Disclaimer: It all belongs to Josh Schwartz.

A/N: As much as you all want me to write, this procrastination I have going might keep me from leaving the country in 10 days. And that's kind of bad. So, alas, I'm in a pickle. :/

Also, I think storylines are screwed up in my mind. So if the end of this is weird – blame my enormously stressed out brain.

As always, read, enjoy, and review, please.

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"I think I'm gonna break it off with Summer," Seth sat with his father at one of the lifeless tables, watching as everyone else let loose on the dance floor.

Sandy was all smiles until he heard the statement come from his son's mouth. "You're what?"

Seth leaned on the table with his elbows in his hands. "I think we're done."

"But you guys have been together for so long. You have a daughter. Seth, this isn't something you just decide to give up on. You have to work at it," Sandy lectured his son.

"It's something you work on if you have a marriage. We're not married, dad. And I don't think she ever wants to be," Seth looked up into his father's eyes before surveying the dance floor, his eyes landing on Summer as she danced happily with the Teagan character from earlier. "Look at her – she looks happy out there. I don't know when's the last time she's been that happy with me."

"Seth…" Sandy patted Seth on the back. "You should be talking to her about this. Not me. I bet if you both express how each of you feels, you'll work things out."

Seth's eyes watered as he kept his stare on his girlfriend, swaying happily to the up-tempo music as the guy apparently known as Teagan danced along side her. "I miss her."

"Then go talk to her," Sandy stressed, standing up from his seat. "Don't be a coward about this."

Seth watched as his dad walked off, leaving him alone to his thoughts. He put his head back down on the table, trying to shield images of Summer dancing with another guy from his head as he heard footsteps approach him. He looked down onto the ground and saw small feet appear. The body then kneeled down, peering up to see his face. "Daddy?" the little girl asked. "Do you have a headache?"

Seth laughed, still keeping his head firmly planted on the table. "Nope. No headache, sweetheart. Just really tired."

Leilah decidedly sat down on the ground, craning her head up to talk with her father. "Me too. I did a lot of dancing today."

"That you did," Seth smiled.

"Mommy says that I can't have any of the juice that all the grown-ups are having," Leilah stated randomly, indicating the champagne that nearly every adult at the reception had been having multiple glasses of. "Can I just have a sip, daddy?"

Seth knew he spoiled his daughter, but it was just that he loved her so much and wanted to give her everything. He also knew that Summer was never keen on it, always scolding him for giving their daughter too much. He understood her concerns but he couldn't help it. And now Leilah wasn't listening to what Summer said and was instead only listening to what he said. And if the tables were turned? Yeah, he'd probably be pretty pissed and unhappy too.

"Leilah, honey," Seth lifted his head, straightening himself out on the chair, "you can't. It's a grown-up drink; it's not good for children."

"But I want it, daddy," Leilah pouted, giving her father her best sad eyes she could muster.

As much as Seth wanted to give in, he knew this was something he couldn't cave on. Giving his daughter her first taste of alcohol at age five? Definitely not the best idea.

"No, Leilah. Your mother was right. You can't have it."

Leilah's eyes glistened with tears and all of a sudden she racked her body in loud sobs, grabbing the attention of a few of the party-goers.

"Leilah," Seth tried to scold his daughter, shaking her shoulders lightly. "Leilah, stop it. You can have some of the red punch if you want something to drink."

This seemed to only heighten Leilah's cries and Summer took notice, apologizing to Teagan and walking towards her daughter and boyfriend.

"What's going on?" Summer kneeled down once reaching the table, enclosing her arms around her daughter. Leilah latched onto her mother, crying into her chest.

"She wanted some of the champagne," Seth told her helpfully, his heart breaking as he heard Leilah's cries and knew he had caused them. "I told her no. She didn't like that answer very much."

Summer nodded, pulling Leilah away from her chest, staring into her eyes. The little girl continued sobbing, brushing her tiny hands across her face to rid her cheeks of tears.

"Daddy's being mean," Leilah told Summer. "I want to go home."

"I know you do, baby. We're all tired. It's been a long day," Summer gathered her daughter in her arms standing up. Seth stood up with them, looking Summer in the eye.

"I don't really know how to say no to her," he shrugged. "I don't really have a lot of experience doing it."

