Disclaimer: We've been over this before… I do not own The O.C. It all belongs to Josh Schwartz and FOX.
A/N: I apologize profusely for taking such a long time getting this chapter up. I just got back from vacation yesterday, and while I was away I had no access to a computer. I'll try to update sooner from now on…again I'm so sorry for the long wait!
KC-Chick: Thank you so much for your awesome review! It made my day, and it was the longest and most thorough one I received. I just love all of your comments, especially about Theresa. I hate her too! I really hope that you enjoy this chapter, since it's full of RM! Please keep reviewing, you're such a loyal reviewer and I love hearing what you have to say.
I-Believe-In-The-Butterflies: I'm sorry that you don't like that Ryan's the father…I know it's not exactly good news…but things could turn out for the better, right? Thank you for the compliments on my writing, I really appreciated them. Please keep reviewing!
xGoingUnderx: You were really surprised that the baby wasn't Eddie's? Wow, I thought for sure it was a dead giveaway since I'm not very good at being mysterious, lol. Thank you for the sweet comments that you left me, they made me feel great. I'm glad that you liked the Seth/Ryan scenes and that they bonded.
DancinDegrassi: Yay, Laura…you reviewed! Thanks a bunch sweetie. You'll see how Ryan handles being a father, soon enough. Oh by the way, I just saw "She's Too Young" and it was great…touchy subject though. Andrea was like "She slept with twenty guys? She's a slut!" Sorry, I just had to share that. Love ya!
Hannah: Thanks for taking your time to review, and for the helpful suggestions. I will take them into consideration! Sorry that I didn't get this chapter up as soon as you would've liked. I'll try to get better at it. 'Hit me on the hip. (Hehe, inside joke.)
BrSoccerChic: Yeah, you're right…now that Ryan's the father things will get more complicated. Thanks for sticking with me through all of this RM angst. I appreciate that you reviewed.
- - - -
"Are you sure you want to do this?" Seth asked, from the front seat of Summer's car.
"For the last time Cohen, yes! She's my best friend and it's up to me to get her out of this funk that she's in," came Summer's reply.
It was eight o'clock in the morning and they were parked outside of the Nichol Mansion.
"Well how does this involve me?" Seth whined.
"You're my boyfriend; you're supposed to be supportive of me. That's why you are involved in this. Not to mention you're Ryan's brother and Marissa is his girlfriend!" Summer said, by way of explanation.
"Okay, well you've got me there. But why did you have to wake me up so early? I mean, it's Saturday, Sum! No normal person should be up at such an untimely hour," Seth insisted.
"Cohen, stop your complaining. Are you going to come in with me or not?" she questioned him haughtily.
Seth shot her an amused look. "I'm not going in there. That place is creepy, Summer. Besides, it'd be weird without my grandpa around."
Summer smiled at him sympathetically. "I'll hold your hand."
"That's a very tempting offer, but I'm afraid I'll have to pass on it. You go on in and get Marissa up. I'll be here when you get back," Seth urged.
"Fine," Summer sighed. "Hopefully, it won't take me too long."
Summer walked to the front door and decided against knocking. She figured that everyone else would still be asleep, and didn't want to be responsible for waking up the entire family. She quietly slipped into the house, and made her way up the cascading stairwell. Once Summer reached Marissa's bedroom, she opened the door and closed it behind her as softly as possible.
Marissa was lying in her four poster bed, tangled up in a mess of blankets and sheets. Her hair lay haphazardly across her face, and Summer spotted an open Vodka bottle next to her nightstand. She walked over to her friend and shook her firmly, in attempt to wake her up. Marissa stirred, and turned on her side. Summer continued to shake her, until finally Marissa's eyes fluttered open and she awoke. She shot up into a sitting position, startled to see Summer standing over her, her arms crossed, and a disapproving expression across her face.
"Sum, what the hell are you doing here?" Marissa mumbled. Her heart was racing and she was obviously shocked to see Summer.
