The Big Happy Family (M)

[Bongo]

I posted this in december as a christmas gift for Tarotgal, but I never posted it here. So merry Christmas in July.

The Big Happy Family

a The O.C. story

by symphonyflute

What are we going to do with him?" Kirsten sighed, plopping down on the huge couch next to herhusband.

"I don't know," he replied. "I just can't believe he'd do something like this. He's a smart kid; it isn't like him to pull stupid stunts."

"Are you sure?"

Sandy blinked at his wife, not quite understanding what she was trying to imply. "What do you mean by that?"

"You did rescue him from prison. And come to think about it, so did I. Plus, he has a record...." She trailed off.

"You're wondering if we made the right choice taking him in?" Kirsten didn't say anything, just looked at him for a minute. He sighed, looking straight into her eyes. "So am I."

Sandy reached over the table between them and stroked Kirsten's hands. So wrapped up in their thoughts, neither of them noticed the figure tiptoeing away from the door.

_____________________________________________________

Later that night, Seth lie awake in his bed, unable to sleep. Images of Summer and her new boyfriend danced through his head whenever he shut his eyes. He's so big­, he thought, what could she possibly see in him? Finally, he decided enough was enough. He couldn't sleep, so why should Ryan be able to? He climbed out of bed, said goodbye to Captain Oats, and headed to the pool house.

"Hi Ryan," he greeted, plopping down on the bed next to Ryan's still form. Receiving no answer other than Ryan groaning, he took it upon himself to get his sleepy brother to talk. "So you know Danny?" Ryan still didn't answer. "So you know Danny?" Seth waited a few seconds, then sighed. This was taking a lot longer then he had anticipated. "So you

know-""Yes," Ryan growled. "I know Danny. Now what do you want."

"What makes you think I want something?" Seth asked innocently. "Maybe I just came to spend some time with my brother. Would that be so bad?" Ryan just glared at him. "OK fine, I have a question."

"MmHmm?"

"Do you think he's funny?"

"What?"

"Funny. Do you think he's funny? Cause he isn't. He's big. Big isn't funny, I just want you to be clear on that."

Ryan propped himself up on his elbows and glared at Seth. "Get out."

For once in his life, Seth was completely speechless. "Wha-what?" he stuttered.

"It's 2 in the morning, I'm exhausted, and you want to talk your ex's boyfriend." He pointed to the door. "Now get out."

"Why are you so tired anyway?" Seth countered. "Been stealing letters and breaking into records rooms lately?" That was a low blow and he knew it, but he was on a role. "Maybe you're spending too much time trying to get one up on Oliver!"

By this time, Ryan was on his feet with his fists clenched and an angry glint in his eyes. "Shut up!"

"Why? What are you gonna do, rob me? Beat me up? Accuse me of stealing your girlfriend?" When Ryan didn't answer, he continued. "No, I'm serious. What will you do? What ever it is, it'll be really really stupid."

Before anyone could really understand what was happening, Ryan's fist connected with the side of Seth's head with a sickening thud.

_____________________________________________________

"Oh my God," Sandy gasped as he walked into Seth's room the following morning to wake him up. "What the hell happened to your face?"

"Ummm," torn between wanting to protect Ryan and being afraid of Ryan, Seth was spared the obligation of having to answer by his father's uncanny ability to read minds. "Ryan did this to you, didn't he?"

"I made him angry," Seth defended half-heartedly.

"Still, that's no excuse," Sandy told him, sitting down in a chair by Seth's desk. "He really has gotten out of control. Kirsten had a point."

"What did mom say?"

Sandy looked up, startled. He'd forgotten Seth was in there and had been talking to himself. "Nothing, nothing," he assured. "I'm just going to have a little talk with Ryan."

He strolled toward the pool house, giving a friendly wave to the newpsies who had gathered in his living room through the window. Not bothering to knock, he barged in the pool house to find an empty pool house. Not good, he thought, he's supposed to be grounded.

"RYAN!?""Yeah?"

Sandy looked to the bathroom where the voice had come from. "Can you come out for a minute?"

Ryan emerged from the bathroom with wet hair and a towel wrapped around his waist. He looked at Sandy expectantly.

"Why are you doning this?"

"Showering?"

"Not the time for jokes kid," Sandywarned. "You hit my son." Ryan sat down on the edge of his bed and diverted his eyes, but didn't say anything. "You snuck into the records room, hit a guy, acted crazy and angry, and now this. You're a smart guy, I thought you knew

better.""Ok, I screwed up...yet again," he sighed. "So now what? are you gonna kick me out?"

