A/N: Title is "World Spins Madly On" by The Weepies. Read and review! The story gets a little more upbeat now, so I hope everyone likes it. Let me know.

WORLD SPINS MADLY ON

Seth dropped Audrey off at her usual day care, knowing that seeing Summer in the state she was in would be terrifying, although nothing new. Seth brought Audrey into her classroom and the wheels in his mind turned. He was happier knowing that the little girl would have more opportunities, more chances, back in Newport. He thought of the idea of Audrey attending kindergarten at Harbor, maybe; of watching her interact with a new generation of Newpsies. He had struggled growing up in Newport, but he saw the little girl's strength and knew that for her, it would be different.

He walked back to the car, where Summer sat, peacefully staring out the window. They sat in the parking lot for a few minutes, just thinking, side by side in the car. They knew everything was about to change; that there were so many maybes involved in what was going to happen. Seth knew, deep in his heart, that he loved her—he loved all of her, even that constant stubbornness that kept obstructing their path. He always had loved her, since before she had known who he even was. He knew that counted for something. It had to count for something. But he also knew that by loving her, he had to let her be. As much as he knew it was better for she and Audrey to be with him in Newport, getting everything they deserved and not struggling just to live, he also knew that she was in an extremely volatile and painful situation, and that she would carry mental and emotional scars for the rest of her life. He couldn't get in the way of that healing process with his desire for a relationship with her. It would take a long time for her to become Summer again, the Summer he once knew, and he had to let that happen by itself.

"How about," Seth began after hesitating, "we go back to your apartment and see if his car is there. If it isn't, we can go upstairs and pack up some of your things, just for the time being."

Summer nodded nervously. She frowned. "And if his car is there?"

"We'll drive around the neighborhood, or something. We won't go back in. You don't deserve to have to face him. Ever again."

Summer nodded, a solemn expression on her face. They stared into each other's eyes. Summer could feel the way he looked at her, not just her battered face and unkempt appearance, but everything about her—Seth knew her better than anyone. She looked at him—Seth Cohen, same Seth Cohen who had somehow managed to grasp a hold on her heart so many years ago—and wondered how she had let him go. Why she had decided she didn't need him anymore. Because she did need him, in every way possible, and she was ready to acknowledge it.

"What would you do if I kissed you right now?" Summer asked abruptly.

"Kiss you back," Seth replied honestly. And true to her word, she placed a hand on each side of his face and leaned in, kissing him softly so their lips touched and their faces melded. Seth put his hands on her sides loosely, knowing she was hurting, but just their warmth made Summer feel like everything that had already happened that morning had disappeared. Their hearts began beating rapidly, in sync, and the intensity of their kiss increased. Finally Seth broke away.

"I don't want to do this. Not yet. I don't want this to happen so you can ignore what happened with…him."

"You know it's not like that, Seth. You know I want this," Summer whispered. She didn't want to get in over her head either, not yet, but she also wanted him to know how she really felt about him. And every time she was near him, those feelings raged inside her.

"I know," Seth promised. "And I want this too, Sum. But I want to ease into this…this something. If it's anything."

They both sat for another minute in silence before Seth backed out of the parking lot, starting to drive towards Summer's apartment. After a few minutes more Summer spoke.

She looked at him lovingly. "I promise you, Cohen, it's something."

He grinned back. "I know."

…

"I told you not to lift anything!" Seth scolded Summer, entering her room as she reached on a shelf in a closet, standing on her toes. She stepped back to face him.

"Cohen!" She groaned. "I just need to get—"

He stepped next to her. "Tell me what you need."

She pointed up at a falling-apart brown suitcase silently, and he brought it down for her.

"How about you go sit?" Seth asked, pointing to the chair in the corner of her bedroom. They were both blatantly ignoring the bed, its sheets and blankets twisted on its surface, and everything it symbolized. "You really shouldn't even be standing up, Sum."

She sighed, but knew he was right. "Okay."

"So, you dictate," he said, moving to the dresser in the room. "Clothes?"

"Just take everything," she told him, waving towards the dresser.

