Last chapter! I've had a lot of fun writing this. Thank you so much to everyone who has read and reviewed. Enjoy!
"Jess, isn't this a little expensive?" He guessed that this was the most expensive hotel in Las Vegas.
"Just wait till we hit the floor tonight. Think you can teach me how to count cards?"
"You're only sixteen. They'll throw you out."
She pulled out what appeared to be a Colorado driver's license and grinned smugly. It had her name on it, the picture was actually her, and except for the address and date of birth, the rest of the information was accurate. "That's why I've got this. Now come on! If we don't get up to the room soon, I'm going to throw you down right here." She leaned against him, pressing her hips into his and biting his earlobe.
Something about the whole thing made his stomach churn. "This is wrong." He grabbed her hands and gently pushed her away. "I can't just keep running forever. I have to make things right with Ryan."
"Why?" she asked, not bothering to hide her annoyance.
"He's my brother. And no matter what's happened, no matter what happens in the future, nothing can change that."
"Yeah, you're genetically linked; I get that. Unless you like, need a kidney or something, what difference does it make?"
She didn't understand, and he knew she couldn't. Most of the time, he didn't even get it. He'd never understand why Ryan put everything on the line for him time and time again.
"We're not leaving; we just got here! You and baby brother can kiss and make up after we've had our fun here."
"You can stay. I'll take a bus back." For a moment, he saw her face unguarded and it reminded him just how young she really was. "You'll be fine Jess."
He just knew that he couldn't live with himself if he didn't do everything in his power to get his brother back. But he'd start with Theresa.
Ryan watched the clock. It was only one in the afternoon and Marissa wouldn't be coming for another six hours. Sandy was visiting Kirsten for the weekend and Seth would be at Summer's house, so they wouldn't have to worry about interruptions.
He was anxious and he couldn't tell if it was from anticipation or nerves. He'd fantasized and dreamed about it, since he first saw her standing at the end of the driveway. He knew that sex with Marissa would be different from any other girl he'd been with. When Marissa held him, he knew she wanted everything from him. While it was a bit overwhelming, it also touched something deep inside him knowing that she loved all of him. He often doubted that he was worthy of such devotion but she made it clear to him that that thought hadn't even occurred to her.
They'd waited so long for this and he wanted it to be perfect. He'd gone shopping that morning to make sure that he was completely prepared. Condoms, check. Candles, check. Sparkling grape juice, check. There were fresh sheets on the bed, and he'd gone to the grocery store to get everything he'd need to make dinner.
The next five hours stretched on like decades. The waiting was killing him.
Trey prayed that Arturo wouldn't be the one to answer the door. He heard shuffling inside and it seemed like an eternity before the door opened. It was Theresa with a baby in her arms.
When she saw him, her eyes widened and she clutched the bundle closer to her. "What are you doing here?"
"I just came because…" he sighed and ran his hand through his hair. "I don't remember what happened that night, but I know that I hurt you and I'm so sorry. I was on…it doesn't matter, I screwed up and I would do anything to take it back, but I can't."
"You felt so much remorse that you went and did the same thing to another girl?" she shot back.
"I'm a complete fuck up, Theresa-"
"Don't swear in front of the baby!" she hissed. "His mind is like a sponge."
"You baby-sit that kid a lot?"
"Yeah, his mom works full time."
"How old is he?"
"Trey, get to the point," she interjected.
"Right. Anyway, you know I'm a screw up. I want to change, I just don't know how. I'm really sorry and I hope that some day you can forgive me. When I went back to jail, I missed you like hell. I still do." This was as close to saying 'I love you' as he had ever come and he knew that after what he'd done she would never return his feelings, but he needed her to know.
"I can't. Not yet, maybe not ever." A tear slid down her cheek and she closed the door before he could say anything else.
Trey's shoulders slumped slightly, and he leaned against the rail on the porch. It had actually gone a little better than expected and he had a good feeling as he walked back to the bus station. He would do whatever it took for Ryan to forgive him.
"That was amazing. And here I thought you were only good at making grilled cheese!"
He smiled widely, picking up her plate and carrying it to the kitchen. "It's just one of my many talents. Now, I think it's time for dessert." He set a plate down in front of her. "I've never made cheesecake before, but hopefully it's not too bad."
It had a layer of brownies on the bottom and dark chocolate swirled on top. He'd poured strawberry sauce over it and now he was watching her, waiting to see her reaction.
She took a small bite first, and then quickly took another, bigger bite, devouring it eagerly. "You made this?" He nodded. "It's amazing. Seriously, like really amazing."
He took a bite of it himself, and discovered it wasn't bad. He'd never been a fan of cheese cake, but it was her favorite dessert. He smiled, watching her face as she devoured the rest of it. It was so worth it. When she finished, he stood to take their plates to the kitchen, but she grabbed snatched them from his hands, setting them back on the table and pulling him into a kiss.
His eyebrows shot up in surprise, but he quickly caught up to her pace, savoring the feeling of her body against his. She pulled back, her head spinning with desire, to catch her breath.
His eyes were hungry as he stepped towards her, pressing her against the wall. For a moment he just stared at her, drinking her all in. "Marissa," he whispered her name softly. The way he was looking at her made her feel like she was going to melt into a puddle on the floor. He slowly kissed her face starting with her eyelids, the moving to her cheeks, behind her ears, down her neck. His slow movements were torturous and that combined with the knowledge of what was finally going to happen, made her tremble against him.
