"No."

Ryan and Marissa blinked, breaking the stunned moment of eye contact, before turning to look at Taylor. Her face was blank, betraying nothing of the turmoil she was feeling.

"Taylor," Ryan began, but she cut him off.

"You know, I'm not sure what's worse. Actually believing everything you just said only to find out that she is here, too, or finding out that you actually brought her with you." Taylor waved a hand to cut him off when he opened his mouth to protest. "No, you know, I just don't want to hear it."

"Look, Taylor, it's-"

"Ryan. Are you about to tell me that it's not what I think?" Her voice was oddly calm, and that made Ryan nervous.

He'd forgotten that she so often knew exactly what he would say before he'd even said it. He swallowed thickly before nodding. "Uh, yeah."

"Okay." Before he could react, Taylor leaned forward, slipped her son out of Ryan's arms and into her own. "I think both of you need to leave. Now, please. I just gave birth, and my baby and I are quite exhausted, so visitors are really unnecessary. Okay? Thanks."

"Wow, I guess some things never do change," Marissa said with a smirk. "You're still the bitch you always were in high school."

"Hey!" Ryan was off the bed in a flash. "Marissa, how-"

Taylor's voice stopped him. "I'd really like you to leave now." She sounded odd, and, when Ryan saw her expression, he nearly went to her, but she shook her head. "Ryan, if you care for me at all in any way, even if it's just as the mother of your son, you'll leave. Now."

"Taylor, don't do this." His heart sank to his knees, and he desperately wanted to gather her back into his arms, but the look on her face…He'd never wanted to hurt her again, but he had.

Her face carefully blank, she tilted her head slightly and gave him a wide-eyed innocent look. "Do what? I'm actually really exhausted. You know, childbirth takes a lot out of you, Ryan. Especially when you toss emotional trauma on top of it, so, if you don't mind, I'm going to take a well-deserved nap." So saying, she leaned back into the pillows behind her, snuggled Jason close, and shut her eyes.

"Taylor…" Ryan's voice was soft, and she thought he almost sounded like he was worried. She refused to open her eyes, refused to take him back because this, bringing Marissa here, was the worst thing he could've done. After all he'd said to her, it was obvious everything had been a lie. She was a mother now, and she couldn't keep falling back into a bad cycle of emotional abuse. Not again.

It wasn't exactly modeling good behavior for her newborn son.

"Taylor, I-"

"Ryan, she's sleeping, and she obviously doesn't care," Marissa snapped. "Let's just go. I really want to talk to you."

The door squeaked as it opened and, just as Taylor was about to sigh in relief, Ryan's voice clearly said, "This isn't over, Taylor."

Taylor opened her eyes when the door shut behind him and sighed. "No, Ryan. I think it really is."

XXX

Ryan and Marissa walked down the hallway in silence, neither one looking at the other. Ryan was tense from a mixture of worry and fury. Even when he'd walked away from Taylor months ago, he hadn't seen that resigned…finished look on her face, and he was terrified that, this time, he'd really lost her. For good.

As for Marissa….

He couldn't believe she was doing this again. She had told him that he wasn't welcome in her life anymore, but then she'd followed him to Berkeley and gone so far as to walk into Taylor's hospital room? He cared about her, he'd always love her, but she had always been a constant source of frustration for him, too.

Ryan knew that he was caught in a battle between the past and the future, and he'd have to make a decision soon. It wasn't fair to either woman to be in this situation.

Marissa stopped outside a small waiting room and turned to face Ryan expectantly. "Ryan, I-"

"What are you doing here, Marissa?" he interrupted her. "You told me not to come back, so why are you here now?"

Her big blue eyes glistened with tears at the tone of his voice. "Ryan, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry I said that, and I really don't want to lose you! I didn't mean to say it. I was just scared because I'm afraid that I'll lose you. An hour after you left, I realized that I was wrong, and I came up here to apologize and hope that you'd forgive me."