"You think you can mess up so bad that we'll just give up on you? You can't, you are part of this family now and your gonna feel the full weight of that! your gonna wish we threw you out."

And with that, he stormed out of the room and into the living room to tell Kirsten everything.

____________________________________________________

"Mom! Dad!" Seth yelled, running up to the kitchen where his parents were talking in hushed voices.

"Yes Seth?" Kirsten asked, flinching when she looked up at her son. 6 hours and 2 ice packs later, half of Seth's face was still a disgusting shade of purple.

"There's something you should see."

Sandy sighed, rubbing his temples. "We're a little busy here Seth. Can this wait until later?"

"Let me guess, you're talking about Ryan's rapidly fading future?" When they just gaped at him, he knew he was right. "Then you want to see this, trust me." He handed Sandy a crumpled sheet of paper with scribbled writing that looked like it had been pulled out of a spiral notebook.

Sandy read it out loud. "Dear Sandy, Kirsten, and Seth.You guys are right. I have been crazy lately. But after I punched Seth, I realized I can't be in your house anymore. Tell Marissa and Summer I said goodbye. -Ryan"

For a minute nobody said anything, just letting the letter sink in. "Oh my god," Kirsten gasped, putting her hands to her cheeks. "He's gone."

The three of them ran to the pool house, Sandy leading the way. He looked everywhere for any sign that Ryan might still be there and this was all a joke. Finding none, he sank down on the bed next to Kirsten. She rested her head on his shoulder, and he wrapped an arm around her comfortingly. Everything will be ok, he told himself.

"Where is he?" Kirsten asked tearfully.

"Not here," Seth replied sullenly, "And whose fault is that?"

"Seth Ezekiel," Sandy reprimanded, "don't speak to your mother like that."

"Well it's true," he argued, albeit much less bitterly. "He heard you guys talking about how you wished you never let him stay here."

"Now that's not exactly what we-" lace Sandy began, "wait, how do you know what we were talking about?"

He had been eavesdropping. "Oh, um, well you were kind loud, weren't you?"

"And Ryan heard us too?"

"Yeah, he was standing at the door," Seth told him.

"Oh I get it," Sandy said." You noticed Ryan listening to us talk about him while you were eavesdropping."

"Exactly," Seth said. Sandy and Kirsten glared at him "Oops."

Kirsten sighed, running her hands over her face tiredly. "Where would he be?"

"I don't know," Sandy stated, "but I'm gonna find out." He stood up and started directing them. "Seth, you go warm up the car. We'll drive around looking for him." Seth nodded and went to do just that. "Kirsten, you stay here in case he comes home on his own." And with that, he followed Seth to the car.

___________________________________________________

You never really realize how big the world is until you have gone from one city to another by yourself. Newport and Chino were relatively close, but Ryan had been on his bike for four hours. The rain had started three hours ago. Now a very cold, wet Ryan peddled his bike down the dark streets of Chino. The pouring rain made him very glad he'd thought to grab his bike before taking off. Even though it was dark, raining, and the middle of the afternoon, while the really dangerous dudes came out at night, it wasn't safe to be on foot. It wasn't especially safe to be on bike either, but he was almost there anyway. Finally, after what felt like ages, he was there. He dropped his bike on the small, overgrown lawn and slowly approached the door.

What will I say to her? he couldn't help thinking. What if she doesn't want me either? Pushing those thoughts away, he raise his hand to knock on the battered door. Before he could though, a strong urge to sneeze hit him, making him freeze on the front step. "ACHOOO!," he doubled over, hitting the door as he did. Hearing footsteps, he tried his best to compose him self. As he was trying to make his hair look less messy, which was pretty much in vain, the door opened.

"Ryan?" She looked amazed, obviously having thought she would never see him again. Not knowing what to say, she just stared, letting him make the first move. Come on Atwood, he chided himself, say something.

"Hi Theresa."

_____________________________________________________

Ryan sat wrapped in a blanket in Theresa's living room as her mother boiled water for hot chocolate in the kitchen. "Hetchoo!!" Ryan was thrown forward with another wrenching sneeze, but this time felt Theresa rub her hand up and down his back soothingly. Normally, he hated this type of thing, but from Theresa he could tolerate it. Her touch was comforting.

"So you want to tell me what happened?" she asked softly.

He didn't answer for a minute, then sheepishly mumbled "they didn't want me there anymore."

"The Cohen's?"

