A/N: Thank you bunches for all the lovely reviews! They really keep me writing, because without them I wouldn't. So thank you so much for those! I really love them. Also, sorry again for not updating sooner!

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.

"Knowing nothing is better than knowing at all"

Seth climbed the stairs with a cloud of mounting doom suspended over his head. With each step that brought him closer to Summer, he felt a wave of dread weighing down heavily on his soul.

He didn't know why it bothered him that he was about to have a talk with Summer. They'd had dozens of talks lately, most of them leaving him completely physically and emotionally drained, but that was to be expected. He couldn't understand why this time he actually FEARED conversation.

Okay, scratch that. He did know why he was scared to talk to Summer.

"Chicago? Wow…that's big," Seth thought aloud. Olivia bit her upturned lip.

"It's a big step," she admitted. "But I think we're ready for that. We've been dating for nine months now…"

Seth took her hand in his. "Okay."

Seth's hand stilled on the doorknob, fearing the woman who resided on the other end; she'd hate him. Summer Roberts was not a fan of leavers. He had been one to her before. She had been one to him. He was being one again.

He twisted it slowly, and hearing the click of it opening, his breathing became heavy.

Hesitantly, he pushed the door open further. Wrapping paper, ribbons, bows and sparkles greeted him colorfully as he glanced around the room. Summer grabbed a pillow and quickly tossed it over the present she was wrapping.

"Cohen, what are you doing in here? I'm wrapping presents…"

Seth smiled mischievously. "Do any of them happen to be mine?"

Summer smiled. "Maybe, so you HAVE to leave. Like, right now!"

Seth held a finger up. "Yeah, see, here's the thing though. I kind of need to talk to you, so if you could turn the lights off so I can tell you this and you won't be able to find me to hit me should you find the urge, that would be great. The turning the lights off thing, I mean. It's not really great if you want to hit me."

Summer narrowed her brown eyes. "Cohen, you're rambling. What is it?"

Seth looked up at the shining light bulb. "The lights still one, so-"

Summer walked toward the light switch, reaching for the wall and turning them off speedily. "Spill it, Cohen."

Seth saw the outline of her body in the darkness and instantly regretted saying "okay" to Olivia. Why had he agreed to go to Chicago with Olivia? He was going to be spending Christmas with another family; a family that wasn't his.

But he had to, because it was hitting him –finally- that him and Olivia weren't getting any closer to a serious relationship, and he had to try and get there with her, because if he didn't, he could never move on from Summer.

"I'm going to Chicago Thursday…to spend Christmas with Olivia's family."

Summer felt the air in the room thicken and her head spun with rage.

"What!" she shrieked, anger and shock in her tone. "Are you being serious?"

Seth reached for her but she backed away when she felt him touch her. "Let me get this straight. You are leaving us to spend Christmas with Olivia? Seth, you have a family of your own. You have a little boy that wants to spend Chrismukkah with his daddy. What am I supposed to tell him?"

Seth sighed. "Will you please try and understand that-"

Summer shook her head. "Okay, I have an idea," she interrupted uncaringly. "Spend Christmas Eve here and then leave late that night for Chicago. You can spend Christmas day with her."

Seth looked surprised. "You were supposed to get mad and hit me and stuff."

"I am mad," she confessed. "Actually, I am so pissed that I could jam a fork in your most precious region. But you are spending some kind of Christmas here, so I'm making that happen. Deal?" she asked, daring him to say no.

Seth searched the dark air for her hand, and once he found it, he shook it, swinging it up and down in the air. "You've got yourself a deal."

Wrapping paper littered the living room and toys were everywhere, Caden going from one to another. He was currently occupied with the train that 'Santa Claus' brought him.

Summer kept playing with the necklace Seth had gotten her. It was probably the sweetest thing anyone had ever given to her, and the fact that it was him that gave it to her made it so much sweeter.

She had gotten teary when he slid the sterling silver, heart shaped necklace with the name Caden on it around her neck. She secretly wished his name was engraved on it, too.

Seth kept flipping through his favorite gift Summer had gotten him, which was an original issue of Spiderman, one of the first ever made. He kept asking her over and over how she had gotten it, but she just shook her head, laughed, and kept watching Caden play with his toys.

"Well we should go get dressed If we're gonna make it to my moms by 12:00," Seth said, standing up. Summer pouted her bottom lip and held her hands up in the air.

"You can't get up on your own?"

Summer hatefully glared at him. "You truly don't know what manners are, or how to treat a lady," she countered, starting to stand on her own. Seth grabbed her arm and pulled her the rest of the way up, smirking at her. "Yes I do," he said.

Summer rolled her eyes. "It doesn't count as manners if the girl has to tell you what to do."

