A/N: I know, I know…I haven't updated in a long time. I'm sorry about that – school and a new job, but I promise that I'm going to do my best to get chapters out more quickly. This one is a real long one, so I hope it makes up for the long wait. Please read and review like you awesome people do with every chapter – I appreciate it so much. Sorry for the delay and I hope you enjoy this chapter. I had a fun time writing it.
Brittany had only been home for three and a half weeks, and Ryan and Marissa were adjusting to parenthood as well as they could. The first night was awful, the second night was fairly bad and the third night was a little better. Brittany doesn't wake up every hour, instead she can sleep consistently four hours before waking up giving the proud parents a two a.m. wake up call and then back to bed for another four. Their house is a mess, the baby can't even walk yet or play with toys but the house still manages to be messy. The relationship between Ryan and Marissa had been tested a few times, mostly words were said that shouldn't have been said due to their deprived sleep, but they always made up by the end of the day. When they'd go for days with out sleep they'd both manage to argue over anything, whether it was minor or major. Ryan went back to the Crab Shack with Seth to work, but his hours weren't as long as they used to be, in fact he was given time off to be at home with Marissa and the baby. The check Sandy and Kirsten gave them as a present they used to pay off their hospital bills, pay off some rent and secretly save away for a house they're dreaming of buying. Three and a half weeks passed by unbelievably slowly and before they knew it, it was Christmas Eve.
Marissa was in the living room decorating the house with Christmas decor her moods were definitely in the Christmas spirit. As he entered the room he immediately noticed how immaculate everything looked. The diaper bags, and stray diapers, pacifiers and little distraction toys had been cleaned up, and in their places were Santa Clause's, angels, and everything else Christmas.
"Wow." Ryan said looking around at his Christmas wonderland.
"You like it? Brit and I have been working all day to decorate the house. It's her first Christmas and I want it to be special. The only thing we still need to get is a tree." Marissa looked down at the baby, now a month old, who was sporting a one-piece Christmas sleeper spotted with little reindeers.
"Do we have to get a tree? She's a baby; she's never going to remember that we didn't get one. I mean the kid doesn't even know what Christmas is." Ryan just came off a nine-hour shift at the restaurant and all he wanted to do was take a nice hot shower and go right to bed.
"She may not know it's Christmas but I do. Is it so hard for us to celebrate this Christmas by getting a tree? It's our first Christmas as a couple and is also the baby's first too. All I want is for this to be perfect." She sat down on the couch covering her face with her hands, upset.
"Okay I'll go get a tree." Ryan said sitting down next to her, his hand wrapped around the side of her head. The doctor did mention to Ryan before they left about mood swings and how sometimes after babies are born, the mother's emotions going crazy. Ryan just laughed at him when he said it, not knowing that he was actually telling the truth. The past few weeks had been crazy and Ryan was trying his hardest not to give in to any of her crazy moods, but it took all his power sometimes not to.
"No, no we don't have to. We'll celebrate it with out a tree because Mr. Scrooge has no holiday spirit in him." She stood up from the couch and marched up the stairs leaving Ryan unclear of what that was about, but blamed it on a mood swing. He sat backwards on the couch and ran his hands down his face. When he took his hands away from his eyes, he looked in front of him seeing that Brittany was staring at him.
"I know what you're thinking and she's wrong, I do have holiday spirit I just think your mother's a little loopy lately." He sat back shutting his eyes trying to catch a few minutes of sleep either before Marissa came back down to yell at him or Brittany started to cry. Shutting his eyes, he shifted around on the couch to get comfortable and took a deep sigh before he fell asleep. Ryan was lucky enough to get a good five minutes before the phone began ringing. The telephone was on it's third ring and Ryan safely assumed that Marissa wasn't going to answer it so he yelled up "Don't worry, I've got it." And then answered the phone. "Hello?"
"Hey Ryan, I was wondering if maybe you'd want to go hang out. Maybe go to a bar and get a few drinks or we can even go to a restaurant – but if you can't we can always reschedule…" Seth said babbling on.
"Sure but I'll have to check if I can. Marissa and I are in another fight…. I guess. Who knows anymore." Ryan said looking at his daughter.
"Again? No." He said sarcastically. "What about this time?"
"Interestingly enough, about a Christmas tree."
"Get one of those four or five foot trees – that's what Sum and I got."
"Yeah, well I'll probably go and get it tomorrow since I don't have work." Ryan sighed looking at the clock, it was four thirty already.
"Or we could go out and get one tonight, bring it home and surprise her?"
Marissa walked down the stairs asking Ryan who was on the phone, and when Ryan mouthed 'Seth' she nodded her head and told him she said hi. "Marissa, is it okay if Seth and I go hang out for a little while? Would you mind?" Ryan asked as though he was six and asking his mother if he could go hang out with his friends.
"No of course I wouldn't. Why would I mind, I stay home all day with a crying baby, have absolutely no help when the father finally comes home and then is left again while he goes and hangs out. Sure go out and have fun."
"Fine I'll stay home I –"
"No, go, go…. I want you to." She grabbed the baby out of her bouncy chair and entered the kitchen to warm up a bottle for Brittany.
"Seth I think I should stay home, she's pretty angry with me for – I'm not even sure."
"Hey man, I heard everything and she said to go, so let's go. We'll go surprise her with a tree and we'll only be gone for an hour tops." Seth was persuading him because secretly he needed to escape from his hellhole house too.
