1Title: A Twist of Fate

Ratings/Warnings: In this chapter- Ryan angst

Beta: loracj2

Disclaimers: I own nothing in relation to The O.C. All mistakes are mine

Summary: Beginning of Season 1, AU, In The Pilot, Kirsten asks Sandy "What if this is all a scam? What if he's just using you to case the house?" In this story it is the truth, but not by Ryan's choice. For the purposes of this story Dawn is dead and there never was a Trey.

Twist of Fate: Chapter Seven

Kirsten watched as Seth and Ryan made their way to the pool house. Seth was still making sure to stay behind Ryan, so that he blocked her attempt to see if Ryan was more hurt than he was letting on. Though she was glad her son already had such a strong allegiance with Ryan, it was proving to make her and Sandy's job more difficult in getting Ryan to open up to them. Instead of Seth acting as Ryan's buffer, he should be trying to convince Ryan that they were only there to help and he didn't need to be afraid. Kirsten decided she would have to talk to Seth that evening about needing his help with Ryan.

Kirsten caught a look from Seth before he closed the pool house door. It only confirmed her decision that they would need Seth's help getting Ryan to trust them.

"Well, I am going to have to say that was not one of your son's better performances. I didn't buy that story about the flailing food for one minute."

"Why is he always my son during times likes these? If I remember correctly, you're the one who was pregnant for nine months, not me." Kirsten cocked an eyebrow. "Okay, okay, you're right as usual, about both things. He is definitely my son and I didn't believe that cockamamie story either. What do you want to do about it? Storming out there and demanding they tell us the truth won't get us anywhere."

"No, of course not. I'd say for now we let it drop, but I'm going to speak to Seth about covering for Ryan. And I intend to keep a closer eye on Ryan. I can tell he's trying to hide something from us. I don't like the thought of him being hurt and me not knowing about it."

He reached out to grab her around the waist. "Have I ever told you how incredibly sexy you are when you get all protective?"

She swatted his hands away. "We need to decide what we are going to do with Ryan this evening. He can't very well go with us to the fashion show."

"Why not? He'll be fine. I know these events are a little stuffy, but it's not like the kid doesn't know how to use silverware."

"Sandy, be reasonable. Look at his face. If we take that boy, the Newpsies will be all over him, asking all kinds of questions, about his bruises, his family, why he's staying with us. He's barely spoken ten words to us, and you want to subject him to an evening of Taryn and her crew? You know how they are. Need I remind you that you still hide every time I have a ladies' luncheon?"

"Good point. I hadn't thought of that…Newpsies." He shook his shoulders as if he had gotten a sudden chill. "Ryan will be much better off if we leave him at home tonight."

"By himself?"

Sandy was disappointed. He had thought he and Kirsten were on the same page concerning Ryan. He hoped she had moved beyond her initial distrust of him.

"Don't tell me you still don't trust him? You can't honestly believe he's only here to rob us."

"No, of course not, that much is obvious. If he's too afraid to take our food, I highly doubt he could muster up the courage to steal the television. But he's still a kid in strange surroundings. He's scared and nervous. If we leave him here by himself, he will probably stay holed up in the pool house all night, too worried to leave out of fear that he will do something wrong. Besides, it could be the opportunity we've been waiting for. One of us can stay home and spend some time with him without him having Seth around to talk for him or cover up for him. A few hours alone together could be just the thing for Ryan to feel more comfortable around us."

Sandy kissed the top of her head. "Brains and beauty. Is it any wonder why I love you?" He put his hands on her shoulders and gave her a sincere look. "I tell you what. I am willing to make the ultimate sacrifice and be the one to stay at home with Ryan." He started waving his hands, crossing them back and forth in front of his face. "No, no, you don't need to thank me. It's a burden I'm willing to make for the sake of Ryan. But I can't tell you how disappointed I am. I was sooooo looking forward to this evening. I even bought a new tie."

She playfully smacked him on the arm. "Smart-ass. You're lucky I put up with you. Now, I'm going to start getting ready. Why don't you go out there and let Seth know he needs to do the same? You can tell Ryan that you two will be staying at home tonight, and make sure he doesn't think that it's because we're embarrassed to bring him, or that it's some kind of punishment."

"Punishment? Darling, you wound me. I already have the evening all planned out. We are going to eat pizza and watch Stallone movies. I dare say he'll be thrilled when I tell him the good news. You're just jealous because you are going to miss out on all the fun."