"Sum, everything? That's like—" he opened the drawers, stunned at their contents. He had assumed she had kept at least some of her old wardrobe. Summer's clothing was her most treasured thing, at least it had been, once, and she had often during their relationship showed him lovingly the dress she had been wearing the day her mother left, or the shoes she had worn the night of their kiss at Caleb's party. Emotions were packed into each item. But that was all gone. None of the expensive tops or designer jeans she had always loved. Seth knew she had cut back, but not to this extent. "Jesus Christ. Summer—"

"I don't want to talk about it."

"Where did it all go?"

"First year or so's rent. I sold everything."

"All those—"

"Everything, Cohen. I needed the cash."

"I hate that you had to do that."

"Believe me, I am too. I would have loved for Audrey to have some of those things." She sighed wistfully. "But it's clothing. And it's not a dire necessity." Her eyes teared up slightly, and Seth had a feeling she was thinking about everything she had let go—her beautiful prom dresses, her mother's Chanel handbags, the pairs and pairs of the Manolos she loved so much.

Seth knew she needed a minute, so he quickly took everything in the set of drawers—not more than a few pairs of jeans, some sweatpants, and a handful of basic tops. He scooped it all up and placed the small stacks in her suitcase, and went over next to her, kneeling down so he was at her level while she was sitting. He rubbed his hands back and forth over her arms, and looked at her meaningfully. "We're going to figure this out."

She eyed him cautiously. "Just because I'm moving in with you…I don't want to take advantage of...what you have." He didn't speak. "Cohen?"

"Please, please understand I don't think of it that way," Seth begged her.

"You might not, but…but I do." She looked at him firmly. "I'm finding it hard just to accept this, Cohen. Baby steps, okay? I'm not used to having this much…this much everything."

"Okay," he nodded. "Baby steps."

Summer picked out a few more basic things to pack, and packed up Audrey's clothing, and Seth told her that the next day he'd find a mover to take everything in the apartment and bring it over to his place. Finally Summer turned off the light, shut the door, and Seth led her out. She walked down the stairs slowly, each step causing her torso and legs to throb, but it gave her time to think. She was saying goodbye to the apartment, to her bad neighborhood in LA, to a part of her life. Everything was going to change, and she knew she had to let it. Seth slipped his hand around hers and they walked to his car. He helped her in, put the suitcase and few boxes in the trunk, and turned the car on. They would get Audrey and go back to Newport, back to where Summer knew she belonged.

…

"We need to talk," Seth told Summer as they both watched Audrey swim around in the pool, supported by her water wings. "How would you feel about Audrey going to preschool at Harbor?"

"I can't let you pay for that, Cohen," Summer reminded him. "That's incredibly expensive, and I wouldn't dream of allowing you to do that."

"Sum—"

But she interrupted his attempts at refusing, sick of dancing around the heavy emotions that were swimming around them. "Cohen, I'm in love with you."

He stared at her, stunned. She was still gazing at him. They were seated in chairs on the patio, across the table from one another, and he stared at her face—broken, beaten, but full of honesty. "Summer."

"And—" she was almost in tears now, and he could tell that her anxiety and her truthfulness were raging inside her. "And I'm ready for this. I'm ready for all of this. But I've been with Marcus for so long. And with him, it's always been like—I'd give him sex, and he'd give me cash to feed my daughter. And I know it was sick but—I got used to it. And I'm not saying that's what I want, at all, because I love you, not like I would tell Marcus I did when he would force it out of me, but—I actually do. And if you want to be there for Audrey and for—for me, and I know you do because I see it, in your eyes, and in everything you've done for us already—then I, well, um, I want to be with you. I want to be with you, Cohen."

He could not describe his happiness. It was similar to that night when he'd been upside down in the rain, wishing anyone could come save him, before realizing it was Summer, beautiful Summer, running towards him and kissing him square on the lips—nowhere near Italy, and not with Zach. It was similar to standing up on that coffee cart—that goddamned coffee cart—and blurting out some embarrassing, adoring words, and then realizing it was Summer actually next to him, Summer kissing him. It was similar to running up on stage at their junior prom, knowing that she was more important than any comic book he could ever create, any hero he could ever meet, any girl he could ever be with.

"Really?" he whispered, and she was taken aback by his naiveté, his innocence, his hopefulness, and the honesty and love painted all over his face.