Ryan pinched the bridge of his nose and took a deep breath. "Look, I love you, I care about you, but this is my son, Marissa. He was just born, and he needs a father. I'm going to be there for him."

"I know, I know. I get it, Ryan," she insisted. "I don't want to come between you and your son; I just want to know that you're not angry with me."

"Marissa, I don't want to hurt you," he began then winced when he saw tears spill down her cheeks.

"But you're going to go back to Taylor, right? She's the mother of your son, and you're going to go back and play happy family with her." Marissa swiped at the tears and shook her head. "Ryan, you don't love her! If you do this, you'll be miserable for the rest of your life."

He sighed and took her hand. "I never said that I didn't love Taylor. I was with her for a long time, and I married her. She and I, we have a family. There's nothing that is going to change that."

"You left her, Ryan!" Marissa's voice rose, and, down the hall, a nurse turned to look at them curiously. "You left her and came to me because you love me, not Taylor. You chose me, and, now, you're just going to change that because she had a baby?"

"I know what I did, but there's been a lot of miscommunication, too." Ryan ran a hand through his hair, trying not to show his growing frustration. How much time was he going to waste doing this with Marissa when he should be with Taylor, convincing her that she was what he wanted? "There was a lot more going on with us when we got a divorce."

Marissa nearly stomped her foot in anger. "Ryan! I know you. I know you wouldn't have done anything if you hadn't really thought it through. Obviously, there was something missing if you left Taylor when you supposedly loved her. Ryan," she pressed a kiss to his knuckles. "You and me? We're soulmates, we've always known that."

"I know that's what we thought when we were younger, but I don't think so anymore."

Her eyes instantly hardened. "You're telling me that Taylor Townsend is your soulmate?"

He shrugged. "I don't know if I believe in soulmates, Marissa."

"So then maybe you're wrong. Did you ever think about that? Maybe you're wrong to think that we don't belong together."

"Marissa, I'm sorry." He shook his head sadly. "I'm really sorry that I hurt you, that you're angry. It's just that I have a family, one that I intend to put first. Always. Taylor and Jason are my priority now."

Marissa looked down at the floor, swallowing back tears as she nodded sadly. She should've known it wouldn't be easy for Ryan to forgive her, but…She looked up at him again, tears shimmering in her eyes. "Ryan, what if I told you that I'm pregnant?"

His eyes widened, but, before he could respond, there was a clattering sound, a startled "Oof!", and, beyond Marissa's shoulder, he saw a toppled basket of medical supplies and a flash of auburn hair disappearing around the corner.

"Hold that thought," he told Marissa and peered around the corner, finding Taylor looking flustered as she straightened her hospital robe, clutched her IV pole, and glanced up at him with a feigned look of surprise on her face.

"Ryan! What a coincidence! What are you doing here?"

He didn't bother suppressing the sigh. "I could ask you the same thing. What are you doing here?"

"Oh, you know, just taking a walk," she replied cheerily. "Well, it was lovely running into you, but I must be off. Au revoir!"

"Taylor. I thought you were sleeping."

"Uh-huh." Her head nodded enthusiastically. "I was, but you know me. Sleeping too much is so not my style. It's really unproductive. I just thought I'd take a walk to stretch my sore muscles, you know?"

This time, the smile that threatened to break out on his lips did. "Taylor, were you stalking me?"

Her eyes widened dramatically. "Why, I never-"

"Oh, my god. You freak. What is wrong with you? Can't you keep your nose out of what is none of your business?" Marissa demanded as she came to a stop next to Ryan. "What a stalker."

Ryan frowned, turning to her. "Look, Marissa. Why don't you just go back to that waiting room while I get Taylor back to her room, okay? I'll be right-"

"Ryan!"

He spun around to find Taylor hunched over, her hands pressed to her abdomen. "Taylor. What's wrong?"

"Ryan," she whispered, her eyes wide with fear. "Something's wrong."

She didn't have to say another word because Ryan could see the crimson spreading quickly through her hospital gown, dripping through her fingers. "Hold on, Taylor," he told her calmly, though his insides were quaking even as he slid an arm around her waist.

