Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters...

I hope you like Chapter 6.

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Chapter 6: The Longest Night

Veronica Townsend placed the finishing touches on Taylor's old room and looked everything over carefully while nervously wringing her hands. It was perfect now, much better than it had been before. She had boxed up the unimportant things; a collage of 'perfect' girls she had given Taylor for inspiration, prom photos with that Korean model, all of her Harbor yearbooks (no sense in her knowing that she had no friends to sign it until she was a Senior and even then it was the Cohen boy, Roberts girl, Cooper, and the Chino kid. The less she saw relating to Ryan Atwood, the better in her opinion.)

When she decided the room was ready, Veronica smiled, pleased with herself. She had maneuvered a miracle getting Taylor released into her care, even if she wasn't on the contact sheet. She worked- persuaded- Taylor, who had been compliant when she spun her 'version' of the past and her time at Summer's. Veronica knew that Taylor had no idea who Summer was. She hadn't come to visit (another hush-hush request between her and the nursing staff. Taylor was always 'sleeping' when Summer dropped by). So talking Taylor into coming home hadn't been terribly difficult. Adding to her advantage, Taylor obviously didn't want her mom to know that she had amnesia. It couldn't have been more perfect.

Instead of the trivial movie posters and silly little trinkets Taylor had thrown on her lady-like pink walls (Veronica remembered picking the color out herself), Veronica had placed a gallery of her daughter's achievements; Valedictorian, head of the school's planning committee, some other odds and ends. Things to be proud of. No mention of boys, non-existent friends, or French husbands.

Just as it should have been.

Veronica sighed a contented sigh and shut off the light. Her daughter would be home in the morning. Back to the perfect life she would create for her without the pesky past to bog her down and plague her. Veronica thought that any mother worth her salt would do the exact same thing. Every mother wanted what was best for their daughter, and, for Veronica, that meant marrying rich and being happy. She would do everything in her power to make that happen. Taylor would thank her for it if she knew. Veronica knew she would. But she also knew that Taylor could never know. She just had to make sure that her daughter believed every word she told her. And that her memory never came back.

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That night, Taylor lay restlessly in her hospital bed, unable to sleep, unable to get comfortable.

The clock beside her bed read 12:46 am, and she had yet to sleep. She had no desire to sleep in fact. Last night's dream- nightmare- played continually in her mind, and she couldn't make herself go to a place where she might dream it again, or worse. She knew in her mind that he wasn't real. That what she dreamed wasn't a memory coming back. She knew that he face wasn't scarred and that she didn't have hideous claws for fingernails. She'd even gone so far as to check in the bathroom mirror earlier in the day. So what was it? Her mind playing tricks on her? Just a random nightmare? What? All she could figure was maybe before she had been a mean, hideous person on the inside and maybe it was her mind's way of telling her.

She didn't feel like a bitch. She didn't feel like anything actually. No love for her boyfriend. No warmth for her mother who had come and insisted she live with her. She tried her best to cover up the fact that she had no earthly idea who Summer Roberts was or why she had been living with her. And Taylor just wanted her mom to shut up and leave, so she tentatively agreed to live with her, and then regretted it ever second since she left. She was 19 after all. Why didn't she have an apartment of her own, alone-- away from Newport?

Unable to clear the cobwebs that kept collecting in her bogged down mind; she flipped on the TV and began surfing.

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"Seth. Seth." Ryan whispered across the room to his sleeping brother lying in a chair in a very uncomfortable looking angle. "Seth." he called again, this time just a little louder.

"What, man?" Seth finally answered, groggy and aggravated. "I'm dreaming. I'm the Hulk and you're Superman and we're fighting Lex Luthor, but he's on steroids."

"You're 19, Seth. And you're dreaming about comics?"

Seth shifted. "Would it make you feel better if I said we were all naked in this dream?"

"No. Not really."

"Ok, then. Take what you can get. What do you want?"

Ryan sat up carefully. He didn't want to mess up any stitches which would in turn make him stay in the hospital even longer and cause Seth to freak out on him. "Look. The tech just left. I have two hours until she comes back and checked my vitals again."

"Your point?"

"I have to see Taylor."

"No."

"Seth--"

"Ryan." he finally sat up and opened his eyes. It was much too bright in the room with the light over Ryan's bed shinning. "Look. You are not getting out of that bed. I have my orders."

"Your orders?" Ryan scoffed. "From who?"

"I believe the correct word is whom, Ryan. And to answer your question; Mom, Dad, the doctor, the nurses, and- oh yeah- me. Face it man, you are bound to stay in that bed."

"Is that a fact?"

"Yes. Indeed it is."

Ryan thought a minute. "So that's why you spent the night? To guard me?"

Seth nodded.

"You're going to make me stay here?"

"Yes, sir I am."

"By force?" Ryan almost smiled when he said it.

"If need be."

"Wanna test that theory?" Ryan made his voice menacing, but both boys knew he didn't mean it. There was no way he would ever challenge his loyalty to his parents.

"Bring it on." Seth retaliated, sitting up straighter in his chair and motioning him with his fingers. Just the look of him made Ryan automatically laugh. Seth did have a special way about him.

He decided to take a different approach. "I have to see her man." his voice was much softer. Much more pleading.

