Hey everyone, thanks again for all the reviews and comments. Here's the next chapter.

Chapter 11: Let's just pretend everything's all right

"So, what happened?"

Summer looked up from where she had been pushing her macaroni and cheese around her plate with confused eyes. "Huh?"

"What happened? You look like the most miserable person on earth."

"Oh," Summer shrugged as she moved over to make room for Jessica to sit next to her at the picnic table. "Nothing really. The stress is just getting to me. Seth had to leave. Matthew's being a jerk… Nothing to worry about."

"You're sure?"

"Positive," Summer told her with a smile.

"Really? Because I brought an extra pudding cup in case it was something serious."

Summer's teeth shone through as her tight smile became something real. She reached out for the offered dessert. "Well, even if I'm not miserable, that's no reason why I shouldn't get a pudding cup."

"Whoa."

Summer jerked forward as her hand was held firmly, keeping her from bringing the pudding cup closer to her.

"What's this?" Jessica asked.

"My pudding?"

"No. This thing on your finger here."

Summer's smile widened and her eyes brightened at the thought. "That's my engagement ring."

"Your what now?"

"My engagement ring. Seth was in town for a night and he asked me if I would marry him."

"And you said?"

"Do you see the ring?"

"It's kind of—"

"It's temporary," Summer shrugged. "I told him what I really wanted and he's getting that for me."

"He doesn't mind that you want to exchange your engagement ring?"

"I think Seth bought it well aware that I was going to exchange it. I'm surprised he didn't show up with something from a bubble gum machine—" Summer froze and smiled for a moment at a memory that came to mind at the words.

"Summer?"

"Sorry. Anyway, no, he doesn't mind, and that's great because I would never survive with this thing on my hand for the rest of my life. It weighs a ton."

"Doesn't Seth know that you aren't a bodybuilder?"

"It's Seth," Summer shrugged. "He probably thought that the heavier the rock, the more love."

"It's sweet though."

"It's very sweet."

"And at least it got your mind off whatever's bothering."

Summer shook her head at the thought. "I definitely don't think about Matthew when Seth's on my mind."

"Did you have your fight or whatever with Matthew before or after he noticed the diamond on your hand?"

"After, I guess."

"Summer…" Jessica sighed, pushing her food around her plate with her white, plastic fork. "You do realise that Matthew's like, completely in love with you, right?"

"What?"

"Yeah. He has been for a while now. Loves everything about you."

Summer froze for a moment, then shook her head quickly. "No. No, that's impossible. He's got… other preoccupations. I don't think he's even over his ex yet."

"I think he is, and I think he got over her by fixating on you, sweetie."

"No… no, way."

"I'm just warning you. I wouldn't be surprised if he didn't take this engagement well at all. I don't know what he's going to do about it."

"He'll just have to settle for whoever actually lets him buy their love."

"With what? He works for GEORGE; he can't have that much money to spend."

Summer shrugged. "I think he's like a trust fund kid or something. He's always talking about all the things he could buy the woman he dates."

"No way. I met his parents once while they were visiting. He's no trust fund kid. He's barely making ends meet from what I hear."

"Whatever," Summer finally gave up with a shrug. "Right now, alll I have time to worry about is getting the rest of this paperwork done."

Jessica shrugged and left Summer to her work. Summer looked down at the numbers in front of her, and then gnawed on her pencil for a moment.

She had nothing to worry about, right?

"I brought you something."

Seth looked up from his drawings and smiled at his visitor.

"For me?" he asked, reaching out for the thermos his co-worker was pointing in his direction.

"I heard you were sick last week, and then you left early yesterday… I figured I could bring you a little something."

"Soup?" Seth asked as he opened the container. He frowned when he saw what was inside. He pulled out the comic book, smiled at the cover and set it aside. "Thanks, Sam."

"I didn't really believe you were sick," she told him as she moved a stool over from the desk next to his and peered over at his work. "You weren't really sick were you?"

"Of course I was. Bronchitis or something. I forget what excuse I used. Wait, weren't you covering for me?"

"Oops. Where were you really?" Samantha asked him as she moved the pencils around on his desk. Seth stole a few from her and put them on the other side of his body where she couldn't reach them.

"I had a few errands to run."

"Like what?"

"Like asking Summer to marry me," Seth answered, unable to keep a smile from adorning his lips at the thought.

"Oh. You're still with Summer?"

Seth laughed. "Of course I'm still with Summer. Did you hear any differently at any time? I've been with Summer since the tenth grade, and I'll be with Summer pretty much forever now."

"So you're happy just dating one girl you're entire life?"

"I've dated other girls."

"Who?"