Instead of a response, Taylor's eyes rolled back into her head as her body fell limp in his arms. Panicked, Ryan held her close, his eyes wildly searching the hospital hallway. "Help!" he shouted. "We need some help here!"

XXX

The sunlight flickering over her eyelids woke her. She opened her eyes and found herself staring at an unfamiliar ceiling. Where was she? she wondered dimly as she tried to lift her head to glimpse her surroundings. When her hand shifted over her belly, she sat bolt upright in bed.

"My baby!"

Summer, who'd been sitting in the chair next to the bed, hurried to her side. "Taylor, hey. It's okay, calm down."

"Summer, where is he? What'd they do with my baby? They stole him from me!" Taylor continued to panic as she struggled to rip off all the tubes and wires attached to her.

Summer may have been small, but she was mighty. She managed to shove Taylor back into the bed without disrupting too many of the monitors. Then, determined to keep Taylor in bed, she sat on her friend's legs. "Jeez, Taylor. What were you dreaming about? Everything's fine. You had your baby, and Jason's sleeping peacefully in the nursery. In fact, Sandy, Kirsten, and Sophie are watching over him."

"Jason? I named him Jason?" Taylor frowned, confused. What was going on? This was all very invasion of the body-snatchers for her. "Hey, I thought I wasn't talking to you. What are you doing here?"

Summer's brows scrunched as she studied her friend. "Taylor, do you really not remember anything about labor, delivery, Ryan coming up from Newport, the two of you talking…Nothing?"

"I…" She pressed a hand to her whirling head and tried to think. "I don't know."

"Okay." Summer crossed her arms over her chest and looked unhappy. "This is one side effect I don't think the doctors were expecting. What's the last thing you remember?"

Chewing on her lip, Taylor thought hard, gave herself the beginnings of a headache, but was glad when some things started to drift back to her. "I remember talking to Ryan, but then Marissa came. And…oh, she said she was pregnant."

"She said what?" Summer's hand clamped around Taylor's wrist. "Marissa said what?"

"Yeah, yeah. I remember." Taylor shook her head. "If she's pregnant, then I really will lose him. She's the love of his life, no matter what he says."

"Taylor…" Summer sighed. "Is that the last thing you remember?"

Taylor tapped her fingers on her leg. "Um, not really. Just this massive pain, and then…here I am!" She frowned again. "Wait, what happened to me? How long have I been out?"

"Well, you've been out for about twelve hours. The first few, you were in surgery because you were hemorrhaging. The doctors said something about how it wouldn't have happened if you'd just stayed in bed and rested like you were supposed to. How about that, huh?" Summer gave her a look.

"Hah. Yeah, funny. Hmm." She patted her hair which didn't feel quite as tangled as she'd thought it would be. "I must look like a mess. I probably smell, too. Does that bathroom have a shower?"

"I'm not letting you out of this bed, Townsend." Summer lifted a brow when Taylor opened her mouth to protest. When she shut it again, Summer nodded. "That's what I thought. I'm going to call the nurses, they'll check you out, and then I'm sure one of them will bring Jason back to you. Thanks to your little trip into the OR, you're going to be stuck in the hospital for a day or two longer than usual. Get used to your surroundings, sister."

Huffing out a breath, Taylor leaned back against her pillows. "I want my son."

Summer pressed the button to alert the nurses' station. "Like I said, I'm sure someone will bring him to you. He's adorable, Taylor. He's got Ryan's eyes, and your nose-"

"Really?" She ran her fingers over her nose. "You think so? Can you even tell that sort of thing this early on?"

"I'm sure you can." Summer perched on the edge of the bed, her mind shifting back to what Taylor had said about Marissa. "So, Marissa said she was pregnant?"

Taylor shrugged, not wanting to think about Marissa Cooper carrying Ryan's child. "I don't know. She basically said that it was only because of Jason that Ryan would ever consider being with me again—which is so true," she added sadly but didn't let herself dwell on it. "And then she asked him what he'd do if she were pregnant."