"I know, Seth," Summer nodded, switching the child from one shoulder to the other. "I'm gonna take her home."

"I'll come with you," Seth offered.

Summer shook her head. "You have your own car here."

"I'll leave it the parking lot for the night," Seth tried pleadingly. "Please?"

Summer really didn't want to deal with an angry boyfriend and a crying child so she just sighed, nodding her head. "Okay, but I have to say goodbye to some people first so can you take her?"

Seth stared at Summer blankly for a second, shaking his head. "She hates me."

Summer rolled her eyes, handing Leilah over to her father. "She doesn't hate you, Seth. She's just upset and tired."

Seth took his daughter out of Summer's arms unwillingly as Leilah's cries grew louder, protesting being in her father's arms. "Let me go! I want mommy!"

"Take her to the car," Summer told him. "I'll be right out."

Leilah tried squirming her way out of her father's arms as he walked out of the reception hall, ignoring the questioning looks from others, trying to control his daughter.

Control his daughter – ha. How could he not handle her when she was like this? How had he not learned already? Of course he hadn't learned – he'd always let Summer take care of her when she was like this. Always making her out to be the mean parent while he remained the favorite.

Seriously – how selfish was he?

No wonder Summer hated him. He'd hate himself too.

And now look where he'd gotten himself – a temper tantrum five-year old and a girlfriend going to say goodbye to some other guy, probably giving him her number in the process.

Yeah, Seth was expecting the break-up any day now. But once he was to get home, he'd beat her to it. It would be easier that way.

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"Hey," Summer smiled lightly, walking down the stairs to find Seth lying down on the couch.

"Hi," he replied, sitting up making room for her to sit down. "Is she all right?"

"She'll be fine, Seth. She's just tired."

"Right," Seth nodded his head. "I just don't know what to do when she gets like that. I mean, I know I should – I am her father after all – but when she gets mad at me I just break down. I hate disappointing her."

"You aren't disappointing her," Summer reassured him comfortingly, placing a hand on his leg. "You're teaching her the difference between right and wrong. Yes and no. I'm actually really proud of you right now."

"Really?" Seth looked over to Summer to see her smiling. She merely nodded her head in response, removing her hand from his leg.

"Well, I'm gonna head off to bed. It's been a long day," Summer yawned the last sentence, standing up from the couch.

"Wait," Seth stood up abruptly, startling Summer. "I think we should talk."

"Can it wait until tomorrow?" She asked groggily.

"It could but I'd rather discuss it now."

"Okay…" Summer smiled apprehensively at him. "What do you want to discuss?"

"Us."

Summer's mouth formed into the shape of an egg, seating herself back down onto the couch. "All right, well, if this is about Teagan I just wanted to let you know nothing happened. Nor was anything going to happen. He just introduced himself when I was out in the hallway and we got to talking. It wasn't anything really."

"But it was something," Seth stressed. "It wasn't anything but it was something. Enough for you to try and make me jealous with it."

"I was angry," Summer shrugged.

"You've been angry a lot lately. At me that is."

"Well, you've been making me angry a lot."

"I know," Seth sighed. "You haven't been very happy with me lately."

"No, I can't say that I have," Summer agreed. Maybe opening up to Seth would work out. Maybe the topic of marriage would finally come up and she could tell him how hurt she's been feeling that he hasn't made a mention of it to her yet.

"Yeah, and this is what I want to talk about," Seth gathered her hands in his. "Maybe we should take a break."

Summer sat back for a moment, taking his words in. This had not been what she was expecting. Not at all.

"Summer?" Seth probed, rubbing her hands with his thumbs. "What are you thinking?"

Summer gasped in shock, shaking her head ever so slightly. She stood up, ripping her hands away from his. "Are you fucking kidding me, Seth?"

"I thought that this is what you would want…" Seth trailed.

"What I want? You think this is what I would want? I've been dating you for the past twelve years of my life! I've lived with you for the past seven! I gave birth to your child!" Summer yelled, ignoring the fact that said-child was upstairs sleeping. "How does all of that give you the idea that I would want to break up?!"

"Well, if you don't want to break up then what do you want to do?" Seth now stood, facing Summer. "Cause we can't keep living like this. You being angry with me all the time and me always trying to figure why and how to fix it."