He nodded. "The Cohen's, the dean at my school, Marissa, even Seth. They all think I'm crazy."

"What happened?"

"There's this new guy, Oliver."

"Ah, moving in on the chica?"

"Yeah, but no one believes me."

She groaned sympathetically. "That's rough."

He nodded again. "There's something weird about this guy. He's dangerous." And with that, he spilled the entire story, ending with the fight, getting caught looking at Oliver's files, stealing Marissa's letter, and the lecture of the century.

"Wow," was all a stunned Theresa managed to say. That was the most she'd ever heard him say at one time.

Ryan confused her astonishment with disbelief, and got angry. "What, you don't believe me either? There's something wrong with that kid!" Ryan all but yelling now, stood up from the couch, the blanket falling off his shoulders as he did. The effect of his outburst decreased greatly, however, when a series of harsh coughs forced him back down on the couch.

"Of course I believe you, don't be silly," Theresa reassured him, wrapping the blanket around him again. "Look, mom's making hot chocolate, but it won't be ready for a while. It's late. Why don't you go to sleep?"

Ryan was asleep before she even finished speaking.

_____________________________________________________

"And you didn't find him?

Seth shook his head at his girlfriend. "Nope, and we looked all night."

"For what?" Summer walked up to them, Danny in tow.

"Ryan's missing," Anna told her gravely.

"What?" She gasped. "Missing?"

"What's missing?" a voice called.

Seth turned around to see Marissa walking toward them with Oliver.

"Ryan," Summer told her.

"What about Ryan?" Now Seth was really tempted to say "shut the fuck up," but somehow saying that the big muscular guy who used to pee in his shoes seemed like a bad idea.

"OK, here's what happened," he started, figuring this was pretty much everyone who would e joining in the conversation. "Ryan's gone. He left a note and everything. My dad and I looked all night, but.........." he trailed off, assuming they could figure out the outcome for themselves.

"Oh my god," Marissa gasped, "why would he do something like that?

"To get your attention," Oliver suggested.

"What do you mean" she asked, turning her head to face him.

"Well think about it," he explained, "he was hoping you'd worry about him so much that when he came back you'd take him back."

"Somehow, I don't think that's quite right," Luke said in an angry voice.

Before Oliver could retort, the bell rang, and they all went off to their respective classes.

_____________________________________________________

"ACHOO! ATCHOO! Hah..Ahh..CHOO!"

"Bless you," Eva told him kindly. "Are you feeling any better?"

"I'm fine," he told her hoarsely, struggling to get the words past his sore throat. Looking at his pale face, red-rimmed eyes, and shivering body, Eva couldn't help but think her daughter's oldest friend had never looked less fine.

"Hey Mom. Hey Ryan," Theresa singsonged as she walked into the house.

"HETTCHOO!!"

"Hmm, not the welcome I was expecting. How about 'how was your day?' or even 'hey how's it going?'"

"Hey, how's it going?"

"Not bad, thanks for asking" She looked him over for a minute. His watery eyes met hers and he gave her a weak smile. "Feeling any better?"

"I'm fine."

"Uh huh." She looked doubtful.

"Come on Theresa, would I lie to you?" He joked, trying to get her to stop worrying.

"To make me think you're absolutely fine? Yes, you'd lie to me in a heartbeat." She sat down on the couch next to him and patted his knee. "Remember that time when you were, I don't know, about 12? Your mom's boyfriend of the week pushed you out of the car and you broke your arm, and you told me it was just a sprain and didn't even hurt."

"Oh yeah." Ryan nodded. Nostalgia wasn't a favorite pastime of his, and Theresa knew it, so she stopped pressing.

"The point is, you're Ryan Atwood. You're indestructible and incapable of being hurt."

"I didn't know you thought that," he told her.

"I don't," she stated simply. "You do." They stared at each other for a minute, before Theresa put her hand on his forehead. "You're burning up."

Ryan nodded. "I know."

Theresa giggled and stood up. "Get some rest. I'm going to go do my homework, but I'll be across the room if you need me," Are you warm enough?"

"Yeah." He was wearing Arturo's clothes, since he hadn't thought to bring any extra and Arturo was in jail. But even in Arturo's baggy sweatshirt and sweatpants, and his trusty leather jacket, he still shook with chills. Theresa noticed this and exchanged a look with her mom. This was going to be a long night.

_____________________________________________________

"Heyyyyyyyyyy you've reached Marissssssssssssssssssssa. Leave a message at the beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep."