"Okay, I'll meet you out front in five. Bye." He hung up the phone and walked into the kitchen sitting on a chair watching Marissa feed the baby. "Marissa I'm sorry…for whatever I did." She scoffed after hearing the most insincere apology ever.
"For whatever you did? Yes that sounds so meaningful, especially since you have no idea why I'm angry with you."
"Then tell me. I don't like when we fight."
"You're such a pig. You want to know the reason? Okay. I stay home with the baby all day catering to her every need while you're out working. You come home, you're exhausted you either take a nap or hang out with a friend, and again…I'm here by myself, still exhausted. I want help! I didn't make this baby by myself and I'm sure as hell not going to do everything alone while you think you can just escape from these responsibilities." Marissa was so frustrated she looked as though she was going to cry. It seemed like lately Marissa had a lot of these 'blow-ups' at Ryan and he thought for fun he'd make a game out of it, rating each fight and how crazy she'd get. He'd rate this one a seven and a half.
"I'm sorry, I really am – I know I haven't been much of a help. I promise I'll do more to help out because I know I haven't been the greatest. Here, I'll finish feeding her." He took the bottle from her and took over feeding but again was interrupted by a loud car horn. "Seth. I –"
"Go. I know, don't be long." Ryan planted a kiss on Marissa's cheek and bolted out the door to Seth's car.
They drove to a near-bye Christmas tree lot looking at all the options they had this year for a tree.
"They don't look very good." Ryan said dubiously as he scanned the rows of little trees with branches missing and dried up bristles. His plan was definitely set back.
"Listen, it's not just about the tree it's the thought that counts. Just pick one, we can go get lights and set everything up." He stopped in front of a tree that looked the size of a five year old and though it wasn't the prettiest looking tree, he thought this would do. "Good?"
"I guess. Excuse me – I'd like to buy this tree." He said to one of the workers. The worker grabbed a saw and soon removed it from the ground, placing it in netting and attaching it to the roof. Ryan paid a lousy ten bucks for it and then the two drove off to CVS to get some Christmas lights. They were home a little over an hour later and Marissa was alarmed when she saw Seth and Ryan walking into the apartment holding a tree.
"I thought you didn't want to get one." Marissa's face glowed, her smile huge and her mood surprisingly happy. She couldn't begin to say how happy she was and Ryan definitely made up for earlier.
"I was wrong. We do need a Christmas tree and I was stupid for saying we didn't. Forgiven?" He asked leaving Seth to set the tree up by himself.
"Forgiven. And I know that you think it's stupid we're fighting over a tree but it's because you didn't want to take part in a Christmas tradition. You just dismissed it so quickly and it made me really upset." Ryan looked down at the baby, grazing his hand on top of her soft, tiny head.
"I know, but this is going to be the best Christmas ever," Ryan leaned in towards Marissa, planting a long and much needed kiss. Seth saw them out of the corner of his eyes and began to laugh. He was decorating the tree, a job he wasn't suppose to be doing by himself – it wasn't even his tree, but stopped when Summer paged him. She wanted him to go out and get her a McFlurry at a McDonald's, a food item of choice lately. After Seth left, they put the baby down to sleep and Ryan and Marissa spent the rest of the night decorating the tree and thinking about how special this holiday will be for the three of them. Once the tree was perfect, hand-in-hand they walked up to their bedroom to try to get some alone time.
Christmas eve was here and the family was booked all day. A visit to Marissa's dad, then to her mom's and then Ryan was going to watch the baby while Summer and Marissa went shopping.
"Hey guys, come on in!" Jimmy said opening the door to his little California home. Ryan and Marissa entered the house and took off their jackets, hanging it on the coat rack. "Is this…it can't be my grand-daughter, she's gotten so big."
"I know, she's growing like crazy. I can't believe how much she's changed since she's been born. Hailey hey, so nice to see you." Marissa said seeing Hailey walk into the foyer holding a drink.
"Yeah, haven't seen any of you since Brittany's birth. How have you been?" She asked while they all walked into the living room and sat down on the couches. Ryan took Brittany out of her baby carrier and left it near the door. He coddled her in his arms as she began to gurgle a little.
"We've all been great, extremely tired but I guess that comes with the job." They all laughed and Jimmy nodded his head.
"I remember those days. You wouldn't give your mother or me a free moment until you were at least five or six months old. I'd think you'd cry just for the fun of it, and your mother being so protective of her first born would come to your aid every time. I'm glad you're older because as much fun as it is to have kids…I love my sleep."
"We're looking forward to when we'll get that back, but for now we wake up every three or four hours after she's put to bed. Which is good, we're making little strides." Ryan commented, his hand rested on Brittany's little stomach, her eyes were closed and she was sound asleep. Her little lips were opened slightly and her arms lay limp on Ryan's lap.
"Anything new with you two? By the way, I love the new house…it's gorgeous." Marissa looked around admiring it, wishing she could live in a house like this again. Jimmy finally moved out of his apartment and into a spacious four-room house with two floors and an underground pool.
"Actually there is. Hailey and I have some news." Jimmy placed his hand on top of Hailey's and they both looked lovingly at each other. "We're getting married."
"M-married?" Marissa stuttered a little and stood up to hug her father and soon to-be stepmother. "When?"
"We haven't set a date yet but we're thinking maybe next summer. Not this upcoming one but the next."
"Congratulations you guys, that's great." Ryan couldn't move, he was holding Brittany and didn't want to disturb her sleeping. One thing they learned, never wake a sleeping baby or there will be consequences to pay.