"I know." Seth answered sympathetically. "But you can't, Dude. You have to heal. You heard the doctor. You'll be out of here in two, three days tops. Then you can see Taylor as much as you want. Besides, she's probably like the rest of the Western Hemisphere, you and me being the exceptions, and sleeping."

Ryan shook his head. "No, I don't know. Sandy said she looked shaken up. I need to--"

"Dude!" Seth cut in exasperated. "Pick up the phone and call her room. Gah! Do I have to think of everything?!?" he rolled back into his sleeping position and shut his eyes. "But don't even think of trying to escape this room, Ryan Atwood. Remember that nurse, Edna?"

"Yeah." Ryan stretched out that word, worried where this was going. Nurse Edna was a fierce older woman, probably 350 pounds of solid muscle, short jet black hair, a hairy mole on her chin, and a bedside manner that would scare a four-star General.

"Well," Seth went on. "She has been enlisted to help out. Keep you on the straight and narrow as it were. And guess what? She's working the night shift." Seth smiled before sinking back to sleep without a worry in the world. "Night Ryan."

"Yeah, Night." he sighed heavily. He shut off the light and picked up the phone to dial Taylor's room.

She answered on the fourth ring. She didn't sound like she had been sleeping; just surprised someone had called at almost 1 a.m.

"Taylor, it's me."

It took her a minute to figure out who 'me' was. "Oh, hey R-ryan. How are you?"

"Fine, fine. You?"

"Great."

"Good."

"Look, I'm sorry about before. When I came in your room. I never meant to make you faint."

"Can we not talk about that right now, Ryan?" Just the thought of seeing that blood oozing from under his gauze made her queasy.

"Sure, yeah, ok." he waited a beat. "So, we're you asleep?"

"No. Just watching TV. They are having a marathon of The Valley. It's pretty good."

"I thought you'd be tired of it by now. They show re-runs of it all the time on that soap channel, right?"

"Nope, not tired of it at all. It's like I'm seeing it for the first time." she had to laugh at herself for that. She was just seeing it for the first time that she remembered anyway. "So, Ryan. Did you want something?"

"No. Uh. No. Just checking in. Wanted to apologize. I wanted to see you, but Seth threatened bodily harm."

And yet there is another one I don't remember. "Well, we wouldn't want that. When are you getting released?" she wanted to change the subject away from another in a long cast of characters she didn't know...almost like watching The Valley.

"Two or Three days. They aren't real happy about my stitches breaking."

"Me either." she answered, sinking back under the covers. Somehow speaking to Ryan made her feel a little better. It eased her and she didn't know why. "I'm getting out tomorrow." she confided.

"Tomorrow? Really? That's great. And you're going where? Summer's?"

"Mom's actually."

"Really." he couldn't believe that, but knowing Taylor she probably took the earthquake as some sort of sign from the Heavens that it was time to make up with her mom. "You sure that's a good idea. I mean, you know your mom."

Not really. "Well, in any case, it is what it is."

"That's very Zen of you." Ryan laughed quietly, settling himself under his covers. Talking to Taylor was making him relax. She may be crazy, but she was his kind of crazy.

"Well, one of the characters just said it on The Valley and I thought it fit the situation."

She heard a soft laugh on the other end of the phone. "Well, you know. I'd better go. I need to get some sleep. Big day tomorrow and all." She really had no intention of sleeping, even though Ryan's call had comforted her. But there was no need in him knowing that, and she wanted to end their conversation on a high note.

"Yeah, big day. I have to admit. I'm very jealous. I'd love for the nurse to bring me some papers to sign... get me out of here."

Signing paper. It hit her. Hard. A memory. Something.

A restaurant. She was at the bar with some man in a suit. Speaking.... French. She felt sad. Then she was whipped around and kissed. Her eyes shut and for a second she didn't know who she was kissing. Then she opened her eyes and saw the most amazing pair of blue eyes she'd ever seen. The look in them curled her toes and when he tapped her gently, playfully on the edge of her nose, she knew she was done for. He pulled his eyes away from her and focused on the other man at the bar. "Where's that paper you need me to sign?"

"Whoa." Taylor said without meaning too. She sat up suddenly, immediately pulling her palm to the side of her now aching head.

"Taylor? Taylor, what is it?"

"Nothing. It's nothing." Nothing, just the first memory I've had to come back. Just the first kiss I remember. Just remembering that-- I *might* love you.

"I don't believe you. Look, I'm coming to your room..."

"No, don't. I'm OK. It's just, a commercial on TV. A waffle machine that doubles as a coffee maker. I've gotta go. Bye."

"Taylor. Taylor!" Ryan yelled into the receiver, but the phone was dead. He dialed again. She picked up instantly. "Ryan, I'm OK. I promise."

"Do you swear? Because I can be down there--."

"And risk the wrath of Seth; I'd rather not have that over my head."

"Ok, you call if you need me."

"I will. Goodnight, Ryan."

"Night, Taylor." He hung up the phone and debated on whether or not to just take his chances and make a run for it to her room anyway. But her figured in his current health, and the tag team of Seth and Nurse Edna, he'd not make it very far.

So he settled with staring at the ceiling, counting the tiles, and embarking on yet another sleepless night courtesy of being in love with Taylor Townsend.