"Huh. That sneaky bitch!"

Taylor gaped at her. "Summer?"

"Oh, no. Wait until I get my hands on her. God, it wasn't bad enough that she broke Ryan's heart, like, a million times while were in high school, but, now that he's on his way to having the perfect life with you and Jason, she's trying to ruin it!" Summer paced the room angrily. "See, this is why we drifted apart during senior year! I love Ryan, and I didn't want to see her hurt him again! Who knows? This time around, I bet in a couple months, she probably would have moved on to the next guy to catch her eye. Good thing we found out you were having a baby. There is nothing more important to Ryan than family."

Taylor sunk lower on the bed. "Yeah, good thing," she whispered dejectedly. She didn't want Ryan to be with her and Jason if he wasn't in love with her. "Summer, where is he right now?"

"Oh." Summer waved her hand distractedly, not having come off of a near rage blackout yet. "He took Marissa to the Cohens' place last night. I think they were going to have a nice long chat. I hope he's sending her packing. I love Coop and always will, but she is such a mess."

A mess, Taylor thought, but one that Ryan obviously wanted in his life. He couldn't even be bothered to stay with her while she was in surgery. He'd been with Marissa.

I knew from the moment I first told you I loved you that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you.

His words from the day before flitted through her head, but she sighed and shoved them aside, trying to forget. This time, she was not going to let herself hope beyond all hope because it would certainly destroy her. She was a mother now, and Jason was going to be her number one priority.

Ryan Atwood and his emotional issues could go hang for all she cared.

It was just a shame that she was unable to think those thoughts with more conviction.

XXX

Within the hour, the room was full with Cohens as Sandy, Kirsten, Seth, Summer, and Sophie crowded around the bed where Taylor was sitting up and beaming with pride over Jason.

"You'll let me babysit him, right, Aunt Taylor?" Sophie asked eagerly as Jason gripped her finger in his tiny, delicate fist. "I mean, I'm practically a teenager, and Mom and Dad think I'm very responsible. Plus, he's my very first nephew, and I'm going to love him so much! I'll be the best babysitter ever!"

Seth pressed a hand to his heart. "Sophie. My own sister betraying me? I never thought I'd see the day. I'm sure my unborn child is crying because his or her own Aunt Sophie doesn't want to be the best babysitter for him, too." Summer nudged him. "Or her," he added apologetically.

"Don't be silly, Seth," Sophie told him. "There are still six whole months until your baby arrives, so, until then, I can be a good babysitter for Jason."

Taylor smiled at her. "You're such a sweetie, Sophie, but I'm probably not going to let him out of my sight for the next fifty years. You'll have plenty of time to babysit Seth and Summer's baby."

Kirsten rested a hand on her daughter's shoulder and smiled at Taylor. "I know exactly how you feel. Trust me, though, when I say that you're going to want to take her up on her offer to babysit within the first month."

"Oh, no, I don't think I will." Taylor held Jason closer, not wanting to let him out of her sight ever. Then, she squealed when he opened his eyes and deep blue stared up at her. His mouth opened in a little "O" as he watched his mother for long moments before his eyes drifted shut again, his lips curving ever so slightly. "He smiled at me! Did you see that? He knows me, he loves me!"

"Well," Sandy began, "I don't think he's the only one."

Taylor glanced up curiously and froze when she saw that Ryan was standing next to Sandy. When had he come in and why was he here? She was surprised that he wasn't busy making plans for the baby he was having with Marissa.

She opened her mouth, but he beat her to it. "Hey. It's good to see you awake. Really good," he added quietly. She hadn't often seen him look nervous, but Ryan Atwood was nervous now. Did he really think she was going to hop out of bed and karate kick his ass back to Y2K? Really. She'd had major surgery and given birth the day before. Kicking anyone's ass, no matter how desirable, would not be happening today.