"Thanks, but we know you have other people to see so before you leave, so how about opening some presents?" Hailey sat down on the couch and Jimmy grabbed some presents from under his Christmas tree, handing them to Marissa. "The red one's Brit's, the blue one's Ryan's and that one's yours." Jimmy sat back down on the couch next to Hailey, his hand resting on her knee.
"Dad, Hailey you really didn't need to – " She opened her box, inside lay a gift certificate for a day at the spa including a massage, facial, pedicure and manicure. "I love this! Thank you so, so much."
"You deserve it, you've had your hands full lately." Jimmy laughed and watched Marissa open Ryan's too. Ryan got a year's free pass to the gym near his apartment. Jimmy thought he'd like it, knowing he worked out before the baby was born but stopped.
"Thanks, I really appreciate that. I've been meaning to go back but just have been…busy."
"Don't forget Brittany's." Hailey chimed in, gesturing towards the nicely wrapped box sitting beside Marissa.
Marissa opened the box, there were three adorable baby outfits folded neatly on top of each other and underneath rested a gift certificate to "Baby's R Us'. "You guy's…thank you so much, we love everything. Wasn't that nice?" Marissa looked over at her boyfriend who seemed to be in another world as he stared off into space. She hit him lightly on the arm and he jumped, a little confused and just nodded his head. "We too, have a gift." Marissa took out a box and handed it to her father. "It's nothing big, we just didn't know what to get you."
"A gift certificate for a night of fine dinning? That's a fantastic. Thanks guys." Jimmy and Hailey both stood from the couch and Marissa did as well.
"I hate to cut this short but we really should be going. We have to go over to mom and Caleb's then stop by the Cohen's, and then Summer and I are going shopping while Seth and Ryan watch the baby."
"Sounds like you have a busy day. We wont keep you. We'll call tomorrow and see how your Christmas is. I'm guessing your going to Sandy and Kirsten's Christmas dinner tomorrow night?"
"Yes, we're going."
"Great, we'll see you tomorrow then. Bye, love you." Marissa hugged her father tightly and returned the 'I love you'. They all hugged and said their goodbyes and the Atwood family made their second stop to the Nichol's house.
Julie and Caleb were married a few months before Marissa found out she was pregnant and the two soon moved into a huge mansion. Their marriage unfortunately seemed to be happy and before Brittany's birth, Marissa and her mother had no other contact. Marissa was so bitter about the way they ended things when she told her she was pregnant, that she moved in with Ryan and erased Julie from the picture. After her first grandchild was born, Julie started making a conscious effort to get back into her daughter's life and the two have been working on building their relationship back up.
Marissa grabbed the baby carrier from the back seat and held the handle in her hand. Ryan shut the door of the car and locked it up.
"Do we really have to come here?" Ryan asked, complaining about visiting the gruesome twosome.
"They're our family. We're going to see yours so why can't you see mine?" As Marissa said that the door opened and Julie and Caleb stood in the doorway.
"Marissa, Ryan…. Brittany." Julie said in delight as she took the baby from her baby carrier. "My grand-daughter, oh how precious are you. I could just eat you up." Julie held the baby against the side of her face rocking her from side-to-side.
"Please come in." Caleb said opening the door wide so they could enter. "JuJu, can I have a turn with my grand-daughter or is it great-granddaughter? Who the hell knows anymore, just give her to me." He asked his hands outstretched. "I haven't held a baby for so long, I forgot how precious they were." This was a side neither Marissa nor Ryan had ever seen. Julie Cooper showing compassion towards someone, it scared both of them a little.
"Fine, fine but only for a minute." She handed her to Caleb and Ryan and Marissa watched, shocked at this new side to both of them. Julie carefully handed the tiny little baby to Caleb who melted when he held her in his arms.
"So, you went to go see your father already?" Julie asked guiding them into the kitchen. Everyone took their seats and Julie rummaged through the cabinets to get some glasses.
"Actually we just came from their house."
"How is he?" She grabbed four glasses and set them down on the counter.
"He's engaged." Marissa told her wanting to see her reaction.
"Engaged? Hmm, I never would have thought he'd pop the question to Hailey. Good for him." Julie grabbed two beers for the boys; got Marissa a water and Julie had a little glass of wine.
"You know what this means. Caleb's daughter is marrying his wife's ex-husband. We have the most messed up family tree I've seen. We all have to watch who gets with who or pretty soon we'll have incest." Ryan laughed and when he got a death glare from Marissa he soon stopped and took a sip of his beer.
"Anyways…." Julie said looking at Ryan. "What are you two doing for the rest of the day? I could watch Brittany if you two want to go out, or do Christmas shopping, it's not a problem."
"Mom thanks for the offer but we just have so much stuff going on today that I don't think it'd be possible." Julie looked down at her feet, her disappointment unconcealed. "We're still going to see you tomorrow night, over Kirsten and Sandy's, right?" Julie gave a weak smile and nodded her head gesturing towards the baby to give her a goodbye kiss.
Things have always been rocky between Marissa and her mother spanning as far back as they could remember. Julie was always on her for something, always belittling her and putting her down and when she found out she was pregnant, it just made everything worse. When Marissa moved out of the house as a slight punishment for becoming pregnant, Julie and Marissa weren't on speaking terms with each other. Julie would call to check on her and offer to take her out to lunch, but Marissa refused to pick up the phone. It wasn't until Ryan stepped in and called an end to this little war that both of them started talking again. Slowly, but surely they're talking again and rebuilding their relationship not only for each other but also now because of Brittany.