"Anna and Alex. I went on that date with Lindsay too, but then she ended up being my aunt, so I guess it's a good thing we never really hooked up."

"You dated your aunt?"

"Accidentally, and I guess she's just my half-aunt… I lose track."

"Okay, your family needs help."

"Nah," Seth shrugged. "We're okay now. Most of us have left Newport."

"So you're marrying Summer. Are you sure that's going to work out. I mean, what if she can't find a job when she's done with Paul?"

"GEORGE," he replied without looking up. "She has a trust fund. She'll be fine. Though, I don't think Summer could stand not having a job now. She'll find something to do, something somewhere to save."

"And what if she never finds a job, or never wants kids, or, you know, something else that's big. Have you two discussed all these things?"

"We'll figure it out," Seth shrugged.

"Seth, you're a comic book genius, and she's some spoiled brat who's spending all the goodness of her heart on some organization which will leave none for you and make her a super bitch when she eventually lives with you."

"No. She was a super bitch, and then I coaxed that out of her and made her the super hero that she is today. See?" Seth held up two drawings of Summer he always kept on his desk. One of the girl she was when she would ignore him in the halls of their high school, and another of her saving the earth with a strong gust of breath that blew pollution away and back into the factories from where the smog and unbiodegradable materials had escaped.

"That's just a drawing, Seth. That's not the girl you're going to be marrying."

"What is your problem? Did you get dumped again or something?"

Samantha tilted her head and narrowed her eyes. "Regardless of what is going on in my personal life, she doesn't deserve you. You wait a few years when you become famous for your drawings, and you'll realise it. You are so much better than this girl."

"I'm perfect for her, and she's perfect for me. If we could survive her dad, Taylor, Marissa, GEORGE, Anna, all my lies and more, there is no other conclusion than we were made for each other. It took me five years to realise that Summer wasn't too good for me. There's no way I'm going to suddenly decide that I'm too good for her."

"Come on, Seth. I mean, would Summer buy you a comic book?"

"Only if she did something really wrong, I suppose." He shrugged again. "But if she did. She wouldn't roll it up in a thermos. She would know that I can't board it up right if it's been curled and that the edges will never stay flat after that."

"It was cute. I just wanted—"

"It was cute, but it shows that all you know about me is that I'm a comic book geek. Nothing else." He sighed when he saw her eyes drop for a moment. "Listen, I'm sorry if you got dumped again, or whatever else it is that is turning you into a super bitch today, but don't take it out on Summer, okay? If you knew her, you'd think she was great."

Samantha nodded quietly. "You're right. I'm sorry. If you love her, I'm sure she is great."

"She is." Seth picked up the drawing he'd been working on throughout their conversation. "I have to bring this to the big chief before he freaks out. I'll talk to you later. All right?"

"Sure," Samantha nodded with a tight smile. She watched Seth walk away and picked up the drawing of Summer saving the world.

"Just not worth it," she mumbled to herself as she let go of the picture so it would flutter into Seth's garbage.

"Remember when we were worrying about being empty-nesters and finding time long and never having anything to do?" Kirsten asked Sandy as she stirred pancake batter mix. He shrugged his shoulders and continued to push the bacon around the hot frying pan in front of him. Kirsten sighed. "What happened to those days? What happened to the empty nest?"

"Sophie happened," Sandy shrugged. "And Julie, and Ryan, and Seth, and apparently even Taylor. Though, to be honest, I was never worried about not having anything to do in our empty nest. I had quite a few ideas of what could be done to pass the time once the kids were gone."

He moved away from the sizzling meat and sidled up behind Kirsten so he could wrap his arm around her waist. He dug his nose in the nape of her neck and spread soft kisses against the flesh he could reach.

"This is as full as the nest gets, honey. I don't think we should be—"

"They're all asleep," Sandy whispered to her. "No one will ever find out if we just—"

He didn't get much further and let his forehead drop against Kirsten's skin when he heard a cough behind him. He knew that cough. In fact, it wasn't the first time that he and Kirsten were being interrupted by that cough.

"Ryan. You're up early."

"Yeah, sorry. I went out for a jog. The couch is comfortable, but way too small for sleeping on."

"You slept on the couch?"

"Yeah," Ryan yawned as he opened the refrigerator to find a bottle of water. "I gave Taylor the bed."

Kirsten sighed. "I assumed yesterday when you said you had it covered that you meant you'd be sharing the bed with Taylor."

"She offered," Ryan shrugged. "But that would be opening a can of worms that I'm not sure I'm ready to revisit."

"Really?" Sandy asked. "Because the last news I had heard, you had never really closed that can of worms and you were just in denial about everything that was you and Taylor."