"Yes, dear. You're absolutely right. What was I thinking?" Sarcasm dripped from her voice as she kissed him on the cheek.

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Sandy entered the pool house to find Ryan had changed into a clean shirt. He was sitting on the bed amidst a pile of comic books. Sandy's eyes searched the room for his son. He discovered Seth on his hands and knees rooting through the kitchenette's cabinets.

"Ah ha," Seth shouted, crawling out of the cabinet with a comic raised victoriously in his hand. "I knew it was here somewhere." He paused for a moment, temporarily taken aback at the sight of his father. "Oh hi, Dad. I didn't hear you come in."

"So this is where you keep your stash."

"Keep it down. Don't let Mom know." Seth looked at Ryan. "Occasionally she will get in a mood about not seeing my bedroom floor in weeks. Then…BAM…next thing you know she turns into The Kirsten and threatens to burn every last comic book I own. I would never get over the loss. It would be worse than the time she flushed my pet goldfish after it died. Poor Bubbles, I can still see him going round and round, before heading off to that big fish bowl in the sky. That is the exact moment in time when I decided that Captain Oats was the only pet I ever needed. He's a tried and true friend and doesn't fit down the toilet."

"You know, son, stories like that may be the reason Captain Oats is your closest friend. Why don't you head on into the house? Your mother says it's time to start getting ready, and I need to talk to Ryan."

"Okay." He got up off the floor, dusted off his knees, and skipped down the steps. "Hey, Ryan," he said just as reached the doors, "Whenever Dad is through with you, come on up to my room. It's the first bedroom on the right at the top of the stairs. I need to talk to you more about Summer and my plan to get her to notice me tonight."

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"Wait a minute, Seth." Kirsten said when she heard her son start bounding up the stairs. "I need to talk to you."

"Sorry, Mom, don't have time. I have got to work on my hair. It's a very big evening. You don't think Summer will notice Ryan before me, do you? I mean he's a good looking guy. Not that I notice those kinds of things, of course... I mean whether a guy is good looking or not, because I don't. I just need to make sure Summer's full attention is on her future husband...me."

"I swear between you and your father, I don't know how I get a word in edgewise."

"Oh sorry. You were saying, mother?"

"Your father and I feel it's best if he and Ryan stay home tonight."

"If Ryan doesn't have to go, why do I? Even with the thought of seeing Summer, staying home would be a lot more fun. I hate these events. If you don't want Ryan to stay home alone, I can stay with him, and you and Dad can go. Please?"

"No, Seth, it's already been decided. Your father is staying with Ryan and you're coming with me to the fashion show. Besides, I need to talk to you about Ryan."

"What about? He's great and I really like having him around. Can we keep him?"

"Seth, your father did not rescue Ryan from the local pound." She was clearly exasperated with him. "I need you to be serious for a minute. Has Ryan ever mentioned anything to you about his stepfather?"

"Mom, you may not have noticed it, but the dude barely speaks." Seth could tell he was about to face The Kirsten. "Ok, ok, but I'm serious. He doesn't tell me anything about his life. Oh, wait. He did tell me that his mom died a couple of years ago and that he lives with his stepdad, but that's about it. Oh wait; he did mention something about his mom having a lot of boyfriends before marrying this Art guy. Why are you asking me this stuff?"

"Well..." Kirsten was weighing just how much they should tell Seth about their suspicions. "Your father and I are worried about Ryan's relationship with this stepdad. We realize he hasn't even been here a whole day yet, but Ryan hasn't called to check in with him, and his stepfather hasn't called here to see if he is all right. We're not sure if Ryan got kicked out or left on his own accord, but the very fact that Ryan is staying with us should be a major source of concern for him." She paused still wondering how much information to indulge. She decided that Seth needed to know the truth about what they had learned, or at least part of the truth. If she expected him to help them, he would have to know more about what they were dealing with. "Seth, have you noticed that Ryan seems a bit...skittish around your father?"

"Boy, have I ever. He tried to hide it, but I could tell he was scared that Dad was really going to yell at him about ripping his shirt sleeve. He even asked me what Dad was like when he was mad."

"What did you tell him?"

"You know, that he liked to talk a lot and give hour long lectures, but to watch out when he got really mad. I believe I might have compared Dad to a certain dragon-like Japan invading monster."

"How did Ryan react to that news?"

