his eyes sincere, which was something all too new for me. Usually people didn't give a crap who I was or where I was going. Especially if I wasn't of any use to them. But pity was the last thing I was looking for.

"No, it's okay," I added a small laugh, which came out a little more nervous than I wanted it to. "I mean, I just don't consider a place home unless your heart is there, so you know…there really is no home for me. But if I want to continue living with this one ex-girlfriend of Trey's, I'm completely welcome to go back to Chino." An amused smile covered my face as I thought about the girl, Kayla, who was quite the basket case. But hey, it was four walls and a bed, and she had MTV, so what wasn't to like? Maybe the fact that there were always sleazy guys showing up at all hours of the night.

"You should stay," Seth suggested, as tapped my fingers on the counter. My head snapped up, as I was a little surprised by the invitation. Staying in a place like this…well it wasn't really a setting I saw myself in. Plus, I would just feel like I was in the way.

"No, I don't want to be a bother," I shook my head, with a polite smile, "I can find somewhere to crash, no worries." But even though I'd never admit it, deep down, the idea of living in such a glamorous home really did catch my interest. Just the thought of seeing the ocean every day was exciting. Wait, no, I couldn't intrude, it wasn't my place to.

"Seriously, we need a chick around here," He explained, hopping onto the counter, "Long story short, my mom is in rehab right now, and three guys trying to live off of bagels and coffee? Well…it gets pretty tense around here."

"Ah, I see," I tried to bite back a laugh. Part of me was surprised Ryan knew what a bagel even was, much less ever ate them. At our house growing up it had always been about burnt toast and mimosas, or at least, that was all my mom ever made. "I'll consider it, but it's really up to your dad and Ryan."

"Oh they'll agree, believe me, I can be quite convincing," Seth said with a slight nod, and a bit of a strange maniacal look. Needless to say, at that point, I had to wonder what I was getting myself into.

"Has anyone ever told you that you're incredibly bizarre?" I questioned, holding a blank stare with my navy colored doe eyes, the ones that were often dark and tired, with a shrill ice to them. But the ice was melted, as if I had left the perpetual winter I'd been living in. This was going to be quite the interesting situation…

"Molly?" A voice came from behind me, startling me so much I completely fell off of the stool I was sitting on. Lying on the tile floor, blonde hair spread out haphazardly and a wince on my face, I stared upwards to see Ryan's face looming over me. "Whoa there, you alright?" I found it to be a rhetorical question, but he continued to wait for a response.

"Yeah, peachy keen," I sighed, rolling my eyes a bit too dramatically, "Are you going to help me up or…?" With a sheepish look, my brother grabbed me by the wrists and pulled me up there, mockingly brushing the dust off of my back. Veeery nice. In the old days, I would have punched him in the arm and unleashed a snide comment, but it seemed a little two soon. Sure we were still family, but there was this big unavoidable void between us, and it sure wasn't getting any smaller.

"So Ryan, it's a good thing you showed up," Seth announced, a devious grin on his face. I knew what was about to come out of his mouth, and suddenly I tensed up. For one reason or another, the idea of me staying any longer seemed like a foolish idea. Who was I kidding? I didn't belong here, I wasn't like Ryan…I wasn't going to change and be well accepted or fit in whatsoever. It wouldn't work…I'd screw things up, and plus, what if Ryan didn't want me here?

"This house belongs to the Atwood's just as much as the Cohen's, and Molly here doesn't have a place to stay right now…so you know where I'm going with this." Too late. The words were out there and the idea was on the table. All I could do now was frantically search Ryan's face for a response.

"I uh…" He trailed off, his face a mixture of uncertainty and amusement, which I must say, is an off combination. "Molly…do you want to?" Why did he have to place this one me? I would have much rather had someone choose for me, tell me I had to leave or find someplace else. Because if I did stay, and things didn't go well, it would be my fault. It could all be linked back to me answering yes. But as I looked between the two of them, their eyes seemed to be pleading for an answer, and it was just too hard to say no.

"Yeah, I mean, I guess if it's okay," I shrugged, trying to focus my eyes on the kitchen sink.

"Then I guess it's settled," Seth replied, a pleased look on his face.

"What's settled?" Another male voice joined in, as an older, obviously groggy man entered the room. Mr. Cohen, of course, who I hadn't meant yet. According to Ryan, he had called Sandy to let him know I'd be staying in the pool house for the night, but we had yet to be introduced. He seemed friendly and outgoing, like the dad most of us wish we had. Or in my case, I'd always just wished for a dad period. Anything was better than a single mom who was sleeping with half the town, that was for sure. "I heard a ruckus and thought I'd come down to make sure we weren't being robbed." Wow, apparently I was quite the felon. Then again, it ran in the blood.

"That was just Molly falling off the chair," Ryan explained, giving me a harsh pat on the back. "No one ever accused her of being graceful…" What a sweet big brother I have. Maybe it was our closeness in age, but it was hard to not tease back and forth, it was just something we had always done. This wasn't even close to the normal torment we inflicted on one another, not by a long shot. There's no way I'll ever forget the time I covered him in makeup while he slept, and me and Trey took hundreds of snapshot for black mail purposes. Now that was a good time.

"Anyways, we've all deliberated, and come up with a fitting idea," Seth explained, with more hand gestures than I'd ever seen anyone make in such a short amount of time. I couldn't imagine this guy on coffee or speed, or anything like that…the results would be more than just horrifying. "We figure, we've had 2 Atwood siblings under the Cohen roof, why not go for three? And Molly, she makes the complete set."

"By the way, I'm Molly, if you haven't already guessed," I introduced myself nervously, shifting my weight from one leg to another. "And you know, I understand if there's not enough room, or if you want me to find someplace else. No need to explain."

"Nice to meet you, Molly," He smiled, shaking my hand, "And don't be silly, we'd love to have you. Kirsten isn't here, and if you haven't already heard, it's getting kind of tense around her without a female presence. I think were actually missing the lifetime network and real food."

"What are you talking about?" Seth looked at his dad in bewilderment, "Mom never cooked, and when she tried, we did everything humanly possible to stop her." Obviously, this was true, because they all grew silent.

"Oh but she could dial the phone like a pro," Sandy laughed, as did everyone else. I wasn't even clear on what they were talking about, but I laughed anyways. And as I smiled, and stood there, in a nice house, with actually nice people, I had to wonder what was going to come next. Now I had something to lose…I had my family back, a fresh start, and possibly a house that could turn into a home. All I had to do was try not to screw it up.

A/N: Hey there you beauitful people! Thanks again for all the sweet reviews - this was kind of a transitional chapter, just kind of solidifying Molly's presence in Newport...kinda of a light chapter. After this it's going to lead straight into the first episode- Trey waking up, Ryan getting sent to jail, Marissa taking the blame once and for all- you get it.

But please continue to reveiw, let me know what you want to see and what you don't!