"Marissa? Sandy Cohen. Just wondering if you have any idea where Ryan could be. We're all getting pretty worried, if you do think of anything, let me know. You know where to reach me."

"Still no sign of him?" Sandy looked up to see Kirsten standing in the doorway, briefcase in hand. Sandy shook his head dejectedly, and Kirsten burst into tears, throwing herself on the couch next to him. "I didn't mean it," she sobbed. "I didn't really want him gone, I was just upset."

"I know," Sandy tried to sooth her." I know."

"Did my cell phone ring?"

"Huh?" Oliver looked up as Marissa walked into his suite from the bathroom. "I could have sworn I heard my phone.

Someone had called. Sandy Cohen, wanting to talk about Ryan. he'd deleted the message. "No one called."

"Oh, Ok." She sat down on the couch, pulling the french book toward her. "Let's start with the present perfect." They were half way down the list of verbs that conjugated irregularly when her phone rang again. "Hello?"

"Marissa? It's Luke."

"Hey Luke."

Oliver's head shot up. "Luke? Why's he calling?

Marissa shushed him. "What's up?"

"Just wondering if you'd heard from Ryan."

"Nope."

"She hasn't" Marissa, wondering if why he was just repeating what she had just said asked who he was talking to.

"Just Cohen."

"Oh?" Marissa wasn't really paying a lot of attention to Oliver at this point, or she probably would have noticed that he had left the room.

"Yeah, and he has an idea about where Ryan is."

"Really? Where?"

"Chino. I mean, it's not like he knows a lot of places, right?"

"That makes sense."

"Problem is, Chino's a pretty big city. Do you think he's with his mom?"

"Not a chance. Oh, I know who he could be with. That girl he was friends with. I think he name was Theresa."

"Ok, thanks. Look, I gotta jet, so-"

His good-bye was cut short by Marissa's shrill scream.

_____________________________________________________

This has to be it, Seth thought as he neared a small yellow house with peeling paint. He'd already been to five houses. When he got to Chino he asked for directions to Theresa's house. Cost him twenty bucks too. Problem was, there were a couple Theresa's, and most of them were less then thrilled to have some spoiled rich kid ask them about his lost friend. He gingerly rubbed the side of his face as he remembered the last house, wondering if the hand mark was still there.

Then he saw it: Ryan's bike, lying in the grass. This is it, he told himself, and it's about damn time.

He knocked on the door. Soon, a pretty Spanish girl came to the door. "Can I help you" She asked expectantly.

"I certainly hope so," he told her. "I'm looking for my buddy Ryan Atwood."

"There's nobody by that name here, sorry." She didn't look sorry at all, he noted.

"His bike's in your front yard," Seth argued

"Who is it?" A voice called from the depths of the house. An old woman came to the door holding a large wooden spoon. He looked at the spoon fearfully. The girl at the third house had had a spoon.

"Just a boy looking for a friend of his, nothing to worry about Mama," the girl told her.

She seemed to accept that, heading back to what Seth presumed was the kitchen.

"look Theresa, I know he's here. Why are you lying?"

She looked suspicious. "How do you know my name?"

"I did my homework," he replied in a sarcastic tone.

She looked thoughtful for a minute, then told him to wait. Before Seth could ask what he was waiting for, the door was slammed in his face. After she had been gone for a minute or two, he finally gave up. Maybe Ryan isn't here after all, he thought sadly, heading back to his range rover to go home.

"Seth?"

Hearing his name, Seth stopped right in front of his car and turned around quickly. "Ryan? I knew you were here," he said excitedly. "Mom and dad are gonna freak when they find

out!""Why?"

"Why? Why? Are you serious? Everyone's been worried sick about you." Ryan just looked at him with a blank look. "Come on, we gotta go."

"No."

"Excuse me?"

"No," Ryan repeated. "I'm not going anywhere with you."

"What?" Seth, who had turned too walk to the car, walked toward Ryan. "You've got to be kidding, do you have any idea how hard it was to find you?"

"I'm sorry for causing you all that trouble for nothing," Ryan told him, "but I'm not going back to Newport. This is where I belong."

"You belong at home with me and my parents," Seth argued.

Ryan just turned and put his hand on the doorknob, preparing to go back inside. Thinking fast, Seth blurted out "Marissa wants you to come home."

Ryan turned back around. "She does?"

Seth nodded. "Marissa, me, mom and dad, Luke. Everyone misses you. So what do you say?

"Ryan opened his mouth, presumably to answer, but sneezed again before he could say anything. "ETCHOO!"