Seth rolled his head back, trying to remember back to that afternoon. "You know, now that you mention it, he did start looking a little sick again. I just thought he was getting seasick again. What are you trying to get at? Is there something wrong with his stepdad?"

"We don't really know anything yet. Truthfully, we have our doubts that he is the best person to care for Ryan. We think that his mother may have had some nasty boyfriends that may have caused Ryan to start not trusting adults. That's why your father is staying at home with him tonight. We are hoping Ryan can start relaxing around him a bit more. So stop with the Godzilla references. And another thing, we want him to start opening up to us, but Ryan won't do that if don't stop answering for him. He needs to start speaking for himself. And as much as I could tell he appreciated you covering for him this afternoon, you need to stop that, too. If Ryan is hurt, we need to know. It's very important."

"Okay." Seth strongly debated telling his mom about Ryan's back. But he remembered how upset Ryan became when he mentioned it, and how relieved he was when Seth came up with the food story. He didn't think Ryan was hurt that badly, but if he noticed anything else, he would tell his parents later. " Are we done?"

"Well, you could try telling him what great parents we are and how you can talk to us about anything."

"Do you have any idea how lame that would make me sound?"

"Fine, you don't have to lay it on so thick. Just try and make him understand that he can trust us."

"Got it. I can totally handle that. No problem. Can I start getting ready now?"

"Yes, sweetie, but think about everything I just said."

Seth slowly walked up the stairs, heeding his mother's request and letting her words sink in. He got the definite impression that there was something more about Ryan and his stepdad that his parents weren't telling him. He didn't know what it was, but he was determined to find out.

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Sandy waited until Seth was in the house before turning his full attention to Ryan. He ran his hand over his jaw line, trying to think of how to start. It was an odd feeling, this being unsure of what to say. Noticing Ryan's anxiety, he decided to sit down in the wicker chair by the door, in hopes that it would give a less menacing impression.

"So, kid." He let out a long slow breath and ran his hands down his legs, gripping his knees and slightly leaned in toward Ryan.

"I...I'm sorry."

Sandy frowned, taking note of the gleam of perspiration on the boy's forehead. It was only emphasized by the fact that his face had suddenly turned two shades paler. "About what?"

"I don't know." Ryan answered, bewildered. "I just figured you were mad at me about something I did wrong."

"No, Ryan, you haven't done anything wrong." Sandy's voice took on the same tired quality that seemed to occur every time he was faced with Ryan's insecurities. "I just wanted to talk to you about tonight."

"Its okay, Mr. Cohen. I know I can't go tonight. It was Seth's idea that I come along. I never expected you take to me to some fancy party. We all know I wouldn't fit in. I don't belong with people like that."

"I don't want to hear you talk like that. You fit in as well as anyone, kid, probably more than me. However, as you found out this afternoon, the folks around here don't exactly offer the warmest of greetings to outsiders. If you went, you would have a miserable time, and we don't want that. However, Mrs. Cohen and I don't think it's a good idea for you to stay here by yourself either."

Ryan was crestfallen. He had held on to a small bit of hope that he would be allowed to stay at the house while the Cohens went to their party. It would have been the perfect opportunity for him to explore the entire house. But now, from the way Mr. Cohen was talking, he guessed they were going to ask him to leave. It was kind of funny; he was here to rob them, but it hurt to think they didn't trust him..

"I get it. I wouldn't let some kid I met straight out of Juvie stay alone in my house either. I'll just change into my own clothes and be on my way. Thanks for everything. I really appreciate it." He stood up to leave

Sandy put out his hand as if to stop him. "No, Ryan. You didn't let me finish. We don't want you to go. I thought I could stay at home with you."

"I can't let you do that." Ryan took a step back. "You shouldn't miss your party. You need to be with your family, instead of being stuck babysitting me."

"Trust me, kid, skipping one of Newport's charity events doesn't bother me in the slightest. In fact, I should be thanking you for giving me an excuse to miss it. Besides, we have one of these things every week. Why next Friday, I already know that I'm stuck going to Vegas Night or Casino Night or whatever they decide to call it. Actually, the more I think about it, it's almost a vacation."

"So you're not mad at me?" Ryan asked, looking shocked and relieved.

"Of course not." Sandy decided to use the opportunity to question him about Art. "Why do you ask? Does your stepfather get mad at you a lot?"

There was an instant change in Ryan's demeanor. He started to fidget, and was obviously much more tense than just a minute before.

"I don't know... I guess...sometimes...why?"

