Author's Note: First, let me say I'm sorry for the break in between updates. I haven't forgotten about this story, I just hit a wall that consisted of real life and writer's block. This chapter was originally going to be a lot longer, but I figured at this point, it was best just to take baby steps. I'm slowly working my way back into the groove. Next chapter should contain more of the same Seth/Ryan interaction as well as stuff with the folks.

Just as a warning, I'm currently working on about four different writing projects, as well as taking a full course load, so updates may be infrequent for the forseeable future. I'll do my best, but no promises.

It was something he hadn't done in years, but was a pleasure he looked forward to taking back up. It was a new day and it was time he started a new routine. He picked up that morning's copy of the O.C. Register and began rifling through the pages. Locating the Arts and Entertainment section, he pulled the thin bundle of papers out and spread them across the table in front of him. Seth picked up his coffee mug and took a drink. He began reading a story about a local band that was getting popular in the L.A. club scene.

This was relaxing. He was relaxed. It was like completely breaking things off with Summer had lifted a huge weight off his chest. He no longer felt the drowning feel of her pull. He was free of her at last. Or he was getting there at least. For real this time. He was not going to regress and backslide into the love struck boy again. Not for her.

He really did look forward to the day where he could look at her and feel only friendship. He was confident he could do friendship. That would be easy. They would make good friends. He just had to get rid of all those pesky emotional feelings first. No easy task, but you had to start one day at a time.

With his favorite morning pastime starting up again, he was confident he could recapture some of that old Seth Cohen magic he'd had as a teenager. He wanted to get back to a more classic, old school form. He'd never completely be that boy again, but that didn't mean he couldn't dip his toes in the pool of his former greatness.

He took another sip of coffee and moved onto another article. It was a little disturbing how easily he was taking things. He felt relaxed, he felt free, and he felt relieved. He wasn't even that bothered that he was going to be leaving his home, the only familiar thing he had in his life. It was like he just didn't care anymore. Nothing in life was worth getting worked up over, because disappointment was as much a part of life as breathing. He would just be let down in the end. It was time to play it cool, to not let any emotions show, assuming he had any to begin with. He knew that his reaction was not exactly healthy, but it was his coping mechanism. It was akin to triage, save what you can and lose anything that was too far gone. He didn't like having to prioritize his emotional well-being, but at this point in his life it was sanity first, love last.

"I wondered where my paper went."

Seth looked up to see Ryan just entering the kitchen. "Sorry, wanted to try something familiar."

Ryan pulled out a chair from the table and sat across from him. "Hand me the Business section would you?"

Seth reached over and pulled out the requested sheaf of papers. "Business huh?" He pushed it across the table to Ryan.

Ryan picked up the papers and took a brief look at the front page. "Yeah, it's what grown ups read in the morning."

Seth put his A&E section down and lifted his mug to his face. "And just what are you implying?"

Ryan cracked his lips into a faint smile. "Nothing."

Seth sipped. He arched an eyebrow. "What has Mikayla been telling you?"

Ryan smiled a little wider. "The Carebear movie? Really? I didn't even know we had it."

Seth chugged the rest of his coffee and put his mug down on the table. "That little snitch. She promised she'd keep that just between us."

"Please don't tell me you cried like you did during the Lion King."

Seth flushed a little bit, slamming his paper down onto the table. "That was one time! And Mufasa's death is really sad!" He harrumphed.

Ryan chuckled a bit and this time was openly grinning. "First chick flicks, then Disney movies. Is there anything you won't cry at?"

Seth did his best to glare menacingly at Ryan.

Ryan only smirked and made a show of purposely reading an article. Seth glared for a few seconds more before picking up the Real Estate section somewhat forlornly. This did not go unnoticed by Ryan. "Looking for apartments?"

Seth frowned, nodded his head brusquely. "I'm not really sure what I'm doing."

Ryan placed the Business section to the side. "Well, Marissa and I are more than happy to help you, you know that right?"

"Yeah, but I feel like I should be able to at least pick out an apartment on my own."

"Have you – have you thought about just staying here?"