Marissa and Ryan arrived back at the house a half hour later and when they walked into the house they were surprised to see Seth sitting at the kitchen table while Summer was searching through their refrigerator.
"It's about time." Summer said peeking her head out from behind the refrigerator door. She held in her arms an assortment of things, carrots and dip, cheese and the container of ice cream. Marissa couldn't help but laugh when she spread everything out on the table and began to eat. Ryan held Brittany in his arms and motioned that he was going upstairs to change her diaper, Marissa giving a nod then sat down next to Summer.
"We got tied up at my mom's and Caleb's. They just couldn't take the hint that we had to go, they just kept talking and talking and –"
"We get it." Summer interjected quickly, stopping her from continuing. "Want some?" She held up a carrot wrapped in cheese and dipped in ranch dressing.
Marissa shook her hands in front of her, backing as far away as she could from the disgusting piece of food. And Marissa thought her pregnancy foods were outrageous.
"I'm so tired…. there's still so much to do. I need to finish grocery shopping for tomorrow night's dinner, not to mention I still have to get some more gifts for Ryan." She curled a strand of hair around her finger and then covered her mouth from an approaching yawn.
"No Coop, you're not canceling on me. We can do all that stuff you need to do. We need a girl's day, we haven't had one in over a month." After eating almost half of everything she took, she stood back up with some difficulty and waddled back to the refrigerator to put the things she didn't eat, back.
"Are you sure you're up for it? All this walking, aren't you going to be tired?"
"Don't worry about me, I'll be fine. Let's go." She grabbed Marissa's hand and pulled her up out of her seat. She had no choice but to go, but told Summer she had to drive because she could barely keep her eyes open. Summer quickly added that once they're shopping she'll wake up, that's the trick to boost energy.
Ryan walked back into the kitchen holding Brittany up to his shoulder, her tiny head leaning against his cheek. Brittany was out of her Christmas dress and wearing only a pink onsie that barely fit her. He moved his hand in circles on her back, her little legs kicking and her hands in fists beating against Ryan's chest. He stayed standing against the wall adjacent to where Seth was and looked around curious what everyone's plans were.
"Ry – me and Summer are going out, we'll be back in a couple hours. You're fine with Brittany for a little while right?" Marissa grabbed her coat from the closet and draped it over her arm, then grabbed her purse and hung it on her shoulder.
"Yeah, yeah…don't worry, I'll be fine. Plus, Seth's here and he can help." Ryan gave Marissa a kiss, and then she kissed the baby's cheek. It'd been the first time that she'd be gone from the baby since Brittany's been home, and though she fully trusted Ryan, she just felt awful for going.
As Summer was pulling Marissa to the door, Marissa kept looking back at the baby feeling like she should stay, but Summer wouldn't allow it.
"She'll be fine, c'mon everything's going to close soon." With one final tug, Summer managed to pull her out the door then poked her head back in to wave goodbye to the boys. "Be back in a little while. Love you."
Seth waved goodbye and when the door finally shut, he gave a sigh of relief. He leaned back in his chair causing it to tilt, but he wrapped his legs around to kitchen table legs to keep from falling over. He rested his hands on top of his head and looked over to Ryan, watching him with his niece.
"I thought they'd never leave. What happened man? What happened to Seth-Ryan time?"
Ryan looked at him astounded that he'd be that stupid, "Um let's see, its called Marissa and I had a baby."
Seth sat straight in his chair, the legs all touching the floor. "Yeah but I didn't know that it'd interfere with brotherly bonding. We can go to the arcade, or go to the beach…I don't know, places we used to go."
Ryan quickly picked up on what this was about. He could tell Seth wasn't coming to grips with the fact that he was going to be a father very shortly, and that seeing Ryan with Brittany made everything more real. Seth wanted everything to go back to normal, he knew it would never be how it was, but it was obvious he was in denial about it.
"Seth I can't and you know that. There's work, and Marissa and the baby…I just don't know when I'll be able to. You and Summer have your baby coming soon, and Marissa and I are still adjusting to ours – when your baby comes, you'll understand what I'm talking about." Seth looked down at the floor upset and disappointed but brushed it off with a shrug to not give it away.
Seth grabbed a coca-cola from the fridge, opened it and returned to his seat tracing his index finger on the table thinking of something to talk about.
"Hey Ry – you remember that time at Holly's party? Those were the days, right? Luke and the rest of the water polo team, " Just mentioning the water polo team brought a smile to Seth's face and he looked up at the ceiling trying to recall memories. " They were like going to kill us right there on the beach, but then you came back to help and we totally took 'em. They didn't know what was coming…you with your fighting skills and me with my…um, nevermind about me – but we were quite the team back then. I remember that night, you just moved in and we were getting to know each other, and it was the first party of Holly's I was ever invited to. " And with a chuckle he added how he got completely wasted too.
Ryan stiffened up in his seat concerned about Seth's behavior and quickly squashed Seth's trip back to memory lane by getting his attention.
"Yeah those were good days but –"
"But nothing, we can still do those things again…go to parties, hang out – it can be like the old days." Ryan walked over to the baby who began to cry because she spit out her pacifier. "It's okay Britt, here you go…shh." Placing the pacifier back into her mouth he turned to see Seth had followed him and was standing behind his back.
"No Seth, we can't. We will never get those days back. We have girlfriends, and kids…. and jobs – we have responsibilities that we can never get rid of and you're obviously in denial about it."