"You seem to spend an awful lot of time worrying that I might be angry with you. I was just trying to figure out why."

"You were nice enough to let me crash here when a lot of other people wouldn't have bothered. I don't want to push my luck. I've already been kicked out once this weekend."

Sandy's eyes narrowed with suspicion. "I thought you said that were the one who took off. You told me you just needed some space."

"I did. I...I do," Ryan stuttered. He couldn't believe he'd been so stupid to be caught in another lie. He had to start being more careful. Mr. Cohen's rule about answering him was bound to lead to more screw-ups. "I didn't mean it like that. Art has been really good to me."

"I'm sure he has." Sandy could barely contain the disdain from his voice.

"Yeah. Um...can I go see Seth now, before he leaves?"

The slight window of opportunity had been slammed shut. Sandy vowed that he would make more of an effort to talk to Ryan throughout the evening. "Sure, kid. We'll talk more later."

Ryan looked nervous at that prospect, but managed a small smile. "Okay. Thanks."

Sandy frowned as he watched Ryan practically sprint out the door. He hadn't expected Ryan to immediately confess that his stepfather was abusing him, but he hadn't known it would be this much of an effort to get the kid to at least stay in the same room with him for ten minutes. He had a lot of work to do tonight.

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Ryan knocked on Seth's door, before pushing it open a few inches.

"Come on in, man. I'm just finishing getting dressed. I'll be out in a minute." Seth's voice came from behind his bathroom door.

Ryan stepped into Seth's room. It was the first time he had been in it. He looked around taking in the computer and the stereo. He wondered if there was an electronic device on the planet that Seth didn't have in his bedroom.

He supposed that it was out of force of habit that his eyes were instantly drawn to the money lying on the top of the dresser. It must have been the change from today's lunch. Ryan had to laugh to himself. He was sure it hadn't even occurred to Seth to give his parents back the money. He was about to walk further into the room, when he noticed Seth's alarm key to the house half hidden underneath a ten dollar bill. Ryan reached down and picked it up. He held it loosely in his hand, turning it over a couple of times.

He couldn't believe it. Nothing in his life had ever gone as smoothly as things had since Mr. Cohen had picked him up the night before. Maybe his life was finally going to make a turn for the better. It was almost as if he was meant to find the alarm key. But if that was true, why did he feel so rotten? He'd been really pissed when Seth had blabbed about the fight, and then didn't back his story about how he got the bruise on his arm, but Seth had covered for him when it really mattered. He had managed to distract his parents long enough for him to get out the house without any more questions.

Ryan almost put the alarm key back where he found it. It just felt so wrong, to keep using Seth this way. Then he realized what he was doing. Art always said he was too soft. He didn't know how much time he had left here. The Cohens may be planning on sending him back to Chino in the morning. He didn't have time to waste feeling guilty. Nothing should be holding him back from completing Art's plan. After all, he didn't really owe Seth anything. He pocketed the key alarm with the intention of hiding it in his leather coat later. However, in the back of his mind, he was already thinking of ways to keep Art from going upstairs and away from Seth's room.

"Hey, wat'cha doing?" Seth came out of the bathroom straightening his tie.

"Nothing," Ryan said a little too quickly. "So, I guess you have to go to this thing with your mom by yourself. Your dad and I are staying here."

"Yeah. Mom already told me. Too bad. It would have been cool to have someone to talk to besides the eleven year olds I give sailing lessons to."

"So why go? Why don't you just stay home tonight?"

Seth thought that it was a pretty good question. After all, he had asked his mom the same thing. Luckily, Seth came up with a completely believable excuse. "Summer, of course. Summer will be there. How am I ever going to get on her radar if she never sees me?"

"Aren't you afraid of running into those guys from the diner?"

"Nah, they won't do anything in front of their parents. Besides, just seeing Summer across a crowded room is worth any risk."

"I've never met a girl that was worth getting my ass kicked over."

"That, my friend, is because you have never seen the glory that is Summer Roberts."

The boys heard Kirsten's voice coming from the bottom of the steps, telling Seth that it was time to leave. He decided now was as good as time as any to talk to Ryan about his dad.

"Listen, just because I'm not staying home doesn't mean that you still can't have a decent time here with my dad. He's pretty cool and all...for a dad. I mean, I don't really mind hanging out with him sometimes. Not that I spend all my free time hanging out with my parents. I am not that big of a loser. I'm just saying I have always felt like I could talk to my dad about, you know…stuff. Do you know what I mean?"

