AN: Here's my shot at a Thanksgiving chapter. We've never really met anyone from Summer's family (except her dad) so here's the bunch at their finest. Also, thanks for the lovely reviews! I really appreciate them, criticism and all! Please continue to let me know what you think.

Disclaimer: Yeah, this is pointless, because if I had anything to do with The O.C., I would not be writing a story about it.

Laughter filled the Cohen's house as they all gathered around the table for their usual Wednesday night dinner. Talk about work, Caden, school, and other topics circulated around the large wooden table as everyone crammed rice, chicken, and steamed vegetables into their mouths.

Oh, family time. It was so…gross? Yeah, that was the word for sure. Talking about work while rice popped out of Cohen's mouth wasn't what anyone considered fun. But that was Seth for you. Family time in the Cohen household was always something strange.

Sandy was still planning that trip to Mt. Rushmore. No one was looking forward to that!

Finally, dinner was over and everyone sort of split into different areas of the house. Caden was in Seth's room, no doubt, looking at comic books. Ryan and Seth were playing some weird video game with Sandy while Marissa sat on the edge of the couch, messing with Ryan's blonde hair and Summer and Kirsten were cleaning the kitchen up.

Summer grabbed some plates from the table and scraped the leftover Chinese into the trashcan, slipping the glass plates into the hot dishwater once they were empty. "So is school going alright?" Kirsten asked while loading sauces back into the fridge.

Summer thought for a second before replying. "Yeah, it's going really good, actually." Kirsten smiled in response. "Well that's good. I could not even begin to imagine how stressed you both must be with school, work, and a three year old. But anytime you need Sandy and I just walk right through the door and ask."

Summer dried her hands with a dishtowel and leaned against the marble counters. Seth was going to hate her for this; he hated needing help. It about killed him when Kirsten bought a house for them. They accepted, of course, because it was what their family needed. But Seth didn't like it at all.

"Well, I kind of need a favor. Tiny," Summer began. Kirsten shut the stainless steal door to the refrigerator and turned to the mother of her grandchild. "Is everything ok?" she asked, worry in her tone.

Summer held her hand up. "Yeah, everything's fine. I just…Seth has to work a lot because I haven't been working, so I was just wondering if maybe I could do something at The Newport Group. I'm not asking for anything big; something minimum wage. Filing, maybe?"

Summer chipped nervously at the polish on her long nails. She heard Kirsten walk from the other side of the island and felt her motherly arms embrace her. "Of course I'll get you a job. Sweetie, you don't have to be shy about asking for things. Like I said, Sandy and I are here for anything you guys need."

Summer smiled and the two women hugged warmly.

Living Room

"What? Come on dad, your killing me. Literally," Seth shrieked, pressing down the buttons on his remote control.

Game Over displayed in red letters on the screen and Seth groaned. He glanced at his watch and sighed. "Well, it's getting late. We better get going," he announced, standing up from the floor.

They all said their goodbyes and the kids left the Cohen house, going back to their "adult" lives.

"So I was thinking," Summer said, glancing over at Seth in the drivers seat, "that we could spend Thanksgiving afternoon with your family and Thanksgiving night with mine."

Seth laughed. "I didn't know you had family. Well except for your dad and step-mom," he replied. Summer slapped his arm. "Of course I have family! They don't live in California, but my dad talked to my aunt yesterday and their flying in."

Seth pulled into the driveway and turned the car off. "Where do they live?"

Summer opened the door and stepped out into the chilly-for-Orange-County air. "Arkansas," she replied, unfastening Caden from his car seat. His tiny body molded into hers when she picked him up and she hugged him tighter to her small frame.

"Whoa. Whoa. Whoa. You have red-neck family? Summer Roberts, you never cease to amaze me," Seth said truthfully. "What are you going to tell me next? You have family members in a traveling circus?"

Summer grinned at him. "I just might Cohen. You never know."

Seth held the door open for Summer and she entered the house, tip-toeing up the stairs toward Caden's room. Seth sat on the couch and propped his feet on the coffee table, flipping through the channels.

"Nine hundred channels and nothings on," he said to himself, finally settling on the cooking channel. Summer walked down the stairs shortly after and plopped down beside Seth.

