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Parental advice

Marissa had a busy morning. She met Jake's replacement. A guy called Matthew Phillips who seemed really nice. Not at all like Jake and they had a busy morning. When they broke for lunch, Marissa was told that she wouldn't be needed for the rest of the day as they needed to do some catch up scenes with Matthew, so she decided to make her way home and call Kirsten to apologise for yesterday.

She used her key to the apartment for the first time and was amazed at how something so small could give her so much pleasure. She looked down at the seemingly insignificant piece of metal in her hand and realised just how much it meant to her. This really was happening. She lived with Ryan. All those years without him…thinking that they would never be together were over. It was hard to remember the girl that had lived in Paris….she had been like a cardboard cut-out …. It was as if being with Ryan had made her in to a real live person again. It was as if her life had moved from black and white to technicolor.

She grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and then picked up the phone knowing that she couldn't put off calling Kirsten any longer. As she dialled the number she realised that there was a possibility that Julie might answer. She decided that if she did then she would just hang up. There was no way that she was going to talk to her. Nothing had changed from yesterday. She still felt just as strongly about not wanting to talk to her mother. She could feel the perspiration start to form on her top lip as the phone continued to ring. Suddenly it answered.

"Hello." Kirsten said obviously out of breathe.

"Kirsten? It's Marissa." She replied breathing a sigh of relief.

"Marissa honey. I'm sorry it took me so long to get to the phone. I was outside working in the herb garden and I had to get the dirt off my hands before I could come in and answer it."

"That's okay. I thought you may have been out. I'm just glad I caught you at home." Marissa replied.

"No I'm here. And I'm so happy you called. How are you? I've been thinking about you ever since you left yesterday. I thought about trying to call you but I didn't want to disturb you at work. I wanted to apologise for yesterday."

"I'm okay. But that's why I called…to apologise. Why would you want to apologise? I'm the one that lost it." Marissa said still ashamed about the way she had behaved.

"Well I wanted to apologise for not fully understanding just what you had been through." Kirsten replied showing her concern for Marissa.

"How could you know? It's no one's fault but my mothers. I called because I wanted to apologise for my behaviour. I know I spoilt your lunch and my little ….meltdown…was inexcusable. I'm sure you must think that I'd be a good candidate for a loony bin." Marissa replied feeling embarrassed.

"Nonsense. I just wish we had been able to prevent either of you having to go through all that you did. I'm sorry that we ever put you in the position that we did yesterday." Kirsten said trying to reassure her.

"Well…it really wasn't you that put me in it. Ryan was the one that wanted me to talk to her." Marissa stated.

Kirsten could hear in her voice that Marissa still was not completely over the incident. She couldn't help but wonder how things stood between Ryan and Marissa as she hadn't talked to Ryan since they had left. "Please don't hold it against him. I think that like all things with Ryan you need to look deeply to understand his motivation. He really is a good example of that old saying that 'Still waters run deep.'"

"I know that. But I don't really understand just why he was so keen for me to talk to her after everything that she has done. I said from the beginning that I didn't want to have anything to do with her." Marissa said.

"I guess only he can tell you that. I could tell you what I think but only he knows for sure." Kirsten added.

"And what do you think?" Marissa asked. She respected Kirsten probably more than anyone else she knew.

"Do you really want to know?" Kirsten asked. She didn't want to butt into Ryan and Marissa's business but if it would help to sort things out between them then she would be happy to try to explain to Marissa just where she thought Ryan's motivation was coming from.

"Yes. I do. I think you and Sandy probably understand him better than anyone."

"Well…remember this is totally my opinion. I haven't spoken to him about it so I might be entirely wrong." Kirsten assured her.

"Okay I understand that." Marissa replied.

"Well I think that Ryan has always wanted a real family; one that would stand by one another through thick and thin. I get the impression that when he was younger, living in Chino, he was the only one of the Atwood's that ever tried to do that. It seems that all the others were always thinking of themselves first and wouldn't give much thought to anyone else. His father was never there. Trey only wanted to use him to help him in his criminal activities. Even his mother … Look at the way Dawn turned on him when he was first arrested with Trey? As soon as there were problems they thought only of themselves first. Ryan was the only one who ever made an effort to make a 'family' out of a fairly dysfunctional group of people."

"Okay I guess I can see that" Marissa replied trying to see just where Kirsten was going with this.

"Well I'd like to think that since he's been with us that he has seen that it is possible to have that 'real' family. Sandy and I would be there for him no matter what he did. There've been times when we haven't exactly been proud of him…like when he broke in to the office at Harbour and then when he punched out the dean. But in the long run…that doesn't matter. We love him. He is part of our family. Nothing he could do would ever change that. And I think Ryan now realises that. He probably appreciates it even more than Seth because Seth just takes it for granted. He has never known anything else. Ryan on the other hand knows that it doesn't happen in all families. There will always be times when things don't go as you would like. Ask Ryan about whether he and Sandy have ever clashed and I think you'll be surprised. But in the end, the only thing that matters is that he is part of our family" Kirsten said hoping that she was getting through to Marissa.