Ryan didn't respond. His eyebrows were raised and the right side of his mouth was slightly turned up. He looked completely confused.

"Okay, I guess not. How about this? I know before you kind of freaked out about my dad being all uptight and getting mad, but I think I proved in the kitchen that's just not him. I don't want you to think that I'm ditching you for a girl and sticking you with some cranky old guy that's going to yell at you if you get crumbs on the floor. You and Dad will be fine tonight. Don't sweat it."

"Sure, Seth, whatever you say." Ryan followed Seth down the stairs. He was trying to figure out what exactly what Seth had been trying to get at. He couldn't come up with anything, but that wasn't unusual. Honestly, he didn't know what Seth was talking about half the time. He changed his focus to spending the entire evening alone with Mr. Cohen.

He was completely different than any other man Ryan had met in his past. He wasn't at all like any of his mom's boyfriends, or Art for that matter. Ryan had done all sorts of things wrong since coming here, and Mr. Cohen hadn't even raised his voice yet. In fact, he seemed to worry a lot about how Ryan got hurt. He still couldn't figure that one out. The only rationalization that Ryan could come up with was that he was waiting for a time when no one else was around. Besides the car ride from Chino, there hadn't been a time where Mrs. Cohen or Seth weren't around or at least fairly close by. One of his mom's boyfriends had been like that. He had never hit Ryan in front of Dawn. She never believed it when Ryan tried to tell her that he was no better than the rest. No matter what Seth said about his father, Ryan still didn't trust him. He wasn't about to try the man's patience any more than he already had. He had every intention of spending the evening hiding out in the pool house.

He was halfway out the patio door when Sandy walked in the kitchen carrying a pizza box and a plastic sack from the Movie Palace.

"Hey, kid. Where ya going? Dinner just got here. I figured there wasn't a teenager alive who didn't like pizza. I didn't know what you wanted on it though. So I just went with the old tried and true favorite of pepperoni. That okay with you?"

Ryan couldn't stop the grin that formed on his face. Pizza had been his favorite thing to eat, before Art had come along. "Yeah, it's great. I used to love pizza."

That remark caused Sandy to frown again. "Used to? When was the last time you had any?"

Shit! What was it about Mr. Cohen that kept making him slip up?

"It's been a while. We don't have a lot of money. Art always says that fast food costs too much."

"Really? We eat out or get take out all the time. My wife has many talents, but cooking is definitely not one of them. I figured a couple of single guys, like yourselves, would do the same. What do you do for meals? Don't tell me you cook as well as do the dishes and the laundry." Seeing Ryan's look of confusion Sandy explained, "Kirsten told me that you washed your clothes this morning."

"I can cook, some. My mom didn't feel well most of the time. I kind of had to teach myself, but I don't do that anymore."

"So what do you eat?"

"Anything that comes out of a can, dry cereal, and a lot of Ramen noodles."

Sandy had only seen Art for a few minutes, but he guessed the man to be at six foot two and at least two hundred twenty five pounds. There was no way that man was surviving on freeze dried noodles.

"Doesn't sound very appetizing or nutritious."

"It's better than nothing," Ryan muttered.

Sandy was about to question him further when he noticed the way Ryan was eyeing the pizza box. He was practically drooling.

"Well, tonight you are going to dine on the best pizza Newport has to offer." Sandy grabbed a couple of plates, putting two slices of pizza on each. "Here you go, kid. I thought we could eat in the living room. I picked up a couple of Stallone movies to watch while we eat. Why don't you pop one in while I go grab us a couple of drinks?"

Sandy grabbed the drinks from the fridge and walked back in the living room to find Ryan sitting in the chair. He wondered if Ryan had picked that particular spot because it was closest to the doors, and because that way there was no way Sandy could sit anywhere near him.

Sandy tossed him a bottle of soda. "One soda for you and one beer for me."

Sandy plopped on the couch and started taking the cap off. He looked at Ryan to ask him which movie he picked. The look on the boy's face stopped him cold. He was staring at the bottle of beer in Sandy's hand. His eyes were wide with fright. He sat perfectly still; his only movement was the rapid rise and fall of his chest. He was biting on his lower lip, completely oblivious to the fact that he was chewing off the scab that had begun to form.

"You know, on second thought," Sandy began, standing up and going back toward the kitchen. "I think I'll just have a soda too. I don't want Kirsten to think I'm getting a beer gut."