Seth was taken back; surprised Ryan would even say something like that. "I'm not in denial about anything, I just miss how it used to be. How everything used to be. Don't you?"
Ryan looked down at Brittany, her big blue eyes staring up at him and her tiny little hand wrapped around his index finger and turned back to answer Seth, "every day. But I've learned that I can't turn back time and have accepted my new roles and soon enough you will too."
Seth took a sip of his drink and scratched the back of his head with his free hand. "I'm sick of talking about this. You up for a game of GTA?" Ryan gave a huge smile and nodded, and while they walked into the living room to set it up, Ryan kept telling him how he'd kick his ass because he's been practicing a lot lately.
Ryan on one couch and Seth spread out across the adjacent one, their eyes both stuck on the screen and their hands clutching the controllers while their fingers rapidly press different buttons. Seth making his usual noises while he plays the game sounding like he's having an orgasm when he's beating Ryan in a battle. Then as though in a ritual, he throws his controller in front of him and then puts his hands up into the air declaring to everyone that he won. And he'd do that every time he won, which when playing against Ryan, was always. They went on for hours playing the same game, but it was also used as an opportunity to talk and catch up, because even though they lived next door, they rarely got to see each other.
After three hours of sitting on the couch and playing the same game, Ryan threw in his controller calling it quits. He could barely keep his eyes open and while they were playing GTA, Seth caught him a few times dozing off causing himself to lose that round.
"Well that was fun." Seth said sarcastically while he reached over to turn off the playstation. Ryan's eyes opened immediately, trying to make it seem like he was awake the whole time. "Look man, if you're so tired I don't mind watching Brit. Summer says I should be practicing anyways but practicing with a doll just doesn't exactly look right, if you know what I mean."
Ryan shook his head and hunched over on the couch, tussling his hair with his hand. "No offense Seth, but I've seen you hold a baby before, so thanks, but no thanks."
Seth sprang from the floor to follow behind Ryan as he walked into the kitchen. "There's no need in staying awake when you don't have to. I'm fully capable of taking care of a baby…I mean I'm going to be a father extremely soon anyways so there's no time like the present to start practicing. Also, I'll get back on Summer's good side if she sees me with Brittany. I'm not exactly her favorite person right now." Ryan rolled his eyes and muttered something under his breath.
He looked over to Seth contemplating in his head if he should let his 'know nothing about babies' brother take care of his daughter, or use the chance to catch up on sleep. The choice wasn't hard, and Ryan gave Seth the okay. Ryan unbuckled Brittany from her bouncy chair and carefully placed her into his brother's arms.
"Fine, you can take care of her but if anything happens – you're a dead man."
"Ye of little faith, go, go take your nap. I'll be fine with my niece and I'll call you if I can't handle it."
With a bit of hesitation Ryan finally managed to make it to the stairs looking back every few steps to check on Seth. At the top of the stairs he hung his head over the banister, and Seth took Brittany's hand and waved it, saying bye in a baby voice and then walked into the living room. Ryan finally left to his room and managed to fall asleep with in minutes while Seth was downstairs figuring out what to do now.
Seth sat on the couch and cuddled the baby in his arm. He grabbed at the remote and flipped through the channels to find something good to watch.
"Great, nothing's on. Well don't you worry you're with your uncle Seth, a.k.a. the fun one. I'm more fun then all your aunts and uncle's combined, I can teach you how to play playstation and you'll know everything there is to know about comic books. Yes I know, I am the best." Seth said while acting as though hundreds of people were filled into the living room and applauding his speech. Brittany gurgled making Seth think that she liked what he had to say and he continued to talk to her in a high-pitched baby voice. He picked up the remote again and flipped through the channels after Seth got done having a little talk with Brittany about her family, her cousin who is on his or her way very soon, and a mini discussion on super heroes. Seth stopped on a channel that was replaying old Batman and Robin episodes and as they watched, Seth explained everything to her.
Summer and Marissa finally found a spot in the mall parking lot after ten minutes of driving around looking for one. The girls got out of the car and locked it, then made their way across the street to the front doors of the mall.
"This will be quick right? You know what you're getting so we –" Not even at the mall for more then five minutes, Summer was already complaining.
"I told you that you didn't need to come. You were the one who insisted." Marissa was hunched over a counter looking at the items locked in the glass cases. Occasionally pointing at something and having Summer come over and give her opinion. Marissa and Summer both knew now that the things within most of the mall they could never afford, things they took for granted and would buy when they were back with their parents, just for fun.
"Fine, whatever but my back is killing me so I'm just going to take a seat over…there." Conveniently, a hotdog stand was set up next to a sitting area and Summer immediately whipped out her wallet, bought two and then sat down on the couch.
Marissa laughed at Summer's doings but figured it'd be better if she wasn't with her, since shopping would be a lot more easier. She had a list of what to buy and had a few last minute things to pick up. This was a special occasion, not only was it Ryan and Marissa's first Christmas together, but it was also the first Christmas with Brittany and Marissa wanted to make it special. She walked over to a display case filled with Rolex watches – something she knew Ryan wanted. Yes, Marissa knew they couldn't afford it but she secretly had been saving up, borrowing from the account that was going to go towards her college tuition. She figured that this would be the one big gift she'd give him and after everything they'd been through the past year, he deserved it.