Marissa thought for a moment "I know that everything you are saying is true. But let's face it …yours is not the average family…what you have is something special."

"Well I'd like to think so. But what you need to realise is that it doesn't come easily. I can assure you that Sandy and I have had our problems over the years but the over-riding fact is that we love each other so we have worked through them. And let me tell you when there are no problems I start to wonder what's wrong. But I assure you for those times in between, when we are trouble free and supportive then they are the best times in the world."

"I understand what you are saying. But this isn't between Ryan and I. I know I love him enough that we will work through anything. But between my mother and me …..I'm not so sure. Let's face it ...The Coopers never had a connection like the Cohen's." Marissa suggested.

"Well I think Ryan just wants you to have what he has…and it's a two way street. You can't expect someone to be there for you when you mess up, unless you're prepared to do the same thing in return. Ryan knows that what you mother did was unforgivable…but maybe if you let her try to explain why she did it…and let her apologise…then who knows...maybe sometime in the future you will be able to have some sort of relationship with her again. Ryan just doesn't want you to close the door on the possibility."

Marissa thought about what Kirsten said and realised that she was probably right. But even so, she doubted whether she would want to have anything to do with Julie ever again. "I honestly don't think I can." Marissa added feeling guilty that she should somehow have been trying harder to make things better between herself and her mother.

Kirsten could hear the regret in Marissa's voice and didn't want her to feel guilty about the way she had behaved. She was more than entitled to act the way she did and Kirsten wanted to explain to Marissa that she had their full support. "No…I was just going to say that I think Ryan needs to realise that he can't force things to happen. Who knows…maybe in time you will feel differently."

"Presently, I can't imagine ever wanting to have anything to do with her ever again." Marissa explained.

"I realise that honey. But you never know. I guess I'm just hoping for the full fairy tale for the both of you." Kirsten stated.

"Fairy Tale?" Marissa queried "How so?"

"Well I'd like to think that the two of you will make your own family. You both deserve some happiness after everything you have been through. And I know that you will be there for one another through everything." Kirsten added. "I'm not trying to rush you in to anything. I know you've both only just got back together. But I guess I've just always thought that you were meant for one another."

"I know what you mean." Marissa wished that she could tell Kirsten just how close they were to making her wish come true … but it was still too soon. "Thanks for the talk. You've certainly given me something to think about for the afternoon." Marissa added.

Kirsten frowned. "I hope it doesn't interfere with your work."

"No I'm actually at home. They didn't need me anymore today so I thought I might try to find a cook book around here somewhere and make something special for dinner tonight. Do you know if Ryan has any hidden away?" Marissa asked.

"I'm not sure but I know one of his favourites and I could give you the recipe over the phone." Kirsten suggested.

"Okay thanks, I'll just get some paper and a pen. I hope I can do it justice."

"I'm sure you will."

---

Ryan was checking over some projections for a new project when Annabel announced that Sandy was there. He pushed the paper work to one side and walked over to open the door and greet him.

"Hey son. How's things going?" Sandy asked.

"Great. This is a pleasant surprise. I wasn't expecting to see you today. Or have I forgotten something?" Ryan felt a bit guilty. He knew that since Marissa had arrived he had been slightly 'off' as far as work was concerned. He wondered had he lost track of something that he and Sandy were supposed to be doing.

"No. I just happened to be in the area and I thought I'd drop by and see if you might have time for lunch or at least a coffee if nothing else?"

Ryan looked at his watch. He had lost track of time … again. It was after 1 p.m. "Sure. Let's go and grab a sandwich or something." He grabbed his suit jacket and followed Sandy out the door. "Annabel. I'll be out for about an hour. If Marissa calls tell her I'll ring her when I get back."

Annabel looked up and indicated with her eyes that she had heard him but she said nothing.

As the lift doors closed on Sandy and Ryan, Sandy chuckled. "Do I gather that something is up Annabel's nose today? She's not the same happy go lucky person that I saw last week when I came in to swap cars. And I don't just mean the way she's looks. Although that's certainly different too….does she usually dress like that?"

Ryan just smiled not sure what he should say.

"I mean, I may be old and married but that doesn't mean you can't window shop and let's face it her window had a lot on display today. It was a bit hard to miss."

Ryan laughed. "Yeah I know what you mean. I accidentally ran in to her this morning and safe to say when we both bent down to retrieve the things she had dropped …well I got an eyeful" he smiled and added "…that wasn't entirely unpleasant."

Sandy laughed. "So …. Does she usually dress like that?"

"No" he shook his head "I've never seen it….or should I say…. them…before." Ryan smiled as well.

Sandy laughed out loud at Ryan's comment. "So … the student really has become the master hey? Seth would have been proud of that one." Sandy added. "So I gather the presence of Marissa has brought about this change of wardrobe?" Sandy asked.