Sandy was rewarded with a smile from Ryan. With his anxiety gone for the moment, Ryan picked up his first slice of pizza, almost putting half of it in his mouth with the first bite.

Sandy laughed. "I guess I should have ordered the extra-large."

An hour and a half later, Sandy was still sitting on the couch quite pleased with himself and grinning ear to ear. He hadn't just gotten Ryan to eat; the kid had practically eaten everything in sight. He had gone through the rest of pizza within minutes, then he ate a large bag of chips, and was currently finishing off a bowl of popcorn.

Catching Sandy looking at him, Ryan paused mid-bite. "Did I do something wrong?"

"No, of course not. I'm just sitting here thinking how happy I am to be here with you instead of that boring party."

"Really?"

"I wouldn't lie about something as important as a missing a Newpsie event."

"Seth mentioned them earlier. What's a Newpsie?"

"They're like vultures, except the Newpsies like to paint their talons. Actually, they prefer someone else to paint them."

"Okay." Ryan still didn't know what a Newpsie was, but he didn't think it mattered enough to keep asking any more questions about them. Mr. Cohen seemed to be in a really good mood. Ryan didn't want to spoil it by pestering him with stupid questions.

"So," Sandy said, leaning back on the couch and putting his feet on the coffee table. "I never got to ask you before. How was hanging out with Seth today? I know he's different than a lot of other kids your age, but he's a really interesting kid if you get to know him."

"It was okay. Seth's cool."

"Cool, huh?" Sandy knew it was wishful thinking, but he really liked the idea of the two boys forming a friendship. He thought it could be good for the both of them. Although it was too soon to be thinking of that now. Considering what he already knew about Ryan's life, and what he planned on doing with that information, where the boy would even be in a few days was uncertain.

"I've been thinking. What do you say we play some of Seth's video games? When Seth's around, he barely lets me touch them. He says I'm not a worthy enough opponent for such a master as himself."

"Sure." Ryan went over to Seth's collection of games and started sorting through them, deliberately skipping over the Grand Theft Auto Game. No sense reminding Mr. Cohen of that. After deciding on a game that he and Seth had played earlier that morning, he put the cartridge in the machine, grabbed the controllers and turned around. He eyed the chair he had been sitting in all evening. There was no way the controller would stretch to it. He would have to sit next to Mr. Cohen on the couch. He remembered back to what Seth had said earlier about his dad being okay and all. However, Ryan still couldn't let himself trust the man. It was one thing to hang out with him in the same room and watch a movie, but to sit within arm's reach? That was practically like asking to get hit. But there really wasn't any other choice. He had already agreed to play the stupid game, and he couldn't think of a way out of it now. Ryan took a seat next to Sandy on the couch, making sure to sit on the very edge of the farthest cushion.

This move did not go unnoticed by Sandy. He tried to put the boy at ease by asking questions about the game that had just started.

"Okay, so am I the guy in red or the black pajamas?"

"Red, and they're not in pajamas, they're ninjas."

"See, I told you I needed to practice. Seth won't explain anything to me. He just starts on some tirade about my generation never understanding the importance of video games. I hate to break it to him, but my generation is what made video games the phenomenon they are today."

"Um, Mr. Cohen, you just stabbed me and we're on the same side."

"Oh sorry. I'll pay more attention next time."

After six games, Sandy once again found himself feeling proud of his accomplishment with Ryan. First he had succeeded in getting Ryan to eat, and now the kid was so engrossed in teaching him how to win at the latest video game, he hadn't even noticed that he was sitting right next to Sandy. While Sandy was thinking about how nice it was to see Ryan actually act his age for once, he failed to hear the sounds coming from the television that signaled the end of another game.

"Oh, is it over? How'd I do this time? I really think I'm improving."

Ryan rolled his eyes.

"Hey, that last game it took me fifteen whole minutes to die. Let's try another one. I'll let you pick again. I can't tell one from the other."

Ryan stood and once again started flipping through the games. Sandy decided that it was time to take a chance and bring up Art again.

"You probably already figured out that Seth is pretty much a home-body. Most nights that we don't have social events, it's just the three of us hanging out here at home. I feel bad about Seth not having more friends than he does, but I have to admit I really enjoy being able to spend that much time with my family. My dad wasn't around much when I was a kid and I always vowed that things would be different when I had a family of my own."

Ryan nodded while continuing to find another game, not sure where the conversation was headed.