He wrapped an arm around her tiny body and she leaned into him. "Caden asleep?" he asked, never diverting his eyes from the TV.

Summer nodded and readjusted her head. "Yeah…so when did you get so interested in cooking?"

Seth turned the flat screen TV off. "I haven't. I'm just bored," he replied. He swung his long legs onto the couch into a laying position and Summer did the same, flattening herself on top of him.

She rested her head on his chest and listened intently to his rhythmic heart beat. "Cohen?" she asked. After she heard no response she looked up at him and smiled. He was asleep.

Summer put her head back down on Seth's chest, the fleece of his sweater touching her skin softly. She listened for his heart beat again and let it sing her to sleep, feeling more connected to him than she had in a long time.

Next Morning

Warm sunlight seeped through thick curtains and onto Summer's back, raking her out of a peaceful sleep. A yawn escaped her body and she slowly opened her eyes, squinting from the sunlight.

She looked around in confusion and then up at Seth who was returning her gaze. "Sleep well?" he asked, referring to their current position. Summer smiled.

"Actually, yes," she replied, standing up and stretching. Seth got up and walked into the kitchen, Summer following. "Do you think it's weird that we slept on each other last night and now we're acting all normal like nothing happened?" Summer asked, fumbling with her hands.

"Summer," he said, popping his head up from behind the refrigerator door. "We don't have a normal relationship," he reminded her.

Summer huffed loudly. "I know, but that can't be healthy, can it? I mean, dating other people but sleeping on someone else. Seems a bit…weird," she said softly.

Seth pulled out a piece of bologna and tore off pieces of it, sticking them in his mouth. "Summer, we have a child together. I think it's ok if we sleep on the same couch every once in awhile," he said, holding up a piece of bologna in front of her face. He gestured it toward her mouth and she opened it, letting him feed it to her in the most unromantic of ways.

"If you say so," she said.

Thanksgiving…a week later

"Ok, the turkey is in the oven, the sweet potatoes are cooking and the wine is hidden from your mother. We don't want a repeat of the 2003 Thanksgiving fiasco," Sandy said, reminiscing.

Seth nodded in agreement. "Yeah, no," he said, remembering his very own debacle that day. Summer and Anna in the same house…not pretty. Ryan stared out the window. "That Thanksgiving consisted of me and Marissa stealing a car for Trey," he tossed in.

"Don't you just love the holidays?" Sandy asked, looking at both guys.

Kirsten bounced into the kitchen excitingly. "Don't you just love the holidays? Everyone coming together; it's wonderful."

Sandy cocked his eyebrow. "I thought I hid the wine," he mumbled just loud enough for the boys to hear. Ryan concealed a grin. "So the turkey's not going to burn like it has the past few years, is it?"

Kirsten shook her head. "No, because this Thanksgiving we're going to celebrate it like normal families do. No take-out, no burned turkeys, and no drama," she replied.

"Well I don't know how long the drama ban will last but it's a nice gesture," Seth said, knowing that there would be drama. It was inevitable. It was Orange County.

Kirsten sighed. "Just humor me," she demanded without much enforcement.

Only a few hours later, dinner was served, and to everyone's surprise, it wasn't burned. All the blood didn't rush to Seth's stomach, causing him to pass out at the table like he had dreamed so many times, but he did stuff himself.

Summer did the same, savoring the feeling of a holiday gone normal. It would probably never happen again. Plus, the normality of the day would probably end soon because Seth was meeting her hillbilly family from the good ole' south and they definitely were not normal people.

"Remember last Thanksgiving when Caden threw mashed potatoes all over Kirsten?" Marissa asked, giggling at the recollection.

Everyone's laughter mixed together in monotone sounds that made the mood so much more relaxed. "Well at least he didn't fling peas at my eyes like he did with Seth," Kirsten remarked, smiling.

Caden beamed from his chair, happy to be the topic of conversation.

"Oh, Summer," Kirsten began. "I managed to get you that job at The Newport Group. I've been meaning to call you about it but I just couldn't get around to it," she finished.

Summer glanced at Seth fretfully. "Ugh…thanks. Can we talk the details later? Work always puts a damper on conversation," she said anxiously.

Seth took a drink of his soda. "What job, mom?" he asked curiously, looking at Kirsten and Summer questionably.