"Yes, well, I've learned my lesson. I will not be moving from this bed unless a medical professional lets me," she told him finally then shifted her eyes as the Cohens tried to stealthily sneak out the door. "Hey, where are you all going? I don't remember asking for privacy."

"Uh, well, Taylor." Seth shoved his hands in his pockets. "You know, I…am going to let Dad take this one." He nodded encouragingly at Sandy, who glowered at his son.

"Okay, then. Taylor, we were just going to, well, you know." Taylor looked at him expectantly, and Sandy managed to smile at her, albeit a bit uncomfortably. "Well, were just on our way to…uh…Honey? A little help here?"

Kirsten shook her head. "Oh, no. I am not getting trapped in this story-telling."

"Oh, my god. Where were you Cohens before Atwood and I arrived on the scene?" Summer wondered, tossing her hands up in the air and making Sophie grin. "Jeez. Taylor, you and Atwood need to talk, so we're going to leave you alone to, well, talk." She glared at Ryan. "Don't screw this one up, Ryan."

"Thanks, Roberts."

"Hey! No! I don't need to talk to Ryan," Taylor insisted, waving one arm frantically. "Anything I had to say to him I've already said. There is nothing left to say," she added, looking at Ryan.

His face seemed to pale, and he stepped closer. "Taylor, I-"

"If you're about to apologize, you can shove that apology where the sun don't shine, buddy. I am so done with you, so I hope you enjoy your life with Marissa and your perfect, bouncing baby." There was a sudden burst of murmurs from the doorway, but she ignored them.

Ryan cupped her face in his hands and held it despite her struggles. "Taylor, I'm not going back to Marissa. In fact, she's already gone back to Newport. I'm not going back there, and there is no baby," he added, anticipating her next question.

"Right, well that's just great for you. I hope you'll enjoy being alone. Really, it's a great life," she told him. "I mean, in eight months of being alone, I've never felt more free. It's a great feeling, independence. I hope you and yourself enjoy it. Now, go away."

"Taylor, I'm not leaving you."

She gave up trying to rip his iron-grip fingers off her chin and scowled at him. "Why not? You didn't seem to have trouble doing that eight months ago, and you definitely didn't have a problem doing that yesterday when I went into the OR. Yeah, I can definitely see how you claim to love me, Atwood." She rolled her eyes. "Thanks, but no thanks."

"That's not true," he began, but she shook her head.

"I know what I know," she said simply. "Just…go away. Please." Before I burst into a puddle of tears and beg you to stay and end up in the worst possible scenario imaginable to me: a loveless marriage.

"Taylor, he's not lying."

She blinked the tears out of her eyes and looked up at Seth, who was standing by her bed again. The rest of the Cohen clan remained in the doorway, anxiously watching. "Seth, he's your brother. Of course, you're going to stick up for him. But, honestly? I've had a lifetime's worth of emotional trauma in the last twenty-four hours. I'm tired, and I really don't want to do this again."

Ryan could feel her slipping away from him like water through his fingers. He didn't know what to say, and he didn't want to see that weary, broken expression on her face anymore. Since he was the cause, he would do what was best for her and let her go…for now.

"It's okay, Seth," he said quietly, placing a hand on his brother's shoulder. "I'm sorry, Taylor. I really am. If it's what you really want, I'll go." His eyes flitted over their newborn, sleeping in her arms, and felt his heart crack. Was this how she'd felt for the past two-thirds of a year? "Just say the word," he whispered.

"Atwood-" But he cut off Summer's protest with a firm shake of his head.

Taylor looked down at the peacefully sleeping bundle in her arms and nodded silently. "Please," she whispered.

There was a stifled collective gasp from the doorway before Ryan nodded, feeling his heart shatter. "Right. Okay, then," he managed to say as jagged bits of his broken heart stabbed his throat. He deserved this, he reminded himself. He'd done this to her, so he deserved it.

