The New Beginning

Chapter Ten: The Cohen Kids

Kirsten couldn't bring herself to wake them. She didn't have the heart for it. She had been standing in the doorway to the pool house so long her coffee had grown cold and stale, but still she couldn't do it. They looked so young, so achingly tender, that she didn't want to disturb them in any way.

Ryan and Seth lay in the center of Ryan's bed, back to back. Facing away from them, on the edges of the double bed, were Marissa and Summer. Each of her sons had an arm draped tenderly over their respective girlfriend, holding fast to them. Kirsten simply stood and stared at them, unable to keep the smile from her face. There were house rules the forbid girlfriends from spending the night in either the pool house or Seth's room, and they had even been Kirsten's rules. Yet, now, she couldn't find a way to be angry with her kids.

Technically, only one of the four was actually hers. Yet she had considered them all her children for some time, without even realizing it. She would shelter any one of the three if they ever needed it, and would do anything she possible for them.

With Ryan it had been that day in lock-up. He had defended her without regard for his personal safety, when the Guards had slipped. Even after she had been the one to insist on him moving out, he tried to protect her. That moment she knew that Sandy had been right about him all along, and her motherly instincts had kicked in. She wasn't going to try and deny it: She loved Ryan, as if he were her own.

Kirsten had always watched out for Marissa, and tried to be helpful any way she could for the girl. Not just because she was Jimmy's but also because Kirsten had genuinely liked the girl since she was young. She had always tried to steer Marissa in the right direction, and had been silently pleased when she and Ryan began to see each other. They seemed to be what each other needed. Something solid in a world spinning out of control.

Then there was Summer. Kirsten had been initially wary of Summer Roberts. She had seemed to be shallow and more than a little conceited. But in time Summer had grown on her, and Kirsten could finally see what had made Seth fawn over her for so long. Though Summer would never admit it, she cared deeply for her friends. The fact that she would happily date a boy that was by anyone's standards a 'misfit' took away Kirsten's misgivings. Summer wouldn't break Seth's heart, not if she could ever help it.

Setting her cold cup of coffee down next to the still lit lamp, Kirsten stepped lightly into the room. The night before, when she had heard the front door open, she hadn't thought that Ryan and Seth had brought the girls in too. When she dropped into Seth's room and didn't see him when she got up in the morning, Kirsten almost panicked, before deciding to check the pool house. They had obviously opted to just crash on Ryan's bed, which meant the girls might want to go home before school to freshen up. It was still over two hours before they had to be to school, but being a woman, Kirsten knew how long it could take to get ready.

So she crept up next to the bed, crouching next to Summer. She didn't want to wake Seth and Ryan just yet, as they more or less sped through getting ready while trying not to be late for school. Reaching out, Kirsten gently gripped Summer's shoulder.

"Summer." She whispered, pulling her robe tighter around her pajamas. "It's morning."

Slowly Summer's eyes opened, and immediately all pretense of sleep left them. Her brown eyes went wide and focused on Kirsten, and a raised finger to the lips told her to stay quiet.

"Mrs. Cohen, I'm so sorry." Summer whispered quickly. "I know the rules, but we were just so tired after the trip…"

"It's okay, Summer." Kirsten said reassuringly. "I think we can bend the rules just this once."

Summer smiled shyly, showing Kirsten an aspect of her that was often overlooked.

"I thought you girls might want to go home and shower before school. Or you could shower here."

"I have clean clothes here, but I should wake Coop." Summer answered.

Kirsten moved back to the door, while Summer untangled herself from Seth. Seth frowned, obviously not liking being separated from her, even in sleep. Kirsten almost laughed, but knew it might wake the boys. Summer rolled lithely off of the bed, slipping around to the other side to wake Marissa. After a few shakes and hushed words, Marissa had managed to slide off the bed without waking Ryan either.

Both girls made their way, almost sheepishly, to Kirsten. Marissa stopped shy of her, and Kirsten swore she almost saw the girl blush.

"Do you think I could shower here too? I'd rather not have to go to my mom's right now…"

"Of course Marissa. I think I understand completely." Kirsten replied with a knowing smile.

"Thanks."

It was so weird to think that soon they would be related. In laws. Kirsten still had trouble wrapping her mind around it, and the entire concept must be blowing Marissa away. It wasn't so hard for Kirsten to cope with it, however, as she already considered Marissa to be more than her friend's daughter.

A rustling on the bed drew their attention. Turning to the sound, they saw Ryan groping absently behind him, still asleep. He seemed to be searching for Marissa. After a moment he rolled over, and did something that almost caused all three women to burst out laughing.

He draped his arm over Seth's side, scooting closer to him without even realizing it.

"Oh, my God." Marissa said, covering her mouth to keep from laughing.

Summer was already digging into her pocket, and in but a moment produced her cell phone. Marissa caught on instantly, snatching hers out and flipping it open. They were setting up for a couple cellular camera shots, that much Kirsten knew.