"Do you want to marry me?" Summer blurted out, snapping Seth out of his own anger.

"Do I want to…? Of course I do!" Seth finally gathered his words together.

"Then why aren't we?" Summer quieted down, trying to stifle the cries threatening to release themselves.

"Why aren't we married?" Summer nodded at Seth's question and he shrugged his shoulders. "I'm not sure I guess. Things just got crazy after Leilah was born and after your refusal with my first two proposals -"

Summer interrupted him. "For good reason."

"For semi-good reason," Seth replied, but off of a look from Summer – who by now had released a few tears that were now running down her cheek – agreed with her, "Okay, yes, for good reason – I just didn't know where to take it. I thought you liked just being with me without the law interfering."

"I've never liked it," Summer sniffled. "All these people we barely knew in high school have been getting married – to people they've only been dating for a few years – while we're just hanging out in limbo. This is, like, the worst waiting game ever!"

"I-I…" Seth stuttered, "I didn't know, Summer."

More tears ran down her cheeks as she turned on her heel. "Yeah, well, guess we're breaking up now so it doesn't really matter what you did or didn't know about me."

Seth leaped over to her side, wrapping his arms around her, kissing her hair. "We're not breaking up now," Seth mumbled into her hair. "We're getting engaged."

Summer pulled away, tears still streaming down her face. "We're what?"

Seth smiled, brushing her tears away with his thumbs. "You want to get married, I want to get married, and I'm guessing there's a little girl upstairs sleeping right now who wouldn't mind us getting married. After all, she did love being Ryan's flower girl today and I'm sure she wouldn't mind being one again."

"Cohen…"

"Ahh," Seth kissed Summer's nose sweetly, referencing to her choice of names for him, "there's my girl."

"Seth -"

"No," Seth placed his hand over her mouth. "No more refusals. Two was already enough."

Summer swatted his hand away. "You're only doing this because you don't want me to be pissed at you anymore."

"I'm doing this because I love you," Seth gathered her hands in his. "I love you and we're gonna get married!" Seth grabbed his phone, excited to call and tell someone – anyone – the news.

"No, Seth!" Summer reached out and grabbed his phone away from his hands. "Stop it. We're not going to jump into things. We have a five-year old daughter. We have to think about how this affects her life."

"I was thinking it was going to have a positive effect on her life. I mean, her parents finally getting married… How would it not?"

"I don't know… I just… I don't know about all of this."

"Are you kidding me, Summer? You're rejecting me again after you were just telling me how you've been waiting for me to propose?"

"You aren't doing this for the right reasons."

"Right reasons? Marrying my girlfriend of twelve years and the mother of my child? The woman I've loved since I was ten? What other 'right' reasons are there?" Seth shouted.

Suddenly Leilah's small voice came from the stairs. "Why are you yelling?" Leilah peeked through the railings. "Did I do something wrong?"

"No, sweetie," Summer cooed, walking towards her daughter. "Your daddy and I were just talking."

Seth grunted. "Right. Talking."

"About what?" Leilah inquired.

"Marriage," Seth replied.

"Seth," Summer warned with a glare.

Leilah smiled, replying happily, "So you were talking about Uncle Ryan and Aunt Taylor?"

"No. We were talking about us. Your mother and I. Getting married."

"Seth!"

"I can be another flower girl?" Leilah's eyes lit up.

"It's up to your mother." Seth crossed his arms, staring at Summer.

Summer's mouth dropped. Was this really how her proposal was gonna go?

"Mommy?" Leilah questioned.

"Your daddy and I have to discuss other things that come along with marriage."

"Fucking Christ, Summer!" Seth barked, throwing his hands up in the air and walking out the door, slamming it behind him.

"Daddy's mad at you," Leilah whispered to Summer. "He used a bad word."

"I know," Summer sighed. "Can you stay in the living room while I go talk to daddy?" Leilah nodded her head as she bounded down the steps past Summer and onto the couch, reaching for the television remote.

"What channel is Disney?" Leilah asked Summer. Summer knew she shouldn't be letting her daughter watch TV this late at night, but she also wasn't in the mood to argue with her.