Even as he made for the door, Summer blocked his way. "No. You are not leaving this room, Ryan," she told him firmly, her expression daring him to disobey her. When she was satisfied that he wasn't about to make a break for it, she moved around him and marched to the bed. "Look, Townsend, I love you like a sister, but I will have no trouble verbally beating you black and blue if you don't shut up and listen up." She leaned in close to Taylor's shocked face. "Ryan did not desert you yesterday. I don't know what happened all those months ago, but he didn't want to leave you yesterday. They had to get security into the OR to drag him out because his presence was making the room unsterile. Even when they kicked him out, he kept pacing the hall right outside the OR and followed your gurney to the recovery room. I don't think Seth would ever do that for me." She ignored her husband's yelp of protest and continued on. "If you don't, for one instant, think that he loves you more than anything—except maybe that adorable baby in your arms—then you are a moron." Summer straightened and gave a short nod. "Right then. We'll leave you to it."

There was a stunned silence that followed the Cohens' departure, and the sound of the door clicking shut was deafening in the quiet. Long moments passed, and Ryan's nerves began to stretch to the breaking point.

Finally, when he couldn't take it anymore, she beat him to it. Again.

"Ryan?" Her voice was timid, not a usual Taylor Townsend occurrence.

"Yeah," he breathed.

Her eyes lifted to meet his, and he could see the tears glistening in them. The sight twisted his insides until she spoke. "Can you, um, can you just hold onto me? Please?"

His breath puffed out in a near-violently relieved expulsion. "Anything."

And then, he was holding her and Jason in his arms, determined never to let go, not ever. Taylor pressed her face against his neck and sighed happily when Ryan pressed a kiss to her hair. There was nothing better than feeling your world shift back into place, he thought. He'd been wrong, she'd been wrong…but here and now? They were finally doing things right.

"Taylor, I don't want you to think that I'm only doing this because of Jason," he murmured as she burrowed into him, their son held safely between them.

Taylor leaned back to look into his eyes and smiled. "I know, and I don't. I really don't think that. I was afraid that you might feel that way, but…I love you, Ryan. I really, really love you."

"I love you, too," he said softly and pressed his lips to hers, swallowing her moan of pleasure and relief. It felt good to be back in sync, he decided.

"So." Taylor leaned her forehead against his. "Does this mean we're going to do the whole wedding thing again? Or is it too soon to think about that? It is, isn't it?" she asked, the smile slipping from her face when he stared at her. "Okay, okay. Forget I said anything. Just, rewind and delete. We don't need to be married. Lots of couples raise families without getting married, and we can do it, too."

He shut off her babbling with another kiss. "Marry me," he whispered when she was breathless.

"Really?"

Ryan grinned. She was adorable. How had he ever lived without her? "How does 'as soon as possible' sound?"

"Beyond perfect," she told him joyfully and kissed him again before settling comfortably into his arms. "So I was thinking, now that we have Jason, don't you think he'd be the perfect little ringbearer? I mean, he's a newborn, but we could probably tie our rings on a ribbon and pin it to his outfit or something. And, oh, I never asked if you were particularly religious because, you know, if you are, I wanted to find out if we need to plan for a christening or baptism or whatever. Or, hey! Maybe we could combine the christening/baptism/whatever ceremony with our wedding ceremony! Oh, that would be, like, too perfect, don't you think?" She beamed up at him, and he shrugged.

"Anything you want."

And as she continued to make plans, he brushed his lips over Jason's forehead and felt over-the-moon content when Taylor snuggled into him. Yeah, it definitely felt good to have his world spinning smoothly again.

XXX

AN: Ta-da! My first ever, finished Ryan and Taylor story! Yay! Thanks so much for all the encouraging reviews! I love every single one to itsy bitsy pieces. Seriously. Every time I read one, I had a huge smile on my face. You guys are the best encouragement ever. And, speaking of encouragement, let me know what you think of my other story, Assumptions and Conclusions. It's an AU where Marissa and Taylor are the Townsend twins. It's a slightly different writing style for me and is almost entirely from Taylor's perspective, but I think you'll like it! Thanks again for the support, and I hope you'll continue to read my humble little stories :)