"Um, bless you?" Seth gave him an odd look. "I don't think I've ever heard you sneeze before. You ok dude?"

Ryan nodded, "I'm fine."

"He's not fine." They both turned to see Theresa leaning against the doorframe. "Just look at him. He's pale and his eyes are red, and he's been sneezing and coughing nonstop for the last 24 hours." She looked Seth right in the eyes. "Take good care of him, ok?"

"Yes ma'am," he mock saluted her as she laughed and gave Ryan a push toward the car.

"Go home to your girlfriend," she told him. "Just don't forget to keep in touch this time." As he was climbing into the passenger seat, she called "Feel better."

"I'm fine," he yelled back, the action causing him to cough again as they drove away.

_____________________________________________________

"And it's a good think Luke showed up when he did, Or Marissa's be a goner for sure. He had a gun and was all crazy. I guess Oliver was a psycho, who knew?" Ryan gave him a dirty look. "Oh yeah, I guess you knew."

Seth stopped pacing around the living room and sat next to Ryan on the couch. (Kirsten had decided that Ryan would be sleeping in the house for a while) "Look man, I'm really sorry about-"

"Don't worry about it," Ran cut him off. "Marissa's safe now, and that's all that matters."

"Right," Seth agreed. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw someone approaching. "Hey Marissa."

"Hi," she said in a nervous voice, shifting from foot to foot.

"Seth?" Sandy called from the kitchen, "can you come help me with something?"

"With what?"

"The food."

"What food?"

"The pie"

"We're having pie?"

Sandy sighed. "Not if you don't come help me."

"But we never make pie," Seth told him. Then a look of comprehension crossed his face, and he headed to the kitchen. "Oh, you're trying to get me away from Ryan and Marissa."

With Seth out of the room, it seemed eerily quiet. Neither of them knew what to say. Ryan opened his mouth to say something, but Marissa through her arms around him sobbing before he got any words out.

"I'msosorryyouwererightpleasepleasepleaseforgiveme!!!"

Not understanding a word of her jumbled apology, Ryan gave her a quizzical look and said "Hi Marissa."

"Hi," she replied, wiping teas from her face and untangling herself from him and his many blankets. "I am so sorry about Oliver," she told him. "You were right about everything. He really was in love with…Ryan are you ok?" He had a really weird look on his face, all scrunched up like he was in pain.

"Fih..fine," he assured her.

"You look like you're about to cry."

He shook his head. "No. I just have to snee..snehh...sneeze."

"Oh," she had to keep from giggling at his absurd expression. "Try looking up at the light."

"The light?" He looked up at the lamp hanging by the couch, and the itch in is nose gained strength for a second before "HETCHOO! ETCHUUU!!"

"Bless you."

"Thanks."

Nobody said anything for a few minutes, before Ryan broke the silence. "I'm glad you're ok."

She gave him a shy grin. "I'd say the same, but..." she gestured to the mess of blankets and tissues strewn around him on the couch. "But I can be a pretty good nurse."

"As good as nurse Ratchet," Seth quipped, sliding back into the room. When no one laughed, he said "That was a joke." When they still didn't laugh, he got angry. "Oh, so I guess you have to be big to make people laugh? Well I've got news for you: Big does not equal funny!"

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

I don't own the OC. It'd make an awesome holiday gift though. And I don't own Nurse Ratchet. She's from One Flew Over The Cukoo's Nest.

[Bongo]

I have a question. It says that this has been viewed over 160 times, yet there have been no replies. Why doesn't anyone reply to any of the storues I post? I assume it's because you think they all suck and I should never pick up a pencil again as long as I live. So if you like this, or any of the stories I've posted, please post a reply, or I'll stop posting them. Ok, thanks.

[March Hare]

Hey, no worry, darlin People probably like it well enough, but could be they're too lazy or short of time to come up with a coherent and constructive comment... dunno! At any rate I think this is a sweet story. I'd read it in the SF archive, you know, but then I forgot to comment on it here. See?

Just keep those 'fics of yours coming, honey, some of them are bound to be commented on

=xxx= Sanne

[Candy]

Well, I don't know any of the characters, but I enjoyed this fic very much. It was really sweet.

[party_girl077]

I know this is an old story but I thought I would congratulate you on it anyway, I really liked this story!

[Aprilcot]

I for one certainly like it... change that, I love it... It's extremely sweet and caring.

Well Done and thank you!!!

[Cerulean Flower]

I like the story as well. Nice work.