"Hold on, I need to turn my flash on." Summer said, snickering.

"They look so cute."

"In the interest of their dignity, I should be stopping this." Kirsten began. "But this is far too funny."

"Okay." Summer whispered. "My flash is on. On three, okay Coop?"

"One." Marissa said quietly.

"Two." Summer replied.

"Three." Kirsten said with finality.

Both flashes went off at once, a faint shutter sound heralding the photos being taken. The flash, followed by an eruption of laughter from the three women, was enough to rouse Seth and Ryan.

For a moment Ryan didn't know what was happening, until he seemed to notice the unruly mop of black curls in front of him. Seth caught on immediately, eyes widening as he felt an arm over him. He practically bound from the bed, falling onto the floor of the pool house in a heap. Ryan sat up, sleep draining quickly from his face as realization washed over him. He had been cuddling with his surrogate brother.

"And here we had been wondering about Seth all this time." Summer commented. "When it turns out to be you we need to keep an eye on, Ryan."

Marissa couldn't stop laughing long enough to speak, and Kirsten herself found that she was hit with a fit of the giggles; Something that hadn't happened to her in years.

"You can use Ryan's shower. So long as I get a copy of those pictures." Kirsten informed Marissa, who laughed the entire way to the pool house bathroom.

Summer and Kirsten turned and walked out of the pool house, leaving Seth and Ryan to sit and ponder what had just happened. After a long, awkward pause, Seth finally broke the uncomfortable silence.

"Not to sound gay or anything, but you smell nice."

Ryan and Seth were sitting at the island, munching absently on cereal out of the box, when Sandy walked in from his morning wave bashing. They looked slightly awkward, glancing at each other and laughing as he stepped into the kitchen.

"Hey boys. How was your weekend?"

"Uh, it was good." Ryan said casually.

"Yeah? How'd it go with Oliver? You didn't rearrange his face, did you?"

"No, afraid not. Though Seth started a fight."

"Seth Cohen?" He said, turning his attention to his son. "Is this true?"

"Yeah, dad, I'm kind of a big deal."

"He knows people." Ryan concurred with a nod.

"You know better Seth."

"No choice dad. He was about to hit Summer."

"Oh." Sandy said, contemplating that. "You should have hit him a few more times then."

"Thank you, that's what I was thinking."

"Where's your mother?"

"Chatting with the girls while they get ready."

"Summer and Marissa are here?"

"Yeah, they pretty much took over the pool house." Ryan said, shrugging with one shoulder.

It was at that moment that the women of the house chose to enter, stifling a laugh upon seeing the distance Ryan and Seth were keeping from each other.

"I'm surprised not to see you in each others arms." Summer said, smirking. "Again."

Marissa burst out laughing, and even Kirsten sputtered before she stopped herself. Summer snatched the box of cereal away from Seth, grabbing a handful and tossing it into her mouth.

"Do I even want to know?" Sandy asked them all.

"No." Ryan and Seth said at once.

Of course, Summer wasn't going to leave it at that. She proudly walked over, flipped open her phone, and showed Sandy the new wallpaper on it. He sputtered out a laugh as well, coughing to try and cover it up.

"You guys look…"

"Cute?" Marissa tried.

"Adorable." Kirsten corrected.

"Disturbing?" Summer finished.

Marissa couldn't help but laugh at the exchange. She was beginning to think that this marriage wouldn't be quite so bad. She'd be related to the Cohen's, though she wasn't sure how, and that didn't seem like a downside at all. Besides, Ryan was here. That was enough for her.

"You kids ready? You're going to be late." Sandy stated, glancing at his watch.

The four of them hustled out the front door, bantering back and forth as they exited. For a long moment neither Sandy nor Kirsten spoke. They simply stared at each other. Finally, Kirsten walked across the kitchen, and leaned over to kiss her husband fiercely. They held the contact for a long moment, before it finally broke.

"What was that for?"

"For being such a wonderful father for the kids."

"Kids? I thought we only had one."

"Actually," Kirsten replied, kissing her husband chastely. "I think we've got four."

Author's Note: That's it. The end. I'm not sure if I want to change anything about the last half of this chapter, but I'm thinking so. I may just edit it and repost it, so be prepared for that possibility. There is a sequel in the works, which I hope is as well received as this one was. I want to thank everyone who reviewed my work, both with praise and criticism. It's come to my attention that some didn't fully approve of the "Oliver reverting back to his old ways" thing. This time around, from my writer's perspective, he's changed some. Which will become evident in the sequel. However, he was ALWAYS stalker-esque. He insisted on seeing Marissa all the time, and even transferred to Harbor to follow her around. That is pretty much the definition of a stalker. That and he had a restraining order put on him by another girl. But again, thank you for the reviews and support. You're the motivation for me to keep writing.