I know these are shipper happy episodes, but because they were so happy and Ryan and Marissa were so open with each other at this point, there wasn't a whole lot to discuss so it's mainly sappy reminiscing and a set up for the next in betweener.

Chapter Six

"You saved my life."

Ryan smiled tenderly and kissed Marissa's forehead. I saved my own life, too, he wanted to say. He wondered if there would be a point in this conversation, if there would EVER be a point, where he could really say all the things he was feeling. Probably not. He'd work on his talking skills as best he could, but at the end of the day he'd have to find ways to show her how he felt and hope that would be enough. "It's almost anticlimactic, what happened next," he commented aloud. "Most of our problems in the relationship were minor and petty for awhile; and we didn't even have any for the next couple weeks."

"I loved that time," Marissa smiled softly. "Even with all the crap that was going on with my family. I woke up in the hospital and KNEW I wanted to survive, and I wanted to do it with you. I felt so connected to you during that whole time. And as soon as you came to visit me and brought me flowers, I just knew we were going to take it to another level as soon as things calmed down."

"I wish I'd had your confidence," Ryan said dryly. "Of course, your mother didn't help when she threatened to have me tossed back in juevie if I ever set another foot near you."

Marissa gaped at him. "She actually said it like THAT?" she asked incredulously.

"Yeah, she wasn't too happy with me," Ryan sighed. He felt like he was thinking back on another lifetime. Never could he have imagined that less than two years later Julie would be coming to him for help with Marissa. "She said I almost got you killed."

"Oh my God," Marissa groaned, burying her face in his shoulder. "Ryan, you know that's not true, right? That whole thing had SO little to do with you, and absolutely nothing to do with anything you'd done to me. If anything, you were the reason I pulled myself out."

Ryan considered his words carefully. "I know that now," he said at length. "And I think part of me understood that then. But Julie makes it easy for you to blame yourself sometimes."

"That's the truth," Marissa said wryly. "But she's gotten better. Or my tolerance level has gotten higher, one or the other."

Ryan cracked up. "Do you have any idea how different you are about your mother now?" he chuckled. "It's a complete power flip. You hold all the cards. I remember how scared you were back then that she'd lock you away."

"I guess I am; I don't really think about it all that much," Marissa mused. "I just remember that you were my salvation back then. Every time I needed you, you were there. You were the first person who ever stood up to my mother for me." She took his hand in hers and kissed it. "I'll never forget you confronting her. My knight in shining armor," she said playfully.

Ryan smiled even as his cheeks reddened a little. "I just remember feeling like I was gonna pass out when you kissed my cheek," he laughed quietly. "At the time, I never thought we'd even get that close. That built up my confidence a little, and I started asking you out every time I saw you."

Marissa giggled. "That was so sweet!" She ignored Ryan's 'I-am-not-sweet' glare, lost in her memories of that time. "You were really open with me back then; it made me feel so good that you wanted to be around me so much."

He'd wanted to be around her every second, but Ryan wasn't about to say that. He could only be called sweet once an hour. "Of course, then I went and blew it. Again."

"Your jealousy was flattering in hindsight," Marissa teased him. "Even if it's not the best way to handle a situation. And I should have told you right off the bat that Luke had come to me."

Ryan shrugged. "You were right; that was your business. We weren't in a relationship at the time."

"Oh, come on," Marissa protested. "We might as well have been. Besides, it meant nothing. I should have told you that to make it clear to you how done Luke and I were; it's not like I hadn't given you mixed signals in the past."

"You could have remembered that before you tormented me on the Ferris Wheel," Ryan teasingly chided her.

Marissa's grin widened. Even now, memories of that first kiss were some of her favorite with Ryan. She wanted to mention how another glimpse into that simple, boyish sweetness had completely won her over, but she figured he'd reached his 'sweet' quota for now. "That was honestly one of the most romantic moments of my life," she said aloud.

Ryan raised his brows. "When I almost threw up on you?"

Marissa shoved him playfully. "Shut up! You can't ruin this for me." She sighed happily, caught up in remembering that moment. "You jumped onto the Ferris Wheel even though you hate it, and told me you wanted to make it work no matter what."

"And then you shocked the hell out of me by kissing me," Ryan finished. He couldn't help smiling himself; that was another thing he'd never forget. He'd never forget how the world just exploded when her lips touched his.

Marissa leaned her head against his shoulder. "It was the best kiss ever. For me, at any rate."

Ryan ran a hand over her hair. "Wanna know a secret? It was for me, too." Marissa grinned up at him, her eyes shining. "Well, up to that night, at any rate," he clarified, laughing a little. "I don't think we did anything BUT make out for the next few weeks."

There was almost nothing better than the feeling when you first let yourself fall in love, Marissa remembered. Everything had been so new and exciting back then. Every time Ryan's lips had touched hers, she'd been giddy. "Question for you," she said aloud, deciding to torture him a bit. "What was our first big date supposed to be?"

Ryan flushed. "Uhhh…" he caught the teasing gleam in her eyes and laughed in spite of himself. "You're still a brat," he said playfully, wrestling her back onto the pillows. "Fine. I admit it. I had nothing planned, and I wanted to kill Seth when he said I did. I was convinced I was going to come up with something totally lame and you were never going to speak to me again."

Marissa sighed. "You've got to give yourself more credit at some point." she scolded him gently. "You could have taken me anywhere and I wouldn't have cared as long as I was with you."

"I figured that out when I first put my foot in my mouth about other girls and then took you on a wildly romantic date for your mom's event," he said sarcastically.

Marissa laughed. "Well, that was my fault about the first date. And you told me about what you'd seen that time. You were learning."

Ryan groaned even as he inwardly smiled at her utter lack of concern about other girls. Her faith in him in that area was a particularly appealing aspect. "I felt like such a jerk when you were going on and on about how happy you were. I couldn't let that go on."

Marissa hugged his arm and leaned against his shoulder. "I was okay. I had you," she said simply.

Ryan kissed her forehead, feeling the warmth of her simple faith spread through his chest. "And that night really began the start of our loooooooong sexual tension run," he said, only half joking.

Marissa bit her lip; she wondered about that sometimes. "Does it bother you we haven't had sex yet?" she questioned seriously. "It's been a long time, especially for you because you have more experience."

Ryan winced; that hadn't been the most thoughtful thing to say considering what had happened with Trey. "I shouldn't have joked about that," he apologized. "I don't want to pressure you. I mean, obviously I'd love to…you know, but I don't want anything to happen until you're ready."

"Ryan, you've NEVER pressured me," Marissa protested. "If anything, I've pressured you a couple times. I just…wondered. Are you okay with it?"

"I'm fine," Ryan assured her. "I mean, I'm a teenage guy. I think about it. But it doesn't bother me as much as you seem to think it does."

Marissa thought about it, too. All the time. They'd been heading in that direction pretty quickly when…

And here came the next part of their story, the part that would become so much more significant than they realized for more than a year. Soon after that first night she'd stayed in the pool house, she'd met Trey.