"Really," she promised, a slight breeze whipping around the loose pieces that hung around her pale and bruised face. She repeated the word decisively. "Really."

"So you'll move in? For…" he trailed off hesitantly, but then made up his mind to keep going. "For good?"

She nodded. "For as long as you'll have us."

"Forever," Seth promised her. "Okay? Forever."

"Okay," she grinned, exhilarated. She stared at him for a second. "Could you come here?"

He looked at her worriedly, but dutifully got out of the patio chair and came around to her side. She reached her arms up towards him, pulling his face down close to hers firmly, and kissed him with everything she was feeling, with happiness and excitement, relief and satisfaction. Finally she pulled away. "I just needed to do that."

He laughed. "Thank you."

"For what?"

"For everything."

"And thank you too, Cohen. Thank you more than you'll ever know."

They both glanced over to see Audrey staring at them and giggling. Seth looked at Summer, smiling. "I think I know, Sum."

…

"What are we going to do about tomorrow?" Summer asked quietly, sitting on Seth's bed, as he put on a t-shirt and boxers to sleep in.

"Tomorrow?" Seth clarified.

"My work, and Audrey…" Summer began, and Seth could see how conflicted and confused she was. And he didn't blame her. Everything had been moving quickly, all day.

He put one hand on each of her shoulders. "All I want is for you and Audrey to be healthy and safe and happy. Okay?"

She smiled, more in love with him then she could have thought possible. "Okay."

"Will you let me drive you and Audrey over to Harbor in the morning to register for preschool?" Seth asked seriously.

Summer nodded. "Yeah. I'm ready."

"And if you want to go to work, I won't stop you. I know how much it means for you to be independent. And I don't want you to feel like I'm locking you up."

She positively shone. "And I'll quit the dancing, and I can work out some easier hours at the diner, so that I'll be around more. For Audrey, and for you now, too."

"Aha!" Seth grinned. "Now I get to be in the equation, huh?"

"You do," she laughed, blushing and looking down.

"By the way—do you think you'll be ready for the inevitable Kirsten and Sandy reunion soon? You know, they're dying to see you." Seth lay down on the bed next to her, stretching out. She slid so that she was lying down next to him and lightly rubbed her fingers up and down his arm.

"I'm ready whenever," she agreed. "I've missed them."

"Believe me, they've missed you too. And as soon as they found out you had a kid—you know my mom. A visit had to be planned immediately." Summer laughed, remembering Kirsten, the woman who had been her mother in high school when she hadn't had one.

"Is she still doing NewMatch?" Summer asked curiously, remembering Kirsten and Julie's dating company.

"Sold it," Seth replied. "For a hell of a lot of money, actually. But they set up a new company, a party planning service."

"Convenient."

"Very. I'm fairly sure they just wanted the best napkin-ring-designer and whoever on their side for their own parties, but it's been working out really well."

"I'm glad, Cohen."

"I'm glad, too." They both sighed, content, enjoying the comfortable conversation between them and relishing in each other's company. Seth was happier than he'd ever been with Summer beside him, and vice versa.

After a few more minutes, they turned out the lights and crawled under the soft comforter, laying next to one another in silence.

"Hey Cohen?" Summer whispered after a while, wondering if he was still awake. He was.

"Yeah?"

"I have something to tell you." She inhaled sharply, knowing what she was going to say.

"Yeah?"

He was fairly sure what was coming, but Seth's heart was beating wildly. He was slightly numb with the thought of what was going to come out of her perfect lips next, and yet he wanted to hear it desperately.

"I love you, Seth Cohen. I love you more now than I ever have before."

There. She said it. She sighed with relief, happy to just have put it out there. It had been building up inside her for the longest time, and now it was out. She had come a long way since they had been together last, when she could never tell him what was on her mind and in her heart. She had been young, then, and afraid and confused, and had never been able to express herself to him. But now she was different, and she acknowledged her old mistakes. They would never have to be apart again.

"Sum?"

"Yes?" She asked, suddenly nervous.

"I love you, too. And I never stopped."

That was all she needed to hear. She turned over so she was facing him, and gently placed a slow, warm kiss on his lips, one that made sure he knew how much love she had. And he did know. More than anything else in the world.