Seth froze, his eyes glazing over. Flashes of Summer danced in front of his eyes. Staying in his old home was the last thing he should do. "We talked about this yesterday, it's best if I leave this," Seth paused, trying to find the appropriate word, "environment."

Ryan leaned forward, across the table, leaning on his right elbow. He fiddled with a page of the newspaper. "I know." He looked down at the table. "But I was thinking last night that maybe that's not such a good idea."

Seth snorted and raised his eyebrows. "It was your idea to begin with."

Ryan looked up, grinned. "That means it's my prerogative to change my mind."

"I appreciate the sentiment, believe me." Seth stopped talking, his mind drifting off to thoughts of St. Louis and Kat. "You have no idea how much the thought of home means to me." Seth's eyes snapped into focus, centering on Ryan and his concerned and open face. "But Summer – " Seth trailed off. He didn't really know what to say; just her name was enough to make his head spin.

Ryan cocked his head to the side, looking at Seth with a completely unreadable expression. He stood up. "Come on, follow me."

Seth followed Ryan with his eyes, very confused. But he shrugged his shoulders and got up. He followed Ryan, who was already walking out the door into the backyard. When Seth stepped outside, he saw where Ryan was headed and his confusion only grew. They were going to the pool house.

Ryan opened the door and stepped inside. Seth followed, speeding up his pace. He was antsy to get to the bottom of things. Yeah, Ryan could be hard to read at times, what with his monosyllabic ways, but he usually wasn't the cryptic type. That was more Seth's area of expertise, although he knew he only came across as cryptic because nobody could understand what he was saying. When Seth stepped into the pool house, it was like being slapped in the face; so many memories.

It was just like he remembered, although now a bit austere and unwelcoming. It clearly lacked the warmth it had had when Ryan called it his home. The pool house had obviously not been used for some time, and there was a slightly stale air to the room. Why was Ryan showing him this? This was part of his master plan to get him to stay?

"I don't want you to leave."

Seth snapped out of his surveying of the pool house and focused on Ryan. Ryan was sitting on the bed and looking up at Seth with a serious look on his face. "What?"

"I don't want you to leave, Seth. I think you should stay with us."

"I can't." Seth tried to control himself, tried to stop the desperation and pleading, but his words came out pathetic anyway. The more he thought about seeing Summer every day, the more he grew uneasy and sick.

"You can." Ryan stood up, suddenly enthusiastic and insistent. "You can live here."

"In the pool house?"

"Yeah."

Seth looked around at the pool house. Could he live here? It would almost be poetic, a great bit of cosmic symmetry. Would it really be so bad to stay? His mind screamed 'Yes' deafeningly. "I don't know. I mean, it's the pool house."

Ryan rolled his eyes and turned his head in a circle. "So what?"

Seth bit his tongue to stop the sarcastic remark from flowing out. That would have been his normal reaction and Seth was no longer that person. He was endeavoring to be better, to treat Ryan with a little more respect. "Uh – there's nothing wrong with it of course. It's a perfectly good domicile."

Ryan gave him a look and Seth shifted his feet nervously. "It's perfect. You still get to live here, at the house, but you're not actually in the house. You get to have your own privacy." Ryan walked over to the glass doors and grabbed a hold of the door knob. "There's even a lock now." Ryan flashed a short grin. "When Summer shows up, you can just hide out here if you want and you'll never have to see her."

Seth tapped his fingers across his chin as he gave the pool house a second look. "Hmmm, good point, my friend. It does lend itself to a certain hermit-esque ambience." There was more than enough wall space for his posters, and he figured he could put his computer over there, and he had plenty of room for his meager wardrobe. It wouldn't be that bad. It almost seemed perfect. Maybe he actually could have his cake and eat it too. "Marissa said it was a good idea for me to stay?"

Ryan smiled and Seth could only imagine he was thinking of his wife with that look on his face. "She's actually really excited about the idea. She's hoping she can persuade you into being our nanny."

"Your w-what?" Seth got highpitched and blushed.

Ryan grinned and leaned against the nearest wall. "Oh yeah." He smirked, his eyes dancing mischievously. "Because you don't have a job yet and because I think Marissa is getting tired of spending so much time at home, she wants you to watch Mikayla during the day when we're not home."