The watches were expensive, some ranging in the high hundreds and some even as high as twenty grand. With her budget she was able to afford a two thousand dollar Rolex, one that Ryan would love and be perfect for him. She charged it on a credit card, signed her name on the receipt and quickly hid it in her bag so Summer wouldn't see and blab, which is her commonplace lately.
"Sum, I'm going into the baby store over here," Marissa yelled while pointing at the store adjacent to where she was standing. Summer waved to go ahead with out her. She was too busy stuffing her face with another pair of hotdogs she bought.
While in the store, she browsed around shifting through clothes racks and picking out a few baby clothes she liked. Christmas was always one of her favorite holidays. Coming from a house of money, she was used to getting what she wanted, and how many she wanted, whenever and especially around the holidays. This Christmas though would be different, extremely different. The money didn't flow in anymore and it was solely up to Ryan and Marissa to manage the funds and put food on the table and buy the necessities they all needed. Granted there'd been times that money had been tight but they always managed to get by. Marissa wanted this Christmas to be the best one ever, and damnit, it would be.
She spotted Summer entering the store, looking sickened as she glimpsed at interesting baby items and then disregarded them due to their price.
"Look at this, how stupid is this? A baby wipe warmer, seriously. And not only is this a piece of crap, but look how much it costs – 45. What a rip off." Summer had no problem complaining about anything or keeping her voice down in a public place. A few customers gave her stares from the other side of the store, her voice reverberating in the tiny space made it easy for anyone to hear.
"Sum I don't know what you're complaining about. If you had the money, you'd probably buy like five of them." Marissa whispered while apologizing to a few people that were staring at them. She grabbed a few more things and draped them over her arm, scanning the store once more to see if there was anything else she needed.
"Look at this, I want to meet the genius who invented –" Summer found another item, Marissa didn't really care what, she was more focused on getting out of there before they were kicked out for Summer criticizing everything.
"Be good." Marissa, sick of hearing her babble, she stopped walking and grabbed the item out of her hand and set it back on the shelf. "Just keep walking forward, don't look at anything and hands by your side. Okay?"
Summer followed behind her like a little puppy, making a few stops while Marissa looked at some more clothes. "You know Coop, Britt's like only a month old and you already got the mother thing down to a cue."
Her walking soon seized and shot an angry look towards Summer, who, for the remainder of their walk towards the counter was silent. A few feet before they reached the long check out line, Summer pulled her aside, an idea brewing in her head.
"Coop, how about we just leave right now."
Marissa looked at her confused not knowing what Summer was trying to get at. "If you need to sit down, go wait outside. I bet the hot dog cart's still out there." Summer grabbed Marissa's arm before she got the chance to move.
"No Coop, let's leave…with out paying." She elongated the ending making sure that she understood what she was saying. Marissa looked astounded that she would even hint at something like that, not to mention that last time she did the outcome wasn't in her favor. In fact it caused some mother-daughter time with Julie and a promise to go see that stupid therapist – like she needed it.
"You have to be kidding me. We haven't done that in years…" She stopped and changed her answer. "Okay a year, but I'm not like that anymore. I'm a mother now."
Summer rested her arm above her stomach using her protruding bulge as an armrest. "Fine, do what you want. I know I wouldn't want to pay the fifty bucks you're about to spend."
They didn't want to continue this argument so Summer walked off to another part of the store and began to browse again while Marissa bought her presents.
Ten minutes later Marissa emerged from the store to see a smiling Summer sitting on a bench clutching at her bag. As she got closer though, Summer's smile grew bigger and Marissa looked at her not so sure as to why she was so happy.
"What are you smiling about?" Marissa asked as she grabbed onto one of Summer's hands to help her up from the bench. The girls were walking towards the door and Marissa began to grow annoyed at her sudden cheerfulness. Summer didn't say a word until they stepped outside of the mall, throngs of people gathered around them either entering or waiting for their rides to pick them up.
Summer reached into her purse extracting an item that she didn't have earlier. Marissa gasped as she reached for the box and looked at it closely to see what she bought.
"A breast pump?" Marissa laughed a little and handed it back to Summer who returned it back into her bag.
"It was the first thing I grabbed before leaving the store. I didn't know what it was, I just wanted to show you I still have it." The girls got into the car and Summer started it up, putting it in reverse and pulling out of the mall parking lot.
Seth awoke to the sounds of Brittany's crying and before he even opened his eyes to look, he sprang up from the couch, startled by the noise. He calmed down after seeing it was just his niece and picked her up into his arms.
"Aw, Britty what's wrong sweetie?" He asked, obviously knowing she couldn't answer back but heard talking can soothe a crying baby. He ran through a list in his head of why she could be crying. "You can't be hungry…you just ate a few hours ago. Are you sick?" He removed one hand from under Brittany and placed it onto her forehead. Truthfully he didn't exactly know what he was checking for…he didn't know what hot felt like on a baby, but after feeling her forehead he ruled out that she was sick. A pungent smell filled his nose and he then figured out why she was crying. "You couldn't have waited until your mommy came home…or while your daddy was still awake?"
He did lapse around the house, bouncing Brittany to see if that would calm her down but the crying never stopped. Seth never really took care of a baby before and her piercing cries made him very nervous. He debated over whether or not he should wake Ryan up…he had been sleeping for over two hours, wasn't it time for him to get up?
Seth looked down at Brittany feeling sorry like it was his fault she was crying. Her eyes squinted as she took deep breaths ready to release a loud scream and tears streamed down her face and collected onto her shirt. He thought that maybe Ryan would hear that his daughter was crying and come down to take over, but after ten long minutes and no Ryan, that plan went down the drain.