"Coop, I am sick of seeing you mope around your house all day," Summer stated.
"I do not mope, Sum!" Marissa protested. She lay back down in her bed, and pulled her sheets over herself.
"Oh yeah? When was the last time you went out and had some fun? You never want to do anything anymore, Marissa. Look I know that Ryan's being unresponsive and shutting you out, but that doesn't mean that you need to hole up in your room like a hermit. That's so not like you, Coop!" Summer exclaimed, sitting down on the edge of Marissa's bed.
"What do you want me to do Summer? Just hop out of bed at," she paused to take a look at her alarm clock, "at eight-something in the morning and go out partying? Sorry, that's not going to happen."
"Why don't we have a girl's day out? We can go shopping at the South Coast Plaza…or go out to lunch. Come on, we haven't hung out in forever!" Summer suggested, a sly smile appearing on her face.
"Ugh, Sum…it's so early. I don't really feel like going anywhere today, maybe tomorrow. Just let me go back to sleep, I'll call you later," Marissa yawned.
"No way, I am not giving up that easily," Summer hurried over to a nearby window and pulled up the blinds, allowing a flash of bright sunlight to enter her room.
Marissa moaned, and covered her eyes with a pillow, as Summer opened her closet and began fishing through it. She sat up in bed again, when she noticed Summer throwing clothes on her floor.
"Sum, what exactly are you doing?" Marissa asked, clearly confused as to what Summer was up to.
"I'm picking out an outfit for you. Aha! Here it is, wear this," Summer commanded, handing Marissa a pair of hip huggers.
Marissa stared at her with a blank expression. "I told you, I don't feel like going anywhere today."
Suddenly, the door to Marissa's bedroom swung open, revealing Julie Cooper-Nichol.
"Marissa, sweetie—" she began to speak, and then noticed Summer standing in her daughter's walk-in closet. "Oh, hello Summer, I didn't know that you were here."
"Hi Mrs. Coop--, um, Mrs. Nichol?" Summer greeted, not sure of what to call Marissa's mother.
"What do you want mom?" Marissa asked, impatiently.
"Kaitlin has a horse show today, and your father and I thought that you might want to come? Summer, you're welcome to come along as well," Julie offered, somewhat timidly.
Marissa stared at her in disbelief. She definitely did not want to spend the whole day with her little sister and her mother. "Actually, I'm spending the day with Summer. Thanks for the invite, but I can't go," Marissa said forcefully, so that her mother would know that she meant business.
"Oh, okay…well you girls have a fun time. I just thought I'd ask," Julie flinched at her daughter's harsh words, but left the room, nonetheless.
Marissa turned her attention back to Summer, who was looking at her with an amused grin on her face.
"What?" Marissa asked innocently.
"I just knew you'd see it my way," Summer said smugly.
"I only told her that, because there is no way in hell that I would rather spend my day in some smelly corral, than at the mall," Marissa replied with a laugh.
"Well, hurry up and get dressed. Seth's waiting in the car," Summer advised her.
- - - -
A few minutes later, Marissa and Summer emerged from the Mansion, and got into the running car. Summer slipped into the driver's seat, while Marissa sat in the back of the vehicle.
"That took you long enough," Seth huffed.
"Well, if someone had been a little more willing to comply with my orders, then it wouldn't have taken so long. Sorry you had to wait," Summer apologized, while backing her car out of the driveway.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah. So where are we going next?" Seth asked.
"I don't know about you two, but I'm starving!" Marissa said, voicing her opinion.
"Me too," Seth agreed. "Let's get something to eat, Sum. Breakfast on the Pier."
"Maybe we should invite Ryan?" Summer suggested.
"That's a good idea, he hates being left out," Seth replied.
"What do you say, Coop?" Summer asked, turning her head around to see Marissa's reaction.
"Summer, keep your eyes on the road!" Seth screeched, his voice raising an octave.
"Oh knock it off, Cohen. I'm a good driver," Summer said seriously.