Kirsten gave Summer an apologetic look. "Summer wanted to know if maybe we had a position available at the office so I looked into it for her."

Seth swallowed. "Because we need help, right? I can't take care of my own family?"

Kirsten shifted in her seat. "No one said that, Seth."

Seth set his fork down. "You implied it," he said, standing from the table. "Summer doesn't need to get a job because I'm taking care of it. I can take care of my family."

"Stop acting so self-righteous, Seth," Sandy said sternly, jumping into the conversation.

Seth glared at his dad before walking out of the quiet kitchen. Summer excused herself and went after him, joining him outside by the pool.

"I was trying to help, Cohen," she murmured, sitting down beside him. He turned his head and stared at her. "Do you trust me?" he asked inquisitively.

Summer nodded. "Of course I do," she replied. "I do trust you, but I know that you shouldn't have to handle everything on your own. I can get a job, Cohen. It's not a big deal. We need the money."

He sighed. "I don't want you to feel like I can't take care of you, ok? I don't want you to feel like that."

Summer felt her insides turn to mush. "I know you can take care of me. You do everyday. But I want to help you…because I want to take care of you too," she said gently.

Seth sighed. "Will you please just let me take care of it? Please?" he asked softly.

Summer looked down at her brown suede boots. She didn't want to tell him that she would let him bear the weight of school and a job all on his own, but he had gotten so much pride in being able to take care of his family and she didn't want to be the one to smash that.

She bit her lip unflappably. "Fine," she whispered.

Seth stood from the decorative chair and held his hand out to Summer. She slipped her small hand in his and he dragged her back inside; back to their normal Thanksgiving.

The rest of the afternoon went smoothly. The lunch calamity was soon forgotten, which was good because it could have ruined the rest of the afternoon.

As the sun began setting, they all said their goodbyes and went off to their Thanksgiving dinners. Seth, Summer, and Caden were headed back to their house, expecting Summer's relatives in shortly. And Marissa, Ryan, Kirsten and Sandy made their way to Caleb's for a catered meal.

"Caden," Summer said, grabbing his hand as they walked inside their house. "I want you to go wash your hands and get ready for dinner," she said, patting him on the butt as he strolled upstairs.

Summer went into the kitchen and pulled the golden turkey from the oven, setting it on the counter. The juicy aroma filled the kitchen and it made her mouth water. Cohen sure could cook.

The doorbell sang loudly through the house and Summer jumped. They were here already? She skipped out of the kitchen and jerked the door open, smiling brightly.

"Oh my stars look at this pretty girl!" Summer's Aunt Bee exclaimed, pulling her into a tight hug. "I haven't seen you since you were…well knee high, I guess," she said.

"EARL! EARL, GET OVER HERE AND LOOK AT THIS PRETTY OLE' GIRL!" she screamed, looking behind her.

Summer saw her Uncle Earl waddle from the car and stop in his tracks. "Well, gee, isn't she a pretty little thing?" he asked, kissing her on the cheek. "This can't be the same little girl who went mudding that one summer with your cousin Jack. You got so dirty, I thought Aunt Bee was gonna have to hose you down before she would let you in the house," he recalled.

Summer's cheeks turned red. "Well, come in. I don't want to leave you outside," she said, opening the door wider.

"Where's Jack and Belle?" she asked, looking back outside.

Bee put her suitcase on the floor and planted her hands on her wide hips. "Well look at this house. I tell you something, your daddy didn't tell us that having a child before marriage was gonna land you a mansion!"

Seth waltzed down the stairs and stopped at the view. Bee's eyes lit up. "Well this must be your guy," she acknowledged, winking at Seth. "How you doing, sugar?"

Seth swallowed. "I'm good…"

Summer slammed her hands together. "How about we eat?"

Earl opened the front door and called out to Jack and Belle to come inside, and about five seconds later they appeared.

Summer pulled them both into hugs, exclaiming to Belle about how they could go shopping tomorrow. Belle shared Summer's excitement while Jack eased himself away, walking toward Seth.

"I'm Jack," he said, putting forth his hand. Seth shook it politely. "I'm Seth," he said, introducing himself.

"I tell ya…that Summer is a real fire ball," he said.

Seth looked over at Summer. Her lips were curled up into a smile and her head was titled back in laughter. Jack followed Seth's gaze and he smiled. "You guys have been together for awhile, huh?" he asked.