Seth scooped his presents up and started up the stairs. "Whatever," he said.

Summer swung Caden on her hip, much to his dismay, and walked upstairs with him, explaining that he could play with his toys later, but he had to get ready to go to grandma' s house first.

"Merry Chrismukkah!" Kirsten exclaimed, swinging the front door open and smiling brightly at her grandson. "Did Santa come to visit you last night?" she asked, taking his hand and leading him inside.

Caden nodded excitingly and held out a toy plane he got. "I gots a plane and a train and lots and lots of other stuff…" he explained.

Kirsten smiled and kissed his cheek before looking up to Seth. "Ryan and Marissa are in the pool house," she said quickly before walking Caden into the kitchen.

Summer walked to the green tree and placed the presents they had bought for the rest of the bunch underneath. "Well, I'm gonna go say hey to Coop," she said, walking out the clear doors to the pool house.

Only a few hours later, Summer was hugging Seth goodbye as he walked out the door to Olivia's car, his flight leaving for Chicago in an hour.

Summer sighed as she leaned against the white door, pressing it closed. Caden was sleeping upstairs so the house was painfully quiet. Summer glanced around at the still messy living room, deciding to clean.

Her dad would be over soon, and unfortunately, so would her step-mom. Summer crammed wrapping paper and boxes into a trash bag, singing softly to herself as she cleaned up.

The ringing of the telephone sang loudly through the house and Summer picked it up, asking "Hello?" as sweetly as she could.

"May I speak to a Miss Summer Roberts?"

"Um, this is she," Summer said in response, continuing to pick up the living room, balancing the phone on her shoulder and pressing her ear against it.

"Hi, Summer. This is Nurse Shelly, from the hospital. Your father and mother been involved in a car accident and we'd like you to get to the hospital as soon as possible."

Summer dropped the pieces of wrapping paper and stood up straight. "Step- mother, and are they alright?" she asked, her voice quivering.

"Your father is in the ICU and your step-mother is on her way to surgery," the nurse said, explaining both their conditions in short words. Her father was in the ICU. That was a place that was only visited when you were in the need of intensive care for intensive injuries, and her step-mom was in surgery.

"I'll be right there," Summer responsed, clicking the phone off. She told her body to move but she couldn't. She just stood there, limp, and worried about her dad. He used to be her best friend.

Finally, she picked up the phone and called Kirsten, explaining everything and then asking if Kirsten could meet her at the hospital. She would, and Summer was glad because she couldn't do this alone. But Seth was high up in the air with Olivia, so she'd have to have another Cohen with her. And who better than the woman who had been most like a mom to her: Kirsten Cohen?

Summer's eyes were blurred with tears as she looked at her dad, hooked to wires, bandages on his head, bruises on his arms. The only sound was the 'beep beep beep' sound, and frankly, she could live without it.

But it was better than a long drawn out beep that meant his heart was no longer beating.

Her step-mom, Gloria, was still in surgery and that was all Summer knew about her condition.

Kirsten was walking the halls with Caden, trying her best to keep him occupied. He kept pointing in at the reorganization of his grandpa, but he wasn't permitted in the room, and even if he was, neither Summer nor Kirsten would allow him to see Neil, his grandpa, in such a condition.

Summer rose from the salmon colored chair and kissed her fathers cheek lightly before leaving the room. She wiped the tears off of her face and tried her best to pull herself together. She hated crying.

Kirsten smiled warmly at her. "I know it's hard," she said, walking over to Summer and embracing her weak body in a hug. Summer sniffed and more tears started to fall, landing on Kirsten's' shoulder.

"But he's going to be okay," she said, pulling back and smiling at Summer. Kirsten wiped the salty tears that were streaking down Summer's face. "I promise."

Summer nodded. "Yeah, I really hope so," she said quietly. "I'm gonna go get some coffee from the cafeteria. Do you want anything?"

Kirsten shook her head. "Why don't you let me go, honey? You can stay here and be with your dad."

Summer waved her hand. "No, I really just need to walk around for awhile. I can't stand being in that room much longer, and I just need some time alone."

Kirsten nodded understandingly. Summers eyes were saddened and Kirsten knew that she really needed Seth. Sighing, Kirsten picked a sleepy Caden up and sat in an empty chair, balancing him on her lap as he leaned back into her chest.

Not even five minutes later a nurse rushed out of Neil's room, frantically calling for a doctor who soon entered the room. Things were being demanded and the room was full of nurses and doctors, trying to save their crashing patient.

Kirsten rose from her chair, holding her sleeping grandbaby close to her, and walked towards the room, meeting the sound that everyone dreaded. The sound that meant he might not live, and that her promise to Summer would soon be broken.

Tears welled in Kirsten's eyes as the doctor called Neil's time of death.