When she trembled, he felt his pants tightening, so he pulled back slightly. He wanted to pace himself, make this last as long as possible. He only spoke to her with his eyes as he guided her to the bed. Though they both had known this moment was coming, neither could quite process that it was actually here.
He took her hand in his and their fingers intertwined, caressing and moving slowly together. She lifted his hand to her lips and kissed the tips of his fingers, feeling a twinge of pride when his breathing became shallow.
When she released his hand, he placed it on her cheek, running his thumb over her face and studying her. Her eyelids fell shut and she leaned into him, falling under his spell. She gasped when she felt his breath on her neck. His kisses were as light as feathers and his lips felt like silk on her skin. She felt a dull ache, a longing for him, spreading through her body.
"You sure?" he asked her as she pulled him closer.
She nodded without a hint of hesitation.
He knew that it was a big deal to her and it was to him as well. She had become such a huge part of his life that he couldn't imagine not having her in it in some way. The pool house was filled with memories of her. Breaking up, making up, making out, and just hanging out. The case of a DVD that she'd given him for Chrismukkah had been left on top of the television. On his nightstand, there was a picture of them together that Summer had taken at Trey's birthday party. Now there would be another potent memory of her forever ingrained in him.
Sirens wailed. Trey sipped his coffee and looked out the window of the diner where he sat waiting for the next bus to Newport. He watched as a car sped away from two police cars that were trying to corner it. In slow motion, the car spun around, tires screeching and it flew back towards the diner. He watched as it came closer and closer, popping up on the sidewalk, startling a few pedestrians who quickly leapt out of the way. The headlights shined through the window, blinding him.
He heard the sound of glass shattering. Everything around him was fuzzy, voices around him shouting frantically. Like a nightmare. The woman who had served his coffee now was kneeled down beside him. "Hold on, you're going to be okay."
The sharp pain in his stomach was telling him otherwise. "Tell Ryan that I'm sorry." His eyes closed and he felt all his strength leaving his body. The last image in his mind was of an eight year-old Ryan, looking up at him, pleading for answers and guidance and assurance, while the police took their father away. What's happening, Trey? Why are they taking him away?
Marissa woke up, snuggled against Ryan's chest. He looked so innocent when he was asleep and she knew that after their third round, he'd be sleeping pretty soundly. She watched his chest move up and down as he breathed in and out, letting her hand rest a little below his stomach. She kissed neck, the intensity of his scent making her want to ravish him all over again.
His cell phone rang, and she was surprised when he still didn't wake up. She reached for it and when she saw the Caller ID, she shook him. "Ryan, you should take this."
He mumbled something unintelligible, so she flipped the phone open. "Ryan's phone...Yeah, I'm trying to wake him up. Ryan!"
"Okay, I'm awake." He took the phone, still groggy. "Hello?" Marissa watched, holding her breath, as his face turned pale. "I see...Yeah, I can call Dawn; my guardian has her number." Marissa took his hand. "I'll be there as soon as I can." He snapped the phone shut and looked at Marissa with tears in her eyes. "Trey's dead."
"Dead?" She never would have guessed this.
"He got hit by a car. Drunk driver. The car was stolen and the police were chasing him."
She wrapped her arms around him, holding him tightly. "I'm so sorry, Ryan."
"He told the paramedics," Ryan hesitated, trying to hold back his tears. "He told them to tell me that he was sorry."
"Oh, Ryan." She wished she could say something to take the pain away, but she knew nothing would help. So she just held him.
The tears streamed down his face freely now and Marissa raked her fingers through his hair, holding his head to her chest so that he could feel her heart beating. The next few minutes felt like an hour. He seemed to come back to reality, and sighed, burying his face in his hands. "I have to call Sandy and Seth. But I just-"
Somehow, she understood. "If you want, I'll call them for you."
He nodded gratefully. "Thanks."
Half an hour later, Ryan sat in the living room with Marissa on one side of him, Seth on the other, and Sandy on the phone with Dawn.
He'd lost his whole family, though he realized he'd never truly had them to begin with. Since he was eight years old, he'd wondered what he could have done differently to keep his father from robbing that store. If he hadn't eaten so much or outgrown his clothes or asked 'Santa' for a bike for Christmas, maybe then his father would have stayed. Though his mom didn't officially leave him until he was sixteen, it had really happened when he was ten. She had left him for the bottle and he often wondered to what extent he'd driven her to it. Trey, he couldn't even bring himself to think about yet. One way or another, they'd all left him behind.
"Ryan?" Sandy asked softly.
"Kirsten's on the phone. Do you want to talk to her?"
He nodded, taking the phone from Sandy. "Hey."
"Sweetie, I'm so sorry. I know there's nothing I can say that's going to fix this, but just know that I love you, we all do, and we'll get through this together."
He fought back the tears. "Okay. Thanks." He gave the phone back to Sandy and saw the concern on his face as well as Seth's and Marissa's. So many times, he had expected them to leave him. Whenever he did something stupid or got in trouble, he thought they would turn away, but they just kept coming back. He wondered if it would be possible to get rid of them, if he wanted to. He didn't think he could, and he smiled softly as he realized he never wanted to.
This family wasn't going to leave him behind.
Fin.