Seth broke his daze, coughing lightly. "What? No…we were together but we broke up."

Jack stuck his hands in the pockets of his Levi jeans and rocked back and forth on his heels. "Seems to me you'd rather have it differently," he pointed out before walking off.

Seth looked back over at Summer, transfixed. Was Jack right? Would he rather have it differently? They'd spent so much time apart that he just kind of dodged any feelings that could still be there.

Summer turned her head and looked at Seth, still smiling. She lingered her gaze a little longer before turning her attention back to Belle.

Bee shuffled down the stairs with Caden in tow, blaring loudly. "EARL! Look at this little button! Is he not the cutest thing you ever saw?"

Earl kneeled in front of Caden and patted his matted, curly brown hair. He reached into the pockets of his overalls and pulled out a piece of candy, handing it to Caden's chubby hands.

"Save it for after supper," he advised. Caden eyes lit up as he took the piece of candy and stuffed it down in his pockets.

"Mommy, I'm hungry," he said, walking over to Summer and hugging her knees.

Summer smiled and took his hand in hers. "Well we better get some yummy stuff in that tummy," she said, walking him to the kitchen.

The rest of the family followed, eager to eat.

As they all settled down, Seth began to eat, and Bee stared in disbelief. "Young man," she said strongly. "Didn't your mother ever teach you to say grace before eating?"

Seth looked up from his food and glanced quizzically at Summer. "Grace?" he asked.

Bee rested her hand over her heart. "See Earl, I told you. Didn't I tell you? All you California people sit around with your surfboards and your fake tans and think that you don't need the grace of God. But I'll tell you what. He'll condemn you to the fiery gates of hell when judgment day comes around!"

Seth gulped. "I'm Jewish," he informed her. Bee closed her eyes and shook her head. "Summer, you need to convert this poor old soul to Christianity."

Summer suppressed a laugh. "I've been trying. He just never comes to church with me on Sundays," she lied, taking a drink of her iced tea. Seth's mouth dropped open. "Church? Summer, you can't be serious. You've never been to church!"

Summer shook her head. "You see? He thinks making up lies will save him."

Earl coughed. "Well, this here food is gettin' cold, so let's just say grace and dig in," he said. "Gracious and heavenly father, thank you for giving us this day to spend with family and be grateful for every day you give us. Please bless this food to the nourishment of our bodies. In your name we pray, Amen."

Later…

Seth tossed the sheets of Summer's bed back, crawling in. "I still don't see why Jack had to have his own room. He could have slept on the couch," Seth complained, irritated that he didn't get to sleep in his own bed.

Well, he was irritated because ever since Jack had said what he said, Seth couldn't stop thinking about Summer. And now he had to sleep with her? Apparently the feelings had still been there because they were hitting him forcefully now, and he wished to God they would go away.

Summer climbed in on the other side of the bed and turned the lamp off on her end table. "Seth, they're family and I wasn't going to stick them on the couch. That's rude," she said.

"I can't believe you told them you go to church," he said, laughing. Summer hit his chest playfully. "It would break my aunt's heart if she knew I don't go to church. Their big Christians," she reminded him, not that he needed to be.

"Yeah well…and then she made us sit down and tell what we're thankful for? You have a bizarre family, Summer."

Summer rolled over to face Seth. "Yeah…but I love them. I used to go to Arkansas every summer and we would swim and cook out and go hunting…it's so different there; nothing like it is here," she said, a distant sadness in her voice.

"I don't know this side of you," Seth began. "I only know the 'I love to shop until Seth drops' part of you. Not the 'I'm going to kill a buck' part."

Summer laughed. "You can't really show that part of yourself in Newport Beach. But I'm thankful that I am that person. I'm grateful for my family," she said, pouring her thoughts out for Seth to catch.

"Yeah, well, I'm thankful for you," he said, kissing the end of her nose. Summer sucked in her breath. She could feel feelings resurfacing and the want to kiss Seth spread throughout her body. His lips were right there. His face was right there. She could feel his breath on her face and it was causing shivers to chase themselves up her back.

Summer closed her eyes. It was now or never. She could kiss Seth, she could finally feel his lips on hers, or she could back away.

Now or never.