"I suppose it wouldn't hurt to ask Ryan to come along," Marissa answered quietly, her voice full of uncertainty.
With Marissa's permission, Summer speed off in the direction of the Cohen House. A few minutes later they reached their destination and pulled into the familiar driveway. As the car came to a halt, the friends sat in silence.
Finally Seth spoke up. "So who wants to go get him?"
"I guess, I will," Marissa volunteered. She hadn't seen or spoken to Ryan in a while, and truth be told, she missed him.
She got out of the car, and slowly made her way to the pool house. Marissa knocked on the door and then entered without waiting for a reply. Ryan was sitting on his bed, wearing his signature wife-beater and a faded pair of jeans. He looked up when he heard the door close, and seemed surprised to see Marissa standing before him.
"Hey," she said softly.
"Marissa, hey," he answered, equally as quietly. "So, what brings you here?"
"Summer, Seth and I are going to go out for breakfast. We were wondering if you wanted to join us. You know…just like old times?" Marissa replied.
Ryan thought about it for a moment before deciding to come along. "Sure, I'm in. I'll meet you guys out there in a minute. I just need to change into something, a little more decent."
"All right, great…we'll just be outside in the car," Marissa said, not wanting to extend their awkwardness for a moment longer. She turned around and left the room as quickly as possible.
- - - -
Once at the Pier, the friends decided to eat at a Diner overlooking the sea. However the wait to be seated was so long that none of them felt like standing in line, so they decided to walk along the beach. Seth and Summer walked side by side, their fingers intertwined, while Ryan and Marissa tagged along behind them, keeping a good distance between each other. As they walked along the shore, Marissa stopped and dipped her feet in the icy-cold ocean. She shivered as she came in contact with the water, and for a moment she forgot all of the horrible things that were going on in her life. Seth and Summer continued their stroll down the long stretch of sand, trying to get ahead of their friends, in order to give them some privacy.
As Marissa stared into the deep blue abyss, she felt Ryan's presence. She turned around, and realized that he was standing right next to her. It amazed her that despite everything that had come between them, just being with Ryan calmed her down, she felt so carefree when she was with him, protected…loved.
"We need to talk, I have to tell you something," Ryan informed her.
"I'm all ears," Marissa retorted.
"First off, I-I just want to apologize for the way I've been acting lately. I didn't handle things correctly last time we spoke. I know that I haven't been the easiest person to be around…I'm sorry that I took things out on you."
Ryan looked at his feet as he spoke. Marissa reached for his face, and placed her hand under his chin, gently lifting his head up so that they were looking into each others eyes. Her arm dropped to her side and she took a step closer to him, and took his hand in hers.
"Everyone has their own way of handling things. You shut people out…and I drink. Neither habit is good. Ryan, we've got to learn to communicate better. We can't just go on ignoring each other, if we want to make this work. Otherwise…we're going to drift farther and farther apart and then the inevitable will happen and we'll break up. I don't want that to happen!" Marissa professed, sighing sadly.
"Marissa, neither do I!"
"All right, then we'll work on it. Everything's going to be fine as long as we're honest and open with each other. Now, is there anything else you'd like to talk to me about?" Marissa asked, squeezing his hand.
"I don't know how to say this, it's really hard for me to talk about," Ryan began.
"Try me," Marissa said encouragingly.
"Last week, I went to Chino. I just really needed to get away from Newport, you know? I saw Theresa and Arturo while I was there and there's something you need to know," he paused for a moment, trying to gather his thoughts, and word what he was about to say. "Marissa, she lied to me. Theresa told me that she lost the baby…but she only said that because she knew how miserable I was, being away from you and the Cohen's."
"Oh my God…the baby's alive? How can you be sure that she isn't lying to you now? I mean, she obviously doesn't have a very good track record for telling the truth!" Marissa protested. Why was it that when everything seemed to be getting better, they had to hit another road block? It was as if they were cursed.