"Fine, then it's a can of worms that I don't want to knock over and accidentally have all the worms spill out. Or at least, not anymore than we already have. Plus I might be in the doghouse. How's that?"

"That's… You're very romantic, Ryan. Pancake?"

"Shower." He smiled and moved around the couple. "Food after."

He left the room and Kirsten had barely heard his foot fall onto the first step to reach the second level when she once again felt nuzzling at her ear.

"Was that call not close enough for you?"

"He's in the shower. Who knows how long that's going to take?"

"It's Ryan. He might just be a few minutes."

"All I need is a few minutes," Sandy told her as he spun her around to face him.

"Now that's romantic."

"Actually, in some cultures speed is considered an endearing quality. Like size, or stamina, or girth would be in others."

"Taylor," Kirsten greeting in an icy voice as Sandy moved away from her and back to his bacon. "Did you sleep well?"

"Yeah, great, thanks. Was that Ryan I heard going upstairs?"

"Yes. Where were you?"

"In the living room waiting for him to get back. I guess I fell asleep. Do you know where he went, earlier?"

"For a jog," Sandy answered over his shoulder. "Ryan likes to jog in the morning. It clears his mind."

"Oh. Did he happen to say what it was he wanted to clear from his mind?"

Sandy did his best to hide his smile from Taylor. "No he did not. Still not much of a talker our Ryan."

"That's an understatement," Taylor said, rolling her eyes. "Maybe I should go up and—"

"Taylor, he's in the shower and I have a young daughter in this house. You are not going up there and seeing Ryan naked, because quite frankly, I don't trust you enough to let you do that."

"Kiki, I'm hurt. You can trust me."

"Not when it comes to Ryan. Sit and eat something. You can talk to him when he comes out of the shower."

Taylor sighed and let herself drop on one of the kitchen stools. "Are you sure you don't want me to leave the room so you two can finish what you had started?"

"Sit," Sandy and Kirsten said at the same time.

"Hello?"

All three looked back at the sound of the new voice.

"Kaitlin? Where have you been? We didn't even here you come in last night."

"Newport," she shrugged. "I just threw Kevin at Frank and Julie. There was no reason to leave the poor kid in Newport with the Lindley's. I brought bagels."

"A girl after my heart," Sandy said as he grabbed the bag from her. He hadn't even had the time to open the bag before his cell phone rang, interrupting him. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath before bringing it to his ear. "Hello?"

Kirsten watched him from the corner of her eye as she continued to work on the pancakes. She tried not to listen to his end of the conversation, focussing instead on the argument Taylor and Kaitlin were having about what was the best toping for their bagels; Taylor opting for the healthiest while Kaitlin reached for the sweetest.

"I have to run out for a moment," Sandy said, wrapping his arm around Kirsten's waist and dropping a kiss on her temple. "I'll be back in an hour or so."

Kirsten groaned. "I can't wait for this semester to be over."

"You and me both," Sandy answered, grabbing a bagel and heading toward the front door with a wave in the girls' direction.

Kaitlin scrunched her brow as she watched him leave. "What kind of school is he working at that he has to be called away on a Sunday morning?"

"It always gets a little crazy during exam times."

"Huh." Kaitlin shrugged and pointed half of her chocolate smear covered bagel in Kirsten's direction. "Bite?"

Ryan winced when his head hit the side of the shower a little harder than he had intended. Or perhaps he had meant to hit himself that hard if that's what it took to knock a little sense into him.

He had been doing fine. Well, all right, he hadn't been doing fine, but he had been doing well enough that he had convinced himself he wasn't affected by Taylor's visit. Not anymore affected than he would be by the visit of any other woman after going so many months alone.

But then he'd had to reach for his book in the middle of the night when he couldn't fall asleep.

The problem wasn't the book. The book was fantastic and Ryan was barely able to put it down when he really got into it, which was great for nights like the previous when something or someone was wracking his mind and keeping him from getting the sleep even he could admit he really needed.

The problem was that the bag with the book wasn't next to him. And it was only after a few scans of the room and a few tired rubs at his eyes that he realised why. Despite his early warning, Kirsten had put his bag in his bedroom with Taylor's things. Taylor had gotten upset—though she tried her best to hide it—when Ryan had told her that despite the fact that they were adults and they must be able to share a room without anything sexual taking over them, that he would rather sleep in the living room. Her lip had quivered even as she assured him that he was right. He hadn't thought of grabbing his bag before he left the room, fisting his hands so he wouldn't reach out and pull the girl to him to comfort her.