"I have no idea." Ryan shook his head again. They were now walking to a Starbucks across from the Atwood offices. They ordered and made their way to a table.

"You know Kirsten has said for quite a while now that Annabel has a crush on you." Sandy said.

"Not her too. Summer has been on at me about it." He shook his head. "I don't know why."

"Well I can think why. Something to do with you being good looking, rich, successful and a nice guy to boot … you can't really blame her." Sandy suggested.

Ryan started to blush a little "You don't think that you're biased do you?" he laughed as their lunch was delivered to their table. "I've never given her any reason to think that I'm interested but…"

"But what?" Sandy asked.

"Well…. There is no doubt that she has been behaving…differently….recently." Ryan added thinking back to her behaviour last week after the photos of he and Marissa had first appeared in the paper. And then, what he was now fairly certain of, about her state of undress on Friday night. Along with the way she was dressed today and her behaviour, maybe there really was something to what they were all saying.

"Such as?" Sandy urged him to continue.

Ryan shrugged. "It doesn't really matter. I'm sure I'll sort it all out. She knows that I'm with Marissa so she'll have to get the message soon."

"I think the only message she's giving out with that outfit today is that Marissa has a fight on her hands." Sandy suggested.

Ryan just smiled. "I assure you Marissa has already won without even lifting a finger."

Sandy looked at him wanting to know just how sure he was about that. "So everything's good again….after yesterday?"

"Sure…why wouldn't it be?" Ryan replied.

"Come on Ryan. She left our home yelling at you. You can't blame me for asking." Sandy added.

"No. But I assure you everything's fine." Ryan could feel himself start to blush as he thought about the way they had spent last night and just how fine Marissa was.

Sandy noticed the tell tale signs. Only Marissa could make Ryan behave like this. "I can see from the pleasant shade of pink that you're turning that you have obviously 'made up'."

Ryan just looked up and tried to give Sandy 'the look'. He didn't reply knowing he would just go even redder if he continued down this path with Sandy.

"But you have actually talked to her this time?" Sandy added. "I hope."

Ryan knew that Sandy was referring to whether they had discussed what to do about Julie and the truth was they hadn't really come to any sort of agreement at all, just basically agreed to disagree. "We'll be fine." He assured Sandy. "Is Julie still with you?"

"No. That's why I'm here. I dropped her off at LAX. She went back to England this morning." Sandy said.

Ryan didn't know whether to be happy or sad. The fact that Julie was no longer around, meant that she couldn't cause any more trouble between them. But he did regret that Marissa hadn't talked to her mother at all. He hoped she wouldn't come to regret the decision. "Was she….okay?" he asked.

"Barely… she was a mess last night. But she did seem a bit better this morning. But let's face it … she's a tough old character. I can't imagine her letting anything get to her for long. Although I must admit, maybe Marissa is her Achilles Heel?" Sandy suggested. "But enough about her. What I really came to see you about was whether you and Marissa would join us this weekend in … Miami?" He smiled trying to make it sound like the opportunity of a lifetime. "All expenses paid." Sandy laughed. "Okay, I know the cost doesn't worry you but I just wanted to make it sound more appealing."

"Why Miami…am I missing something here?" Ryan asked.

"Well… It's the Nana's 70th birthday and Kirsten and I have been trying to think of something to get for her. We had planned on going anyhow but when we were talking this morning about a gift we both agreed that the best gift we could give her would be to get the whole family to go. She has planned to have dinner with a few friends on Saturday and we thought that you and Seth, along with your girlfriends, could be the surprise guests. Seth and Summer have said yes and we'd love it if you, I mean both of you, joined us. You know how much the Nana thinks of you."

"Yeah, well. The feeling is mutual." Ryan replied. "I'll just have to check with Marissa but I'd love to go. I wouldn't miss it for the world."

Sandy smiled knowing that his mother would think that this was the best gift ever. "Okay. Well I'm going home to make the reservations. I thought we'd fly down Friday night and I'll have you back for work by Monday morning. Kirsten and I might stay down there for a couple more days but I'll see what she thinks." Sandy added. "Let me know tonight after you've spoken to Marissa if there are any problems."

"Okay. But I can't imagine there will be. From what I remember, she loves the Nana too." Ryan replied.

"And of course a weekend away with you wouldn't cause her any problems either?" Sandy suggested chuckling lightly.

Ryan smiled knowing that Sandy was just teasing him. "Okay. And with that… I'm going back to work. Some of us have things to do." Ryan said.

"Just be careful of Annabel this afternoon. I swear, that top she has on. I reckon if she bent over you, then one of those brown nosed puppies could fall out and poke you in the eye."

Ryan shook his head and laughed as he made his way back to his office. He thought about talking to Annabel about wearing more appropriate office attire but decided against it. This was the first time she had ever done it. He was sure that she wouldn't turn up like that tomorrow…..would she?