"So what about you and your stepfather, Art? Do you spend much time together?"

At the mention of Art's name, Ryan dropped the stack of video games he had been holding. "I'm sorry." He bent over and started gathering them in a pile. When he had them all picked up, he paused a moment before standing. Glancing over at Sandy, he quietly answered the question. "No, we don't. I mean...you know... like you said, he's my stepdad. It's not like I'm his real kid. He just got stuck with me."

"Is that what he says?"

"Yeah, but its okay. I don't mind. Besides he's really busy, and doesn't need me bothering him." Ryan turned to Sandy and held up a cartridge with some sort of alien on it. "How about this one?"

It was on the tip of Sandy's tongue to question Ryan as to what Art was so busy doing, but he didn't. Originally, he had intended to use this evening to pump Ryan for more information on his life with Art. But after spending time with him and finally seeing the boy start to relax around him, Sandy decided the night would be better spent letting Ryan continue to have a little fun. Sandy hoped by letting him be for now, he was laying the groundwork to gain Ryan's trust.

"Sure, maybe this one is more suited to my level of skill."

Surprisingly, Sandy had been right. With the latest game, he had finally found his niche and had managed to hold his own for the majority of the game. It was down to the final battle, and both Sandy and Ryan were giving it all they had. With one final swing of a laser Sandy annihilated Ryan's alien.

"Yes!" Sandy exclaimed in victory. He turned to slap Ryan a high-five. Instead of returning the gesture, Ryan jumped off the couch, stumbling backwards. Sandy reached out to steady him.

"No, I'm sorry." Ryan put his arm in front of his face.

Sandy had never felt so sick in his entire life. "Oh, kid," he said sadly. "I'm not going to hit you."

Ryan slowly lowered his arm, but it was obvious he didn't trust Sandy.

"I know you don't believe me, but not all men hit."

"Yeah, right." Ryan muttered, slowly inching his way closer to the patio doors, closer to freedom.

"Ryan, we need to talk about this."

"There's nothing to talk about, Mr. Cohen." He had managed to make it to the door and opened it. "If it's okay, I'd like to go to bed now. I'm kind of tired." Without waiting for an answer he shut the door and quickly made his way toward the pool house.

Sandy rushed after him, but stopped halfway there. Through the glass doors of the pool house, Sandy could see Ryan standing by the bed. His arms wrapped tightly around his stomach. Ryan was staring straight ahead at Sandy, watching his every move. Even from that distance, Sandy could see the terror in his eyes.

"Damn it!" Sandy swore. He wanted to pick up the patio furniture and throw it into the pool in frustration, but he restrained himself, realizing that was the last thing Ryan needed to see from him. If he saw anger, it would just be worse. Instead he nodded his head in the direction of the pool house, and slowly turned and walked back to the main house.

He had been making real progress with Ryan, and one stupid move had sent him back to square one. He never wanted to see that look on the boy's face again. Despite his years of working with abused kids, despite his suspicions, even despite the file that did nothing but point to abuse, Sandy had still held on to the tiniest bit of hope that maybe, just maybe, Ryan's life wasn't as bad as he had feared.

But Ryan had just unwittingly confirmed Sandy's worst fears and answered every unasked question. Now that Sandy had the answers he had set out to find, he didn't know what to do with them. He went back to the spot on the couch where just a few minutes ago, he and Ryan had been having a nice, normal evening. He sat down heavily, feeling completely and utterly defeated, resting his head in his hands.

Kirsten found him in that exact position an hour later when she and Seth came home. She sent Seth up to his room and crouched down on the floor in front of him.

"Honey, what's wrong? What happened?"

He looked up at her; the sadness etched on his features almost took her breath away. He shook his head. "I just don't know, honey, I don't know what to do." He paused and continued with fierce determination, "But I do know this. There is no way in hell that kid is going back to Chino and back to that bastard he calls a stepfather come Monday morning."

Tbc

Thank You: I need to thank loracj2, beachtree, finlee, and fifimom for helping me out with questions regarding home security and gated communities. I may have written some things in regards to this incorrectly, but it's how I wanted it to work for the purposes of this story.

Also, for their help in questions regarding the Cohens' household I need to thank 60schic, loracj2, smc36, and beachtree. Big thank yous to Katwoman76 who in helping me gave me pretty pictures of Ryan to look at and Millstone1005 who actually watched a Season 3 episode to try and figure out if Seth had a bathroom in his room.