"Thirty-one," Summer replied as she walked out the door. She saw Seth lying down on the grass with his arms and legs spread wide. Summer walked up to him rubbing her hands up and down her arms for warmth in the cool air. "What are you doing?"

"Calming down so I won't yell at you."

"Well, that's good to know," Summer replied sarcastically.

"I thought it would be."

Summer sighed and then motioned to lie down next to him. Seth turned his head in question. "What are you doing?"

"Lying down with you."

"You don't have to."

"Well, I want to."

They laid there silently for a few minutes, barely making a movement or sound except for their steady breathing. Seth finally broke the comfortable silence, speaking towards the sky. "Remember that time in college when you and I sat out in Brown's quad and just talked and laughed and just hung out for hours? Just us spending time together?"

Summer looked over to him with curiosity. "Yeah… what about it?"

"I miss it, that's all."

"You miss that night?"

Seth nodded his head. "That night, that time in our lives… It was great, you know? We were great. Just studying and taking tests – finding time on a random Tuesday night to go sit out on the quad and just talk with you about nothing and everything all at the same time."

"And make out – if my memory serves correctly," Summer knocked her shoulder lightly into his arm, smirking.

Seth returned the smile. "Yeah, a lot of that too. It was all simple back then. We may not have thought it was at the time but it really was, wasn't it?"

"It really was," Summer whispered, leaning her head back onto the ground in contemplation.

They both stayed silent for a few more moments, listening to the air lightly wisp around them before Seth spoke once again. "I do love you, you know."

"I know."

"And I do want to marry you."

Summer immediately felt where this was going. "But…?"

"But we fight. A lot."

"Yeah."

"I don't think that's good for Leilah."

"Neither do I," Summer replied, adding in quickly, "but I don't think having separated parents is good for her either."

"No. No, I don't either."

"So?"

"So." Seth said, letting out a deep breath. "Do you just want to get married or do you want to marry me?"

"Aren't they one in the same?"

"They should be but in this case I don't think they are."

"Oh."

"I think you just want to get married and I just seem like the obvious choice." Seth sat up. "But am I the choice that's gonna make you happy?"

Summer followed his move and sat up as well, staring at Seth. "What kind of question is that?"

"A simple one."

"I wouldn't have been with you for this long if I didn't love you."

"That's not what I'm questioning. I know you love me. I'm asking if I make you happy. Or, more to the point, will I make you happy far into the future? Because that's all I really want for you, Summer. I want you to be happy."

Summer looked in front of her, realizing what Seth was asking her. She had always thought that once Seth proposed to her again she'd regain her happiness and everything would fall into place. But minutes earlier, when he had done just that, she wasn't happy at all. So would she be happy with him in the future? Or would it just be all routine for the rest of her life?

"I don't know, Seth."

Summer saw Seth nod his head in understanding. He stood up, reaching his hand down to help her stand up as well. They stood staring at each other for a few moments before Seth leaned in, kissing her dry lips. It was nothing fancy and Summer could feel the sadness and sense of goodbye flooding from his mouth to hers.

Seth pulled away and began wiping away her tears that she wasn't aware of crying. Summer also saw the tears glistening in his eyes.

"I'm gonna go tomorrow."

"Go where?" Summer choked out.

"I think maybe to visit my parents."

"For how long?"

"Awhile. A few weeks probably."

"No," Summer cried. "Forget everything I said earlier. I want you to stay. I want to marry you."

"Hey, hey," Seth soothed. "I'm not saying this is the end for us. Nor am I saying it isn't, I guess… I just… we need some time apart. Clear our minds and figure out what we really want. Or actually, what you really want."

"What about Leilah?"

"I'll tell her I'm going away for business. It won't be any different."

"It will be if you come back and she sees us not together anymore."

"Summer, don't jump to conclusions. I love you. And I just need you to be happy. No matter what the means."

"When did you become so…"

"Smart? Charming? Handsome?"

Summer laughed. "Conceited?" Summer looked up at him, gazing into his sadden eyes that mirrored her own. "When did you become so grown up? So…" Summer looked for the right word, "Wise?"

Seth shrugged his shoulders and then replied. "Guess that's what you and Leilah needed from me so that's what I decided I needed to be."

"I love you."

"I know." Seth kissed her lips again, and then grabbed her hand leading her inside.