He had no choice but to do it himself and he reluctantly walked up the stairs into the nursery. He set her down on the changing table and her cries grew even louder like she knew what was coming. Seth had never been in this room alone, and had definitely never been in charge of dressing and changing her so he had no clue where everything was hidden. Pulling out drawers only to find clothes and absolutely nothing that he needed, he finally landed upon the diapers and was so thrilled when he did.
Seth slammed the diaper on the changing table and began to unsnap Brittany's onsie to get to the dirty diaper. When he opened it he was so repulsed he had to take a breather on the other side of the room. He fanned his hand in front of his face and then with even more reluctance then before, he returned back to the changing table to finish up.
"I can't believe I'm saying this, but that was the longest trip to the mall I've ever taken." When the girls finally got home, Summer went directly to the kitchen chair and rested her swollen feet.
"Thanks for the help Sum." Marissa followed behind her, her arms heaped with shopping bags that she threw onto the kitchen counters.
Summer nodded her head and smiled as her way of saying 'your welcome'. Marissa grabbed two bottles of water out of the fridge and threw one to Summer and then opened hers and took a sip.
"I wonder where the guys are." Summer said before Ryan walked into the kitchen, causing both girls to scream. Marissa hit him on the chest with her free hand, yelling at him for doing that and Ryan just smiled and said sorry.
"Where's the baby?" Marissa grabbed the bags in a hurry, gripping them tightly so that Ryan couldn't see in. He pretended to look like he wasn't interested in what was inside the bag when in fact he was dying to know. He knew she bought something for him or else she would have shared her findings, he was just waiting for a time he'd be able to peek.
"Upstairs, Seth's changing her diaper." When Ryan mentioned diaper, Summer almost choked on the water she was drinking. She covered her mouth quickly and then stared up at Ryan like he had to be kidding.
"Seth…as in Seth Cohen?" Ryan nodded his head and Summer gave him an hesitant look figuring he was lying.
"You helped him right?" Marissa inquired putting the bags onto the floor and standing in front of them.
"No. He looked like he had it under control," Ryan laughed knowing the real truth – he heard Seth and Brittany – another way baby monitors are helpful – but didn't help because Seth needed to learn just like Ryan had to. "He'll be down soon." Ryan took a seat across from Summer looking down at his hands and then gliding them over the table in small circles.
Fifteen minutes later, after hearing numerous yells from upstairs asking for help and other comments not to be mentioned, Seth emerged holding the baby in his arms. He completed his first diaper change, but there were a few noticeable problems.
"Brittany." Marissa exclaimed rushing over to the baby and taking her out of Seth's arms. The tiny little baby could barely keep her eyes open in her mothers arms…all the screaming must have tired her out. The group looked at the baby resting in Marissa's arms and started to laugh causing Brittany's eyes to open every few seconds.
Seth definitely needed some help in the changing department both in clothing and in diapers. He'd been so caught up just taking the diaper off and cleaning her up that he forgot which way was front and which way was back on a diaper. Obviously his instincts were wrong. The other thing Seth had trouble with was Brittany's shirt. Not only was it inside out, but also it was backwards as well. He explained that he just wanted it to be over with and he didn't care how everything was suppose to be…just that she was changed and dressed.
"So nice of you to finally wake up, I was worried Brittany's crying would have waked you." Seth said looking at Ryan who continued to stare down at the table.
"He heard everything. And from the sounds of it, it was pretty amusing. I'm sorry I missed it." Summer told him. She was looking down at her stomach, making circles with her hands. She commented that the baby was kicking and people took random turns touching her stomach.
"You heard me and you didn't come to help? Thanks man, I appreciate it."
"Seth believe me, you weren't half as bad as I was the first time I changed her diaper. And also, you'll need to learn this too because this will be something that you'll be doing at least eight or nine times a day." Seth sat back in his seat sulking.
Ryan looked at him amused and then changed the topic to their mall visit. "How was shopping?"
Marissa rocked side-to-side trying to get the baby to sleep, and used one of her hands to rub circles on her back. Brittany's head leaned against the side of Marissa's cheek and her chubby little arms rested floppily over her shoulders. Marissa hugged her tightly to her body and smelled the sweet scent of her daughter's skin. As much work as they are, she really was enjoying this age and wished, even so early on, that she could keep her like this. Brittany's diaper and shirt didn't bother her and so Marissa was in no hurry to fix it. But thinking that her legs were cold she folded her shirt up over her legs like a blanket, continuing to rock her.
"Oh speaking of that." With difficulties of course, Summer managed to get up out of the chair in less than a minute – a record time – and rummage through a bag, pulling out a box that already had a bow on it and tossed it at Seth.
"Summer Christmas isn't until tom –" He stopped talking when he saw what it was and turned it around so everyone could see. "A breast pump. How'd you know that's what I wanted?" Seth teased while Ryan continued to laugh thinking it was a funny joke. "But you really spent," he looked down at the price tag, "twenty-five dollars on this thing?"
"Not exactly. You can call your girlfriend Ms. Thief, you thief." Marissa looked down at Summer shaking her head, still not believing she did that.
"You stole this? Sum, what would have happened if you got caught? You could have been put in jail, which would have been fine on any other occasion, but it's Christmas Eve and I really didn't want to have to spend it bailing you out of jail." He blew a kiss at her and she shot it down finding his joke not amusing at all. "Oh come on Summer, I was just kidding."