"Oh man, Ryan, I really don't think that's a good idea."

"Personally, I think it's perfect."

Seth took a step toward his brother, but halted. "No, no, Ryan, it's a disaster waiting to happen."

Ryan's features softened and his smirk disappeared. "Look, I get it, okay? You are screwed up, there's no denying that."

"Oh thanks."

Ryan scowled at him but continued on as if never interrupted. "You don't know what you want to do with your life, you don't know who to trust or if you even deserve to live the kind of life you might have if you stay here." Ryan's voice grew softer, contemplative, his eyes leaving Seth to settle on a vision only he could see. "Believe me, I've been there."

Seth swallowed, looked down at his feet suddenly uncomfortable. It was these kinds of emotionally ambiguous situations that made him question his place in the world. All he felt was a vague sense of apathy, unsure if he should reach out to Ryan or simply acknowledge the fact that he had no idea what to do and even if he wanted to do anything period. Was it even worth it anymore?

Ryan brought his attention back to Seth. "But are you going to stand here and tell me I can't trust you to watch over my daughter? Because if you are, then maybe you're right, maybe you should leave."

Seth exhaled slowly, a little queasy. He shook his head vigorously. He wanted to believe he was the kind of person Ryan thought he was. "No, I mean, you know I would do anything I could for her."

"And that's all I really need to hear." Ryan pushed off from the wall and walked up to Seth. "I'm not expecting miracles, I'm not expecting you to get better overnight. But if you stay here, around people that care for you, maybe you'll actually begin to realize that life isn't so bad and that you have a chance to be whatever you want to be."

"Oh wow, Ryan, that's really profound." Seth sniffled and wiped a hand across his cheek. "Look, I'm getting all misty." Seth smirked briefly and leaped back when Ryan attempted to shove him. Okay, so maybe his sarcastic streak was a little harder to squash than he thought.

Ryan rolled his eyes and walked back over to his former bed. "Just think about it, okay?"

Seth sighed, shifting moods. He had been doing that a lot lately, briskly moving from mood to mood. Even he was starting to get a little fed up with it. "I have thought about it, that's the problem." He walked over to the bed and sat down beside his brother, staring out past the glass doors, past the pool, and into the horizon. "What can I do? I never finished high school, I never went to college; I've been so preoccupied with just trying to scrounge up enough money to eat for the day that I'm not even sure what I would do with myself if I had gone to school." He turned his head to look at Ryan. "I don't know if you've noticed, but I'm not exactly the same person I was eight years ago. I don't even know if I still like comics."

Ryan nodded his head, like he understood, and Seth figured he probably did. If there was one person who might have an idea of what he was currently going through, Ryan would. "I get it. I'm not saying it's going to easy, but you've got no rush."

"I feel like I do. I'm almost 25, I feel like I should be able to support myself by now."

Ryan looked pointedly at him. "You have been. How about taking a break for a little while?"

"I – I'm not sure I know how anymore."

Ryan didn't respond, he just got up off the bed and walked over to what looked like an armoire. Seth didn't recognize the piece of furniture, and figured it had to be a more recent addition to the pool house décor. To his complete and total surprise, a medium sized flat screen TV rested inside the oak cabinet. "Ryan?"

Ryan leaned down and opened a bottom compartment, pulling out what looked suspiciously like the remote controller to a video game system. "Seriously?"

Ryan looked over his shoulder and motioned with his head to come join him. He sat down on the carpet, controller firmly ensconced in his hands. "Come on."

Seth half scrambled, half crawled his way over to Ryan, looking on the Playstation 2 inside the cabinet with awe. "I haven't seen one of these in years."

Ryan chuckled. "Good thing, since it's like a million years out of date." Ryan started to power up the system. "After you left, it just kind of seemed pointless to upgrade. I moved this out here when Marissa and I got married." Ryan got quiet. "I just didn't feel like playing it anymore."

Seth picked up his controller and felt a deep sense of nostalgia as he molded his palms to the cool plastic. "You do realize, that even with about eight years of rust, I'm still going to totally kick your ass."

"Frankly, I'd be disappointed if you didn't."

The game started up, and Seth lost himself in a pixilated world separate from his own.