So, even though he knew it was a bad idea, he made his way to the guest room where Taylor was staying and snuck through the door at one in the morning. She was sleeping. Ryan had never told anyone but Seth that he melted at the sight of a sleeping Taylor. It wasn't that she looked sweet or innocent or anything that had made him smile when he had been watching a sleeping Marissa. It was simply that she was asleep, and that he got to see her asleep, and that she was so perfectly quiet.

Needless to say, Ryan didn't sleep for the rest of the night, and now, he was most probably using up all of his family's hot water.

He sighed as he got out of the shower and started to towel off. He knocked over his bag as he moved through the bathroom, and watched as his cell phone fell out. With another sigh, he picked it up and dialled a number that was almost becoming familiar.

"Yeah?"

"I'm not over Taylor."

"Yeah, that's shocking news, buddy," Seth offered with absolutely no sympathy.

"I can't even pretend that I'm over her now," Ryan continued as though his brother had never spoken. "I saw her sleeping."

"Aw, the Ryan Atwood kryptonite. Did she sneak up on you and fall asleep where you couldn't help but see her, or what?"

"Sandy and Kirsten put my bag in the guest room where she was staying. They thought we would be sleeping in the same room."

"What? My mom still gives me a look when I tell her Summer and I will be sharing a bed when we visit. How did you get away with a free bed with Taylor?"

"The house is a little full." Ryan shrugged though Seth couldn't see it. "Julie is here taking up the other guest room."

"Julie Cooper and my parents are both involved in the plot to get you in bed with Taylor? That's a major sign from the universe, buddy."

"Seth. Focus."

"All right. So you're not over her. What's the big deal? Just tell her that. It's Taylor. Trust me, she'll be more than happy to have you back in her life."

"It just got so messy last time."

"Messy?" Seth asked, his voice rising high enough that Ryan pulled the phone away from his ear for a moment. "What mess? You guys didn't even really break up."

"The mess in my head, Seth, which is leading me to believe that even now, so much later, I'm still in lo—" Ryan cut himself off before he could say the last word.

"Whoa. Did you just hear what you were about to say, man?"

"Yeah."

"Where's Taylor now?"

"I don't know. I think she was still sleeping when I came back from my jog."

"Where are you?"

"In the bathroom."

"You're calling me from the bathroom?" Seth whined.

"Yeah."

"What are you wearing?"

"Seth…"

"I'm serious. You're calling me from the bathroom, man."

"I'm wearing a towel. I came back from my jog and—"

"No. No. Don't want to know. Ryan, you are calling me from our parents' bathroom while wearing a towel. What does this say to you?"

"I've lost it, haven't I?"

"Talk to the girl. You love her, you almost said so yourself. What's the worse that could happen?"

Ryan let his forehead fall against the bathroom door. "It's Taylor."

"Right, so a lot. Well, good luck. Talk to her." Seth hung up before Ryan could get in another word.

"Kaitlin? What are you doing?"

Kaitlin jumped back at the sound of her mother's voice, hand pressing against her heart at the surprise. She let her eyes wander back to the bathroom door where she'd been listening to Ryan, and then smiled at her mother.

"You scared me," she said.

"Sorry. What are you doing?"

"Eavesdropping," Kaitlin shrugged. "Why aren't you still sleeping?"

"You threw Kevin at me and you thought I'd just sleep through that?"

"I guess not." Kaitlin shrugged. "Well, I'm going to go help Kirsten with breakfast."

"Wait. Stop. Turn."

Kaitlin rolled her eyes but did as her mother told her.

"What is going on with you?"

"I'm on a mission."

"What's your mission?"

"Getting Ryan and Taylor back together."

"Kaitlin, Ryan and Taylor are a mess right now. You shouldn't get involved with that."

"He just told Seth he loved Taylor."

Julie's jaw dropped. "In words? Ryan's not very big on the words."

"In words," Kaitlin nodded.

"Fine. I meant to ask you though, did you take my pregnancy test?"

"Yeah, I needed to convince Ryan I needed his help. I kind of threw it out. It's pee on a stick, that's gross."

"Don't say pee," Julie sighed. "I guess I don't need it, right? I know what it says."

"Does Frank know what it says?" Kaitlin asked as she let herself lean against the wall.

"No. We're… We haven't gotten around to that conversation yet."

"To say the least."

Julie narrowed her eyes, but reached out her arm to wrap around Kaitlin's shoulder and lead her away from the bathroom door where she'd been eavesdropping.

"What is it that you took from Frank?" Julie suddenly asked as they were making their way down the stairs.

"Money," Kaitlin answered with a nod after a short pause. "Money to get to Berkeley."

"Kaitlin…"

"I know. I'll pay it back."

"No kidding. Let's go find Kiki. I'm sure Sandy has had some emergency by now and she's alone."

"She's with Taylor."

"Then let's hurry."