Summer had had it with Seth's foolishness and decided to call it a night. She hugged Marissa carefully thanking her for the much needed time away and as they pulled out of the hug, Summer kissed Brittany's hand that was currently hanging over Marissa's shoulder. She gathered her things and waved goodbye to Ryan before leaving the house.
Seth didn't know what had gotten her so pissed off but he knew that he better leave because there was going to be a night of ass kissing in store for him. He finished up talking with Ryan and Marissa about plans for tomorrow and then left after Summer.
Ryan looked over at Marissa and sighed. This had been the first time since this morning that it'd been just them and they both missed each other the longer they were apart.
"Hey." Ryan said as he stood from his chair and sauntered over to his girlfriend. He leaned in for a kiss, and Marissa with no vacillation, leaned into kiss him back. Their lips met for the first time all day and they both didn't realize how much they missed it. It wasn't until Brittany started crying that their kiss was interrupted and the two pulled apart.
"Can you take her upstairs and fix her while I finish some –" She looked over at the bags and then back at Ryan smiling. "Things." He furrowed an eyebrow but complied taking Brittany from her arms and back up to her room.
When Ryan left, Marissa gathered all the bags and ran up the stairs and locked the door to their bedroom behind her. She grabbed some wrapping paper, tape and scissors and started to wrap the newly purchased presents, smiling just thinking about tomorrow. After she finished she hid them in her dresser, a place Ryan would never look and cleaned up the mess she made. She couldn't wait until tonight when she'd be able to put these under the tree because she wanted to surprise Ryan in the morning, she didn't want him to see it now.
The clock read eleven-thirty and Ryan and Marissa were in the living room, Marissa's head resting against Ryan's shoulder while they were watching Christmas movies on tv. Marissa looked up at the clock to see what time it was and sat upright on the couch excitedly shaking Ryan's arm
"Ready to exchange a gift? I'll go first, just wait here." She scurried upstairs leaving Ryan sitting on the couch. He rubbed his eyes and then looked down nervously at his hands like something was on his mind.
Marissa returned minutes later and after she resumed her seat, she handed Ryan her gift.
He looked down at the small box decorated in Santa Clause faces and ripped the wrapping paper off into a pile next to him. When he finally opened the box he couldn't believe the gift she got him that he just sat there with his mouth ajar.
"M-Marissa I don't know what to say. Thank you." He took his new Rolex out and put it on his wrist. The watch was the nicest one he'd ever seen, let alone ever got for a gift, and couldn't believe that Marissa bought him it. "How were you able to afford this, these kind of watches cost over a thousand dollars."
"Don't worry how I was able to afford it. I love you and seeing how happy you are makes it all worth it." Ryan gave her a kiss and when they pulled apart he kept staring at his watch, just in disbelief. "Ok so it's my turn?" Ryan nodded his head and grabbed Marissa's hands, resting them on top of his.
"Marissa," He began staring into Marissa's eyes. He looked nervous at her, his fingers gently rubbing the outside of her hands. "You mean the world to me, you and the baby, and you coming into my life has opened my eyes to what love really is. You became my friend when I first moved here and even stuck up for me in front of your water polo-playing boyfriend." He laughed a little and then looked back down at their joined hands. "I love you. I've loved you since the moment I laid eyes on and you and will for the rest of my life. I mean you're stuck with me whether you like it or not." He smiled seeing that Marissa thought it was funny and then took his hands from Marissa's. He moved off the couch and got down on one knee, reaching into his back pocket. A black velvet box became visible in his hands and he stroked it lightly with his index finger. Before he could look up at Marissa he took a deep breath and with a smile, gazed back into Marissa's eyes. "Marissa Cooper, will you marry me?" He opened the box to show off the most beautiful ring she had ever seen in her life. The magnificent fourteen karate, white-gold metal was stunning with two rows of miniature diamonds and one large one in the center. He took the ring out from its box and slid it onto her finger. A perfect fit. It looked so good on her finger that it was like it belonged there. "I'm hoping that's a yes." He said when he still didn't get an answer.
Marissa finally heard Ryan speaking to her and bobbed her head rapidly yelling 'yes, I'll marry you' over and over. Ryan stood next to the couch and Marissa, so overwhelmed with excitement, leaped from the couch and wrapped her legs and arms around Ryan's body when he caught her. Placing her hands on Ryan's cheeks, she gave him a series of kisses catching Ryan by surprise.
"You know we're probably crazy for doing this." Marissa said in between kisses. Ryan nodded his head smiling, the area around his lips red with her lipstick.
"Just one thing though." He said pulling out of one of her kisses and looked seriously at her.
"Anything, my fiancé" Hmm, fiancé…they were really going to get married. It was more then both of them could take.
"Let's not tell Seth and Summer for a while. If they know we're engaged, they'll go out and get engaged too. It's like whatever we do, they go and do." He raised his eyebrows hinting at the simple example of Brittany and then their new baby-to-be. Marissa chuckled and gave Ryan a huge hug.
They both loved each other so much, hell they already proved that with a baby, but this was their life, a life that no matter what happened they always have each other. Knowing that was a feeling both Marissa and Ryan cherished.
Ryan looked up to the clock seeing it was twelve-ten a.m. and turned back to face Marissa. "Merry Christmas."
She looked lovingly at him, and answered back in a whisper. "Merry Christmas, and to the many more we have in store for us. I say we have at least eighty-more so buckle your seat belts buddy, you're in for the long haul."