"Mariss, I know that she isn't lying…because not only have I seen Matt, I've held him in my arms. This is a lot of information to take in, trust me I know. It seems unbelievable, but it's not," Ryan insisted.
"Does she know who the father is? Is it Eddie? Is that why she kept this from you for such a long time…because Eddie's the father, not you?" Marissa asked, her eyes were filled with a mixture of fear and hope. She was desperately fighting back tears.
"We just got the results of the paternity test back. Eddie's not the father…I am," he said hoarsely.
Marissa gasped in shock. She hadn't expected those words to come from Ryan's mouth.
"A-are you sure? Sometimes those tests can be wrong?" Marissa cried.
"The doctor said that I am definitely the father," he repeated himself, his voice throaty and deep. "I am so sorry, Marissa. I never meant for any of this to happen."
He took a step towards her; however she backed up away from him.
"So what now Ryan… are you going to leave again? Are you going to leave me again for Theresa? If you were so miserable last summer, then what makes you think that this time will be any better?" Marissa screamed. Tears were beginning to stream down her delicate face.
"No! At least…I don't think so. I'm not sure. I mean, I am Matthew's father, and there is no way in hell that I am going to let him grow up without a dad."
"I understand that, Ryan. You have a responsibility to your own child. You also have a responsibility to your family. Kirsten pretty much lost it when you left, and Seth ran away. Sandy was the only one holding them together. You can't leave Ryan. Kirsten's going to come back from therapy and what? Find out that she lost another son all over again? If that happened, she could relapse! There has to be another way. Why can't Matthew…that's his name isn't it?"
"Yeah, that's his name," Ryan confirmed.
"Why can't he live with you and The Cohen's?" Marissa asked.
"Because, they have done so much for me already, and I am not going to burden them with another mouth to feed," Ryan answered.
They were standing across from each other, yelling back and forth. It was like a game of ping pong.
"Ryan, that's bull…you know that Sandy and Kirsten would be more than willing to help. Yeah, you'd have to get a job and start earning some more money, but wouldn't it be worth it if you were able to stay in Newport?"
"Theresa wouldn't let me have custody of him! That's fairly obvious, since she ran off to Georgia during her pregnancy and lied to me about the baby dying. Does that sound like she wants me in Matthew's life?" Ryan asked angrily.
"Ry," she said, her voice softening. "You could take her to court. After everything's she's put you through, there's no way that a sympathetic Jury wouldn't grant you joint custody—at the least," Marissa suggested.
"I-I don't know what I'm going to do. God, everything is such a mess. I can't take it anymore!" Ryan sighed in exasperation.
"Well, let me know when you figure it all out. Because Ryan, I am not going to spend my whole summer pining for you, while you're living with some other girl, the way I did last year. If you leave Ryan, we're done," Marissa stated sadly. A sob caught in her throat and she ran away in the opposite direction sobbing.
Ryan stared after her, he felt as if his heart were breaking. He knew that he should run after her, but his legs seemed paralyzed…he couldn't move them. He loved her, and he definitely didn't want to leave home again. However, that was life as Ryan Atwood. He always worried about others more than himself, and most of the time took on more than he could handle. Ryan was everyone's white knight, their saving grace. He had a Hero complex to live up to. If only he could put other people's feelings aside just once and do something for himself…he could resolve the issue and everyone would be satisfied with the outcome.
A/N: I'm not really sure how I feel about this chapter. Did I handle the Ryan/Marissa scenes well? I tried my best to keep the characters true to their personalities…but it is just so damn hard for me to write Ryan, for some reason. The next chapter is going to be very exciting and dramatic (at least I think it will be). Don't worry folks, our couple will have the happy ending they deserve…but not until I put them through just a little more pain and suffering. Oh, I'm so mean to those characters. Anyway, please review and let me know what you think. Reviews are so rewarding to the author, so please do me a favor and if you're reading my story…drop me a line! Thanks, you guys rock:0)